Noticing that the mayor was trailing behind at some distance, Mike asked a question on his mind as he caught up to the silver-haired princess who was more-or-less frustrated at the interaction she had just had.
"You know that guy?" Mike asked with a concerned expression, while his faint north-eastern accent came out surprising the woman next to him.
"No-" Lecca said taken aback recalling some unsettling memories, "My parents knew him when they were younger. He had always attempted to use them to gain more power, but as of late he has refused to engage with the Royal Court."
Adjusting the sling on his rifle, Mike let out a short cough as he provided a possible solution to the impression he had gain about Quartz, "Why don't you just take it easy during the meeting. If anything happens, I'll radio the others to get you out in one piece."
Feeling a bit better, Lecca led Mike into the hall until she was stopped by Mayor Quartz. Walking on a red carpets, the way to the private meeting room was through a 'detour' of what appeared to be a museum of great grandeurs that had helped flourish the city in the past. Armor, swords, bows, spoils of war adorned the walls and gave a sense of 'duty' to the mayor and his guards.
Entering the room and taking a seat on the grey couch next to Mike, Lecca brushed her silver locks from her vision and undid the top button of her uniform. Her gaze fell as she felt trapped in the small meeting room. There was only one benefit to being here: not having to report the attack immediately to the king.
"I apologize for the delay regarding my attendance with the royal court, but as you can see here, my hands have been tied as of late."
Walking in with an orb in his hand, Mayor Quartz walked in with an aide an sat down on the opposite side of Lecca and her men. With a watchful eye, Mike kept his gaze strictly on the orb the man placed on the wooden table. The luster of the seemingly transparent sphere caught his eye and made him wonder of what purpose it had.
"May I ask Knight Randall to place his hand on the orb for registration to the city?" The mayor asked with a conniving grin.
"What is the purpose of this sphere?" Mike asked intently as he readjusted his plate carrier.
"This device came from a neighboring nation for the purpose of both revealing how much mana one has, and what elements they pertain." Leaning forward to caress the sphere, Lecca caught sight of a small brown pouch inside the man's coat.
"Very well then."
The room grew quiet an anxiety grew as Mike kept his hand on the sphere with no effect whatsoever. Mayor Quartz's jaw dropped, and Lecca's eyes widened as the nothing happened. There was no reaction to Mike's interaction with the device.
Lecca spoke in a weary voice as she shared her look with Mike, who was equally confused as her, "Oh my... That's not something you see every day, but then again you did say that your world was—"
"It's-impossible! It's impossible for someone to have no mana!"
Alarmed by the sudden outburst of the mayor, Mike and Lecca reached for their respective weapons, but none made a move to draw them as the mayor's aide seemingly froze them in place with her glare.
Mike felt an abnormal pressure pressing on his shoulders. The crimson-red-eyes practically made his freeze in place with sweat beginning to bead down his face. Out of everyone present in the room, Lecca was the only one that was not affected by whatever the aide was doing.
"Gravikinesis. A rare ability indeed."
The girl scoffed at Lecca's observation, "And what about you Ms. Nullification!?" She pointed a finger at the princess which only gained a confused look from Mike.
"Nullification?" Mike parroted as he felt the pressure waning.
Lecca nodded as she grabbed an object from her belt, it was a pristine knife with several engravings on the handle, and she held it flat in her palm as the mayor finally calmed down from his spontaneous panic attack.
"Just as it sounds, I can nullify any type of magic." She twirled the knife in her hand before pointing the blade at her shoulder, "That's how the pressure you felt on your shoulder disappeared, I nullified it."
"Cool!" Mike exclaimed as he leaned released his rifle and leaned back in his seat, "You can nullify things? Does it just pertain to magic?"
"Unfortunately, yes." Lecca said quietly as she sheathed the blade in her hands, "I must make up for my lack of magic with physical prowess and ability." She said this sharply as she looked away in embarrassment.
To his side, Mike saw as Harkov let out a small prayer for the boy his screams reverberated and echoed throughout the hall gaining the attention of bystanders and normal people going about their day.
Aiming to change the topic of the conversation, and wanting to leave the hall, Lecca glared at Mayor Quartz as she spoke in a business-like manner, "Mayor Quartz? I believe it is about time that you give us your leter regarding to the attack on your city?"
Understanding what was said between the lines, the mayor swiftly nodded and procured a small envelope with his personal stamp embroiled on it. Lecca took the letter and placed it within her tunic.
"May I ask what the king's response will be to this new crisis, Princess?" He asked feebly.
Raising from her seat with her men and turning towards the door, Chieftain Arish addressed the man, "I do not know. Perhaps retaliation. Perhaps revenge."
"Randall. Radio check." A distorted voice came from Mike's radio garnering the attention of everyone in the room.
Clicking a small button on his chest as he responded, "Randall here. I'm with the Princess, over."
"Got it. You two get your asses back to the inn. We've got a ride back to capital, and the king wants us back ASAP."
--
Publicly Available Information: Casualties – Civilian – The Raid on Bishmark:
Bishmark is close to the capital and has a resident count of about 190,000 people. Residency does not come cheap, and those with special permission or available funds are able to easily access the city and all it offers.
During the raid, a defensive line was established on the southern side of the city, yet an unknown projectile landed in the western side of town causing over 700 deaths and 39 injuries.
Many suspect this attack to be the work of the Demon Lord, yet evidence gathered by the Royal Guard suggests otherwise.