Mages of Rubia ✔️

33

Cooper's insurrection takes longer than I expected. I watch from the top of my tower as the whole capital marches on the council hall.

Cooper finds me there. I put my hand around his side as he watches with me.

"What's next?"

"I put myself in their stead. I elect a new council. I do what needs to be done."

"You become the overlord," he grumbles.

"Not an overlord. Just a ruler. I want the world to be safer."

"So you're taking over everywhere you can? War breeds conflict, Azarius."

I press him against the low wall of the roof. He glances back nervously, so I put my hand on his back to keep him steady.

"But once it's over we'll have peace. Don't you want that?"

"I can't focus with you so close," he murmurs.

"We can talk more later, darling."

His lips find mine, hungrily. I pull away and gesture at him to follow me down the ladder. He does, tossing his shirt aside the second his feet touch the floor.

Afterwards, I smoke a cigarette.

"It's quiet," I say.

"Yeah. I guess it's over."

"Suppose I should check the damage."

He nods. I press a kiss to his collar and start heading down the ladder.

I enter into the hall of elders. It's silent. When I open the chambers, I see why. The only one left standing is the High
Elder, kneeling beside a body and covered in bruises.

"Who would have thought they'd be so eager to kill," I muse, snuffing my cigarette out in the wounds of a corpse.

"Genova wasn't here. I think she's alive," The High Elder wheezes.

"Ah. Pesky thing."

I lift them over my shoulders and start heading towards the dungeons.

"Where... where are you taking me?"

They splutter out a cough as the stairs jolt them.

"Somewhere safe to heal," I mutter.

They attempt to use magic, but the hidden sigils just stutter in the dark.

I set them in a cell.

"You aren't here to heal anybody, Azarius."

"Let me see the damage," I say, unbuttoning their robe. I feel carefully along their bones.

"Your ribs are shattered. You're bleeding internally, I'm surprised you're alive."

"I... healed the internal damage. What I could."

"Good."

I heal a rib to distract them while I take out my knife and find the right ribs for it  to go between.

"Do you think I'll survive?" they ask weakly.

"You would if I was anyone else," I say, sinking the knife between their ribs.

They scream. "Why?"

"I need the power."

I stomp the knife in deeper, and they die.

"They're dead because I set some of my guards in the crowd, you idiot. Your civilians would never hurt their gods."

There's a gasp behind me. I lean down to pull my knife out of the collapsed ribcage of the Elder.