After making sure that Sage's mouth was properly tied up, he led them through the castle. Gando marched along side him. He hadn't even glanced at Sage as they made their way through the halls cluttered with bodies. But, miraculously, nobody appeared to have suffered any wounds at all. Soldiers, servants, and nobles lay strewn across the floor and appeared to be in a deep slumber.<br/><br/>"My, Gando, you magic is absolutely incredible," Sadero remarked. "I haven't seen magic like this in a long time. Are you sure it will hold until we get away?"<br/><br/>"I've had a long time to perfect my craft, my lord." Gando said. "Your concern is reasonable, but you have no reason to fear. My magic will hold them until we're gone. And we'll get away with our treasured prisoner. Of course, Sage, you commented about your father being obsessed with war, but this will end the war. For too long Mathredos has stood beneath the shadow of this shameless empire. Today the Zusans have been humbled and their Emperor captured. This will assuredly end everything."<br/><br/>Sadero glared at Sage.<br/><br/>"And I don't understand what your problem is. I have come to rescue you, yet you say it wasn't required?"<br/><br/>"She's clearly suffering from a case of Stockholm Syndrom, my lord. Daishoga paints his poisons as fruit and his fruit as poison, and clearly she was taken with the poison of his lies."<br/><br/>Sadero nodded.<br/><br/>"Clearly. But it matters not. We're going to make our way to the Reltican Republic where she will be wed to the highest judge of the land, the judge who will judge Daishoga for his war crimes for the past twenty years. His reign of terror will be over. And a new dawn will rise on the continent. I only...wish my people could have survived to see this day." Sadero's voice cracked and legitimate tears seeped from his eyes.<br/><br/>Gando clapped him on the shoulder. No more words were spoken. They arrived in the entrance hall which was literally littered with hundreds of bodies. Soldiers. Again, nobody was dead or even harmed. They were all asleep. It was truly a ludicrous display of magic prowess by the Court Magician Gando.<br/><br/>They made their way out into the courtyard where a contingent of carriages awaited. There was a large cage in one of them. Perhaps one might realize the irony as Daishoga was stuffed into the cage.<br/><br/>"That day...your soldiers packaged innocent villagers into a similar cage like nothing more than cattle to be carried off to your empire," Sadero's voice was thick with emotion. "I can't wait until you wake up and realize you're no better than a dog yourself."<br/><br/>He grabbed Sage's arm roughly and led her along to a carriage near the middle and helped her into it. He got in beside her and it wasn't long before the carriages trundled off.<br/><br/>Thump! Thump! Shake!<br/><br/>Daishoga groaned and tried to sit up, but his arms were held awkwardly behind his back and his ankles had even been shackled together. The movement of the carriage also didn't help. After a few moments of struggling, he sat up and looked around. Through the bars of his cage he could see a stony gray sky. Off in the distance was the imposing city of ShindCom. It was already quite far away/<br/><br/>"....I see," Daishoga murmured. "This is where life has led me..."<br/><br/>He felt incredibly weak. His muscles ached and his vision was slightly blurred. What had they done to him? With that as his last thought, he fell back and passed out. Fat tears began to fall from the sky, and soon it was storming. Thunder crackled and lightning flashed across the sky. And Daishoga had to endure it all in his already weakened state.