The Runic Alchemist

She was ready to take it with him. Maybe she wouldn't even feel a thing with her overpowered body. But then again, the pain through the link was more of psychological or from his soul, if such a thing really existed, so she would feel it. Whatever, He should focus on his own beatings. There were several spells he could use to stop this, but that would only make his life more difficult.

He was going to be healed anyway, so Damian just forced himself to get it over with it.

The same people had gathered once again. More soldiers had arrived, and even the noble area had more people. Damian couldn't decide whether to feel honored to get so much attention or worried that they were here to see a child get beaten with such enthusiasm. Makayla was there; Valoris wasn't. Maybe he had gone back. She looked worried for him?

Nope, that must be an illusion.

The soldier removed Damian's upper clothing, revealing the previous day's marks that had yet to heal.

The man responsible for executing the punishment, with a whip in his hands, cared nothing for those marks and gave him some new ones. Just like the day before, Damian grunted and screamed with each hit but said nothing more—not even a curse. After several lashes, people started to murmur louder and louder as Damian began to lose consciousness from the mind-numbing pain and blood loss.

He faced the public, so he couldn't see Lady Vidalia's situation, but if she was half as much in pain as he was, Damian would consider the transaction very much worth it. With that thought, a smile spread across his face, which sent another wave of discussion among the gathered audience as he blacked out, holding his smile for all to see.

_________

Waking up in strange places had become the norm for Damian, so when he found himself in yet another small room identical to the first one, but without a window, he was not surprised. The commander had apparently made some changes, transforming the lavish room he had spent the night in into this one, opening more space for her other uses.

She was on the other side of his wall. Performing his customary link-blocking-box spell. Damian got up, his back still hurting despite being healed as usual, and walked out the door, with the guards outside following silently behind him. Damian opened random doors within the link range, finding nothing but empty rooms or startled maids who jumped at the sight of him.

It was shaping up to be quite the good morning.

"Do any of you know where the washroom is?" At last he gave up and asked his quite followers.

They looked at each other as if he had asked for directions to their armory. After a moment, one of them nodded and showed him the way. Fortunately, it was nearby; the placement of his room had been quite thoughtful. After refreshing himself with a warm bath—which he had heated himself—Damian felt a bit better.

He wasn't sure if it helped with his back or not, after which he followed the knights on the way back to his room. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a bit of green blur passing by. It was the same little girl, the daughter of his instructor maid, hiding behind a wooden wall and peeking at him intermittently. Smiling, Damian stopped and waited for her to reveal herself.

She had already peeked out once when she saw him looking her way.

After a few seconds, she shyly stretched her head out from behind the wall and blinked at him with wide, doll-like eyes, as if he was the rarest creature she had ever seen.

"What is it, Sena?" one of the knights asked, trying hard to sound kind with his gruff voice.

"Uhm... Mother asked me to tell you that he can eat if he wants to..."

The knight nodded at her and then looked at Damian. Damian nodded in return, and they followed the little girl as she led them comically to the dining room. There, the maid instructor was still present, glaring at Damian as if he were an unwelcomed cockroach in her kitchen. She pointed to a seat where breakfast had already been served.

Damian sat down and ate in peace, glancing around the room and at the little girl, who sat next to her mother, doing her best not to look at him too much he quitely chewed his food.

"I didn't do anything to her..." Damian finally said, feeling the need to explain to her, even though he wasn't required to, he just felt like doing it, for her.

"Her screams suggest otherwise..." the maid replied coldly.

"I just defended myself. I'm not stupid enough to attack a third-ranker..."

"You are a murderer. Who knows what you might do..."

"..."

Being branded a criminal, this kind of suspicion was to be expected. The whole camp must now view him as a devious little creature, unnatural and filled with malice. It was his own doing though. It would be troublesome for his friends, but he could have left anytime when he was escorted here, but deep down, he had hoped for someone - someone who understood the difference between ruling and leading.

Was it the nonsense of honor and justice from Sam and Einar corrupting his mind? Fewh... What a foolish thing.. He better shed such delusions...

"Uhm..o..."

Damian looked at the source of the cute noise. The little girl, showing surprising bravery, looked up at him with her clear, big emerald eyes.

"Uhm... Why are you doing mean things to everyone? Don't you have a mother who scolds you for it?"

Damian, surprised looked into her clear emerald eyes filled with innocence and cuteness and said in a calm demeanor,

"My mother sold me for money, kid..."

The kid's reaction was comical as she looked back and forth between him and her mother, as if estimating how much money they might get for her, which made Damian chuckle. Her mother, though, had her eyes wide in surprise, which she tried very hard to keep from showing on her otherwise blank and angry face.