Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1683: A Meeting Of The North (Part 2)

It was never Raze’s original intention to try and unite the North Guilds, so he was naturally a bit skeptical about the whole thing. He was a man who preferred to move in the shadows with a small, elite group he could control. Sure, while they were here in the North, he thought it was good to hit two birds with one stone by killing those from the Noble Guild and protecting those that might technically be his enemies, but that was as far as his interest went. He wasn’t looking to be a king or a savior.

What did manage to sway Raze a little bit into listening to the rest of the conversation, however, was the idea of getting all of the allies outside of the Guilds to help them. It wasn’t just about mages anymore; it was about the infrastructure of the North itself.

The main issue is, if they aren’t my allies, then it also means there is a good chance that they could eventually become my enemies, Raze thought as he leaned against the wall of the tea room. If I leave them alone, Idore will eventually swallow them up. I should at least meet them and inform them of what I am doing. Worst case scenario, they stay on the sidelines and stay out of my way.

"Alright," Raze said out loud, his voice cutting through the room. "Send out a message to all of the organizations. Everyone that is left. Tell them we will have a meeting here at the River Moon Guild tomorrow. And once that meeting is done, inform them that the very day after, I will be attacking the Noble Guild base. Whether they are with me, or they are not, I am going in."

Song seemed quite pleased about that. He was quick to inform his guild members to go ahead and spread the word to the others. He even insisted on reaching out to those that had already decided to join the Noble Guild under duress. As Song had said before, at some point these groups had resisted Idore; they didn’t want to join them originally, so there had to be another reason or a spark of rebellion still hidden behind their fear.

What they needed to do now was convince them that Raze, the Dark Magus, and his group were actually capable of taking out the Noble Guild’s upper echelon. They needed to provide a hope that was stronger than their terror.

While they waited for the next day to arrive, the group was given one of the rooms in the nearby apartment blocks to rest up in. There were plenty of empty rooms available, considering a large amount of the population had decided to simply not stay in the Central City anymore. The constant threat of magical warfare had driven many away. There were other places they could live in, but most of the surrounding territories were a mess due to the political tension that was happening everywhere.

It was a hard choice for the common people; they had to decide whether staying in the city or leaving was better, and not everyone could just pack up and go. Their whole lives were there, their belongings, their businesses, and their families. It was a big ask for a lot of them to abandon everything, especially when they felt like they had already lost so much to the mages’ squabbles.

"Raze, are you really planning to attack the Noble Guild with just us?" Liam asked later that evening. Everyone was sat down on the mismatched seats in the apartment, trying to relax their aching muscles.

"Yes," Raze explained, his eyes fixed on the map of the North. "I realized after today’s attack that we are in a race. Although it’s best to try and gather as much information about the Noble Guild as possible to give us the best chance, the current situation is quite bad for us. As time goes on, more people will join Idore’s side out of desperation. The Noble Guild will just get stronger and more fortified every day, not weaker."

He looked up at his companions. "So, if they won’t join us now, we can’t wait for them. We need to strike while they are still in the middle of their expansion."

It made sense to a lot of them, but the worry was still visible on their faces. They wondered if they could really pull it off. There were those among them, like Alen and Kelly, who thought it was almost useless for them to even be there as support given their current level. But they had come so far with Raze, and they were sure they could find some way to use their skills to help him on his journey, even if it was just holding the line.

"I know you said that this was going to be our hardest fight yet out of all of them," Liam commented, leaning back. "But with no guaranteed support from the North, it really is going to be difficult. I hope all goes okay tomorrow."

With the message reaching the other guilds, it also eventually reached the ones that had already agreed to be part of the Noble Guild. These were the ones who truly believed that they had to be with Idore just to survive the coming storm. The moment they received the invitation to the meeting at the River Moon Guild, the first thing they did was get in touch with their new masters. They informed the Noble Guild that the Dark Magus was planning a massive assembly with all of those that were not yet aligned with Idore.

The message was passed through the chain of command until it reached the new, massive palace structure within the heart of the Noble land. Right at the top of the highest spire, staring out at the new city he was building, Idore looked out over his domain.

"It’s still not enough," Idore said, his voice cold and analytical. "More needs to be built. More resources are required. And then, the mages need to be cultivated and trained to become the best of the best, so that even better artifacts can be made. My vision requires perfection."

He turned away from the window, his eyes narrowing. "The fact that the Dark Magus was able to take down the others, the ones I sent to the North, it means that our current power was never going to be enough to stop him. He is an anomaly."

He looked toward his shadow, where a figure stood waiting. "So, the Dark Magus is having a meeting. We need to make sure nothing gets in our way. Trubin, there’s no need to get rid of the Dark Magus himself yet; it’s too risky to try and take him out on your own right now. But go there... and eliminate everyone else who attends that meeting."

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