Chapter 35: Finding Home

The day came and went quickly. Although there were still many people trapped in the outdoor cages, many of the residents were allowed back into their homes. Throughout the day, the knights had ferreted out many small-time criminals and illegal contraband. The larger illegal organizations of course could afford to spend their way out of trouble.

All in all, not very much had changed. The only thing that really did was the resentment the populace now felt towards their new king. The coronation ceremony had yet to commence, yet the King to-be was already flexing his muscles. This had many of the residents afraid of what was to come. They had lived a very peaceful life under his father, King Hector, but with his death it seemed things were rapidly changing.

Professor Kal was still in his lab, keeping one eye on his arrays as he worked in silence. He had expected to have company, but so far, nothing. The knights had cleaned up the mess in the hall several hours ago, letting the displaced professors back in to pick up the pieces that was their broken rooms. Severe damage had been done to the surrounding area during the fight and the period before he had arrived when they tried to force their way in. Concluding that they would actually not retaliate, which surprised him greatly, he allowed himself to relax, just a little.

Test tubes were spread out on the table in front of him, a notebook was to his right. He had run several different tests on everything that he had collected. So far, it had gotten him nowhere. Not a single sample stood out to him as anything other than completely normal. To him, it didn't make any sense at all.

He figured there should be something that differentiated the dungeon's materials from those found in the outside world. While inside, he could see the mana coursing through the walls and floor like it was a raging river. It was so abundant that it was almost blinding; but once the samples had left the dungeon, they reverted to their normal states. He was at a loss.

The only solution that he could come up with at the moment was to build a lab inside a dungeon. Then he could perform the needed tests on samples without fear of them loosing whatever it was that made them special. Or he could be wrong. Maybe there wasn't anything special about them at all, maybe that was just the way they always were? He didn't know.

He threw a beaker down in frustration, breaking it. He immediately regretted it, now he had a mess to clean up. As he walked over to the cupboard to retrieve the broom and dustpan, a knock came from his door. Quickly growing a layer of flesh over his dried bones, he went to open it finding Dean Petticoat standing in his doorway.

Professor Kal looked at the middle-aged man, he seemed almost relieved to see him for some reason. Professor Kal moved to the side, gesturing for the man to come inside.

"What brings you hear this time of night?" Kal asked, offering him some wine.

He had grown to like the Dean. After several weeks of dealing with the man, found him to be very agreeable yet fair. He appreciated the fact that he allowed him almost free reign to do as he pleased as long as he didn't push the boundaries of the rules too far.

Taking the glass from Professor Kal, Dean Petticoat nodded his head. "I was worried about you. When they were searching for whatever they were and wanted access to your room, I wasn't sure how you would handle it. I'm only glad to see that you're still here, that means things must have gone well?"

Professor Kal looked at him with surprise. "You don't know?"

"Know what." Dean Petticoat asked, furrowing his brows.

"Oh, nothing, nothing. Yes, everything went smoothly, no problems here." Professor Kal said, taking advantage of his lack of information.

"Why do I get the feeling that I'm being kept in the dark?"

"If it were truly important you would know about it, correct? Now, is that the only reason you came? Is there nothing else?" Professor Kal said, quickly changing the subject.

Still skeptical, Dean Petticoat decided he probably didn't want to know what was really going on. "The other reason I came, was because Professor Treffle came to by office to inquire about you."

"Oh, and what sort of confidential information was she after?"

With a smirk, Dean Petticoat told him. "Just simple things. She mainly wanted to know where you developed your skill, I think she really admires you."

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With a wave of his hand, Professor Kal dismissed any notion of an admirer. "Oh, I highly doubt that. She simply wishes to uncover the secrets that make me such a fine specimen."

"Well, either way, as long as you don't mind her inquiring about you then I will not stop her. I just thought it best to let you know." The Dean said with a shrug.

"I'll bother you no more then, I'll be on my way. Ah, just to let you know, the city will be initiating a curfew from now on. So please be mindful of the time." He added as he made his way back out into the hallway.

Saying his goodbyes, Professor Kal shut the door. It really did seem that the Crown did not wish to antagonize him any further, at least not openly. He was sure they would be at least keeping a remarkably close eye on him so he would have to be mindful of that fact. Perhaps it was time for him to take a trip? Fall break was quickly approaching, only two months away, that would be the perfect time.

…..

Silus Arckroft had been moving continuously for the past week, only stopping to feed. Even with his newfound powers he was exhausted. He managed to escape the city easily enough, but never once did he imagine that the new King would put the entire country on lockdown due to his father's death. Soldiers and knights were leaving no stone unturned looking for the culprit.

This caused him to have to be much more careful. He took extra care in not killing anyone, lest he be tracked down that much quicker. The only boon to his situation was that he was supposed to be dead, no one knew that he had faked his own death. Not many people, at least outside the capital, knew what he looked like. He only had to not bring attention to himself.

He sat down on a moss-covered log in the middle of a clearing just on the other side of the border between Amine and Morgania. The most arduous part of his journey was now behind him, crossing the border. Slipping past regular soldiers and knights was not a difficult feat. Even the mage corps with all of their spells and arrays proved nothing more than a slight hindrance to him.

Now he could rest. He looked around him, running his fingers through his long silver hair. His amber irises constricting in the afternoon light. Nothing but thick foliage could be seen in every direction he looked. Mountains towered up into the clouds some distance away, their icy peaks standing watch over the forests below.

He casually walked through the thick brambles and low hanging limbs, looking for a place to rest. If he could find a creek or spring, that would be for the best. Filth covered his body, even with a change of clothes he still felt dirty.

Using a Wind Blade spell to clear away a particularly thick patch of thorny bushes, his eyes fell upon what he had wished for. Babbling happily along was a small creek. Its waters were crystal clear; you could see small stones resting at the bottom only a few feet down. Wide enough to easily jump across, it was just what Silus had hoped for.

He waded out into the cold waters, coming up to his waist. He had stripped off all his clothes, his chiseled body exposed to the elements. Drinking the demon's blood had made profound changes to his body. What was once a neglected physique, was now one that rippled with muscle in an athletic build. Silus had noticed these changes but didn't put too much thought into them, he was not trying to impress anyone, so he did not care how he appeared on the outside.

Cleaning his body, his eyes naturally followed the flow of the small creek. Winding left and right like a drunk snake, it eventually disappeared some three hundred feet from him under what looked like a cave. He could not clearly see from that distance. It looked like a cave with vines and other vegetation clinging to the stone.

Still naked, he allowed the creek to carry him closer to the cave. Stopping himself just before the creek ducked under the foliage, he used his long claws to cut away the vines and overgrowth. Revealing themselves to him were stones that had obviously been laid by men. Furrowing his brows, he began to cut more and more of the overgrowth away.

After more than an hour he had revealed what looked to have once been some sort of small fortification. The creek was running right through the middle of the structure, going under walls that were fifteen feet high. Any wooden structures had long rotted away, leaving only the stone walls and foundation. Trees grew uninhibited in the structure's courtyard. Silus approximated that the trees were a few hundred years old at the youngest, meaning whoever had built this fortification had died long ago.

He paced around the walls, clearing brush with magic as he did so. It was seven-hundred and fifty paces from beginning to end, making it a large enough fortification to house several hundred people. The stones were still holding firm in their mortar, testament to the builders' skills.

Nodding his head, a wide grin appeared on his face. "This is perfect, just perfect."

He had been thinking about how to begin his grand vision. The main problem was where exactly to set up his area of operations. Seeing as how much of the structure was still in good enough condition, and the fact that it had obviously been long forgotten, the abandoned fortification was the perfect place.. He had much work to do, but he was not a stranger to it.

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