Night had fallen fully as the group made their way down to the courtyard. There was a heavy guard presence, but Arlene was able to conceal herself, along with Kermit, using Blend into Shadow.

Andy was not so lucky.

"You there!" a guard called as Andy attempted to slip down a side street following Arlene. "Halt!"

Andy stopped. Really? He wasn't even going to make it out of the courtyard?

"What is the meaning of your curfew infraction?" The guard said as he approached. He had heavy, plated armor and composite wooden and steel shield with heavy spikes protruding from the center. The spikes gave off a faint red iridescent glow in the darkness of night.

Andy adjusted the hood of the event staff cloak he had acquired earlier, obscuring his face just in case the guard might recognize him from the arena.

"I've been given superseding orders," Andy said. If this was anything like the bureaucracies of Andy's previous life, the guard would likely not be privy to all (or even most) decisions made by higher ups. He was probably just told not to let anyone enter or exit. But with corrupt organizations there were always exceptions, and the Cresthaven nobility had proven themselves exceedingly corrupt.

"And whose orders supersede the duke's?" the guard said, resting his hand on the hilt of his shortsword.

"The duke's," Andy said.

The guard laughed. "Yeah?" he said with more than a hint of incredulity.

"The duke wishes the immediate surroundings to remain free from debris. He wants to maintain a clean and dignified environment."

The guard paused. Andy was getting somewhere with this.

Andy gestured to his purple robe. It's color was barely visible in the moonlit night, but the material was unmistakably cheap. "I wish I could call it a day after working the parade, but the duke insisted. He said he wanted the guards to remain undistracted."

"The duke spoke to you?" the guard said.

Did Andy detect a hint of jealousy? How would he play this next line? He needed to prove that he was familiar with the inner workings of the noble court, but he also had to protect the guard's apparently fragile ego. He would just try to name-drop some court personnel and hope that it proved convincing enough.

"Heavens no," Andy said. "Brea informed me. She said the duke is worried that the trash from the city will spoil his view in the morning."

The guard grunted. It seemed like the deception was going to work…

"Be quick, and don't get into trouble," he said.

"Thank you, sir," Andy said, bowing slightly as he peeled off for the back streets.

The guard returned to the edge of the courtyard. Several other guards seemed to question him, glaring over at Andy, but soon enough they turned around and continued watching for nerdowells, defending the perimeter of the premises.

Andy slipped into the empty backstreets, and soon enough he found Arlene and Kermit waiting for him.

***

Andy, Arlene, and Kermit made their way across Cresthaven, concealed by the shadows of the alleyways. Aside from the occasional rioter spilling over from the central avenue, they were largely able to avoid conflict. The shouts of guards and breaking of glass never came close to them.

They arrived at the bridge, making their way onto the main avenue. Andy looked behind: the rioting crowds were scattering after a long night of destruction, the guards beating down commoners indiscriminately. The bridge, however, was clear.

After they arrived on the other side, things were much quieter. The group navigated through the empty streets, down the dirt path to the stables, where they pulled over to the brush.

"This is the place," Andy said, peering over the brambles at the same guard they had seen earlier that day.

The guard's sat on a wooden crate slouched against the wall of the first stable building, spikeshield leaned against him. His head nodded forward sporadically before jolting back up.

"Security is lax," Andy said. "We can certainly make it back there. That's the same guard that was here earlier today, and now he's practically asleep."

Suddenly, Andy heard the rattling of chains and from the street. He made a signal to Arlene and Kermit to remain crouched as he peered through the branches. It appeared to be three guards in full plate armor, spikeshields glowing, leading five shackled prisoners toward the stables.

As the captors approached the compound, the lead guard gestured for his company to remain where they were. He approached the sleeping guard.

"Get up!" the leader shouted in a distinct, gravelly voice.

The sleeping guard jolted and immediately stood at attention.

"Don't you know there's unrest!?"

"I, yes sir," the sleepy guard said. "I am sorry sir."

The leader's spikeshield began glowing red.

"Sir!" the sleepy guard pleaded. "Sir, that will not be necessary. I'm awake now."

"You better be," the leader said. "But now I've got to unload my charge…" he turned around and looked at the captives, aiming his spikeshield at the first one in line.

"Wait!" the captive pleaded, raising his hands over his face for protection.

The leader's spikeshield discharged a heavy red beam of energy, blasting a hole through the captive's chest.

The captive instantly fell to the ground, lifeless.

The other captives released cries and sobs as the first fell to the ground. The two subordinate guards chuckled nervously.

"Oh my god," Arlene whispered.

Andy felt sick. He had just witnessed the callous, spontaneous murder of a defenseless prisoner. He suddenly wished he had brought his sword.

"You bastard!" a captive called, lunging forward before another guard kicked his knees from behind and falling to the ground.

"Did you see the way he raised his hands? He was resisting," the leader said with a laugh. "He was resisting, wasn't he?" he said, looking at the other guards.

"Yes, of course," they said.

"That's what happens when you resist," said the leader. Then he turned to the sleepy guard. "Take them to a stable, the jails are full. And get rid of this one," he said, gesturing to the dead captive.

One of the captives began sobbing loudly.

The leader and his company passed the shackles over to the sleepy guard, who led the trembling captives around the back.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"I like the outskirts," the leader said in his low, gravelly rumble as he and his company headed back toward the main path. "No one to tattle on you."

Andy began to tremble with anger, but he knew he couldn't do anything about this situation presently. For the first time, he had just seen what a spikeshield could do, especially in the hands of a cruel and unaccountable tyrant.

Andy couldn't see very clearly in the dark, but he noted the man's distinctive voice. One day soon, he would pay…

After the guards had disappeared down the dirt path, Arlene began sobbing.

Andy put his hand on her back, as did Kermit.

Andy looked at the lifeless body of the captive, killed on a whim. He felt a tear fall down his cheek, a tear of grief and powerless frustration intermixed.

The sleepy guard reappeared and began moving the body, dragging it off around a corner.

"You ok?" Andy asked.

Arlene nodded, wiping her face with her sleeve.

"Let's get that pig," she said.

***

Shaken by the off-the-books execution they had just witnessed, the group slowly made their way through the brush and toward PL's pen.

Andy had the sudden feeling of being in a dream, the feeling that things weren't real, that he had distance from the events that had occurred. He knew it was a trauma reaction, and one that he had experienced often in his life. He was beginning to slip back into that familiar numbness.

I can't shut down. Not now.

He allowed himself to feel the soles of his feet as he walked, to feel the way they made contact with the ground. He felt the earth beneath him. Connected to it. Allowed himself to be comforted by it. Something horrible had just happened, but the world was still here. He was still here.

I don't know who that man was, I don't know what he did, but I know for a fact that he did not deserve that, Andy thought. I vow to avenge him.

Even just that commitment, the act of deciding on a plan to address what had just happened, brought him a little relief.

Andy took a deep breath and felt the reality of the world return to him.

"There he is!" he heard Kermit whisper. "These are bad people," he said. "We have to get PL out of here."

Andy peered through the brush at the tusks protruding through the stable gate. No one seemed to be around.

"I'm going to go look at the stable," he said. "Maybe there's a less noisy way to get him out, but just in case, you guys look for a big rock or something. Be right back."

Andy broke from the brush.

Out of nowhere, Andy heard a voice shout: "Don't lay a hand on that pig! I'll cut you, I swear!"

Even in the darkness, Andy could tell it was the sweaty pig handler they had seen earlier that day in the stained clothes. He held a basket of apples and was brandishing… a very small knife.

Andy could take him, but most of all, he wanted to silence him so that no other guards or animals would take notice. Hopefully their cover wasn't already blown by the man's outburst.

Andy activated Fluid Strike, he lunged toward the man, hitting him lightly in the wrist so that the small knife went flying backward. The apples, too, fell to the ground. Then Andy positioned himself behind the man and put him in a very loose headlock, placing his hand over the man's mouth.

"We don't want any trouble," Andy said, returning to normal speed. "Be silent and you won't die."

The man went completely limp.

Arlene's voice spoke, hidden with Blend into Shadow somewhere near them.

"Do you have the key?" she asked calmly. "We want the pig."

Andy slowly removed his hand from the man's mouth as he began to speak.

"You can't have him until tomorrow," he said. "That's what the deal was. If tonight is his last night on this earth, I want it to be the best for him… I just spent my entire day's earnings on this bushel of apples…" the man began to sob in frustration.

"We don't want to hurt the pig," Andy said. "We want to rescue him."

The man continued breathing heavily. "You what?" the man asked.

"We want to rescue the pig," Andy said again.

"For what?" the man said. "So you can eat him?"

Kermit stepped out of the brush. "We want him because he's our friend," Kermit said.

At the sound of Kermit's voice, the boar stood up and began to grunt softly.

"You, you… wha… You'll get in big trouble," the man said. "I'll get in big trouble. I'll be fired, or maybe killed."

"By who? Who wants this pig dead?" Andy said.

"Why… the duke, of course. The boar is going to be slaughtered and cooked at the festival tomorrow, as is custom."

Andy released the man as he began to calm down.

"So they're cooking him at the festival tomorrow?"

"Yes," the man said, irritated. He began picking up the apples. "That's what happens to all the livestock used in the games, don't you know anything?"

"Why?" Arlene said, stepping out of the shadows.

"Because it's the Noble Court," the man said, spitting with anger. "That's what they do. They enslave and dominate. They want to show that even the beasts of the arena aren't powerful enough to avoid becoming their dinner."

Andy sighed.

"It's a horrible, backwards tradition," the man said, "but that's just how it is."

"We're favored, right?" Andy said, looking at Arlene. "Maybe we can negotiate."

"Negotiate with the duke?" the pig handler said.

Andy nodded.

"Who are you guys?" the man asked, backing away a bit.

"We fought in the arena today," Andy said.

"That's where we made friends with PL," Kermit said.

"PL?" the man asked.

"That's the piggy's name," Kermit said.

"What do you think, Arlene?" Andy asked.

"I don't know if we have time," she said. "We've got the council tomorrow, I guess we could make the pig a condition of our employment…"

"You guys work for the duke?" the man said.

"Not yet," Andy said. "But we may soon. And maybe we can ask for the pig as part of our compensation. When are they coming for him?"

"I don't know," the man said. "Probably afternoon?"

"When's the council?" Andy asked.

"Morning," Arlene said.

Andy thought for a moment. It was risky. If they left PL here, they were risking the butchers slaughtering him before they could get back. If they broke him out, then they risked this pig handler being punished. Perhaps severely, even capitally.

"Can you hide him?" Andy asked the man.

"I mean, yeah, there's some older stables out back that no one will check, but I'll get in huge trou–"

"What if we could get you out of trouble? Would you be willing to risk it?"

The man was silent. He approached the pig, who grunted with delight as he petted its snout.

"This pig has been my only friend for two years now," the man said. "Ever since they caught him in the wild, it was up to me to work with him. But I always knew the day would come when they…" he trailed off.

The man reached into the basket and pulled out an apple, feeding it to the pig who chomped on it hungrily.

The man smiled, petting the pig some more.

"If he could live a happier life," he said, "then I suppose I would be willing to risk it. Life isn't going to be so kind to me without my friend anymore anyway."

"What's your name?" Andy asked.

"Sven," the man said.

"Sven, if you can pull this off, if you can hide PL tomorrow, we'll make sure you don't regret it."

Sven nodded.

"Great," Andy said. "Hide PL, and we'll get him off the hook during council tomorrow. If things go sideways, then… then we'll handle it when we get there. But I have a feeling we can get the duke to release him willingly. And whatever we can do for you, we will."

***

The group made their way back through the town and into the compound without incident.

Andy was pleased with the progress they were making with PL. But over and over, all he could do was replay the death of that captive. The energy beam of the spikeshield, the hole in his chest, the sobbing of the other captives...

The smug guard who had killed him, unprovoked. He took time to burn that guard's gravelly voice into his memory.

This, nobility and its regime...

These unaccountable tyrants...

This whole structure...

It deserved to be burned to the ground.

Andy knew from that moment, he would do everything he could to bring judgment swiftly.