The Infinite Bk. 02 Ch. 10

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"So, it really was the fungal cure all along?" Holmes asked as he applied the ointment to his wounded arm. Injured knights and soldiers filled the infirmary, so he had to talk loudly over the groans of pain.

"That's right," said Elyot. "That stranger said we should wait a day before giving it to you, but I'm thinking that wasn't for our benefit. Perhaps it was a secret code to the Harajin; perhaps he was just putting us on a wild goose chase. Either way, the tests all confirmed that this'll fix you two up in a matter of days, so you can rest easy."

"But that just means that you didn't have to do the tests at all. You should have just given us the cure in the first place," Frigga whined.

"I swear, all you two have done is complain. Maybe I should give your beds to some other patients and let you see how good you have it."

The two wisely shut their mouths, and a messenger entered the infirmary. "Sir Elyot, your presence is requested in the war room."

"What now?"

He made the long walk to the palace and entered the war room, where Sir Tarnas and Sir Berholm were waiting. The knight's sword lay on the table between them with its handle disassembled. "I take it this is the infamous blade?"

"Indeed. It was handed to me by one of the Harajin as an act of unsanctioned diplomacy," said Tarnas. "However, its condition is problematic."

Elyot's eyes fell to the runes, or rather, their absence. The symbols had been chiseled away, leaving only a few points and corners, but not enough to determine what was originally inscribed.

"He scraped off the runes? Why would he..." He glanced at the exposed tang of the sword. "The names of the maker and knight, they've been erased too. Son of a bitch."

"The blacksmiths have confirmed that this is a genuine knight sword," said Tarnas, "but with both the runes and the names missing, we have no way to find out who this belonged to. According to the Harajin, it was traded from the man in Town Square and belonged to a knight who died outside of this mess. It wouldn't be the first sword taken from a dead knight out in the countryside, but after all we've recovered, this is the first one that can't be traced back to the owner or maker. If this really did belong to a knight in the field, we need to know."

"Since we can't trace it through normal means, we're hoping your alchemy might give us the answers we need. I recall you saying once that you could restore burnt parchment," Berholm added.

"I can only do it if I have all the ashes and they're still warm. I can't restore the inscription or runes without the original removed material. There might be some blood I can test, see what kinds of monsters it's been used to kill."

"The handle was loose when we got it," said Berholm. "The stranger and the Harajin, one or both of them opened it up, and recently. Whoever it was had the sense to look for ways it could be identified, and I believe they allowed it to return to us only because they were sure it wouldn't lead anywhere. It's probably been cleaned. You'll be lucky to find human blood on it."

"We have to find out which knight this came from; I'm starting to take this personally. I almost feel a bit called out," said Tarnas with his arms crossed.

"You know me, I love a challenge. I'll be busy at the academy, but I'll see what I can do. Anyway, I'm surprised Lady Zodiac isn't here."

Tarnas and Berholm exchanged a glance.

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The morning breeze blew through the open windows of the throne room, with the hanging curtains flapping between the stationed guards. All eyes were on Valia Zodiac, prostrating in the center of the room. She had stood in this chamber countless times throughout the decades, earning looks of admiration from all around her. Now, on her knees, with her forehead pressed to the carpeted floor, she was being looked at with distrust and disdain.

The coldest gaze came from the king, situated on his throne with lavish robes and rings on each finger. After the chaos from the previous night, he was drowning in paperwork and problems, all demanding his attention like a room of petulant children. His advisors and other palace staff flanked him, similarly exhausted emotionally and physically.

"Lady Zodiac, I trust you know why I have called you are here," the king grumbled. It looked like he had aged ten years since the previous morning.

"Yes, Your Highness. You have news regarding my brother, but under the circumstances, I fear the nature of it."

"The ruins of the dungeon were examined, and all the collected locks show the same damage. They were cut, the steel shackles sliced through like soft butter. According to recaptured prisoners, they were all destroyed almost simultaneously. Several reported a fast-moving streak of light moving around the dungeon and severing them.

Clearly, the breakout was a diversion to draw every soldier and knight away from the castle. The true target was the royal vault. The skeleton crew guarding it were attacked, and the surviving few named their killer with their dying breath. Valon, he raided the vault and disappeared with every Enochian artifact."

Valia raised her head with a look of shock on her face and a boulder-sized lump in her throat. "Your Highness, you know Valon. He has proved his loyalty to you and your forefathers. The guards must have been mistaken, perhaps deceived through a disguise or magic. He's the perfect scapegoat to pin it on."

"There is no mistake. Because of him, both the wealth and military might of this nation has been decimated, and Colbrand was nearly destroyed. A war's worth of damage can be laid at his feet. Numerous witnesses have placed you in the city, helping to stem the violence, but no one can account for your whereabouts before the breakout."

"Your Highness, I had nothing to do with the events of last night. You have my word," she pled.

"Your word has lost much of its meaning as of late, and these crimes must be answered for. I don't need to tell you how bad this looks."

Valia slammed her fist on the ground, and angry tears fell from her eyes. "Valon, why?"

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The knight academy was a walled-off campus situated in the city's northern outskirts, with plenty of room for various training regiments and war simulations. Unfortunately, that meant it was a long walk for Noah and the other applicants, so they were none too pleased with the sign hanging over the wrought iron gate.

Like the festival, enrollment day was postponed as the faculty assisted with rebuilding. There was a large crowd of young men and women, including some dwarves, many of whom had taken part in the Red Revelries and even escaped the dungeon, as evidenced by their ripped clothes and the smell of blood. After the events of last night, Noah was in no place to judge anyone's appearance.

'Oh well, at least I can go back to bed.'

He returned to the Knight's Sheath and spent most of the day in Bella's room, enjoying intermittent naps with loud, raunchy sex in between. Then, towards the middle of the afternoon, other needs pulled him from Bella's post-orgasmic trembling embrace, one of them being the need for something larger than a washbasin to properly deal with the varnish of sweat, blood, and cum he had accumulated since yesterday.

He went down to the bar and found Lucius working the counter and Daniel nearby, rolling gonlief cigarettes. "Hey. Lucius, pour me something nice."

"'Sup," Daniel replied.

"I'm a bit surprised you woke up today. How do you feel?" A glass slid across the counter and into his hand.

"I'm all right, for the most part. I have a lot of sore spots. I think I happened to wake up just when Cyrilo was thinking of kicking me out, you know? Like, she was in a good mood, but it was because I'd finally go away. Anyway, back to the old grind. So, what? No magic school?"

"Class is canceled. I was planning on heading over to the bathhouse. Interested?"

"Water and I need little break from each other. Our relationship has been a bit... choppy... lately. I might try that olive oil thing the Greeks did." He worked while talking, finishing cigarettes with machine-like speed and repetition.

"Huh, you really are good at that."

"Years of practice. Anyway, tonight I go onstage."

"Your audience will be a bit smaller than last night."

"For now. Before long, the 'Bard of Rock' will be more famous around here than any knight. But speaking of last night... thank you. For everything."

"Don't worry about it. Have you decided on anything yet?"

"Well like I said, I'm going onstage tonight, and after that... I guess I'll just have to take it one step at a time."

Noah finished his drink and departed. He went down to the local bathhouse and scrubbed himself clean. A few errands and street-side dinner later, he returned to the Knight's Sheath, and what had initially been the dozen afternoon drinkers had turned into an evening mob, unlike any Noah had yet seen. It was not the girls the men were after, nor the drinks, or even the gonlief; it was the strumming of 'Starman.'

Daniel was sitting in a chair on the stage, somehow playing not just the guitar chords, but mimicking the overlapping rhythms of the other instruments with just those six strings and tapping his feet. He was entirely within his element, and every movement and action were flawless.

The enhancement gems had been removed, but his guitar still projected visible mana. It was just enough to thinly fill the vast parlor, now packed wall to wall with customers, all listening to Daniel. There was no telling if they understood the lyrics, but it didn't seem to matter. Looking around, Noah spotted countless women in the crowd, and not just the working girls. The music was pulling everyone off the street to listen. All the doors and windows were open to ventilate the combined breathing and smoking of the spectators.

Noah waded through the crowd to the counter, where Lucius and Cyrilo watched the concert with everything else. "Busy night, I see."

"I haven't seen this place so packed since... ever. This is incredible," said Cyrilo.

"We're gonna run out of booze at this rate."

"Then it seems I got here just in time. Pour me a drink."

Noah found an open seat among a group of adventurers and sat down with a sigh of bliss. A smoke, a drink, and some good music playing, then back up to Bella's room. It was a nice night.

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