The Runic Alchemist

The flight to Rayajin and the city of Bamayas was quiet, as no one said much. Every so often, Damian let Reize take control of the ship. She was nervous, given how many people were aboard, but she still did her best.

At last, Sam asked Elias, "That was your older brother with Duke Layden, right? Didn't you want to talk to him?"

Elias's expression was complicated, but when he noticed most of them looking at him, he finally answered, "He left our house. Just like my sisters... He didn't want to be part of it and chose to serve Duke Layden Varia, even when our parents warned him not to."

Sam nodded.

Rayajin was barely a town—more like a large village. The surroundings were beautiful, with lush green mountains and rolling hills covered in fields. Most of the area was forested, dotted with small villages spread across the region. Damian didn't land; the area was controlled by regional lords or criminal syndicates, and he had no time to upend the power hierarchy.

Bamayas, in contrast, was a decent-sized city in a similar landscape. The vast forest stretched across the entire region. People were frightened at the sight of such a massive flying metal ship, but Damian kept his distance, so it wasn't too alarming.

The land was beautiful and rich in natural resources. After hours of mindless flight, they finally landed near a small, picturesque lake. By then, evening had fallen, and the view was mesmerizing. They gathered wood and started a fire. Damian crafted a medium-sized wooden building for anyone who wanted to sleep indoors, along with benches and a seating area near the fire—it was, after all, a camping trip.

The ship had enough emergency rations to feed 100 people for over a week if they were careful. They supplemented their supplies by fishing and hunting deer, ensuring fresher meals. Surprisingly, none of them knew how to skin a deer except Elias, who was also the only one who knew how to properly cook fish. The rest followed his instructions.

The scene was enchanting—an orange-red sun dipping behind the small mountains, its glow shimmering across the lake's surface. Seated around the fire, they enjoyed the warmth against the crisp air. Damian had even spotted snow on some of the mountain peaks.

"He agreed… I never thought he would…" Maelor muttered.

"It's not confirmed yet," Einar replied. "He'll set some conditions, I'm sure of it."

"That goes without saying," Lucian added. "No noble, let alone royalty, would back out of a war they've fought for years without gaining something in return."

Sam suddenly spoke up, his eyes fixed on the still lake. "Is it just me, or did it seem like the king was more interested in making contact with Maximus than in finding a way out of this war?"

"No, it definitely felt that way," Evrin confirmed.

Grace added, "Maelor's grandfather seems to be the reason for the king's decision…"

"Yes, I think they had already made up their minds.. yesterday," Maelor replied.

Sam concluded, "Whatever the reason, I didn't expect him to accept a quiet retreat.. This changes things quite a bit."

Maelor nodded. "Still, the empire is too much for them to handle alone, even with all of Dawnstar's strength."

Seeing his expression, Damian said, "Peace isn't an option, Maelor. I tried. The emperor is fed up with the other kingdoms and has the resources and technology to do something about it. If he doesn't conquer to make up for the resources he spent building his war machines, his kingdom will starve. It's surprising they've lasted this long and prepared so meticulously."

For the first time, Reize spoke. She was in Damian's arms, nestled in a chair he had crafted for comfort while enjoying the fire and the view. "He was waiting for Dawnstar and Eldoris to invest so deeply in Ashenvale that neither could pull back in time.."

That statement silenced everyone, forcing them to reflect on the gravity of the situation. At last, Lumi spoke. "One decision from Maximus might change history forever.. Without him, the empire would have no competition."

"And the people of Dawnstar would have no chance," Elias added, glancing at Damian with admiration.

That night, they slept in the cozy wooden house. In the morning, after refreshing themselves, they left for the lake city once again. The city was bustling—soldiers and civilians alike were in full motion. Even though they were leaving, it felt as if they were taking everything with them.
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Well, that was to be expected. The Dawnstar king had come with the hope of conquering, but he was leaving after merely plundering the land. Whether that was better than his rule.. who knew?

They entered the palace again, and as expected, the king was willing to withdraw—but only in exchange for highly demanding concessions, many of which directly involved Damian and his city. In fact, it almost felt like Damian himself was the one compelling the king's retreat, rather than the empire or Vidalia. One of the conditions even proposed an engagement ceremony between Damian and the Dawnstar princess—needless to say, he rejected that one outright.

The conditions for Eldoris involved prisoner exchanges, reparations, and other matters that were Vidalia's concern, not his. The terms related to his city didn't pose much of a problem, so overall, the demands were better than expected.

Damian returned to Vidalia and presented the conditions. She rejected most but accepted some.

Then, he returned to the palace. The king approved the revised terms and agreed to withdraw.

The logistics were straightforward. The city just needed a massive waygate, but that wasn't all—Damian had to activate four additional waygates to retrieve all the Dawnstar soldiers stationed across various regions. The process took the entire day and stretched well into the night, but eventually, they left Ashenvale behind.

By the end, Damian had opened more than six waygates since morning. After exchanging a few words about future cooperation, the king, MightyOne, and all the Dawnstar nobles stepped through the waygate, arriving in First Dawn, the capital of Dawnstar.

This time, Maelor went with them—he wanted to reunite with his sister in the palace.

That left Damian, his friends, and the Northern Dawnstar lords alone in the lake city, alongside the pugilist third-ranker Duke of the region. The remaining Dawnstar soldiers under Vidalia's command would be the last to leave.