"This is taking it too far, Geralt!" Elder Tylver growled as he pinned down Baron Kimiv Gart with a look that seemed to rip the pompous man apart.
Despite the sweat pooling at his temples and back, the man stood relatively upright, but that did little to lessen the Recen's pressure placed on top of him.
The Headmaster ignored the elder for a moment and glanced over the carriages carrying young orphans with an unreadable look in his eyes.
A muffled cry of pain came from within one such carriage, and several other voices quickly hushed the boy. The kids seemed afraid to even voice their pains.
With how sensitive a Recen's senses were, it was easy for the Elders and even Alex to hear the cries, despite the fact they were quiet enough not to be heard unless you stood a meter away from the carriages.
Geralt moved his eyes from the carriages and locked Kimiv with a glare of his own, increasing the pressure by an order of magnitude.
The noble's posture curled up, and he crumpled to his feet, falling so hard he crushed his nose in the process. The dirt below him caved in, compressing itself more and more as the pressure the Headmaster gave off continued to increase.
Not even his guards were spared - their knees gave way, causing their bodies to hit the hardened ground with an unbelievable speed and power.
Something angered Geralt. Whether it was the scene of orphans huddled together inside carriages as mere cattle or the sheer disregard - and disrespect - the King has shown to the Recens, even the Headmaster didn't quite know.
Maybe it was both or something in between, but something did anger the leader of Enrilth Keep, and although he could put up with some disrespect for the 'greater good,' he also had a limit. One that the King has crossed.
"Larok, get the kids out. And give them something to eat."
Larok sighed audibly and shook his head but moved from the Headmaster's side, walking over the crumpled bodies of groaning guards, not even batting an eye at their suffering.
The pressure of someone stronger than you doesn't just press down on your body and mind. It also affects the mana inside your core, almost ripping it away from your control and making it go haywire inside your body.
The Recen reached the two carriages and extended his arm, lightly swinging down. The air folded and stretched beneath his power as though it was a vast piece of fabric before finally giving way, shrieking and wailing as an entire side of the carriage was ripped apart by an unknown force.
Wood splintered under the force and metal bands snapped like thin strings, before the entire side flew away several meters.
The wind continued to roar and wail as Larok shifted his focus to the second carriage before tapping the air.
The side of the second carriage gave way, peeling like plaster off a wall, revealing a dozen or so children huddled together, all looking at the now missing side of the carriage before laying their eyes upon the elder.
Larok looked at the kids, at the clear signs of beatings and malnourishment, his fury building up like the wind before a tornado.
Turning around, the air around him instantly calmed down. "Let's go."
As though his words held an undeniable command, the air shifted once more, rushing at the kids and slowly enveloping them.
They found themselves unable to move, to even lift a finger, trapped in a vortex of air, before being hoisted up in the air, floating after the Recen.
Alex watched as Larok led the kids away from the courtyard and into the side of the fortress, watching the expressions of his fellow Recens, an unreadable glow in his eyes.
"My words are not air, and my terms are not something you people can wave aside on a whim. Does Acrisios believe he's dry enough behind the ears to spit in my face and get away with it?" Geralt said slowly, his voice rough as gravel. He approached the fallen noble and crouched down, grabbing the baron by his hair to look into his eyes.
"Did you people perhaps forget what we are? Forgot about our power? Perhaps you need a reminder?" Tightening his grip, Geralt increased the pressure on Kimiv, threatening to crush his bones to dust and boil his blood off.
"Guh!" Kimiv whimpered weakly, his gaze flickering between unconsciousness and wakefulness. His mind seemed to slow as waves of pain, each more powerful than the last, assaulted his nerves and threatened to shatter his consciousness.
At last, processing the Recen's words, the noble could contain his anger no longer and flared up with his power all at once, pushing against the pressure on his body.
Kimiv struggled, as ripples of pure destructive mana brushed against Geralt's clothes and exposed skin, not leaving the faintest traces. His features couldn't have been calmer; the look in his eye any less bothered.
Realization slowly dawned on the noble as he watched the Recen disregard his power this way. Confusion built up as he tried making heads and tails about the situation in front of his eyes.
Although he wasn't the most powerful man out there, his cultivation wasn't something to scoff at either. He should've been able to escape mere suppression, yet why did it feel like the pressure on top of his shoulders got even heavier?
"Hah!" Kimiv released a stale breath as he fell face flat on the ground once again, the pressure around him dissipating like mist beneath the summer's sun.
Geralt waved his hand, and a strong force hurled the unwelcomed guests to the fortress' gates.
"If your king wants to negotiate a new deal, tell him to come here himself."
Kimiv looked up from the ground, watching the Recen Headmaster turn around and walk back into the keep as though he had thrown out some trash and not a noble.
***
"Was that the best course of action?" Elder Pyrus asked Geralt as all the Recen gathered in one of the fortress' chambers to discuss the future of the school. Even Alex was seated around the oval desk, glancing around his elders with an uncomprehending look in his eyes.
He looked like a kid brought into adults' conversation. Alex felt detached from the conversation, and no one blamed him. Barely a week ago, he and Ezek were sneaking out to go have fun in the city, uncaring about the problems this school was facing and the weight these Recens were forced to bear.
Now that Alex has become a Recen, and although he wasn't necessarily required to add anything to the discussion, it was only proper to attend something that would affect his future as well.
It was no one's fault that the situation turned sour right at this moment, leaving the newer Recens glancing from side to side, trying to piece together what was happening.
Geralt shook his head. "No, it wasn't. At the same time, it was necessary to show these people that we're not easily pressured into unfavorable deals."
Tylver nodded slowly, playing with two unknown potions in his hands, rubbing glass together as he rotated them in his palm.
"Should we expect some pushback from Blackwater's nobility? Maybe some restrictions concerning Recens and their 'aggressive' behavior?" Larok asked, leaning back in his chair with a calculating look in his eyes.
"That will most likely happen, but not in such an obvious way. These nobles depend on our services to deal with unruly peasants or beasts that run amok their territory."
Pyrus responded and continued immediately after, shifting his eyes to Geralt. "What we should worry about is the King's response to this whole ordeal. That is much harder to predict. He isn't dependent on our services, after all."
"Hmm..." Geralt hummed and soon nodded. "It doesn't matter whether he acts out against us or if the situation is swept under the rug. The kids he brought to us were received, and I took great care not to permanently damage Kimiv.
"Plus, he also needs to keep in mind his nobles' opinions and wants. He could at most dismantle Enrilth Keep but risk us moving to the Northern Empire, helping them against the potential war against Blackwater."
Larok nodded. "Let's not forget he will need us soon. With Wailmastaba unearthed in the northern region, the King will need strong and capable men to search the ruin."
As the conversation started calming down, lightening up the gloomy atmosphere, Alex wondered, pursing his lips for a moment before asking. "Is it common for the King to ask citizens to join the search?"
"Huh?" Elder Pyrus looked over, wondering whether he had heard right. "Findings of such Ruined Cities aren't exactly common, but no one had ever asked civilians to join a search party. Where have you even gotten this information from?"
"That noble, Kimiv, read a Royal pronounce before coming this way. I was there when it happened."
The Recens looked at each other, mumbling about whether the King had finally lost it or if this was some kind of ruse with a deeper meaning to it.
"We'll need to look further into this matter," Geralt said, rising to his feet. "For now, this discussion has ended... Unless there is something else that needs addressing?"
Nothing came up, so Geralt quickly dismissed the people, leaving the chamber
On the way out, Alex caught up with Elder Pyrus, taking the latter by surprise.
"Did something happen, young'un?"
Shaking his head, Alex asked. "Nothing bad, just that I plan on leaving tomorrow morning, and I wondered whether you could help me start practicing mana before then."
Pyrus sucked in a breath. "Ufff, rough timing, young'un. With this devolving situation in the kingdom, you might have a rough time starting off..." He started before letting his words trail off. "Or do you want to go back to the Ruined Empire?"
Alex faintly nodded. "The latter."
Considering how Alex got into Enrilth Keep, it wasn't surprising the elders knew about his origins and status as a former noble. Besides, he hasn't been secretive about it either. After all, who would believe a kid spouting such 'nonsense'?
"Hmm. Okay, I'll help you out a bit." Pyrus seemed to ponder about helping the boy, but Alex knew the elder would accept even if he didn't wouldn't go back to his family.
"Though, I will only introduce you to magic. Only the first few steps, got it?"
Pyrus turned to face Alex as they reached the elder's study. Looking into the teen's eyes, he didn't move until the latter nodded. "Good. Now, come in."
The door behind the elder swung open on its own, allowing the two entrance.
Pyrus sat on the more comfortable chair while Alex sat across the desk, waiting for his lesson with rapt attention.
"Where did I put that blasted thing again?" Pyrus mumbled as he searched through the desk's drawers.
"Aha."
Taking a big bottle of what seemed to be rum, he kicked his legs onto the desk and focused his attention on Alex.
"Your lesson..." Popping the cork with his thumb's nail, he seemed to search his memory. "Let's see."