After ensuring our kidnapper was sufficiently tied up, I went to check on Kiori.
"You alright?"
"Urgh… no. Antis crystals are really potent magic suppressors." He leaned against the tree, pressing his outstretched hand against its bark.
I'm not entirely sure what happened, but Antis crystals appear to have negative effects on mages, even if the Antis crystal is destroyed.
Do their effects still linger after destruction?
I looked at the barrel with the shattered Antis crystal.
"Are you- umm… do you still sense the crystal being active?" I asked, slightly stumbling over my words.
"No. I'm just… recovering from exposure." He struggled to say, while panting heavily between words.
"So… what do you guys do when you escape from an unsuccessful kidnapping attempt?" I asked, staring at the unconscious man.
"Well, in our situation, we report it." He answered, sounding less on the verge of puking.
"You take the barrel. I'll take our kidnapper." I pointed to both.
My stunt with Ms. Ilko proved I wouldn't be able to carry the man from sheer strength alone. If I nearly tripped, trying to bridal-style carry a small woman, how much more would I struggle attempting to carry a slightly chubby middle-aged man?
I decided to produce a 2-wheel dolly with a solid grey back to also function as a gurney, with rings on the sides, so I can also make and attach some rope to tie the kidnapper down further. Basically those dollies that are meant to carry around insane people in straitjackets.
Maybe it'd be easier to use straps with plastic trident-buckles instead of rope. No, I should use the airplane buckles instead, since they're made of metal and aren't as easy to break.
"What are you doing?"
"Making something to carry this man," I answered him with a serious expression.
"Why are you gonna carry him?"
"So that he doesn't run away."
"Nolval."
"Yes?"
"Tell me how he's going to run away."
I looked at the man once more, seeing the iron bindings securing his legs together. Must've slipped my mind when I was creating the dolly.
"Ok, running away seems impossible for him, but I think it's better to take him with us when we report him for kidnapping us."
Kiori made a questioning expression, looking back and forth between the man and me.
"I'm more convinced you're kidnapping him, and I'm his victim."
"I think it's a bad idea to leave him here."
"What happened to his arm?"
"I broke it."
He gave a look that was a mixture of disgust and disapproval.
"He tried kidnapping us! I think this is justified!"
"Tying him up, I can understand. But why break his arm?"
Truthfully, the decision was a spur-of-the-moment thing. A violent impulse that surfaced from imagining myself getting kidnapped in my past life, only to comically overpower my kidnappers with overwhelming strength while humiliating them in the process.
Then I recalled the Antis crystal.
"It was a split-second decision to make him drop the Antis crystal he was holding."
"So he had a second one."
"Where do Antis crystals come from anyway?" I asked him, changing the topic from my intentions of breaking the kidnapper's arm.
"They grow from the veins under Rite Crystals."
"You say that like I know what you're talking about."
"Well, to put it simply, Rite crystals are what give mages their attunements. Their powers."
"So… the crystal that gives mages power also has the means to… block it?"
"It's strange, I know, but it might be for the best. It might be nature's way of saying power shouldn't grow too strong, or its way of ensuring magic can't destroy nature."
"Sounds… symbolic."
I heard the kidnapper groan.
"Ugh… where am I?" He noticed his disfigured arm. "What happened to my arm!?"
I produced a floating sword, making sure its edges were sharp and straight, then pointed the levitating weapon at our kidnapper.
Might as well get some answers.
"Why did you kidnap us?"
"SOMEBODY HELP! A MAGE HAS GONE INSANE AND IS TORTURING ME!" The kidnapper flailed around wildly, despite his broken and dislocated arm.
I shielded my ears from his incredibly loud scream. It made me wonder if there was an attunement that amplified the potency of screams.
He continued screaming for help until he exhausted himself from all the shouting. Despite his attempts, no one came.
At the same time, Kiori used this opportunity to search through the kidnapper's carriage. Aside from Antis crystals, there was also rope, multiple vials of an unknown liquid, and a bag full of Qiliq, specifically yellow, green, and red coins.
There was a strong likelihood that his man had help. That, or he was your run-of-the-mill meticulous serial killer.
"Why did you try kidnapping us?" I asked after waiting for someone to come because of his screaming.
The man perked up the moment I asked that question. He wore an extremely unsettling expression, eyes wide open, staring into my soul. No trace of the panic and defeat on his face from earlier.
"We… only serve Benzathite. Our true god."
Well… this certainly took a weird turn.
"Kiori, you know what Benzathite is?"
"Never heard."
"You are blind!" The kidnapper started shouting. "Benzathite's arrival will purge the world of sin!"
And he's a religious fanatic, wonderful.
"Who is Benzathite?"
The man smiled.
"Benzathite is the only god deserving of worship! A serpent damned by the fake gods your priests preach about!"
Benzathite? Fake gods? What is this guy on about?
"So, is this Benzathite the reason why you kidnapped us?"
"You were merely extra cargo! My target is all of those who wield the False Lady's poison!"
"Who is the False Lady? What is her poison?"
"A curse that blinds the fools into believing it's a blessing. It's utterly appalling how fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters encourage each other to ingest this poison! But worry not, if you become a devout believer of Benzathite, you will be cleansed of this poison and be granted salvation in our serpent lord's new world!"
Their god is a serpent?
I immediately thought of the smoke-covered snake Mr. Draco had shown to me in his office. It made me wonder if the two were related, or possibly even the same thing.
"You didn't really answer what this 'False Lady's poison' is. How would I know to avoid it if I don't know what it is?"
For the first time since I've met this man, he made an expression that made more sense than anything he said. He looked dumbfounded.
Instead of answering, he looked towards Kiori.
"You must truly be blind to believe your friend here hasn't already consumed her poison. As for you, how were you not affected by the crystal's screams?"
If it weren't for how the man acted earlier, I would've believed him to be a perfectly normal and sane man.
"You didn't answer my question. What is this 'False Lady's poison?'"
The man chuckled.
"I will revel in the day I get to truly educate one of Sheep-Rabbits. The False Lady's poison is the Proa and attunements that the tower of Devils deceives you all into receiving her so-called blessings."
Tower of Devils? Where have I heard about a tower before?
Before the crazed man could elaborate, Kiori took the metal barrier and let it drop on the back of the man's head, producing a metallic thump, resulting in his body slumping over immediately after.
"What'd you do that for?"
"He's speaking nonsense that our professors warned us about. There's a cult that believes magic is a poison that erodes humanity and makes us blind to 'a true god.'"
"Crazed behavior aside, how much do you believe that uhh… mantra?" I asked, struggling to find a fitting word for a moment.
"Well, as a mage, I find it insulting that the very thing I want to be proud of, the very thing that gives us a duty not suited to ordinary people, and the very thing my classmates work hard to improve, is being treated as a poison instead of an opportunity that not everyone can have."
I recalled the conversation I had with Kalits, and a moment of clarity struck me.
"Korons."
"What?"
"That's the name of the wind mage that attacked the town. Korons."
I was briefly reminded of stories where a character's power contributed to their descent into madness. It made me wonder if there was some validity to the crazed man's claims.
"Well… if Korons truly became mad as a result of his power, then I'll have to give up my power. I don't like the idea of attacking my friends because my attunement told me to."
"If there were such a possibility, then I'll make sure to stop you before you get out of control."
Suddenly, I heard Kiori gasp.
"I'm flattered! To think you believe me capable enough to be a threat to my peers!" He exclaimed, putting a hand to his chest.
I sensed sarcasm in his words.
The moment he said that, his head turned sharply toward the forest.
Then, the sounds of many footsteps reached our ears, and I followed his line of sight.
Multiple people in suits of armor and familiar green uniforms emerged. Among them was a familiar girl with a familiar head of Peach Blonde hair.
"Nolval? What's going on here?"