Chapter 53: Chapter 53.0 – Out of the Dungeons

“Please save me,” muttered Damon in his cell. The woman who usually came to knock him out had stopped wasting mana on his person. Perhaps she assumed he had gone mad. Well, perhaps he had.

“Please save me.” Damon didn’t know who he was projecting his telepathy to. He often slipped up and spoke aloud these words. However, these words were certainly not destined to Stolas who had long ago abandoned him to the cold dungeons below the small, fortified town. Damon didn’t know whether to hold this against Stolas. Although he was being tortured, he wouldn’t be killed, and it was his fault for putting himself in this situation. He was after all only a level four mage. Plus rescuing him would no doubt cost countless lives. However, Stolas had never once come to his rescue. He would need to speak to him on that matter once he got out.

Damon fell asleep and woke up thirty-six times before he heard the earth rumble, and his chains rattle. “Are they finally attacking the city?” asked Damon to Stolas. Although his heart strained in the quiet sorrow of abandonment, he had no one else to turn to.

“Yes, the army is assaulting the city. Wait there, you should be rescued in a few hours.”

Damon’s heart started to beat faster. Not out of anxiousness but in anger that he couldn’t help in the killing of the soldiers. He wanted to torture the woman who had imprisoned him here and cut open the back of the one who had attacked him when he was diving down to curse the city. Not to mention that yet again his experience points were being stolen. Although his hands were glued to his back and his arms were in the way of where his wings would emerge from, he transformed into his true form and beat his wings with all his might. He didn’t know what he wished to achieve; however, he couldn’t sit still. The wounds which had yet to heal on his flank started to burn and the scar tissue on his back started to rip apart. The warmth of blood spread along his lower back.

This madness continued for another half an hour when physical fatigue and lethargy from the loss of blood smothered his anger.

#

“ … prisoners are locked up here.”

Damon’s ears picked up words and then a scream. He quickly put away his wings and horns before screaming. “ … here!” The words he wanted to say did not flow out but crackled their way through the hole above his head.

“Is that you Damon ke Stolas?”

“Yes,” he couldn’t say more. His throat had completely dried out. That’s when he remembered that the only water he had drunk since being locked up was what they dumped on his head to wake him up. How long had he been locked up here?

Soon light, dust, and sand started to fall on Damon’s body. The chains which imprisoned him started to rattle and he was raised out of the quiet solitude of the dungeon cell. In front of his Damon saw the child which had accompanied him on one of his journeys a long time ago.

“Here, water and bread.” The boy handed over a small wooden box with a loaf of bread and a large leather skin.

Damon quickly finished the water. A cold stream of life flowed down his esophagus and made twists and turns in his stomach which quickly quenched the acid fires which had started to eat away his stomach lining. He took a few bits of the bread and asked, “How long has it been?”

“Seven days.”

To Damon it felt like a month. “What is going on?”

The kid who now looked like a teenager crouched down next to Damon who was sitting on the stone floor next to the hole in which he had pissed and shit in for the past week and whispered. “Regina has led a military revolt and has taken over the role of Tennito who wanted to retreat to the duke’s territory and wait for reinforcements.”

Damon’s eyes widened; he had forgotten that things can change extremely quickly in war. “And where is he?”

“With the earth.”

Damon took a few more bites of the bread. “And what is to happen next?”

“Regina has already fought and won a minor skirmish against the royal army. She let the enemy general Grevaldi retreat and turned back to take the fort. She expected it to surrender; however, they stubbornly resisted. What Tennito wanted to avoid, massive losses, has happened. For now, Regina has decided to wait for reinforcements while healing our wounds.”

#

Stolas' POV

Damon didn’t know what to say. Neither did he know how strong the duke’s army was, nor did he understand the significance of a royal defeat, however small it may be. He did not know how many men were lost, nor who would send reinforcements. He didn’t know the reserve of foods, nor the condition of the wells. He did not know how to endure pain, hunger, thirst, or solve problems on his own. He did not know how to gauge the strength of his enemies, nor when to attack, retreat, or do reconnaissance. Nor had he ever asked to learn about these subjects. At best he could be called an apprentice hermit mage. Tactics, strategy, logistics, were all above him. Perhaps he had been of the elite intellectual class in his old life, however, here he knew nothing. He was the lowest of the low.

That is why even though it might be harder to control him, he must learn a bit of how this world works to be of use to me. I cannot baby him forever, I am a great demon Prince and although I so often swallow my pride and do things below my station it isn’t with great pleasure but hate, despair, and disgust that I do so. For I control seventy-two legions. For I will one day control of the third level and be crowned the Upper Demon King, one not even lesser than the Grand Demon King.

#

“It is good to see you’re alive,” said Regina. “I did my best to come as soon as possible. It was a great shock to me to hear that my cousin planned to abandon you."

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Damon didn’t know what to say, for now he wanted to breathe in fresh air, and stare at the moon which shone down onto him. However, the guts of warriors stunk up the air and the smoke of battle blurred out the moon and stars. “Thank you,” said Damon. “However, I heard it is too early to celebrate. When are we to face the royal army?”

“They shall be back in seven days.”

Damon’s thought process stopped for a second. “But didn’t you push them back a few days ago? How can they receive reinforcements so quickly?”

Regina’s face remained blank; however, her eyes showed a bit of confusion. “Well, Grevaldi must have sent a telepathic message to send reinforcements right after the battle so if they force marched the soldiers, it shouldn’t take more than a week for reinforcements to arrive.”

Damon wanted to say “oh,” however, that would only further damage his image. “Of course, the dehydration, hunger, and seclusion must have affected my head. It will take me a few days to fully recover. I’ll make sure to be ready for the battle.” Damon had forgotten that he wasn’t in his old world where messengers had to run or ride on horse back to deliver messages. Well, they still did that here, however, for kings and dukes they had access to the best of mages. “Then before I go is there something you may require from me?” asked Damon. His eyes twitched and his legs wanted to give out. A bed would be fantastic right now.

“Yes. If you could set up traps around the city and mark them down on a map that would be most helpful.”

Damon wanted to curse the set replies he had used so often in his other life. And now with the life of a few thousand warriors on the line he couldn’t say, “Let me sleep two days then I’ll get to work.” That was impossible. However, at the very least he could ask for something else. “I’ll get right to it, however, could I get a holy mage to treat my wounds first?"

That’s when Regina noticed vivid red water trickling down from his flank and back. “Of course.” She called out to her assistant and ordered him to bring a priest right away.

The fortified city was in a frantic state. The warriors with the least injuries ran around with medical supplies, and others carried stones back to the city walls which had been blown to bits in a few areas during the siege. Damon wondered how a battle with magic looked; however, he’d have to wait a few more days before his curiosity could be quenched.

#

A few hours later, when Damon had been largely healed and he had eaten a proper meal he was ready to set out. The moon was still out, however, the looming light of the sun had started to mix with the absolute darkness of the night.

With a map and a piece of charcoal, Damon walked out of the fortified city. When he was far enough from prying eyes, he flew into the sky. This time he stayed a few hundred metres high where human magic shouldn’t be able to reach him. At least it would give him enough time to react. But still, all of this would be way easier if he had wind magic.

Anyhow, with a bag filled with a few dozen vials of poisons, curses, and beast attractor potions Damon went out to set traps.

#

Grevaldi’s POV

“Did we really need to retreat?” asked Delia. “We just received a message that the fortified city is being assaulted. It will no doubt fall before tomorrow.”

“Don’t question things too much. You’re here to attack not to think.” Grevaldi’s bloodshot eyes showed the eyes of a man who had to lead an army through forests at night. “I had planned to fight Tennito, yet now I find out that Regina has taken command. She is a crazed commander. Even if we just fought a small skirmish, we lost two hundred warriors and five mages.”

“But she will also face the same number of losses if not more,” said Delia angered that her grand battle had been taken from her.

“Yes, if this was a one-on-one battle, you’d be right; however, we are the strongest force in this faction and have the most to lose. If our faction wins but we suffer major losses, the two dukes would effectively become the rulers of this land. If Duke Carling’s faction wins and they suffer major losses, they would simply remain with the same amount of influence. With Tennito the options were a minor victory for them or us. This is no longer the case. We no longer have the initiative; however, we were fighting until now expecting it. Therefore, we need a decisive battle to shift the tides and regain our momentum. But don’t worry, the reinforcements will be here in a day. It will take us four days to prepare a new plan of attack and march to Yivaldi.”

Seeing her commander slightly distressed and anxious, Delia didn’t press further. “Then I’ll go see how my warriors are handling this.”

Grevaldi nodded and remained there on his lizard mount staring into the stars.

#

Three days later Grevaldi stood in front of his men in a small clearing between two small forests. In front of him three thousand five hundred men neatly arranged in columns.

“Men and women who proudly serve the crown of Milano, in front of use stands the route to the surroundings of Yivaldi.” The whistled through the blades of grass. “We had planned to fight Tennito, a great general. Yet, as traitors their blades could not remain dry. Because of the chaos caused by the mad lady of Carling who launched suicidal attacks we had to regroup and bring in reinforcements. We now nearly outnumber them two to one. However, you must remain on guard for the rebels who are supported by the evil arts must have prepared countless tricks and traps. Let us throw a feast when we have the head of the mad lady of Carling on a pike.

 

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