This job wouldn't take long.
Magnus had been tasked with finding an escaped convict in Era. It was a big city so naturally the job sounded daunting. But something about this convict's actions had caught Magnus' attention. The Rune Knight who gave Magnus all the information had stated that the convict had made no attempt to break out in the past, had even shown remorse for his actions - he was convicted of simple theft and had offered to work for free to pay for the items he'd stolen, but was refused as the shopkeep had wanted the maximum sentence imposed - and was actually surprisingly well liked by many of the Rune Knights who guarded him, although this is more than likely something he exploited. None of this fit as a dangerous man and, despite always being up for a fight, the Chaos mage felt that his strength may not be needed for this task.
As it turns out, he was right. After speaking with a few of the regulars, Magnus learned that the convict - whose name, he discovered, was Luca Marco - had a family who still resided in Era; a wife and a young child. He'd been given directions to the young family's humble home and had headed there immediately. Lo and behold, as Magnus arrived, he spied a figure loitering outside of the house of the family, staying at the corner of the window. Magnus remained deathly silent as he approached - no small feat for a man of his size, but silence was crucial right now and even Magnus understood that - and didn't say anything until he was directly behind the figure.
"Luca Marco."
The figure jumped and yelped in unison, wheeling around and about to bolt, but Magnus had already gripped his arm and pulled him back. "No, please, I beg of you! I just want to see my family, please!" Luca whimpered, tears forming in his eyes as he looked up at Magnus. He wasn't expecting Magnus to have a finger to his lips, signing for silence.
"I'm here to take you back... but I will not stop you from seeing your family. I can give you only a short time." the Fairy Tail mage stated, before releasing the man's arm. Luca looked genuinely stunned for a moment, but before he could get himself together Magnus had already passed the front door, knocking upon it before turning the corner. The door opened, and Luca and his wife came face to face without bars between them for the first time in two years.
----------------------------------------------------
Magnus gave the family an hour, keeping himself hidden around the side of the house and keeping his ears pricked in case of unexpected movement - the last thing he wanted was for his hunch to be wrong and for him to have to hurt Luca as a result. Thankfully this didn't come to pass, as Luca came around the corner with a smile on his face and bittersweet tears in his eyes.
"Thank you...I'll happily return to the cells with you now..."
"That you will."
The unlikely duo headed back to the magic council, surprised looks galore on the faces of the Rune Knights when they saw Luca returning without manacles or even any pressure from Magnus to keep him in check. Luca himself looked sheepish and apologised for his actions and, whilst the Rune Knights did not respond as per their rules, each gave the man a knowing nod before continuing on their way. The Rune Knight from before approached Magnus as Luca was led back to his cell. "So...you worked it out. I'm impressed. I was told you were more muscle than brains." he joked, only for Magnus to roar with laughter. "Oh I'm all muscle! But the heart is a muscle too...or at least so I'm told. I just followed that!"
Magnus had been tasked with finding an escaped convict in Era. It was a big city so naturally the job sounded daunting. But something about this convict's actions had caught Magnus' attention. The Rune Knight who gave Magnus all the information had stated that the convict had made no attempt to break out in the past, had even shown remorse for his actions - he was convicted of simple theft and had offered to work for free to pay for the items he'd stolen, but was refused as the shopkeep had wanted the maximum sentence imposed - and was actually surprisingly well liked by many of the Rune Knights who guarded him, although this is more than likely something he exploited. None of this fit as a dangerous man and, despite always being up for a fight, the Chaos mage felt that his strength may not be needed for this task.
As it turns out, he was right. After speaking with a few of the regulars, Magnus learned that the convict - whose name, he discovered, was Luca Marco - had a family who still resided in Era; a wife and a young child. He'd been given directions to the young family's humble home and had headed there immediately. Lo and behold, as Magnus arrived, he spied a figure loitering outside of the house of the family, staying at the corner of the window. Magnus remained deathly silent as he approached - no small feat for a man of his size, but silence was crucial right now and even Magnus understood that - and didn't say anything until he was directly behind the figure.
"Luca Marco."
The figure jumped and yelped in unison, wheeling around and about to bolt, but Magnus had already gripped his arm and pulled him back. "No, please, I beg of you! I just want to see my family, please!" Luca whimpered, tears forming in his eyes as he looked up at Magnus. He wasn't expecting Magnus to have a finger to his lips, signing for silence.
"I'm here to take you back... but I will not stop you from seeing your family. I can give you only a short time." the Fairy Tail mage stated, before releasing the man's arm. Luca looked genuinely stunned for a moment, but before he could get himself together Magnus had already passed the front door, knocking upon it before turning the corner. The door opened, and Luca and his wife came face to face without bars between them for the first time in two years.
----------------------------------------------------
Magnus gave the family an hour, keeping himself hidden around the side of the house and keeping his ears pricked in case of unexpected movement - the last thing he wanted was for his hunch to be wrong and for him to have to hurt Luca as a result. Thankfully this didn't come to pass, as Luca came around the corner with a smile on his face and bittersweet tears in his eyes.
"Thank you...I'll happily return to the cells with you now..."
"That you will."
The unlikely duo headed back to the magic council, surprised looks galore on the faces of the Rune Knights when they saw Luca returning without manacles or even any pressure from Magnus to keep him in check. Luca himself looked sheepish and apologised for his actions and, whilst the Rune Knights did not respond as per their rules, each gave the man a knowing nod before continuing on their way. The Rune Knight from before approached Magnus as Luca was led back to his cell. "So...you worked it out. I'm impressed. I was told you were more muscle than brains." he joked, only for Magnus to roar with laughter. "Oh I'm all muscle! But the heart is a muscle too...or at least so I'm told. I just followed that!"
-END-
WC: 647
WC: 647
