Lith was seething with anger yet he patiently waited for several minutes, without moving from the spot where he had allegedly fallen. He left his Demons in the shadows where they had hidden after feeding upon the pillars of light.
The explosion had done them little harm but Lith wanted to give an impression of weakness. One thing was facing a Tiamat at the peak of his strength while surrounded by his undead army.
Dealing with a lone, wounded creature was another entirely.
"What the heck have you done?" Neforce arrived only after the silence had lasted for so long that there was no doubt about the end of the battle.
His voice was angry, pointing at the rabble and then at Lith.
"You ordered me to call the retreat and this is the result of your arrogance. An entire city block has been razed and months of hard work have gone to waste." The Captain was followed by a sizeable group of soldiers and mages armed to the teeth.
Lith could see with Life Vision that they all kept spells at the ready and that they were aimed at him. Among the mages, Lith recognized Head Healer Wyrvan Palaar and the young man called Vamfil.
"I'm going to inform the Royals of your failure and demand that you pay for the damages of your own pocket. Your savagery has already cost millions of gold coins and lives during the war.
"I hope that you'll have the decency to admit that the Kingdom shouldn't have to bear more expenses to fix your mess." Three of the Tiamat's eyes were closed, probably wounded, and the creature wheezed in pain from its many wounds.
Neforce hated to bear witness to the new scar in his beloved city, but seeing the arrogant beast beat and battered brought a smirk to his face.
"What failure?" Vamfil was just a Mage of the Kingdom and a clerk at that, but he couldn't stand that nonsense any longer. "These were just buildings. Ever since Supreme Magus Verhen's arrival, our forces suffered no more casualties.
"I've read the reports from your men and I've already forwarded them to the Royals. Magus Verhen and his Demons fought tooth and nail to cover the retreat of our soldiers.
"They held the monsters back until the search and rescue operations were concluded, saving countless civilians' lives as well. Who cares about a bunch of stones?"
Neforce's face was almost as red as Lith's eye which was fixed on Palaar. The chubby woman was the senior Mage on the scene, the representative of the Association, and a skilled healer.
Yet she kept looking around, unwilling to take a side or even treat Lith's alleged wounds despite his apparently critical condition.
"A bunch of stones?" Neforce echoed in outrage. "Who do you think you are to belittle the sacrifices of the people of Ne'sra? This was once a beautiful neighborhood and for all we know there might be dozens of corpses under the 'bunch of stones.'"
"Then why are you standing there instead of helping?" A wave of Vamfil's hand lifted the debris of a house to clear the area and search for survivors but Neforce stopped him.
"Because I want the Royal to take a good look at this disaster. If there was anyone left in these houses, they are already dead. We can't bring them back to life but we can at least give them justice." Neforce replied.
"But-"
"Are you questioning me? What is your rank and occupation, young man?"
"I'm a Mage and a clerk." Vamfil looked at Palaar for help, finding none.
"A clerk." Neforce sneered. "In other words, a paper pusher. What's this, instead?"
"The insignia of a captain of the army." The young mage lowered his gaze.
"Exactly. While you play with your dusty tomes and send reports from the safety of your desk, my men and I risk our lives for the sake of the people of the Kingdom. It's only because of incompetents like you and Verhen that-"
"Supreme Magus Verhen." Lith mumbled in a low growl.
"I beg your pardon?" The Captain asked, having an odd sense of déjà vu.
"It's Supreme Magus Verhen for you, not just Verhen." Lith snarled as his fake wounds disappeared and his equipment covered him, his white and golden Magus robe covering him from head to toe.
"I've heard enough and I'm ready to pass judgment." Lith's violet aura burst out, prompting the soldiers to raise their wands and the mages to unleash their spells in self-defense.
The barrage of ice, fire, and lightning was brought to a halt the moment it crossed the boundaries of an impossible array with which Lith had surrounded himself.
It actually had another purpose entirely but it covered his use of Domination. A flick of Lith's wrist sent the projectiles back to their respective caster, but aimed so that the resulting wound would be crippling instead of lethal.
The soldiers and mages burned, froze, and spasmed in a seizure, holding the stumps of their missing limbs while crying in pain.
"This is madness and insubordination!" Neforce tried to sound stern but he took two steps back for every step that Lith took forward. "If before this was about money, now it will cost you your life.
"You have willingly and consciously attacked loyal officers who act on behalf of the Royals!"
"I did no such thing." Lith cackled, his mouth filled with black-violet flames.
"How dare y-" Neforce literally choked on his words as tendrils of Spirit Magic lifted him and Palaar off the ground by the neck.
"Are you questioning me? What is your rank and occupation, old man?" Lith mocked the Captain by using the same words with which he had addressed Vamfil.
"I'm a Captain of the army." He had tried to point at his insignia, but Lith had just squeezed Neforce's throat harder until he answered.
"A Captain." Lith sneered in mockery. "What's on my shoulder, instead?" He made his military rank appear over the white and golden robe.
"The insignia of a Lieutenant Colonel of the army." Neforce's eyes almost popped out in surprise and due to the ever-increasing strength of the hold.
During the gala for the end of the war, Lith had been promoted in the army ranks and his status as a noble had been further elevated. Yet those things were easy to forget due to his Magus title eclipsing them.
"Exactly." Lith's fangs curled up in a smile. "I didn't attack anyone, I defended myself from a clear act of insubordination and attempted murder of a superior officer. Do you know what's the punishment for that?"
"Death." The hold loosened but blood drained from the Captain's face even faster than before.
"Not so fast." Lith tilted his head left and right like a kid studying a new toy. "First comes the torture, then public humiliation, and then confiscation of family property. Death comes last."
"Why are you doing this to me?" Palaar finally found the strength to speak. "I didn't do or say anything!"
"That's my point exactly!" Lith hissed, increasing the strength of the Spirit tendril until the flabby meat of her neck was fully stretched.
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