While a drink certainly was on the mind, no copious amount of beverage had ever made Ambrose feel the way he did now. Standing in Elenor’s now closed holding cell, he breathed deeply and found the air to be incredibly refreshing; the smell of nature and the trees was not something he was accustomed to, and even though they had spent hours in the forest he now realized that he couldn’t enjoy it as his hopes seemed to be in despair. But now as the wind ran through his matted, sweaty hair, Ambrose Nola could only describe himself as elated. Though it was far from planned, everything was currently going swimmingly, and Elenor’s new strategy seemed marvelous.
I’m actually doing it! He reminded himself, again and again, astounded and proud of himself. He held his coin in his right hand, flipping it between his fingers, with his left hand occupied by a small rock he had found in the path. He looked over to see that Veronica was still unconscious, and thankfully she was. There seemed to be only one issue in Elenor’s plan, that being the untimely revival of Veronica and her snake whip, which is where the crude rock idea hatched from. Should she come to, Ambrose just needed to throw the rock at the woman.
Presently he stared down the path in the direction Giovani and Sebastian currently were. He was too busy smiling and gloating to himself to care for the leaves that were erratically spitting from the curve in the road; he knew now that they fell with the use of the original items. It seemed a problem for Sebastian or Gio to handle, and no doubt the two could. Should the former fall into some wild boar, Ambrose decided that would be another pleasant surprise on this day full of astonishments, but didn’t get too ahead of himself. After all, the man was far scarier than any beast.
What he did not account for came speeding from the curve in the path: Giovani was in full sprint, and though the details of his face were too far off, the desperate form in his running sent Ambrose’s heart to flight. More so on his mind was Elenor’s plan, and he realized now the gaffe in his judgment.
“Elenor! He is no foe, wait for the big one!” Ambrose cried out, his voice aimed towards the right of the path. Giovani seemed to stagger at it, but continued to press on.
Only a half minute later, Giovani was panting with his hands on both knees, looming over his sister’s body. Ambrose towered over him as he stood on the holding cell, swapping his gaze between seeing the status of Gio and the path ahead. Surely a beast would come, but none did before Giovani finally caught his breath, managing, “Wh-wh-what happened?”.
“Me! I happened Gio!” Ambrose threw his arms up, “The tree fell, as you see, and then so did your sister! By my hand! Can you believe it? We can become famous, the fool who knocked out the Visconti! You might care a little, and I’m sorry, but now you and I can get out of here. That’s right, you and I are returning the Princess!”
Giovani could only stare back, dumbfounded and seemingly waiting for a punchline that did not come. Before enough time passed that would have made Ambrose incredibly nervous, Gio laughed aloud, keeling over and falling onto his arse. He was laughing wildly, almost insanely, and Ambrose’s smile churned as he waited for what it meant.
“Ho ho! Ho ho!” Giovani said, wiping tears from his eyes, “Ambrose Nola you are indeed a fool, but a very impressive one! You could have turned tail right away, most likely the better option, and yet here you are expecting one of the invaders, and the brother to the woman you have dealt quite the bump to, to jump ship and help you with your sailing! And the best part is, your offer is a grand one indeed! I am both happy and am forced to accept it! You see, if you recall those four soldiers you tended the carriage with-” Giovani stopped as the expression in Ambrose’s face turned to realization and defeat. He turned to see down the path, expecting Sebastian to be ravaging it, but there was no one.
“The other soldiers...oh my how daft am I! We are still severely outnumbered! And Elenor doesn’t even know!”
“Ho ho! That’s ok my friend!”
“You mean you’ll take care of them? Even as talented I am sure you are, the four plus Sebastian-”
“You misunderstand Ambrose - I already have taken care of them! The four soldiers are dead! Well…” Giovani seemed to have the same moment of clarity Ambrose had, “Well they are but they’re not, if you know what I mean.”
Ambrose's voice caught in his throat as he eyed Giovani suspiciously, “Uh, not quite Gio. You’ve lost me a few times there. The soldiers are...dead?”
“Well they were killed, yes!”
“But they’re not dead?”
Giovani pondered, then answered, “They were dead, surely they were!”
“But by your hand?”
“Well, my knife but yes you seem to get it! So when do we escape?” Giovani’s face was excited, his darting eyes flying between Ambrose and the way Sebastian still seemed to be.
“Wait wait, no I don’t get it!” Ambrose stammered, “Why would you kill your own men? You hadn’t known I would invite you to my rescue party, and yet you slayed your men for what purpose?”
Giovani squatted down, thumbing at his sister with a wide smile on his face, “Her idea! We wanted the big guy alone, with no distractions or support for when he heard the real big plan. So we needed all the loose ends, sans the Princess of course, to shoo off!”
Ambrose continued to stare incredulously at the man, “And...sans me, right?”
“Ho ho! Not sure about that, but possibly! Sister wanted a bit of your sausage first. She is undeniably a true Visconti that one, and needed to test her savior out. But that Sebastian is quite the score, not my type of course, and unless God's bestowed you with more than just good humor…” Giovani acted like he was choking himself, tossing in a hiss every couple seconds, before falling limp to the ground with his tongue lying out.
Ambrose’s heart sank, his stomach turning over as he realized how close he was to his demise. Had it not been for the tree falling, the rejection or even acceptance to Veronica’s commands surely would have done him in. He was a proud man down under, but not proud enough to be overzealous.
“Look I know it’s a lot,” Giovani started, “But we’re a team now, right friend? Well, I need you, partner! That Sebastian is quite upset with what I have done to his men, although I never intended what unholy thing is going on with them now. That damn boar too! Yes the same one, it’s all utterly incredible and sickening! I hope you and that Princess did come up with some idea, if she’s a capable user of that silk she wears then our odds against him are certainly higher than null!”
Ambrose followed Giovani’s turn to gaze down the path but wasn’t seeing as much as he was thinking. It seemed that even at the new pinnacle of his achievements, he still was a mast at the mercy of so many other factors; the wind, the crew, the captain, the material he was made from. He could not grasp the whole ocean or even a puddle, with so many factors ravaging that were undecipherable to the likes of himself. His shoulders slouched, and his elation was a feeling left in the past.
Only a few moments later, Ambrose’s world exploded with surprise and pain; letting out a scream and falling off the holding cell, he clutched his right Achilles only to find that a presence was still there. He looked in horror to find Veronica’s snake clenching hard to the back of his lower leg, it’s leathery eyes dark and staring at him before changing course to his proximal hand. Letting go, the snake brandished its teeth once again, and Ambrose was witness to how the whole anatomy of the snake was the same shade of brown leather; teeth, tongue, roof of the mouth. He was not quick enough to escape it as it bit down on the area between his thumb and pointer finger.
“Aaaaaah! Gio, she's awake! Help meeee!” Ambrose screamed. To no immediate avail, he began beating on the head of the snake with his other hand. He continued to do so, rolling on the ground and trying any trick that would make the animal subside, but was reminded alarmingly how the serpent was not a real serpent, and the item did not falter as he continued to attack it.
“Stay still Ambrose!” Giovani called out. Drawing his dagger, Giovani threw the blade at the shadows of the forest floor, where it submerged and then reappeared in the shadow made by Ambrose’s body.
Ambrose felt a cold touch brush his teeth, as the ebony blade emerged at a blinding speed from the ground, nicking his cheek. He touched his cheek, feeling and then seeing the blood as he looked at his hand, but he felt more relief than pain. The blade had also cut through the midpoint of the leather snake, forcing the snake to let go, hissing at its wound. Ambrose tried to stand up but found he could not support himself on his left leg where the snake initially attacked. Falling to the ground, he watched as both sides of the cut whip squirmed on the ground, seemingly writhing in agony.
“Keep moving Ambrose! I’ve slowed it but both ends will be after you now!” Giovani called out.
Both ends? Ambrose’s question was answered before he had the chance to ask it aloud, seeing the cut end that had been the snake's lower half begin to form an identical head to its counterpart. He began crawling desperately away, his right leg lame and sliding on the ground as he did.
“Giovani!” Veronica said, sitting up from where she fell and displaying a wicked smile that made her look mad, “You side with a traitor! You side with a man who attacked your own blood! Why?”
Giovani’s blade emerged from his own shadow, where he caught it in the air. Pointing it at her, he replied, “Because he is a friend of mine! Far greater a friend than you have ever been to me, oh dearest sister. And leagues above this holy bunch you call our allies! I see now that your plotting is a failure, and it is only a matter of time before your deceptions make me a victim!”
Veronica stood up, stepping towards Giovani. As she did, Giovani made sure to have his back to the holding cell, appearing to defend it. His eyes began to dart about as well, looking at his sister and to the air around her as well between them. Leaves had begun falling once again. His ears flinched to hear Ambrose yelling, but many tortured souls had taught him that the screams were of fear and not of pain, yet.
“You are pathetic.” She began, “A hiccup in the operation and you abandon me? You weak sack of-”
“You’ve abandoned me long ago! You sided with everyone to mark me as an untrue Visconti, but now it is you who has lost the way! As it was a millennium ago, a true Visconti has always played all sides, ready to claim the spoils. How else would we have these items? Well I never forgot, and I intend to do as our ancestors would have, for your side looks to be forsaken!”
Veronica stopped and began laughing only a few yards away from Gio, and this only made the man more riled up than he thought possible, “What’s so funny!”
“You! You speak of sides as if there is another! What is your side, hm? Will you have an army such as the Holy Order? A warrior such as Sebastian Willcott, made only stronger by the true steel Greatsword? And you could never imagine the power yet to be unearthed by that true golden chalice! The hill you plan to die on is bare, accompanied by a young, timid Princess who holds no able military, and an even weaker friend who attacks women with their back turned!”
Giovani smiled widely, the edges of his mouth on the cusp of his curling mustache, “That is where we will both find the biggest surprise of the day! For he- Oh shit!” Giovani stopped as he turned to find Ambrose, now seeing the man hopping on one foot in the direction they had come from. Stalking him was not one, but two shorter snakes.
Ambrose was panicked as one lashed out, pushing himself to roll as it did to narrowly avoid the bite. His hands crunched over-drying leaves and stems. What Giovani had accomplished proved true, as the snakes were noticeably slower and their range diminished. But still, there were two of them, and he only had one good leg. His breathing was rapid, his heart fit to burst.
“Ambrose! Catch this and douse the snakes with it! ” Giovani reached into his tunic and unveiled the clear bottle of distilled alcohol, throwing it through both air and leaves that continued to pour around them.
Ambrose almost lost all care for the snakes then; time seemed to slow as the bottle came towards him, his vision blocking out all other distractions to hone in on the invaluable liquid. Reaching out both hands, Ambrose felt the bottle was his own babe being tossed in the air, where there was no chance of ever letting it fall to the ground. As he caught it, he glowed with an unintentional smile.
“Aaaaaah!” Ambrose cried out, reality and time came screeching back again. This time, the snake bit hard into the calf of his already wounded leg. He didn’t have a chance to think of his actions and was better off for it as he would later consider alternative options that could have been acted upon. Presently, he opened the bottle with great haste and spilled more than a third of the contents on the head of the snake.
His first realization was the immediate pain of pouring the liquid over the open wound, sending his leg to shake and writhe. His second was the lack of movement coming from the snake, or at least its upper half; only moving its tail wildly but stopping abruptly at its midpoint where the alcohol glistened. He ripped the snake from his leg, and felt how hard the leather had become instantly.
“Ah ha! That did it!” Ambrose proclaimed, throwing the hardened snake into the brush off the path. The other snake stopped its pursuit of him, instead hissing in his direction only a few yards away. Flicking at it with the bottle open, he tried to wet the other one, but the snake was too quick and retreated. He watched with relief as it seemed to pursue its other half in the thickets.
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“Now you’ve really done it Giovani!” Veronica cried out, her face snarling at him, “You dare unveil the weakness of my whip? You were no Visconti to anyone besides me today, and now you are no brother of mine from henceforth!” Veronica charged at Giovani.
Giovani stabbed out with his blade, but Veronica had always been the superior fighter; dodging under it, she grabbed behind Giovani’s knees, upending and tossing the man to the ground with a powerful tackle. It was enough to send him gasping for air, but Veronica’s relentlessness was too quick for him to recover, as she landed a brutal elbow to the man's nose. He heard it break immediately, and between air and tears that emerged from his eyes, he could not move quick enough to stop both of her knees from falling onto each of his wrists, pinning him to the ground.
“You’ve chosen this fate for yourself, Gio! And now you will pay the price!” Veronica gripped hard at her brother’s throat, digging into his flesh with her nails.
Between his sister’s face of insanity and the leaves falling all around them, Giovani felt in his mind that his death was imminent. Convulsing to no avail, he felt darkness creep into the corners of his vision. As he gave up struggling, Veronica was picked up.
Tossing her with incredible ease, Sebastian loomed over Giovani. Giovani tried catching his breath, seeing stars in his vision, when the foot of Sebastian came down hard on his chest.
“Your judgment is still to come. First I will kill your sister, then you.” Giovani had it in him to get a good look at Sebastian before the man shoved off and started towards Veronica. There was an obvious change in the man's face, for his eyes had lost their pupils. There had only been white there as if his sockets were rolled in the opposite way. He had no understanding of what it meant, and as he rolled over to see his sister just rising to face Sebastian, the questions only grew. Behind both people was Sebastian’s mother, Lady Willcott.
<><><><><>
“Elenor? But why didn’t Sebastian-” Ambrose began, too quietly for the crew in front of him to hear. He was dumbfounded by what he saw; Elenor was positioned twenty yards away from the three fighters, strutting towards them with a commanding swagger about her presence, and her dress had lost its previous cosmic colors. There was no describing the current color, as the dress appeared to shimmer with the glow of each color of a rainbow, or even every color possible. The hem of her dress moved on its own as if a breeze was present and circling about her. She appeared confident, powerful, and brilliant as she continued in their direction, the leaves now falling about the path more densely and rapidly.
Giovani rose and raced towards Ambrose, and as he did he saw the way his eyes appeared to be void of pupils. His voice was stricken with fear and urgency, “We must go now Ambrose! If she is here that can only mean she has completed her side of the task! She now holds the gold-”
“Stay calm Gio! I see now what is happening. Go break a piece of mirror-”
“My foolish friend, you can’t know what is happening! It is above your understanding, I can not protect you against her!”
Ambrose felt no fear and yet a chill went up his spine. Whomever Elenor was posing as must’ve been horrible indeed, to have control over Giovani such as she did, “Fine, I’ll show you myself!” Ambrose began crawling towards the cell that had acted as Elenor’s prison, as Giovani protested. He was able to also watch as Veronica stood to face Sebastian.
“Milady! How- what is the meaning of this!” Veronica yelled at Elenor, her eyes taking the same change as Sebastian and Gio as she became trapped by the illusion.
To the three foreigners and herself, Elenor Whitewood had taken a new form; she saw more with her height increased by nearly a foot; clenching her hands into fists made her feel the muscle apparent in her upper arms and shoulders; clad in a black, studded corset that ended just under her enhanced breasts, her tunic a white and golden trimmed buttoned turtleneck shirt of rich quality. Pads on her knees and elbows matched the girdle, her legs tightly grasped by white tights that led to black boots. She smiled wickedly, an instinct she knew to be true of the woman she now impersonated, although she had no idea who that person was.
“You, Veronica Visconti, I have seen through your deceptions!” Elenor spoke, but the words were not her own, coming naturally as they always did when the silk dress was active, “You dare play me a fool, do you? You conspire against me, my son, our God! No more! Finish her off Sebastian!”
“No!” Veronica replied, taking a fighter's stance, “Why would I betray you? I would never go against-”
“You lie!” Sebastian started, pointing his blade at her, “This is no great pleasure, Veronica! I truly thought I could care for you! You Visconti’s can not be trusted, and now you can not be left to interfere with our divine work! We were supposed to save this world, together Veronica!”
“We are Sebastian, we can and we must!” Veronica turned to Lady Willcott, who was not rushing to join them, “Lady Willcott! Someone has fed you lies, why when we are so close would I betray you?” Her empty eyes pleaded.
Ambrose watched as Elenor did not respond, her face both grim and satisfied with the present trajectory of the plan she had set. He still found it queer how he could see through the deceptive power the silk dress bestowed upon his Queen, and yet it was a question that did not have the outlet for an answer now. An answer he did have, as he pulled himself across the ground and finally reached the area where the glass had shattered from the door’s heavy opening. Giovani was a few paces away, his caution and guard raised as his wide yet pupilless eyes continued to watch the trio.
Ambrose grabbed one of the larger shards of glass, and then moved to the cell. Putting his back to it, he felt his exhaustion from all the adrenaline, “Gio, sit with me.”
“My friend,” Ambrose said, reluctance apparent in his voice, “You talk of sitting when our lives hang in the balance!” Gritting his teeth, Giovani huffed out frustration as he took one quick step forward and slid to Ambrose’s side.
“Humor me, man, try looking at them with this.” Ambrose handed the shard of the mirror to a bewildered Gio. The man raised the piece in front and above his, looking up and adjusting the shard to see the scene. Ambrose watched as he squinted, moving between each of the three persons. Finally, the moment came that Ambrose waited for, and Giovani’s mouth opened with astonishment. In cohesion with his stupefied expression, the man's pupils began to fade back into his eyes. Ambrose grinned, pleased with himself.
“Well, I’ll be! Ambrose you’re right, that is no Lady Willcott. You two had me fooled, and it looks like those two are still under my previous impression! What a scheme, what a dress-”
“What a woman.” Ambrose replied, marveling at Elenor and returning his attention to the scene at hand.
The two warriors were circling one another; Veronica had no weapon at her disposal, her stance slightly crouched and fists to either side of her head, while Sebastian continued to point his incredible blade straight at her with one untiring arm and walked upright with powerful confidence.
“Ambrose,” Giovani interrupted his watch, “I must tell you - if I can, I won’t let my sister die here.”
“What?” Ambrose said, but before he could press on the battle in front began.
Sebastian grabbed the hilt of his blade with his offhand, and behind Veronica spawned the warrior. Veronica had anticipated expertly, and using her smaller stature to her advantage back rolled between the wide stance of the huge man. She had the prime opportunity to strike his parts below and did so with a powerful double kick vertically at the man's groin. The move, sending both Ambrose and Giovani to wince, proved ineffective. Instead of connecting with his pride, Veronica’s legs continued straight through the ghostly presence that was his clone.
The true Sebastian was still the previous one, and he charged her with the point of his blade. Veronica was not finished yet, using one arm to spring herself sideways into a barrel roll away from her opponent. She got to one knee, her eyes piercing, and readied for the next move.
“Hey Ambrose, the leaves have all stopped falling.” Giovani calmly added to the commentary. Ambrose didn’t respond, and while he noted the comment it was a flash of his glance to the treetops that made the point settle deeply. Giovani followed his gaze, and the two men now saw how the once robust forest was reduced to bare trees, void of all the green they had not more than a quarter of an hour ago. They exchanged a shrug and returned to the fight.
“Come on, Willcott! The both of you could try me, unarmed and I will still show no fear!” Veronica cried out, her voice wicked. As she did, she scooped dirt from the ground, finding an unusual amount of stems in her grasp.
“And I will show no mercy!” Sebastian responded, charging once again. His hand floated over the hilt of his sword, but as he neared he did not activate the power. Instead, he spun on a heel, and with one hand on the hilt extended his strong arm horizontally. He spun then, a vicious and violent attack that covered more area than any other man alive could have conjured. Veronica was almost caught off guard, yet fell on both knees and put her back to the ground to get as low as possible, narrowly avoiding the attack.
As Sebastian finished his spin, he raised his blade high, ready to bring it down. But Veronica was faster; rising slightly, she threw the dirt she had scooped up with great accuracy into the face and eyes of her attacker. It proved enough to stagger Sebastian for a half second, and reminiscent of her leather snake whip, darted and slithered around the man's legs before he could bring the blade down with an incredible thud to the ground.
“My word!” Ambrose exclaimed, excitement displayed in his eyes, “Your sister is amazing!”
“Never underestimate a Visconti.” Giovani said, his voice lower and colder than Ambrose had ever heard it.
The two fighters had swapped places now; Sebastian was furiously wiping his eyes, his back to Elenor as she now stood cooly only ten yards away, while Veronica both gritted and smiled at her enemy with her back to Ambrose and Giovani. Veronica extended her hand out to her side, and from out of the brush sprung her pet whip. The snake seemed to have mended itself, returning to it’s normal length, and as it became clenched in its owner's hand it returned to a lifeless weapon.
“C’mon then! You disappoint me and your fool of a mother!” Veronica said, coiling the whip in hand and striking the ground with a thunderous wap.
Ambrose's excitement and amazement found a new, peculiar distraction; felt first by the wound in his Achilles was a breeze that seemed to be forming low on the ground as if someone was blowing at it gently. It gradually felt like a fan, and that was when Giovani realized it too. Both of them reached their hands to the ground, feeling it with their fingers now. The wind seemed to be trapped no higher than a few inches from the path, and only until he started observing rather than feeling did he see how the many dried stems that had been housed in the trees on their arrival were being whisked away.
“Now what is-” Ambrose started, before losing his speech at the path from where they had come. The stems of all the dried leaves began to move towards them like tumbleweed, but it also parted before reaching within arms reach of both Ambrose and Gio. The two watched as tens, then hundreds, and now thousands of stems seemed to be flowing by them like a river and them acting as but a rock jutting in the current. It almost sounded like a river too, as a low rumble manifested in the woods.
They turned to find that Veronica had noticed it too; she did not ease from her stance but did dart her eyes between her opponent and to either side of her. As they accumulated, the stems did not just move past her but began to encircle the trio. Lying low on the ground, tens of thousands of stems began to move quickly around them.
“Oh no, Elenor!” Ambrose yelled.
Sebastian had either been uncaring or too enraged to give notice; his vision still impaired, and the man let out a frustrated roar that was both terrible and chilling. Blindly, he grasped his whip with his offhand, appearing instantly in front of Veronica.
Veronica smiled knowing it was the true Sebastian in front of her, as the clone would not be bothered by the dirt she threw. As he brought his sword down, Veronica was once again ready, darting under his arms and blocking at the wrists to thwart the intended blow in an angled direction. Sebastian’s sword struck the earth once again, and with her chance in sight, Veronica lashed out with her whip to the back of Sebastian’s knee, bringing the man down quickly onto it.
“Ah!” A cry of pain came then from behind Veronica, and she turned to find Elenor Whitewood clutching at her calf.
“Wait, you?” As she said it, Veronica’s pupils began to reappear.
Ambrose watched with horror as the scene unfolded; what had been but a low circling had grown around the three in the path, and as Sebastian and Veronica struck at each other the abnormality grew to a small dust devil that continued to creep to the waist of both Veronica and Elenor. The color was a mix of dirt and bark, and captured in the small storm were the stems that continued to gravitate to their area. Ambrose watched with horror as Elenor became confused and afraid of the magic about her, and had seen what must have been one of the stems cut at her leg for being too close to the border of the enclosed area. With Veronica taking a sharp interest in her, Ambrose knew the illusion had ceased.
Vigor seemed to rise in his spirit, a hellbent determination taking hold of him; Ambrose rose onto both feet, feeling the pain in his Achilles and calf but uncaring. He took off as quick as he could towards the scene, limping as fast as he was able. Giovani called out to him, but he did not listen nor care.
“Sebastian! We’ve both been deceived! Look at your mother, for she is not her. Stop this and lets-” Veronica tried to protest, but Sebastian once again spun on her. This time on his knee, the sword dragged across the dirt in a circle, and Veronica jumped to avoid her feet being ripped from her legs.
“You deceived me! With schemes, and with lust!” Sebastian said, his vision still clouded and his eyes watering with the dirt that was still trapped there. He could vaguely make out the shape of Veronica, and was only slightly aware of the happenings around him, as he continued to lash out at her without finding his mark.
Ambrose made it to the scene, moving around the fighters to Elenor. She saw him, looking unsure and surprised by what was happening.
“Grab my hand!” Ambrose said, reaching his still-armored forearm into the storm. His hand, only gloved, felt what seemed like grasping thorns as he withdrew his arm. Hardening his resolve, he reached more quickly into the wind and twigs and found Elenor’s hand.
“Cover your face, Queen!” He said, and as she covered the majority of her face into the inner part of her elbow Ambrose pulled her out hastily. Elenor cried out, falling with Ambrose to the ground.
She and Ambrose panted as they lay next to one another. Ambrose turned to find that while her face had escaped harm, her arms seemed as if she had fallen into a thorny bush, with cuts reddening before beginning to form tears of blood.
“Are you alright?” Ambrose said.
“Compared to yesterday, no. But compared to where I could have been tomorrow, yes! Thanks to you!” She wrapped both arms around him, hugging him quickly but then got up just as fast, “C’mon now! We have to leave them be and get back to Runswick!” She reached a bloodied arm to him.
Ambrose beamed back at her, “Right! As you wish my Queen!” Ambrose noted how despite her arms and legs being cut, the dress she wore remained unscathed.
“You two! Stop!” Veronica called out, but Ambrose and Elenor only turned their heads as they started their way past the fight, “They’re getting away, Sebastian! The princess and-”
Sebastian struck down, this blow the nearest to shaving a limb off Veronica, “I’ll find that damn Princess after my sword finds your neck!” He grasped his hilt with two hands, preparing another strike.
Ambrose and Elenor continued to move away and watch at the same time, their faces mirroring each other in impressed horror at the skill and power of the fighters. They couldn’t make out the details anymore behind the growing storm, for it now reached the height of Sebastian, but the shadows and silhouettes made who was who obvious. Only when Sebastian brought his sword above his head did anything breach the storm for a clear-eyed view.
“Well done friend! Ho ho!” Giovani was jolly with excitement, still standing in the same spot Ambrose had left him.
“Now we leave, Gio! Back to Runswick!” Ambrose said, burying tiredness and pain in favor of delight.
“Right! But I must ask you to do one on one act Ambrose!” Giovani said, taking a step in front of both Elenor and Ambrose.
Ambrose’s gay expression began to harden and turned almost cold, “Is this...are you betraying me now?”
Giovani pouted his lips, looking genuinely hurt as he shook his head, “C’mon friend, you pain me! I mean it earnestly, just one act that you are very accustomed to - just flip that coin of yours!”
Ambrose looked at the man questioningly, with Elenor looking at Ambrose with the same expression, “We have a chance to escape and you want me to flip my coin?” Ambrose replied, seeking and finding his coin at his hip where it could always be found.
“Well, I figure if we truly are to escape, we can’t be followed by those two goons. And I think I’ve figured something out! Now hurry up, ask it something. Quickly now!”
“Er- fine, ok. What Will we recapture Runswick?” Placing it on his thumb, Ambrose flipped the coin. Even in the commotion behind them, the ting of true silver rang in each of their ears. Ambrose caught it, slapped it onto his hand, and they all stared down as the coin's result was heads.
“Ah ha! My Queen we will-” Diminishing his words and all other sounds, the storm that Veronica and Sebastian fought in grew to the height of the forest trees, becoming a small and terrifying tornado.