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     Eric stood outside of the smithee with a strange feeling of deja vu. It could have been the number of guys in metal armor standing around stealing glances towards the blacksmith's shop. Eric stood there in his large sheet with the hood up, Lucia standing next to him in the same outfit, then he decided he should enter. The only reason he went in was to justify the three silver pieces he had spent on Lucia's armor. Once he went in, he saw George leaning on his counter reading something just like before. His glorious moustache twitched as he looked up to see the two hooded figures enter his shop. 

     "What's with the added security?" Eric asked, gesturing towards the door. 

     "It's probably for you," said George simply, scratching his afro. "Sorry about that, but they threatened me to spill the beans." 

     "What do you mean they 'threatened' you?" demanded Eric, his outrage clear. 

     "They were gonna burn my shop to the ground if I didn't tell them." 

     "Are you hurt?" Lucia asked kindly. 

     "No," said George quickly, "they wouldn't hurt the best blacksmith in the country. Naw, they just told me they'd burn my shop to the ground and blame it on the forge. Sorry, but I told them everything about you." 

     "As long as you're fine," said Eric passively. "You didn't, by any chance, actually make Lucia's armor, did you?" 

     "After those thugs came in and threatened me?" said George as though the answer was obvious. "You bet you're ass I did! And it's free, now that I've got a taste of what happened to you. Some of my finest work, if you ask me!" 

     "Thanks," said Eric with a kind smile. 

     "Don't mention it," said George as he led the two into the back room, "and don't be afraid to look me up when your sword and armor need buffed." George went into the back room with Lucia, who peeled her robes back to reveal the new clothes Eric had bought for her yesterday as birthday presents. They were a little baggy, but that was for expecting more growth. Once George went over how Lucia should strap herself into her armor, he helped her put it on for the first time. "Hah," shouted George happily, "I've outdone myself! This should do fine for anything from hellhound bites to medium sized swords!" 

     Lucia went out to Eric, then displayed the various pieces of leather and steel that strategically protected her body. "It's nice and light," said Lucia, jumping up and down a few times. 

     "Say that when you're finished hiking," said George with a fond slap on the back, "you'll be whistling a different tune then! Here's your sword, too." George handed Lucia a sword about as long as her arm, with a flare near the middle that widened it a little before coming to a finely cut point. "It's a gladius," explained George, "made for wide swings and strong cuts. It should cut through most normal plating, but you'll have to get creative for the better armor." 

     "Thanks again," said Eric, but he was blown off by George. 

     "This one's for my store," said George with a hardy smile. "Now get out of here before the king comes looking for ya!" Eric walked around the front room and he opened the door to see a circle of armed guards pointing lances at him with a single man in the center carrying a scroll. 

     "Now where have I seen this before," said Eric sarcastically. "Oh right, this is what happened when you falsely accused me of rape!" He spoke with such sarcasm, it made the guards want to run him through, but the man in the center unrolled his scroll more than was necessary for what he said. 

     "By royal decree, the Hero of Chains, Eric Bane, along with any companions must be taken to the castle to answer for allegations to-"

     "Shut up and take me there," Eric cut in, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "Come on, Lucia, let's find out what this is about." Eric went up to the castle in much the same way that he had done before, only this time it was during the day so he couldn't be repeatedly poked without people noticing. He was led through the streets until he came to the wall surrounding the entrance of the castle. It looked no different from when Eric had last seen it, but now he knew that it was built on lies and treachery. As he entered the general courtyards of the castle, Eric felt the deja vu again. 

     Once they passed through the courtyard, two enormous doors were opened to let Eric and Lucia pass. A sudden scream came from behind Eric, so he twisted around to see that the guards behind him were dragging Lucia away by her throat. 

     "HEY," shouted Eric stepping towards Lucia when he suddenly saw a wave of blond hair accompany a powerful blow to his stomach. Eric felt the pain of his diaphragm suddenly emptying his lungs, then he saw the horribly pretty face of Tyler. The hero seemed passively angry, his face tense as the end of his lance embedded itself in Eric's gut. 

     Eric watched as Lucia had a cloth put in her mouth, then tied around the back of her head. She was panicking, her hands going for her sword when Eric finally got a breath in. "Stop," he ordered weakly, and Lucia's struggles ended. 

     "I can't believe you," shouted Tyler in disgust, "taking a slave just because nobody wanted to be with you? You're a sick human being." Lucia tried to protest, but her struggling arms were bound behind her as well. Eric was on his knees with lances pointed at him from all sides, only to look into Tyler's eyes with a rage that could have burned him completely. 

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     "What do you want?" Eric growled, his breathing labored as he sucked in air through his teeth. 

     "We want you to release this little girl," said John, coming from the side just as Tyler had. Eric looked that way to see that everyone was here, Emily, Benny, and Todd(Hero of the Scythe). 

     "Not gonna happen," said Eric in determination, then Tyler's lance came down like an executioner's axe. 

     "Stop," came a shout from Emily, blocking Tyler's lance with her sword. She deflected the blow into the ground, where it cut cleanly through the stone. 

     "Why do you defend him?!" Tyler shouted at Emily. 

     "Why are you so quick to kill him," Emily retorted, holding her sword at the ready. "At the very least, we should give him a chance to explain himself!" 

     "I ain't tellin' you shit," said Eric, standing up with an arm over his stomach. 

     "I'm giving you a chance to explain yourself," said Emily, annoyed that Eric was being so pig-headed about this.  

     "Why," said Eric accusingly, "so you can twist my words around? You want to take what little I have for yourselves?! I made the mistake of trusting you fuckers when I got here, and I fucking payed for it! You're not taking anything from me, especially not Lucia!" 

     "You thought we'd condone rape," Tyler shouted angrily, trying to get his lance out of Emily's lock. "You think women are objects you can own, how could we accept that?!" 

     "Fuck you," Eric cursed Tyler, and they looked at each other like they wanted to kill each other. 

     "Stop this immediately," came the authoritative voice of the king. He was walking out of the throne room with armed guards all around him, his eyes on the three heroes clashing with lances all around them. "Heroes are strictly fobidden from killing each other, that is not good for the people and it won't do anything for yourselves either." 

     A girl with red hair stepped up behind him, her beauty like a radiance that almost made Eric puke with disgust. Judy walked out wearing very fancy armor that must have been torture to make. "Father, I'm certain that the hero is regretting what he did," said Judy graciously. 

     "Hero of the Chain," said the king, "my daughter has decided to forgiven you, despite recent events. Know that I do not share her forgiving heart, nor will I tolerate any more of your grievous actions. Release your slave and apologize to my daughter, or I will have you banished from the country." Eric looked at his situation, he saw Lucia in the back still being restrained by the guard. 

     "Eric," said Emily, looking at him trying to gauge his reaction, "this is your chance for forgiveness. This can all go away if you just apologize." Eric realized he had heard those words before, the last time he had spoken to his sponsor. They were the same words she had told him just before the army had shown up, right before this entire adventure had happened. Eric remembered that he refused, and he had to fight for his life because of it. Eric looked once more at Lucia, who was struggling against the guard that held her. Eric turned to look at Judy, who had her nose turned up at him with extreme prejudice. She smiled once their eyes met, making it clear to Eric that she had planned this all, expecting him to fall into line like a good little sheep. 

     Eric laughed, tears streaming down his face as he laughed out his pain. "Look at all of you, staring down at me like I'm some sort of animal. Judging me from your ivory towers, thinking I'm just the dumb fucker you can walk all over. I've suffered my entire life because of people like you, and I'm sick to death of it! If you think I will bow down before your bullshit, then you will hear me laughing to my grave! I did nothing to that lying shit of a princess, and I will never abandon Lucia for anything! I have had more fun in the last two months with Lucia than in the eighteen years before I got here, and I will not let that go because you fucks were tricked into thinking I did anything to that beast of a woman!" 

     The silence in the room was deafening, with only the sniffling of Lucia as she cried mixed tears of joy. Eric stood there with Emily in front of him, Tyler just beyond that, a circle of guards pointing lances at him, Benny on one side, John and Todd on the other, and the king with his lying daughter next to him. They were all wide eyed at Eric's words, and for the time it would take to breathe deeply, nobody moved. 

     "I challenge you to a duel, Eric," said Tyler gravely, pointing his lance right at Eric's face. 

     "You don't want to do that," said Eric, not flinching from the blade mere inches away from his face. 

     "I do," said Tyler in a low voice. "God help me, I do. I want you all to myself." 

     "Then we'll have a duel," said the king, "the Hero of the Lance versus the Hero of the Chain. For the time being, the Hero of the Chain will be imprisoned beneath the castle until the duel commences." 

     "What about the demi-human?" one of the guards asked. 

     "Put her in the cell across from his while we figure out how to remove the slave's seal."

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