A Rose Between the Thorns

Chapter 8

The sun had begun to set over the Clover kingdom as the members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun had finally arrived back at their base, their two captives incased in gel orbs floating behind them, the same for their grimoires. Both were still passed out though one was in far better condition.

"Rades, you put your petty need for revenge before the mission and this is the result. The master may have taken a liking to you but don't get cocky." They began to walk down the path leading to the bases entrance as the lead mage continued. "Mucking about with those creatures of yours, taking on the Captain by yourself, you're an arrogant fool."

Rades was growing aggravated due to the mages words. "Give it a rest already." The mage spoke back his voice equally aggravated, though not as loud. "If you had stuck to the plan like you were suppose to things would have been much less complicated."

"I don't see what you have to complain about when it's my precious puppets that were the victims of all of this." Rades argued back still aggravated yet also, sad?

The woman controlling the gel orbs spoke. "Let's not forget about Cathrine, things didn't turn out to well for her either." Rades couldn't keep to himself. "As if I care about that old hag." Valtos spoke up from behind the puppet mage. "Quit squabbling."

"I don't know why everyone's so upset, you got what you wanted right?" Rades retorted to the complaints of the other mages. They all stopped as Valtos spoke once again. "Oh and Sally one thing, this little prize of yours can't come with us. Kill him."

Sally was not too happy about this turn of events as she began to flap her arms in alarm. "What! You've got to be kidding I can't just throw away a prime specimen like him. We're not talking about simple magic weakening spells, this kid has actual anti-magic. Do you know..."

As she went on Asta began to wake from inside the ball of gel. Where am I, what is this stuff? It feels sorta nice.

The lead mage stepped forward, towards the two bickering mages. "Only those people who have been acknowledge by the master may go where we are headed, like the girl you hold in your spell. Kill him before the Master comes for us."

Sally was furious at the thought, but Rades was pleased with the idea of killing Asta, due to the wound he gave him. "You know I'd be happy to kill him for you. The brat would make a good edition to my play things." Asta heard everything they were saying about him and was starting to wake up more as they spoke.

Uh oh, not good, looks like I've gotten myself captured. Asta thought as he was now fully awake, and sally took notice of his conscious state. "Oh goodie goodie your awake." She spoke in a sing song voice. "Come on you should help me convince them. It'll be great, I'll study everything about you and your grimoire and do some experiments and then I'll dissect you. You want to help with my research don't you? I'll analyse every last cell nothing will go to waste, I swear just think of how much we could learn."

Asta's face went blank from complete terror of Sally. This girl is nuts, I am in seriously deep trouble. Crap I can't move, there's no getting out of here. Just then asta was able to see Rose suspended unconscious in one of the gel balls as the group began to move into the base. Oh no they have Rose to! What are they going to do to her?

The group had finally entered the base though they stopped midway when a certain someone stepped out from the shadows. "Hi there, you've kept me waiting." Expressions of shock appeared on all their face's including Asta's. "No it can't be." Rades spoke fear in his voice. The Wizard King, Julius Novachrono. How did he find us, why is he here? The leading mage thought.

"Did you have a pleasant visit to the Capital?" Julius asked in a light hearted way, a smile present as he spoke. "Kill him now!" The mage commanded his companions, but Julius wasn't going to allow that. He appeared before the group in less than a second using his magic to remove a good amount of the enemy mages.