Solar Mage

Chapter 16: Interrogation

Dustin's shadows now walk behind us as we traverse through a straight dark corridor behind the black iron gate.

I discreetly peek behind me.

Why are they following us now? They're so creepy! Why couldn't they just stay hidden like before?

Far, at the end of the corridor is a wooden door between a stone archway, lit up by two dim torches.

I move Dawn to the front as we approach the door to light up the path.

Huh? Why aren't there any guards or shadows monitoring this place? If Agon really is held captive here, then there should be at least two Royal Ranked Swordsman or two 6th circle mages keeping him in check to subjugate him with certainty!

We get to the door.

Even if he's incompetent and got to that stage through money, he is still a 6th circle mage and could easily break free from his restraints and escape if no one's watching him!

My thoughts forcefully ended when I heard a loud sound.

"CRASH!!!"

"Have you slept well, Agon?"

I wake up from my thoughts and look up to see Dustin holding a door handle after he intentionally breaks the door. The shadows quickly move past Dustin and take positions around the room.

Agon shrieks in fear.

"HIEEK- STAY AWAY FROM ME!

He is in the middle of the room and tied up with black chains.

Must be made of black iron.

I notice the sound of a quiet whimpering to my right and turn to see the figurehead high priest lying down as he cries in the corner. He was not tied up in black iron chains but just regular rope.

I turn back to Agon and see Dustin approaching him.

"N-NO G-GET AWAY FROM ME! SOMEONE- SOMEONE HELP ME!!!"

He desperately screams as he pathetically tries to crawl away from Dustin. When Dustin reaches him, he slaps Agon across the face, knocking him unconscious, before grabbing his chain and dragging his unconscious corpse across the floor, with it leaving behind a trail of tears as he gets dragged.

I should definitely never get on his bad side...

Five of the six of the shadows closely follows Dustin as he drags Agon through a door, to a room brightly lit by torches.

Before following Dustin to that room, I take one last, quick glance at the figurehead high priest and see the last of the shadows standing under the archway between this room and the corridor.

I take back what I said earlier, these shadows really are careful and competent.

I think before I follow Dustin to the bright room.

When I enter, I see that the shadows have already taken their place around the room and Dustin is strapping Agon into a black chair, tying him in another black iron chain.

Just how much black iron does the church have!?!?

Once he finishes strapping him in, he slaps Agon awake. His right cheek is extremely red and bruised from how many times he's been slapped. Dustin takes out his sword, the sheathe still on, and strikes the ground- producing a large wave of wind and releasing his powerful killing intent.

I try to move my body but it wouldn't due to instinctual fear. My breathing slows so much that it nears a halt.

I- can't- move!

I try moving around my eyes and they work.

Alright, at least I can move my eyes.

I glance at the shadows and see that they are also struggling to move as they shiver with fear.

"The Interrogation begins now."

He says with a serious, booming voice.

"And don't even think about lying."

He points at me.

Oh Pyro, show me the truth.

I use all my willpower to walk up beside him and activate my eye of truth.

Agon is shaking more than me with fear.

"Firstly, where are the cardinals you kidnapped? Where is Cardinal Stone and Cardinal George?

Agon doesn't respond and continues shaking in fear.

Dustin sighs before retracting his killing intent.

I can move and breathe again!

I look at Agon and see him no longer shaking.

"Don't pretend to be unconscious. Answer me before I lose my patience."

He doesn't respond.

Dustin sighs.

"Huuuu- I was trying to be nice-"

He starts walking up to Agon.

Before he reaches him, Agon quickly opens his eyes.

"I'm sorry for tricking you!"

"You must love to test my patience. Hurry up and answer the damn question."

"What question? Could you repeat it again?"

They stare at each other intensely, in silence, before Dustin starts to slowly unsheathe his sword.

"I-I really don't know what you said!"

He continues to unsheathe it.

"I'm not lying!"

He finishes unsheathing it and disappears.

"I KEPT THEM IN THE JAIL IN MY CASTLE!"

He appears behind the chair and with his blade and stops right before he slices Agon's head off. But slaps him instead.

He's glowing red. That's a lie.

"How dare you..."

He looks at me.

I shake my head.

He immediately turns back to Agon full of fury.

"HOW DARE YOU LIE TO IN FRONT OF THE GODDESS'S APOSTLE?! TELL ME WHERE THEY REALLY ARE!"

He slaps him across the face twice. The chair cracks.

He forces himself to calm down and makes space between themselves.

"I'M SORRY! THE TRUTH IS THAT THEY'RE ALREADY DEAD PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!"

He's shining in the green light!

"YOU BASTARD!!!"

Oh no, Dustin's really going to kill him!!!

He charges at Agon about to swing his sword, without a technique, only fueled by anger.

Agon cries as he shrieks.

"HIEEEEK PLEASE SOMEONE SAVE ME!!!"

He looks at the shadows and they suddenly disappear.

As Dustin swings his sword and is about to slice Agon's head off, five shadows appear next to Agon and try to block Dustin's strike.

I reach for my sword and unsheathe it.

Are they betraying Dustin?

The five shadow's attempt at blocking Dustin's sword fail as all their blades break, but they manage to redirect it to Agon's right shoulder rather than his neck.

Agon, with his chains severed, falls to the ground and howls in pain.

Even if they outnumber him, and Dustin swings without technique, they are no match for a swordmaster.

Dustin seems to calm down.

"Huff, huff, huff. Thank you for stopping me. We still need this bastard alive for answers."

The shadows are hurt, but they resume their position around the room.

Ah, that's right. The shadows job is to fix or prevent their master from making a mistake. How loyal and competent of them. It was my fault for doubting them.

I unsheathe my blade and take my hands off.

Dustin strikes what seems to be pressure points around his shoulder and the bleeding stops. Afterwards, he looks down at Agon on the ground.

"I do not regret my actions. In my opinion you are deserving of far worse. But I will stop here. If you answer the rest of my questions correctly you may be able to keep your life. You may even be able to get your arm reattached. What do you say?"

"Huff, huff, huff, huff. Fine then, let's just quickly get this over with."

He says as he angrily stares at Dustin.

Dustin easily picks him up and throws him back on the chair.

I will definitely get my revenge!

He slaps him again.

"What's with that expression on your face? Do you want to die? Get rid of it."

"... Yes of course."

He forces on a smile.

"Get that smile off your face, what are you smiling at?"

He slaps him again.

Agon" I'm going to kill this senile old man!

"Secondly, tell me where the key to the vault is."

Agon hesitates but begins to speak before he is immediately cut off by Dustin.

"And don't even think about lying."

He points at me again.

"I keep the key to the vault with me at all times. It's in the storage of the blue pearl on my chain."

Dustin rips two of his chains off- the chain with a blue pearl, and the platinum chain with the Symbol of Pyro on it signifying one's rank of cardinal.

Ah, he didn't even ask me...

"You don't deserve to wear this one"

Dustin says as holds up the platinum chain after he separates the two chains.

Agon clicks his tongue.

"Tch"

Then Dustin rips the blue pearl off of the chain and smashes it.

Agon is in despair and screams in despair.

"A-a-aaaaah!!!! That cost me a fortune!"

A crest of an orange sun, the symbol of Pyro, pops. It is encrusted with many unknown but beautiful gems and the base is some kind of red material.

So the key was figurative, it's not an actual key.

"Great. Now I just have one last question for you."

Dustin becomes serious.

"Who is backing you?"

Agon starts shaking and turns pale.

"W- what do you mean?"

Dustin calmly sighs and taps the handle of the sword.

"Don't test my patience again. It's impossible for you to not have a backer."

"No matter how much money you have, there is no way you could have taken over the church this easily. Before you came along and when we were at our weakest, our forces were still as powerful as a kingdom."

"So, Who. Was. Backing. You?"

"I- I c- can't tell you that! They'll kill me if I do!"

Dustin sighs, approaches his chair and grips the handle of his sword tightly.

"You have two choices. You can tell us now and they might find out that you told us and kill you."

Dustin unsheathes his sword and imbues it with his white, light attribute aura.

"Or you can not tell us and I will personally execute you right here and now. Now, pick a choice."

He points his sword at Agon's neck.

He pushes his neck as far back away from the word as he can before closing his eyes.

"I- I can't tell you that! Please ask me anything else!"

A moment later, Agon's other arm is cut off.

"Will you answer me now? Or will I have to cut off your legs as well? Keep in mind, we are at the Grand Temple. I can grab a priest at any time and re-attach those limbs for you.

Agon stays silent for a second thinking out his options.

"O- okay, I'll talk. Can you please stop the blood flow?"

Dustin puts his sword away and strikes some pressure points around the shoulder.

The group that supported me called themselves the Arcanus Cult. They're a group of fanatics that idolize this guy called Magnus Arcanus, but I've never heard of him. They wouldn't tell me anything else even though they were the ones who invited me to join!"

Agon continues to glow green from my eyes.

MAGNUS ARCANUS! He still manages to manipulate the world even in his imprisonment! And for that cult to be powerful enough to take over the Church of Pyro, how much influence must they have? Do they already have control of all the kingdoms?

Dustin speaks.

"That's no help, I've never heard of that group before or this guy named Magnus Arcanus."

What? That bastard must have removed all records of him ever having existed! This is too much, has he already been unsealed? If so, then the world is already doomed!

"Everything he's said is true.

"Is that so? Well, do you know the leader? Or any of the executives?"

"Unfortunately I don't know any-"

He stops.

"Wait, I've actually seen someone influential who might be an executive. I've seen him at one of the meetings surrounded by cultist guards."

I scream out.

"Really? Who is it?"

"Duke Zephyr Ga-"

Duke Zephyr Gaston?

Suddenly, his head swells up and explodes, creating a giant pool of black blood. And dirtying the clothes of all in the room.

Immediately afterwards, Dustin and all of his shadows shout.

"Cleanse!"

And their clothes are rid of the black blood.

The shadows cast it onto themselves but Dustin casts it onto me.

Immediately afterwards, all the black blood on the floor melts the stone floor, like acid.

Phew, that was close. That could have turned out really bad.

I turn to Dustin to thank him.

I check my clothes to make sure there aren't any left on it before looking at him.

"Thanks Dustin, you really saved me ther-"

"Crash!"

What was that?

I look down to where the sound came from and see Dustin's motionless corpse on the ground, his armor with many holes and completely covered in black blood.

Dustin?

I see the five shadows in the room rush to his side.

"DUSTIN!!!"