"I owe him - so in order to relieve me of my debt to Jikith, I'm bringing you out of here."
Checking his left and right again, Midas checked the part of the slim walkway he could oversee. Patriq leaned himself against the metal beams of the cage on the other side as the prisoner lay asleep amongst the others. The pirate they freed had an athletic build under the bandage that wrapped around his waist - seemingly having used the time he was imprisoned to train his strength. Holding his unshaved chin, he also eyed down his left and right, the thoughtful hum he left out hulling almost through the empty hallway.
"You two got some sort of mana stone on you - is either of them a water stone perchance?"
Midas's eyes narrowed in surprise; he knew that mana that radiated off human bodies was able to be picked up by the eye alone under the influence of a Null-Ability; however, the man in front of them was able to detect not only his own but one held by Patriq as well - seemingly noticing with one short glance at them alone. Not even he knew that Patriq beside him held onto a mana stone, even though the way he seemed to bend air was evidence of him having to possess one.
The staff he used must somehow differ from the usual gear used by people that use mana stones; instead of metal gloves, rings, necklaces, or braces, Patriq wielded a staff, one made from wood. From all the encounters he had with people using some sort of mana stone, Midas was able to tell that all of them used some kind of metal - as if mana were somehow able to flow more easily through them.
Staring at Patriq's staff until his expressionless eyes noticed him, Midas watched as the man they freed looked out of the barred window built into the tall circular building, eventually noticing why he requested a water stone.
"None of us have water stones, plus there are guards watching on the top of the building. If you plan to let yourself fall into the waters that surround the place, they will most likely see you."
"Yeah, you're probably right - I don't even have anything to slot a stone into."
Turning to them slowly, he approached them, his ear visibly twitching as they heard the rattling of chainmail hull from the distance. Unable to hide a sharp grin, he turned his head to the direction of the sound.
"...unless I'm able to find someone who does."
Midas's expression faltered instantly, watching him look up at the ceiling of the floor as if his eyes could see through the cobble and mortar that make up the structure. Seeing him quicken his step towards what seemed to be the upper floor, he nudged Patriq to follow as he stuck to the pirate. As they found themselves wandering up the set of stairs heading to the fourth floor, the youth was able to pick up the sounds of the pirate cracking his knuckles, watching the fingers of his left hand stretch wide apart.
"You want to know what separates a good null-ability from a mediocre gimmick...? The way you use your mind - your way of thinking and feeling. It's our head that has the greatest influence on our mana flow, so if you're able to somehow include it in your null-ability, you quickly create something that greatly differentiates you from any other fighter... I'm a bit dumb, so I make sure every single fiber of my body that is capable of forming a thought is dedicated to concentrating my mana into one particular place."
"Left hand."
Not whispering anymore, the pirate and one of the patrolling knights met at a corner on the fourth floor - his left arm already angled to charge a blow before the enemy's head was able to fully turn towards him. The impact was clearly heard, hollowing through every pathway on the floor - the pirates' blow visibly warping the reinforced metal of the knight's helmet, making his body blow through the stone and mortar after the hull of crushed metal reached Midas's ear.
"If you find yourself sleepy, pain usually wakes you up well enough."
Raising the back of his now bleeding hand at them, Midas was able to see that the skin around his knuckles was almost fully blown away, the new skin reddened and glistening underneath in the dim light of the torches. The youth opted to stay quiet, even though their situation didn't become any more pleasant - listening to the pirate rambling about mana control could potentially bring him much further against whoever might be sent after him in the future.
Jikith, Guan, and now the man in front of him were much more advanced than anyone else of their group - most likely even outclassing the older students like Ivyda, even though he hadn't seen her way of bending that often. However, judging by the impact of Jikiths explosions and now the physical strength the man in front of them was able to bring up, Midas was pretty sure; he was able to compete with Gunvar or Khud. Meaning, if Midas somehow stuck around, he might be able to decrease the chances of Gilt taking over should he faint in a battle.
"Ah, I can already hear them. You somehow were able to open my lock - however, you're definitely not from the western lands..."
Unsure where the connection between the two lay, Midas saw the pirate's gaze on him over his shoulder - calls from surrounding knights and awoken prisoners were already hulling through the dimly lit halls as the sound of footsteps quickly became louder. Were westerners somehow able to open locks - perhaps even able to bend metal - by the intrigued tone the pirate used?
Two knights stormed towards the freed pirate - the one in the front running at him with a heavy shield that nearly covered the length of the knight's entire body. Noticing Patriq turning behind them, Midas drew his sickle as well, able to pick up faint footsteps as another knight made his way up the stairs, confirming the youth's suspicion that by the attack of one of the knights, the rest would come storming directly after - alerted now also by the hammering and shouting of awoken prisoners.
"Left index finger."
Seeing the knight hide his face under the heavy plate of wood that was strengthened by a metal frame, the pirate rammed his finger through the wood, allowing his still-charged left fist to freely reach the helmet of the knight. The impact burst open the helmet of the knight, blood flowing from the indentation of the metal as he used the shield to block a low slicing slash from the other enemy. Leaping back, he undid the shield from his wrist - throwing it at the second knight.
The technique the pirate used showed a striking similarity to Khuds' sudden charge of strength during their fight - once he threw his helmet to the ground, Khuds' entire face was twisted by pure rage, possibly allowing him to raise his output. The sudden anger he felt possibly allowed him to bring up much more from his reserves.
Midas was at an advantage here; the knight was now also running at them - however, still far enough away to allow the youth to bend. Clawing with the fingers of his right hand, the sun shard triggered stone pillars to rise from the ground, ceiling, and wall on each side of the knight - effectively pinning his torso between them. Any attack with his sickle would be of no use, the same if he charged it - each of his finger joints began to ache as he tried his best to form a fist.
Able to feel the stone pillars squishing the plated body of the knight between them, Midas clenched his teeth - having to make sure the knight was fully disposed of. Watching for a while, Patriq opened the visor of the pinned knight, his swings not able to reach him as he planted the end of his wand between the knight's brows - one blast of wind was enough to fling him back down the set of stairs as the pillars Midas controlled completely shut off the hallway.
"Huh, so you do have a sun shard. Come on - the stairs to the roof are right there..."
Dashing up the last few stairs, the pirate ducked the strike of another knight, eventually having to dodge the strike of a second one with the same-sized shield behind him. Now standing between them, he was able to feel the energy of his left hand fading, forced to use his ability on his finger yet again.
"Left index finger."
Feeling his skin lightly stretch, as if the blood inside of his finger began to boil, he rammed his nail into the wooden shield of the other knight behind him. The strike against the face of the knight is now only able to knock him back a few steps as the pirate narrowly evades the slash of the enemy in front of him by retreating his left shoulder. Using the momentum, he swung his left arm forward, using his right hand to stabilize it as his index finger pointed at the head of the knight in front of him.
"Left index finger."
With a light stinging in his head, the pirate's finger, including bone, shot from his hand - blazing through the visor to dig into the face of one knight, ending him. Seeing the stern gaze linger on him by the knight with the now broken shield, the pirate grinned at the way he was stared down at as if he were some sort of monster, blood gushing from the place where his finger used to belong.
Approaching the floor after the pirate, Midas sneaked his way behind the enemy - his grip on his sickle tightening as he wound up a charged slash - letting the slash rip before his left forearm could fully cramp up, hitting a tiny unguarded slit between the plating that shielded calf and leg; the impact made the knight kneel in front of the pirate. One blow with his bleeding left hand was enough to knock the enemy out.
"Null-abilities are the strongest thing the bare human body can perform - and because of our ability to show emotion like anger and excitement combined with adrenaline as well as the satisfaction we feel when dealing with an enemy or problem, we're the only species capable of complex thinking to fully bring out their potential when we try hard enough."
Midas's eyes stared at the pirate's hand as the bleeding gaps of skin seemingly began to close by themselves - even a piece of the missing finger now returning. Patriq observed the empty roof, one foot on the edge of the roof as he stared down onto the city with the staff in hand, seeing multiple rows of roofs stretch out through the entirety of the second ring as the walls of the next rose much higher above them.
"However, without a stone to flow through - if you're not good at regulating your output - they completely drain your supply of mana, especially when regenerating."
Snorting up a drop of blood, the pirate joined to look over the city with Patriq - his hands on his hips as he remained there with a broad stance, seemingly rid of any stress. Regenerating wounds using vines was something Midas had already made use of; however, seeing that doing so was possible without plant matter at all made him wonder how advanced one had to be to control their mana to not have to rely on a plant stone.
"Alright then, I can already see where the rat is hiding - who knows, if he's desperate enough, he might also come back to you one day. But until then... good luck."
Waving at them casually, the pirate leaped down from the edge of the tower, eventually reminding Midas that they were essentially trapped up on the roof now. Seeing the pirate slip into the darkness of the many streets of Montcanal in front of them, the youth eventually had no choice but to make use of his stone again, making steps rise from the warping wall of the circular building as they slowly descended from the side of the tower, bridging himself over the water-filled valley that encircled it.
Before he knew it, he and Patriq made their way to the dorms again, silently parting from each other as Midas found himself seated on the edge of his still fully drenched bed. Unable to sleep as he went through all the information he picked up from the pirate rattered through his head, Midas stared at his empty wooden shelves through the darkness.
"You didn't forget about my favor, did you..."
Hearing the metallic screech hum through the back of his head, his body froze as Gilt suddenly talked to him - only now realizing how cold his room really was as he heard it force itself into his thoughts.
"Do your most to stick to the pirates - no, that's not enough... Become a member."
"I'm not doing that because you gave me a key..."
"Then stay weak forever, but I assure you the next time you faint... I won't allow you to regain your body as easily as before."
Now even more awake and aware of his situation, Midas gave up on sleep, simply wanting to leave his dorm behind as he put his uniform on again to head out to the main building. Able to hear a distant scream from one of the pathways between the schools' sections, the youth drew his sickle using his chance to focus on something else.
His back against the wall, Midas glanced at where the scream originated from over the corner of the building, able to hear laughter in three different octaves as three students in blue blazers stood in front of someone on their knees - by the sound of the loud sound, a girl. Retreating slightly as one of them walked towards his direction, Midas held his breath - eventually throwing a piece of the brick wall against the back of their head as they turned the corner in the other direction.
"Still got that mask on, huh? You learned our language. I told you to take it off, or are you ignoring me...?"
Seeing one of them crouch down to force the mask off of the girl, Midas used his sun shard to lift up a brick of the plastered pathway, throwing it at the head of the second. Making the third freeze - hitting him with another piece of rock before they could fully turn to him, barely fighting the urge to make use of his sickle to really make sure they wouldn't move anymore. The sudden silence revealed the silent sobbing of the Gihin girl, her head slightly rising to look at him as he crouched down beside her.
"Thank the sun..."
Midas recognized the two braided ponytails that hung down from her left and right, quickly realizing that this was the same girl. Foulard had talked about during their dance practices. Her whole body shuddered, hands on the ground - her nails digging into the ridges between the stones that made up the pathway.
"I'll bring you to your dorm."