*Sif’s POV*

That human Alex sure loves to talk. I’ve sensed talkative ones before in the long years of watching over the mountain, but I always just ignored them after a point.

I turn and look at Master Robin, noticing how she too does not know how to handle this situation. But alas, I have to endure. Alex is the precious descendant of Master’s teacher. Thankfully for Master and I, Lyn and Claire are able to somehow hold a conversation with her, though I do not know how they manage to get words in.

Finally retiring to an inn after escaping miss Alex we spend the brisk night walk in a comforting silence. Unfortunately I sense fourteen presences surrounding us, following in silence. From their steps I sense their skilled craft at moving undetected, though no amount of skill nor magic can hide them from me so long as they are creatures that live on the earth. 

In fact, I have taken magic ownership as all the earth for miles from the mountain where I stood watch over Master. They aren’t doing anything but observing for now so I will just watch them for now. 

Unfortunately for them they did decide to act. Collapsing onto their beds, Master and Claire pass out into sleep instantaneously. Sensing them sneaking closer to our room I will the earth to take action. The ground beneath each of them opens up and swallows them whole, be it the soft dirt close to the houses or the cobblestone streets, and restores itself in the blink of an eye. 

One of them has a hint of magic, untrained, but enough to receive my spirit voice. “Who sent you?”

I clear a small clearing around his head so he can speak. “I won’t tell you anything. Just kill me and be done with it.”

Back in the Ancient Empire thugs of this level were often controlled by whatever crime lord essentially holding their family hostage. Lets see if the threats I made back then are still effective.

“Oh? But what about your family? Or the family of the rest of your team? You are all submerged dozens of feet below the ground. No one will ever find you, and it will look like you all just ran away.”

He pales a little before shouting, “HAH, like magic this powerful wouldn’t leave a giant trace or make a ton of noise. You just wait, we will find you!”

“You seem to be misunderstanding. I used no magic not already present. I am the Spirit King of Spirit Mountain. The earth is mine, and simply moved to my will. I am punishing those who would harm the one under my protection. There will be no signs.”

Well if he doesn’t cooperate, I have eleven more to go through, though it will be harder to make a connection with a manaless. His trembling makes it seem that won’t be necessary though. Let’s give another push.

I form a cave further under him, built in the shape of one of those old treasuries of the Empire. I seal each member of his team in luminescent crystal, placing them in a circle. Finished, I notice him struggling desperately, frantically, but to no avail. When he stops to catch a breath I drop him into the room, leaving him sprawled.

“Look at what I did to your friends. They are still alive for now. You will give me what I want or you will take one of their places.”

Looking around in terror he cries, “OK I’ll talk! Our boss controls this section of town, and we were just told to maim then kidnap a party of girls that just arrived. I don’t know who ordered it, I just know our boss told us to do it. Please…. Please let me go. Like you said, he will kill our families as a message to those who run if I can’t tell him we failed. Please!”

Perfect. “Go back to your boss then, and tell him the Spirit King of the Mountain protects those girls.”

The man is still crying as I rapidly raise him up to the surface, where he appears right where he disappeared, alone in a dark quiet alley. Looking around fearfully, he breaks off into a run. Approaching a warehouse surrounded by empty buildings, he hastily knocks a pattern on the door. He starts spewing about how everyone was taken out before they could even reach the targets. 

Time to finish this. I empty another cavern below the ground. Double checking that the surrounding buildings are indeed empty of intelligent life, I have the earth swallow the entire warehouse and surrounding sentries. Unlike the silent abducting of the individuals before, a quiet low rumble emanates briefly into the now empty clearing. Now completely in my domain, I turn my senses directly into the structure. 

I see the assailant exchanging screams with someone I had marked before. When we had trouble with the young gate guard I put a tracker on him that would spread once to any people he talked to. I hadn’t had the chance to look over who was marked yet, but this man clearly had contact with that brat. Time to make sure.

I send in waves of earth crashing into the building. I control the speed to leave enough time for the marked person to try and avoid the initial surge. To add to the terror whenever a person is swallowed I transform the surrounding earth into the luminescent crystals from before, showing the thugs frozen in time, faces contorted with fear.

The assailant I let go screams, “I TOLD YOU!!!! WE’RE DOOOOOOOMED!” and is promptly kicked into a wave and transformed.

The marked man yells out in a threatening voice, yet I feel his fear beneath all of bravado, “MAGE! You don’t want to kill me, you don’t even know the contacts that I have!”

I have the earth form words in the sea that surrounds him, “I am no mage. As the poor man you kicked tried to warn you, I am a Spirit King. And notice how I stopped my assault right before you. I can let you go, just confirm who ordered you to attack those under my protection.”

He grits his teeth before spitting out, “You won’t get anything out of me. I know there’s no escape in a situation like this, the one thing I can do is SPITE YOU YOU BASTARD!”

Well, lets see if my past methods still work.

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The next morning the young guard Hugh enters an outhouse and disappears.