Caluso warriors numbering in the hundreds awaited the foreigners as the floating platform brought them to one of the many floating islands of the city. A wall of razor sharp spears, each paired with a shield sporting the tribal nation's equally sharp colors greeted Chung, Zudrich, and the others as they stepped off the platform.
Scanning each face, Chung noted each warrior, both men and women alike, bore old, faded scars of some kind over their faces and bodies. Their fighting stances were rigid. Not a single spear swayed nor a shield wavered. Each pair of eyes were locked on to him like a predator awaiting its prey's next move. Perhaps the most intimidating of all, Chung realized as he focused more intently at each of their faces, was how young many of the warriors looked. He couldn't tell at first glance, but many appeared to be at least two years younger than him, yet each face seemed far more battle experienced than Chung would ever hope to be.
For the first time in what felt like a long time, the young king felt truly at the mercy of the enemy.
Were they the enemy? Just moments ago, the Caluso had voluntarily fought alongside Chung and the others against a bloodthirsty wave of mutated trocks. The Chieftain, a daunting man in stature and disposition, had yet to regard any of them save for a simple hand gesture to follow.
"We're not here to cause trouble," Chung said finally, hoping to break the tense air.
His words, however, only seemed to have the opposite effect, as the chieftain turned towards the visitors, his eyes fixated not on the king but the woman behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, Nerin simply bowed her head apologetically before reaching forward and forcing Chung to bow his head, too.
The chieftain grunted, turned, and motioned for them to follow once more, the wall of Caluso warriors parting as he strode past.
Nerin held a finger over her lips, shaking her head, "As prisoners of my people, we are not allowed to speak unless given permission to."
"Prisoners…?" Chung whispered back. Nerin silently nodded, nudging Chung forward and prompting the group to follow.
The chieftain led them through the large floating island section. As expected of a tribal nation, much of the city's architecture was nomadic in influence built into permanent clay and stone structures. Rather than a single roof for a household, Chung could see several community long-tents positioned around large bonfires. The smaller buildings were clearly designated as merchant shops as the lantern light within each revealed shelves upon shelves of wares.
The influence of magic was readily apparent for the foreigners. Their streets were kept illuminated not by bonfires but magically enchanted lanterns hung on ropes lining the dirt pathways. Each main island was connected by rune-engraved platforms. The most technologically advanced object Chung could see was the tip of a large ballista peaking over one of the smaller tents.
In the distance, towards the center of the capital, stood the shrine of the El Crystal of Wind. Even at the edge of the capital that Chung estimated to be home to well over 100,000 people, the El Crystal was in clear view, a bright aqua green beacon among a backdrop of stars. It didn't take long for Chung to notice the circular layout of the floating islands formed around the crystal, serving as its protective layers, while also benefiting from the El Crystal's magic.
Seeing the El Crystal reminded Chung of the lengths Hamel took to protect their El Crystal. Hamel's temple was built inside a sheer cliff, guaranteeing only one way in or out for any intruder. Like shellfish protecting its pearl, Hamel looked to layers of thick rock and an unrelenting sea to hide its precious source of power.
The Caluso, on the other hand, seemed to take a different approach in protecting their El Crystal. Assuming any invading force could reach the capital from the ground, they had to go through multiple layers of floating islands just to reach their prize. All the while, the El Crystal of Wind stood in plain view for all to see - as if challenging anyone to try and take it from them.
It was when this thought crossed Chung's mind that he realized who else was among his party of outsiders: Lu. Knowing full well a demon's desire to seize an El Crystal for themselves, the young king glanced over his shoulder at the child demon trailing behind him.
Even in the dim torchlight, it was plain as day that the demoness was eyeing the crystal with overt interest. He had to keep an eye on her. Knowing her kind, Lu was most likely formulating a plan to get her hands on it.
Chung blinked. Was this her plan all along? Was that why she and Ciel specifically looked to them for help back in the mining village? Did they just willingly bring a demon within spitting distance of an El Crystal?
The young king wanted to speak out. He wanted to call her out right here before the demoness found the chance to make her move.
Gerard nudged the young man. Sensing the unrest in Chung, the archmage grimaced and shook his head at him. He made a silent zipping motion over his lips, urging Chung to keep his mouth shut for the time being while motioning at the armed guards that escorted them. The young king held his tongue but kept a wary eye on Lu should she stray too far from the group.
They rode one more platform. And after taking the foreigners once more through another densely populated island, the chieftain had them take a seat around another bonfire, surrounded by more resident long-tents.
"Speak," the chieftain said, the warriors at his side lowering their spears.
"What the young man says is true," Gerard said quickly, "We mean no trouble and only wish to-"
"Not you, d'ronge," the chieftain growled. He turned to his only surviving daughter, regarding her with a simple scowl. "Nerin."
The woman regarded the chieftain with an equally unhappy glower before simply turning her head away in a huff. "I have nothing to say to you, father."
Her father snorted and turned away, waving at them dismissively, "Sleep. We speak tomorrow."
His guard followed, leaving the prisoners to sit idly by the bonfire.
Looking around, Chung noted that the only ones keeping an eye on them were the curious children peeking out from one of the long tents.
They were prisoners… right? They weren't caged. They were free to walk around as they pleased. The Caluso didn't even take away their weapons or armor.
As if reading his mind, Nerin answered him, "My people know you can't escape. Or rather, if you do, then you deserve to be freed."
Chung blinked in confusion.
Lu chuckled at that, "So what? I can just get up and leave?" The demoness stood, garnering the attention of the children in the long-tent and a pair of guards just waiting for them to make a move at the bonfire circle's entrance. Hearing this, Chung was already clutching the handle on his cannon.
"By trying to escape, you open yourself to be freely attacked," Nerin warned, "Caluso are always eager for a fight. They want you to try to run."
"But she's a demon," Chung warned.
"They're very much aware of that. But even the children don't fear her."
"They're a nation built solely around the idea of 'might makes right'," Gerard explained, "It's how much of anything is decided here. Something as simple as the amount of food you can have on your plate to as important as who gets to lead the Caluso is decided through a show of strength. Your freedom is no different. And even if you manage to break through the guards, you have several hundreds of meters separating you from the mutated trocks below, so I highly advise you to rethink your escape attempt."
"Wait," the demoness chuckled to herself, "So if I took out their big what's-his-name, the people here would label me their leader?"
"Karu is the Chieftain's name," Gerard said, "And if you want to reach him, you're going to have to go through his guard first."
"Is that all?"
"By all means, then. Try to escape," the archmage challenged.
Seeing as the archmage wasn't going to stop her, there was a moment of deliberation as the demoness weighed her options. She looked from the group to the two guards passively watching the outsiders bicker. Chung had expected Lu to take Gerard up on his challenge. Up until now, the demon had shown a distinct recklessness that he found common in her kind, so it wouldn't surprise the king if his night of fighting wasn't quite over yet.
However, despite his assumptions, Lu backed down.
"I'm tired, anyways," the little demoness yawned, "Ciel. You rest up, too. I can't let my battery run out on me."
"A wise decision," Gerard said, "It's what I had to do when I was held hostage the first time I visited."
"Fine with me," Zudrich shrugged, kicking back and leaning on his cannon, "After nearly getting my head chopped off by a giant boomerang, I'd settle for peaceful captivity."
"Ma," Edwin whispered, pointing at the children staring at him, "I wanna play with them!"
The mother turned her attention to the kids still watching them from their tents. Wariness filled her as she quietly shook her head, "You don't, Edwin. Believe me. You don't."
Remembering Nerin's tale of being trained to fight at a young age, Chung silently agreed with Nerin's concern. He unslung his cannon, using it as best as he could as a pillow since it clearly didn't work as a weapon.
"Gerard?" the young king asked as he watched the archmage prepare what little he could for his wife, child, and niece to sleep on.
"Yes?"
"The chieftain… he called you d… d'ron… geh? What does that mean?"
Hearing this, Nerin laughed as her husband simply shrugged.
Nerin scooted closer, whispering in Chung's ear, "It means trock excrement."
"I heard that," Gerard sighed, shaking his head, "It's good to know your father still regards me with the same level of respect as he did when I first met him."
"It's significantly less, dear," Nerin giggled, "We eloped, after all."
Gerard rolled his eyes, "Running from your responsibilities as a priestess and holding me against my will is far from the definition of eloping."
"Just so you're aware," Nerin said to Chung, "He proposed to me, and we had Edwin before we were properly wed. If either of us was holding the other against their will, it would be my husband."
"Ma," Edwin whispered, tugging on her top, "What does 'elope' mean?"
"Something you should never do, little one," Nerin smiled, nuzzling her child, "Unless you want to make someone's papa very angry."
"Oh."
Chung chuckled at the family. Both Gerard and Nerin appeared content, despite the situation they landed themselves in. The only one that looked uneasy was their niece, Anduran. Up until now, Anduran had kept to herself and was currently in the process of quietly digging herself a dirt pillow..
Chung slid closer to the girl, noticing how distant she had been from the rest of the group. "You've been quiet. Something the matter? I mean besides the fact that we're prisoners."
Anduran shook her head, "It just feels strange… being home, again."
Chung had nearly forgotten that Anduran was originally from this village. Her late mother had been the priestess, afterall, so it made sense that Anduran would have lived here most of her early life. Now that the young king thought about it, though, he didn't know much about how Anduran came to live with Gerard and Nerin in the first place. Based on how the chieftain treats his own daughter, it was safe to assume the Caluso don't take kindly to their own leaving the nest.
"I'm going to bed," Anduran said to the young king before he could ask her more. She turned away from him, clearly not wanting to speak further on the topic.
Chung slid away, rolling his destroyer on the ground to a somewhat comfortable position before laying his head on it.
"This has been one hell of a trip to Sander, hasn't it?" Zudrich commented as they both stared up at the clear night sky.
Thinking back on their journey so far, it had only been a week since they first set foot on desert sand, yet it felt like a lifetime since they've left Hamel. Chung may have bought time regarding the food shortage with the massive coral serpent he slew, but that was no excuse to take his time in opening talks with Sander. Hamel desperately needed help, and the sooner he would return to his people, the better.
"Let's just hope we can talk our way out of this imprisonment," Chung sighed, "With Gerard's family and the wind priestess safe, we need to refocus on our people as well. Sasha and the others are counting on us."
"Yeah," Zudrich agreed, "Speaking of the Water Priestess, I've been meaning to ask…"
"Hm?"
"She placed a tremendous amount of faith in you. So much so that she personally commissioned the Freiturnier you're wearing."
"Yeah…" Chung mumbled, raising a damaged arm guard and peering in at his recently bandaged wound from blocking a trock attack.
"Some of the other squires used to think that you and Sasha would marry one day," Zudrich said, catching Chung by surprise.
"W-what?" the young king scoffed, "Sasha and I?"
"Why not? You two were close before the demons invaded. And now the other acolytes are going to retell the same story over and over again about how you saved the priestess."
"Ah…"
"-How you fought off hundreds of demons just to get to her, only to have Ran and his elite guards standing between you and your beloved."
"Last I heard that tale, there were 'at least fifty' demons I had to fight off, and Ran wasn't part of the equation yet. Nice to know that number's going up," Chung chuckled, "And my 'beloved'? C'mon, Zudrich."
"So that's a no, huh?"
"No."
"Not while she's still out there, huh?"
Chung smiled. Still staring at his damaged armguard, his eyes focused on the bandaged wound underneath. Had his bone not been replaced by Nasod steel nearly a year ago, he would've easily been short a hand. "Get some rest, Zudrich," Chung sighed, "And pray that the Caluso will let us continue our journey."
There was little rest for Chung and the others. As soon as the stars began to fade, the prisoners were awakened by the two guards that had watched over them through the night.
They were led deeper into the city. The roads widened, and the crowds only increased. Even in the hours before sunrise, the streets were alive with activity. Idle hands were hard to come by as even children as young as three and four filled the streets, helping their family with their early morning chores.
Life within the capital was unlike any Chung had ever seen in the world. Everything was shared. There was no property line, no fences barring a neighbor from the other. Food, drinks, and other resources were freely passed about each small long tent community.
What surprised Chung most, however, was when they reached the central island. Children of all ages flocked to a massive tent. The unified and rhythmic shouts of martial arts training could be heard through the entrance. Peeking in as the group passed, Chung saw toddlers to teenagers warming up for hand-to-hand combat training. Some were barely old enough to walk but were on the path of building proper fighting stances.
Sparring rings were set up near the entrance, and Chung witnessed a furious duel between two girls. One was already bleeding from a swollen eye, yet she maintained a rigid stance, awaiting her opponent's next move. Her adversary, another girl about a year older than her, wasted no time in pressing her advantage. What followed was a brutal exchange of blows, neither relenting as counter after counter found each other's mark.
Chung wasn't sure if it was experience or pure constitution that won the bout, but what had started as precise and trained strikes devolved into a slugfest. The match was only decided when the younger girl's strikes were clearly weakening, and strength left her legs completely. She fell to the ground. Still conscious and willing to fight, her defeat was apparent when her body refused to listen as her opponent simply pinned her to the ground and raised a hand in victory.
"The young ones train closest to the chieftain's hall so he can personally see the development of the next generation's warriors. Occasionally, he will measure the skills of the best and correct any flaws in their form before he deems them worthy of joining the warrior ranks. As you've seen, some as young as their early teens have been given the right to call themselves a warrior. Were you two trained at a young age, as well?" Nerin asked, noticing both Zudrich and Chung watching the fight intently.
Chung remembered when he first set foot in a sparring ring. It was under the watchful eye of his father and the drill sergeant. He and Zudrich were given weighted, wooden tree trunks to simulate their destroyers. Their combat was carefully instructed, only stopping when things grew too rough.
The Caluso children, however, did not appear to have the same formality when it came to practicing hand-to-hand. Participants who had fallen unconscious were simply dragged out of the ring and replaced by another.
"Yeah… Paladins usually learn combat as kids," Zudrich muttered, omitting the fact that their regiment was nowhere as brutal or scarring as the Caluso's.
"I see. It makes sense, considering how your father fought many years ago," Nerin said to Chung.
"You knew my father?" Chung perked.
"I've seen him once, but-" Nerin began but was interrupted when the guards leading them pounded the hilt of their spear and came to a stop at the edge of what looked like a large fighting ring. The fighting ground was a neatly maintained, almost perfectly flat area of dirt, smoothed out in a way Chung could only describe as windswept. It was bordered by a thick, worn rope that spanned the entire diameter of the arena with more Caluso warriors seated cross legged along the edge. At the very center was the chieftain, sitting like the others, and waiting for the visitors to step forward.
The sun rose behind the chieftain, blinding the visitors temporarily. He studied the four strangers, appraising them silently before his eyes fell upon Chung. Something caught the chieftain's eye.
"You. Step forward," he ordered Chung.
Blinking, the young king did so, only to have the circle of guards close in behind him.
"Your stone," Chieftain Karu said, pointing at the guardian stone fixed on Chung's chest plate, "How did you get it?"
Chung's hand subconsciously moved to his chest, cradling the inert stone. "It was my father's."
"Helputt is your father?" the chieftain grunted as he paced back and forth at the center of the ring. The way he said it sounded as if he was laughing at Chung. "Where is he? Why would he give you his stone?"
"Dead," Chung said, his eyes downcast as he spoke.
The chieftain paused. "How?"
"I… he died by my hand."
"Oh?" If the chieftain wasn't interested in their visitors, he definitely was now, "So you killed your father?"
Although he was blunt with how he said it, there really was no nicer way to put it. Chung nodded.
A smile appeared on the chieftain's face as he entered his combat stance. "Fight me."
It took a moment for Chung to process what was requested. He only realized what the chief said when the guards standing at the ring's edge began thumping their heavy tower shields in a slow, unified rhythm.
"You can't be serious," Chung said in exasperation.
Gerard groaned, rubbing his neck in annoyance, "He's serious. Chung, I understand that you only wish to leave this place and continue with your business, but here, you have to show you're worth listening to, first."
"It is our way of life," Karu said. He regarded the other three outsiders standing behind Chung, "Fight me. All of you."
Chung blinked and looked back at Lu, Ciel, and Zudrich, who looked just as confused as he was.
Looking back at the chieftain, the man must be in his sixties. Scars both old and new riddled his toned, muscular frame. He has seen more battles than Chung would ever see in a lifetime. But what caught the king's attention most was that the chieftain was unarmed.
He couldn't be serious. All four of them? Versus him?
Lu was the first to step forward, but Chung extended a hand to stop her. Knowing the demoness, her involvement would likely end in bloodshed.
"But he's asking us to arrange his funeral. I say, as guests, it's only polite that this would be our visitor's offering."
Karu grunted at the comment but said nothing.
"Since when do demons care about courtesy?" Chung asked, "Stand back. He just wants to test our strength. I'm a Hamelian. Strength is sort of our thing."
Lu spat in protest, "Fine. But the second you start dying, I'll take the win for myself."
"I won't let that happen."
Out of courtesy, the king unslung his cannon and set it down at his feet.
"No weapon?" Chieftain Karu cocked an eyebrow.
"If it's a formal match you want, then I'll do it unarmed as well."
"Your father said the same," Karu said as a sudden breeze swirled around the chieftain.
Without warning, a powerful gust of air surged under the young king's feet, strong enough to lift him briefly off the ground. As soon as his feet were in the air, a second gust sent him flying forward. All Karu had to do was meet Chung's gut halfway with his elbow. Had the Hameilian not been wearing his armor, the blow would have easily severed his spine from the lower half of his body.
The young king stared wide-eyed at the chieftain, as his face contorted into several phases of pain.
"That was why he lost," Karu said smugly as he shifted his stance, grabbing Chung under his shoulder and hurling the king away like a ragdoll. The Hamelian's body scraped against the dirt before crashing into the wall of shields at the edge of the ring.
"Chung!" Zudrich cried, rushing to his king's side. The fury guardian knelt down, unsure what to do as Chung clutched at his stomach, gasping for air.
"To take me on alone was your first mistake," Karu declared loudly, "Your second mistake was seeing me as unarmed. Our bodies are our weapons. The very air you breathe is our weapon. And your third mistake-"
Someone was running at him.
Karu spun around, extending an arm to catch the sharpened chain as it pierced through his hand. Without even flinching, he gripped the demonic steel, wrapping it tightly around his forearm and yanking Lu towards him in a single swift motion.
With her burning gauntlets still attached to the demonic chains, she was met with a hook to her face mid-flight, weighted by the chains wrapped around his knuckle. A knee to her chest followed. Lu could only hang in the air with her mouth agape, only to have the chieftain grab her by the roof of her mouth and send her hurtling to the ground in an overhead swing.
A shot rang out, but as the magical bullet closed in, a bubble of wind directed the round right past Karu. Another shot. And another. Each bullet's trajectory whirled unnaturally before ultimately curving around its intended target. The bystanders at the ring's edge simply raised their shields, absorbing each shot as children laughed at the bright sparks of magic dissipating off the shields. Ciel stood at the far end, his gunblades raised as he fired again and again, the rounds cascading harmlessly around the chieftain. With a heave of the chain, Karu swung the still-unconscious body of the demoness around him, causing Ciel to hold his fire at the risk of hitting his soulbind.
The chieftain hurled the demoness at him, snapping Lu's end of the chain free with a sharp tug and forcing Ciel to drop his weapons to catch her.
The demoness collided against Ciel, the impact strong enough to send him flying back. The wall of guards parted, and the two disappeared into the crowd in a loud crash.
In that same motion, Karu turned to meet Zudrich, using the chains to catch the fury guardian's arms in his downward swing, redirecting the heavy cannon away, and cracking the earth at his feet. The chieftain surged forward, slamming his forehead against Zudrich and knocking him off balance. He was quick to act, pulling the chain tight around Zudrich's wrist, leaping over him. He spun around, landing a heavy mid-air kick to the back of Zudrich's head before landing and pulling his arms against his chest. He grounded the fury guardian, putting his weight between the guardian's shoulder blades and effectively neutralizing him. The chieftain didn't even break a sweat, save for the blood trickling down the chains.
Dust settled. Karu stood, ripping the chain out of his hand. Disappointment overshadowed his victory.
"Third… was attacking me one at a time."
He then turned his attention to the edge of the ring, his eyes falling on his daughter.
"These are the people you surround yourself with? I now see why you chose to seek shelter here."
"Your hospitality was our last resort, father," Nerin declared loudly, "Don't think we didn't try other options before coming back."
"And yet, here you are," Karu said, "You're safe, now. You and Anduran. We'll dispose of the rest as they are of no use to you."
"You'll do no such thing!" Nerin said, "Gerard and I owe them a great favor. I demand they receive safe transport to Sander."
"Sander?" Karu half laughed at the suggestion, "These outsiders would bow to our children in combat, and you expect me to honor their service to you? Why? And what benefit would it be to us, wasting our resources just to hand these weaklings to those greedy Sanderians? No. I won't honor their request. At least not until they prove they can at least fight like a real warrior."
Karu stepped forward, avoiding Chung's upward swing of his cannon. Despite the Hamelian's best efforts to get the jump on the chieftain mid-conversation, Karu was two steps ahead, lining up a counter strike that found its mark square against his opponent's ribs.
Chung flinched but recovered just in time to at least block Karu's attempt to grapple him. Using his cannon as a wall between him and the towering Caluso, Chung wrestled for control of the situation. Despite the combined weight of the king and his weapon, Chung felt the ground under him shift at the whim of the chieftain.
Locked in a power struggle, Chung was shocked to find himself unable to jockey for the advantage.
"Weak!" Karu growled under his breath.
Chung couldn't overpower the chieftain. Even with his natural Hamelian strength, he felt he was only a shove away from completely losing his footing.
"Your father used his stone to fight me," Karu said, grunting as he kept Chung locked in the defensive, "Half the arena destroyed. His cannon burning a molten blue. Why do you hesitate to do the same?"
Chung refused to answer. He shifted his footing, turning his destroyer in an attempt to put Karu off balance. The chieftain allowed it, loosening his grip and forcing Chung off balance. The cannon fell aside and the young king looked up just in time to meet a bloodied fist with his face.
He staggered back. Completely thrown off balance, he wasn't prepared for a series of blows to find its way through his pitiful attempts to block.
"Is this all you are capable of?! Are you truly Helputt's son?!" Karu finished him off with an uppercut that would've shattered a normal man's teeth.
The king fell back. Karu stood over him, waiting for the supposed usurper of Hamel to rise again. "Fight me!" the chieftain ordered, "Fight me at your full potential! If you wish to truly engage in a 'formal' match, then hold nothing back! Your father was a great warrior! I refuse to believe you are his son!"
"I… can't," Chung gurgled.
"What?!"
"I can't!" Chung shouted, painfully rolling to a sitting position. "The guardian stone doesn't work! I don't know why… but at some point after we fled Garpai Village… the stone wouldn't work."
Several emotions flashed on the chieftains face before anger took over and Karu slammed his fist on the ground in frustration.
"Worthless!" the chieftain yelled. He motioned at the guards surrounding the ring, "Get these outsiders out of my sight! To the sands! Let them die in the sands!"
Suddenly, a burst of flame erupted behind the Karu. For the first time in the bout, the chieftain was the one caught off guard as a ball of bright red fire slammed into the chieftain. Engulfed in an unnatural blaze, it took the chieftain a moment to find his center and extinguish the fire by creating a powerful gale around him.
Skin slightly cooked and still smouldering, the Chieftain's eyes fell on a child at the edge of the arena, mouth still open from his flame-breath spell.
"Edwin!" Gerard scolded.
"Take that!" Edwin screamed, "That's what you get for… for being mean to Chung! He's much stronger than you!" Karu straightened his posture, eyes burning with hatred at the Half-Caluso. He stepped towards the child, and the other children around the arena erupted in whispers and giggles, knowing full well what was in store for the little boy.
Nerin entered the ring, setting herself between her son and her father.
"Step aside, Nerin," Karu said in a low growl.
"Asking a Caluso mother to allow harm to come to their child? Your sense of judgement is beginning to wane, father."
"You are not Caluso. Not since you fled with that pitiful mage and birthed that… abomination."
"Then send me with them!"
"Nerin…" Karu growled.
"You're the reason why I left in the first place! After what you did to Surin…"
"Mama…?" Anduran whispered.
The chieftain's eyes narrowed, "Do not bring her into this."
"Send me with the outsiders. At least make our second parting mutual," Nerin demanded.
After a brief deliberation, Karu turned to the guards, nodding at them to take her and the rest away. He turned to leave as the Caluso began their cleanup stopping in front of Anduran amidst wrapping a cloth around his wounded hand.
"Not you, Anduran. You stay."
Anduran glanced up at the chieftain then back at the others who were being escorted off the premises.
"B… but," the little wind priestess protested only to be silenced by the Caluso leader's terrifying presence.
Seeing Anduran slowly disappear out of view, Chung turned to Nerin and Gerard.
"We're just going to leave her here?"
"That was the original plan," Gerard said, getting a nod from his wife, "After our attack on Garpai, Nerin and I decided that Anduran's safety as the wind priestess was our priority. If a demon was after her, as we learned during our stop in the mining village, then the Caluso Capital would be the safest place to keep her."
"Are you sure the demons won't reach her?"
Lu spat out a bloody tooth next to the king, "Trust me. She's safe here," the demoness begrudgingly agreed. "I don't even sense any other demons lurking around. Doubt even Karis was able to plant spies in this place with how these humans treat their guests."
They were led back to the entry platform of the city, and the few guards that accompanied them signaled to be lowered to the desert below.
"Then… what are we going to do?" Zudrich asked as the floating chunk of land began its descent. "We've lost our means of transportation. There's nothing but desert in every direction!"
Gerard smiled at the two Hamelians, "I'm going to find us a ride to Sander."
Hearing this, Chung and Zudrich looked at each other.
Lu cocked a brow at him, "Uh… us? All of us?"
"Why not? It beats wandering aimlessly in the hot sun."
"Well, okay, you have a point... but, in case you weren't paying attention, we sorta blew our only chance to travel anywhere after Karu kicked us out."
"You saw how upset he was when His Majesty claimed he couldn't make his stone work, right? As much as you'd think he disliked your father, Chung, I'd gamble that that's far from the case. Nerin?"
His wife nodded, "From memory, father respected King Helputt. And as much as he hates to admit it, Karu actually lost the sparring match when King Helputt visited. Knowing you bested Helputt lit an old flame in the chieftain, but to see you perform so poorly was… disappointing to put it kindly."
"So then, what do you suggest we do?" Chung asked, "I can't exactly beat him one-on-one. You all saw it yourself."
"Not as you are, no," Gerard agreed. The platform came to a stop amidst a field of rotting Trock corpses and the scattered chunks of Gerard's estate. As they all stepped off, the archmage dug through the sand, pulling out a book and scanning over its cover, "But if we can somehow make that stone of yours work again, then maybe we can ask for a rematch. I did say I may have the answer in my library, so unless you prefer dying to dehydration or trock attacks, I highly suggest you help me do a little hunting."
"How big was this library of yours…?" Lu asked, scanning the wreckage before her.
"A few thousand books or so," Gerard chuckled.
"Less talking, more reading," Zudrich nudged the demoness, getting an annoyed glare in return. Yet as she stood there, she noted all of them, including Ciel, sifting through the estate.
"Gah! Fine!" the demoness cried before unsheathing her gauntlet and shoveling through the debris.
A/N: Credit to Mirai Akina and Kalafinn54 for the edits. Their feedback was integral in making sure the story made sense, so please support their works as well.