"Ah, there you are," the leader of the green cloaks spoke, raising both his arms as Wyatt and company slowly stepped outside of the town hall; weapons in hand and with expressions silently screaming that they were ready for a fight. They were surrounded by soldiers loyal to House Polifio, most of which were relatively new and had experience as green as the color of their clothes. The town's citizens fully gazed at both parties, confused as to what was currently unfolding in front of their eyes.
"And here I thought I lost the three of you. I knew something was off earlier," he pointed to Wyatt, whose eyes were fully locked onto him. "You're the Ironclad's son, aren't you? You were a babe the first time we first met, and before this, you were being dragged to prison for attempted extortion. You managed to hide yourselves very well, I'll admit that much. However, disguises only last for so long and I'm glad I had gold to pay a few birds to keep a good eye on you." He smiled.
The soldier glanced behind Wyatt's left shoulder where he saw Xhiamas standing, calm and mysterious as ever. "And who might you be?" He asked. "My birds never told me about you. State your name and business, good sir."
"Only if you say yours first," Xhiamas replied, which made the green cloak smirk as if he was waiting for this moment. "Very well then," he removed his metal helm that was adorned with a griffin's feather on top of it. "I am Caine of House Dewblossom, son of Isaiah, and the assigned captain of this hunt. We are following orders given by Lord Mikhael of House Polifio himself to hunt down all runaway prisoners and conspirators of the chaos that ensued in Rosetown." Caine took out a parchment and opened it to reveal a wax seal. Imprinted on it was a rose; the ancient sigil of House Polifio. "Now that I've introduced myself, I believe it would be your turn." He called for one of the soldiers and gave the roll of parchment to him.
"I am nobody, Caine Dewblossom, and my business is to leave Shire's Eye with these good people through peace or violence. Whichever one of the two will do just fine for me." Xhiamas replied, receiving a round of laughter and applause from Caine.
"By the Divines, you must be mad!" He cried out.
"I don't know if you've noticed already, but we have you surrounded. The two exits of Shire's Eye have guards ready and waiting," he remarked. "Thank you for being brutally honest good sir, and to you I say this; we were tasked to hunt people like you down. Now, it is up to you on whether you'll be marching back to Rosetown where we will lock you back in a cell, or we end you; Right here, right now." The soldier replied with malice in his voice, leaving a deafening silence in the town center.
Xhiamas stepped forward with no hesitation. He walked down the stone steps of the town hall, and slowly made his way toward Caine. The soldiers readied their weapons and began to take action in defending their captain, but the eldest son of the lower noble house signaled them to stand down. The tension was palpable in the lukewarm, autumn air, and everyone stared at them with eyes wide open; wondering what was to happen next when these two, somewhat unstoppable forces met face-to-face. The scout stood in front of the green cloak, calm as ever, his confidence unwavering.
"...I think we both already know what happens next, green cloak," he tapped on Caine's metal chest plate. "Let us get on with it already, we are wasting both of our times," he said, staring into Caine's eyes. His opponent simply sighed, disappointed. "I had prayed we wouldn't have to settle our disagreements in this manner. But alas." He turned around and walked away as he raised two fingers moved them across his neck. "Kill them."
Afterward, three soldiers who stood in front of Caine screamed and began to rush toward the scout with their swords held high and eyes filled with killing intent. Xhiamas quickly looked back at the town hall where Wyatt and the two stood, ready and waiting.
"Try not to die just yet." He whispered to them. Without a moment's hesitation, he quickly reached into his pouch and threw something small at the head of one of the soldiers. The fellow then slowly began to stop moving and dropped dead to the ground with a loud thud. The sound of flesh crashing onto a solid surface rang throughout the center. Caine stopped to take a look and saw a throwing knife embedded in one of the eye sockets of the unlucky victim. He nodded in approval. "Impressive aim you have there," he remarked. "Most of you focus on killing him. The three idiots in the back are easy pickings. Pick whichever one you like and bring me their heads after you're finished."
He commanded his squad as he headed off into the crowd of merchants and buyers, disappearing. Wyatt, Hawk, and Cassian immediately ran to help Xhiamas who was now being targeted by over a dozen green cloaks equipped with either swords, maces, or spears.
For the first time, they were about to fight for their lives. The three of them also bore witness to how their former cellmate would fight. They expected him to be good in combat but were even more surprised when they saw him in action. He had finally used the custom-designed dagger that he had strapped onto his left thigh. In their time together, he had never drawn the weapon before, so seeing it for the first time was another experience by itself.
The dagger was of foreign design. Its hilt was made out of strange metal and decorated leather from an animal that they had never encountered before, even Hawk, who was familiar with different beasts due to the time he spent traveling Primera. Its blade was instead, a large, chipped fang of an unknown monster. Despite his disadvantage in his defenses, Xhiamas dodged and weaved each strike and attack made by the green cloaks. The man never stopped moving, and the number of people he had killed kept on increasing. Each time a sword was to strike him by his blind spot, he would parry it with ease. Even without looking, he would spin back into a more advantageous position.
"Xhiamas! Look out!" Hawk screamed as he spotted a green cloak on a window with a bow and arrow in hand, already ready and aiming at him as he was dealing with his opponents.
The scout simply smiled as he retrieved something from his pouch with his right hand and threw small, black objects no more than six feet into the air. With one swift motion, he struck at them with such force that they exploded, catching his opponents and his companions off guard while the rest of the civilians screamed and panicked, retreating into the safety of their homes or away from the battle.
Smoke filled the area where Xhiamas had stood, making it hard to see. Hawk quickly nocked his bow and shot at the green cloak, hitting him by the neck, killing him almost instantly as his body fell out of the window and crashed onto an abandoned stand of a merchant, ending his misery. The green cloaks were on edge as they realized that this man was in a different league than them. "Where is he?!" A soldier screamed. "I don't know, keep an eye out!"
"Over there! He's over there!" All eyes turned toward an alleyway where Xhiamas was standing, unbothered. "Is this the best that you can do?" He taunted them as he picked a cloth and cleaned his fanged dagger with it, leaving it ripped and shredded after he was done. "You know, being soldiers of a great house, you are not that great. At least entertain me." He smiled at the soldiers, leaving them furious and embarrassed. "We'll gut you like a fish!" A good portion of them headed toward where he was standing.
"I'll meet you at the port, my friends!" Xhiamas shouted at the trio, who were now back-to-back and were being circled by five soldiers. "See you soon!" He ran into the alleyway as most green cloaks followed in pursuit, leaving Wyatt, Hawk, and Cassian to fend for themselves.
"The others are idiots. These three should be easy enough," a green cloak who wielded a sword muttered. "Agreed. Let's get this over with already." Said another as his flail swayed back and forth. The other three merely looked at them, being careful not to take the trio lightly. "Well...here goes nothing." Cassian took a deep breath and charged at the sword wielder.
"C'mon, you!" He screamed as his opponent did the same.
Hawk swapped to a dagger and steadied himself. "Divines, protect me. Let's get this over with then." He muttered under his breath as the soldier with the flail began to approach him, his flail now swinging faster and faster.
Wyatt was now left to himself. In front of him were three soldiers. He never knew their faces nor their names, but the idea of having to kill them left a bad taste in his mouth. There was a thin line between his moral conscience and logical mind. He knew there was no way out of this as he had already concluded that this was their truth. He had come to terms with the idea that it was either they would kill or be killed. He gripped the heavy war hammer tightly and pondered that everything was only a nightmare. However, the boy quickly snapped back to reality as one of them swung a sword downwards at him.
Wyatt defended against the blow using the long, metal handle of the hammer but the soldier wasted no time on the attack. He swung again at Wyatt's head, forcing him to avoid getting decapitated on the spot. "Nice weapon you got there, boy. Too bad you don't know how to use it." Wyatt, who was still on one knee, immediately swung the war hammer upwards with surprising force and speed, catching the soldier off guard as the blow would have immediately shattered his skull. "Didn't expect that from you! How'd you do that?" The soldier stepped back as both combatants gained their bearings and went back to fight.
The entire scenario was a painting of danger and disorder. Cassian utilized his weapons with all the strength that he could muster as he used his sword in his attempts to inflict damage. When that failed, he resorted to his shield and bashed his opponent instead whenever he got the chance. The latter tactic provided better results, but each time he was on the offensive, he caught cuts and bruises along the way as well. The two were evenly matched at the time, but one would eventually give in.
On the other side of the town center, Hawk already knew that his bow and arrows were useless at close range and decided to use the environment and his agility to his advantage instead. The man planned to escape death by making his opponent miss every attack, attempting to wear him out during the process.
"Stand still!" The soldier roared as Hawk managed to dodge the flail's dangerous swings. He was able to damage his opponent by finding chinks in his armor, thrusting his dagger into an opening or two, leaving the green cloak screaming in pain. They eventually found themselves near the destroyed wooden stand that Hawk's target from earlier had fallen onto, with blood gushing out of the punctured area, which dyed the nearby items and cloth in a crimson, red color. The green cloak was significantly exhausted from the fight and in a desperate attempt before collapsing, flung his weapon at Hawk who was caught off guard, but had managed to ward off most of the blow by picking up a wooden plank on time which successfully protected him from a lethal injury, but was enough to knock him backward, dropping him on top of the dead body, leaving him dazed.
As the others were fighting for their survival, Wyatt was too. He relentlessly swung the war hammer against his opponent, who dodged his attacks, rendering Wyatt's offense as a waste of energy. He's planning to wear me out, Wyatt thought to himself as he too, knew that this method wouldn't be enough to take the green cloak down. His energy was slowly fading with each strike.
The soldier stepped in now and then to take him down but Wyatt was able to escape the danger of the sword by using either the front of the heavy end or by using the metal handle itself to block the attacks. They were enough to keep him alive, but not enough to escape wounds as now and then he would receive cuts from his opponent. They were shallow enough to not be lethal but if this were to continue then he would be in even more danger. From time to time he would catch glimpses of how Cassian and Hawk were doing.
He saw Hawk slowly regaining his footing against his opponent, who was left with nothing but his fists. Cassian was in a worse condition however as Wyatt saw him crawl for his shield that was a few feet from where he was now, but his opponent still had his sword and was already making his way toward him, sensing the opportunity for a killing blow.
"Hawk!" Wyatt screamed at his friend, who turned in their direction and instantly understood what was happening.
"You're getting distracted, boy!" His opponent shouted as he landed a clean hit onto Wyatt's face, knocking him down to the ground. His hammer dropped with a loud thud, and the green cloak kneeled on the ground and grabbed Wyatt by the throat, choking him and cutting off what little air he had left in his body. "We'll not make your deaths easy. We're going to tie you up, and drag your bodies back to Rosetown bruised and broken, where eventually you'll be hanged." Wyatt's face was turning into an uncomfortable shade of blue as his vision blurred. The green cloak smiled in success, as his prey was finally drawing its last breath.
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Wyatt's vision blackened. However, before he could pass out the deathly grip was released. He coughed blood and breathed in deep. When he came to he saw that Cassian had tackled down his opponent, and the two were now locked in a messy fistfight on the ground. He glanced in the opposite direction and saw that the green cloak that Cassian had fought was now dead with an arrow sticking out behind his head. Hawk's opponent was also found dead with a dagger sticking out of his neck. After killing his enemy, he was able to shoot Cassian's opponent down and was now heading toward their direction, but had difficulty in doing so as he was clutching his right leg, seemingly suffering an injury from earlier. Wyatt looked back at Cassian and saw that one of the two remaining green cloaks who had yet to fight was now making his way toward him.
"C-Cassian..." Wyatt called out weakly in an attempt to warn him but failed as his strength had yet to fully return. He was able to move out of pure adrenaline, but he did not know when this would last. He picked up his war hammer and immediately hobbled his way to Cassian, who was now engaged in a deadly exchange as the two were now wrestling for control over a dagger that Cassian kept strapped to his thigh. The struggle was intense as the two exchanged punches and elbows. In a stroke of luck, Cassian grabbed a hold of the dagger and immediately stabbed the hand of Wyatt's opponent which gave him the advantage, and immediately slit his throat, ending his agony.
The celebrations wouldn't last long however as the fresh green cloak was already at Cassian's position and punted him, effectively knocking him out cold. Wyatt desperately made an attempt at attacking and swung at the soldier, but failed as the soldier was able to dodge and kick Wyatt in the stomach, making him fall on his knees as the hammer dropped to the ground again. The boy was feeling a sensation that he had never felt before. Every inch of his body was seared with pain as his heart pumped faster than ever before. He wanted to vomit but was not able to. The soldier stared down at him, grinning from ear to ear.
"We underestimated you three," he spoke to Wyatt. "You were able to take out three of us. You lacked technique given the way you three fought but a soldier is a soldier. Taking one down without experience is no easy feat, even if the three of them were less trained than us. This makes you dangerous," he continued as he looked at the war hammer next to Wyatt, standing in a vertical position. "This thing's a beauty, let me tell you that much. If you knew how to use it, then we'd be dead already. I'll honor your memory by killing you with your hammer. Nothing personal, lad." He then began to grasp the weapon with both hands, ready to deliver the finishing blow.
Seconds passed, yet nothing happened. The soldier grunted and seemed perplexed. "Stop playing with your food and be done with it already," his comrade quipped. "I'm trying but this hammer ain't moving an inch!" he complained as he attempted to lift it again. The soldier was unable to lift the weapon to even only a few feet off the ground. "What's this thing made out of? How in the seven hells did this brat manage to move around like that?" He muttered, confused.
The other began to speak his opinion but was cut off short as something else caught his attention. "Watch out!" He screamed to his fellow green cloak. Not a second went by, an arrow flew across the air and hit the soldier on the shoulder, making him drop the hammer and cry out loud in agony. "Fucking bastard!" He yelled out in pain. Wyatt looked out behind him and true enough, he saw Hawk clutching his bow. He was near enough to fire a shot, but the man was already at his limits. Only a few moments later, he slowly dropped to the ground but was still persistent enough to drag himself toward Wyatt and Cassian.
Wyatt saw this as the perfect opportunity and he grabbed the war hammer with both hands, they felt heavy but unlike the soldier, he was able to carry the weight. He immediately stood up and thrust the war hammer onto the soldier's chest, knocking him down on the ground. The green cloak found difficulty in breathing after the heavy blow. After that thrust, Wyatt immediately assumed that his opponent's ribs were fractured or worse, broken and may have punctured one of his lungs as he immediately noticed that he was already coughing up blood. Attempting to end his misery, Wyatt screamed as he lifted the hammer and swung downwards with all his might as he smashed the green cloak's head, the area now a mess of blood, brains, and broken bones.
Only Wyatt and one green cloak remained. It was a miracle that they survived this far, but one obstacle still stood in their path. A green cloak was still standing, all fresh and ready. This one was different from the others as he observed the fights since the beginning and practically knew every move the three of them had in their arsenal. To make matters worse, Cassian was still unconscious on the ground after a punt to the head and Hawk was incapacitated because of an injured leg. This meant that their survival was on Wyatt's shoulders.
"This shitshow ends now," the green cloak drew his weapon. "I'm not going to take it easy on you, boy. Fuck the prison, you three are going straight down to the seven hells right now." Wyatt braced himself for the soldier's upcoming attack as he thought of a way to beat him.
The soldier was about to strike when a strong wind blew across the town center, knocking back countless wares as pieces of wood flew everywhere. Wyatt and the green cloak could barely keep their balance, while Hawk and Cassian were forcefully moved back from where they were. The two then looked back at each other, eager to continue the fight when suddenly the green cloak was hit behind the head by a person who had used a wine goblet, knocking down the soldier with such force that he was on his knees, dazed while the goblet was dented beyond recognition.
"Now that, is what I call entertainment." Wyatt looked up and saw Lord Dunwick giving him a round of applause and grinning.
"L-Lord Dunwick? What was--why did--" Wyatt had so many questions as to what just happened, but the boy was unable to muster up even a sentence. "I asked you earlier to prove me wrong, did I not?" Lord Dunwick asked him.
"Y-yes you did milord," Wyatt replied. "Well then, here we are. You proved me wrong. You proved to me that you are indeed the Ironclad's son and displayed a performance worthy of your father's legacy. Seeing the three of you fight these bastards brought back a few good memories," He kicked the soldier on the back, causing him to cough in pain as the warden let out a hearty laugh.
Wyatt heard a groan nearby and saw that Cassian had already regained consciousness. "My head hurts like hell...what happened? How long was I out for?" Wyatt immediately ran toward him.
"Cassian, Cassian! Thanks for earlier, but right now Hawk needs us," they looked in the other direction and saw that Hawk was conscious but was not able to get up and move. "Shit--Hawk!" The two of them immediately headed to where their friend was and helped him up, with Hawk groaning in agony. He placed his arms over Wyatt and Cassian's shoulders. "Seven hells..." He complained. "I might have strained a muscle--my right leg is killing me." He continued as they slowly made their way to where Lord Dunwick was.
"We'll get you something cold for your leg. Let me handle your treatment later. For now, try not to put any pressure on there." Cassian reassured Hawk as they were now back in front of Lord Dunwick.
"Now, since I was wrong, I will be making good on my word. You'll be granted safe passage from here on out. However, I advise you to use another route," the warden suggested to the trio. "If you plan on using the Onohill River and travel from here you will be back into enemy territory once you pass through the nearby woods, and I cannot protect you nor do anything if you were to do so. The Turtle Stream provides a slower, yet safer route to Gillsberry as it runs through my lands. If memory serves me correctly, it will merge with the river Onohill, and by then, you will only be half an hour to your destination."
"How long would the journey take?" Hawk asked. "If you were to follow your original route, then Gillsberry would only be a day and a half away, but with this new route, it will take three additional days before merging with the river Onohill." Wyatt looked at Cassian and the two immediately understood the situation.
"We have to take Lord Dunwick's advice. We are in no condition to fight. Also, Hawk needs the extra days to heal himself." They looked at him, who was coughing and focusing his weight on one leg. "Then the three of you must go now," the three of them thanked the warden for his generosity and began to turn toward the port.
"H-hold on, we ain't finished yet..." the soldier was on his feet, still dazed, but his weapon was clutched in his hand.
"You're mistaken, boy. I think you've reached the end of the line." Lord Dunwick whispered menacingly into the green cloak's ear, stopping him in his tracks. Wyatt and company could feel the wind howling and the temperature slowly dropping as if an anomaly was coming. The soldier turned around and out of instinct, ripped apart the warden's robe, revealing his true clothing of scaled light armor adorned with the feathers of Primera's western eagles. The sigil of House Browgan was pinned onto his upper left chest plate, and the ancient ducal signet of authority was clear for the four of them to see.
The soldier stood shocked and stumbled back in fear. He then knelt on both knees and bowed down, realizing what he had done. "M-m-milord Dunwick! M-m-my deepest apologies! I did not know that it was you! I swear it upon my life! Upon the old gods and the Divines!" the soldier stuttered in terror as the warden looked down at him, clearly displeased. "Please, spare me! I swear that I did not intend for this to happen!"
"I know that you did not, lad. I'm a calm and reasonable person," Lord Dunwick responded as he slowly began to walk back toward the town hall. "S-so...does that mean that I'm free?" the soldier asked, hopeful that he would be able to escape the warden's wrath. "Of course. I will not punish you; you were merely acting out of that bastard's orders," he replied as he turned to face the soldier. "However, I cannot say that these people share the same mercy as I do."
Moments later, the crowd from earlier had returned with angry expressions on their faces. The soldier was at a loss for words. Wherever he looked, not a single soul showed a face of sympathy. "You see, you green cloaks fail to understand one thing about Shire's Eye. The power here belongs to whoever pays the most. Of course, they will follow every command as long as the price is right and business will be business, but the one thing that they hate is when people disturb their work. Trade and money are what make this place alive. Unfortunately, you green bastards disturbed that work, and now everybody is behind schedule." The head of House Browgan began to grasp the doors as the crowd began to swarm the soldier who cried out for mercy.
"Milord, please! Mercy!" he pleaded, tears running down his face. "I am sorry lad, but I want you to know that I never intended for this to happen." Lord Dunwick replied as he closed the doors shut. Wyatt, Hawk, and Cassian continued toward the port as the wailed screams of torture echoed and drowned out behind them.
It had taken them some time, but the three eventually found their way back to the port where they found Xhiamas taking a bite out of an apple, already waiting for them. From the looks of it, it seems as if he disposed of the green cloaks for a good while. They also spotted someone next to him. That must be Flint. Wyatt thought. Sure enough, his thoughts were confirmed as he spotted the eyepatch and blue cloth that Lord Dunwick had described. Flint gestured at Xhiamas to turn around.
"Well, it seems that you took your sweet time--" Xhiamas immediately stopped joking around as he saw the condition that the three of them were in, especially Hawk. "We must go. Now." He told Flint, who had already prepared the boat in advance. Wyatt thought that the boat would be smaller in size, but it turns out that the boat was bigger and more sleek than the average ferry--good enough for seven people at most and based on the design, would move faster than normal.
"The supplies are already here," Flint informed the three of them. "Place him down where he can relax his leg. What happened?" he asked. "He got injured during his fight. Told us that he might have extended his leg--most likely strained it, at best." Cassian replied to which Flint pointed to a small container at the back of the boat. "That one contains ice, go treat him now." Cassian immediately went to work and finished the treatment as Flint and company moved the ferry and rowed toward the direction where the river Onohill and the Turtle Stream were located. As Shire's Eye was disappearing from sight, the movement of the ferry picked up as the waters were now slowly entering areas where the natural stream would now take over for the people rowing.
"Xhiamas--change of plans. Lord Dunwick advised us to use the Turtle Stream instead. Hawk needs time to rest, and patrols will be scouring the borders of Polifio territory after what happened today," Wyatt explained. Xhiamas nodded in agreement as he saw the condition the three of them were in. "I am sorry for not going back for you three after I killed those who chased me. Never again." He apologized as Cassian moved his way toward the group and sat down while Flint steered the boat toward the Turtle Stream.
"How is Hawk doing?" Xhiamas asked. "He is in bad condition--but he will live," Cassian replied. "We need to get to that hideout soon." Xhiamas silently nodded as he stared out in front of them. The path ahead was now clear: the lake had begun to split into two streams. Flint joined them and he sat down. "Well, it seems like we'll be stuck here for a while. The name is Flint. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance," he introduced himself. "Now, you seem like an interesting bunch of people. What are your stories?"
Wyatt was eager to share their story with another person who they could trust, but before he could start, they heard a whizzing sound pierce through the air, followed by something heavy crashing into the water.
"What was that?!" Wyatt screamed as he looked around the area, but as he turned, a sense of dread and fear filled his entire being.
"Hawk!" He screamed as they saw Hawk's unconscious body floating across the river, dyeing it red, and into the raging Onohill stream. "Flint, turn us around now!"
"Even if I wanted to I can't! We're too far into the stream now! We risk this boat getting destroyed if I do so!" Flint replied. Cassian sat in silence while Wyatt panicked as he thought about what they should do next. However, Xhiamas never bothered to look at where Hawk was, for another caught his attention.
On the nearby shore, he spotted a glistening armor which gave away the person's location. He was on horseback and had a bow in hand. Despite the distance between them, Xhiamas could point out that it was none other than Caine Dewblossom himself. Aside from the metal armor and green cloak, the dead giveaway was the same, malicious smile he gave to Xhiamas and rest earlier in the day.
"Bastard." Xhiamas muttered under his breath, his voice trembling with anger. For the first time in a long while, someone was finally able to break his calm demeanor. The party was left in shambles as they now entered the Turtle Stream. Hawk's fate was left unknown, his bruised and beaten body floating on the Onohill river, straight into enemy territory.