Mark and Richard supported Alan on each arm as we raced towards the farm fields. We had been a lot less stealthy than we wanted, and no doubt the fast gnoll elite from our battle would be back shortly with more enemies.

We had been running for about ten minutes, and a less-than-ideal distance, when a horn blew from behind us. Pursuers had arrived sooner than I expected, and anxiety started to set in among us all. Alan was mumbling under his breath, almost delirious. “It’s gonna be okay,” Maria gripped his hand tight as we rushed along.

“What do we do?” Richard asked as we moved. The issue was whether to stop and fight or try to outrun the chase. Thinking about how dangerous the surviving elite was made my decision easy.

“Don’t stop running.” I called out. “If we stop, we are gambling with all our lives.” Alan was also still steadily losing HP. It was hard to tell if it was poison or internal bleeding, but his condition was not good.

We had left in such a hurry that not a single piece of loot had been collected. It was clear now, though, that we were not strong relative to the gnolls as I had imagined we would be.

As we ran, I saw Jessica launching Quagmire traps behind us. So long as she had mana it was a good idea but the size of the trap was so small I doubted they would help much.

The seconds and minutes passed to the pounding of my legs and my increasingly heavy breathing. By the time we made it to the farmland, there was still no sign of gnolls on our trail. Whether they had given up or through sheer luck, it seemed we had lost them. Knowing the difficulty of the terrain of the forest ahead and considering our speed, I had no doubt we would have had to make an impossible decision if the gnolls had been close enough to see us. We would not be able to outrun them.

The angel statue was a welcome sight in the early afternoon. Sunlight hit it so that I felt a sense of piety. The silliest thought came over me, that maybe it had protected us in some way.

Alan slowly stabilized as we moved. His face lost its sickly red hue and his eyebrows un-scrunched. He was still losing HP, but the rate of decline had decreased substantially. Even without potions or healing, it would take a day or two for him to perish. Earlier, his HP were falling so rapidly, he wouldn’t have lasted two hours without Thomas’ heals.

I’d never have thought I’d be so happy to see the open plain just west of Rigar. It was quiet at the gate, only one guard there on duty to let us in. He was in the know, and wasn’t surprised to see us. “Where’s everyone else?” Lucas asked.

“The gnolls breached the forest again and look to be mounting an imminent attack. Everyone is on the southern wall preparing for the worst.” I gave a nod and followed the guard to the road where a cart had been waiting. We loaded up Alan and made our way back to the barracks as fast as possible.

General Rhugar was there waiting for us, and on seeing Alan’s condition, wasted no time. “Get a medic immediately!” He barked an order at a subordinate who rushed away. “Tell me everything.” He ushered us to a side room with full privacy.

Thomas stayed with Alan as did Maria, ensuring he was stable in the moments we waited for an actual medic to look at his wound. None of us were doctors and knew exactly how bad the situation was.

Lucas took the reins with Rhugar and explained the situation as clearly as possible, “So two Caravans?” Rhugar asked after some clarification. “It’s not the best case, but it should help.” He sighed, “it’s only been twelve hours but things change fast. Since daybreak they’ve steadily exited the forest and seem prepared for a charge.”

“The guard mentioned imminent attack,” I said.

“That’s the consensus right now, and it’s stirring the pot in a bad way,” Rhugar confirmed.

“Sowing discourse and causing chaos or a genuine attempt to storm the city?” Lucas asked.

“I can’t say for certain.” Rhugar wasn’t going to be drawn on Lucas’ speculations.

“Where is Lazemus?” I asked. There were things he needed to know as well.

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

“He shouldn’t be long.” Rhugar said, “The man at the gate was one of his men, he knew as soon as you were back. If there’s nothing else, you all should rest. It will be many hours before we know if your efforts have borne any fruit.”

I gave a nod and led the others out and into the hall. They all chose to get a warm meal despite such meals not really doing much to satiate hunger anymore. I wasn’t in the mood for tasting, so opted to get nothing for myself.

An actual medic came and took Alan before we even finished meeting with Rhugar. Our tank seemed to be in safe hands and Maria had gone with him. There was relief on the medic’s face on first look at Alan’s wounds, which gave me some confidence things would be fine. To be sure though, Thomas was monitoring Alan’s HP in the party window.

I had underestimated the gnoll’s intelligence and readiness. The caravans of supplies were not as easy to pick apart as I had expected them to be. Their intelligence also put us in a precarious situation with Alan. Encountering gnolls with the foresight to deflect and then sneak attack Alan wasn’t something I was familiar with. The world seemed to be growing yet more dangerous, worrying me further about returning to the outside world.

It only took some thirty minutes before a messenger arrived to get the news from us. To my surprise, I went to give my report and found that I wasn’t meeting with Lazemus, nor one of his servants. In front of me was the Red Prince in person. “Lazemus couldn’t be here,” the prince said. “I will hear your news and assist however I may.”

Lucas took the time to explain the situation, which seemed to get a rollercoaster of facial expressions out of the Red Prince. “I don’t think we’re strong enough quite yet to rescue Donivan. We wanted to get new equipment and learn some professions, but the city has been basically locked down.”

“Very well,” the prince announced. “In that case, I will take you to the royal armory as soon as possible. However, even I have to make an appointment with father and that may take some time.”

“Alright, in any case one of ours is injured so we may need a few days.” Lucas said.

“Badly injured? I’ll have one of my men send remedy. We have some miraculous medicine in Rigar.” He smiled with pride. “I’ll also gather a few craftsmen and profession masters. I need to inform Lazemus, but expect word soon.”

The Red Prince appeared to be a man of few words but this made him seem all the more dependable when he did make a promise. Even better was that I felt completely normal around him. My sixth sense usually gave me the vibe of anyone I encountered, and almost always it felt like I needed to be slightly cautious around people we didn’t quite know.

Even more surprising was our next visitor, and someone I hadn’t expected to meet in the slightest. The Red Prince’s opponent for the crown, and someone we hadn’t really heard much about—the Yellow Prince.

Edward was thrust to the fore as an enemy by Lazemus, but he didn’t much talk about the Yellow Prince whom Edward worked for. Reality was though, that Edward served only two people, the current king and his second son, the Yellow Prince. It was hard for me to separate their connection.

The prince was dressed in full military attire minus a hat. A sunflower-yellow trench coat covered from neck to shin. The buttons were made from what appeared to be white ivory and the tassels sparkled gold. Every military emblem he had, while not many, was embroidered with sparkling topaz that shined like the sun.

The Yellow prince had a striking resemblance to the Red Prince, and I’d almost suspect they could be twins of some kind if they weren’t born years apart. My sixth sense though, it made my hair tingle at the nape of my neck. While it wasn’t a guarantee, I knew despite his outward appearance this man was a crafty individual and someone to be wary of.

“Are you Mike?” He approached with steady and measured steps, the result of diligent training no doubt. His facial expression was stoic and didn’t give off any inclination of disgust or excitement in meeting us.

“That’s me.” I stood up to show my respect and offered him a seat. “You must be the Yellow Prince?” No one else could afford to adorn themselves with so many brilliant gems on their clothes besides those two.

“Indeed, I am he,” He replied. The Yellow Prince sounded nothing like the Red Prince. There was almost a suave sort of charm to his voice that made me feel a bit icky. “I came to find out if I can help with anything you may need.” It was too measured.

I was actually at a loss for words. I was expecting the leader of our opponents in the city to maybe mention our negative relationship and try to smooth it over. Alternatively, perhaps use force to threaten me to discontinue assisting the Red Prince. Or, the Yellow Prince could simply put on a friendly face and stab us in the back—there were many numbers of things he could have done or said to intimidate me.

Instead, he spoke in the most pacifying and appeasing tone. As if his only purpose to exist was to ensure things went as smoothly as possible for us. I almost believed that to be true; it probably could be if we agreed loyalty to the Yellow Prince, but that was already out of the question.

Lucas spoke up swiftly in my place to avoid an awkward situation, “We appreciate the offer but are currently on standby while a member recovers. I can fill you in on the details if you would like.” His offer got a few odd looks from the group, but I agreed with his appearing to be in favor of peace. There was no need to blow the factional rivalry of the princes out of proportion right now. And in any case, the Yellow Prince would discover the information he wanted with or without us.

Lucas moved him several tables away and started to give him the rundown.

“I don’t like this.” Jessica said as the two got out of ear shot.