I had thought the courtyard of the chapel was packed earlier in the day. Now, in the early evening, with the sun going down over Three Bridge, filling the sky with a dull, golden light, the courtyard was even busier and louder than ever. Instead of the carts and stalls, merrymakers filled it with drunken revelry. Countless tressel tables and benches covering the courtyard except where there was a bonfire surrounded by drunken couples dancings.
The uncomfortably warm evening was heavy and thick with desperation. Singing, laughing, shouting, and the general hubbub of drunken conversations joined in with the smell of sour ale, sweat, sex, and smoke from the bonfire.
Even with the countless tables and benches, the people on them packed themselves as tight as they had been in Sara ’s tavern this morning. Most of the merrymakers were men, but there were more than a few women were dotted around. All were in their cups and merry; except for a few morose people hunched over their tankards.
There was barely enough room between the benches for the barmaids in their tight laced brightly coloured dresses which barely covered their breasts. For the few more ample breasted maids, they had issues with the dresses, covering their breasts. Sometimes their nipples slipped out. As brightly and barely dressed maids struggled through the gaps between the benches, they carried tankards of ale to sell. Some men touched them in inappropriate places.
Some maids stopped for a touch of flirting, or even sat upon a man ’s lap for a kiss, giggle, and grope. Coins always passed hands, even if the man was unaware of it. One slightly older maid took a young drunken away towards the darkness behind the chapel, to the cheers of his friends who remained behind.
I saw her take his entire purse without him realising.
One maid, wearing the same bright low cut and tightly laced dress, was a youngish-looking woman with barely any womanly figure with matted black hair and faintly gleaming greyish-pink skin, walked past. The ale in the tankards she was carrying smelt rancid, of far worse quality than anything that Sara ever served.
‘Filthy demi-human,’ one woman said as the demi-human maid passed by her. She, like all the drunken fools, was dressed up in what was likely her best dress. Despite the insult, she grabbed the tankard off her and depositing half a coin in the young woman’s hand.
The drunk, gangly man next to the woman who slighted the young demi-human grabbed the server by her painfully thin wrist, and stepped out in front of me, knocking into me as he did so. The man looked up at me, filled with liquid bravery. ‘She mine. Me taking her. Gotta see if she as dirty as me wife claims they are.’
The wife pushed her way in front of me too, ignoring the tankard she just purchased. ‘Hey it our wedding night. Let me have a go.’
Together, they pulled her between the benches. The demi-human followed along listlessly. I followed, not caring that I knocked into countless people as I struggled through the tight gap. A young man, wearing smart clothing, and a belt with a large pouch and a polished truncheon, walked towards the couple pulling the demi-human behind them.
‘There no room in the inn. Ya might find some space round back of chapel.’ He said with a bored tone.
‘We take her home with us,’ the wife said.
‘That be extra. Also, we need uniform now. That be Half Sail— No, Full Sail. There be no chasing if she no come back.’
The husband reached into the pouch on his belt and drunkenly counted out some coins in the hands of the well-dressed man. Though I could feel Maelwys impatiently staring behind me, I waited calmly, guessing this would be quicker.
With the coins in his hand, the man transferred them to his pouch. He looked at the demi-human ‘Strip. Hand me pouch. Should get pay when ya in next.’
Listlessly, the demi-human unlaced her dress and stripped it off. Standing naked in front of everyone, she passed over her dress and belt with the pouch to the man in the good quality clothes. He then handed the dress to a passing bar maid.
‘Go. She yours.’
The man eyed the young and naked demi-human woman. He touched her almost non-existent breasts. Then touched her small arse. The wife was looking on with glee as she watched her husband fondle the naked demi-human.
‘Move,’ Maelwys said from behind. His powerful voice carried easily over the loud noise of merry drinkers and drunken singing.
‘Yeah, what…’ The wife said, stopping after she saw my giant muscular form standing behind her. She grabbed the demi-human by her matted black hair. ‘Come dirty freak. Ya make us look bad.’
The well-dressed man didn ’t seem to care about the threat to the demi-human barmaid. I went to follow them, to protect the young woman. But Maelwys grabbed the sleeve of my tunic.
‘Remember the lessons learnt on the isle. You cannot protect everyone all the time. Our mission tonight should make it easier to rescue those who need help in the future.’
I took one last look at the painfully naked Demi-Human being pulled by her matted black hair, following with lifeless steps even as she trode through piles of dung and pools of vomit. They blended in with the drunken and revelous crowds which were gathered everywhere tonight.
Maelwys was right, of course.
With a heavy heart, I turned away from them. I prayed to the spirits that the morning would find that poor demi-human alive and well.
She will be, Daddy, I heard Nolicia ’s welcome voice in my head again.
I gave her a silent thank you and followed Maelwys. He had started working his way through the thick crowds using Brook Bridge.
Dodge, Nolicia ’s voice screamed in my head.
Without thinking, I leapt to one side, knocking down a rowdy large group of young mixed male and female teenagers who were drinking, flirting, and kissing each other. A scream of terror came from somewhere behind me. A quick glance showed me the well-dressed man had an arrow stuck into his chest. His face was pale, and he was blowing frothy bubbles out of his blue lips.
A screech of pain and a splash dragged my attention away from him as a body fell into the water from a slight height.
Archer is dead, I could feel the mental strain my daughter was under, they too far to help better. Sorry, Daddy, me can no do else.
The solid mass of people churned and shoved through obstacles, even other people, they acted like water rushing through rapids. Terror and fear etched on their faces, screaming, shouting, and cries of pain as those knocked down were trampling upon replacing the drunken revelry of not long before.
Tressel tables had collapsed.
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Benches knocked over.
Tables and benches crushed drunken people. Others were hiding behind the collapsed tables, hoping to be ignored.
The teens I had landed amongst scattered into the fleeing mass of people, leaving the two I had landed on and had hurt behind. One was a male who had somehow shielded the female beneath him. She seemed fine. His face was pale with pain and he was having trouble breathing. She was doing her best to comfort him while being trapped beneath. I wished the two of them well in the future.
I got off of the two of them and looked around. A last few people brushed past me in wild panic.
Maelwys was backing away from the bridge. His hands were up and out to his side to show he had no intention of fighting. Coming from the bridge were five tough-looking ruffians wearing simple padded armour and swords striding like wild beasts, their faces menacing sneers.
Battling against the tides of fleeing crowds were more ruffians.
As the group of five got closer to me, I could see them in better detail. More than one ruffian didn ’t look like they were truly ruffians. Their hair was too clean, their beards either well trimmed or they were, as far as I could tell in the evening light, cleanly shaven.
That was before I noticed how they walked. Two were pure ruffians from their strutting prideful stride. The other three walked with grace, like trained fighters. Only the master of combat, Osbert, didn ’t walk like that when he entered combat. Instead, he walked with a strong, determined, fully committed gait.
Something that I eagerly and easily mastered.
I strode towards them. The two ruffians smiled and readied their swords. The other three hesitated for a moment. I wondered why, but decided it probably didn ’t matter much. So I carried on forward. When I passed Maelwys, he stopped backing away and turned around nonchalantly.
‘I count six.’ I said to him.
A sharp pain erupted in my side. It hurt far more than the stab this morning had. My leg buckled slightly.
An arm wrapped around my neck.
Another sharp pain erupted in my back.
I reached up and grabbed the arm around my neck. With a twist I forced it off and away from my neck. I swung the arm I had in my grasp up and over my head.
As the body slammed onto the road, I saw it was the teenage girl the boy had protected.
She held a bloody knife in her hand.
Her face was grimacing in pain.
Like a good fighter, she was doing her best to push on. I stomped hard on the girl ’s chest. Her ribs cracked with a painful sound as my foot met with her spine. Surrounding my feet, her broken body felt wet and warm.
Now it was the time for the two ruffians to hesitate.
The three skilled combatants charged forward.
Beneath my feet, the teen ’s corpse was slippery, making my footing difficult. The bigger issue, though, was my weakening back muscles.
Not knowing how long I had before my back muscles gave out on me, I took action. My foot slipped slightly. I quickly regained traction and forced myself forward.
The first combatant slashed his sword at me.
I backhanded the sword away. The blade dug into my hand, but failed to shatter the delicate bones in my hand. I stepped in, using the momentum of the backhand, elbowed the man in the side of his head.
He fell to the ground.
Not having time to finish him, I lurched towards another combatants.
This one stabbed his sword towards me. Maybe it was skill. Maybe it was reflex. Maybe it was innate, well-trained skill. It didn ’t matter. It was a good attack. The sword punctured my right lung.
Not letting a wound like that stop me, I carried on forward.
My fist caved the front of his skull in.
I took a moment to pull out the blade from my chest and turned around. Though they had taught me the basics of swords, Osbert had told me not to bother with them. So I threw the sword straight at the two ruffians who had bunched together.
Even in the evening darkness, I could see their pale knuckles as they clutched their swords hard and their sightless gaze. As the rapidly thrown sword bounced harmlessly off their padded armour, they came to their senses and followed the crush of people who were still mostly fleeing away.
A few people stood to watch. I couldn ’t tell if they were locals, watchers from elsewhere, or more fighters hesitant to move in.
The fighter I had elbowed to the head was stirring weakly on the ground and the final fighter, the clean shaven one, stood over them; protecting them.
My back was feeling numb and the stab through my chest was annoying because I couldn ’t take a decent breath. Despite my wounds, I knew I could take him easily.
The trained fighter, without putting their sword away, moved their hands out to the side in a sign of supplication.
‘Cannae beat ya, I take me companion and be on me way. Aye?’
‘That was an impressive fight, Berwyn,’ I heard Osbert’s familiar forceful voice speak out loud from behind. ‘Despite the surprise attack at the start, you dominated that fight. Still, you need better awareness of your surroundings. I would give you a solid Good rating for that fight.’
‘Go, flee.’ Maelwys said to the two fighters. ‘I am sorry, Master Osbert, I have need of Berwyn now. We need to go, right now . ’
Maelwys aimed those last two words at me.
Despite the painful numbness in my back, the taste of blood in my mouth, and the struggling of not being able to take a decent breath, I nodded. Through blooded lips I struggled to get out. ‘I will go.’
‘Berwyn,’ I heard An-chau calling out to me. I couldn’t gather enough energy to turn myself around. So I raised a hand weakly out to the side instead. ‘I think I understand now. You are a monster. But you are our monster. What you did inside, I recognise your restraint despite your deep grief. ’
She stopped talking for a moment and I took that to mean she had finished. I took a step forward, following the slender back of Maelwys as he rushed towards his destination.
‘Go with Saint Evaine,’ I heard An-chau project loudly across the now-almost silent evening filled mainly with the crackling of the bonfire. ‘May she bless your marriages on this day of hers. May she find in you her champion. Her champion to help protect the lost and forlorn.’
‘Berwyn, our champion!’ She shouted loud. ‘Berwyn, her champion!’
Starting in isolated parts, I heard random people shout my name. More and more started shouting it. Finally, the shouts merged into my name, being chanted throughout Brook Bridge.
With my name being chanted behind me, I stumbled onwards, ignoring what should ’ve been a celebration for me. Instead, I followed Maelwys’ slender shadow. All the while wondering how such a slender and narrow shadow could completely have me in its thrall.