Talisa rushed up to Sklavos, Alexander tried to stop her but his effort was thwarted by Jhin's vehement attack. He charged in and used every trick he had to occupy Alexander while Talisa was unleashing Sklavos's bonds. Kicks to the shin, and to the balls, and using the longsword as a defense against Alexander's counter-attacks.

"Murder you say? He betrayed the king!!" Alexander brought his greatsword down, with devastating force and jhin barely deflected it. Using the flat side of his own sword.

"I'll send that king Flying!" Jhin shouted back at him and brought his sword forward, aiming to stab at Alexander's leg. Alexander had to move that leg back and deflect the blow. His footing had changed and before he readjusted Jhin, did a full-powered frontal kick and hit Alexander on the thigh of the same leg.

Alexander then lost his balance and fell face-first into the wood. Not before punching jhin in the right shoulder. Jhin Flew back and fell on the platform hard. The back of his head hit the floor and his vision started spinning. He tried to grab his sword with strength and push himself up but he fell back down.

But Alexander hadn't really taken that much damage. His armor hindered his movements but not enough for him to be unable to get up. With one strong push, he was off the ground, and with one more move, he was ready to attack Jhin yet again. But before he could begin his attack a big rock came flying over. It smashed right into Alexander's helmet and a sound as if a bell was wrang echoed in the whole plaza.

Alexander immediately lost his sense of balance and that is when Shaq came running over with a brick on his right hand. He planted his feet and used all of his strength as he hit Alexander in the head so hard the brick shattered in the now dented armor. Alexander fell down and Shaq picked Jhin up from the ground.

"Jhin! I did it!" At that moment Talisa yelled, loudly enough for everyone to hear, as she helped the Left-hand man of the king stand up. She started carrying him since he was beaten black and blue by some of the more power-thirsty guards. Alexander though at that point was already getting up. Even though blood could clearly be seen flowing from the gaps in his helmet.

Although the many plates of armor he was wearing were weighing him down, using his greatsword as the support he managed to get on one knee. Talisa had to pass in front of him and thus stopped in her tracks when he stood up and threw his greatsword right in front of her. The wood broke and shattered as it flew into the ground below the platform, only its handle peeking through the wooden floor.

"Stop right there... I... will fulfill my duty... Girly." Alexander said through his own panting. His leg had been damaged with his fall and even though he didn't want to admit it the fight with jhin had drained him of his stamina. He Was carrying 100 kilos of iron plates in his body.

Talisa was taken aback, hearing Alexander speak. Not because he showed the drive to stand up even when exhausted, or anything of that sort, but rather because he looked at her in the eyes and called her a girl. Something that even those that helped her get past the guards couldn't do.

"Why... Do you go so far for a King that brings such harm?" She asked, her head tilted to the side and her eyes looking at him with confusion and pity.

"... It was the duty I vowed to uphold." Alexander answered her question as he walked closer to her. He took measured and steady steps.

"Alexander... After everything ends... what do you say we go for a drink old pal...?" At that moment Sklavos broke the silence. He smiled wryly at his previously long time friend. Both Talisa and Jhin, who had managed to get up at that point, where left dumbfounded at the statement and caught unaware when Alexander stopped moving forward and stood still as if he had just broken out of a stupor.

"Run..." He said, his voice and whole body was shaking. "There won't be a second time."

Jhin rushed to Talisa's side and grabbed the left side of Sklavos, placing his arm over his shoulder. They then rushed off the platform and united with the crowd which had been stopping the guards from intervening all this while, with Shaq staying in front and forging a path through the people. Right as they got down, Lyrion, the man who had been fighting Shaq but had been held down by a dozen men had gotten up. All around him the men that had intervened in his fight were laying on the ground. blood was dripping from their bodies.

Cuts in all limbs, as well as the torso, the stomach, and the head let the blood flow freely down their cloaths and onto the pavement. Some dead while others were unconscious.

"Sir Alexander! What are you doing!?" Lyrion screamed, his anger reaching new heights. He ignored Alexander's order to retreat and rushed forward. Pushin and punching everyone out of his way. More and more people tried to stop him though and he reached with his hand for his sword. But out of nowhere his rage subsided. Not completely but he suddenly felt that it would be useless, and wrong, to start chopping up civilians as if they were vegetables.

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Lyrion stopped in his tracks and turned around after a few moments of standing still and contemplating. Everyone in the plaza released a huge sigh of relief as the Royal Guard collected gathered themselves and left the scene. This had been a great humiliation for them, and not one of them held his head high as they retreated.

A little ways away, the group of four had turned into some alleys and stopped to let the man sit down and get some rest for a little while, though Jhin and Shaq needed it as well.

"Jhin let me do some first-aid on your wounds." Talisa came and sat next to Jhin as he slumped to the ground. Shaq on the other hand sat down across from Sklavos and kept staring at him.

"Thanks. Did you learn how to while in the Wolf hunts?"

"Yeah. Every warrior hs to learn how to do this, we don't have the manpower for dedicated doctors and medics during the assaults." Talisa explained as she finished bandaging the first wound, on Jhin's shoulder.

"So old man... Time to speak isn't it." Shaq said to Sklavos as Talisa finished with tending to Jhin. They all sat across from him and silently waited.

"Haa~~~ Indeed, it is time." Sklavos released a deep and long sigh as he got ready to talk. "My name is Sklavos and I am... Was the left hand of the King, an Advisor."

"You what?!" Shaq shot up and grabbed the man from the neck, he started squeezing subconsciously and Sklavos started thrashing around.

"Wait Shaq!!" Jhin shouted right away and got up to pull Shaq away from Sklavos.

"And why should I listen to you? Why did we save him in the first place??!!" Shaq got angrier at Jhin's attempt to calm him down, thinking about how rash Jhin had been, and how he had essentially wasted a chance to go in the palace unhindered by the Royal Guard.

"Shaq, please calm down, you're killing the man." Talisa said slowly as if pleading to Shaq but a glint entered her eyes as she clenched her fist and walked up to Shaq. Shaq gulped audibly at Talisa's approach and released Sklavos, who fell down to the ground and started coughing violently and throwing up whatever was in his stomach.

After Sklavos calmed down he sat straight again and took a few deep breaths.

"I am sorry for-" Talisa began apologizing but with a wave of his hand Sklavos stopped her.

"It's fine... I deserve it. I couldn't do anything. From the very beginning that monster wouldn't listen..." Sklavos seemed to be deep in thought, with his brows furrowed. "I should have tried to do more, but I reconned that if I were to give up my position it would truly throw this kingdom into chaos. I... Have been working as an advisor for this kingdom for more than 40 years..."

As Sklavos started bringing up the past his eyes glazed over. As if he had traveled back to those times.

"The previous King, Edward 'the Kind' von Prestige, was a great man... He took me in when I was only 10 and I worked for him ever since then. He was a much different person than the other Kings that ruled this country. One of his greatest contributions was dismantling the Slum world system in most of the country while at the same time pushing heavily for the rights of the freed slaves. Sadly the Capital had too much backing from other forces for him to be able to bring down the walls of the Capital. But with me and Alexander showing our constant and unyielding support over the years more and more people began to like the King's ideas. They were touched by his heart and will. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution, many people of the lower classes started working and living here and with them, the support for the King grew exponentially. "

As Sklavos spoke jhin found a weirdly, white but with a metallic hue polygon in the side of the street. He didn't know what it was but he picked it up and started holding it in his hand.

"It was 10 years ago when the King put his plan in motion and pushed hard for the freedom of men like you. "He said as he looked at Shaq. "But it failed... Not because the people didn't want it but because he died... The people know he died from sickness but the truth is he was poisoned and he knew by whom. On his deathbed he made me and Alexander swear to try and go against his killer, the new King, his nephew. He wanted us to keep ou positions and keep the man in check for as long as we could." The story had come to an end but Sklavos wanted to clarify some things before he fell into silence.

"Alexander and I took that message differently. He had always been a purebred knight at heart. His loyalty to the crown was what he held the highest, other than his honor, and although he is a kind man he couldn't bring himself to outright go against the orders of the crown. While to me the promise I made with my father figure and friend was more important than anything else... And that is it. It was his order that made me a permanent Advisor of the Left and Alexander a permanent Leader of the Royal Guard, a Royal decree that even Kleanuex couldn't disobey."

The story had been quite long but it was simple. All three of them though got one thing from it. And by looking at each other they knew that they had all reached the same conclusion. Before anyone else though Jhin spoke up.

"So as long as I beat that stupid King's ass, You will be King and Talisa's people will be saved?!" He said as he threw the polygon he had grabbed onto into the air.

"Well...I don't know if I-!" Sklavos tried to say.

"Oh, would you shut up! We are gonna make you king and you have no choice in the matter!" Talisa shut him up before he could say anything with a good shout. Shaq on the side nodded along with Talisa.

Having reached an understanding and found a new and better goal all of them got up and dusted themselves off. Except for Jhin who went to pick up his polygon. It had been squishy in his hand as if about to pop any minute, and so He had assumed that when he threw it, it would break. But weirdly enough not a single thing happened to it. Not even a speck of dust had gotten on it.

Finding it interesting enough Jhin picked it up again and took it with him as the group of four left their little alley.