With This Treasure, I Summon Primordial Weapons
Chapter 22: New Day

Chapter 22: New Day

The council lasted for the better part of three hours before Daren let it end.

In that time, Godric learned two things worth keeping.

The first was where the water came from. Some form of underground cave somewhere below the city, and a proposal to send another party down for supplies, which was approved with the enthusiasm of men who had approved it several times already.

The second was a name.

The sanctuary.

Nobody explained it. Which made the place even more interesting, as everything else in the past three hours had been overexplained to the point of exhaustion.

What’s worse, the meeting only concluded for the others, as when they began to leave, Daren spoke to only him.

"Godric. Stay behind. There’s a small matter I’d like to discuss with you personally."

Godric barely had the chance to rise to his feet before Daren’s gaze landed on him.

He sat back in his chair and watched everyone else leave the room.

It was only when the last of the council members was gone that Daren spoke up.

"I want you to join Loris on his expedition to the sanctuary."

There it was.

The exact same subject he wanted to arrive at came on its own.

"The sanctuary?" Godric asked, acting surprised. "Why?"

"They’ve been a dozen times and come back with nothing. A fresh pair of eyes might help."

Godric sat in silence for a moment, as if trying to decide whether to go or not, even though he already knew what he was about to say.

"That’s a good idea," he said at last. "I’ll bring Raven. The more fresh eyes, the better."

"Do as you will," Daren replied as though hearing Raven’s name again was exhausting. "Now, if you excuse me, I need to take my rest."

Godric excused himself and went to the small door on the right.

He knocked twice, and Raven came out almost immediately, as though she was standing by the door the entire time.

"Let’s go," he said.

She shifted to his side at once, playing the perfect role of his so-called lover as she locked her arms with his and rested her head slightly on his shoulder as he walked her out of the room.

It was only when they were through the door and out of Daren’s sight that she let out a breath.

"That took long," she said, her arms still locked onto his despite nobody watching.

"It did," Godric agreed, then looked down at the staircase to see it completely buried with sand.

At the same time, Raven slowly left his arm and moved toward the window, looking outside.

"They move fast," she said, mostly to herself.

Godric came to stand beside her and looked out.

A dozen makeshift tents stood on the crimson sand around them. Some were already done, while a few were still being set. The sun wasn’t at its peak yet, and despite that, the heat came down like a physical weight.

"Shall we?" Raven tipped her head towards the window.

Godric went through first, then turned and gave her his hand.

Even in this temporary camp, the hierarchy seemed to seep through.

Those high in the social ranking stayed inside the tents, far from the sun, while those who must’ve struggled on the bottom floors of the tower lay either on small monster hides or on the bare sand, with a bottle or two in hand.

The merchants had come up with everybody else. Their stands were open already. Water trapped in crude bottles and hides to crawl under and away from the sun.

Around the merchants, a small crowd of people had gathered. Their eyes were shifting between the items as though deciding whether to get something or not.

They were halfway through the camp when the shouting started on the far side of it.

"Move! Out of the way, damn you!"

A crowd was already gathering around whatever it was.

Godric and Raven exchanged one glance and went to the centre of it.

A man was hauling another man across the sand by the arms, digging his heels in with every step. Someone broke out of the crowd and took the legs, helping him move the unconscious body.

Godric watched for a moment, then his eye caught on what the injured man was wearing.

It wasn’t the typical clothing those from the settlement wore. It was a uniform, the exact same one Godric wore when the gate had claimed him.

Elyune Academy.

Then the head flailed back, and he saw the face.

Every part of his plan rested on House Blackstar being what it had been in the past. Daren’s trust, the room, the seat at the council table. Their entire chance of returning rested on the idea that the once Great House Blackstar was still what it used to be.

And the bleeding student being dragged across the sand knew exactly that it wasn’t.

...

A/N: I hope you enjoy this novel. Support by adding it to your library and giving a power stone or two. Thank you!