"Now, now that harsh language isn't accepted here dear Tommy. How about you all hold tight and listen to my proposal, perhaps you'll find it more enticing than you think." Arthur, like a puppeteer pulls on the strings of Elias Harold and Tommy making them force to his will.
"Fine. Will listen to your proposal just please don't set off those bombs I beg of you." Elias gives in to Arthur's demands.
"Good it seems you're all finally listening to reason." Arthur straightens his back making him look like a salesman in his eyes but to others he just looks like a con man.
"See the proposal is simple boys. All I need is for you to let me get that artifact right behind and let me leave without having you attack me. That's all I need and if you do a good job I just might give you each a point for good faith." Arthur smiles as he grubbinly rubs his hands together.
"You got a deal if you disarm the bombs first then we hand over the artifact." Elias rebuttals.
"Deal but no points sorry." Arthur says seeing Harold and Tommy look at Elias.
"Elias we can't expect what Damien's going to…" Harold looks at Elias in fright as if the very mention of Damien brings fear to his body.
"It's either faced the wrath of Damien or die to this lunatic you choose." Elias barks back at Harold knowing full well when they get back Damien is going to make them wish they died.
Harold goes quiet. The flames along his arms sputter out entirely.
The choice wasn't really a choice at all and everyone knew it.
"...Fine," Harold mutters, dropping his gaze to the floor.
Tommy says nothing. Just crosses his arms and stares at the wall.
"Smart decision." Arthur produces the trigger disc from his coat and holds it up between two fingers, making sure all three of them can see it clearly. "Now. As promised."
"Smart decision." Arthur produces the trigger disc from his coat and holds it up between two fingers, making sure all three of them can see it clearly.
"Now. As promised."
He pressed his thumb to the center of the disc.
And activated it.
The inscription lines blazed white all at once, lighting up every layer of the dense rune work in a single simultaneous flare that filled the chamber with a sharp crack of mana.
Elias's eyes went wide.
"YOU ABSOLUTE MANIAC—"
He lunged at Arthur, idol raised, a bolt of blue mana already forming from it.
"Stone Wall!"
Stone erupted from the flagstone between them and Elias's bolt cracked against it hard enough to spider web the entire face, chunks of rock spraying outward across the chamber floor.
Elias staggered back from the rebound covering his eyes from the rock shards.
Then from the left archway a firebolt flies through the air striking Harold just as he ignited himself in flames. Knocking him down the tight ball of flame attached itself to Harold sticking like napalm burning him.
"Don't even think about it Harold." Mars stepping into the center controls the napalm flame using it to cover Harold snuffing out his flames leaving only that of Mars.
Tommy spun for the right archway.
But Garrett was already there.
Another wall rises from the flagstone and cuts off the exit completely. With Tommy bouncing off it and stumbling back into the center of the chamber.
"Nature's Thorns!"
Amy from the main entrance swept her staff wide, summoning thick barbed vines that erupt from every crack in the flagstone simultaneously. They moved fast coiling around Harold's ankles first, then Tommy's wrists, then splitting and reaching for Elias who was still trying to shake off the rebound from his own bolt.
The vines caught him at the knees and yanked him down to one knee hard.
He threw his hand up anyway, fingers forming a snap.
A ribbon of gold light wrapped around his wrist before the snap could complete.
Angela stepped out from behind Garrett's wall, one arm extended, a binding spell threaded between her fingers so fine it was almost invisible until it pulled taut. Her face was pale and the effort was written across it but the grip held.
"Don't," she said simply.
Elias looked at his wrist at the ribbon at Arthur, his teeth clenched grinding against each other, rage pooling in his eyes.
The chamber went still.
Clap
Clap
Clap
"Congratationals Elias you just fell for the most simple camouflage technique that any Rune mage worth their weight would know. No wonder you're just a third rate mage you can't even do the basics. How you ever got into Damien's camp is no surprise. Failures attract losers, it's as simple as that." Arthur got close to the ground gripping Elias face taunting him.
"But it's not really your fault I mean Damien's the fool who sent you after me. He should have known better than to attack one of the heirs to a noble family. Oh wait he sent you after three heirs. What do you think is going to happen when Lord Pyke hears his son was attacked by another student in the middle of exam all because those students had a petty squabble. Hmm do you want to end up like another Tony."
Elias eyes wide at the word Tony as every person knows what happened to Tony.
"Oh or better yet while you're attacking the heir to the pyke family why not just attack a person of royal blood I'm sure that'll work out for you." Arthur has a shit eating grin on his face from all the fun he's having from tormenting Elias. "Oh Elias what could you ever do."
"Anyway now that you're my prisoner I guess it's kind of the warden's job to make accommodations for his prisoners. Good night Elias." And discharging a blast of mana to the back of his head he knocks out Elias.
Walking over he knocks out both Tommy and Harold.
"This isn't over when we're back at campus. I'm going to give you hell!" Harold yells at Arthur as Arthur places his head to the back of his head.
"Yeah sure, as if you weren't already trying." Arthur knocks him out in one blast.
"Yo captain rock on man rock on." Mars holds his thumbs up approving what he did.
"Thanks Mars, how's your arm doing?" Arthur asks as he walks over to the artifact.
"Oh you know it could be better." He says as he rubs his forearm clearly still in pain.
"Well now that we just need to leave you'll be able to get the care you need. Garrett, can you carry Harold and Tommy? I'll carry Elias."
"Sure thing Cap." Garrett snatched up both Harold and Tommy resting them on top of his shoulders.
Arthur crouched down beside Elias and hauled him up, slinging him over his shoulder with considerably more effort than he'd like to admit. For someone who spent most of his time hiding behind trees and setting up runes Elias was not a light man.
'Of course.'
"Angela." Arthur looked over at her, still leaning against the wall. "Can you walk on your own?"
"I've been walking on my own since I was one." She pushed off the wall and proved it, her steps steady if not quite as certain as usual.
"Amy, stay close to her anyway."
"You hear the boss." Amy walks up beside Angela leading a shoulder to lead on.
"Thanks…" She mutters Arthur not sure if he heard it or not.
"Oh yeah come to papa." Mars standing in front of the pedestal looks down at the idol licking his lips like some pioneer.
"Mars, that's an ancient artifact not a snack." Amy says without looking at him.
"I know I know." Mars picks it up carefully with his good hand, turning it over once in his palm. The golden inscription lines catch the afternoon light in thin bright threads across his fingers. He whistles low. "Still though. We actually did it."
"Don't sound so surprised." Arthur adjusts Elias on his shoulder and heads for the archway. "Let's move."
They filed out one by one back into the afternoon light of the clearing, the ruins falling quiet behind them. Garrett rolled his shoulders once, redistributing the weight of the twins, and fell into step beside Arthur without complaint. Mars tucked the artifact under his good arm like it was a football and followed.
They walked in comfortable quiet for a while.
Then Mars spoke.
"Hey Captain."
"Mm."
"What you said in there. About my family going after Damien for what happened to my arm." He paused, looking down at the wrapped forearm. "I understand what you were going for but just so you know my old man would've sent a strongly worded letter and called it a day."
Arthur glanced at him sideways.
"Your family never sends assassins if your family member is injured?" Arthur looks at Mars genuinely puzzled. "Espiecally from your enemy
"Umm yeah we kind of can't just fight in the open if it does go that far we have to be careful not to get in trouble with the royal family. Don't most families work that way?" He looks over at the rest of the group.
Angela nods agreeing with him and Garrett too nods. Amy, being a commoner, has no opinion on the matter.
"Huh, interesting." Arthur nods.
"Interesting why? What does your family do?" Mars asks back.
"Well, my dad once accidentally killed some up and coming guy and that pissed off the royalty so they sent assassins after my older brother. When he got injured my dad stormed off in a rage and forced them to move the border back a whole mile. So then they brought in their big guys and my dad fought them and before we knew it we were on the brink of another full scale war. Then some guy from the capital showed up and defused the whole thing, with us keeping the extra mile."
Silence.
Mars stares at Arthur for a long moment.
"Your dad."
"Mm."
"Moved a border. A whole mile. Because your brother got hurt."
"He was upset." Arthur said simply.
Mars looks at Garrett. Garrett looks at Mars. Neither of them has anything to add to that.
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