Midas still felt slightly unsure about having used Gilt in this situation - to him, it was a last resort to make use of the golden skeleton, his ego telling him he could've at least tried ending those knights himself before they would meet their end like this. Whoever was kept behind that door would ask questions about how these knights were beaten, and his regret only rose as he found out that none of them wore any water stones on them - but why?
Was it obvious that these knights would've been ambushed and slain while they looked over the people that were kept here? Were they trying to save their water stones from ending up in the hands of the enemy?
The thought of being caught while trying to free them weighed on his mind; hastily, he unlocked the door. The old wood creaked slightly as he saw two bloody and beaten-up bodies in front of him, sacks over their faces and their hands tied together as they lay on the floor. One of them was broader and taller, while the other was slimmer and shorter. Slowly, while keeping an eye on the door, Midas undid the sacks from their faces - slicing up the knots with the blade of his sickle.
In front of him were Jakal and Qayid - their leader and the loyal underdog - both beaten up on the floor, their wide eyes landing on Midas as they slowly began to sit up. Jakal's shoulders twitched as panic began to spread over his face - ducking slightly as his body curled up, his mental state seemingly deteriorating. Qayid didn't seem much bothered, no; his expression was calmly thoughtful, even though his eyes possessed a sort of dullness that made him look manic in a way.
"Do you have any information on Patriq or Qannas...?"
"What do I know..."
"We... we will lose everything if we don't finally take the initiative...!"
Jakal disrupted Midas and Qayid's timid exchange - his eyes widened and glossy, and his fingers balled up as he stared at his leader. Midas' expression darkened; he wouldn't be surprised if Qayid made use of Jakal's weakness to make him the loyal servant he now is - his hand instinctively hovering over his sickle as he saw Qayid stand up.
"Come on... you're not the traitor that gave them the information about our hideout... are you?"
Qayid's tone was a slurred mumble, his tone proving - maybe even evaluating - as he stared down onto the side of Midas face, the two of them not moving as the only sound in the room was Jakal's heavy breathing.
"What use do I have from giving them this information? I have Skye now - the only thing I have to do now is use their library to find out where to go next and leave. The traitor you're looking for was Raqisa, and I ended her down in the ruins..."
"Oh, so you were down in the ruins when they beat our door in - isn't that interesting, Jakal...?"
His tone grew more accusatory. As Midas glanced at Jakal's wide, almost deranged eyes, he could feel him weigh out the truth behind his words. This really was not worth using Gilt for; neither were any of them in a good mental condition. Now they were also accusing him of being the traitor.
"Y-Yes... you must've killed her because she found out the truth, am I right?"
"Listen... I will let you run since you gave me the freedom I need to do the things that I need to do. But if I get to see you one more time, I will make sure to end you right there on the spot.
Before Midas could react, he was hit square in the jaw by the back of Qayid's hand - sending him aside into the room's wall, cracks appearing from it due to the impact as he fell down onto the floor. The sheer physical strength of him left Midas stunned, his head swirling as the punch left him feeling dazed - Jakal hurried as he caught up to Qayid, leaving him behind. Coughing up bits of blood and holding his head, he stabilized himself against the wall while rubbing the spot on his face he got punched in.
"How..."
Qayid spoke in a low, breathless tone; the two of them had found the mauled bodies of the guards. From the opened door, Midas could see Jakal's trembling eyes that eventually looked back at him. The two of them were unable to find out how he was able to pierce the armor of the guards - Qayid's eyes eventually lighting up, unable to find any trace of stone or water in the many tiny holes that were riddled across the bodies, looking up at Midas once he noticed that none of them had a water stone on them.
"They had no stones on them... There's a good chance they knew me or someone else would arrive to free you eventually. Just go before they put the three of us in confinement.
Walking out of the room, Midas stood in front of Qayid - their gazes staring each other down over the corpses. With an unsatisfied sound, the leader eventually turned his back to him and left with Jakal. Sighing to himself, he looked down at the bodies again; Gilt liquefied a portion of the gold that made up his body, enabling him to form it into hundreds of tiny beads that shot down onto the enemy with the speed of an arrow - creating needles that were capable of piercing metal.
The walk back was a drag; his head felt like it was cramping up - his fingers dug into the skin of his forehead as he found himself in front of the pharmacy. Skye was there, having snuck into the shopkeeper's room without disturbing his sleep to retrieve his key and unlock the door for him. Even though Midas tried to, they didn't exchange any words as she quietly walked towards the door and locked it, leaving him to himself.
The rest of the night went quietly; even though he chose the rug again so she could have the bed for herself, Skye just didn't seem to care and chose to sleep on the floor beside him. His eyes eventually opened; the faint linger of his migraine due to his excessive use of mana was still somewhat present, however much milder than yesterday. Her light pink hair was creating a curtain over his face, making him look up at her two pairs of dark eyes - a faint smile on her face as she looked down at him.
"You really like sleeping on the floor..."
"Not really..."
She slowly stood up as Midas got onto his feet as well; maybe she really had no intention of taking his life - why would she? He was the one who opposed Fils and promised to teach her about mana, after all. Covering his eyes with his hand as he groaned at himself, he eventually slid into his blazer and boots again before joining her on the set of stairs, both of them heading down to join up with Haya and Inaya - both most likely already awake.
"Listen, Skye. I'm sorry about last night..."
"No... it's fine. I get too greedy sometimes."
With hushed tones, their quick exchange ended with Skye's hand squeezing his as she hurried back downstairs, beaming with energy as she looked after Midas climbing down the stairs. Inaya was refilling the display shelves with the help of the shopkeeper. Haya looked out of the display window, his arms crossed as he was suited in the armor of the knighthood.
"I found Qayid and Jakal... they were jailed by the knights - but now they're free. Don't tell them I told you this, though; that would just get you in unnecessary trouble with him."
"To be honest, I only joined their cause since I feared that this inequality will reach Inaya... but the direction this all is heading towards makes me think twice about if I even want to be involved in this or not."
"Well, to reach their goal... gathering likeminded students won't be enough; they actively plan on fighting the system that assigns them as lower class - that's no small feat, and seeing someone crumble beneath the responsibility that comes with leading such a revolution is nothing surprising..."
"Still, Qayid was the guy who gave us a safe place to be in the academy. Inaya found a place to pray in; she was heavily shaken by what had happened that day - I don't even know how I was able to make her sleep and forget it... That's why a part of me wants him to succeed; the two of us plan on staying in this country, after all."
"Yeah, I eventually need to go west by the looks of it... no matter where, borders are strictly controlled, and some of us get denied entry simply because of our origin - dragged away into some cell and never seen after."
He knew her only fleetingly, but his mind drifted to Jelle - the saleswoman that sailed from the west coast to the west coast of the northern desert and brought him towards the gulf that lay south of Montcanal. Upon their arrival, he had to helplessly watch her get dragged out of the carriage - the guards stated it was for security reasons, his expression grimming as all of it led back to their raid on the festival in the plant kingdom.
"Midas...?"
"Oh, right. We should go already..."
Hearing the slightly worried tone of Haya, he glanced over the roofs of the nearby houses over the street - the sky a messy mix of yellows, oranges, and greyish blue tones as the sun slowly crept over the high, chalky walls of the city. Inaya and Skye eventually concluded their chat - the masked girl watching the three of them as they strolled out, waving after them before turning to tend to the young Fudula.
Skye, despite what had happened the night before, seemed as carefree as ever, strolling from one display window to the other, nearly walking right into a carriage that passed by them on their way to the academy. Most likely she felt a sense of relief to finally explore her surroundings at her will, making him and Haya momentarily stop to find her as she disappeared in the crowds of people and ongoing traffic that flowed through the streets of Montcanal in the morning.
It was mostly clothing that interested her, dresses, hats, and sometimes even swords she thought seemed elegant, as there was no need for her to follow someone else's plans anymore. Giving up on getting to the academy as soon as he could, Midas reluctantly gave in and followed her from one store to the next. They didn't buy anything, of course; none of them had the money to pay for the luxurious dresses Skye had a taste for, simply looking at them for a while, maybe giving them a quick nod and walking to the next item displayed.
"It almost feels wrong to be doing this... should I feel guilty for making you two follow me while I enjoy myself this much?"
"Do you feel guilty, Skye?"
"Not really..."
"Good, then you don't have to be."
The reply she gave Haya made him laugh, Midas only sighed at the fancy shops as the worn out condition of his clothing only became more noticeable. His reflection in the glass was a stark contrast to the fine suits that hung on the polished, wooden mannequins inside the many shops that aligned on the street - the only important thing to him was, that Skye regained her freedom, atleast partially, since they were still labeled as outsiders.
The pointy roofs of the compartments that made out the main academy building eventually rose up from the surrounding roofs of the houses - despite getting lost in alleyways and wandering in circles untill they came back to the street they planned to walk on originally, they stood at the same restaurant Midas had dragged her out of. The sheer sight of the coloured, striped cloth that hung over the broad windows to block out the sun shining right into the inside made both of them stop - eventually also making Haya stop as well.
"Fils taught me how to play the Blancaile. He always scolded me when I played a wrong note; every time he saw this instrument, he seemed to tense up in an instant... but he didn't leave my side until I mastered playing a melody without error."
"Woah... you can play a Blancaile...? They have so many keys, it must be hard to master..."
She fidgeted with her fingers as she looked at the white instrument that sat on the other end of the room. Hayas forehead rested against the glass to get a better look at it while she seemed more timid towards it - biting her lip in a way that made her look almost shy. The picture of how she was treated more like a rare sight or an object made Midas expression turn grim, noticing the quick glance she gave him.
Just as he arrived at the front door, Foulard sprinted towards him like a damsel in distress, his eyes shimmering as he held his arms out at him as if he wanted to embrace him in his arms. The sheer abnormality of the blonde boy with shimmering eyes running towards him while whining his name in what sounded like relief made Midas look grimmer than ever before.
"Thank the holy waters you are alright... My, why do you scare me like that, disappearing into these unholy ruins all by yourself? Hey... what did you do with Raqisa down there? Why hasn't she returned...? By the waters, I dressed up all fancy to rescue her since I thought she was caught..."
His expression softened slightly at Foulard, shaking his shoulders; he was annoying him for sure, and the expression Skye gave him was eerily dull after seeing him, but the moment the boy in front of him was captivated by the masked girl that eagerly practiced her dancing had not left his mind. Sinking his head slightly, Midas couldn't look Foulard in the eye as he forced himself to tell him the truth - even though he was annoying, he had helped him get closer to Skye.
"Raqisa was the third lackey; she gave them the position of the hideout and tried to take my life. I couldn't save her. She died in the ruins..."
The hand that had gripped his shoulder twitched slightly, his words instantly taking the air out of Foulard's tone as he blinked at him, the grin he wore as he spoke of his preparations to meet her slowly weakened as the weight of Midas reply sunk in.
"...Why do you say things like that? That's not funny, man."
"Forgive me."
With a stern expression, Midas looked into the distance - his eyes narrowing as he could feel Foulard's fingers tighten in his blazer, his grin fully vanished as he stared at him with wide, teary eyes. His knees gave in as he fell on the floor - visibly devastated by the news as he stared at the ground with an empty gaze, his body completely numb. Midas looked down at him; he felt concerned for his friend, trying to reach out but having no idea how to actually help him feel better.
Sensing the mood, Skye strolled towards the kneeling blonde boy - slowly crouching down beside him, searching his eyes as she tilted her head to the side. She knew Midas was bad at moments like these, so she just did what she thought seemed right - her hand brushing through the blonde hair of his companion. Even though he bit his lower lip painfully, Foulard couldn't hide his tears, sobbing quietly as he stared at the ground; for a moment it was quiet, and just as fast as his tears came, they were wiped away by his sleeve.
"Who's she - "
With a loud scream, Foulard flinched away, lying on the ground as he pointed at Skye with an alarmed expression, his arm shaking. Midas expression became slightly annoyed at how fast his demeanor could switch between emotions - an annoyed frown on him while Skye giggled quietly at the noble's reaction towards her.
"Midas...! That's her...!"
"I know."
"You found her, you really found her, did you...?"
"I did."
"What about the commander's son, though... if he finds out she's around you, he will come and get her back - plus, his father is in the city as well...!"
As annoying as he was, he had a point. Running into Fils was inevitable; without her clearing things up with him, Midas couldn't separate her from his influence completely, which made things much more complicated than he liked. The mention of his father left a bitter taste in his mouth as well; unlike his son, whom he might be able to talk things out with, he would simply swoop in and leave with her - if he planned on fighting him, he'd most likely need to make use of Gilt.
"Oh, don't you worry... Fils always listens to me when I explain things to him."
"If you do plan on meeting him, I will be on your side."
The eerily light tone of Skye's voice made both of them halt for a moment; after all, she had known him for much longer than either of them had, so her words held some weight to them. It might just be his pessimistic way of thinking, but Midas couldn't be entirely sure everything will turn out as smooth as she made it seem - besides, the thought of staying next to her in that moment felt right since it was he himself who got him involved in their affair to begin with.
"Come on already... I will be late to the knighthood gathering if I keep on waiting for you guys."
Haya groaned lightly, his arms crossed behind his head as he strolled back at them. With a huff, Foulard grasped Midas hand and allowed him to drag him on his feet. Until then, whatever Qayid was planning and whenever Fils really would arrive, he couldn't just wait - him having freed Skye gave him the opportunity to finally get the time to find out more about this world and where his next goal should lie.