Tiago watched a situation unfold as Alice approached; he couldn't discern the expression on her face, which remained completely neutral. A demeanor of a true professional.
"How's the situation going, Alice?" Tiago asked when Alice was finally close enough.
She looked at him and remained silent for a few moments, as if choosing the right words. "Well," she began, "they want to cooperate with us, but they want to see a demonstration of our 'magic.'"
The members of Explorer 9 looked at each other, confused by this proposal. "Demonstration?" Tiago asked, raising one of his eyebrows.
"Yes, Thalassa and Selena told them that we are powerful mages. At first, they were reluctant to accept us, but it seems that with this little 'lie,' they changed their minds, at least partially."
"What do those two think they are doing?" Bianca asked indignantly.
"Everyone calm down," Tiago said, trying to prevent a potential argument before it could start. "I think I understand the situation."
He turned his eyes to João. "Give me a smoke grenade and a short-range flare."
"Sir?" João asked, confused.
"Don't worry, I have an idea on how to convince them that we are powerful mages," Tiago said, his last statement tinged with a bit of sarcasm.
João handed him the smoke grenade and the flare. Once he had the items in hand, he looked at his men, "You all wait here. Alice, you're coming with me."
---
Pedro couldn't hear much of what Alice and the Sergeant were talking about; he just saw the Sergeant and her heading towards those two women again.
"Did you hear anything?" Gabriel asked from his .50 caliber turret.
"Nothing," he replied.
"What do you think they are doing?"
Pedro turned to Gabriel, "I don't know, but if I had to guess, I'd say they might be trying to give some 'gift' to the villagers."
"Like when the Portuguese first met the South American natives?"
"Yes, I think it could work. Even if we gave them our protein bars, they would be fascinated by the taste," Pedro said.
"You're right," Gabriel said with a light smile and laugh.
Their conversation was interrupted when they noticed a curtain of smoke emerging from the direction where the Sergeant was.
"Was that a smoke grenade?" Gabriel asked, confused.
Pedro grabbed his radio and asked what was happening. The response came quickly.
"The Sergeant is putting on a little magic show," João replied with a slight sarcastic laugh.
Magic? This question crossed Gabriel's and Pedro's minds as they looked at each other. But before they could say anything, a red flare was fired into the sky from the Sergeant's position. Due to the smoke, they couldn't see what was happening.
"If it's what I'm thinking, this could also work," Gabriel said.
Pedro looked confused at his friend, who was now looking at the red trail left by the flare in the sky above.
In the background, muffled sounds of gunfire and bombings could be heard a few kilometers away, probably in the city.
---
Tiago notices that the people in front of him are very impressed with what he just did. His idea was to throw a small smoke grenade and then fire a flare. And it seems to have worked in terms of first impressions. The villagers now appear confused and begin to back away, their improvised weapons lowered.
"It looks like we've made some progress," says Alice, crossing her arms.
Thalassa looks at the smoke, impressed. She expected the Sergeant to use his magic staff as a show of strength, but she never imagined he would create smoke out of 'nothing.'
A villager who appears to be around 40 years old approaches. Tiago remains on alert, even though the man is unarmed—better to be safe. The man raises one of his hands, seemingly trying to show he's not a threat. He starts to speak, but Tiago doesn't understand anything. The smoke finally dissipates, and now everyone in the convoy a few meters back can see what's happening.
Tiago looks at Thalassa, hinting with his eyes for her to translate what the man is saying.
"He's saying the village doesn't have much to offer, but they are willing to provide shelter."
While Thalassa was focused on Tiago, the man drops to his knees on the ground. Everyone turns their attention to the man. Tiago reflexively points his rifle at the man. He notices that the man is saying something.
"What is he saying?" Tiago asks.
Thalassa looks back at Tiago, who still has his rifle pointed at the man but is also keeping an eye on the other villagers a few meters away.
"I don't think there's a need for such distrust," says Thalassa, hinting for Tiago to lower the rifle. "This man is begging for you to help his bedridden wife" Tiago exchanges looks with Alice, trying to gauge if she feels as cornered as he does in this situation. Thalassa continued, "He says it's been several months since any mage or healer has come to the village. He tried to seek help in the city, but they closed everything due to the war."
Tiago lowered the rifle. Thanks to the sling, the rifle was now hanging on his body, and his hands were free. He let out a sigh, thinking about what to do while looking at the man. He looked at Thalassa and said:
"Tell him we can take a look at his wife and see what we can do." Turning his attention to Alice, he added, "I don't want you to leave my side. The last thing I want now is to lose a civilian in hostile territory." Tiago knew Alice was a curious person and might take too many risks interacting with the people on this side of the gate.
He turned, ready to head toward his group, but before he did, he glanced at Thalassa and said, "By the way, thank you very much for the translation. You did an excellent job."
Thalassa didn't know how to respond to this compliment from him and decided to simply nod in acknowledgment. She watched him walk away to inform the rest of the group about the situation.
"See, little by little, you're earning their trust," said Alice with a smile to Thalassa.
--- Imperial Palace ---
Thalgrim is currently in a hall waiting for the king's summons. Beside him are two royal guards. Having them by his side reminds him that even as a general of the powerful Hurdian Empire, the emperor still has difficulties fully trusting his officers.
Another imperial guard appears and informs him that the emperor is ready to see him.
Thalgrim follows the knight and finally arrives at a large door leading to the throne room. The door is opened, and the knight signals for him to enter.
Upon entering, he realizes he is not alone; dozens of other generals and nobles are present. His eyes scan the entire throne room as he tries to recognize the faces. Most of these generals have never been in a real battle, not like the ones he has witnessed.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
He approaches and stops a few meters from the throne before kneeling. “Your Majesty,” he says.
He can feel all the presumptuous gazes directed at him. At another time, he too would have looked that way if someone else were in his current position.
“Rise,” said the emperor with a neutral, yet powerful voice.
He stood up and felt the cold, indifferent eyes of the emperor. “Why are you here?” the emperor asked. He certainly did not expect to see Thalgrim so soon and without the Grandmaster by his side.
He swallowed and chose his words carefully to communicate to the emperor. “My emperor,” he lowers his head and avoids eye contact with the monarch. “The city is at great risk of being captured by these OtherWorlders. They are too powerful and have easily defeated almost all of our troops.” Thalgrim is proud, so uttering these words made him feel nauseous. He honestly did not want to be Colt's spokesperson, but circumstances led him to this. “That is why the mage ordered me to return to your presence and ask for reinforcements. Without support, the city will not hold. I anticipated some things and ordered the knights under Duke General Arondir's command to come to our aid. At this very moment, they should be on their way to Matique.”
The emperor let out a slight smile. A sarcastic, yet quite frightening laugh. This information would also explain why Arondir abandoned his post. Could Colt have disobeyed him as well? These were questions running through his troubled mind. “Where is Colt?” he asked.
“He stayed in the city to organize the defense.” He knew the emperor was very close to that old mage, making the situation even harder to deal with. Thalgrim was walking on eggshells, and one wrong word could lead to his head being separated from his neck.
“This is very intriguing,” the emperor rises from his throne and looks around. He sees the faces of these fat nobles and generals who have never seen a real battle. He thinks that comfort has taken over his army and nobility. He returns his gaze to Thalgrim. He knows that Thalgrim is a very wealthy man due to the trade of enslaved semi-humans and even humans he captured during his military campaigns. “Well, you're here, and he's there. Today, I gathered all these generals and nobles here not just because of you.”
Thalgrim lifts his head and looks at him, confused. Some nobles and generals are also puzzled by the emperor's words.
“A few days ago, as some of you here probably know, I received news that the city of Matique, a beautiful and rich city in the south of the empire, was conquered by these invaders from another world.”
This news shocked Thalgrim. Just a few days ago, he left that city to prevent exactly this from happening. And now he is faced with the unfortunate news that it was all in vain. But how did the emperor receive the news so quickly? Could it have been a messenger on a griffin? These creatures are three times faster than a wyvern.
The emperor returns his gaze to Thalgrim, “So tell me, Thalgrim. Where is Colt?” This question from the emperor made him tremble. He had no answer for it. Colt was certainly in the city when it was captured by the enemy. “He stayed in the city, my emperor. Certainly, that mage wasn't killed; he's too experienced for that. But if he doesn't appear in the coming days, we can deduce that he was captured by the enemy.”
Thalgrim had no attachment to the mage. He didn't care if that old man was dead or alive, but for the emperor, it was different. Colt was practically his mentor and a man highly respected by the emperor. He saw the once stoic face of the emperor contort with rage at his words. But soon, his face was stoic again, as if the news hadn't shaken him, which obviously wasn't true. The emperor gestured with his hand. For a few moments, Thalgrim didn't understand why, but soon he discovered the reason. Four royal guards advanced towards him and pointed their long swords at him. One of them took Thalgrim's sword, leaving him unarmed. “What does this mean, emperor?” Thalgrim said with a tone of anger and confusion, not knowing what was happening.
The emperor looked again at Thalgrim, “You must have wondered how I knew so quickly that the city had fallen.” He gestured again, ordering the door of the hall to be opened. Then a man entered. General Kaus, the same general who stayed in his place when he went on this mission to inform the emperor. But what was he doing here?
During his escape, Kaus managed to get a griffin and fled. After killing Colt, his plan was to reach the capital before Thalgrim and tell his version of the story to the emperor.
“Kaus told me things, Thalgrim,” said the emperor as he sat back on his throne.
Thalgrim looked at him, confused.
“Thalgrim. Why are you here?”
“I came at Colt's behest...”
“ENOUGH OF YOUR LIES!”
Before he could finish speaking, the emperor shouted. His voice echoed throughout the throne room. He fixed his eyes on Thalgrim. He could feel the emperor's hatred falling on him. “I know why you're here. You fled and now come to me with this lie.”
“My emperor! I am not lying.”
“Yes, you are...” said Kaus, interrupting Thalgrim.
“What are you talking about, you bastard!” shouted Thalgrim at the man.
“My emperor,” said Kaus, “I saw him flee and abandon Colt after an argument. A few days later, due to Thalgrim's negligence, the city was mercilessly attacked by these invaders from another world, and unfortunately, Colt was killed. He sacrificed himself so I could be here now, reporting the truth to Your Majesty.”
“You bastard!” shouted Thalgrim, “I'll tear your eyes and tongue out myself!”
“Good idea...” said the emperor. Everyone looked at the emperor, who now had a sadistic smile on his face. “Cut out Thalgrim's tongue.”
“What? My emperor, I am innocent. I came to your presence at Colt's behest. I am one of your most trusted and loyal generals!” he shouted these words to the emperor, but all he received in return was a look of hatred and sadism.
A soldier held his head while others restrained him. One of the guards drew a dagger. Thalgrim forced his mouth shut, but it didn't help much as the guard kicked his stomach, making him groan in pain and open his mouth. He looked at that guard, and it was the same one he had bribed. “Nothing personal, just business, you know?” he heard the guard say, but soon after, he began to feel terrible pain, and within seconds, his tongue had been cut out by that guard. As blood poured from his mouth, the guard raised Thalgrim's severed tongue and displayed it for all to see.
The emperor stood up again and said, “From today on, all your possessions and properties will pass to General Kaus.” The emperor finished, giving Thalgrim a deathly look. “Get this scum out of my sight and throw him in the dungeon, where he belongs now. And now that I've rid myself of this trash, let's start the real meeting.”