Chapter 32 - Defiance

The sun began to peek above the horizon, heralding a new day. The warm rays of the sun drove away the cool night air. The pink rays of the sun were kept from the ground by small puffy clouds working their way across the sky. It was another day in the Kingdom of Amine, but a much different day than those of the past.

The citizens were already out in the streets, being rounded up like cattle. Screams of children being separated from their parents could be heard echoing down the streets. Husbands being torn from their wives; entire families being separated into differing groups could be seen in every corner of the city.

Soldiers, being led by knights, were comparing faces and names to what they had on record. If there were any discrepancies, they would separate them for further questioning. With such a porous border and lackluster record keeping, it did not take long for there to be an overflow of undocumented residents. They lacked the manpower to screen so many people at once, creating scenes of people being held in large cages, waiting to be questioned.

Professor Kal was currently in one such cage, accompanied by Ryan, his protégé. They had been promptly apprehended after warping to the Academy. Although they both had tried to explain their presence, any argument fell on deaf ears. The knights refused to explain why they had been arrested, but after seeing the number of people that had been arrested like them, figured that something unprecedented was happening.

Adjusting his position to a more comfortable one, Ryan asked Professor Kal a question. "Why don't you just warp us out of here? I mean, we weren't doing anything wrong."

"Then we really would be in trouble, wouldn't we? I'm sure whatever is going on has nothing to do with us. All we have to do is wait, then I'm sure they'll release us." He explained in a patronizing tone.

Looking around himself, Professor Kal took in what kind of people were in here with him. He noticed that many of them had something in common, they were either poor or homeless. This fact made him believe that whoever could not prove their residence were the ones being rounded up. He should be alright, he was a Professor at the Academy, but then again, he skipped the registration process when he entered Lenova. They might frown upon that.

He would soon find out. A guard came over and called him and Ryan to follow him for questioning. Ryan looked to Professor Kal for guidance, he just shrugged his shoulders before following the guard. They walked several yards over to a small building that looked as if it had been hastily assembled. There was only one door and had bars on the windows, it looked much like a small jailhouse.

Professor Kal and Ryan were ushered inside where a small counter was set up. A disgruntled looking man was seated behind the counter, looking up for just a second before demanding their names.

"Kalcifer is my name."

Looking down at his records, the disgruntled man did not seem to find anything. "Just Kalcifer? No last name?"

"Yup, just Kalcifer. I'm a Professor at the Academy." He clarified.

Nodding his head, the man moved over to another set of records that appeared much smaller. After a few more moments of searching, he seemed to have found something. "You're registered at the Academy, but not with the city. You will have three days to rectify the issue. If you fail to, you'll be kicked out and barred reentry. Understand?"

"Crystal clear." Professor Kal said with a wide smile.

He was in the clear, all he had to do was fill out some menial paperwork. He figured he could venture down to the city hall later and settle things. He was happy now; they would be able to finally leave the squalor of the open-air cages that they had been forced to sit in for the last several hours.

"Now you boy, what's your name?"

"Uh…. It's Ryan, Ryan Passwater, sir." He stammered out, suddenly nervous.

Professor Kal snorted, nearly choking on his spit. His shoulders convulsed as he tried, but failed, to hold back his laughter. Ryan and the disgruntled looking man, both looked at him confused, wondering what he found just so funny. Kal looked between the two, seeing their serious faces.

Ryan's curiosity got the best of him. "What's so funny?"

Taking a deep breath, Professor Kal almost broke out in laughter once more. "Pisswater, your last name is Pisswater! Ha-ha!"

A deadpan look came across Ryan's face as he listened to his laughter. He was even more embarrassed when he heard a similar snort to the one Professor Kal let out come from the man behind the counter. No one had made fun of his name for several years, not since his younger years during elementary school. Although he was still only fourteen, everyone had the common decency to not make fun of someone's name. Now, of all people, was a professor making fun of it.

He glared at the man behind the counter. That was enough to at least force him to stop smirking. He tried it with Professor Kal, only for him laugh even harder at the young man trying to act all serious. Having enough, Ryan marched out the small building, slamming the door behind him. The disgruntled man didn't even try to stop him, he just waved Professor Kal off, silently laughing.

Professor Kal didn't bother catching up to the speed walking youth. He was a big boy; he was sure he could find his way. What he wanted to do now was return to his room and start studying the samples he gathered in the dungeon. But he had responsibilities to consider, it was almost time for his alchemy class to begin. Although he could skip it, he didn't want to start any bad habits.

…..

Loud explosions could be heard from the front gate of the Academy. Large groups of students and Professors alike could be seen standing some distance away from the faculty quarters. Knights had off the building, keeping everyone away. Another large explosion could be heard, this one much bigger than the ones before it. All the glass windows exploded from their frames, sending shards of glass flying and people covering their heads and faces.

Professor Kal pushed his way into the crowd, immensely curious as to what exactly was going on. So far, from his walk from the small jailhouse, he had concluded that the entire city had gone mad. It appeared that the madness had spread to the Academy as well. Arriving at the front of the crowd, his bewilderment turned to anger. Smoke was coming from the area of the building that his room was located in. It didn't take much thought to conclude what was happening.

He had disabled the alerts that would go out to him should any of his arrays be disturbed. He didn't want to be distracted while in the dungeon. He had failed to reactivate them once he exited due to being surrounded by angry looking knights. He should have known better, he only had himself to blame. He had grown lax over these last few weeks, that was something he vowed to never allow again.

Not caring in the slightest about the onlookers around him, Professor Kal opened a Warp Gate, taking him directly to his quarters. Looking around once he stepped out of the portal, he could see that nothing was out of place. If he listened closely, he could hear the muffled sound of orders being issued. He had nothing of value or secrecy stored inside, he just liked his privacy, that was the reason for all the security.

He rushed to his front door, deactivating the array. Opening the door, he saw a familiar face staring back at him, Court Mage Reginald. Reginald looked at Kal with surprise, sweat dripping down his face like he had been exerting himself greatly. "Have you've been in there this entire time?"

Professor Kal couldn't believe his ears. What sort of question was that? "Of course not, are you daft? Why would I allow you to cause such a racket without coming out and giving you my mind?"

"Well, yes, of course, of course, that makes sense." Reginald said, straightening himself up.

"Since you're here now, you must allow us to search the premises."

"That, I can tell you right now, is NOT going to happen." Professor Kal said emphatically.

Looking slightly taken aback, Mage Reginald pressed further. "It's orders from the Crown, all buildings and rooms, with no exceptions, shall be searched for criminals and contraband. You must allow us entry."

Rubbing his forehead, Professor Kal let out a sigh. "If I'd known he was going to be such a pain in my ass I would have never saved his life. No good deed goes unpunished I suppose."

All of those present turned to look at the man in the plain black robes, their faces pale. What he had just uttered out of his mouth was tantamount to treason. To even joke about the Royal family being harmed was punishable by at least imprisonment, most likely death. This man must have a death wish, to say such slanderous things in front of so many knights, let alone the court mage was suicidal.

"Surely you jest Mage Kalcifer" Reginald said, trying to throw him a lifeline.

"I'm as serious as that curse I removed from that ungrateful brat!" Professor Kal yelled out, pointing his finger at Mage Reginald's nose.

He was incensed. In all his years he had never had his property trampled on in such a way. Of course, they couldn't enter his home to trample anything, but that was beside the point. They were attempting to, that's what really mattered. It was a sign of disrespect to be treated in such a way and he wouldn't stand for it.

If Dean Petticoat were still there, he would be trying desperately to defuse the situation. He knew of Kalcifer's real strength, he thought he did at least, and it was much greater than anything he had seen before. Unluckily, he was escorted out of the building along with the remainder of the residents once Mage Reginald had arrived. Now it was only Professor Kal against a platoon of knights along with Court Mage Reginald.

Sounds of metal swords scraping against their scabbards echoed in the hall. Knights were preparing for anything. They knew of a mage's prowess, but they did not fear. They were always taught that close quarters combat was every mage's bane, and they were so close to Professor Kal that they could see every hair on his head. They were all prepared to step into battle if the need arises.

Feeling the tension rising, Mage Reginald tried one last time to offer Mage Kalcifer an olive branch. "I'm sure you haven't heard yet, but Lord Arckroft, along with his wife and brother were found dead several hours ago. We are only searching for the suspects or any evidence that could point us in the right direction. I'm sure that you would be willing to help us."

His facial expression not changing in the slightest, Professor Kal shook his head. "And you think that I have the killer hidden away in my linen closet? No, what this is, is just an excuse to snuff out anything the Crown deems a threat. I've seen this many times over the years, I know the signs of a tyrant."

Kalcifer might have been inside his lair for an astronomical amount of time but had lived on the outside for five-hundred years prior. During this time before the Undead War there had been many kingdoms that had gone through reigns of tyrants, some worse than others. He could recognize the signs, they almost always started with the premise of fighting a common enemy of the people or restricting freedoms for the sake of public safety. In this case it was to search for a killer of a single family.

On second thought, there must be more to this than a single killer. Why would the new King go to such lengths for a single noble family? A sudden realization struck him, this was not about a single family, it was about power. Alexander had just taken the crown over from his father, his foundation was weak, so he needed something to show his strength. Something to show the nobles that he was on their side.

A vein could be seen popping out of Mage Reginald's forehead. Professor Kal's words angered him greatly. How dare he call his King a tyrant! Although he did think declaring martial law was a little heavy handed, he knew the boy since he was young, he was anything but a tyrant. He just needed some time to find his footing, that was all.

Court Mage Reginald's face went red as he shouted at Professor Kal, spittle finding its way onto his black robe. "Mage Kalcifer, by order of the Crown I command you to disarm the arrays to your home! Failure to do so will result in your immediate arrest!"

Summoning his black gnarled staff from his ring, Professor Kal stood firm. Dark clouds were born from nothing, overpowering the small white puffy ones that once filled the sky. Sunlight struggled but failed to penetrate the large storm clouds, turning the once bright day into one of darkness. A cold wind blew through the hall, entering in through the empty windowsills. Lightning struck someplace near; a blinding flash caused everyone present to instinctively close their eyes. A loud boom followed shortly after, ringing their ears.

Professor Kal looked into Reginald's eyes, his expression one of anger and defiance. Mage Reginald had a sudden fear wash over him that he could not explain. It was a fear born deep down in his soul, one that almost caused him to flee immediately. In a deep baritone voice that didn't seem to belong to him before, Professor Kal simply stated.. "I would like to see you try."