The choice

[Ar7]

*Rufus opens a small book and writes the words "The Choice" on the first page. He pauses for a moment and simply stares at the words, right there and then those words have a meaning that can not be described by any words. Those words symbolise his life, his past and most importantly his future. The desicion he makes will probably influence the entire world. He takes a new feather, dips it in the ink and begins to write. He does it slowly, as though he is thinking through every word, he is fighting with himself in his head, as he knows, that what he writes will eventully be his Choice.*

They say a man thinks better if he writes his thoughts on a piece of paper, let us find out.

Yesterday I saw my teacher. Only then I realised how many years have passed, I haven't seen him for an eternity. Yet that is the only man who believed in me, he taught me my first knowledge, he is the man I owe everything to. A moment before I had killed a captain who helped me, it was simple.....I looked him in the eyes and within a moment the man was was shaking with fear and pain. It was so easy, I simply did it, because he insulted me. At that moment I felt like a god, gods give and take life and I knew I could do the same thing. Yet in minutes that changed, I saw my teacher and once again stood there like a shy little boy. He was old and weak and yet I felt great respect, I looked him in the eyes and realised that he was only man I truly trusted, he was my only friend.....my teacher.  I wanted to talk with him, tell him everything I had done, I wanted him to be proud. I was eager to see his approvement, I was once again a student who stood infront of his master waiting for kind words for the work he made. I never felt so good before, all my worries, my problems, they left. I was a child once again......

Yet they took it away....they killed him....they let me taste the life I had and then they took it away forever. Now after that they want me to bring them the secrets of the Forsaken Islands, they want me to serve them. They promised me power, influence, protection, I got nothing! All I got was problems, I lost my friends, my business, I became a castaway. They used me as a toy, a servant....it is over, I serve only myself. I promise myself to kill Cibus for what he did to my teacher, from now on I will dedicate my life to destroy the Black Wizards.

NOBODY CONTROLS MY LIFE!!!

*belowe there is Coldfinger written in Blood as a signature to his vow*

Before his death, my teacher gave me a message from the temple of Lucinda. They know that I stole the rings from the temple, they know that I returned from the Forsaken Islands. They want the secret, they are willing to forget my crimes, they are even willing to offer me a seat in the council. I will join them, I will return to Lucinda, because everything I have I owe to her. I will once again become what I used to be, ever since I joined Corath I lost all of my former friends, I have not talked to them in years....it does not have to be like that.

I used to think that I do not need anybody, I was a loner. But only now, after the death of my teacher do I realise how wrong I was....

I did find new friends, people I can trust: Chanda, Romanon and of course my student, Tathnolu. I have really changed in the past years and the Choice I will make can probably set us on different roads. But whatever happens I will continue to help them, even if our paths are not the same. If Rufus calls you a friend, you can be sure, that he will help you, whatever it will take....and I will do that.

Lastly, I want to thank a woman without whom this would never be possible. An enchantress that helped me when it was the hardest. Maddison....we had different views, we used different magic and served gods hostile to each other, but we remained friends...perhaps I won't ever see her again, but I am truly thankful and hope others will be like her.

Everything changed, many people I knew are now gone, many are not the same, I am now different, but I want to return to the live I had before, a life without Corath or Black Wizards....a life, where there was only me, my friends and my own goals....where I did not serve!!!

*the text ends here, though there are many drawnings all over the page, these reflect events and people from Rufus' life and it is obvious that he drew these as he was thinking....this short page took a lot more time to write than many large books did.*

///Any comments or thoughts are welcomed, if you have any, PM me

Thank you for reading, I do apologise that it isn't the greatest text, I am not a good writer

[Ar7]

*Rufus enters a small inn somewhere on a lonely road, he looks at the innkeeper and asks about the price. The master of the house stares back at him and after a loud gulp, that he hoped to be silent, answers that for such a traveller the room, food and drinks will be free. Rufus takes the key, ignoring the food, and enters a small room. There isn't much inside, a bed and a small table, not even a chair. After moving the table closer Rufus sits on the bed and takes out a book. It is the same book he wrote in earlier. He looks at it for a moment and then quickly opens it, skipping the page that had the words "The Choice". He then takes out a feather and a small bottle of ink and continues his writing*  

*Minutes pass, but the new page remains blank. Rufus turns back and quickly reads through the text he wrote earlier, then he does it again, only this time much slower.....he finally begins to write*

If I do as I wrote, if I join Lucinda, then I will sit at the council among people that feel nothing but hatred towards me. At the same time all the friends and allies I have will become my foes. People I trust, people that I created, will want to take my life. It will mean that I will act as Cibus did, only this time I will be both the victim and the attacker.....no...no...I won't take my own allies.

Why will I destroy something that can benefit me, turn against my own protection? They will all do my bidding, I will be the master they will listen to...without even knowing it. I am not that stupid, I will remain a Black Wizard, they can offer me more than the helpless old men at the council, I do not wish to become one of them, I do not wish to whisper nice words to the Queen so I can earn a reputation. They were too afraid to do what I did, they had the rings and the men, but they never took the chance....I am better than them!

As for the Black Wizards, I know so much they will give me anything, no longer will I be the one doing task so others can gain the glory. The Islands...Ozlo...Dragons...Lia....everything is in my head and they want it! I will ask for Cibus, I will ask for his body and soul, that will show them...but it will only be a small part of the price they will pay.

*At this point there was a loud scream. Rufus opened the door and saw that Zernus had returned from the woods, the panther was now eating everything off the table, the terrified innkeeper was standing in a corner waving around a chair and yelling at the panther to stay away. Rufus smiled and ordered the meat to be brought to his room, seeing his master, Zernus quicky ran towards Rufus. With the panther busy with the meat and the innkeeper once again silent, though sweaty and panting, Rufus closed the door and continued.

I can not bring back the past, why would I want to? All my life I dreamed to become what I am today. I thought of the things I could to, I wanted to shape the world and the people in it. It will begin today, from this day on people will slowly see the future that I have for them. I will not destroy the Black Wizards, I will take control of them.

The weakness I felt as my teacher was killed will remain my last, from this day on I will not spare anyone. I will become what I always wanted to be....

*At this moment it seemed like Rufus was glowing, he was full of energy and will. He felt he had decided everything, from that moment there was no way back.*

[Ar7]

I can not describe my emotions, feelings that I felt as I saw my worst enemy impaled. It was uplifting to see how Cibus' body died, how his flesh began to rot and turn into dust. The hands of The Dark Sun turned his body, one that lived moments ago, into ashes. The pieces of his muscles fell on the ground, his body seized to exist, within minutes there were only bare bones on the spear that took the life of my enemy.

He did not follow his order, he raised his hand on me and with that brought a punisment upon himself. He was sentenced to serve The Mad God in death, better than he did in life. His skull was the tool I used to take what was Bloods and give it to my Lord. The very thing that brought Blood to this world now serves Corath himself! I saw him, he was watching, he was looking at his defeat....I looked into Bloods eyes. It was only a brief moment....but it was enough.

They now call me master, I am one step closer to my goal...but I still do not feel satisfied....

My teacher, my past, my past life, they haunt me with their tranquility, they whisper words of peace in my years. They tell me who I was, they call me back. I try to resist, try to think of my goal, but it becomes harder and harder each day. With each moment that passes I feel more tired of the life I live. I am tired of it all....I wish to be alone!

Though I can not leave yet, there is much to be done. I only have brief moments of silence and peace, moments that last only a few minutes, ones that do not satisfy me, they only leave me hungry for more.

I saw my former student yesterday, his eyes were glowing, I looked into them and saw why he became my student so many years ago. He is just like me and he is doing much to raise his position. He asked for my help, I do not think he needs badly, but I will help him nevertheless, there is no interest for me to stand in his way.....as long as he remains behind a certain line.

Yet I am tired of the people....I will leave Fort Llast, I shall go far, somewhere that has no law, no towns, no gods and no rules.....it will be my hideaway. ....a new home, for a new Rufus...

[Ar7]

Within the next days Rufus will become more silent, less emotional, will stop making jokes or stingy comments. He will lock up....

[Ar7]

Somewhere on one of the Barbarian Islands Rufus has set up a small tent, inside there is a fire burning and the land has been cleaned of snow. Rufus sits near the fire, cooking some meat and warming an old dried piece of bread, a small iron pot is standing nearby with some herbs inside. Rufus is petting his panther, that lies nearby staring at the fire.

It is absolutly silent, as though the entire world has died. In such tranquility it is almost impossible to imagine that there is such turmoil on the other continents. The only sound that can be heard is the cracking of the fire. After some time Rufus takes out his small book and looks at it for a while.

As he is looking, he speaks to himself: "The Choice - life can really act in a curious way, all that mattered means almost nothing today. It is weird how a far all these problems seem...."

He takes out a feather and after heeting the half frozen ink, he begins to write.

The world that I know is dissappearing again, it is not the first time it is happening. My age, it is far from old, yet once again the world that I knew, the people that I learned to trust, are becoming only a vague memory. It is funny, sometimes I feel that time does not affect me, I feel like an observer. I watch as new people come, learn, grow and then vanish, while I remain, always - it feels it will be like that forever.

Perhaps I have been on the road for too long, I can hardly remember my rare visits to towns. These letters that find me on the road bring terrible news, they make me want to never return.

Rufus stops for a moment and whispers silently with a slight grin: "Perhaps when I return to Mistone I will find Blood's troops there."

He continues his writing.

Perhaps it is time to return now.....or leave the world forever....

Having finished this sentence he slaps the book together and puts it back into his robe.