Gifts

Slowly opening his eyes, Magnus blinks the sleep from them and looks around the room. Sitting up slowly, he wipes his hand across his chest, grimacing at the sweat on it. Leaning forward, he put his head in his hands and breathes a few deep breaths before looking up. Standing slowly, he walks to the window and looks up at the gray pre-dawn sky before heading to the bathroom. Turning on the water, he stops as he hears his communication device ringing on his bedside table. Sighing, he quickly picks it up and answers.

"Magnus."

"Magnus, it's Amirah. Do you have a moment?" Frowning slightly, he takes a seat on the bed before replying.

"I do. What's going on?"

"Not over this line. Meet me by the lake, and I'll explain."

"I can be there shortly."

"Good. Magnus, by the way, I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, Amirah, you did not. Though I'm sure it would have amused you greatly if you had."

"Well, there's always next time." With a small laugh, she hangs up the call and leaves Magnus sitting there shaking his head. With a resigned sigh, he gets up and heads towards the shower once more.

Walking through the trees, Magnus sees Amirah leaning against the log he was sitting on a few days earlier. Stopping just in front of her, he waits for a moment.

"I've got what you asked for." As she speaks, she taps a bag at her feet that Magnus misses as he walks over.

"You could've given me those in town. Why drag me all the way out here?"

"For two things. The first is this." Getting up, she turns around and reaches behind the tree, drawing a thin wooden box up onto it. Opening the box, she removes a cloth-wrapped object and hands it to Magnus before stepping back and leaning on the tree once more.

"I had this rushed here. I'm sure you will recognize it." Drawing the cover off, Magnus gasps at the sheathed blade in front of him.

"Amirah. This is…."

"It's the Blade of the Nightingale. I've had it in my possession since just before the fall of Anbushire. With everything that happened after, I never had the chance to give it to you." Looking at the sheath in awe, Magnus runs his hand down the inscription carved into the side of it.

"To win any battle…" Smiling Amirah looks Magnus in the eye.

"You must fight as if you are already dead. As callous as it may sound, I think it's a fitting saying given your current situation." Taking a few steps back, Magnus draws the blade smoothly from its sheath. Taking a few swings with it, he looks at the blade in awe before sliding it softly back into its sheath.

"Amirah, this is a blade worthy of a king. I can never thank you enough."

"You can thank me by not using your demon blade and using this instead. It will keep up with any blade out there, and you know it."

"I know. Thank you." Walking over, he leans on the fallen tree next to her.

"What was the second thing you wanted?" Sighing, she leans against him, her head resting on his shoulder.

"I'm heading back to the Vatican. Now I know what you want to say, Magnus, but keep it to yourself. You have your fight, and I have mine. You can't dig into what's happening at the Vatican, and whilst I can fight demons on the front lines, I think your far better suited to that then I." Suppressing the fear in his chest Magnus moves gently away from her and picks up the bag.

"At least promise me you'll be careful and that you'll call if anything goes wrong."

"I promise ill call if anything goes wrong. And I'm always careful. This is me we're talking about." Shaking his head, a wry grin spreads across his face.

"That's what I'm worried about." Chuckling at her indignant look, Magnus turns and, waving a hand over his shoulder, he heads back to town.

Walking into the barracks as the first rays of sun peak over the horizon, Magnus heads straight to the girls' dorms. Stopping outside the door, he knocks once before pushing it open slowly. As it creaks open, Lana shoots up and grasps her pistol, pointing it towards him. Lowering the weapon as her vision clears, she gives Magnus a grumpy look.

"Christ Magnus, you looking to get shot or something? You could've been a demon for all I know."

"Good morning to you too, Lana. If I was a Demon, do you think I would've knocked? I know it's early, but get the others up. Meet me in the corner of the mess hall as soon as you can." Without waiting for a reply, he turns and walks off. Groaning at the light streaming through the open doorway, Lana staggers out of bed and finds the light switch. Flicking it on, she squints as the light blinds her. Staggering back to her bed, she looks around as the other three women in the room stir. Sitting up in her bed, Ikane looks over at Lana and the open door.

"What's going on? It's barely morning."

"Magnus wants us all in the mess hall as soon as possible. Better not keep him waiting." Pulling her clothes on quickly, she rouses the other two women. In a few minutes, the four women are dressed and walking towards the mess hall. Yawning as they arrive, they spot Magnus sitting over in the corner. Walking over, Eva drops into a seat heavily and yawns.

"What's so important that we needed to be up at the crack of dawn?" Dragging the bag up onto the table, Magnus smiles.

"Christmas has come early, ladies. I requisitioned some new gear for you all." Opening the bag, Magnus removes four boxes.

"Lana. While the newest Vatican Colt pistols are good, they don't compare to these." Opening the box, Magnus reveals two pristine handguns. The pristinely white, square barrel gleams in the early light.

"These are the DE-LG44. They are custom Desert Eagles. Made in the early days by MRI to fight the growing demon scourge, they were chambered in .44 Magnum rounds. With the long, ported barrel and a fifteen-round clip, these have some serious stopping power. I rustled up a few extra mags for it as well. Treat it well." Sliding the box to Lana, Magnus watches with a small smile as she slides one of the guns out of the box. Holding it in her hand, she cocks the slide back and sights down the gun's barrel.

"It's so light, and it fits my hand well. This is amazing. Thank you." Opening the next box, he slides it over to Eva. Looking inside, she gasps at the two curved crimson blades inside.

"For you, Eva, this is one of the few remaining tainted blade sets. They were forged with demon blood at their core. They are as powerful as they are deadly. Make sure you put them to good use." Removing a third box, he places it on the table and spins it towards Celeste.

"These are for you." Opening the box, he reveals two dark gauntlets. Catching the light, blue specks of energy shine on them for a moment.

"These are called the Widow's Tears. One of the first lancers hand-forged them. She poured her soul and heart into its forging. There is no stronger weapon in the Vatican, of that I can assure you." Picking up a gauntlet, tears fall from Celeste's eyes.

"I can feel her pain and her sorrow. But also, her strength. Thank you, Magnus."

"You're welcome. I'm sure she would want you to have them. You remind me of her quite a lot. And lastly, Ikane. These are for you." Sliding over a small box, Magnus watches as she opens it and removes a single ice-blue bracelet.

"I can't believe it. Magnus, I can't accept this."

"You can, and you will, Ikane, please?" Looking at the bracelet, Lana speaks quietly.

"It's a beautiful bracelet." Shaking her head, Ikane looks at Lana.

"It's more than that. This bracelet has a name. It's called the Azure Firmament. I haven't seen this in years. I thought it had been destroyed. It bolsters a lancer's speed, defenses, and power." Taking the bracelet, she places it on her wrist. As the blue steel connects with her skin, a shiver runs through her, and her eyes change from red to pale blue. Smiling, Magnus looks over at Lana.

"It also gives the wearer the ability to see air currents around them and use them as weapons." Standing, Magnus moves to the end of the table.

"I got these for you guys because I have this feeling that where we are going, it's going to be bad. Take the rest of the day to get used to your new power. The ship we're taking will arrive this afternoon. We leave tonight."