Book 2: Chapter 19: Capture

Dust plumed in all directions, the chime of the bell above the shop door rattled off like a machine gun. The door itself fluttered back and forth on its hinges, making Alex unsure if the thing was trying to fly away, or was having some kind of seizure.

Kingdom soldiers surged in through the chaos. Each clad in burnished black and silver lamellar, glyph-sealed cloaks fluttering like flags of authority at their backs. Three pointed their spears forward at him and the rest of the party. A fourth, clearly a captain based on the quality of his armor and helmet, stepped forward.

“By order of His Majesty of Terraxum,” the man barked, “you are all under arrest.”

There was a moment of silence then. The door and bell even deciding to take a break from their racket. The dust around the room settled.

Garret raised a hand sheepishly. “On what charge exactly?”

“Multiple charges of assault on a Kingdom citizen. Violation of boundary expansion ordinances. Treason-adjacent behavior.”

“Treason-adjacent?” Devon repeated. “That’s not even a real category, right?”

“It is,” the captain growled. “Whatever his Majesty wants it to be. You’ve been reported as potential destabilizing agents. By name, location and description.”

Kate’s voice was cold. “Bek.”

Alex clenched his fists. “Figures. The meathead with a grudge and equally moronic family.”

Celeste stood between the soldiers and her workbench, her hand trembled just ever so slightly. And this time, he was certain that it wasn’t an act. “Captain, come now. You know

these kids aren’t a threat. They’ve helped everyone in this region. They risked their lives-”

“And now they’ll pay for their overreach,” the captain said, his voice was even, final.

Celeste’s hand twitched toward her belt but the cold edge of a spell-dagger was already under her chin.

“Please don’t be foolish, Miss Alkanar,” the soldier behind her said smoothly.

When did he get there? What’s that spell?

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The front door was the only entrance that he knew of, so Alex had no idea where this other soldier had come from. Or how he had gotten the jump on everyone. His eyes flickered from the man holding a weapon to Celeste’s throat, to the captain standing in front of him.

The concentration of their auras was certainly Adept Tier. Through his sight, and what he felt in his sixth sense, he could surmise they were both in the middle stage, having liquid-state energy and working toward forming their solid state aether.

Meanwhile, the other three pointing their spears were all in the early stage, just as Holly and he were. Even with Celeste, given her condition, they had no chance of winning a fight against these soldiers. They would have to surrender and let the chips fall where they may.

Kate stepped forward, but he caught her arm. “Not now.”

The others all looked at him, and he nodded. He began unbuckling his arm bracers before anyone could protest. “We will surrender.”

“Good,” the captain turned then, not afraid to show his back to them all. “take them.”

One by one, they were bound. They were all tied up with rope first. Then, glyph-seals branded onto metal bracers, were clamped over their arms. The bracers were magically locked, humming low with disruptive aether pulses.

Its effect was like his martial style’s [Burning Fist] passive, but not nearly as oppressive. It simply stopped them all from forming spellpatterns or moving their aether in any meaningful way.

He felt his body protest the moment they were placed on him. With his aether attuned body ability, it felt like the bracers also affected him physically.

The sudden feeling of being twelve years old out on his first family cruise flashed through his mind. Back then, the rocking of the ship had him nauseous for days. This was the same feeling.

Tom-Tom was the last to be cuffed.

He squeaked furiously as they tied and manacled him. “This is unfair detainment! I am a sovereign mushroom of the allied kobold. I demand a formal talk, five-course feast, and two witnesses!”

A soldier shoved him gently into the wagon.

Tom-Tom continued to protest. “I will write songs about this injustice!”

They were herded into transport wagons at the west end of Vrung’s Quarry, not far from Celeste’s shop. The wagons themselves had steel frames lined with glowing wards over the metal. Heavy wooden wheels gave them an impressive, bulky size and appearance. Bolted floors adorned the interior; he and everyone else were chained to these floor-bolts in short order..

Throughout the process, he noticed the number of soldiers was greater than he had anticipated. There were a hundred armored men and women in the group. Four wagons made up the caravan. Each of them similar to the one he and his team were thrown into.

The soldiers didn’t speak to them, their faces remained stern and sour despite the any attempt by him or anyone else to talk. He also noticed they all had very similar tattoos all over their body. Markings that took the form of glyphs and runes in a greenish hued ink. Things moved far too fast for him to be able to study the tattoos properly, but his curiosity was peaked nonetheless.

Within minutes, they were all herded like cattle into the large wagon and the door was closed, sealing them in.

The wagons were moving off shortly after.

As they began to leave the town, he could see Celeste watching them go from her doorway, her eyes wet. Alex caught her gaze through the slatted bars. She mouthed something to him.

“I’m sorry.”

And then they were gone. Down the forest road. Each of them chained, sealed.

Bound, packaged and ready for the Terraxum capital.

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