Capítulo 49: Pyrrhic triumph
"Over here! Archmage!" an alchemist shouts at Das.
The young archmage looks across the beach of tents and rushing alchemists carrying even more bags beside their big backpacks and catches the waving hand of the Braunner from afar.
Das grabs his staff and rushes out of the tent entrance, he was tending to one of the many people that survived the possession of the ghosts. As he makes his way through other rushing people, he glances at the big, heavily guarded tent at the distance.
He wished to enter and make sure everything is alright with her after the fight with the Phantom, but he knows it is impossible at the moment.
"Quick, he is losing it," the alchemist says moving away from the tent entrance as Das moves inside.
There is a distressed woman holding a man from his left, shaking violently, the right is held in place by another man. Das loses no time and the tent is swallowed by light, the shaking man going still as soon as the light vanishes.
He is extremely pale, with scars all over his half-naked body, especially in the arms, hands, and jaw. Now stable, he breaths heavily, sweating profusely.
"My love!" the woman shouts embracing the man tightly, he barely moves but does look at her.
"There are other tents that may need your help, don't lose time in here," the alchemist says stepping back in.
Das nods and turns to leave, only to be stopped by someone holding his wrist, and thinking it's the alchemist he turns around only to see the pained expression of the man that was holding the survivor "Thank you, bless you archmage" he says with a rushed tone, immediately returning to the side of the afflicted husband.
He stays there for a moment, unsure of how to react or what to say, should he say something, to begin with? His thoughts are interrupted by the alchemist that pushes him out of the tent so he can get comfortable with his patient.
"Archmage, here!" another alchemist calls out to him from nearby and Das shakes his head before going to meet him.
"He will have to take a small break"
Das is stopped by the general who led the calvary on the defense of the town, his voice is sweet and crisp, seemingly carefree. Without his helmet, he is a man with sharp and lean features, looking young as Das, his eyes are watchful, and knowing as he stares at the archmage, hair blonde and tied on a tiny low ponytail, perfectly keeping any strand out of his face tucking it behind his ears.
"Make do without him for a while," the general says winking at the alchemist and turning around along Das, giving him a few friendly pats on his shoulder "Come with me, there are a few things you have to tell me"
The two of them walk through the beach, the sounds of the waves barely perceptible, hidden beneath the crying of people, screams, shouts, and barking of orders from the alchemists and soldiers that carried people from the town. Burnt, or hurt, there were a lot of people that got harmed by falling debris, fleeing crowds, or by inhaling too much smoke from the burning buildings, but by then all fires had been extinguished.
"This girl we are holding in that big tent," he says pointing at the structure " Who is she and why did she fall from the sky covered in a, quite suspicious, black cloud?" he asks calmly.
"I told you already, she-"
"Yes, I know what you told me. But I want the truth now. Randomly grabbed by the demon is not too convincing" his tone changes, sounding much more ominous than before "I also would like to know what are YOU doing here, it was great timing that the archmage himself just so happened to be around town when an evil, unknown demon meant to set it ablaze"
"I..."
"Received an order from Edel as did I of course!" the general says giggling, his eyes squinting at the archmage "It sure is handy to just summon lighting and appear hundred of miles away from where you just were. We lost two good Jumping Birds today, poor things exhausted themselves to death delivering his message to me and making sure my report got to him equally fast"
Das knows this means Edel is aware of his lie, and if that didn't make him nervous enough, it also meant he knew Ann was more than he had told him. Or at least have enough information to grow suspicious of it, if he wasn't already.
"To be honest I don't want to imagine how many poor birds the Landless Duke must have killed sending messages to the King, he must have been made aware of everything first"
His anxiousness only worsens, nothing comes even close to the fear he holds for the King...and if he were to find out all the lies he has told, and what's more, that he kept the teacher of the man that has killed more than one thousand of his people, death would be a mercy.
"Oh! I apologize, I've been rambling like a drunken Kleinner and I haven't even introduced myself" the general stretches his open hand at Das, offering a welcoming smile " I am Ergeiz The emerald hawk"
Das reaches out to shake hands, but Ergeiz moves it away and instead holds the entrance of the tent open, they are at the big tent and Das didn't even notice when they got there, the surprise noticeable on his face.
"After you, archmage" Ergeiz says standing aside, letting Das go first.
And the first thing he sees in Ann chained on a pole in the middle of the tent, a group of knights points their drawn blades at her in a circle, her clothes are torn and offer now little cover from her waist up. She is wounded and tries the best she can to cover her chest with her legs.
Enraged, Das snaps his head to face Ergeiz, who immediately raises his hands defensively" She was like this when we found her, she didn't seem much of a threat"
"You say that while she is surrounded by your knights!" Das rushes towards her, taking off his cloak and putting it on, leaning in close enough for her to whisper.
"I owe you another cloak" she whispers.
"Release her, she poses no threat to anyone," Das says standing up and facing the general.
"I'm afraid I can't do that, despite what you have told us, it is a risk I can't take" Ergeiz slowly walks behind his standing knights "And your story is not all that I've heard... a mysterious black cloud that killed the monsters, or a black ghost that protected us, are some of the words many survivors have told my knights when they questioned them"
Of course, Das thinks, she jumped into the chaos and helped him try to save as many people as possible, so she was seen. He was well aware that most excuses he had or could come up with would be fruitless, but his mind worked hard on finding a way out anyway, he didn't have another choice.
Because besides somehow covering up the fact that she was a necromancer, the only end he could see was her head on a pike, bringing unnerving memories of when he was enchanted by the singing ghost.
"So this alleged, madwoman, was seen by my own eyes and those of the commoners as some type of, spectral savior, or so I suppose. So let me ask this again" Ergeiz stops right next to Ann, looking straight at him "Who is she?"
Das stays silent, time running out if he doesn't come up with an answer soon, things could get bleak for Ann. He lacks knowledge of the other generals besides Edel, but if his example is to be followed, any longer in silence and he will simply kill her.
But then, gasping people and the gallop of a horse turns everyone's attention outside, not a moment too late the rider comes down and enters the tent, a soldier carrying a scroll in his hands.
"General, a letter from the palace" the man hands him the scrolls and leaves.
Ergeiz opens it and takes a moment to read it, the corner of his mouth rises slightly as he closes it.
"Well, well, well. This is most fortunate, our presence is requested at the palace at once" he throws the scroll at a nearby knight who catches it mid-air with, walking carefree past Das "and it's got the royal seal" he whispers grinning slowly as he exits the tent.
The official seal meant one thing, Edel was waiting.
"Now, chop-chop wizard, you are taking all of us there" Ergeiz whistles, and the knights in the tent sheet their blades, most left in perfect order while a pair take the chains off the pole and drag Ann out "And I mean all of us"
If the sun really was the god creator of everything, Das prayed that his day wouldn't end in a beheading as he exited the tent last.
In front Ergeiz stood with his hand behind his back, surrounded by his knights and the tied-up Ann. Das moves closer to them and raises his staff to teleport.
"Wait" Ergeiz orders as another horse gallops towards them. The rider stops close enough and behind him gets down Petra, furiously cleaning up her dirty face with a piece of cloth "She was summoned as well"
Petra walks up to the circle and stands next to Das, they look at each other in silence and she waves at him in an awkward, yet friendly manner.
With mighty lighting striking the ground they disappear, and the sound of the waves is replaced by the busy city melody, along with the metallic step of the guards as they step forth and point their spears at Das.
"Archmage, you are detained," one of the guards says walking up to him and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt "General Ergeiz, follow us with both prisoners to the throne room if you may"
Ergeiz simply nods and motions him to lead the way. The guard takes Das's staff from his hands and pushes him ahead of the group, waiting in front of them is the long guarded corridor leading up to the throne room.
Their footsteps are loud and echo as the large gates of the execution room draw nearer each passing second, Das's mind is already thinking of as many excuses as he can, but it proves to be a waste of time because by the time they stand in front of the gates he has nothing, no way to evade Edel.
And as they open he sees the man himself standing tall and firm at the first steps of the elevated throne, Adrel stands next to him with a large wooden object strapped to her back. His stern expression was far more aggravated than he had ever seen it, making him feel like a child staring at a rabid dog about to pounce.
His feet won't move, but they aren't needed as he is shoved forward by the guards, he stumbles and falls to the floor, he gets on his knees ready to stand up when Edel speaks.
"Don't you dare" he barked, and Das stayed in his place, not daring to look up. Edel gave a few quick steps until he stood a few inches away from the archmage "You lied"
"I-"
"No" He stretches his hand to his side and a servant rushes to hand him a golden circlet that he puts on Das's head. It's rather blocky with a large purple square gem on its middle "You will only answer my questions. What were you doing in Dorfmeer?"
Das opens his mouth to answer and the gem glows lightly "I was visiting my father's grave"
"Why did you take her with you?"
"I...didn't want to leave her alone"
Edel glances at the rest of the group, looking first at Ann and then at Ergeiz, who steps forward.
"High general, long time no see. Life has been treating you well it seems, earned the King's trust to be officially made regent" a single look from the irate man and he stops, knowing perfectly well that he wasn't in the mood for pleasantries.
"Who is she?" Edel asks looking down at the mage.
"W-Who?-"
"The woman behind you! The one you took to Dorfmeer!" Edel shouts grabbing Das's hair and forcing him to look at him.
"She...she is..." the gem glows brighter and Das holds his head as a sudden unbearable pain invades it.
"A gift from the Dominion, you will be forced to speak the truth so long as you have it on. Or that happens" he releases his grip "Who is she?"
Das feels the pain dig deeper, like someone splitting his head open and playing with his brain until it's too much to bear "Ann! Ann Faust!" he finally gives in, immediately feeling the pressure and pain disappear.
"Are you responsible for the princess's long sleep?"
"No! I would never harm Lioth!" Das replies looking at Edel, who takes a few seconds to see if the gem reacts or not.
"Are you conspiring against the King?"
"No! No! I don't try to bring any harm to the royal family, or the kingdom!"
"Is Ann Faust a threat, or not?"
"No-" Das's sentence is cut short by the sudden pain invading his mind "What? but, she really isn't..." he thinks as he looks behind him.
"Whose to say I'm not dangerous?" Ann says, dropping the act of the scared, insane woman and standing straight, locking eyes with Edel "I am Ann Faust! The Necromancer!" she proclaims loudly as her eyes turn bright blue.
Suddenly, from Adrel's wooden object four swords shoot out, white runes on their blades glimmer and shine as they whirl and stop an inch from Ann's neck. Edel's eyes glow white.
"Take this trash to his tower, leave me alone with her" Edel orders, and a pair of guards hold Das, dragging him out of the throne room as the gates close.
Estado de energía semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Piedra de
Poder