Chapter 5 - Plans (Negi's group)
"Ako... Kamo..." Negi whispered, realizing who the Welshman was referring to.
"What are they doing here?" Setsuna asked extremely pale.
"There are not others, right?" Kotaro asked anxiously to Arthur.
"Henry says only the witch and the familiar." answered the man, still with his head tilted.
"Thank goodness..." Inugami sighed, thinking of his roommates.
"Do you know them? They are part of your group?" Richard asked alarmed, turning to boys.
"Y-yes! They are a friend of ours and professor's magic pet..." said Chao, yet abandoned her chair, staring at nothing. She had lost all the energy of a sudden, after the discovery that not only they were finished in one of the more isolated parts of Europe, but even they had arrived at the wrong time!
"...but she is not a witch! She doesn't even know of the existence of magic!" Chisame finished for her.
-How, moreover, does not know of the time jump, nor of the same time machine!
In the same way in which I should not know myself! Simply this stuff should not exist!- She kept mentally with his speech, putting her hands on her head.
"I have to go save her!" Negi jumped up.
"Hey, hey! Quiet boy! Here no one moves before we decide it! We can not allow the Baron get his hands on you: it seemed to me I already said it clearly!" exclaimed Richard stood up in turn.
"You have said she is not a witch, right? Then there should not be in danger in the near future. It is absolutely necessary avoid being exposed!" he declared.
"So you're suggesting to me to abandon a student of mine in a land and a ti..." he corrected on the fly "...and in a country of which she knows nothing except some simple word?" Negi was furious.
Strong gusts of wind began to swirl around him, overturning the chairs and turning off the chimney.
If the magicians were impressed by the power demonstrated by the teacher, they do not gave him to see.
"Erik." Richard said simply.
The man, quite impressive in size, with a thick head of hair and a long blonde beard, took a deep breath.
Then, with a voice like the rumble of thunder, uttered a single word full of arcane power.
The winds were raging around the room were suddenly muted and Negi for a moment felt as if he had been hit hard enough by gouge out the breath.
Even Setsuna and Kotaro, snapped in defense of their friend, seemed to be affected with pain written on their face.
"Thank you Erik." Richard said, sitting down again after having raised the chair.
"Now calm down Negi, and sit down."
Negi looked at his hands: he felt as empty.
A feeling that he could not remember having ever tried, and that honestly he did not like at all.
It was as if he had been taken away something really important.
Trying to figure out what was happening, he too sat down, following the advice of man.
"Good. Listen to me, Negi. I never said I do not want to help your friend, maybe you misunderstood. Like you, she's definitely get here with the help of magic, then surely we have to take her away from the clutches of the Baron. What I'm trying to say is that we have to move with extreme caution."
In the room were heard two thuds.
Looking from where they originated, those present saw Setsuna and Kotaro slumped to the ground, a prey to violent spasms, and with expressions of excruciating pain in the face, while Chachamaru remained motionless with a vacant look next to them.
"The...ma...gi...c..." the swordswoman was repeating more and more feebly.
"What's going on? Setsuna! Kotaro!" Negi rushed to rescue them, then realized: he felt drained by the magical power. Even the air was completely devoid.
"But how ...?".
"Soon Erik! Restore the Mana! I forgot the demon bloodlines!"
Another roar, another word as old as powerful rang again in the air.
Setsuna and Kotaro again began to breathe slowly, more and more regularly while coming shocked by some last spasms, and with a series of audible "beep" Chachamaru came back active, looking around with a disoriented air.
Chao, and Chisame, meanwhile, had neither warned nor understood anything about that strange scene.
Of course they were worried about their companions, but however they did not understand the reason of what they had witnessed.
"How did you do?" Negi asked, getting up, and staring Richard look very serious.
"Erik is the last descendant of the Celtic Druids who inhabited these lands for over a millennium ago. It is their secret, and he does not share it with anyone, not even us."
"Excuse me, Professor? But what happened? Setsuna and Kotaro are fine? Why..." Chisame began asking a questioning look and worried at the same time.
"Yes, they're fine. You see, somehow Mr. Erik was able to clear the entire Mana in the room. Setsuna and Kotaro, being half demon, live partly thanks to this element, which allows them to maintain the integrity of their material bodies at an unconscious level, while for Chachamaru it represents the energy that sustains her." the professor began to explain, recalling to the memory the various books read at the Magic Academy.
But seeing the student even more confused he tried to simplify.
"The body of a demon is not of this world. They come from another place, we can call it 'plane' of existence. Now, if we remove the magic, Mana if you call it with its archaic name, which acts as a 'glue' with the plane on which they are called, in our case, ours, the demonic parts tend to return to their own. But this is not possible for half demons, which possess as well as its name implies human parts, not able to travel freely between the planes. The result is as if someone tried to snatch to the holder entire parts of the body sometimes just fractions of cells or genetic code, causing horrible suffering. Generalizing, the cancellation of Mana in the target for the time of contact, is the principle of the artifact of Asuna. For this it is perfect against the demons... However, we humans have a much more approximate perception of such energy, then you must not be surprised if you have not perceived anything in its cancellation. Since you're not using it regularly for you is as well not exist."
While the student remained fascinated by the explanation and tried to assimilate it all, those present were assured that the two were good.
After which everyone went back to the main topic.
"As I was saying before, of course, we will arrange to save your friend, but we will go just us. You will have to stay here safe." Richard said.
"No. I'll come too." Negi said firmly.
"And I'll go with him." Asserted the swordswoman, with no more traces of suffering in the face.
"I assure you that you will need my help as well!" Kotaro inserted himself, with a half smile.
"And do not try to stop us." Ruled immediately Negi "We can not abandon a friend."
He turned to Chao and Chisame "Excuse me very much, but I would ask you to stay here." He immediately hurried to explain shaking hands "N-not because I do not want you with me, but here is... not being able to use magic nor ki..."
"We understand little Negi, ne! Do not worry, we'll be quiet here," she said with a sigh Chao, throwing her arms on the shoulders of the Cyborg and the Net-idol.
The first did not seem very convinced, while the second changed a wide range of expressions within a few seconds, which ranged from surprised to angry, going for a few moments of disappointment and annoyance of stopping on that not required contact.
"As for you, Chachamaru" Negi continued staring at the mechanical girl "I would like you to stay with them, to protect them. Counting on you!" he finished smiling.
"Y-yes. As you wish." Chachamaru said, bowing her head slightly, her voice embarrassed.
Negi turned to the four magicians, looking determined.
"The young master seemest so decided, and you certainly can not deny that any aid would be convenient to us, is not it Richard?" Marcus said with a wry smile and a shrug.
"Henry says that the safety of the castle is not well-provided today. For us they can come." Arthur nodded.
"I will not go. Better if you have someone to cover your shoulders while you snuck into the castle of the Baron. His anger and desire for revenge will be terrible when the prey will disappear, and we already know about who shall lay his first attention." Erik announced calm, with his deep voice.
"So be it, then." Richard resigned, lowering his head, "Come now. I will show you the castle, then we will wait a short distance to enter under cover of darkness."
The village was a quivering of life.
The rain had stopped and the sky now a pale sun shone, that illuminated the quiet scenes of everyday life in the country.
The group walked with a leisurely pace, with the boys trying to get used to new clothes given to them, because that older would not be gone unnoticed at all.
Everyone had a rough wool shirt and a pair of beige trousers, with over a broad green cape, like those of their carers.
"Oh! Guys! Here you are at last!" they heard a voice calling from the bottom of the road.
It was William, who joined them in a hurry.
"But where were you finished? I looked for you everywhere! You still owe me say what it was that big drawing ..."
"Dear William! Arrived at the right way!" Marcus interjected, interrupting him.
"Just a few moments ago sir Erik was zealous looking for you. My advice is to hurry into his presence: we both know very well that he is not renowned for its great temperance..." he concluded with a smile.
"Y-yes! Immediately!" the boy stammered, turning pale, and then run away.
"Hehe ..." chuckled the man "I almost feel sorry for that boy, but this time definitely he deserves what Erik store for him!"
They were just outside the village, in the direction of the fortress over it when a big black carriage of dismal aspect darted past them.
It was driven by two big blacks horses, and the coachman was completely covered and hooded, despite the temperature fairly mild and the sun in the sky.
Even more disturbing was that the coach, despite the size no sound came out to its passage, if not the patter of the powerful steeds on the ground.
As it passed, it left behind a stinging frost.
The group shivered.
"Who can visit Castel Grey with such transportation? I do not remember of Lords in this area with taste... so eccentric." Marcus said.
"It must be the awaited guest of Baron... and he must also be quite powerful to travel in broad daylight!" Richard answered.
"We hope that his stay does not exceed the day."
The castle was of considerable size, and Negi was sure hehaving seen it before, but he could not remember where.
It was entirely built from blocks off dull gray stone, with large windows that could be seen over the high walls, studded with battlements and loopholes.
Setsuna and Kotaro were amazed by the architectural diversity than the eastern castles, and stared amazed at the fortress for several minutes.
After a brief tour of patrol, the six improvised companions agreed that the best method of entry would be flying, after which they hid in a patch of woods a little further upstream and waited for nightfall.
"Ok, they have established a plan of entry. Now they wait for the night to enter." Chisame brought back to her companions, after putting away the Pactio card.
"Even telepathy... but you think!" she said in a low voice, shaking her head.
They also had changed clothes and all were trying to pass the time at the beautiful and better.
Chisame tried to ignore the catastrophic events that were disrupting her existence trying unsuccessfully to update her web page, Chao had put herself behind the repair of Cassiopeia, with very little results, while Chachamaru just watched sitting at the table before one then the other.
Erik had left them alone shortly before saying of having to complete two or three errands in the village, and that he would be back soon.
"They say also that recently the vampire has arrived, commenting on his way to travel quite cheerful." Then she continued serious.
"Ah! Henry, or as he's called, claimed to have discovered the name "
-as if it would do any good...- she added to herself with a note of sarcasm.
"If you care about he is known as Count Herbert von Shulter directly that nothing less from Transylvania. It has come a long way this guy!"
As she said it she saw Chachamaru get up suddenly and intensely staring at her.
"You said Herbert von Shulter? Are you sure?" she asked extremely serious.
"Yes, why?" Chisame said, dumbfounded.
"Do you know him?" Chao said stopping work.
"My master told me about him, once. She described him as a rejection of society, a crazy and a violent. She spoke with such contempt and hostility that I had never heard come out of her lips. She said he was unfortunately also 'pretty darn powerful, that damn bastard' Quoting her words. After that forbade me return to the subject." said the android.
"Maybe it's better if I refer to the professor." Chisame said worried.
-End Chapter-