After Lucinda was taken away, Stefan and the others were unsure of what to do next. Valentin spoke, "Look, kid, this really is just your problem that you dragged me and my wife into. I think it's better if you go and do it on your own." Stefan and Margaux looked at Valentin in shock.
Stefan responded, "What the hell? You're just going to leave me?" Valentin ignores his question and Margaux speaks, "What are you doing?! We have to help Stefan find Lucinda! He helped us as much as we helped him."
Stefan replied angrily, "Don't worry! I don't need a coward to come with me!" Valentin yelled back at Stefan and said, "Fuck you! You're the least of my problems and I don't want to help you anymore! I don't want me and my wife to be in danger! Get the fuck out of our lives you self-righteous prick!"
Margaux stopped both of them before things got worse. "Both of you stop it! Instead of arguing like lunatics, why don't you both think of a plan to rescue Lucinda?!" Valentin shouted furiously, "We don't need to! Since he's so brave and heroic, he can save her himself! I'm done!"
Valentin left and walked inside the house. Margaux apologized to Stefan and said she would try to convince him, but Stefan explained he would rather do it himself after what Valentin did. Margaux gives Stefan a worried look as she watches him leave to find Lucinda.
Margaux entered the house and looked for Valentin. She found him in their room sitting on the bed. Margaux comforted him and hugged him. "Why did you suddenly not want to help Stefan anymore?" Margaux asked. Valentin just stayed silent as tears began to fall down his face. Margaux hugged Valentin tightly and kissed his cheek. "Just tell me what's wrong, okay? I'll always give you solace and stay by your side. Don't worry now, I'm always here."
Valentin hugged Margaux tightly and kissed her forehead. Valentin said, "The reason why I wanted to abandon him all of a sudden is because... I was scared. I was scared that you would die. I really don't care if I'm the one who dies, but I can't lose you. You're everything I have, and I really want to kill that stupid commander, but at the same time, I'm afraid that I might fail. I'm afraid of the thought that I would lose to him. I'm afraid of the thought of me dying knowing I couldn't protect you."
Margaux realized that Valentin is indeed frantic, but he's not worried of the thought of him dying, but rather he's scared of the thought of her dying. She hugged Valentin tightly again and said, "I'm not going to die. I'll do everything to live, because you're the reason for me to keep living. If I die, I would do everything I can just to rise up from my grave to be with you again. I'd do the impossible for you.
Valentin hugged Margaux. Margaux spoke again and said, "I saw how you always looked at Stefan. That look was the same look you always gave to Hans." Valentin has not heard of that name in ages. He remembered how Hans has always been very close with him as if he was his brother. Unfortunately, Hans left since he wanted to find his own path. He remembers how he always trained Hans to become the best when it comes to fighting. Valentin wanted Hans to be better than him in every way. After a moment of deciding carefully, Valentin finally agreed with Margaux to help Stefan rescue Lucinda. Valentin was able to track Stefan's scent, and he already knew where he and Margaux needed to go, and off they went.
Meanwhile, Stefan was stuck in the huge forest, not knowing where to go next since he completely lost sight of the infantrymen who captured Lucinda. His vision started to get blurry all of a sudden. He's confused with what's happening and starts to get angry. He begins to hear a voice that says "Þú haldmaktinnr ór godsrinn." He does not know what it means. After hearing the voice, his vision started to get clearer. Stefan felt something different in him, but he doesn't know what exactly felt different. Now, he's returned to his senses, he went back to looking for the infantrymen.
The boyar and the other infantrymen are now heading back to Târgoviște. A carriage was prepared beforehand for Lucinda. Both her and the boyar are inside the carriage looking at each other. The Boyar said, "You will be taken to Târgoviște where you will be publicly executed. But first, we must investigate you further for who you really are, or if you know that other creatures like you exist or not. We must extract every information about you and about what you know." Lucinda burned with rage and responded, "You aren't getting any information from me you piece of shit!" Dimitru just smiled at Lucinda, knowing he'll do anything just to get the information he and the governor needs.
Back in Târgoviște, the governor waited for Boyar Dimitru's arrival. He hoped that the boyar would bring good news. He can no longer wait to finally eradicate Lucinda from this world and bring safety to the people. The governor stared at the forest, and waited for the infantrymen's arrival. This is the perfect moment to bring Lucinda in–during the dark, while everyone is asleep.
It felt like an eternity of waiting for the governor. He has been staring at the forest, just waiting for the infantrymen to come back. Suddenly, a source of light can be seen from afar. He thought that it's the boyar with the other men, but no, It is just a mere man coming from the forest. He is equipped with a huge gauntlet, and it did not look like the common gauntlet many infantrymen would wear. Its color is a dark shade of red and it is more detailed. The governor ordered the guards to stop the man.
The guards followed his orders and halted the stranger. The governor approached the man himself and asked, "What is your name?" The stranger replied, "My name is Hans Schäfer." The governor asked, "Schäfer? That's not a last name you would hear often here in Wallachia. Where are you originally from?"
Hans responded, "I am originally from the Holy Roman Empire. I have come here in Wallachia in search of a man named Valentin Laforge." The other men are surprised where Hans is from. The governor replied, "The Holy Roman Empire? You came all the way from there to here in Wallachia in search of a man named... Valentin... La... What was it again?" Hans repeated himself, "Laforge."
The governor and the men saw Hans as very suspicious. Who would travel all the way from The Holy Roman Empire to Wallachia in search of one man? "I see, I am the governor in this town, and I welcome you to Târgoviște. I hope you enjoy your stay here until you find the person you're searching for." The governor said. Hans smiled and thanked the governor and the other men, but the governor ordered five men to watch every move Hans made.
Hans entered Târgoviște and was fascinated by the beauty of the town. This town is definitely more beautiful at night. He met very nice and welcoming people, and explored different areas in the town. The five men who were sent to follow Hans lost track of him, and they eventually ended up in a dark alley since they believe that was where Hans was last seen.
Suddenly, each of the men started to die one by one until a single man remained alive. The man was frightened and immediately tried to escape, but someone pulled him back in the dark alley. This mysterious person covered his mouth and pointed a knife to his neck. This person is indeed Hans, and he asked, "Why were your men following me? Were you ordered by the governor?"
The man responded with a frightened tone in his voice, "Yes! We were! Please don't kill me, please! I want to live! Don't you have a heart?!" Hans laughed and said, "Many have already asked me that question, but they didn't live long enough to hear the answer." Hans instantly sliced the man's neck with no remorse and looked at the dead bodies surrounding him. He hid the bodies in the corner of the dark alley and left. He made sure that no one saw him killing the five men, and once the coast was clear, he returned to exploring Târgoviște.
Moments later, the boyar returned and the governor greeted him. They both made sure that none of the people saw Lucinda or knew of her presence in the town. Lucinda was taken to a cell where only the governor can access. This special cell is only used if the criminal had done a severe offense, and Lucinda is the first to ever be taken to this cell. Lucinda is still in chains that were sprinkled with holy water while being imprisoned, so she cannot easily escape.
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The governor appeared in front of Lucinda outside the cell and said, "So you're the devil that's been killing the innocent people of Târgoviște. "Lucinda replied with a stoic expression, "I only killed two civilians. They were violently beating up a young man. I did what I had to do."
The governor then asked, "Who is this boy, and how is saving him a reason to brutally kill two men?" Lucinda replied again with a blank expression on her face, "Why would I tell anything about him to you?"
It was clear that he did not like Lucinda's response. The governor said, "It seems that you're very hard to question. You see, I need to find out certain information that only you know. I do not know if other creatures like you exist too. I am trying to speak calmly and respectfully with you. Don't make me lose my patience. It's best that you just answer my questions."
Lucinda still kept quiet and just gave the governor a death stare, she stares as if she ever found a way to escape, she would tear him apart. The situation got very intense, and the governor slowly lost his patience. He simply said, "I will leave for a moment. When I come back, hopefully you can give me the answers I want."
Back in the forest, Stefan is still finding his way back to Târgoviște. He is determined to rescue Lucinda and will stop at nothing just to save her. At the distance, he saw light and he immediately ran as fast as he could. He could already see the town lights and hear the voices of people conversing. Finally, he made it back to Târgoviște. Stefan is relieved and glad that he finally got back. He began to search for Lucinda and he started to roam around the town.
He asked a vendor regarding the whereabouts of the governor, and the vendor replied, "Kid, I don't know. You must be forgetting that Târgoviște is the capital of Wallachia. It's quite big, so Governor Nicolae could be anywhere right now."
Stefan realized that the vendor has a point. The governor could be at any part of Târgoviște, or maybe even at other lands within Wallachia. He decided that he will continue his search for Lucinda in a small part of the town. As he continued to walk, he bumped into a man and both of them said, "Watch it!" at the same time. They continued to walk in their own paths after their short encounter.
Suddenly, Stefan felt something different with his sense of hearing. It's like everything he heard is super clear and loud. He is amazed at how much power the sword gave him. Out of nowhere, a stranger grabbed Stefan's shoulder and whispered into his ear, "You really just don't know when to stop."
He quickly turned his head around and found the Boyar right behind him. In an instant, The Boyar swung his sword which caught Stefan off guard. Stefan barely dodged the attack and it left a wound on his left forearm. He pulled out his sword and they both clashed with all their might. The people panicked due to the fight, and called out to the guards for help. Stefan and Boyar Dimitru attacked each other and gave it everything they've got. Even if the Boyar has the size advantage, Stefan is matching his attack power.
Seconds later, the guards arrived to aid the Boyar. Stefan is now outnumbered but still keeps fighting. He viciously fought every guard and killed them. The Boyar of course, is surprised by how Stefan single handedly defeated twenty guards. However, more reinforcements came to aid Boyar Dimitru. Stefan is still determined to defeat them all by himself. A clash continued to happen, and while Stefan was showing great courage and strength, the number of enemy forces was increasing. While the number of the guards grew, Stefan got quite exhausted and received a lot of damage.
Out of nowhere, Margaux and Valentin came to help Stefan. The Boyar was furious and ordered the men to kill the three of them. The guards charged at Stefan, Valentin, and Margaux. The three of them killed every guard they saw. More guards arrived and it really gave them a hard time in fighting. The battle got more intense and violent. Stefan, Valentin, and Margaux were getting weary as the battle kept on going. Suddenly, the guards were getting hit by arrows. They were dying one by one. This shocked the three and got curious who was helping them.
More arrows pierced the bodies of the guards, and the person behind this phenomenon is none other than Hans. Hans summons a sword using his gauntlet and aids the others in battle. Stefan and Hans sliced and killed every guard they saw. Valentin ferociously tore off the limbs of their enemies. Margaux casted a spell to set the men on fire. The guards were getting overwhelmed and many retreated. The Boyar was enraged but he knew that he must fight another day.
After the battle, Valentin transforms back to human and looks in Hans's direction. Valentin asked, "Hans? Is that you?" Hans responded, "Valentin? Is that really you?"
There was a short moment of silence while they stared at each other. Valentin broke the silence by approaching Hans and hugging him. Valentin says, "How long has it been, my friend?" Hans hugged him back and responded, "It's been a while."
Stefan suddenly asked Hans, "Hey, you're the guy that bumped into me right?" Hans replied, "I hope you learned from your mistake. Always look at where you're walking, kid." Stefan had a blasé expression to Hans's reply. He was expecting an apology, rather than a lecture.
Stefan spoke, "So, are you guys willing to help me look for Lucinda?" Both Margaux and Valentin looked at Stefan and nodded in agreement. Hans is visibly confused and asks, "I'm sorry, but who's Lucinda? I just got here." Valentin briefly explained who Lucinda and Stefan are and the whole situation. Hans agreed to help Stefan because he thought of the whole thing as a reunion between him and Valentin.
Back in the cell where Lucinda is being held captive, The governor returns with five infantrymen and the Boyar by his side. Lucinda is confused why he brought the Boyar and five infantrymen with him. The governor said, "Boyar Dimitru told me everything. Your friends attacked Târgoviște and are currently looking for you. We must bring you to Brăila."
Lucinda is shocked about this information, but she is also a bit relieved. She just hopes that they are all well and safe as of now.
Governor Nicolae spoke again, "We will leave tomorrow. You will stay here tonight." Lucinda replied, "I can't. I'll die in the sun" The governor thought of what he could do and decided to just leave tomorrow at night. It will give Stefan and the others a lot of time to look for Lucinda, but the governor does not have much of a choice. "Then we will leave tomorrow night," The governor said.
Stefan and the others planned on what to do next. Valentin came up with the idea that he can track Lucinda's scent. For now, the four of them must hide since they are now known for killing the guards in Târgoviște.
Hans spoke and said, "We can rest in a nearby inn. I saw one earlier, and it's pretty close from here." Margaux replied, "But isn't the innkeeper going to notice that we're the ones who were in the massacre tonight?" Hans replied calmly, "Don't worry, I have my ways."
The three of them trusted what Hans was about to do. They all went to the nearby inn Hans told them about. They were all nervous, but Hans was very nonchalant about the whole situation. Hans approached the innkeeper and said, "Hey, I bet you know who we are and what we did, but I'd suggest that you let us stay in your inn for the night. We're going to pay you of course, but if you try to turn us in, I will rearrange your face and your limbs to the point that you won't even look human. Are we clear about that?" Stefan, Margaux, and Valentin were all shocked about what Hans just did. They expected a more calm approach from him, but the complete opposite just happened.
The innkeeper who wants to live, agreed to Hans's terms. He let the four of them stay for the night. He also guided them to the rooms where they will stay. They all sighed in relief, since they found a place where they could rest. Stefan prepared himself a bath by filling a basin with water, and wetting a piece of cloth. He wiped off every blood stain that covered his body. He also noticed how every wound that was dealt to him is now completely healed. The power that the sword gave him is truly astonishing.
Margaux, Valentin, and Hans immediately went to sleep. Everyone is very tired and in need of enough rest. Stefan was the only one who remained awake. He continued to wipe off every stain of blood on his body. As he wiped off the blood, he pondered if he could really be successful in saving Lucinda. Could he and the others defeat every foe that they will face? What if they aren't strong enough? What if they all get killed in the end? He realized that he was thinking too negatively. After his bath, he finally laid down to rest. While he laid down, he thought about how Lucinda is doing as of the moment.
Back in the cell, Lucinda thought about how Stefan and the others are doing. She hoped that everything would turn out fine. She just kept thinking positively. Positive thoughts are what she can only rely on as of now.