Finding it hard to breathe, Jacob woke up abruptly trying to find a way to take in oxygen. Shortly after he opened his blue eyes, he felt a hand over his mouth.
His heart skipped a beat.
Was this how his life was going to end? In the middle of the night, in the darkroom alone?
As his eyes focused he saw a pair of piercing blue eyes staring at him. Just a little below he could see a finger on top of the figure's mouth.
"Shh."
A small sound escaped the figure's lips as Jacob gulped.
He was scared and none of the training he has done prepared him for this.
Time felt slow, his mind trying to calculate a way to get out of this situation. No weapons in sight. A sheet? No, the figure was on top of him he could not even move. A punch to the side? Might work, but from the small shine, Jacob saw the person was wearing some armor.
The figure released their grasp on Jacob's mouth.
"Vulcan, you need to leave. Now!"
The voice spoke in a worried whisper.
"Jack! Jack, that you?"
Jacob asked. He was not sure because his eyes were still adjusting to the dark. From the voice, it sounded like Jack, but lately, the two have not hung out much.
Jacob has been busy training, he somewhat neglected the young guard who he considered a friend.
"Yes, but listen. Oswald and the guys have gone insane! They've murdered Rolf… in his sleep!"
Jack's voice was emphatic, his speech contained a strong hint of emotion.
He was hearing things. That had to be the case.
"You are joking right?"
That big guy who loved to cook. Jacob could not see him dying, after all, what grievances did he have with Oswald?
Jack shook his head, although it was barely noticeable to Jacob.
"No. Listen. Oswald has been wanting to destroy Renold. At first, I assumed the two would fight, but after what I've heard tonight I was wrong. Tom and Terry woke me up telling me to get ready, and as I gazed over I saw Oswald swinging his axe down on top of Rolf."
"He is off his rockers! Saying that those who betrayed him would get theirs tonight. He even mentioned your name!"
Jacob's eyes grew big as he listened to Jack.
Oswald was always plotting something, he knew that for a while now. He underestimated him, Jacob assumed he would be satisfied with a higher position and better pay.
Now he could see that was never the plan.
"What about you? You can be branded as a traitor for this."
Jacob told Jack.
Jack was not dumb, he had to know the consequences of his actions. This only brought pain to Jacob's heart. This small friend of his who he talked to and played Go with was risking his life to make sure he escaped.
What kind of friend was Jacob? Learning from Renold, gaining more experience and increasing his effectiveness. It was a big gain, but he traded away something he should cherish.
"No. I never signed on to be a rebel! My duty is to protect the lord, not kill his people! I managed to slip away while the others were busy arming themselves and rushed here. When I thought of the things to come, I just knew you had to escape. You did nothing wrong and I could not bear the thought of having an innocents blood on my hand."
"You are a loyal man Jack. Still, there is hope. We just need to wake Renold up, he is bound to have a plan."
It was stupid, he already knew that. He should be rushing out of this place as fast as possible, not trying to stick around.
Never get too attached, that was a rule he set for himself when designing characters or even weapons. If he developed feelings for them, then it would be harder to kill them off at a later date.
With the time he has been here, he started to enjoy the company of some people. Rolf was his favorite, but Jacob refused to believe that the big guy was dead. He needed to see it with his own eyes.
As for the others, he could not find it in his heart to leave them be. Sure, his life was important to him but whose wasn't? If people were going to die, at least give them a fighting chance.
That is how he felt. If Jack did not come to him, Jacob might not even see the sunrise.
The plan was simple. Wake Renold, tell him of what was going on then tell Jewlieah and Diana to hide. After, he would escape.
Nothing else mattered, no one else mattered.
Jack needed to be talked to. Finding someone that loyal was hard to come by. Jacob did not want to leave him behind but he knew he could not force Jack to forsake his duty.
"Don't be stupid. You have been training but that does not mean you are ready for combat. Take this time and leave, before it is too late."
Jacob placed his hand on Jack's shoulder as he smiled.
"I do not plan on dying here tonight. Nor do I plan to cower. The least I can do is see to it that everyone has a fighting chance."
Jack did not know what he should say. So he stayed silent and nodded. Even with his warning, Jacob was still willing to risk his life. He was brave, more than other kids his age would be.
The two of them left his room and soon Jacob noticed just how in a rush Jack really was in. He was wearing no boots or shoes, the only thing equipped on his body was the chainmail he wore underneath his armor. Jack did not even take his sword with him.
They ran at full speed. Through the kitchen, Jacob could see lights approaching and his stomach was telling him this was a mistake.
Stopping his steps, Jacob glanced at Jack.
"You go wake him up, I need to get us weapons. Do whatever it takes to wake Renold up, even if you have to break the door down!"
"Where are you getting weapons from? The guards have them all!"
Jack asked Jacob.
"Don't worry about that, just focus on waking him. Now go!"
Jacob wasted no time at all, he rushed towards the hall underneath the stairs.
Time was what he lacked. The guards were close, closer than he thought. Even if he moved at lightning-fast speed he might not be able to wake Diana or Jewlieah in time to tell them about what was happening.
The torches were already lit down below, but even with the light they were giving off Jacob almost fell down the stairs. He managed to catch himself, but that was due to him grabbing onto the wall to stop his momentum.
Rushing to the weapon rack, Jacob picked up the mace he has been training with for some time now. Next, he grabbed a short sword and a wooden shield. The small circular shield would barely cover an adult's body but for Jacob, it did him wonders. The best thing was that the shield was light meaning his arm would not tire from holding it up for too long.
It was all he could carry.
With both weapons on top of the small shield, Jacob rushed back upstairs.
Each step up he took his body felt a little heavier. His heartbeat thumped loudly in his ears all while his stomach was telling him he had to take a massive poop.
Could he handle the sight of blood? Organs being spilled in the open?
Was he capable of defending himself or killing another? Doubt started to take over his mind.
"What brought us to this? Was it me keeping this a secret from Renold? I did let this drag out too far huh? If I told him sooner, this may have played out differently. No… he had a part in this as well. So did the others. All the choices we made caused this outcome."
Jacob was conflicted with his thoughts.
Still, his feet moved forward and he opened the door.
"Jack that bastard! Leave him to me, I want his head!"
Jacob's body stopped completely. They were here, and from the way they were whispering he could tell they did not want others to know of their presence.
He did not move an inch. He could not move an inch.