Conner slowly awoke from a restless sleep, his body heavy and his senses sluggish. The sounds of the night still echoed in his mind as he slowly opened his eyes. The room he was in was permeated by a thin layer of twilight, casting the surroundings into a ghostly half-darkness.

His eyes gradually adjusted to the surroundings, and he recognized that he was in a large hall. The walls seemed to be engulfed by countless shadows, lurking in the dark corners. The air smelled of decay and medicine, a mixture of death and survival.

Conner slowly sat up, feeling the sharp pain in his limbs. His body was covered in bruises, and his mind was clouded by the events of the previous night. He looked around and noticed the other figures lying in the hall, some sleeping, others groaning in pain.

The sight of his friends and the people he had fought with just a few hours ago left him speechless. Conner felt a pain at the sight like he had never felt before - even his father's blows had never been so severe. Some of his friends lay motionless on the ground, bound with bandages around their bodies, their slowly rising chests indicating that they were still alive.

Others had been more severely injured; some had lost their legs below the knee or their arms before the hand. Conner knew that most would not survive such injuries. In that moment, his father's words echoed through his mind: "The effects of a battle can only be assessed once it is over," and Conner could see they had suffered a tremendous defeat.

Conner slowly collected his thoughts, remembering the attack, the desperate fights, and the flight to the castle. This room seemed to be a gathering point for the wounded, which meant they had not completely lost yet.

The questions racing through Conner's mind were like excited dogs, one of them being who had brought him here since he had collapsed at the gate, and where Shadow was, the question that troubled him the most, as he did not know how to cope without Shadow. However, the most important question he asked himself was about the state of defense and how many of the men of Skalitz could still wield a sword or spear.

/kreeesh/

With a loud creak, a door in the distant corner of the hall opened, and people emerged from the now open door. There were two men, imposing despite their armor being smeared with blood.

The man on the right tried to convince the other.

"My lord, we should surrender. Perhaps he will show mercy, and we can preserve our lives. If this continues, we will be overrun, and everyone will die. My lord, please, at least flee."

"Nothing of the sort, I will not abandon any of my people and flee like a coward. If he wants Skalitz, he will pay for it with blood."

"But my lord, we will lose, it will be our downfall," the smaller man tried desperately to dissuade his lord from going, but he only looked at him grimly and waved his hand to stifle his next words. Whether it was because he did not want to take away the courage of his men, or because he really did not want to flee alone, remained open.

It was only when they were almost at Conner that he noticed that the taller of the two men was his Lord Radzig Kobyla, who now passed by him, and immediately he made up his mind. Conner practically jumped up and hurried after his lord.

Lord Radzig, who under King Wenceslas IV guarded and observed the silver mining in the vicinity of Skalitz, turned around with his companion and looked closely at the young man before him until his eyes widened.

"Young man, are you the son of my sergeant and instructor? I have seen you fight, and I must say you resemble your father very much."

"Thank you, my lord, I only wanted to help as best I can, and if I still can, I would like to join the defense of Skalitz to defend against the attackers."

Lord Radzig looked at the young man before him again. His body showed countless bruises and signs of contusions, yet his determination was unshakable, something Radzig had seen in only a few people.

"You want to fight for me and Skalitz, even though you can hardly move with your injuries. Lie back down and try to get well. Then you'll be more useful to me."

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"But sir, please let me fight. I want to find my father. He's still out there, right among the enemies. I can't allow them to kill him like they did with Heinrich's father."

At the mention of Heinrich's father, Radzig hesitated. He had witnessed how his blacksmith fought through the ranks of the enemies and would have almost pierced through them if he hadn't been surprised by the riders. Such a fighter could have been useful now, but the dead cannot be brought back to life. The young mercenary who relied entirely on his father didn't give up and looked at Lord Radzig with a determined spirit that sought his equal.

"To be honest with you, I must tell you something. I am not your master, and you are not one of my people. I only managed to persuade your father to train my men for me by promising that you would remain a free man." Conner didn't understand what the Lord meant by that. "That means I can't give you orders, although I could, but that's another matter. What I'm trying to say is, you can do as you please. I just want to make one request: Wait until you've eaten something and are properly equipped before you set out to find your father."

Conner couldn't believe what he heard from Lord Radzig: He was a free man and could do as he pleased. The man beside Lord Radzig opened his mouth and said, "If you go, you should take the beast you call a dog with you. At first, he wouldn't even let us near you. We had to assure him that we only meant well so we could treat you."

"Where's Shadow anyway? I haven't seen him since yesterday," Conner asked excitedly, as his friend seemed to be doing well. In response to his question, Lord Radzig replied, "He's in the hallway. That's the farthest distance he allowed himself to be from you. You have a very loyal dog."

"Thank you, sir. I'll eat something and then set out to find my father. But how do I get out of the castle unnoticed?"

"Let me worry about that."

- A few moments later -

Only after Conner was overrun by Shadow and examined from head to toe by him, could he eat, even though it was very hurriedly, as he had hardly any time. The faster he was, the more likely he would find his father still healthy.

Lord Radzig was already waiting for Conner at the place they had agreed upon. Conner's father had been like a friend to Radzig, so he wanted as much as Conner did that he was doing well. And just as he knew that if Conner was only half as stubborn as his father, he would not be dissuaded from doing what he believed was right.

Once Lord Radzig had been in a battle with a group of mercenaries, and if it hadn't been for Conner's father, he would have been long buried. For this debt, he wanted to at least ensure that Conner was equipped with the essentials so that he would not die immediately when he searched for his father.

As Radzig pondered and reminisced about distant times, he heard someone approaching with quick steps, and the heavy tapping of claws on the ground made Lord Radzig turn around.

When Conner appeared, his equipment immediately caught the eye. His leather armor, supple yet robust, enveloped his body, with few metallic accents accentuating his movements. The layers of leather hugged his muscles, providing protection against the rigors of battle.

His leather shin guards were sturdy yet flexible enough to allow him swift and agile movement. The gloves, also made of leather, provided the necessary grip for his sword while protecting his hands from injuries.

The shoes, sturdy and worn, bore metal caps that hinted at their functionality at first glance. A leather belt with a massive metal buckle fastened his pants and also served as an additional layer of defense for his abdominal area.

Overall, his equipment exuded a blend of simplicity and practicality. It was clear that Conner relied on agility and speed while still not foregoing the necessary protection.

Satisfied with the choice of equipment, Lord Radzig nodded to Conner. Conner returned the greeting.

"We must hurry, or we will be overrun before you can even leave. But if you go, I have a request for you: Please save as many as you can."

"My lord, you need not ask me. The people still out there are my friends and people I grew up with. I will stand by anyone I can save."

Conner followed Lord Radzig with a questioning expression as Lord Radzig wanted them to meet in the wine cellar. However, he did not ask any questions because he knew that Lord Radzig knew what he was doing. Together, they approached one of the barrels, which was secluded in the back corner of the room. The back of the barrel leaned against the wall, and it was as large as a full-grown man.

Only when Lord Radzig went to the side of the barrel and began to roll it could Conner guess what he had in mind, and he hurried to help him. And Conner's suspicions proved correct; behind the barrel, now rolled to the side, was a passage that was only large enough to crawl through.

"If you crawl through here with your dog, you will come out to the back of the castle. You see, I suspect that your father fled to the mines. I would try to search for him there first."

"Thank you, my lord, for everything."

"Thank your father for that, and now disappear. I need to make sure the castle isn't overrun."

And as soon as this was said, Conner and Shadow disappeared into the tunnel that led them out.

Left behind was Lord Radzig alone, but from the shadows behind one of the other barrels emerged another person. It was the smaller man with whom Lord Radzig had spoken before.

"My lord, are you sure this was a good idea?"

"I don't know, but if he can at least save and protect a few people, then it's worth it. I owe him that much."