As soon as the weary duo of servant and Master reached the small dock from previously planned, Ferase swiftly tied the ropes and helped TianXing disembark the wooden vessel. There was barely anyone around in the middle of this cold night and the stationary dilapidated junks continued to sway and rock in rhythm with the waves and wind. Pulling back his dishevelled Gray-white hair, Ferase held steady the wife’s hand, ensuring the drenched wood would not cause her any more harm.
Holding tight onto the fluttering long coat, TianXing was brought past a small outpost that housed a single ill-equipped guard. Fortunately, the man did not proceed with his duty and ignored their questionable actions upon realizing this situation was not worth his interference. Ferase, perhaps, never even turned to make contact with that guard and shoved the metal fence open. Descending upon a nearby embankment, the view opens to a narrow, misty street, hazily illuminated by dim street lanterns. They hung low on three story cement houses, joined together in compact rows that stretched several alleyways deep. It was eerily quiet.
Still in low spirits, TianXing found a soft patch of even grass and sat down with Eddisson cradled in her arms.
Ferase positioned himself boldly at the center of the single lane road and crossed his arms in impatience.
A few minutes had already passed and there was still no one. While TianXing was on the verge of instantaneous slumber.
However, just moments later, the sound of galloping hooves rang in Ferase’s ears as his face brightened. Immediately, he alerted TianXing with a shout and the two stood cautiously while the carriage pulled closer to the side.
The driver of the sheltered black carriage signalled a confirmation for the both of them and they immediately made haste. The given hand sign indicated that he was the appointed transport and the driver himself, a man of short stature and barely in his early twenties, was proven to be a serviceman associated with the now-collapsed White Ink business. A person who was plentifully reasonable to trust their final journey with.
The horses raced across the darkness.
He controlled the reins with precision and the carriage sped past hidden ‘mouse’ routes and winding back alleys. All intentions were to further delay the inevitable. that the Kiefrurpez would track them down in a city on the other side of the world.
With another whack of his whip, the horses took the shape turn, approaching an opening. The carriage dashed over the arched stone bridge over a water stream, with its shadows growing deeper and longer in the moonlight.
“They’re here…”
Ferase cursed a low growl.
“Who…Are they the…assailants from before?”
TianXing’s eyes remained bleak.
His brows frowned.
“Driver! How much longer!?”
“Soon, Sir!”
Sounded his accented voice of a foreign language.
The horses yelped in fright and accelerated once more.
It was the final stretch of alleyway.
“...”
Ferase could sense the ongoing pursuers.
But, he never planned on taking them on.
The two hostile parties are in a civilian district with a spared innocence to this in-house conflict. Surely, even with their freedom to operate on foreign land, there must be only so much that the Mayor would let them do. That was why he could only grip his cane in worry.
“Nearing close!”
The driver alerted.
Conveyed with the message, Ferase scurried to the back of the carriage and brandished his cane to the black shadows.
With a glow of the sapphire gemstone, the presence of the shadows ceased to exist.
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With their elimination, there was a sliver of hope that the next several minutes would go ahead uninformed for the overseer.
---
Back several seconds ago, there was one among many that slipped into the black and ran as fast as racing horses. The assassin, like his other subordinates, donned a dark gray scaled leather and tough black cloth. On his side, a belt of daggers served the figure’s main weapon.
Jerking sideways from crates of vegetables, they resumed pace, unknowing of their demise.
At a certain distance away, an intangible vertical layer of air stood tall, reaching past the tips of the rooftops of the parallel cement dwellings. Unaware of objects with the extremist properties, the assassins eventually reached the ‘zone’ of Ferase’s trap. The wall of air solidified in an instant and folded into every assassin like a blanket. Wrapping the flexible wall of air around the assassins, in much help to their superior speed, it was now their downfall. The assassins soon found themselves entrapped in a semi-solid air mould and they froze in pose. The mould began to shrink, compacting the tight bodies of the assassins even further as they felt their insides crushed from the supposed ‘atmosphere’.
From the outside, the mould was transparent.
As such, a passing dog nearby just saw people emerging from darkness and were hastily crushed and mushed into a viscous paste of fluids and biomass. All occurred within a blink of the eye.
That ‘floating’ bubble of maroon then felt the hand of gravity and their splattered remains dyed the alley a putrid rust iron red.
The dog, whimpering, ran in the opposite direction and remembered to never come to this place ever again.
.
.
.
The carriage and its occupants. Only one knew of the murders that happened back there, but this would never faze the old wizard. His sense spread far and wide and to his relief, no one else was within his vicinity. Unless, that individual was much more skilled in reducing his presence.
Finally, the carriage rocked to a halt.
“We’re here!”
The driver informed the passengers.
TianXing was the first to step down the carriage, along with Eddisson in hand. Raising her neck, she was soon greeted to a plain sight of a small pub and hostel. Dimly lit and waning wooden structures, this was the perfect place to remain hidden.
The double doors swung open and appearing through the curtains was a familiar sight.
“Mr Waiter!”
TianXing never thought she would see him again and she fell into Mr Tai’s hands.
Apparently, she thought Mr Tai would not make it.
The former head waiter had a change of clothes, sporting a dull colour palette of a double layer tunic and pants. Several bandages and spots of ointment were visible on his distraught face.
Hesitant at first by her actions, the middle-aged man gave in to the woman’s demands and patted her on the back like one does for a child. He was not the person to tear up if possible. Nonetheless, he could not deny his fragile emotional state, even if this was something that constantly rang in the back of his mind ever since the beginning when he became associated with this abnormal woman. Only that, his fears were originally targeted towards the White Crane Martial Clan. Who would have thought that she would cause a scandal that rang ears in a foreign state?
He wearily smirked at that humorous thought.
“Young Maiden, you have come a long way…”
“I…I’m back…But…”
Her face grew red once more.
“...You’ve…You’ve done your best. No one would have survived that long against the enemy…unless that someone is you.”
Mr Tai tried to calm her down.
“...”
“So please, rest yourself inside for now.”
Even without a response, she shuffled herself into the building with the assistance of several waiters on standby where her safety was guaranteed. The driver, who already got off his spot, closed the doors behind him.
Now, only the two of them remained outside. The Head secretary of White Ink and the Personal butler of Hamilton Claure von Kiefrurpez. Their old selves felt the gale passing through their still bodies as they maintained their gaze.
“...”
Mr Tai was the first to break contact, pulling out wrapped cloth from his chest pocket.
“You will be needing this right?” He held it out for him.
Slowly, Ferase grabbed hold of the package.
Loosening the ropes, it revealed a dull, matt black robe. Feeling the manufacturing and sowing, Ferase realized this was also an imported good. Possibly, a robe with magical properties.
“I thank you, Mr Tai. I’m sure it was not an easy task to obtain this.”
“I promised you earlier, didn’t I?”
“...I apologize for those harsh words back at the docks. It never crossed my mind that we already had a contingency plan until after I dealt with those murderers.”
“Don’t blame yourself, Ferase. It’s already split milk.”
“...” The old butler began to wear it.
“Also, I give my condolences for Master Hamilton’s passing.”
This froze Ferase for a moment before he could continue to reply. It was obvious Ferase has not recovered from that realization.
“Did you recover his body?”
“No…the Lady has not told me anything. But, I can only assume that Hamilton sacrificed himself for her escape. An honourable way to Heaven, I’d say.”
The butler approached the carriage.
“And you are doing the same?”
“...”
Looking back at Mr Tai for the last time before climbing up the driver’s seat, Ferase smiled.
“The Kiefrurpez are hot on our tails. I will serve as a distraction while you escape this wretched city.”
“I pity the Lady. Two losses in one night, both possibly to never be found. How does one live with that?”
“...Tell her my goodbyes when she’s in good health. And to you too, Mr Tai.”
Ferase held out his right hand. His gloves were nowhere to be seen.
Immediately, Mr Tai returned the gesture, gripping his firmly.
“I will, Ferase Edelane.”
“Gladly.”
What came next was the sound of whips and the cries of horses as the carriage picked up speed into the darkness. The back of his fluttering robe was the last Mr Tai saw of the butler. Soon, only he remained, silent in the center of that desolated, muddy road.