Makim was excited when she saw the four of them get into the city, maybe it would be easier to talk with them this way. She still hoped that Chad was with her. Her first attempt at direct communication went bad. She had offered to be the big Ancestor's guide in the city but he had promptly recused. Chad was good at making friends with complete strangers, but he was still in the wildlands.

She followed them around the city, trying to come up with ways to approach them. Then she noticed the dark skinned girl fiddling with an artefact in her wrists. If anyone sees it things might get out of control quickly, she assumes that as ancestors they had a lot of artefacts but in this world, people got killed for them, selling an artefact could make you rich enough to live the rest of your life in comfort. She needed to approach them quickly before things got out of control.

After leaving the arena they started to wander around the city aimlessly. The problem is that it would be dark soon and they were going to a bad part of the city, she needed to stop them, she couldn't have the ancestors' first impression of this world be being assaulted.

When they got further in she decided to intervene. Hoping that she wasn't making a mistake she raised her hands in a nonthreatening manner while approaching and calling out to them. When they looked at her she explained that this was a bad part of the city, she hoped they heeded her warning and left before night fall when the hunters came back to the city.

While they were discussing things among themselves she tensed after seeing five men dressed as hunters arrive at the other end of the alley well with their swords drawn.

She looked back at the four of them trying to urge them to come with her but looking at their faces they were frozen, looking behind her, turning around she saw other five men, four had swords and one was holding a Warhammer.

This was clearly an ambush, but she didn't know why they would ambush the four of them, did they see the artefact and decided to take for themselves, even split between ten people would give each of them a lot of money.

When the men announced their intentions, she realized that they were even more disgusting than what she had thought. Either they weren't here for the artefact or they simply decided to add the women to their loot. There is no way she could allow this to happen.

She was surprised by the Ancestor's reaction, he actually thought they could talk their way out of this. What type of world did they come from where you can talk your way out of a situation like this? if this was their attitude, things would be a lot harder for her.

Luckily they realized the futility of their actions and took defense positions. She took out her sword and faced the men who had come from behind her, the big Ancestor went to the other side, she only hopes that they can help in the fight somehow, because they were outnumbered and the other men all had weapons while she was the only one of her group that had a sword.

She did her best to hide her nervousness, gripping her sword with both hands. When the men approached she decided to go on the offensive and strike first, there was one who was closer than the rest and she lunged her sword to strike him, he parried but expecting that she was able to guide her sword downward toward his leg and push forward again. It didn't pierce his leg but it left a cut that would hinder his movements for a short while.

She pulled back as took a defensive position against the other three. The man with the Warhammer was staying behind for some reason.

She then went on the defensive, mainly deflecting and redirecting their strikes. These men knew how to handle a sword but luckily for her were not expert fighters, this allowed her to use simple tricks keep them out of balance.

When she saw an opportunity with one of them she went for a thrust attack, but she over extended and one of the men came at her from the side, she saw his approach and realized that she wouldn't be able to defend and resigned herself to her fate.

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But just before he started his attack he was sent to the ground by a punch to the face. Getting herself to a defense position she looked at the man who had saved her, the light skinned ancestor who stayed besides her.

Sparing a quick glance behind, she saw that the other ancestor had somehow put two man to the ground and was in the process of doing it to a third, heard a yell and looking back at the men she saw the man with the Warhammer running toward them full speed.

She tried to maneuver herself to block him but the other two swordsmen blocked her, the man with the Warhammer barreled straight through the ancestor beside her using his hammer to punch the ancestor in the chest and send him sprawling to the ground hitting his head, The girls screamed something, and before she could react the man turned around doing a full circle, the hammer in his hand gaining speed and when he released, it went straight with such a speed and hit the other ancestor full on the head.

The ancestor fell, but before she could do anything the two men she had been fighting used the momentary distraction to disarm  and push her against the wall with a sword pushed against her throat.

The man with the war hammer kneeled beside a man who was crumpled on the ground besides the wall, two men who were down got up and went toward the girls,  other men who were standing went to the girls and like her put their swords against their throat.

The man with the war hammer picked it up and went toward the dark skinned ancestor, the look in his eyes showed what he intended to do, he wanted to kill him.

Luckily one of the men stepped in front of him.

«If you kill him, we'll have to dispose of the body, and we'll be even later getting out of the city» The man said «we have the women, they can't follow us. He'll have to spend his days knowing we have his women»

The man relented and they picked their man from the ground «How is he?» One of the man asked the Warhammer man asking about their man that was taken down by the ancestor.

«He'll live» went to pick up the man on the ground.

The man with the Warhammer pointed to the girls and said «If any of you makes trouble I'll kill one of your friends in front of you»

«What about him?» One of the men asked pointing to the light skinned ancestor on the ground «leave him»

«Look, I can get you a lot of money if you let us go» Makim said trying to negotiate «I know the lord of this city»

«We know who you are lady Makim» One of the man said. She was speechless, they knew who she was, so it's possible that the ambush was for her

«Let them be and you can take only me» she tried again

«We'll take all of you» The man with the war hammer interjected, and they were unceremoniously pushed toward the main street. Some men dragged the ancestor who was besides her to a

there was a big two horse carriage waiting with man sitting on the drivers seat.

They were pushed into the carriage and some of the men got in with them, including the one with the Warhammer and the two unconscious men

Inside the carriage the window were boarded so that they couldn't see outside, and the girls were kept separate with a man holding each of them at sword point when they started moving.

Makim was trying to think a way out but the way they were being held left no avenue of escape. Trying to think of a reason they would be following her also wielded no results. Count Amer didn't like her, but he always used lies or honeyed words to get his way not this, but she couldn't think of any other person who would try to do this to her, at least not in this city, or even this duchy.

They moved for about five minutes like this then the carriage stopped, and they heard a commotion outside, it took Makim a few seconds to realize that they were on the city gates, and the driver was talking with the guards. It looked like the ancestor woman realized this as well, because she suddenly screamed and started kicking the floor, all the men reacted by placing their dirty hands over their mouths to cover them and pushing them against the walls of the carriage with swords aiming at their eyes. The way they did it showed that this wasn't the first time they did anything like this.

«What are you carrying there?» She heard one of the guards ask, hopefully the noise the ancestor woman had made was enough to get them out

«Livestock»  the driver answered, there is no way the guards would believe that.

«Inside a carriage?» She heard a second guard asking, he sounded younger than the first, its good, they would need to investigate

«Let them pass» The first guard said

«But, sir..» The second guard complained

«I gave an order» The first guard answered. It's obvious that they had somehow bought the head of the guards at the gate.

They were moving forward and once outside the city the carriage picked up speed.