Gerrod felt the magma receed and prepared for the next attack. When nothing came he opened his eyes for the first time all night.
Everything felt clearer. His aura coursed with what felt like the strength of a volcano behind it. Either you moved or you were devoured. There was no in-between.
It took him a few minutes to fully regain feeling everywhere on his body. Once he did he stood up.
Glancing around he couldn't find Nol's body. All that was left where he once was, was a puddle of green liquid.
'Did he ...Christ. He must have had some sort of poison that eats corpses past bone.' Gerrod shivered at the thought of what would have happened had he fallen into that puddle while the magma was till attacking him.
Shaking off the feeling he began stumbling back to the mansion. He couldn't quite control his body now that he had gotten such a large boost in a single night.
As he walked he began being able to control it until eventually half way back to the camp he began running.
'This isn't too bad.' He thought calmly.
Within a few minutes he had broken the treeline and saw that the mansion had been turned to dust.
He clenched his fists, 'Did they all..?'
"Master!" Gerrod's head flicked and a sigh passed his lips.
Redhead looked surprised for a moment but smiled, "We're all okay!"
Gerrod's eyes widened and he sneakily took a headcount, confirming that everyone was there.
He looked over to the mansion, "What a tragedy. It was a nice mansion too."
Redhead looked to Blackhair, Weirdiris and Shakylegs respectively.
They all smiled and looked to one another.
The nobles looked upset that he wasn't paying them any mind bu the four need better.
"You didn't need to be so worried for us! We had it all under control!" Shakylegs pumped his chest pridefully.
Whack!
"Owww..."
"Who said I was worried?" Gerrod glanced around and found Rayl, "We are heading back to Locost Countdom."
Rayl smiled brightly, "Ouch..." His wounds begged to differ from his expression however.
He was using a tree branch as a crutch. He didn't notice before but he had gotten quite the serious injury on his leg the night before.
Gerrod turned coldly.
The four glanced between each other smiling.
The nobles followed Rayl and Redhead.
The rest of the crew went into loose formation around everyone.
--
Across the Bay of Baltruse and in the center of Daray a crystal ball with the number '99' on it cracked and shattered.
The last thing before it was destroyed was the conversation between Gerrod and Nol.
"Shokan will stand at the top..." A gruff voice belonging to an old man.
"Elder. Your orders?" A young woman said lightly in the dark.
"Take our forces out of Tenli and go personally to make contact with this new Shokanian Right Hand." He threw a small ring out, "Give him a gift."
A single word as engraved on the ring.
'Death.'
"Yes, Elder." She vanished.
Left alone in the dark the Elder started muttering, "...he has the same feeling as that man..."
---
Three days passed. The food gotten from the mansion before it burned down held over the group of fifty two until they arrived at the Locost Countdom.
When they arrived, not only was Count Locost waiting but a host of big shot clan leaders and nobility.
"Grandfather!" Rayl shouted.
"Kiddo...!" Count Locost tear up as he took Rayl into his arms.
Such scenes were everywhere on the Locost courtyard.
Gerrod stood to the side watching it all quietly, 'With this, my job will surely be done.'
He sat on the carriage and leaned back, relaxing for the first time in a week.
"Ah! Sir Dradir. A letter came in for you from Shokan just last night." Count Locost suddenly stopped. He wiped his tears and passed over a note.
All of the lords and clan heads looked overtaking a good look at the man who saved their children.
They felt a twinge of fear. Though he wasn't releasing his aura they could feel it's power emanating from underneath his skin.
Redhead stood next to him with a big smile on his face. Many of the nobles recognized him but could tell by his stance that it would be better not to say anything yet.
Gerrod's expression fell as he read the letter.
His eyes hardened and he looked up at the hopeful clan heads and nobles.
"To Gerrod T. Dradir, Right Hand of Queen Shokan. War has broken out in Shokan. The lords of the independence faction have revolted. We believe that Daray, Maali or Sadid may have some hand in it. Nazland is being hit hard and so supplies can't make it out of there to you or anything else, putting all of Shokan on rations. We are sorry but we cannot spare you any more supplies.
Sincerley, Queen Avizasi Ci Shoka."
As soon as he finished speaking and looked up he watched as the wind was taken right out of the lords and heads.
All but one.
"Nazland?" A curious voice rose, it was a lone child, one wrapped up completely in bandages. The one Gerrod personally saved.
Everyone turned to the child.
He looked nervous but bravely looked back at them, "I am the lord of Linshir, the land behind Nazland."
Gerrod's eyes flashed and everything fell into place in his mind.
He'd been wondering why this child was treated especially harshly. Why he was the only one thrown into that dark cellar while everyone else was in confinement upstairs.
'They wanted him to cave into their demands. Likely to attack Nazland from behind. The child refused to do so knowing that it would starve the entirety of not only Tenli but Shokan to do so.' Gerrod frowned inside, 'They were torturing him.'
He jumped off the carriage and passed through the crowd.
The child didn't move. He was paralyzed seeing Gerrod come forward with such a powerful stride.
"What is your name?" His eyes softened and he took a knee looking straight into the child eyes.
"I-" He stuttered but quickly remembered his manners trying to bow but his back gave out. Gerrod caught him, "I'm Sevri Linshir, Baron of Linshir."
Gerrod's looked at the child with a gentle smile, "I know that is will be hard. I know you may not want to. I know you must want to rest. But I must ask, will you help us end the war in this land? Let us go through Linshir to aid Nazland."
Sevri's eyes shook and he quickly flailed his arms anxiously, "No-no, I'll be glad to help you! You saved me! Big brother Redhead too! I will help you all cross my lands!"
Gerrod sighed heavily and picked up Sevri bringing him over to Redhead, "Come on then 'Big Brother' take care of him."
Redhead blushed and took Sevri into the carriage.
Blackhair walked behind Redhead, "Yea, 'Big brother' let me help you."
Weirdiris' iris' expanded weirdly, "I'll help you too 'big brother.'"
Shakylegs tried to hold in his laughter causing his legs to shake, "Ill come too, I wouldn't want my 'big brother' to be all alone."
Redhead rushed off with Sevri blushing like mad.
Gerrod smiled inside, 'He took himself too seriously before and now he's being made fun of... it's good that they've gotten closer.'
He wiped any emotion off his face and turned to the heads and lords who had some of their tension lifted after watching the fours little show.
They looked back at him with resolved gazes.
"Give out whatever is left of your food rations to the people. Make sure they can hold themselves over long enough for us to reach Nazland and come back." Gerrod said coldly, "We will only have one chance. Either we win this fight and break the blockade around Nazland, freeing Shokan's supply routes so the rest of Tenli may too eat. Or will the children die hungry? The adults die regretting? The people die helpless and hopeless, what will you choose?"
The men's eyes hardened. They knew what they had to do.
"The Countdom of Locost and it's fifty men are with you, Sir Dradir." Rayl took a step forward pushing his chest out as he took a knee, "We march with Shokan."
"The Barony of Fitzmark and it's twenty men are with you, Minister." A burly man took a knee, Baron Fitzmark.
"I, Baron Ylatrue and my fifteen men will march with yew!" A man with a heavy accent replied to the call, taking a firm knee.
Many more of the lords took up their arms and swore men to the call.
Gerrod smiled, 'In the end it looks like I couldn't avoid getting involved again... damn it.'