Chapter 371: The Awakening Stones
Alexander untied the ropes binding Ben and Leo, setting them down to rest in a safe corner of the hall before beginning his search of the premises. He searched through the counters, tables, and main shelves on the first floor, but found no trace of the Awakening Stones. He continued searching through the side hallways to no avail, until he decided to head up the stairs to the upper level.
At the far end of the main hallway on the second floor, he found a reinforced door. Stepping inside, he confirmed it was Kiara’s private bedroom. The room was decorated with ostentatious luxuries, display armor, and fine wooden chests. Alexander walked to the main desk and, after forcing a secret compartment at the bottom, uncovered a metallic chest. Upon opening it, a brilliant blue glow illuminated his face: the Awakening Stones lay inside untouched.
Alex retrieved the loot, went back down for the boys, and stepped out of the guild headquarters. However, upon crossing the threshold of the destroyed entrance, he was met with a full blockade of city guards surrounding the building with weapons drawn.
The urban guard had rushed over after hearing the thunderous commotion of the battle inside the headquarters. Among the officers, shock and confusion reigned supreme; they wondered what kind of monster or massive force was capable of such madness, especially considering Kiara was present—a warrior widely renowned in Plyaro for being on the verge of breaking through to the next realm of power.
A pair of front-line guards stepped forward with spears raised, blocking Alexander’s path while the officers behind adjusted their formation.
"Halt right there!" shouted one of the guards. "What the hell happened inside? Where are the guild members?"
"Call Lyssandra," said Alexander in a flat, unbothered tone.
"Lyssandra?" said the guard, her brow furrowing in rage at the lack of respect toward the mayor. "Insolent brat, you owe respect to this city’s authority! You will answer our questions before taking another step."
Alexander didn’t bother responding. Paying them no mind whatsoever, he adjusted Ben and Leo onto his shoulders and began walking through the ring of weapons as if the women weren’t even there.
Outraged by the young man’s absolute indifference, the guard captain stepped forward and grabbed him tightly by the shoulder to spin him around.
"I said halt!" screamed the captain.
However, Alexander’s mind remained distorted by the vampiric bloodlust and the potion mix. Losing what little self-control he had left, Alexander pivoted on his axis and landed a brutal kick to her chest. The impact was so violent that the woman shot back like a missile, crashing through the wooden wall of a nearby house and destroying the facade.
The guards lunged at Alexander with swords and spears raised high. However, before the first blade could even come close to his skin, a crushing magic pressure descended from the sky over the entire perimeter, freezing the weapons in mid-air.
"Enough!" shouted an imperial voice that echoed through every corner of the street.
The crowd of officers parted in two bowing their heads in respect. Lyssandra marched firmly through the rows of guards, draped in her robes of office with a gaze burning in a mix of authority and clear frustration.
"Mayor Lyssandra..." said the commanding officer, attempting to explain herself while pointing at the destroyed house. "This individual attacked the captain without provocation and refuses to submit to the urban guard."
Lyssandra didn’t even look at the officer. She came to a halt two steps away from Alexander, assessing the bloodlust still emanating from the young man’s crimson eyes, as well as the badly injured bodies of Ben and Leo slung over his shoulders.
"Stand down, all of you, and lower your weapons," said Lyssandra, keeping her voice firm yet composed. "The adventurer guild is no longer under the city’s ordinary jurisdiction, and I will handle this matter personally."
"But Mayor..." protested the officer.
"That is an order!" said Lyssandra, turning to her with a warning glare that left no room for reply.
The guards reluctantly sheathed their weapons and began to disperse to assist the injured captain. Left alone with Alexander in the middle of the deserted street, Lyssandra let out a long sigh and crossed her arms.
"I take it this has something to do with the ’independence’ Kiara declared this afternoon," said Lyssandra, locking eyes with Alexander. "Tell me, Alexander... what the hell did you do in there?".
Alexander looked her up and down for a second, blinking with faint surprise as he noticed the mayor’s absolute composure.
"How can you talk to me so normally?" said Alexander, narrowing his eyes as he assessed her.
To clear any doubts, Alexander focused his perception and activated [Charm] to inspect the state of the bond.
[Charm: 96%]
The golden system screen confirmed the control remained untouched. Lyssandra took a step closer to him and lowered her gaze submissively.
"Master has not instructed me to speak in any other manner," said Lyssandra.
"That’s excellent," said Alexander, relaxing his shoulders as his bloodlust ebbed slightly. "I want to know what the hell happened and why they attacked my companions."
Lyssandra glanced around, taking note of several merchants and guards still watching them cautiously from the street corners.
"This is not a good place to discuss this," said Lyssandra in a whisper.
"I understand," said Alexander, readjusting the weight of Ben and Leo over his shoulders. "Let’s head to my new residence. We can speak calmly there."
Without a word, the two began walking at a steady pace toward the tavern. The trek passed in a tense silence.
As he crossed the threshold of the entrance, Alexander was met with the eyes of all the girls locked onto the door. The atmosphere inside the establishment was thick and suffocating. The image of Marcus lying bloodied on one of the benches remained burned into everyone’s minds. Marcus was no novice; he was an experienced mercenary trained personally by Stephen, so witnessing his crushing defeat had terrified them. None of them could help feeling a deep fear for Alexander and the devastating magnitude of what might happen to him when facing such a threat.