Elemental Mistakes, part 2 by Vanessa S. Quest
Yuuri continued to sleep restfully until a little past midday, awakening in the early afternoon, as Conrad had predicted, quite after lunch and significantly before dinner. After batting his eyes frivolously, he seemed to be making progress in actually coming to.
Conrad smiled towards Yuuri as his set of onyx eyes opened. "…Conrad?" Yuuri brought his left hand toward his face to wipe away the sand collecting in the crests of his eyes. His stomach gurgled, reminding him how empty it was.
"Yuuri, how are you feeling? Your arm?"
The black-haired youth groaned a bit as he moved his right hand, clenching his fist then relaxing it. "Ah… it's still a bit sore, but at least that horrible pain is gone." Yuuri shuttered remembering that pain, he noticed his how his right hand was shaking and quite weak.
After managing to sit up, Yuuri looked back down at his lap, still beneath the blankets. Conrad set a tray beside Yuuri, lifting the lids he exposed sandwiches and other finger-foods.
"I thought you might be hungry when you woke up, so I had the kitchen staff prepare a meal for you."
Yuuri smiled through squinting eyes. "Thank you Conrad." Instinctually, Yuuri's left hand picked up the task of feeding him, his right hand still hesitating to his side.
"Not at all." Conrad stepped away from the bed, returning with a drink. When Yuuri finished his sandwich Conrad handed the glass off to his left hand.
"Conrad… how did you know about squirrel poison so much? Do you know when the pain's supposed to go away?"
"Well, regrettably, the longer the venom is in the body the longer the recovery time. However, you should be alright in another day or so, and Gisela will bring something by for the pain."
Yuuri nodded, normally he wasn't the sort to use medicines, especially cough syrups, but in this case he'd make the exception.
"As for how I know, as a soldier we're trained in local fauna and inhospitable conditions of foreign sovereignties."
"Oh, that's right… you said squirrels don't naturally live in Shin Madoku. How did one get here then?"
"Gwendel is currently investigating that, so please don't think of it, however, it seems to be through hostile actions. That being the case, I would prefer if you would stay in your bedroom until you make a full recovery."
"Wait, you think this was an assassination attempt? What's your proof?"
"Unfortunately, that is unclear at the present moment; however, I still request you stay in your room, your majesty."
Yuuri looked at Conrad with a grumpy look, "It's Yuuri."
"Yes, yes, Yuuri." Conrad smiled a disarmingly charming look back at the younger man.
"…Alright. I'll try."
Conrad smiled, trying to hide his victorious feeling to instead lace it with gratitude. It did make it easier to guard Yuuri if he stayed in sight and one location.
Yuuri attempted to get out of bed, his legs still a bit more rubbery than he would have suspected. Conrad caught Yuuri before he could stumble off of the bed. Helping Yuuri stabilize he kept hold of Yuuri's left hand and elbow. Once Conrad thought he had enough of his footing, he let go of Yuuri.
The slightly blushing maoh approached his wardrobe. "Ah… do you mind getting out for a few moments so I can change?"
"Of course, Yuuri." Conrad replied, though he wasn't all that happy about Yuuri's desire to change out of his bedclothes. "Would you like me to bring anything?"
Yuuri's eyes sparkled and he smiled, "Do you have time to play cards with me?"
"For you, I would make time." Conrad looked back at him, "However, we do not have the same kinds of cards as they do on Earth. We do have something that resembles Uno cards."
Yuuri nodded, "Okay, is it the same rules?"
"Yes, for the most part. Though, instead of four colors and numbers, it has shapes and the five elemental colors. Similarly, instead of penalty cards like draw two it has spell cards, requiring you to add in a certain type of card or draw until a certain number."
"…That… sounds completely different than Uno… but it does sound like some other card games I've played. How many people does it need to be played?"
"As many as five, as few as two, though it has different rules if you play with five."
"You mean each person would play as a penalty element?"
"Yes." Yuuri held his head.
"…This is getting complicated… maybe we could forgo cards. Are there any other, easy games to play?"
"I'll bring some by, really though, the game isn't as hard as it seems."
"Alright, alright I understand, we can try but if I'm no good at it, it won't be fun."
"I'll be back in five minutes then, Yuuri." As Conrad left he instructed the guards to keep a close ear on the room in his absence.
While Conrad walked toward the guard's quarters Gwendel spotted him and approached quickly. "Conrad! Why aren't you guarding Yuuri?"
"He's asked me to fetch something as he changes, there are two guards from my army at his door."
"You should return immediately. We suspect there are still foreign agents on or near the grounds."
Conrad nodded once, entering the guard quarters, he quickly spotted his quarry and what seemed like a suspicious sign, army uniforms pulled from their normal locations and strewn on the bunks. His eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Gwendel, we have to hurry! His majesty is in great danger. They must be impersonating members of our guards!"
"What!" Gwendel mentioned indignantly. He clutched his sword hilt and ran toward the king's chamber with a speed like that of when he ran from Anissina. Conrad kept a few paces ahead of his older brother.
Turning the corner, Conrad saw something he absolutely dreaded, the two guards he had placed at the door were both unconscious in a mess of limbs. Conrad forced open the door, hearing Yuuri's screech cry he had only wished it was for barging in on him suddenly while changing, instead, it was caused by one of the imposter guards, in Gwendel's battalion garb, crushing Yuuri's right arm, pulling him toward the window.
"Yuuri!"
The man brandished as dagger to the tip of Yuuri's neck, Yuuri's face distorted with the pain piercing his whole right side.
"C-Conrad! Gwendel!" Yuuri had managed to dress himself in the few moments he'd had before the siege.
The man squeezed on Yuuri's hand which made it go lax. Yuuri winced one eye shut and teeth grit, Conrad noticed the drink in Yuuri's glass trying to collectively raise, as Yuuri began to irradiate, the trained man bashed him in the head, knocking Yuuri out of his concentration. Conrad hastily approached while the blade was away from Yuuri's neck. He managed to get in between Yuuri and the assailant, he pushed Yuuri toward Gwendel.
"Gwendel, get him out of here, now!" Gwendel lifted Yuuri and pulled him toward the door.
Before he exited, however, Gwendel remarked, "They've brought reinforcement, there isn't a clear exit point." He put Yuuri in a corner away from the window and door, drew his sword and stood between Yuuri and the rest of the room.
Conrad's eyes grew dangerously dark, slicing at the man, the man made the most advisable decision by tactfully deciding that jumping had a much more likely chance for his survival.
Yuuri's eyes tried to open fully, but his sore body seemed to try to lull him toward sleep. Fighting that feeling, he pressed his back into the wall and slid to his feet. "…W…What's going on Gwendel, why did your guard attack me? Conrad!"
Yuuri seemed to relax slightly upon seeing the brunette. Perhaps his body relaxed too much as he fell forward into Gwendel's back.
Gwendel turned quickly, facing the unconscious teen.
"Your Majesty…!"
Conrad's darkened aura didn't seem to lighten, even with Yozak entering Yuuri's room giving sign that any uprising had been squelched. "Yozak, report."
"Of course, Captain. Oi, is the boyo alright?"
"Someone managed to slip in past his guards. Gwendel, please summon a healer."
The older man nodded, then, after stepping outside momentarily, he conveyed the order before reentering the tossed room.
"It may be best to secure his majesty in different living quarters for the time being." Gwendel mentioned. He then added, "I'm going to address the guards to search the perimeters."
"Gwendel, wait. Yozak will go with you, I'll transport his majesty to my living quarters for now."
The tall, gloomy man nodded once. "Alright, I'll tell Gisela when she arrives."
Conrad sat Yuuri on the corner of the large bed, "Yuuri, I'm going to apply your disguise then transfer you to a safer area in the castle for the time being."
Yuuri's eyes focused into cat slits, Conrad pulled back, surprised at Yuuri's partial transformation.
As the maoh's hair lengthened Conrad looked worriedly toward the youth. "Your majesty?"
Without speaking the maoh summoned a water shield around him, exiting through the window. "Yuuri! YUURI!" Conrad cried out after him, he began running toward the courtyard where the maoh had approached. Yozak and Gwendel quickly approached the very same courtyard after seeing the watery displays wondering just why the maoh had taken form.
As the maoh stood amidst a water platform, the periphery of the courtyard was lined with dancing water dragons, scouring the scenery in their own rights. Upon spotting its quarry, the water dragons pulled in tautly, one even passing through the maoh to tighten a ring around one very unlikely spot.
Conrad hastily approached the maoh, "Yuuri, are you alright? What's wrong?"
The maoh merely pointed to the fountain where his earlier attacker took stance. The menacing figure rushed the water dragons, managing to slip half-past one, as his body was half submerged, he threw a bag at Yuuri's hand, Conrad sliced it down before it could reach, however, the man seemed to have a contingency plan for this, as well, as he took out a staph with an orange-glowing crystal. He aimed the staph upward, causing a rain of sparks to fall. The maoh began to approach the cornered man, still wordlessly, which concerned Conrad considerably, as the maoh was known for being preachy.
Now seeming to be a bit more frantic, the man drew out more devices, eventually pulling out a cuff with three stones aligning it in an equilateral triangle, each stone a different color including a fiery red one, a metalloid colored one, and one clear stone. He lipped a casting spell causing the air to shift pushing maoh back partially. He then lipped two spells near simultaneously causing molten hot orbs to fling through the air.
The maoh refocused his concentration and put a crushing pressure on the water dragons, giving them the ability to form a grip around him. An orb of water formed specifically around his face, to Conrad's complete surprise.
"Yuuri, what's going on…?"
The maoh reached toward his chest pulling out a dart with a blood-red stone. As he removed it, he began to become more irradiated, he removed the orb of water from around the man's face now that he was no-longer casting spells and threw his body with massive force to the ground, the dragons returned to their elementally water state as the maoh finally spoke, "You're finished."
Conrad blinked; to say he was confused would be an understatement. Yuuri fainted midair as his water platform dissolved.
Conrad quickly got in position to catch Yuuri, snagging him gently before he could hit ground. Yuuri panted, gasping for his air. Red stains began to collect at the corners of his skin and to his right side just below his collarbone.
Yozak took the man into custody. "Captain, the prisoner is secured. Please take care of the boyo."
The brunette nodded, still uncertain as to what was going on. When he looked at the vast set of weapons used he already had assumed he was using powerful magic against the maoh, but he could hardly believe that he'd have something powerful enough to affect the maoh in such a way.
There was no other possibility, that man had definitely been an assassin trying to kill Yuuri, he was even using amplifying stones and following mystical energy channels to suppress even the maoh's strength… normal humans didn't just come upon that knowledge.
Oh well, he'd figure out what was going on later, even if it required peeling up each one of that man's finger and toe nails to do it.
Yuuri began to recover after fifteen minutes, the blood-red marks that had appeared on his clothing were vanishing along with the other effects of the assassin's spells.
"Are you alright Yuuri?" Conrad asked, helping Yuuri to sit up.
"I… think so. What am I doing out here?" He looked around the courtyard trying to recall just why he had become his other form.
"You were valiantly defending yourself from a sorcerer assassin." Conrad gave Yuuri a comforting look as he himself was putting it together.
That plan was far too well organized to be over with that though, he suspected others would soon become involved.
"I remember someone like that… now that I think of it…" Yuuri touched his head, a strong headache forming, "Yeah, when I was changing he hit me with some weird needle or dart… then mumbled something and I became really weak."
"He was using an amplifier spell so his other spells would target you in the maoh form more fiercely, but of course, your majesty handled it quite well." Yuuri smiled.
"Well, I should at least pretend to be a credible maoh." Yuuri rubbed his head. "Oh, now my head and hand hurts, that's not fair."
Conrad walked Yuuri over to a bench to rest for a few more moments.
"Yuuri, would you care to take a rest? Your room became disheveled during the attack, so you could make use of mine…"
The young man's black eyes sparked with the thought of sleeping in Conrad's bed. "Ah, but that would be too imposing of me… and where would you sleep…?" Yuuri thought out loud.
"Oh, that's nothing to worry about, your majesty. I have night-watch tonight so I won't require use of my bed for some time."
Yuuri looked at Conrad, the brunette thought to himself that his excuse sounded fishy. If anything, he'd be sitting in a chair next to Yuuri for the entirety of the evening.
"If you're SURE it's not a burden…"
"Absolutely, you could never be a burden, your majesty."
"Yuu-ri! Ergh, fine. I'll use your room, um, thanks Conrad." Yuuri blushed slightly. Yuuri began flexing his hand, "Ah! It's finally starting to go down!" Yuuri smiled victoriously.
"Hmm?" Conrad asked.
"My hand, it's not hurting as much. I can make a fist without any lasting pressure pains!"
"I'm glad." Conrad helped Yuuri to his feet. "Well, Yuuri, you should prepare for dinner."
"A-Alright."
Conrad thought to himself, more assassins are out there; tonight is going to be a very long night indeed.
--To Be Continued-- by Vanessa S. Quest