One of them immediately launches itself forward, opening its leather cloak and throwing half a dozen knives at the dangerous stranger faster than arrows and with more accuracy than the best of marksmen.
He pushes the princess away while jumping away from the first two knives, only to realize the rest cannot be avoided, so with the speed and efficiency only achievable by muscle memory he grabs the three projectiles in mid-air.
But soon the rest of the guards are next to him and everyone pulls out a pair of foil swords and pounce with deadly intend. A powerful kick and the man is several meters above, so fast that none of the swords even graze him, only catching his cloak and ripping it from his shoulders and showing his muscular and toned back, a large circle of blue runes on it.
Whizzing through the air the three knives rain on the guards, four of them jump up to strike at the man in time, but the one who stood closer, who threw the knives, to begin with, received one of them back right on its face, a patch of blood splatters behind him as his head jerks back and the projectile digs itself on the stone below as if it was a nail hammered on wood. The first guard falls dead on its back.
The foils shine with the light of the moon as they once again strike at the man, who uses one hand to grab and stop four of them in one expert swipe of his arm, his other arm covers his chest, receiving the full might of two other foils that penetrate but don't go through, instead they bend. The most ambitious of the guards aimed at the head, and at first it seems to be a success, the weapons pierce the silver strands of hair, reaching their target.
Then a kick, so powerful the guard its shoot several meters away at a stone column of the castle, its body torn into shreds like a bag of grain hit by a raging bull. A pair of legs hit the wall nearby, arms roll on the ground like trunks, and what remains is only leather, meaty chunks of bone and organs, and the wet red plastered on the walls and stone slabs on the ground.
Almost by instinct, the guards kick the body of the man, not in an attempt to recreate what he did but to get away as fast as possible, two are successful. One of them is caught by its feet and when the man comes down back to the garden he slams the guard like a piece of meat, its body crunching and a short cry escaping his mouth before falling silent, a new gruesome stroke of red paint that stains the nearby bushes and pants of the mysterious man.
However, the first victory of the two remaining guards finally comes when a dozen knives fly at the man once again landing on his back...and rattling as they all fall on the ground, not even capable of sticking to the flesh of the man, who slowly turns around, a mocking smile on his face.
Five seconds after beginning the fight and they are down to two people against one.
But the guards didn't stand idly as the man did the simple gesture of turning around, they analyzed, they planned.
Each guard rushes in the opposite direction, their cloaks opening to show their leather armor as their foil swords point at the man at all times. They are fast and precise with each step they take, running around the man who doesn't move, doesn't even change his stance as if he were in the middle of a fight.
Instead, he stands normally, as if the two guards were nothing but annoying flies.
They see their opportunity and lunge from several meters away at his back, shortening the distance in an instant, this is for naught as the man turns around and lets the first sword pierce his open palm, but a second swiftly strikes him on his elbow, bending but managing to get through.
Although both lunged forward, the other guard jumps over the man, twisting in the air repeating the attack done before but in a different order, piercing through the man's elbow and then his hand.
The two guards retrieve one of their foil swords, the one inside the hands of the man, and with a twist of their bodies use all their strength to go for a killing blow. The one on the right manages to penetrate the man's chest while the other aims high, at the man's head.
However, the man simply bites the sword of the one who aimed at his head, using his now free hand to grab the guard from the neck. While he punches through the other guard to his right with frightening ease.
Blood falls from the guard's mask onto the floor as he struggles to speak, falling silent and going limp soon after. While the last one still breathing, the woman by the noise of her struggling breath pulls out a dagger in each hand and strikes at the arm of the man, barely managing to pierce his skin.
"Clever" The man whispers " But it was fated to fail"
With a crack, the guard's neck is broken and she immediately goes limp, the pair of daggers falling on the ground together with the body of the guard. The man throws the corpse on his arm like a wet towel that digs itself on the bushes and kneels next to her, tearing the leather armor off her chest, exposing her breasts and what he wanted to see for himself. His smile quickly disappearing as he frowns.
The footsteps of the guards raise in number and closeness by the second until they enter the garden, their lances and swords raised pointing at the man as thirty guards encircle the garden without coming much closer, the grisly sight enough to make them think twice before charging in.
Freund reaches the garden with the warrior nobles and many squires, Nett and Adler close behind as well as a few curious servants.
"Lioth!" He rushes to the side of the princess who lays on the ground at the edge of the garden, a little messy and unconscious, but after a superficial inspection, unharmed "Who are you!?" Enraged, he shouts at the man, still holding the princess in his arms.
"My name doesn't matter" He replies, standing up "And she is fine, I didn't come here to make a scene"
"There are more bodies in one of the rooms" A guard shouts as he joins the garden "Assassins!"
"They were an unpleasant surprise" The man says calmly as he looks at the guard who spoke.
New rushing footsteps join as Das and Edel join, standing behind Freund. Edel rushes to him, his eyes fixated on the princess, while Das takes a single glance at her and then to the bloodied man in the middle of the garden. His vision reddens and he runs forward, his face twisted with anger and staff pointing forward.
The man seems, shock when he looks at Das, but soon his expression changes to one of pure hate. With one movement he shortens the distance between the two of them as a powerful lighting strikes exactly where he stood just a second ago.
Das turns his face of anger to one of shock, as the large man is now at an arms reach of him, his right fist raised and ready to strike him from above, is in that second that seems eternal that the young archmage knows, death itself has come to claim him that moment.
Or so he thinks.
A loud bang is heard as the man is launched back the corpse of the woman, twisting in mid-air to fall on his feet. He places a hand on his stomach, still feeling the force of the punch.
"Stand back and protect the princess" Edel orders, standing now in front of Das, his arm returning to his side after sending the man flying back " Don't leave her side until ordered otherwise"
Edel takes step after step, his metal boots sound loud and clear, his fiery grey eyes lock with the golden eyes of the man. This time, he raises both fists to his face and places one foot in front of the other. His eyes glow not with anger, but with anticipation and the thrill of a proper opponent.
The general knows whoever this man is, knows how to fight unarmed, but doesn't return the gesture, instead, once he is close enough he holds his hands behind his back and stands still, completely open.
"Come" Edel commands and the man, obeys.
In an instant, he is within strike distance of the general and prepares to hit him on his face, Edel responds by moving his left arm to his side and trying to hit the head of the man with the back of his fist. However, the man dodges it going down, seemingly this being his objective all along, now low enough to hit Edel directly on his stomach.
But, a blast of air hits the nearby bushes as the man is sent flying up to the laminated roof of the castle, crushing it and almost making him fall through it to the room below.
The general had also moved his right hand, hitting the man right on his chin and sending him flying.
The man stands up on the roof, spitting blood to one side and smiling defiantly at the general who looks at him from below. He prepares to continue the fight when his golden eyes flicker, the light slowly draining from them.
"Ah... so soon?" He whispers, sadness in his voice "A terrible evil is coming to bring forth the third cataclysm, the entire world is in great peril. My time is past, and a new champion will arise to fight against it..." He falls to his knees, his knees growing weak each second as strength abandons his body, a body that becomes less and less muscular, wrinkles on his face "Endure, fight, win...or the Endless Night will consume it all..."
His last words are but a whisper as he falls to the ground, his body turning to dust, so only his tattered and bloody garments reach the garden, to everyone's amazement, especially Das's.
Everything is silent for a few seconds until Edel notices something hanging from the exposed corpse of the guard near him, it takes him a moment to notice it is not the same as the priests and faithful of the Lightbringer use.
"No one is allowed to leave! Arrest everyone! And bring me, Duke Hatto, this instant!" Edel shouts at the guards who move swiftly to carry his orders. His eyes then return to the amulet, the same he has inside of his pocket, but it hangs from the neck of who is supposed to be one of the most trusted guards of the princess.
"You will be safe there" Hatto whispers to his servant "Pay them and they will take you there in two weeks, we can't let you get caught, prince"
The black-haired servant, a young man. His skin fair and young appearance, probably in his mid or late teens, stares back at Duke Hatto with the same determination and conviction, his ocean blue eyes betray the blazing fire they reflect from deep within. He was the same servant serving wine to him earlier when Das and Edel were in the room.
"Thank you for everything, Duke Hatto, we won't surrender until the false king's head is on a pike outside his palace" His orotund voice makes the duke hush loudly.
With a nod, he turns around and goes down the stairs, Duke Hatto then moves a painting back to its place and the wall hides the staircase from view just in time as the rushed feet of the guards can be heard approaching the room through the corridor.
The Duke takes a deep breath and walks up to his comfy chair, sitting on it and finishing the contents of his glass.
"Let's see if my head isn't the one on the pike soon" He whispers.
An hour later, the interrogations go on smoothly, as well as the examination of goods and guards themselves, Edel is unable to prove the Duke's complicity in the attempt against the princess, but detains him and decides to take him to the palace with him so Das interrogates him soon.
"I will have learned the spells to read his mind soon, High General" Das says with a slight bow.
"Don't worry about it as much, the Duke won't be going anywhere. Instead, I want you to go to the fortress of The Hunters, investigate all you can about this" Edel says spitting on the corpse of the guard with the amulet "I want answers, tomorrow you will be given the letter of the crown. Get to the bottom of this"
"I will"
Das stares at the amulet. Things have become more complicated than before.