Deal With The Enemy

"I know something that can help you," said Ron.

"What kind of information could a kid like you possibly have that would be of value to me?" asked Razes sceptically.

"Hey man, I can't talk like this when you're giving me the death stare," Ron said, feeling relieved as Raze eased up on his killing intent.

"Fine," Raze said, relenting and sitting back down in his chair. "Speak quickly and make it worth my time and your life."

Ron hesitated for a moment before talking, "I've been keeping my ears open, and I've heard rumours about Abyssia on search for pieces of ancient rune."

Raze leaned forward in his chair, studying Ron intently. "And what do you know about these ancient runes?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

"mostly everything that everyone else knows, and I also know the location of all 4 pieces," Ron said confidently.

Raze stood from his chair surprised as well as suspicious. He knew that there was no way an 8-year-old will know the location of all the pieces.

"I also know you already you know the locations of all the pieces, except for the one in the south," Ron stated.

"Then spill the beans, man! Where is it?" Raze demanded with a dangerous glint in his eye.

Ron paused, looking at Raze with a determined expression. "Before I tell you, I have three conditions," he said firmly. "I'm making your job easier for you."

"Speak" said Raze after a paused.

" I will but first I want to form a magical contract" Ron said with a straight face.

"Fine," said Raze, "I will form a magic contract with you. But know this, if you lie to me or attempt to deceive me in any way, the consequences will be severe."

"Yes first, once I show you the location, you will spare my life, and in exchange, I will never speak about you"

"Ok"

"Second you will teach me and my friend about magic".

"Alright"

"Third, you will help me and my friend to escape from this camp".

Raze looked at Ron with a sceptical expression. "You're asking for quite a lot," he said. "Why should I agree to these terms?"

Ron took a deep breath. "Because I have something that you want," he replied. "And because you know that I'm the only one who can lead you to the last piece of the ancient rune."

Raze considered this for a moment. "Very well," he said finally. "I agree to your terms. But if you betray me, you'll regret it."

"I give you my word," said Ron.

Raze took out a scroll from his drawers, the scroll had patterns and spells written on them.

Both parties agreed to the terms and conditions and sealed the deal by pricking their fingers and placing a drop of blood on the scroll. The scroll glowed a bright shade of crimson before returning to its normal state.

"Ok, now tell me where the piece is?" asked Raze

"Give me a map"

Raze's serious expression gave way to a look of curiosity as he listened attentively to Ron. He knew that Ron's knowledge held some truth, especially regarding the closely guarded southern piece. "Go on," he said, urging Ron to continue.

"The fun fact is that even the empire doesn't know the location of the fourth piece, and they are also searching for it," Ron explained after obtaining the map.

"That's impossible," said Raze in disbelief.

Ron continued, "It's a classic move of the empire. If the piece is lost, it's better to keep it a secret and pretend they still have it. That way, they can keep up the illusion of being in control and avoid losing face in front of other nations.".

"During the fierce battle with the empire before 200 years, a necromancer known as Ophidian stole the fragment. Realizing he couldn't escape the continent with it, he decided to seal the fragment using his own life force in a deep underground cavern. Ophidian knew that only someone with powerful dark magic could break the seal and retrieve the fragment.".

"Despite 200 years of searching, they never found it. Instead, they resorted to guarding a counterfeit artifact in the Storm Watch Temple" explained Ron as he pointed to the location on the map.

Raze leaned over the map to take a closer look. "Interesting," he said, stroking his chin. "So, if the real piece is hidden in the underground cavern, im pretty sure it is well guarded?"

"Well, there is a hidden entrance that can only be opened by solving a riddle. Once inside, the cavern is filled with dangerous traps and guardians, including enchanted statues that come to life and attack intruders".

"So how do we open the hidden entrance to the cavern".

"The symbols on the nape of the statue should be covered with the blood of mages with strong dark magic affinity. Ophidian had done this to ensure that even if someone from Aeris finds the hidden entrance, they won't be able to open it because they would never use dark magic".

Taking all of this into consideration, Raze pondered for a moment before responding, "Alright, I'll send some scouts to look for it, but if it turns out to be false, you will pay with your life"

"Yes, I know that" said as he nodded.

After that, Raze dismissed Ron and ordered him to return to his quarters.

In a snap of Raze finger another soldier appeared beside him, kneeling down.

"Keep an eye on that kid" Raze commanded the soldier beside him with a stern look.

"Yes, lord," the soldier replied before disappearing in a blink of an eye, as if he was never there.

After returning to his room, Ron collapsed onto his bed, panting heavily and feeling overwhelmed with panic. He tried to calm his racing heart, taking deep breaths to steady himself.

"I wasn't sure how long I could keep talking without breaking," Ron thought to himself as he lay down, trying to catch his breath and quell his panic.

"Well, I did what I could. Now all I can do is hope that whatever I read from the book was true," thought Ron as he lay in his bed.

Being utterly exhausted from the gruelling work in the mine, Ron's fatigue finally caught up with him, plunging him into a deep and restful sleep.