"What about the people near the border? Are you just going to leave them to their fate?" Maelor asked, visibly conflicted.
"I'm not who you think I am, Prince," Damian replied evenly. "Plenty of people are already after me. I don't want trouble with the empire. Dawnstar, Faerunia, the empire—they're all the same to me. The only reason I'm doing this is because a friend needs my help."
Maelor nodded, his expression unreadable. Sam and the others exchanged uncertain glances, their thoughts racing.
After giving them a moment, Damian asked, "So… who's coming?"
"Me..." Fiona said softly.
Adrian nodded beside her. Though no one from his family was present, his father must have sent their men to aid the Baron. That was quite brave of him.
"I'll come too," Grace added. "The more men and intel we have, the better chance my father has."
Damian nodded silently.
"Count me in," Sam said, exchanging a glance with Grace.
"We'll help without question—anything you need. If you want more people, I can arrange that too," Maelor offered.
Lucian nodded in appreciation.
"Should we inform the staff? It might cause trouble if they discover you have a method to come and go as you please inside the academy," Evrin said, raising a valid point.
"I'll speak with the Headmaster," Damian replied. He then looked around at everyone's faces and said, "Prepare yourselves. I hope we won't face the Empire's forces, but chances are we will—so make your resolve now. The battlefield leaves no room for hesitation. If you need anything made to suit your needs, ask for it. We have three hours."
After a moment, Damian patted Lucian's shoulder and left the room, heading straight to his lab to craft gear just in case. The others had requested a few items as well. With a functioning mana generator, he had more than enough mana liquid to perform the spell—the same spell, waygate tool used by the Ashenvale invaders four years ago had, which was now in Vidalia's possession.
With no mana shortage to worry about, Damian worked tirelessly for three straight hours, emptying containers filled with liters of his mana liquid. He noticed that prolonged usage of such immense mana reserves seemed to be enhancing his mana sense—a growth that had been stagnant for years. Could those using mana liquid he created develop a similar mana sense? It was a possibility.
Maelor had requested armor pieces similar to those he wore during the exam. His companions only asked for swords imbued with spells of their choosing. Damian also crafted a sword for Lucian. Rather than forging a sword from scratch, which would be time-consuming, Damian opted to modify standard armor and swords from his lab, simply etching runes onto them for temporary use. He would take them back after they were done.
Damian already had armor, swords, spears, and other combat gear, but he still forged additional tools for himself, considering the challenges he was likely to face.
He also planned to complete the installation of a mana generator on the ship and take it with him. Like all spells, the Waygate spell could be modified, and adjusting the size section was one of the most common sections in the runic circles.
Damian knew the large mana signature from his work would attract the attention of the third rankers at the academy. As he finished his work in the lab and walked out, he found two guards waiting for him. Without a word, he followed them as they escorted him to Worldscribe's office.
"What exactly are you doing in the middle of the night?" Bloodedge demanded.
The three figures in the room, including Worldscribe and Runefather, looked displeased. As if he had disturbed their sleep-which he might have.
Damian closed the door, sat down, and replied simply, "Some of us are going to Dawnstar.."
"What?" Worldscribe asked, startled.
"With your ship? I thought you said it wasn't ready yet," Runefather added.
"It is now," Damian answered bluntly.
"Why?" Worldscribe pressed.
Bloodedge smiled knowingly. "For that Northern Dawnstar girl, isn't it? Goldilock. The Northern Iceblade."
The other two exchanged glances with Bloodedge before looking back at Damian.
He gave a single nod.
"You plan to fight the Empire on your own?" Worldscribe asked seriously.
"Of course not. I don't give a rat's ass who rules what land, as long as they leave me alone," Damian said, making the three raise their eyebrows. He continued, "She's a friend. It's a rescue mission. Hopefully, we'll be back before lunch."
That last remark seemed to catch them off guard more than anything.
"Aren't you overly confident about finding him?" Bloodedge asked.
"I have a way to find him. And not just him—I can find the Emperor himself if I want to. That's what I wanted to ask you. If I bring you to him directly, will you do your job then?" Damian demanded.
"It's not that simple, kid. We can't just leave and defy the High Table's orders of non-interference," Runefather said.
"That's because of the time constraints, right? What if I bring representatives from all three sections, and we have a pleasant talk with the Emperor to understand why he's so hell-bent on conquering everything? What if I offer something in exchange for your three sections doing this one thing, that will end all your internal conflicts?" Damian said.
The three eyed him suspiciously before Worldscribe spoke. "There's nothing you can offer that will solve all our issues, kid—not even your inventions."
"I wouldn't trust any of you with that anyway, even in a thousand years," Damian replied.
"You do realize we are two ranks above you, don't you?" Bloodedge said, stepping closer to Damian. "Your talents may warrant some arrogance, but speaking to us as equals is not very wise, kid."
Damian stared back at him, rising to his feet. "You're right. I'm not your equal. I'm greater. You might want to ask Threadripper for a review." He glanced at all three of them in turn and continued,
"For years, you've hoarded wealth and technology from the people of this world in the name of protection. Now, when the time to repay has come, you're acting like squabbling children. If you were truly greater, you'd be the ones saving people, not me."
Damian turned to leave, then paused just before reaching the door. Without looking back, he added, "Go gather your proud knights, tell them to do their damn job, and I'll find The Land Breaker for you, the same way I can find anyone else."