The Runic Alchemist

Damian turned to leave, but of course, it wasn't that simple. Bonecrusher's voice echoed from behind him.

"Now that you're here… care to explain the gaps in your companion's story? An Emperor-ranked beast going mad for no reason in the middle of a fight?"

"It was an elephant—well, its base form, anyway. They hate bugs, especially noisy ones," Damian replied plainly.

Bonecrusher leaned forward, placing his hands on the table. "And how exactly did you manage to get these bugs into its ears?"

"With magic," Damian replied matter-of-factly. Bonecrusher gave him a knowing look, as if to say,

'I see you, boy.'

Behind him, Sam and Yovan coughed, struggling to suppress their reactions. There was no good answer for it anyways. However if anyone went into the dungeon they would figure out the origin of his spell, that is if they realize the bugs were summoned and not part of the dungeon. Without a runic circle, it was hard to confirm. Not impossible though.

"Prepare your unit. We leave tomorrow morning," Vidalia ordered, offering Damian a much-needed exit.

Damian nodded at both of them, and with a bow from those behind him, he left them in their fancy tent. There was one last thing he wanted to take care of before resting, giving himself time to heal both physically and mentally. He started off in the direction of Tristan.

"How the…!" Jorven began, only to be interrupted.

"Damn, at least give us a warning! I nearly passed out back there," Yovan complained.

"You certainly have no fear, huh?" Einar added.

"How rude! You spoke to them as if they were your uncle and aunt! You didn't even bow! Who do you think you are—the Princess of Eldoris?" Sam chimed in.

"An Emperor-ranked beast…? There was one here? Is it still around?"Sena had some different worries all together.

Damian turned back to face them all.

"First of all, I forgot to warn you, so that's not on me." Everyone raised their eyebrows, but Damian continued anyway. "None of you said a word, you just started following me, so it's kind of your fault. Second, fear of what? Existing? Third, no, I'm no Princess of Eldoris. And you—" he looked at Sena, "No, it's not here. We would be toast by now if it was."

With that, Damian resumed walking, though the questions didn't stop.

"You fought that thing?" Geldric asked.

"The beastmen did. We just assisted," Damian replied, pressing on toward his goal.

"Where are we going now?" Yovan asked.

"To meet a friend."

"A dangerous friend?" Sam inquired.

"Kazak," Damian answered, his voice tinged with a hint of doubt about just how dangerous Kazak might be now. The group noticed his slight hesitation and fell silent, though they continued walking beside him, as if shielding him from the stares of soldiers along the way who must have heard some more rumors of him by now and were gossiping busily.

Damian entered another tent, this time guards recognized him , they were Tristen's house knights. Inside, he found Tristan buried in paperwork-same as always, looking up with a slight frown that quickly transformed into a broad smile upon seeing them.

"Maximus! And friends! Good to see you all alive and well. I read the captain's reports on the forest clearance mission, but it's even better to see you in person."

"Tristan. Good to see you too," Damian replied sincerely. Tristan might be eccentric, but losing him also wouldn't feel right. The others greeted him as well, and even Sena did so calling him "uncle," which Damian had to admit suited him perfectly.

"Where is the beastman being held?" Damian got straight to the point. Tristan's expression grew serious as he looked at Damian with concern.

"I understand you fought together, but this is a matter far beyond—"

"It's fine. I just want to talk to him," Damian cut him off. Given his track record, it was natural for anyone to be wary of his sometimes seemingly irrational actions. Even Tristan, who had known Damian since his arrival on the battlefield, hesitated a moment before calling for his house knight to lead the way. Damian gave him an appreciative nod, which Tristan returned with a smile.

Damian followed the knight to one of the most heavily guarded areas in the camp. Here, he noticed several iron or alloy pieces embedded in the ground, inscribed with glowing runes and surrounded by runic circles—some kind of security or alarm system, he guessed.

The tent itself was enchanted, as Damian could sense. Before entering, he turned to the others, but Jorven spoke first.

"We two will stay outside, and so will Sena," he said.

Damian nodded and stepped inside.

Inside, a white-furred tiger beastman lay chained in thick iron bindings, nearly obscured by layers of metal inscribed with runes. Kazak's once-pristine coat was matted with blood and dirt, and although he looked partially healed, some wounds were still raw and burned. Kazak seemed either unconscious or sedated, it was hard to tell, but he was breathing. His mana signature, though altered and tinged with something ominous, was still unmistakably his.

The density of overlapping tens of runic circles forced Damian to deactivate his Eyes of Truth to see clearly. Kazak was less burned than he had expected, given the scale of a blast he'd endured.

"He is.." Sam said quietly.

"Alive.." Yovan confirmed.

"The beastmen won't be happy about this," Einar added, worried.

"There aren't many of them left now," Sam murmured, sadness evident in his tone.

"Maximus, why is he being held? Did he do something wrong?" Yovan asked.

It seemed Royce and Mira had kept certain details to themselves. Information about the beastmen's potential to boost their ranks, and the risk it posed, wasn't something Vidalia or Bonecrusher wanted leaked. Damian, though not overly concerned about such secrets, decided to keep this one to himself. Stirring trouble for no reason, both now and in the future, wasn't something he wanted on his conscience. Trust in his friends aside, he knew anyone could change at any time.

"He used a forbidden technique. It's dangerous knowledge, and your lives could be at risk if I tell you more. The technique takes a toll on the user's body… slowly driving them mad," he explained, careful not to reveal more than was necessary.