Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 98: Earl Drake’s Hounds II

CH98 Earl Drake’s Hounds II

***

”Hey, Kara, what was that for?” Diana cried, holding her head.

”Stop it. You’re making the young master uncomfortable,” Kara said firmly. ”You’ll be punished for disrupting Master’s meeting.”

Alex turned his gaze to the new speaker.

She looked to be in her thirties—thin, almost frail—but carried a serene, sunny aura that naturally made those around her feel at ease.

Her attire seemed like that of a noble, but more understated. It wasn’t flashy like typical aristocratic fashion, yet not entirely plain either. It walked a fine line between modest and refined.

’A Druid,’ Alex deduced from her appearance, presence, and attire.

Sensing his eyes on her, Kara turned and gave a graceful curtsy.

”Hello, Young Master Alex. I’m Kara Temple. As I believe you’ve already guessed, I am a Beast-Tamer Druid.”

”Yes. Nice to meet you,” Alex responded with a proper mage’s bow.

Rather than lean on his noble status, he chose to acknowledge her standing as a senior in the magical path.

Technically, Druids existed in the liminal space between Mages and Warlocks. They required powerful Spiritual Force aligned with Nature and Life Laws but were trained more like Mages—hence often considered closer to them in the arcane hierarchy.

Alex wasn’t an expert on Druids, but he’d learnt a bit from the Beast Tamer who’d helped him with Fen back at the Enclave. That one also identified more as a mage than a warlock.

Kara seemed surprised by Alex’s choice of greeting, but his respectful approach earned a soft, approving smile from her.

The last person in the room was a familiar presence—Jared, the Dark Knight.

That completed the picture.

These three, alongside Jared, were clearly members of the famed Hounds of Earl Drake Fury.

Norton Stormwind, the Lightning & Spatial Mage.

Diana Lynchfield, the Illusion mage.

Kara Temple, the Beast-Tamer Druid.

And Jared, the silent Dark Knight juggernaut clad in shadowed armour.

Together, they formed the Earl’s inner circle—his most elite agents.

Alex had read about them in passing, and from what he’d gathered, the Hounds were unusually mage-heavy. A surprising fact, considering the Fury Family’s deeply rooted martial heritage.

Tap. Tap.

The sharp sound of Earl Drake’s index finger tapping the command table twice sliced through the noise.

The room immediately fell silent.

Even these powerful Class 5 experts—three Grand Mages and a Saint Knight—didn’t dare to disregard their master’s unspoken command. The knight who had brought Alex in had already shrunk into himself by the door, doing his best to act like the room’s most well-behaved statue.

Earl Drake gave his Hounds a slow, sweeping look before turning to the magical map projected on the table.

”Norton,” he began, ”I want you to lead the army this time. Level everything if you must—but I expect my banner flying over that castle within a month.”

”Master, no! Let me do it!” Diana suddenly interrupted, raising her hand like a child asking to be picked. ”I’ll bring down the castle even faster! In exchange... you’ll let me share a bed with the young master for whatever is left of the month!”

Thwack.

Kara smacked her again.

Then, without hesitation, she wrapped Diana up from behind in a choke hold, covering her mouth and cutting off her speech.

”Apologies, Master. I’ll keep her in line.”

Alex stood there speechless. From everyone’s lack of reaction, this clearly wasn’t out of the ordinary.

’This is normal?’ he thought with a rising headache. ’And I’m supposed to bear with her... indefinitely?’

Earl Drake merely nodded and turned back to the lightning mage, old Norton.

The ’old’ man rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he studied the map.

”The castle’s defences are pretty solid... I see. Only someone who specialises in siege warfare like myself would be able to bring it down easily.”

He turned to the Earl. ”I’ll bring it down as fast as possible. It’s just that—”

”I’ll increase your pay if you manage it within the timeframe,” Earl Drake interrupted without even looking up.

”As expected of Milord. You understand me too well.” Norton laughed shamelessly.

Alex resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Those eyes of Norton’s reminded him of Pinchcoin. He was likely cut from the same cloth—a gold-hungry flatterer who would sing praises of anyone willing to line his pockets.

Anyone who spent even a minute with him would quickly realise his sole motivation: money.

Alex couldn’t help but sympathise with Earl Drake Fury. It seemed everyone around him had some kind of quirk or eccentricity.

”Just get it done. If I have to send someone else to bail you out, I’ll deduct the cost from your base salary,” the Earl warned, eyes never leaving the shimmering table.

He waited a few seconds, then looked up to find Norton still standing nearby.

”What are you still doing here? You only have half a day to prepare your forces if you want to make up the time.”

Startled, Norton spun on his heels and dashed out of the office. In the corridor, he cast a portal spell to cover more ground.

The Grand Mage had just used a Rank 8 spatial spell powered by his own mana reserves—an expensive move that would sap a quarter of his immediate battle capacity. But Norton didn’t care.

Gold was on the line.

Unbothered by the mage’s swift departure, Earl Drake pointed to another area on the map—this time, a valley located near the castle town Norton was tasked to attack. Based on the map’s layout, the valley appeared to be under the castle’s protection or influence.

”Diana,” the Earl called out, his tone sharp, ”I’m assigning you a thousand heavy cavalry knights. Your task is to occupy the flanks of this valley within one week. When Norton attacks the castle town, nothing with breath is allowed to pass through the valley. Not a rat. Not a bird.”

”Am I clear?”

He raised his gaze from the map to make sure his seriousness was understood.

Diana, still locked in Kara’s grip, instantly stopped her playful struggling and answered with uncharacteristic gravity.

”Yes, Master.”

That seriousness didn’t last.

She thumped her chest in salute—causing her ample curves to ripple dangerously, nearly spilling from her outfit and completely ruining the solemn moment.

Before she could add another word, Kara sighed and dragged her out of the office. She, too, had her own mission to execute.

”Jared,” Earl Drake continued, ”be on standby. The Wildkins are stirring again, and the Killermans seem intent on muddying the waters.”

”Yes, my Lord.” Jared bowed.

As he turned to leave, the Dark Knight cast a glance at Alex—brief but unreadable—then exited the room with his subordinate, quietly shutting the door behind them.

Only two remained in the command chamber: Alex and Earl Drake Fury.

**