*Well...that's just depressing...*

How to describe the slave level?...Lower than the lowest would be a good beginning.

The houses, if the hastily made shelters could be called like that, were in a pitiful state, still holding on only thanks to the fact they were tightly fitting next to the others, too many people for too less space.

The streets were a mess, smelly and dirty, with emaciated people wearing nothing but rags sitting against the walls, some even too feeble to raise their eyes to look at Maximilian when he passed before them.

Maximilian had arrived at that level right behind the high doors separating the level, clearly surprising the guards.

"Wh...YOU! WHERE DO YOU COME FROM?!" asked the captain of the group.

"Up." simply answered Maximilian before going further in the level. A guard tried to pursue him but couldn't, his boots stuck in the ground who had suddenly become far more boggy.

Maximilian rapidly walked in the street, doing his best to not get too much attention.

It wasn't easy, though. Around him, everywhere his eyes stopped, all he could see were poor peoples, famished children, mothers sometimes too weak to breastfeed their own child. Next to those people, be it humans or beastkins, Maximilian, with his equipment on him, his wealthy and healthy appearance could not pass without being seen.

......................................................................................................................................................................................................

"Your purse, Noble!"

What was bound to happen, happened. As he was passing by a small alley, he arrived at some kind of little stone backyard between the tall wall and one of the hastily-made houses. There, he suddenly was surrounded.

A group of slaves, barely teenagers, armed with rusty knives, surrounded Maximilian. There were as many humans as there were beastkins in this group of ten, Maximilian recognised a dogkin, two catkins, one who remembered him a bit of ratman, a mousekin, and a rabbitkin.

All were in bad shape, malnourished, but still strong enough to try something so desperate as robbing what could have been a lost Noble venturing in their level.

"I'm looking for someone, would you be willing to help?" politely asked Maximilian, not willing to fight those young people only trying to survive.

"Who would help a Noble?! Give away your purse or you'll die!" answered the dogkin, apparently the leader of the group.

"I am not a Noble, but I surely can give you something for your help..."

Not disturbed by the rusted knives pointing at him, Maximilian pulled out some of the warm pastries he had bought with Lin-Lin before, the warm delicacies smelling divinely good, even more for the beastkins, some starting to drool a bit.

The young leader brushed away the water at the corner of his mouth, tearing his eyes away from the food in Maximilian's hand with pain.

"You...your purse! Or we..."

Maximilian sighed as he stepped further, coming right before the beastkin, a centimetre away from his blade.

"Or?..."

Seeing the tall man getting near him without a hint of fear was clearly destabilising the beastkin, the hand with the weapon trembling a bit. He was clearly not a skilled fighter.

Slowly, not making any brusque movement, Maximilian took the knife from his hands, looking straight in the boy's eyes while he did so.

"No need for violence here...take this."

To replace the weapon, Maximilian put the warm pastry in his hands.

"See? It wasn't so hard. Eat this, it's really good." said Maximilian with a warm smile.

The beastkin looked at him, then at the food in his hands, then back at him. He tentatively took a small bite, his eyes closing as he tasted the thing. Eating slowly, savouring it, the dogkin lost all his threatening aura.

"That's better." said Maximilian with a satisfied smile.

He offered the same thing to the other members who accepted it after seeing how their leader reacted.

To go with the meal, Maximilian filled ten stone cup with pure water, offering them a drink.

It was marvellous how something to eat and drink could help someone to be nicer. The group was far more willing to help after they were done with the food.

Thanks." awkwardly said the dogkin, not really knowing how to react to a rich man being nice to him and his friends.

"I'm glad you liked it. Would you be willing to help me? I'm looking for some peoples."

"Are they slaves?" asked the beastkin.

"Not that I know, there should be some soldiers, maybe a man looking like a Noble, beastkins and humans."

"That is a big group you're looking for, Sir...We haven't come across a group like that."

"Oh...very well, I'll need to look around a bit longer then, thank you nonetheless."

Maximilian was going away when the dogkin called after him.

"Wait! You should ask uncle Bat."

Maximilian faced the group once again.

"Uncle Bat?"

"He is the elder, a beastkin from the bat tribe. If something happens on the slave level, you can be sure we would know about it."

*Batkin? Never seen one before...* thought Maximilian before nodding.

He pulled out ten copper coins, giving one to each person in the group.

"For the help. Where will I find him?"

The slaves looked at the copper coin in their hand like it was a real treasure, then quickly hid it out of sight. The dogkin shook his tail with joy as he signalled him to follow.

"I'll guide you, kind Sir."

...........................................................

The dogkin led Maximilian to some kind of square, the vastest place on the slave level.

Right in the middle of the square was an old tree, dead, its bark falling off from several places.

"There. Uncle Bat lives in the high house behind the tree, the one with Big Bear before it." explained the dogkin, stopping where he was.

"Big Bear?"

"He is uncle Bat bodyguard, he scares the bad people away." explained the beastkin.

"Aren't you coming?"

The slave shook his head energetically.

"No! Big Bear is scary."

Maximilian chuckled as he patted the teenager's head.

"It's alright, I'll be fine from now on."

The beastkin shook off the hand, stepping away.

"D...Don't treat me like a kid, you old man!" said the teenager before running away, making Maximilian chuckle even more.

He quickly went around the tree and arrived before the house with a big beastkin blocking the door.

The man was a mountain, more than two metres tall and as large as the door. He was only wearing trousers made of different rags stitched together, his entire body covered by a thick dark-brown fur. His eyes were dark and his hands massive, ended by thick claws who seemed to be able to tear off a helmet from armour with the chainmail and the head with it. His face, serious, looked down to Maximilian when he stopped before him, allowing Maximilian to see the man was missing one of his small round ears, a big scare replacing it.

"Hello my good man, I would like to see the one called 'uncle Bat', is he here?"

"Hrm."

The tall man, arms crossed, answered him with a deep growl.

"I see. You're not the talkative type, is that it?"

"Hrm."

"Very well, but it will be difficult for us to end this discussion if I'm not able to understand you..."

"Hrm...what Noble want?" finally asked the tall man, his voice as deep as a bear growl coming from the depth of a cave.

"And he talks, the Gods heard my prayer!" joked Maximilian, clearly not getting a laughing partner from the beastkin.

"I'm looking for some peoples, I've heard Uncle Bat is the one to see if I want to know where they are."

"Hrm...Uncle Bat busy, come later." said the tall man.

"Oh? That's too bad...what about you? 'Big Bear' was it?"

"Hrm..." answered the bearkin, not denying.

"Haven't you seen anyone? A group not supposed to be here, beastkins and humans, some looking like Nobles, some soldiers and some servants...anyone?"

"Hrm...not see servants, now go."

The beastkin answer made Maximilian smiled, satisfied.

"So you saw the ones looking like soldiers and nobles?"

Maximilian’s observation of the beastkin's answer seemed to be spot on if judged by the frown he received from the tall man.

"Not said that..."

"But you didn't say you didn't see them, did you? Why precise you didn't see any servants if you did not see anyone from this group?"

The tall beastkin was clearly losing patience.

"Noble too curious, should go..." warned Big Bear as he stretched his arms and flexed his neck, some cracking noises coming from his body.

Raising his hands in a peace sign, Maximilian stepped back a bit.

"I don't want any problem. I'm not here to fight you, Big Bear, I'm here because a friend asked me to. I know you know something, this must mean Uncle Bat knows something too. What would it take for me to meet him?"

Seeing the man showing no sign of fighting intent or killing will, Big Bear thought for a bit.

"Uncle Bat...Elder of the slaves. Noble wants to see Elder? Noble do something for slaves."

"Anything in particular?"

Big Bear shrugged.

"Something nice enough, I wait."

Maximilian scratched his chin, thinking for a bit.

*Something nice, something nice...*

Looking around, Maximilian rested his eyes on the big dead tree.

*Hmm, I wonder if...*

He placed a hand on the tree, scanning it.

*Just as I thought, there is still a tiny bit of life in this old tree...it can bear fruit? Interesting.*

"Tell me, Big Bear, what is this tree?"

The tall beastkin looked up, a pained look on his face as he observed the tree.

"This 'tree of Maribel'. Maribel kind queen of the past, powerful mage, gave the tree to slaves. The tree gave fruits, help mothers be strong to feed little ones. Leaves help get fever down, many leaves, can sell a bit, help for food. Bark burn for long, help in winter when no fur or cover. Roots drink bad water from street, better smell, less illness."

"That's a good gift this Queen offered you...what happened to it?"

"Tree ill, dying for long years, no help from other levels, now dead. Mothers hungry, young ones and old ones ill, street smells bad. Many pray for tree, but no answer from Gods."

As the beastkin was explaining what had happened to the tree, Maximilian observed the people around the square. Old and young humans and beastkin were praying to the tree, or maybe praying for it, their eyes shut and hands joined in desperation.

*Well, at least it didn't take long for me to find out what to do for them.*

"Big Bear, your prayers have been heard."

"Hrm?"

"I am a friend of Queen Alexandria, and she asked me to help her friends at the slave level, as well as the slaves if I could..."

Maximilian joined his hand for a second or two, focussing energy in them.

*Let's see...I'll fuse holy magic with earth magic, then mix everything with druidic magic, this should do the trick. The holy magic to heal the tree, the earth magic to make it easier to transfer it, and the druidic magic to help me control everything.* His hands began to shine, a golden/silver/green aura enfolding them.

The bearkin, as well as the other slaves around, had a worried look on their face.

"What Noble do?"

"Look, you're going to understand." answered Maximilian before he put his hand on the trunk, the three colours aura pouring into it.

First, there was silence. Then, coming from deep under the ground, a wave of energy ran along the tree, from his roots to his top. The old tree shined for a second, then turned into golden dust, leaving behind an empty circle of earth at the square centre.

All around him, Maximilian could hear the cries of desperation from the slaves, their last hope gone in the wind.

Maximilian felt a big clawed hand on his shoulder, as well as the murderous aura the beastkin had.

"NOBLE DESTROYED TREE!" roared Big Bear, lifting his other massive arm above his head like a bear would have done before attacking.

The big claws came for Maximilian's head, who simply caught his arm, stopping the attack, surprising the tall beastkin as well as the other slaves around them.

"Calm yourself, Big Bear, I'm not done yet."

Big Bear was trying to escape the man's grip, without success. When Maximilian had made clear he was stronger than him, he let go of the big arm, the tall bearkin stepping back a bit.

The beastkin was going to attack again when Maximilian turned his back to him, calmly going to the centre of the earth circle, where the tree used to be. He crouched there, looking for something.

"Where are you?...There you are!"

Maximilian picked up what happened to be a golden seed, quite big.

"What that is?" asked Big Bear.

"The seed of your new tree made with the remaining life of the old one. This will allow me to give you another tree."

"But...this is seed, slaves need tree, seed need time to become tree." stated Big Bear, the truth hurting him as much as losing the tree would have.

"Normally, yes. But this tree was magically made, to begin with. I don't know who was this Queen, but she knew what she was doing. She mixed the essence of a fruit tree with medicinal plants to create this, and she used magic to make it grow...impressive if she managed to do it alone."

"So...Noble can grow new tree?" hopefully asked the tall beastkin.

"No problem, give me a minute."

Maximilian took a minute to write runes on the seed and the ground around it, then planted it deep.

Once done, he joined his hands once again, creating the same three coloured aura he poured in the ground.

*A bit more, a bit more. With those runes, the tree will stay healthy and will give more fruits, God knows there are people needing them, with the regeneration rune written on the trunk, they will be able to take wood from the tree and it will grow back quickly...the 'mana breathing' rune will allow the tree to replenish the magic in the runes by itself, without troubling the people around. There is no need to change the magic in the leaves, it's fine like that...maybe just adding a painkiller effect to it? Yeah, let's add this effect, it won't take more energy from the tree, I just have to change the nature of the leaves itself...done! God I love this druidic magic. I have to remember the energy and making of this seed, it is a marvellous plant.* Once done with the slight changes he wanted to make, he stopped pouring his mana in the ground and stepped back, waiting.

"What Noble did?" asked Big Bear, curious.

"Look." simply answered Maximilian as he nodded at the circle of earth.

Big Bear did as told, like everyone present at the square. Some other slaves had come out of their house to see what was happening, a crowd had formed on the square.

The murmurs stopped in a gasp when a little plant started to come out of the ground.

Quickly, it started to grow, the tree beginning to form before everyone's eyes. In a few minutes, the tree got back the size it had when Maximilian first saw it, and it continued to grow taller and larger, the roots extending under the ground, Maximilian surveying them with his scan spell.

*Very good, they extended well all around the level, under the trees and houses.*

It finally stopped its growth, nearly twice as high and bigger than before. Once done, the branches extended all around the trunk, forming a natural staircase to reach the upper branches and tree top where leaves and fruits began to grow. The leaves were small,their colour a bright green with golden stripes, the fruits looked like peaches, but as big as melons.

Maximilian jumped high, catching one of the fruits. He picked it from the branch it was growing on before going down. Showing it to everyone, he took a bite from it. Strangely enough, it didn't taste like peaches but a lot more like frangipane, the texture of the fruit feeling like almond paste, but juicy too.

*Strange...but delicious!*

Showing the bitten fruit to the crowd, Maximilian swallowed before talking to them, loud enough so everyone would hear.

"The old tree was a present from Queen Maribel. This new tree, I offer it to you all in the name of Queen Alexandria."

"S...Sir?"

Looking down, Maximilian saw a young slave, a human girl so little and thin a gust of wind would have made her fly away.

"What is it?" asked Maximilian.

"Is...is it okay to have some?" asked the girl as she pointed at the fruit in Maximilian's hand, so much need and begging in her voice Maximilian's heart was melting before the big eyes of the child.

The slaves gasped as Maximilian slightly lifted a hand, fearing for the girl. Some men, a tiny bit stronger looking than the rest, were already coming his way to stop what they thought could have been violence against the child. They stopped when Maximilian simply patted the girl's head, smiling.

He crouched and offered her the same fruit he had bitten.

"Of course it is, eat to your heart’s content."

The young girl looked at him for a second as if not believing him, then, she nibbled a bit from the tasty-looking food in her hands. When she tasted it, her eyes closed as she savoured it, tears forming in her eyes.

"Thank you..." said the young one with a big smile.

"You're welcome..."

Maximilian looked a bit around him and saw the pleading eyes of the slaves around, all waiting.

"What are you waiting for? This tree his yours, eat his fruits, use the leaves for the ones needing them, take all you need!" said Maximilian out loud.

Seeing a tiny bit of hesitation, he used a wind spell to shake the tree a bit, making some fruits fall. They were caught by some slaves around who took a bite, all having a reaction resembling a lot the one the young girl had.

After that, some agile beastkin quickly climbed the natural stairs around the tree, picking the fruits for everyone. The fruits were big, tasty, and the tree had plenty.

Maximilian jumped once again and picked a fruit he offered Big Bear.

"So? How about meeting Uncle Bat now?"

.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Inside the house of Uncle bat, the atmosphere was heavy. The place was dark, simply made and strangely high for a salve's house.

Big Bear had shown him the way in, staying outside to guard the door, but eating one of the new fruits nonetheless.

"Hello?" greet Maximilian on an interrogative tone.

"Who comes to bother Uncle Bat today?" asked an old grumpy voice coming from the ceiling.

Looking up, Maximilian saw a silhouette in the dark. An old man, hanging from the ceiling with his head down, was looking in his direction. Although, the way he was moving his head around made Maximilian think he wasn't seeing anything.

"Speak! I don't know your smell, nor do I know your voice. How did you get in here? Big Bear let you pass? Why?" asked the old man, his questions coming one after the other without interruption as his long grey hair were waving around, following his head movements.

Maximilian noticed the nose and long ears of the man, looking a lot like bat's ones.

*So that's a batkin, a batman...I wonder if he is named Bruce?*

Chuckling a bit at the bad joke he had thought about, Maximilian stepped further into the room, his foot producing more noise than the actions outside. Apparently, the house was made so nearly no sounds would bother the ones inside.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Uncle Bat. My name is Maximilian Baltazard Van Nilmerus, I'm here on a mission for the Queen, I'm looking for friends of hers."

The old man on the ceiling stayed silent for a bit before letting himself fall from his position. At a metre or two from the ground, he opened his arms wide, revealing a set of wings that slowed down his fall.

"A friend of the Queen you say? Isn't that interesting..."

Uncle Bat came before him, his face close to him.

*So he is blind.* thought Maximilian as the grey eyes of the old man were close to him, his nose slightly moving as he sniffed him.

"I do smell something familiar on you...but I haven't heard about someone coming from the castle..." stated the old batkin.

"That must be because I don't come from the castle. Uncle Bat, I'm afraid I have to hurry, do you know something or not?"

The old man smirked as he straightened.

"Youngsters those days! They are always in a hurry! What is so urgent, young man?"

"If I trust what I see on your head, you must have heard of the recent news about the Cardinal taking over the castle, who knows what he will do next? The Queen is assembling allies to fight at her side against him and his private army." explained Maximilian.

The old man had a high pitch laugh.

"Indeed, those two are useful when I want to hear something. When I go out at night, I can easily hear the upper-level people's conversation...I'm afraid things aren't going well for the Queen, a lot of people see the Cardinal's way of doing things as the right way." stated Uncle Bat.

Maximilian listened to the old beastkin, interested.

"And what about you? What about the slaves?"

Uncle Bat shrugged, his head tilting on the side for a second as he did so.

"We are slaves or slave's children, ones who don't have a Master anymore and whom no ones wanted. We survive here because it is our only possibility, we don't care about the problems of the upper levels, just like the upper levels don't care about us."

He showed his house around.

"Do you know why I built this house like this? I made it so I wouldn't be able to hear the cries and suffering of the ones outside, so I could close my eyes and sleep for a bit. If I go outside, all I hear around my house is cries for help, dying families, too hungry to even fight. You asked me what I thought of this little war of yours? I don't care who wins because IT WOULDN'T CHANGE THE SUFFERING DOWN HERE !"

The old man had visibly resentment for the wealthier ones, is long explanation ending in a shout.

"Uncle? I heard you shout, is everything alright?"

A girly voice came from the back of the house. A teenage girl with a bandage on her eyes entered the room, a hand touching the wall.

"Kodiaki? Did I wake you up? I'm sorry." apologised the beastkin as he went to the teenager's side, easily moving around even without his eyes.

Now used to the darkness in the room, Maximilian observed the girl for a second.

She wasn't a batkin but a bearkin. She looked a bit like Big Bear outside, with the same brown fur, but with a physique more fitting to a teenage girl. She had claws on her hands, although hers were far smaller than the beastkin outside. One the other hand, she still had her two ears. She also had long hair, brown, going to her shoulders.

"Is someone else here?" asked Kodiaki, sensing Maximilian presence.

"I am. Pleased to meet you, Miss Kodiaki." Politely greet Maximilian.

"Uncle Bat, I don't know this voice...nor this smell. Who is this slave?" worriedly asked Kodiaki as her head turned to the old beastkin.

"He isn't a slave, Kodiaki. You shouldn't bother yourself with him, go rest..." said the old one on a surprising pleading tone.

The bearkin turned her head in Maximilian's direction, silent for a second, then...

"You are a Noble, is that it?" curtly asked Kodiaki.

"What if I am?" answered Maximilian with another question.

"What are you doing here?! Can't you Nobles leave us be? Why are you always looking for a way to hurt us all!" blamed the bearkin, her second hand resting on Uncle Bat's shoulder so she wouldn't fall.

"Calm yourself, you don't seem well..." worriedly said Maximilian.

"AND WHOSE FAULT DO YOU THINK IT IS?!" shouted the bearkin, the old batkin hissing because of the loud noise.

"YOU NOBLES TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME! YOU TOOK MY MOTHER! YOU TOOK MY LITTLE BROTHER! YOU TOOK MY EYES!!!" frantically shouted the teenage girl, finally losing balance and falling on her knees.

Before Maximilian’s silence, Uncle Bat explained a bit.

"Three weeks ago, some humans came on this level with a noble to...'have some fun', like they said."

"I suppose they have a twisted sense of the word 'fun'..." said Maximilian.

The Batkin nodded.

"Usually, they beat up some of us, it seems to be a stress-relieving thing for them. Sometimes, the nobles face one of us in a mockery of a fight, the men with the Noble forbidding any defence from us slaves."

"And you let them do?"

"What do you want us to do? They have weapons, armours and...sometimes, the one beaten up is rewarded with a copper coin or two."

"Light reward for something like that..." stated Maximilian.

"It is more than what we are allowed to hope for here. A copper coin means a bit of food for a starving child. It may not be much for you, but for us, it is wort the suffering."

I understand."

"You do? Have you ever been so hungry you would pray to find a rat to kill for his meat? Have you ever felt the dying child of your relatives in your arms? Have you ever felt their little heart giving up because you weren't able to find anything to drink or eat for them? Have you ever buried a child?" curtly asked Uncle Bat.

No." admitted Maximilian.

"So, please, don't say you understand...because you don't."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude to you...what about her? Was she..."

"Beaten up? Yes, but not only. She saw her mother and baby brother she was carrying die because she tried to resist one of these groups. She...was robbed of her purity...and because the noble didn't like how she was looking at him, they burned her eyes, making her as blind as me."

*Wow, that's fucked up.*

"I can understand why she would resent me...but I am not a Noble."

"You're not?" asked Uncle Bat, honestly surprised.

Kodiaki wasn't talking, still looking down.

"But...you said you were a friend of the Queen...how could someone who isn't a Noble know the Queen?" questioned the old batkin.

"Simply because I saved her daughter while I was travelling. I was invited to the castle by Princess Arima, that's where I met the Queen."

"Let me guess, a fat noble woman with so much money and things to eat she doesn't know which one to eat and which one to throw away?" spat Kodiaki.

"Actually, she's quite good-looking, and I think her best friend his her maid, who I'm practically sure isn't a noble...but I'm afraid I don't know about her wealth." answered Maximilian.

"I'm happy to see you're having fun, at least one of us is happy with this discussion." bitterly retorted the bearkin.

Thinking about something, Maximilian smiled.

"If you give me a second or two, I think you could very well start to enjoy this discussion as well..."

................................................................................................................................................................................................................

"I suppose everything is proceeding according to plan?"

The Cardinal was alone in a small room, talking to a silhouette in a mirror, the shadow of a man sitting on a dark throne.

"As you've foreseen, Master." answered the Cardinal with a respectful bow. "The royal family is fleeing before me, the King is under my control and I'll soon have the coat of arms.

"Very good. Once the Great Griffin will be under our command, Griffinia won't last for long. You've done well with the gifts I bestowed to you, Cardinal. Keep going on."

The mirror flashed and the silhouette disappeared.

"Indeed, this black crystal is powerful..." said the Cardinal to himself as the church symbol on his staff shined black for a second.

But this old fool is nothing more than a tool." added the man with a chuckle.

*Little does he know I have another Master, far more powerful than he is...*

Thinking that, the man patted his chest where a pendant was hidden under his church dress.

Pulling it out, he looked at the black pendant, looking like a deformed and atrophied black heart.

*Who needs a necromancer when you have a god on your side?*

The man laughed.

..................................................................................................................................................................................................

You are horrible..."

Those words came from Kodiaki. It was her answer to Maximilian’s proposition. Even without seeing her eyes, you could have sworn she was crying.

"How can you say you can give me back my eyes and make me have my revenge? No one would help a slave he doesn't even know, everybody knows that...and you, a foreigner seeing me for the first time, you would help me like that? Without receiving anything in return?"

"I didn't say it was for nothing. What I want in return is your help against the Cardinal."

She chuckled without any joy at his words.

"Right, I almost forgot. To thank you for your kindness, I'm supposed to make people like me, ones who have received nothing but pain from this world, to fight a war that isn't theirs. Will that be all or maybe should I bend before you so you can have a piece of me while you're at it!?" spat the bearkin.

"I wouldn't mind having a piece of you, but I'll wait for you to be a bit older if you don't mind, I don't sleep with children." answered Maximilian on a taunting tone.

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW Of ME? WHAT COULD YOU KNOW YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SH..."

Maximilian stopped her shouting sentence by putting a hand on her mouth.

"I think it will be enough shouting for now." calmly said Maximilian to the surprised teenage girl who hadn't sense his approach.

"Let her go!" ordered Uncle Bat as he tried to attack Maximilian with one of his long claws at the end of his wings.

The old beastkin wasn't able to move, he felt all around him invisible chains, as if the wind itself was blocking him.

"A mage...FLEE KODIAKI, HE'S A MAGE!!" shouted the old bat.

The teenage girl tried to get away, But Maximilian put a hand on her back, holding her against him.

"I won't hurt you. Calm down."

The girl was shaking around, afraid of what this man, stronger than her, would do to her.

Maximilian took his hand off her mouth.

"LET ME GO, LET ME GO LET ME GO!!!"

The girl was frantic, her arms waving around, trying to hit Maximilian.

He let her do, her fear making her unable to aim at him right. He put his hand on the band around her eyes and tore it off, revealing the burned face of the girl, frowning as he saw what had been done to her.

They clearly had done their worst. From her forehead to her nose, from one side of the face to the other, she was burned, badly burned. Her fur was gone, as were her skin, her flesh had become black and the eyelids were partially gone, showing whitish/grey eyeballs behind it.

*Monsters...* simply thought Maximilian.

"Please...don't hurt me more..." finally begged the teenage girl, her dead eyes not able to cry anymore.

"It was never my intention." declared Maximilian.

*Her flesh is badly hurt, but I won't need to recreate anything major, that's a good thing.*

Slowly and delicately, Maximilian put his hand on her burned flesh, the girl tensing in his arms.

"Don't worry..." smoothly said Maximilian as he poured holy magic into her, healing her injured flesh.

"What are you...!"

The girl stopped her sentence, surprised by the sensation of well-being enveloping her body. Under his hand, Maximilian felt the flesh healing, reforming itself. Then, once the flesh was done, the fur came back, feeling smooth under Maximilian's hand. Her eyelids healed as well as her eyes, Maximilian felt them moving around behind the eyelids, then they stopped as she closed her eyes.

It lasted a minute or two, then Maximilian took his hands off her, stepping back as he made a water mirror and a sphere of light to light up the room.

From behind his mirror, he heard her gasp.

"My...my eyes!"

"What's happening, Kodiaki?!" worriedly asked Uncle Bat.

"They're back! My eyes are back, Uncle Bat!"

"You mean..."

"I can see!!!" exclaimed the bearkin, overjoyed.

"I can see again, my eyes...my face is healed!"

Maximilian chuckled as he made the mirror disappear.

"I told you I would not hurt you...you've got pretty eyes."

The teenage girl looked at him with her shiny brown eyes, opening them slightly wider when she saw him.

"You...you are the one who healed me?!"

Maximilian looked around.

"Well...there's only us three in here, so..."

"But...I thought healing priests were all fogeys not good-looking enough to be adventurers."

That made Maximilian laughed a bit.

"That's a harsh description...But I'm not a priest."

"You...don't look like an ugly fogey either..." stated the bearkin, happy to have her face back.

"CAN SOMEONE PLEASE FREE ME?!" vociferated Uncle Bat, still immobilised by a wind spell.

"I'm sorry, really." apologised Maximilian as he cancelled his spell.

"Sorry, my ass! But...you really did heal the young one?" asked Uncle Bat as he slightly touched the girl's face, verifying for himself.

"What about you? Do you want me to examine your eyes?" proposed Maximilian.

The old beastman chuckled.

"Don't worry about it. Batkin have naturally bad eyesight, I've been blind for longer than you've walked on this land..."

*That's not very hard, I've been here for less than a year...* thought Maximilian.

"And my ears are far more useful than yours, I sense everything around simply by the vibration it makes."

"Okay then, I won't force you." accepted Maximilian.

"But, you've helped this young one, I think I can help you in return. Concerning the peoples you're looking for, you should go see Aunty Cat." proposed the old Batkin.

"Aunty Cat...a friend of yours?"

The old beastkin sneered.

"Bah! This old hag is a pain in my ass! But...I must admit she knows her way around potion and poison. She is the oldest one after me living on this level, and she is the other one you go see when you've got trouble."

"You think she will know something?"

"She could. The last time I was out to listen around a bit, I heard some clamour coming from her house. Normally I wouldn't bother, but there was something unusual about the noises."

"What was it?"

"She seemed a little less bothersome than usual, and that's peculiar enough to be noticed, believe me!"

Maximilian chuckled a bit as he listened to the man explanation.

"Alright, where do I find this Aunty Cat?"

..............................................................................................................................................................................................................

Maximilian quickly ran on the house's roof, going for the house Uncle Bat had shown him.

When he had gone out of the house, Uncle Bat and Kodiaki were surprised by the new tree as much as the laughs around.

"What the...was it you?" questioned the old beastkin as he slightly touched the tree trunk.

"Big Bear asked me to prove I could do something for the slaves before I could see you, so..."

Maximilian was interrupted by two massive arms lifting him off the ground, holding him so tight he thought he would break in two.

"You healed Kodiaki!" exclaimed the tall man, overjoyed.

After he was done trying to kill him with his hug, Big Bear let him down, hitting the man's back with a big grin.

"I'm pleased to see you so joyful. This way for Aunty Cat's house then?" verified Maximilian as he pointed the said direction.

"That's it, the round house at the far end of the level, you can't miss it." confirmed Kodiaki before taking a bite from one of the big fruits. "So good!!"

.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................

*It looks like...a ball of yarn...*

Standing before Aunty Cat's house, Maximilian thought Kodiaki was right, he couldn't have missed it.

If Uncle Bat's house was the tallest of the level, resembling a square tower of some sort, this house seemed like it could start to roll away at any moment.

The walls were made of several planks of wood wrapped together, holding as one thanks to wires turning all around the house, covering nearly everything apart from the two windows and the door before which was standing another tall beastkin, a dogkin nearly as tall as Big Bear, but at least as large.

*This dogkin...is looking a lot like a bulldog...*

Maximilian’s observation about the tall beastkin wasn't inappropriate. The falling mouth drooling a bit, grumpy look, black eyes and crooked ears of the beastkin made him really looked like a bulldog. Hopefully, he would be more talkative than Big Bear.

"Excuse me..." said Maximilian as he came closer.

"What?!" literally barked the man.

"I would like to see Aunty Cat. Is she available?"

"No! Aunty has guests! Come later!" answered the tall beastkin. Apparently, barking small sentences was his way of talking.

"Guests, you say? Wouldn't it be a group of brightly coloured catkins, by chance?" questioned Maximilian.

The dogkin opened his eyes a bit wider, surprised.

"Human knows Aunty's family?" asked the dogkin before passing his long tongue around his mouth, getting the drool back in.

*Wow, that's a bright one...*

"Indeed, I'm a friend of them, could you tell them Maximilian is here? I'm sure they will be thrilled."

The tall beastkin scratched his head for a bit, thinking or simply enjoying the filling of his claws on his thick skin.

"Stay here! I ask!"

The beastkin went inside, bowing to pass the small door.

Maximilian waited a minute, whistling slightly in the quiet street, then...

"IDIOT!!!"

An old female voice thundered from inside the house, followed by the sound of a staff hitting something and a yelping sound.

The tall beastkin ran out of the house, pursued by an old catkin woman, walking as fast as possible with her cane. Once out, she threatened him with it.

"How many times have I told you to not be so gullible?!"

"Sorry, Aunty! But he said he knows them!" apologised the dogkin.

The lady sighed and turned to Maximilian.

"So? Are you looking for someone?"

Aunty cat was old, her fur as well as her hair grey/white-coloured. She was wearing glasses before her cat eyes. She was resting on her cane, dressed in an old robe and a grey foulard on her shoulders. But, as old as she may be, she looked like a proud woman, standing as straight as her back was allowing her and speaking with authority.

"Indeed. The Chancellor, the servants of the castle and a group of colourful catkins...whom you may know if I trust this fellow over here."

The old lady sneered.

"Let me guess, I'm a catkin so you think I know all the catkins in the world? Typical..."

"No, no, I'm here because Uncle Bat told me you could help."

"Is that so? This old fool thinks he can send me every foreigner passing by? I'll remember it the next time his back will be bothering him..."

"Aunty Cat, please. I'm sent by the Queen to help her friends, if you know something, I have to know it."

"And how am I sure you're not sent by the Cardinal? Yes, young man, I'm well aware of what's happening behind the walls. How can you prove me your sincerity?"

Maximilian sighed.

"Okay, listen. I already made another tree for the slaves to eat and get medicinal plants. I healed Kodiaki's eyes and, the most important thing, I haven't shown any hostility to anyone on this level. Now, could you please tell me what you know?"

The old lady looked at him dubiously.

"You've replaced the tree of Maribel? Really? Hey, you!"

Aunty Cat hit the floor with her cane and the dogkin came near her. He put his large hands on the floor and the old lady climbed on them, then, the dogkin lifted his hands high above his head, lifting the old lady far above Maximilian, giving her a better view.

She observed the square from where she was, then nodded.

"It is true, the tree has leaves and fruits again...impressive, young man."

The dogkin carefully put her down. She looked at him for a minute, then sighed.

"Alright, wait here."

The old lady went inside her round house, leaving Maximilian and the dogkin outside.

"She's...interesting..." said Maximilian to the dogkin who nodded.

"Aunty nice! But cane hard..." answered the dogkin.

A few minutes later, the old lady came back, followed by Mandarine and a man Maximilian didn't know.

"Sir Maximilian!" joyfully exclaimed Mandarine as she came near him, bowing slightly to greet him.

"Mandarine, it's a pleasure to see you again, are you all alright?" enquired Maximilian.

The orange hair catkin nodded.

"Thanks to the Chancellor, we were able to arrive safely at this level, but I'm afraid I don't know about her Highness well-being..."

"The Queen, her daughters and son and Kitsu are safe." assured Maximilian.

"Daughters? Son? You mean..." hopefully asked the maid.

"I set the Prince free and Princess Arima's older sister is already with her family." informed Maximilian.

Tears of joy in her eyes, Mandarine quickly wiped them away.

"I'm so happy for her Highness, she was so sad to not have her children at her side..."

Politely making his presence known, the Chancellor slightly caught in his fist.

"Mandarine, could you..."

"Oh! My deepest apologies. Sir Maximilian, let me introduce you the Chancellor Gastonar, loyal friend of the royal family since years ago, a friendship he has proven once again by helping her Majesties escape."

The man stepped further to face Maximilian.

"So you are Sir Maximilian? Mandarine has spoken about you, I must say she made a good description..."

The man extended a hand Maximilian was happy to shake.

"It's a pleasure to meet another friend of the royal family, I'm afraid we have far too few friends at this time." said the Chancellor.

"I think we may have more friends than you think, Chancellor. A certain duo of guardians and her group, for example..." replied Maximilian with a smile.

The man seemed to understand immediately.

"Lady Arca and Alariel? Tell me more about it."

..............................................................................................................................................................................................................

"Out of the way, guard."

Leading a group of twenty-five full equipped members of the Humaster guild, one of the two men who were with the guild leader to meet the Cardinal had just ordered the captain of the five men guarding the door to move away.

"And what business do you have on the slave level?" questioned the captain.

The leader laughed.

"Nothing more than some cleaning duty. We are on a mission for his Holyness, move away."

The old captain put a hand on his sword pommel.

"I don't receive orders from the Cardinal, and I don't like the sound of this, turn back or face the cons...!!!"

The old man couldn't finish his sentence, a big hammer burying his skull in his torso. The five guards behind him took out their weapons just a bit too late, the leader moved to the side to let some men shot a volley of crossbow bolts, fatally wounding them all.

The guards weren't even dead that the men from Humaster jumped on them like a group of scavengers, taking everything they could from them. Once done, they let them there, almost naked and slowly dying. The crossbowmen had taken back their bolts, opening the guard's wounds painfully.

"SEE THIS, GUYS?! WE ARE TAKING CONTROL! NOW LET'S PURIFY THIS FILTHY MIRE!"

A common roar answered the man as the group entered the slave level.

.................................................................................................................................................................................................................

"So they are alive and ready to fight. This certainly is a wonderful news you brought. And you say other soldiers and guards are waiting for our signal to fight at our side?" summarised the Chancellor.

"That, and I also managed to win some of the Inquisition over."

At his words, the Chancellor and Mandarine looked at each other.

"The Inquisition? But, how?"

"It seems the Cardinal actions isn't pleasing everyone even among his own group." explained Maximilian

"Are you sure they won't betray us? It wouldn't be the first time the Cardinal would use some betrayal to obtain what he wants."

"Believe me, Chancellor, the ones I set free are willing to help us, I made sure they were."

"How could you do that?" questioned the Chancellor.

"With magic, of course. With a spell and a simple question, I obtain the certitude they would be on our side."

"Which question?"

"Are you going to fight with us against the Cardinal?"

"And that's all? What if they lied?" worried the Chancellor.

"Some did, now they're dead." simply said Maximilian.

"You killed them?" asked Mandarine, surprised.

"Me? No, they killed themselves. I was quite clear on the fact that a lie from them would kill them and I have given them the choice to pass the test or not."

"That was fair. So we will have their help too...this change a lot of things." declared the Chancellor, thinking out loud.

"Indeed. The Queen is obtaining more and more allies. Speaking of which, what about your group?" enquired Maximilian.

"Some of the servants and soldiers are hiding in town with people I trust, others are hiding on this level, I managed to place some of my men to guard the level gate, they will make sure we're not bothered, at least not too much or too soon." explained the Chancellor. "That's strange, Uncle Bat didn't tell me they were there..." "We didn't exactly plan everything long before acting. My men hide as soon as we arrived, the slaves kindly proposed to help, the Elder wasn't there at the moment, something about him willing to have a quiet moment for himself "What about your brothers and sisters, Mandarine?"

"We are always together, Sir Maximilian. They are all inside."

"Were, Mandarine, were." said a familiar old voice.

Looking at the round house, the trio saw the old catkin with the six other members of the rainbow guard at her sides.

"Grandma..." said Mandarine with a smile.

"Come here, Dear." said the old catkin as she extended a hand.

The maid came near the old beastkin who lovingly caressed her cheek.

"So you really are of the same blood..." stated Maximilian.

"Indeed, young man. I had the chance to give birth to their mother, who sadly died when she gave birth to them. I saw her every time I look at them."

"You can be proud of them, the Queen herself entrust her life to them."

"I know that. When that Foxkin came to me years ago, I implored her to give them a better life than I could, and she kept her word. She took them, raised them, nourished them and trained them...all those things I wouldn't have been able to do for them, she did." painfully admitted the old lady.

Seeing this sad old lady surrounded by her grandchildren was heartwarming.

"You let them go so they could have a better life...I admire your sacrifice."

"I will always remember how hard it was for me to watch her take them away, it was like losing the last members of my family..."

"And now you fear that they have to go away once again." understood Maximilian.

Not strong enough to answer, the old lady simply nodded, tears falling from her closed eyes.

"Grandma..." simply said Mandarine before holding the old woman, quickly imitated by her brothers and sisters, all sharing one big family hug.

...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

"PLEASE, I BEG Y...!"

The catkin's head flew off his shoulder, his wife and children behind him screaming in horror while the men were laughing. All around, the slaves were running away before the group of humans coming from the Humaster guild.

"What do we do with them?" asked one of the men to the leader as he nodded at the family.

"What you want, we have the benediction of the Cardinal." answered the man as he wiped his blood covered hammer on the dead beastman's clothes.

The men sniggered as some of them approached the catkin woman who pushed her baby in her older sister's arms.

"RUN!!! GO GET HELP!!!" ordered the woman as she stood to protect her two fleeing children.

One of the crossbowmen aimed at the children with his weapon.

"Who bets two copper coins I hit?" proposed the laughing man.

"Deal!" accepted one of his friends.

The bolt flew.

"NO!!!"

The mother jumped on the projectile trajectory, receiving the bolt in her chest. She opened her eyes wide as she fell on her knees, then on her side.

"Shit..." cursed the crossbowman.

"You owe me two copper coins, man." stated his friend.

"In your dreams! I said I'll hit the target, and I did!" retorted the shooter.

"You aimed at the children!"

"Says who?"

"Says my knees in your nuts!"

The two were fighting about their bet while the others continued to move forward.

"Why..." weakly asked the catkin woman as the leader passed next to her.

"Because you all are an eyesore, some animals taking space and propagating their unholy blood." answered the man, with as much disdain for the woman on the ground as confidence in what he was stating.

Finally done with his friend, the crossbowman came to retrieve his projectile from the woman's chest. But, at the last moment, he was stopped by his leader.

"Boss?"

"Let her enjoy her last suffering on this land. It will give her time to rethink how she shouldn't have been born, to begin with." ordered the man with a mean smile.

The crossbowman laughed at the man's words.

"Good idea...I can always take it on my way back."

"OKAY GUYS! THOSE INSECTS WILL ASSEMBLE AT THEIR DEAD TREE! WE GO THERE AND THEN...YOU ALL HAVE FUN!!!"

The group continued to move forward, taking their time to destroy the slave's shelters on their way.

"How do you know how they are going to react, Boss?" asked the crossbowman.

"That's how they always act, they hide near their tree and pray for us to go away." laughed the man.

"You've been here before?" questioned the crossbowman.

"Yep. The last time, I was escorting a Noble who wanted to have some fun with a beast. This fool had in mind to fuck a bearkin, can you imagine?"

"I guess some like them fur covered..."

"But that's not the best part. Once he was done, he said he didn't like how the girl was looking at him."

"So? He killed her?"

"Nope, he paid me for, and hear me well, it's precious, he PAID me to burn her eyes!"

The boss and the crossbowman laughed together.

"The fool paid me to have fun."

"I wonder if he knows you would have gladly done it for free..." wondered the crossbowman.

"I don't know and I don't care, I won a bonus to make sure she wouldn't be able to see anything ever again. The only sad thing is that he ordered me to not kill her. I wasn't thrilled to spare the animal but the noble was the one paying so..."

"That's the hard part of our job, Boss. We always have to make some sacrifice for the greater good...But who knows, maybe you'll see her again today..."

"'See her', that's a good one!" laughed the leader, seconded by the crossbowman.

..............................................................................................................................................................................................

"Are you all ready?" asked Maximilian.

"We are." answered Mandarine for the group.

After they took the time to correctly say goodbye to their grandmother, the rainbow guard had to return to their rightful place, at their Queen's sides.

Maximilian had informed her that he was sending some peoples, but didn't tell her exactly who it was.

"Why didn't you tell her Majesty?" wondered Mandarine.

"I think it will make a good surprise." answered Maximilian with a shrug.

He teleported the rainbow guard before bowing to Aunty Cat.

"Thank you for protecting them."

"Don't thank me, protecting my grandchildren was the only thing I could do. Chancellor, I think that now would be a good time to say goodbye, this old lady would like to rest." asked the old woman, tired after being forced to see her grandchildren go away once again.

"You are right, I have invaded your house for far too long. I wish I could do something to thank you."

"There's no need to, Chancellor. I may be an old beastkin, but I can still do a favour without asking for anything in return." answered the woman.

"If I may..." proposed Maximilian.

Focusing a bit on his hands as he made a circular gesture, he created a stone frame. He filled the inside of the frame with a layer of ice reflecting like a mirror. Putting a hand on the ice mirror, he made it shine for a second, then took off his hand and presented the thing to Aunty Cat.

"For me? What is th..."

The woman stopped in the middle of her sentence as she saw not her reflection, but a picture of herself with all her grandchildren, looking as real as if they were reflecting in the mirror.

"It may not be them, but I think you should at least be able to see their faces when you desire." said Maximilian.

The old lady held the present against her chest, crying silently.

"Thank you...thank you." said the old lady before going back to her house, the door closing behind her.

Walking away with the chancellor, Maximilian explained to him what he had given to the old beastkin.

"That was generous of you...so you are a mage." stated Gastonar.

"Was it the magic who gave me away?" joked Maximilian.

The chancellor chuckled.

"If I trust my weak knowledge about magic, you must be quite good if you can use it without a catalyst, are you from the academy?"

"The academy? I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

"The academy of magic of Griffinia, of course! It is the place where all those worthy can master magic arts."

"All those worthy? Why do I have the impression it isn't as beautiful as it sounds?" stated Maximilian, starting to be used to how things were done in this world.

"I suppose you think that only humans are welcomed there? That's not the case. Thanks to Queen Alexandria, all races are now welcomed to study there, as long as they can pass the test."

"Naturally...do you think we could find some help there?" questioned Maximilian.

The chancellor scratched his chin, thinking.

"I'm not sure...mages are some kind of exterior power, they don't obey the church, but they won't take part in this fight if there is nothing for them to gain...maybe could we convince them if we offer them something."

"What? Some kind of present?"

"That could work...all I hope is that the Cardinal hasn't done this already." worried the chancellor.

Thinking about something, Maximilian said.

"You said they are not inclined to take part in this fight, but isn't that mages who are blocking the journey Crystal at this moment?"

"Those are army mages, they obey the King, and we both know what this really means right now."

"So the Cardinal will have mages on his side...I guess the academy is my next destination."

"Please wait for a bit, I think it would be a good thing to pl...what's happening over there?"

...........................................................................................................................................................................

After Maximilian was gone to see Aunty Cat, Uncle Bat and Kodiaki had sat for a bit, enjoying the tasty fruits.

The joy didn't last long though, Uncle Bat hearing something other than the joyful laughs of slaves finally able to eat. A few minutes later, slaves arrived, running.

The slaves came around the old batkin.

"Elder! A group of men in arms are coming, they kill everyone they come across!" explained one of the slaves.

"What are we going to do?!" asked another one.

"Guide us, Elder!!" pleaded a woman with her baby in her arms.

"Everyone! Calm down, we will survive this like we always do." stated Uncle Bat as he raised his arms to get everyone's attention.

"We will hide and let them pass. They will go away at some point and we will be safe. Everyone! hide in your houses, close the doors, block the windows, be invisible!" ordered Uncle Bat, the slaves around nodding before running to their houses to barricade themselves.

"Uncle Bat, are you sure it is what we should do?" questioned Kodiaki.

Some slaves slowed down a bit while Uncle Bat, turning to face her and getting his face close, angrily answered her.

"What do you want us to do? They are equipped and trained!"

"We could fight for our lives." proposed the teenage girl.

"Are you mad?! We would be killed in an instant!"

"Didn't you hear? Those men aren't passing by, they are here to destroy everything!" growled Kodiaki, pointing at the way the clamour of the killers were coming from.

"But...why?"

"Knowing why isn't going to save us!!" exclaimed Kodiaki, making the old beastkin step back.

Looking around her, at the several slaves looking at her as if waiting for instruction, Kodiaki sighed.

"You want to hide? Do it, but I'm not going to. I won't hide anymore I...I have claws to fight, and now I have eyes to see where to hit!" stated the girl as if trying to convince herself.

A heavy silence answered her.

...........................................................................................................................................................................

"Is this the dead tree you were talking about?" asked one of the men to the leader.

"It doesn't seem so dead to me." added another one.

"Strange, it was clearly dead last time I came here...bah, who cares, let's go, everyone!"

The group arrived at the square where Kodiaki was, waiting with a hand against the tree, eyes closed and with her back turned to them.

"Who is this bitch? A slave?"

"Did you see her clothes, stupid? Of course she is... HEY, YOU!" said the leader, the last two words addressed to Kodiaki who didn't answer.

"HEY, YOU! ANSWER ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!" ordered the leader.

.........................................................................................................................................

"This voice..."

Kodiaki had opened her eyes wide as she heard the voice of the leader, the souvenir of her dead mother, brother and lost eyes still burning in her mind.

She looked above her shoulder and saw him, the man who was there, who was laughing as he was injuring her.

Not able to repress the hatred in her heart, her claws cut deep in the trunk as she turned to face the men and dashed at them, a murderous will written all over her face.

"YOUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!"

.............................................................................................................................................

"What's this beast doing?" asked one of the men in the group.

"What the...?"

The leader was surprised to see the very girl he had blinded running at him, her eyes very healed and full of rage.

"Do you want me to...?" proposed the crossbowman as he aimed at her.

"No, she seems to want me, let her have me." answered the man with a chuckled, the other members of his group preparing for the show.

Kodiaki jumped at him, claws out. The man easily evaded her attack before kicking at her. The girl jumped on the side at the last time, barely evading the hit. She dashed at him once again and launched a series of attacks, aiming for the man chest, trying to pierce his heart. While he was evading her attacks, the man was laughing out loud.

"So the beast retrieved her eyes?! Good, like this you will be able to see your little friends DIE!"

The last word was shouted as he hit her with the pommel of his weapon, touching her in the head and making her fall back, her hands on her head.

"The problem!..." he kicked her in the guts, making her fall on her knees.

"With the beasts!..." he kicked her once again, making her fall down on the floor, desperately trying to defend herself.

"Is that they simply CAN'T. UNDERSTAND. WHO. THE. MASTER. IS!!!" concluded the man, each word punctuated by another kick. Kodiaki rolled just as Maximilian arrived with the Chancellor.

Maximilian looked down at her, horror in his eyes.

"A friend of yours? Sorry if I broke your toy." mocked the leader.

Maximilian didn't answer him. He crouched near Kodiaki, the girl coughing blood.

"What were you thinking? Attacking this group by yourself..." said the man as he passed a hand above her, healing her wounds.

"You don't understand! This man he...he is the one who..." unable to finish her sentence, Kodiaki put a hand on her face, remembering the pain.

"Oh, that's him..." said Maximilian, understanding what she meant.

"You! The Nobles!" said the Humaster group leader as he addressed Maximilian and the Chancellor. "You don't have anything to do here, we can let you go..."

"That is if they can pay the price." finished the crossbowman next to the leader, making some of his friends laugh.

"Hey, Boss! The old one, it's the Chancellor!" recognised one of the guild members.

"What? Hey, you're right!" said another member as he confirmed with a wanted poster. "Boss, his head is worth a hundred golds!"

"Oooh, is that so? That changes everything. Sorry old man, your head is mine." stated the guild leader as he pointed his weapon at the man who chuckled.

"Because you think I'll let you take it like that? Come and get it, punk." taunted the man as he pulled out his sword.

"No! He is mine..." exclaimed Kodiaki as she stood up, placing herself between the guild leader and the Chancellor.

"A beast shouldn't speak when humans have a conversation. Haven't you had enough correction? Maybe do you enjoy the pain?" said the guild leader with a contempt smile.

"SCREW YOU, BASTARD! I AM NOT AN ANIMAL!!!" shouted Kodiaki, her voice resounding on the square and in the houses around.

"You think you can do what you want?! You think we will let you kill us all without fighting back?!"

"Pretty much, yeah." simply answered the leader, making his comrades laugh.

"Then you are as stupid as you are ugly, and that's saying a lot!" insulted Kodiaki.

The leader looked at the crossbowman.

"Kill this for me, would you?" asked the leader on the same tone as he would have asked him to pass him the salt at dinner.

"With pleasure..." answered the crossbowman as he aimed at Kodiaki.

His finger was going to pull the trigger when he received a stone on the temple, cursing as the projectile hit his face.

"FUCK!!! WHO DID THIS?!"

Looking on the side, the man saw the young girl Maximilian had given his fruit to. She had another stone in her hand and threw it right away, the crossbowman protecting himself with his armoured arm.

"You fucking insect..." growled the man has he aimed at the young girl who dropped the stone in her hand, fear in her eyes.

Maximilian was going to act when the Chancellor signalled him not to, he put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. The bolt flew at the young girl, but was stopped by a shield handled by a soldier of Griffinia who had come out of the nearest house, dashing before the young girl.

"Are you okay Miss?" asked the soldier as he looked at her, the young girl simply nodding to him.

"SOLDIER OF GRIFFINIA! THE SUBJECTS OF HER MAJESTY ARE IN DANGER, TO ARMS!!!" shouted the Chancellor.

All around the square, coming out of the houses where they were hiding, the soldiers answered the call of their superior.

Twenty soldiers were there, shield and blade up, ready to fight.

The guild leader looked around before he sniggered.

"That's all? That's the proud army of Griffinia? Twenty soldiers against us all? You insult us, Chancellor..."

The Chancellor was going to respond when Maximilian stopped him. The older man nodded to him as he let him advance a bit, stepping nearer the guild group.

As he approached, he spoke out loud to be heard by the slaves, certainly observing the scene from their shelters. As he spoke, he used his aura to imbue his voice, to have more chances to reach them.

"Slaves! Watch those soldiers fighting for you! See the men who came to kill you! Isn't your heart burning? Don't you want revenge for your fallen loved ones?! Those men came to kill your husbands, rape your wives and your children! Are you going to let them do as they please?! Are you not tired of the beating?! The suffering?! Queen Alexandria is fighting for you all! She is fighting against those men so never again will you have to endure their actions! Today, you have a chance to rise! Today, you can make all this end! Stand with us, TAKE ARMS!!!"

His last two words were punctuated by a massive stomp on the ground. All around the fighters, behind the soldiers of Griffinia, right out of the different houses, weapons appeared from the ground.

They were nothing much, spears and clubs, shields, all in stone. They weren't made to last, they were no legendary equipment, but they would do the trick.

The guild group looked around a bit, kind of surprised by the spell, but nothing much of a reaction apart from that. The crossbowman placed his weapon under his arm and clapped his hand mockingly.

"Very impressive speech, man, but you forgot one thing: you are speaking to scared animals, insects just there for us to step on and be paid for it. What else could you expect from inferior beings like them?"

Maximilian approached a bit, stopping at a dozen metres from him.

"Inferior beings? You mean they are less intelligent than you are?"

The man sneered.

"Of course! Everything about them is inferior to us!"

Maximilian showed a playful expression as he clapped his hands.

"In that case, what about a riddle?"

"A...riddle?" questioned the man, clearly as surprised as his friends.

Maximilian lifted a finger, pointing at the sky.

"What's going high up..."

He pointed at the ground with the same finger.

Before falling down?"

The strange scene destabilised the crossbowman who looked behind him, searching for an idea in his friend's eyes.

"What the hell are you talking ab...!"

As he turned back to face Maximilian again, he saw him less than a metre away. Maximilian had moved without anyone able to follow his movements and was now before the crossbowman, in the same position a football player would take to shoot the ball.

"YOUR SORRY ASS IN TWO SECONDS!!!" shouted Maximilian, giving away the answer to his riddle as he kicked the man between the legs.

The man took off the ground like a rocket, going high, very high, higher than the walls, his screaming voice nearly inaudible as he became nothing more than a point in the sky.

A heavy silence followed Maximilian's action, the man humming a cheerful tone as he was apparently estimating something, stepping on one side, then the other as he was looking at the sky.

"If I'm right..." said Maximilian to himself before he drew a cross on the ground and stepped back, waiting as the screaming voice of the crossbowman was getting near.

The man landed on the cross hard, his skeleton crushed and him being nothing more than a poodle of flesh and metal.

"Bullseye!" said Maximilian with a victory pose.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! I'M GONNA SKINNED YOU ALIVE!!!" exclaimed the leader as he attacked Maximilian, before evading at the last moment an attack coming from the side. Kodiaki had in hands one of the stone-made spears, using it to attack the man.

"YOU ANIMAL! GUYS! ATTAAAAAACK!!!" ordered the guild leader.

The guild member got in position, the crossbowmen still alive aimed at the soldiers, then hesitated a bit.

While they were all looking at their comrades flying high, some slaves had come out of their house, fury in their eyes after Maximilian's speech. Picking up the first weapon they could, they were now standing behind the soldiers, doubling their numbers.

"SOLDIERS OF GRIFFINIA! ATTAAAACK!!!" ordered the Chancellor as he charged too, followed by his men.

Maximilian decided to let them fight, but helped them a bit nonetheless here and there, like destroying the crossbows in their owner's hands for example, just as they were about to shoot, one of them blinded by the weapon cord slashing in his eyes.

Quickly disposing of a man attacking him, Maximilian was observing the fights around him.

*I have to let the slaves fight next to the soldiers, it will help them get along. Now for this to be a success, it would be better if none of them died.*

That was his role in the fight, he was observing the different fights and quickly healed the ones needing it.

Quickly after the battle had begun, Big Bear, leading a dozen slaves, joined the battle too.

*That's why he wasn't fighting yet, he was convincing others.* Thought Maximilian.

After Big Bear, it was the tall Dogkin protecting Aunty Cat who arrived with the lady on his shoulder, followed by slaves who had been warned about the commotion.

The two tall beastkins weren't using weapons, their claws more than enough to defend against the warrior.

With the new reinforcements, the battle quickly turned in the soldiers and slaves favour, the Humaster guild members not even knowing how to react to this situation, never before had they been opposed like that, so being beaten wasn't even imaginable for them.

In the end, only the leader remained, still fighting Kodiaki. The teenage girl was no match for him, but Maximilian had healed her several times already, giving her the strength to continue the fight.

"HOW DARE YOU OPPOSE US? YOU WHO ARE NOTHING MORE THAN BEASTS, SLAVES, LESS THAN NOTHING!!!" screamed the man, dark energy coming from some pieces of his equipment.

*That's bad news...* thought Maximilian, remembering how this energy was affecting Milne before.

As the energy shined darker, Maximilian quickly pulled Kodiaki away, the rest of the group had already stepped back to leave them space after they were done.

"What's happening to him?!" asked the Chancellor, protected by two soldiers with their shields up, just in case.

"It's a curse, the Cardinal has cursed the equipment given to them, the others weren't strong enough to use it apparently, but him..."

Other pieces of equipment started to shine dark too, echoing with the leader equipment. Like a magnet, the different pieces of equipment tore apart from the ones wearing them and flew to the man, covering him.

In less than a minute, the man changed to look like some kind of metallic golem, a roar coming from inside the mass of metal.

"Everyone! stay away from this! Don't let it touch you!" warned Maximilian.

"No! He is mine!" opposed Kodiaki, but Maximilian pushed her back.

"You'll have your revenge, I promise, but leave the curse to me. Be patient!" finally ordered Maximilian.

Not happy but obeying nonetheless, Kodiaki ran back to Big Bear, standing next to Uncle Bat and Aunty Cat.

"YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO STOP ME..." growled the golem, making his hands replaced by weapons turned as he spoke.

MY LEFt HAND IS A HAMMER, MY RIGHT HAND IS AN AXE. MY BODY IS MADE OF METAL, I..."

"You speak too much." simply said Maximilian as he quickly approached.

The golem lifted his two hands and tried to crush Maximilian, but was stopped by a wall of mud that enveloped his hands, then came around his arms.

"If handled by someone like you, the best weapon is nothing more than a piece of metal...a bit like your new form. But let me help you get out of it."

Manipulating the mud like massive arms coming from the ground, Maximilian tore off the golem’s arms, the black metal cutting deep in the man's flesh as it came off.

The deep voice screamed, clearly in pain, but Maximilian didn't care. Now having access to the inside of the armour, he made the mud flow inside, tearing the thing apart in less than a minute.

Once done, he let the man fall down, focussing on the cursed equipment already trying to infect the mud around it. Mixing holy and earth magic, he imbued the mud with enough holy magic to take care of the cursed equipment, the pieces of metal falling on the floor right after that.

"You...Son of a bitch..." growled the man, full of hatred, as he stood up once again, his equipment torn to shred. He picked up the nearest sword he could find on the body of one of his companions.

"He's all yours." simply stated Maximilian as he stepped on the side to let Kodiaki pass.

The bearkin girl dashed at the man, her spear in hands. The man, tired after his short time transformation, was having a hard time evading her attacks. Kodiaki, still full of rage against the man who had injured her so much, finally managed to land a hit, the spear piercing the man's side. She quickly jumped back, leaving the spear behind to evade the blade coming for her head. Looking around, she soon received another spear, threw for her by another slave. She continued to attack the man, managing to hurt him more and more, the fatigue of the man added to the blood loss finally too much for him. Falling on his knees, the man dropped the sword, three spears still in him.

"This...doesn't change anything..." chuckled the man as blood came out of his mouth.

"You won't be able...to survive far longer...you will all die...this doesn't change a thing."

"YAAAAAH!!!"

Kodiaki screamed as she finally thrust the fourth spear right in the man's heart, making him open his eyes wide.

"Maybe...but it sure feels good!" said the beastkin as the man fell down, dead.

Around her, exclamations of joy and pride echoed on the square, Big Bear quickly coming near his sister to pat her head.

"Sister strong now. Have eyes and revenge."

"Thank you, Big Brother." answered Kodiaki as she held the tall bearkin, crying, not necessarily because of the pain, but maybe simply because she was able to.

...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

"We will do what we can, tell the Queen she can count on us."

Uncle Bat and Aunty Cat, surprisingly enough, agreed on a subject for once. The Chancellor and his soldiers would stay with them for the time being, doing as much as they could to give them the basic notions of fighting, to be sure they wouldn't at least point the weapons at themselves.

"We don't have much time, and certainly not enough equipment, though..." said one of the Chancellor's men.

"Don't worry about that, here..." Maximilian pulled out the equipment he had taken from the inquisition, putting everything on a stone table he had created.

"How did you..."

"No time to waste with an explanation. You need equipment, here you have it. I'll inform the Queen about the situation. Here, take this."

Maximilian gave a ring to the Chancellor to be able to talk to him.

"Teach them as much as you can, let them eat and drink, tomorrow could be the day..."

"Tomorrow? So soon? Why?" enquired Uncle Bat.

"Because of them." answered Maximilian as he showed the guild members dead bodies. "They were certainly nothing more than a small group expecting no resistance. But, all around the city, non-humans are being chased down, the ones who will be captured, they certainly will want to show their execution, to show their power, to scare the ones opposing them. It is then that the Queen will need to show herself, but it surely will be a trap. We need to be ready by then."

"How can you be so sure about that?" questioned Aunty Bat.

"Because that's how I would do it." simply answered Maximilian as he continued to take out the equipment from the Havenbag.

The heavy silence following his words made him turn around. Seeing the worried faces looking at him, he added.

"That is, of course, if I was one of those psychopaths, which I'm not."

"You tore that man's armour apart..." said Aunty Cat

"And you made the other one flight high..." said the Chancellor.

"Maybe...but they were bad guys so it's fine." answered Maximilian with a light chuckle.

"Anyway, let's not waste time. Soldiers! form groups, take what you need in equipment and help our allies. They must be ready by tomorrow!" ordered the Chancellor to the soldiers with him.

Although they knew the task will be hard to accomplish, they saluted him and get to work immediately.

................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Once done with the equipment, Maximilian took some time to fill up tanks of water, providing fresh water for the slaves to drink. He used water magic to make the flow faster, filling the tanks rapidly.

While doing that, he summoned Asterife to take care of the dead bodies, leaving behind the equipment. It surprised everyone to see the imps in actions, but they didn't bother them. While the imps worked, he discussed a bit with the elders and the Chancellor, preparing their part of the plan.

When the tanks were full, Maximilian came near Kodiaki, surrounded by other slaves.

"I have one last thing to do before I go. Your slave mark, show it to me."

The bearkin girl, not at ease showing the ugly mark, slightly opened her dress and uncovered her shoulder. Her mark was situated at the same place as Lin-Lin's.

"What are you going to do?" worriedly asked the teenage girl.

"This." simply answered Maximilian as he put a hand on the mark, using his knowledge acquired when he healed Lin-Lin to quickly take care of Kodiaki.

Less than a minute after, he was done and stepped back, showing everyone around the healed shoulder of the bearkin.

"I have a message from the Queen: none of you will be forced to fight, but those who will fight will be slaves no more. This offer is extended to your families, the ones too young or too old to fight. Be sure of yourself when you chose, because some of you won't make it alive."

Kodiaki slightly touched her shoulder, not feeling the mark anymore.

"I...I'm free? Why did you free me now? I still have to fight." stated the bearkin.

"You will be my proof, Kodiaki. You will be able to make the ones not believing me see that I speak the truth. As for you, I have another reward I am ready to offer you for your participation..."

Maximilian approached her and whispered to her ear.

" I'll help you find and get your revenge on the noble who hurt you that night."

The beastkin nodded, resolve in her eyes.

"I'll fight! I'll convince others to fight too, you can count on me!"

"I am, Kodiaki. Now I must go, we will see each other later." concluded Maximilian as he left the square.

...........................................................................................................................................................................................

"I am an amazon, young man. I am tall but my blood is the one of a human."

Tallel, standing next to her husband, was facing two members of the Humaster guild. One of the two had just accused her of being an unholy blood carrier.

"Yeah, yeah...and what about him? I suppose he's only a very small human?"

"My husband may not touch the ceiling, but I can assure you he is tall enough where it matters, can you say as much?" taunted the tall amazon, not taking kindly to someone insulting her loving, and loved, husband.

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE YOU WH....!"

The man was stopped in his sentence by his comrade, showing him by a single head sign the customers in the rooms were not that pleased with them either.

"You should go, guys. You're going to make this delicious meal taste bad." said one of the customers, sitting at a table with five of his friends, looking as displeased as him.

The two hesitated a moment, then gave up.

"It's not over." said the man before leaving, the other one quickly nailing a paper on the news panel.

Tallel sighed.

"Thank you, everyone."

"It was a pleasure, Miss Tallel. Those guys are a pain in the ass. what did they leave behind?"

Tallel went to see what was written on the paper and put a hand on her mouth.

"Oh, Goddess..."

Seeing her reaction, the room became silent.

"What is written, mum?" asked Litel.

"The Inquisition...they're going to burn the non-humans they have caught!"

"What do you mean? Why would they burn the bodies?" wondered one of the customers out loud.

"You don't get it! Listen:

By order of the King and The Cardinal,

Tomorrow on Griffinia central place, at midday.

The unholy blood carrier will by judged by the Inquisition and will be purified by the holy flames of Carendar.

May the holy flame alight the World."

Tallel finished reading, horrified.

"Sweety, go warn the others, please." whispered the innkeeper to his daughter who quickly went to the kitchen.

....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

"They're gonna do what!" exclaimed Arca when she heard the news.

"It's not that surprising, the Cardinal is mad, this kind of action is what we could expect from him. He wants the Queen to intervene so he can kill her, or fortify his power by publicly lynching the non-humans." explained Alariel.

Arca showed her teeth as she hit the wall.

"So this is it...everyone! Get some rest. Tomorrow will be the big day!"

Arca received nods of approbation from her comrades, all of them aware the time was near.

The trap leading out of the hiding place opened to let three people in.

"We heard the news by Tallel." said Lin-Lin.

Arca and Alariel nodded at her, then looked at the other two.

"Who are they?" asked Arca.

"Maximilian's other two companions." answered Lin-Lin.

"I am Octavia." simply said the human looking arachne.

"Binvo, happy to meet." greeted the tall minotaur disguised as a man.

"Will they fight with us?" asked Alariel as she looked at the two, something about them bothering her.

Octavia nodded.

"Lin-Lin explained us. This Cardinal is causing trouble, so Master wasn't able to meet me like he promised...Octavia is ready to fight..." said the young girl on a tone presaging nothing good for the one calling himself the Cardinal.

"Binvo do not like fight...But Maximilian is friend. You are friend of Maximilian. Binvo help you." explained Binvo.

"They're...interesting..." said Arca.

Alariel scanned the two newcomers, and Lin-Lin too while she was at it.

"Binvo is level 16, Octavia is level 28 and Lin-Lin is level 30...you three are experienced fighters?" questioned Alariel.

"When Maximilian can, he teaches us, a lot. Thanks to him, we are strong." explained Lin-Lin.

"Binvo new in group, still weak, but ready to help."

"You? Weak? For a mountain like you to say that, you must be very humble..." stated Arca.

Binvo shook his head.

"Many minotaurs stronger than Binvo, Binvo still young and weak."

Arca looked at the others.

"Why is he talking about minotaurs?"

"Because he is one." simply revealed Octavia. "And I am an Arachne."

"Say what now?"

Thinking about something, Alariel asked.

"How did you two managed to enter the city? I thought they were blocking the entrance."

Lin-Lin shook her head.

"They forbid the exit, but they let people in."

"That's...strange." said Alariel, thinking out loud.

"A lot of things have been, those last days..." added Arca.

...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

"Orders have been given, Boss! Everything must be ready by midday, tomorrow."

One of the members of the Humaster guild just finished his report, the chief sitting at a table with numerous tasty food on it and a lightly dressed delicious-looking young lady on his knees.

"Fantastic! Make sure all the guys are ready, tomorrow will be the big day, we will be able to finally purge this city of its filth."

"At your orders, Boss." answered the man before running out of the room, leaving the chief with is trustiest companions.

"No news from the slave level?" asked the guild chief.

"Not at the moment, Boss."

The man chuckled.

"That's so like them! They must have so much fun they forgot to send a single message."

The others at the table laughed at that.

"Bah! Let's leave them to their fun, as long as they are back tomorrow...FOR THE BIG PURGE!!!" shouted the man as he raised his cup, followed in his movement by the others at the table.

.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

"Your Majesty, you should look at this." said Citron as he came back from his security check around the flower treasure chest with the news poster.

The Queen quickly read the paper and sighed as she frowned, passing it to Kitsu who read it to the others.

"So it will soon begin...everyone! Let's review the plan once again!" ordered the Queen as she looked upon the city map pictured on the table before her, her children, Kitsu, Planter and her flowers plus the rainbow guard and the trio from the Inquisition joining her.

"Tomorrow...the battle will happen tomorrow."

..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

"The papers have been distributed all around town, your Holyness." stated a soldier as he kneeled before the Cardinal.

"Very well, Captain. Be sure to have all your men prepared for a hard fight, the traitors will certainly try to save their comrades, it is our duty to make sure they don't achieve their goal.

"Yes, Your Holiness." answered the soldier as he saluted the Cardinal, leaving the room right after.

Alone with his Paladins and Pilgrim, the Cardinal chuckled.

"Very soon...tomorrow will see the beginning of a new era."

Is chuckled became a laugh echoing in the room, imitated by several of the black paladins around him, their laughs as deep as the one of the Pilgrim.

............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

"Tomorrow, you say?"

"Yes, Uncle Bat, the paper said so." answered the Chancellor.

Around the two men, and Aunty Cat as the third leader head of the group, soldiers were doing their best to get the slaves to be able to do things right, or at least not getting killed too soon.

"Tomorrow will see the end for us as slaves...tomorrow, we will live as free peoples or die fighting for it." stated the batkin.

"I pray this won't be the last day we live on this land." said the Chancellor.

I'll go prepare some medicines with this new tree he grew for us." stated aunty Cat as she, with other women and elderly people too weak to fight, went to prepare the medical treatments she was certain would soon be put to use.

....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

"So I was right..."

Maximilian had just finished reading the paper he had found on a nearby news panel.

*I just have one last place to go, then everything will be ready.*

........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

The Academy of Magic from Griffinia, prestigious school where the chosen ones could master their art under the tutelage of magic masters.

Constructed on the top of a hill at the edge of the city, but still inside the city wall. The building was simply massive, a place where students were to sleep, eat and study all the year, a place of living for the chosen ones.

Fastly jumping above the high fence, Maximilian ran on the long paved road leading to the academy.

*So...where will I find the Director? I might as well scan the place to find him.*

Using his scanning spell, Maximilian searched the place before him to locate where the highest magic power was.

*The highest tower, typical.*

Jumping from a roof to a wall, then to another roof, Maximilian quickly reached the highest tower window.

..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Alistair Oakonel, current Director of Griffinia's Magical Academy, was an old Archmage. Thin, dressed in a long mage robe, like he had been dressed since he had been reckoned as a true mage, decades ago. A grey goatee and glasses on his nose decorated his old face. Currently reading for the hundredth time a letter sent to him by the Cardinal himself, the old Archmage was massaging his temple.

"Excuse-me?"

A voice coming from behind his armchair made the man jumped, his magic staff appearing in his hand in a second, a circle of magic forming at its extremity.

"Who are you!? How did you get in here?!"

"My name is Maximilian Baltazard Van Nilmerus, as for my way in..."

Maximilian pointed at the open window.

"By the way you're using your staff, the place around us and the years of experiences you seem to have, I suppose you are the Director of this academy?"

"I am..." suspiciously answered the old man, the magic staff still pointing at Maximilian.

"Great! I feared I would have to continue looking around. There are things we need to talk about." said Maximilian as he got a bit further in the room, the old man still threatening him with his staff.

"No one has ever told you it is a bad idea to infiltrate a mage room?" questioned the old man.

" 'Rude' would be what has been told to me, but I'm afraid I don't have time for politeness. Time is short and you are the person I need to talk to so...could we get to business before it is too late?" politely asked Maximilian.

"Good idea...Earth chains!"

At the mage incantations, chains made of stones and earth came from the ground and attached themselves around Maximilian, visibly trying to make him fall.

"Sorry, but that won't work." calmly said Maximilian as he shattered the chains down.

What about this!?"

The old man made the staff turn around himself before sending a magic wave to Maximilian who raised a magical barrier, blocking it.

*I have to admit, this old man is powerful. Level...fifty-five? Impressive, no wonder his spells are good.*

"You're not bad, youngster. What if I do this?"

The man's staff hit the ground, creating a circle of magic around them.

"Just to be sure I won't destroy my academy...now then!"

The man planted the staff before him, his hands shining with energy. Pointing at Maximilian, he made a dozen swords of fire appeared, the elemental weapons dashing at Maximilian.

"Try to protect against that!"

Maximilian snapped his fingers, creating swords of water around him, the same number as the old mage. The water blade collided with the fire ones, easily winning against them.

"Will that be all or will I have to get a tiny bit serious?"

"Haha, it was only a diversion, now I'm ready! face my fire golem!" victoriously exclaimed the old mage as a fire silhouette came from the ground, a colossus of stone and fire slowly walked in Maximilian's direction, raising one of his big flaming hands to crush him.

Maximilian sighed as he pointed at the golem, the dozen water swords fused to form a massive water hammer that hit the fire puppet, destroying it.

"Okay, I'm bored." simply said Maximilian.

With a swift movement of the hand, he projected the magical staff of the director on the wall, the circle of magic disappearing in a few seconds.

"Sit." Ordered Maximilian as he made a stone chair appear right under the old man, forcing him to sit down.

"What the...!"

"Hush!"

With another swift movement, Maximilian made a water gag on the old mage's mouth.

"I gave you a chance to talk, now you will listen."

The old mage tried to take off the gag, then made a rapid gesture in Maximilian's direction, a ring on his hand shining as a magic circle appeared before his hand.

"Stop this!" Ordered Maximilian as he used a wind spell to cut off his hand.

The man screamed under his gag, his voice smothered by the liquid.

"Okay, I admit this discussion could have begun better..."

Acting fast, Maximilian picked up the hand on the ground and reattached it on the man's arm, after he took off the rings on it.

The man looked at his hand, mesmerised by the absence of pain. Moving his fingers around a bit, he looked at Maximilian, calmed down a bit.

"Ready to discuss like an adult?" asked Maximilian.

The old man nodded.

"I'm going to take off the gag, if you try to attack me again, you'll die, am I clear?"

The old man nodded once again and Maximilian made the water on his mouth disappear.

"What do you want? Are you here to take over the academy?" questioned the old man.

"I'm not here for your academy, but for the battle that is going to take place tomorrow."

"The Inquisition versus the Queen, I know." said the old man.

"Good, it saves some precious time. I'm just going to explain one or two details to you..."

Maximilian explained to the old man how the King wasn't much more than a puppet for the Cardinal at the moment, how they needed to help the Queen to save the Kingdom.

"So, I'll get to the point, I want the mages to side with the Queen."

The old man looked at him for a bit, as if waiting for something else. When he didn't hear more, her asked.

"And? Is that all?"

"I think it summarises the idea quite clearly. What do you say?"

"You're too late I'm afraid, the Inquisition has already monopolised the royal mage obeying the King, and because the King has sided with the Inquisition...I cannot do much about it."

"Aren't you a high authority in this city? Isn't there something you can help us with?"

The man crossed his legs and arms, taking a more comfortable position on the stone chair.

"But...why would I do anything for you? You intruded my Academy, trespassed in my room and attacked me."

"You attacked, I defended myself." corrected Maximilian.

"Details, details. I'm an old and leery mage, I've learned to act quickly in this kind of situation. To come back to my question: Why would I help you?"

"I could kill you if you refused?" innocently proposed Maximilian.

"But in that case, you would lose my help. I don't think you'll do it." confidently stated the old man.

"You're quite sure of yourself for a man who was screaming his lungs out a few minutes ago." taunted Maximilian.

"Maybe, but I am also able to see a good mage when I see one, you are something else, young man."

"I'm afraid compliments aren't why I took the time to come and see you. Let's save the precious time we have: what do you want?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"What would it take for you to help? Of course, I'll have to know what exactly is this help you will offer." explained Maximilian.

The old man stayed silent for several minutes, closing his eyes for a bit.

*Please don't tell me this old fossil has fallen asleep on me...* sighed Maximilian.

Just as he thought that, the Director seemed to finally be done with his deep thoughts.

"I can't make the mage fight against the King, they have made a magical vow to not raise arms against him, it would kill them immediately."

"What can you do, then?"

"I could immobilise them, make sure they won't be able to join the battle."

"Would you mind telling me how you would do it?" questioned Maximilian.

"I'm their old Master, they trust me. If I come to them, pretexting something, they won't suspect a thing. What you need to do is save the King, only then will we be able to really help. Once the King will be on the Queen's side, the mages will be too."

"Not bad, and what would be the price to pay for that?"

"What do you think us mages are searching for more than anything else?" asked the Director.

"I would say power, but it would be the same for a lot of people who aren't mages..."

"Power is a common thing people search. No, what we look for is knowledge more than anything else."

"So...you want knowledge? What kind of knowledge?"

"You managed to defeat me without any trouble, me, the director of this academy. I want you to share your knowledge with this academy, I want you to make us grow."

" 'Us'? You surprise me, I thought your request would be more personal."

"I'm old and powerful, I don't need more power than I already have. Learning something new would be nice, I guess, but I'm more interested in the next generation."

"You don't mean..."

"Yes! I want you to become a teacher in this academy." finally said the old mage, stating his request.

Maximilian stayed silent for a bit, thinking.

*I certainly am not going to stay here and be a teacher for the rest of my life...Could I negotiate for it to be a period of time? Maybe a year...that's too long! If only there was a way for me to reduce a year's worth of time...I wonder...* Maximilian had just got an idea.

Signalling the old man to wait for a bit, he stood up and create a little stone shelter, closed by a door. He pictured several runes outside and inside the thing, taking his time to do it well.

Once finished, he entered in the thing and close the door. A few second later, he came out.

"How long have I been in there?" asked Maximilian.

"A few seconds at most, why this question?" questioned the old mage.

"For nothing, just a test I needed to make."

Maximilian destroyed the shelter, then came back and sat in front of the old man.

"I offer you one year’s worth of teaching, to a group I'll select myself among your students."

"One year?" asked the old man, apparently not expecting so much.

"One year, but...I don't want any restriction in the students I'll be able to choose from. Don't hide the non-humans, don't hide the poor or non-nobles. I want to be able to choose all those I see fit."

Maximilian extended his hand.

"A year of teaching for the help of the mages in this battle. Do we have an accord?" questioned Maximilian.

The old man looked at the extended hand for a minute, then shook it.

"We have an accord!"

The two shaking hands were covered in runes for a few seconds and disappeared when they let go.

"What was that?" questioned the old man as he looked at his hand, curious.

"A trust spell. You gave me your word, don't betray it or...well, think of the worst torture that could be inflicted on you and multiply it a thousand times, you will have a good guess on how the spell will take your life." calmly explained Maximilian has he stood up.

"I...I am bonded?"

"Only until the battle is over, I leave behind a ring you should wear, it will allow me to contact you when the time comes for the mages to act. See you tomorrow, Director."

And he teleported.

.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

*I'm glad you made it, Octavia.*

Maximilian was using the ring he had given to Octavia to contact her.

The heavy silence answering him wasn't a good news.

*You're angry, right?*

*You said we would see each other again soon...*

*I did.* *But you're still away...*

*Indeed.*

*Why? Octavia wants to be at your side.*

*Tomorrow. We'll see each other again, tomorrow. Now I have to meet the Queen to adjust the plan one last time. I'll personally come to fetch you tomorrow, okay?*

*You...you promise?*

*I promise. And...Octavia?*

*Yes?*

*I'm proud of you.*

Maximilian could have sworn he felt the arachne blush.

*Goodnight.* simply answered Octavia before ending the communication.

.....................................................................................................................................................................................................

"So, that's the plan, anything you wish to add?" asked the Prince.

"No, everything seems to be in order. All we can do now is hope for the best...is everything alright, Prince?" asked Maximilian as he saw the Prince frown.

"I still resent you for the way you pushed me out of the tower, Sir Maximilan."

"Oh come on, don't be like that! It was fun, wasn't it?" said Maximilian with a chuckled.

The Prince came close to Maximilian, inches from his face, actually.

"It.was.not!"

Not losing his joyful smile, Maximilian looked away as if ashamed.

"My Prince, how bold of you! If you stand this close, I'm going to think you want to steal a kiss..."

The Prince jumped back, revolted.

"What?! How can you insinuate I could want to..."

"That was a joke. Don't be so uptight."

The Prince looked astonished at the man in front of him.

"How can you act like that? Don't you realise what's going to happen tomorrow? My Mother and sisters, lady Kitsu and Planter, even the trio from the Inquisition, everyone is getting ready to fight, and you make jokes?!"

"Of course I do."

"But we could all die tomorrow!" exclaimed the Prince.

"One more reason to enjoy life while we can. Speaking of which, doesn't this place have a bath? I would like to wash a bit after all this running around town..."

The Prince sighed and pointed at one of the numerous door in the upper salon, the one with a mermaid pictured on it.

"My Mother thought you would want to. She asked me to show you the way to go."

"Thank you then, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sir Maximilian..." said the Prince as he was opening the door.

"Yes?"

"...I don't like you. You're lacking the proper etiquette to address my family and your way of doing things is less than unprofessional. But...I owe you my life and, as I've heard, the life of my youngest sister so...thank you, for what you've done until now, thank you."

"Prince Alberic, it will be a pleasure to fight at your side tomorrow." concluded Maximilian as he closed the door behind him.