The Ruby Magician

Landon walked furiously through the base of Alistair, ignoring the wandering glances of other people. The rest of his team and guild walked beside him hurriedly. They normally drew eyes and curiosity from others from their masked appearance, but now even Climbers were getting out of their way as they walked.

Landon couldn't care less about everyone else. He and the rest of his team were being summoned to Tower Master Aureus's office for the second time in recent months.

Were they children? What in the damned hells did they do to keep being summoned like this? It wasn't like the Tower Master had any sort of true power over them. Sure, he was the overseer of climbing in the city, but he mostly kept to himself. He didn't even bother interfering with the guilds, though it didn't matter even if he did. The man was exactly that - a man.

And the four of them were basically gods.

"This is a waste of time," Jane muttered after crossing the second turn in the white hallway.

"Best that we stay in the Tower Master's good graces," Octavius said. "He is over the Climbers of the city, after all."

"Bullshit," Landon said, causing Corbyn to chuckle. "He may be the Tower Master but he doesn't really hold any power over us. No one does. This is all just for show."

The four arrived at the office door before long, when Landon quickly knocked on the door. After a pause of no response, he knocked once again.

The door suddenly opened and a woman stood there was a surprised look on her face. "Please, come in."

The four hurried inside while Corbyn stood beside the door as the woman left, leaving them alone.

Except for the Tower Master, who stood staring out the lone window behind his desk, his back to the group.

"What is the meaning of this?" Landon asked. "To summon us for an urgent meeting is -"

"Enough," Aureus said, his voice firm. "Sit and calm down. Now."

Landon turned his head to the others. Octavius obeyed immediately while Jane crossed her arms in annoyance. Corbyn remained standing by the door, his head clearing the top by several inches.

It was obvious the Tower Master was frustrated. What in the hells crawled up his ass? Landon didn't care. He just wanted to be done so they could climb.

"Always defiant," Aureus muttered, turning around. "Fine. I hope this won't take long anyway. I summoned you here because I've received reports – yet again – of you harassing and threatening other Climbers. This time with witnesses."

Corbyn scoffed while Jane laughed. Landon knew Vi would be the one to acquiesce to whatever Aureus said, and that was confirmed with his silence. But something about Aureus made him pause. The man wasn't just scolding them. He was genuinely angry.

"This is no laughing matter," Aureus growled, glaring at Jane.

To Landon's surprise, the woman straightened in her chair and hushed. Apparently the man had some gumption after all.

"We did no such thing," Landon said.

"Like the hells you didn't. As I said, there are witnesses. You threatened Ardwyn Thatcher and his teammate, and I have complaints from half a dozen Climbers and the same amount of non-climbing citizens who stated the same thing: two of you approached them in a violent manner threatening violence if they didn't agree to whatever terms you proposed. That's a dozen stories all corroborated."

Landon was taken aback, and more than annoyed, now. He was angry. Aureus had no right to speak to him like that, and his statements were flat out wrong.

Aureus sat in his chair with a straight posture, folding his fingers delicately and deliberately in front of him on his desk. "As a well-known and strong guild, you should hold yourselves to a higher standard."

Landon scoffed. "Hold ourselves to a higher standard? I disagree. Everyone else should have a higher level of respect for us."

Corbyn grunted his approval while Jane and Octavius remained silent. Landon didn't mind. Aureus was pissing him off, and he was going to say exactly what he thought. The bottom line was that the Tower Master had his point of view all wrong. They weren't at fault here. Everyone else needed to respect them. This situation was becoming ridiculous.

Staring at the Tower Master, Landon could tell that the man's normally unflappable demeanor was cracking. It wasn't like they interacted a lot, but normally he was all about putting Climbers first and trying to promote peace in the city. All weak thoughts. But now? Now he was truly angry. This wasn't just a disciplinary meeting, this was a preemptive meeting. A warning.

Landon wouldn't stand for that. It wasn't like Aureus could do anything, either. Though it was nice seeing the man squirm.

Aureus squeezed his hands together, his knuckles turning white. His face reddened and he strained to keep his voice level. "You four need to learn your place here. If I hear of another situation like this, you'll be suspended indefinitely while I send a letter to the royal guard for unlawful citizen behavior, and they will carry out whatever punishment they see fit with a strong backing by me. In the meantime, enjoy your time off – you're suspended for the remainder of this month and the first week of the next."

Jane shot up out of her chair beside Landon. Before she had a chance to speak, he cut her off, his voice rising though still muffled behind his mask. "This is outrageous! You can't suspend us! We've done nothing wrong!"

Aureus took a deep breath. "I can suspend you, and I just did."

"How are you going to stop us from climbing?" Jane asked, inching closer to the man in her outburst. "You have no true power over us. This is just a ridiculous façade, a game of power that you're sorely losing."

"I am the Tower Master. I have a degree of authority over this tower, and by extension all Climbers who are magically connected to it."

Landon laughed. "In name only! You arrogant -"

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Landon was abruptly cut off by a strong wave of magic that physically weighed on him. He heard Octavius gasp in the chair beside him, and Jane was slammed down onto her chair as though physically pushed.

The air around them was suddenly dense and heavy, and it permeated with a magical fog that was even visible to Landon's eyes. It was so strong, and came on so quick, that it took his breath away while he struggled to form words. He struggled to breathe, feeling as though he was drowning in a water-logged cloud.

Then he focused on Aureus. The man was sitting at his desk, as calm as before, except for one very obvious thing.

His eyes. His eyes were glowing in a swirl of purple, white, and blue, as bright as two blazing candles that drew Landon's attention like prey staring down a predator about to lunge for the kill.

Aureus wasn't affected by the dense magical aura. He was the one making it.

In that moment, Landon knew he had not only fucked up, but also that there were far more mysteries around Alestead than he bothered to notice.

For the first time since he had put on the Mask of the Jackal, Landon had also experienced something he wasn't sure he would experience again.

He felt fear.

"As I was saying," Aureus said, his voice echoing like they were in a chamber. "I have a degree of authority over this tower, and by extension all Climbers who are magically connected to it. This authority was granted to me by the very one who created Alistair and it is not a power that will be ignored. There will be civility. There will be respect. And you will follow my words unless you're prepared to face the wrath of Aliyar himself."

Octavius groaned and clutched his head, falling to the ground out of his chair. Corbyn, previously standing beside the door, dropped to a knee and wheezed with heavy breaths while clutching his stomach. Jane was gurgling as though choking, holding her neck and squirming in her chair like an invisible hand was crushing her throat.

Despite all of that happening around him, Landon still only focused on himself and Aureus. His skin was starting to burn as though he was in direct sunlight, and pain erupted from every inch of his body. He gasped, his breath hot and fading, and desperately wished to be away from this monster of a man.

How did he have such a power? Was it some unique class or title for being the Tower Master? That he could both influence them so heavily while taking away their masks's abilities?

And then, just as suddenly as it came, the aura dispersed, like the many monsters who fade away after death within Alistair. The air cleared. The density was gone. The others took large, heaving breaths.

Except for Landon. He stared at Aureus in awe. At the man who commanded a power he dreamed of possessing. At the man who was still sitting calmly at his desk, watching the four Climbers intently.

At the man whose eyes returned to normal and had sweat on his brow and falling down his temple.

So he did have some weakness, after all.

"I have a duty to protect the people of this city," Aureus said, ignoring the response of the four Climbers from his display of power. "I will do my best to keep them safe. For the people visiting, the citizens who call this place their home, and the Climbers who sacrifice their health and safety to challenge Alistair and prove themselves. I will say this once, and only once. That duty extends even to you. Even if it means protecting you from yourselves."

Landon felt a chill course over his entire body. He knew the meaning of those words. How this man was not someone he wanted to cross again. He was arrogant to think the Tower Master held his position in name only. And he had nearly paid the price and had his teammates pay the price, too.

Landon could only nod as he had trouble finding his voice.

Aureus relaxed and smiled. "Good. Now you four are dismissed."

The Climbers stumbled out of the room in a chaotic flurry.

*****

"What in the actual fuck is he," Jane said, pacing their room. "I've never felt power like that before!"

The four were back in their small house, collecting themselves after the meeting with the Tower Master. Landon was staring out the window while Corbyn ate an entire platter of food, his mask halfway on his face. Jane was pacing the room nervously while Octavius had his masked head in his hands on the couch, not moving or talking since they returned.

"Who in the hells cares," Corbyn said between a mouthful of meat. "If we can't climb I'm going to need a lot more food."

"We'll get you plenty of food," Jane said with a sigh. "That's not the point you oaf. Vi, what did you see?"

Octavius kept still, not moving or speaking. Jane shook her head and cursed.

"Whatever," Jane said, plopping onto a cushioned chair. She stared at the ceiling. "What in the hells are we supposed to do now?"

Landon thought for a moment. Jane wasn't wrong. Aureus had a power that he was unprepared for. Ignoring that wouldn't just be stupid. It would be downright deadly. The man didn't even move, only showed some of whatever kind of power he possessed and it felt like Landon was going to suffocate and die. And he knew the others felt the same way. What would happen if the man actually wanted to harm them?

Still, it seemed as though the display of power strained him. Maybe he was out of practice. Or maybe that was most of his abilities. Whatever it was, it was a weakness. And weaknesses could be exploited.

So, they would need to comply.

Landon's lips curled into a smile under his mask.

Or, they could be very, very careful with what they already intended to do.

"We continue with our plan," Landon said.

Jane laughed. "We can't search for secret rooms if we can't climb."

"Not that part of the plan, Jane. The other part."

Jane shifted in her seat until she was sitting upright. She tilted her head to the side. "How? If Aureus gets word about us, we're fucking done. This shitstorm that will happen then..."

"He won't hear a single word if we're careful. It's not that long until we can climb again. If we go slow and don't alert anyone, we won't get caught."

"Shit," Jane muttered. "I hate this. Just another problem for us to try and handle."

Corbyn belched behind them, his platter of food completely empty save for scraps and crumbs. He wiped his face and slid his mask back down, sighing in satisfaction.

"Better?" Jane asked.

Corbyn slowly nodded. "Better."

"We're going to be spending dozens of crowns a day just to keep you fed, you beast."

Corbyn laughed. It was deep and resounding, like a large drum. "I know. I'll make it up to you."

"Vi," Landon said. "You've been uncharacteristically quiet."

Octavius twitched, but didn't pick his head up. He was still hunched over with his head between his hands.

"Vi," Jane said, louder. "What is going on? You've been acting off ever since the meeting. What in the hells is wrong?"

Octavius groaned as he lifted his head, his torso slightly wavering. He steadied his masked head with his hands, his breath audible as though he was injured. "That man… is overwhelming."

"No shit," Landon said, sitting beside Octavius. "But what did you see?"

Octavius faced the ground while he took a deep, steadying breath. "It was too bright for me to fully see. Too much to look at for... more than a few seconds."

Landon turned his head to Jane, who sat on the other side of the couch. She gently rubbed Vi's back. They both waited for him to continue while Corbyn leaned against the wall, watching from across the room.

"But in the short time my eyes were open," Octavius continued, "I saw… unfiltered and unimaginable power."

*****

Aureus broke the quill in his hand as easily as he would snap a piece of dry straw. He couldn't focus. He couldn't work. Those damned masked Climbers were the only thing on his mind.

They were stirring up trouble at the worst possible time.

Order in the city had finally started to show. Since the new classes appeared everything was in chaos. His people were stretched thin while trying to accommodate Climbers and their endless questions and concerns. The citizens were unsure what it meant that new power had come to the city from the tower, with half of them thinking some sort of world-ending magic had started and the other trying to gain some type of benefit from the change. Both were equally difficult to manage in different ways.

Still, climbing was starting to return to normal. And then that damned group started causing trouble.

He had hoped a single warning would be enough to make them calm down, but apparently they were too blinded by their own greed and hunger for power to be rational. He personally knew people like that and knew their journey was always an arduous one that ended in disaster.

The Faceless Four would likely have the same ending. But who – or what – would they tear down along the way?

That was the very thing Aureus was trying to avoid. Minimizing collateral damage. Climbing was already a dangerous profession, and people were occasionally permanently injured or killed. Thankfully there hadn't been a death in months, and he was going to do his damn hardest to make sure that streak continued.

Unfortunately, he had to show a portion of his power to the group, though he had doubts they would be telling others. It didn't appear like they had many allies. Still, showing that part of him was reserved for very specific situations.

He stood up and looked out the window to the city of Alestead. His legs shook for a moment, and he wiped sweat off his brow and head. Even with the short amount of time he exposed his magic it was still taxing. That amount of power wasn't meant to be released so suddenly.

The city was as beatiful and wonderful as ever. Even so, it was still his to serve. To protect. Not by choice, either.

It was a beautiful, wonderful prison.

Carefully resting his head on the glass, he closed his eyes and sighed. Part of obtaining the power he possessed required a sacrifice. Thinking back on it, he was foolish to think obtaining that much power would be free.

"Was the sacrifice in vain?" He thought out loud. "Caught between a tower I can never reenter and a city I can never leave." He flexed his hands and looked at them. "Or was the price I paid worth it?"

He thought about the Climber that started this chaotic mess. Ardwyn Thatcher. The one who met the Avatar of Alistair. The young man never came out and stated as such, but Aureus had his suspicions. It would make sense that someone the Avatar was interested in was at the heart of such affairs.

What would happen to him? Would the Ruby Magician's destiny be similar to his own? If he made it to the top, then he'd certainly find out.

Or maybe he'd choose something else?

Power was not so easily ignored.

Though could the refusal of power also be a sacrifice?

A knock at his door pulled Aureus from his thoughts. He breathed deeply, raising his head high while peering out over the city. The city he was tasked to keep safe.

If the Faceless Four wouldn't abide by his stipulations, then perhaps it would be time for him to flex his powers once again.

If they somehow took action against Ardwyn inside Alistair, though, well…

"Excuse me, sir," a woman's voice called. "It's your next appointment."

"I'll be there in just a minute," Aureus replied.

Turning back to his desk, he neatly arranged his papers while securing a new quill from a drawer before the next meeting.

Thinking back to the lucky – or possibly unlucky – Climber, he only hoped he had enough strength and allies to protect himself.

Because inside Alistair, he would have to fight for his own survival. And for better or worse, that was exactly how Aliyar preferred it.