So the girl had some degree of legitimacy in this whole affair. That didn't mean Tony had to like it. She'd gone strange, completely changing her personality, as if she was being possessed. And that didn't make Tony feel any better. And now whoever it was possessing her was telling him that he could learn some magic by sacrificing something to the statue.
[b]"If it's all the same to you, I'll have to bow out."[/b] Tony said calmly.

He and his regiment had a bad run with magic, mostly because the military generals above his regiment believed the best way to fight it was throw enough bodies at it hoping that the mages would go down eventually. And there were a few other incidents here and there but they hardly mattered.
[b]"The last time I met someone dabbling with magic rituals, we had to scrape the guy off the walls."[/b] Tony said. [b]"So excuse me if I want to keep my distance."[/b]