The cloaked man smirked under the shadows of his hood and played with the blade in his hand the blood dripping freely from the steel blade. "Now who is going to be the first to die from you filth who plague our lands?" Ethan stepped ahead of the group and everyone could hear the anger in his voice. "The woken under the protection of the crown. To go against them is to go against the country itself. Above all else how are heroes that protect the lands a plague?"
The man spat towards the group and his tone went from playful to pure aggression. "Every time they come they change our world. Threats become more dangerous from dungeons as they feast on the raw power of the goddess that the foolish woken give them. They come here and most die as they see themselves invulnerable to anything. I simply plan to kill them before they kill themselves." Xavier gave a side glance to Tyler and Sara both of them returning his look and he stepped forward past Ethan with the other two by his side. "And what kind of a say do we get in you taking our lives?" Sara spouted out no sign of fear behind her words.
The man scratched at his chin using the bloodied blade and chuckled softly. "What made you believe you had a say bitch?" Sara smiled and pulled the orb she had purchased from Madame Mystic's and began to chant something. Before she could target the would-be assassin he rushed at her doing a tic tac off the alley wall to gain height on her. Tyler slammed his shield against the assaulter's legs making him fall forward and Xavier pulled Sara out of the way. As the man caught himself in a roll and came up between the group Xavier noticed a large man running up behind Rachel. "Look out there's another one behind you Rachel!" Before Rachel could turn around fully to defend herself the man shoved past her and charged the cloaked man one arm taking his blade deep into its flesh and the other hand wrapping around the man's throat.
The two slammed into the stone wall with a crack that sounded like bones being popped outta place or possibly even broken. "you ain't gettin outta here alive bastard." The larger man's grip tightened around the man's throat until the knuckles went white. The blade was still in his arm but he kept it pinned against the other man's torso so he couldn't use it. As Xavier looked at the man he recognized him earlier from the bar they had just left earlier. "Don't attack him it's the bar owner Derek." The group looked at Xavier confused but getting a second look at him in the dark alley they realized he was right. "Ethan help him! Get the assassin bound with your magic" Ethan nodded and began to speak something Xavier failed to hear.
Seconds later large thorny vines began to grow from cracks along the ground and walls of the alley. The vines grew in length and began to slither like a serpent wrapping around the assassin's legs and torso. As the vines spread across him trails of blood began to trail down them and Xavier realized the thorns were stabbing into the man's flesh. Derek released the man and pulled the blade out of his arm pulling a rag from his back pocket and using it to stop the bleeding. He kept the dagger in his hand and used it as a method to threaten the man who was now pinned to the wall. "So care to share why you be huntin children this time o'night? An I suggest you spill your words before I spill more of ye filthy blood." The man chuckled and looked up at Derek a twisted smile on his face.
"The filthy blood that should be spilt is theirs. The Woken will demand we change our ways and influence our world turning it more into theirs. How long will it be until we serve them and not the other way around?" He spat at Derek's face and Derek wiped it with the same bloodied rag and punched the man leaving a red mark against his eye and nose. "It's sick bastards like you who allow the monsters to rage rampant and kill good men and women. You blame it all on others and don't care to risk your own ass to protect our way of life out there." The man went to hit him again and was stopped when a voice growled from down the alley.
"Stop brother! We need his hide alive so the king's men can skin him." Archvald came walking down the end they entered and was pulling himself along the wall covered in cuts and bruises already swelling on his exposed skin. Xavier rushed over to the man instantly and tucked himself under his arm and wrapped his pen arm around the man to support him. "Sir are you alright? Should you even be walking right now you look like you're dying?" Archvald spat and blood splattered on the ground from his mouth. "Need more than a man with a baby-sized blade to off me kid. Although I'll admit I ain't feeling top-notch by any means kid." The quartermaster coughed and groaned in pain as Ethan made his way to them to assist. "What in the hells was that all about old man? How'd you even know he was an assassin?" Ethan asked as he pulled the man's other arm over him.
Archvald through winces and groans of pain began to explain as they walked towards the group who were all watching as Sara and Sintarra were both healing Derek's wounded arm and some of the puncture points along with the assassin so he wouldn't bleed out. "I had noticed him on our walk there following us and thought he may have been a spy or informant for some of the enemies I've made in the city. When I noticed him through the doorframe of the bar, still waiting when we were getting ready to leave I wrote a note to Derek in case he had a way of listening inside. Told him to rush here to help after we had gone out of view to help us thinking I would've made it here with you lot." As they met the group Sintarra gasped in horror as she saw the state of her quartermaster. She and Sara began healing him to the point of exhaustion. When Sara collapsed on the ground heaving for air Archvald held his hand on Sintarra's shoulder.
"You've done enough kid just breathe now. Don't send yourself or Sara into mana shock alright." The man pulled a small vial out of a pouch along his belt and with a shaking hand placed it in Devi's open palms. "Take care of your partner and make sure she eats when we get back to the castle." Devi nodded and began whispering to Sara. "Come on drink up. Just like a hangover but with more paralyzing pain." She made her down the vial and held her mouth shut as Sara began to cough and shake a bit before calming down and slowly regaining a normal breathing pattern. "Remind me to never and I mean like ever do that again. I will kill anyone who watches as I do that to myself again." Devi chuckled and began helping Sara to her feet again. " You got it, just promise you won't try and overdo anything again." She and Sara smiled and rested their heads together for a moment before they faced the group seeing Ethan and Derek dressing Archvald's remaining cuts with bandages.
"Why do I always find myself dressing your wounds and tending your arse?" Derek grumbled before letting out a sigh and matching Archvald's response showing he has it memorized by heart. "Cause that's what brothers do. We take the hits and don't give two shits." The two of them laughed leaving the man still attached to the wall groan in protest. "Oh yay. We get it you two love each other why don't you go run off and by a cot together somewhere quiet." Derek looked to Archvald leaving him to sigh in response. "I'll give them my few last mana potions but you're paying me back for this." Archvald reached out and grabbed three more vials from the same pouch and handed them to Sara and Sintarra. "He's gonna beat the living daylights outta him so if you don't mind stopping him from dying that would be lovely ladies. Just don't stretch your limits okay?"
The group watched as the man was beaten and healed several times throughout the span of an hour. Once he was finally left unconscious they used some of Ethan's vines to bind him and they worked together to carry him back to the castle. Xavier still carrying Archvald under one arm asked him with a bit of concern in his voice. "What's gonna happen to this man sir? Like will he be interrogated and then executed or will he receive some kind of trial?" Archvald looked at Xavier and gave a pitiful look in response. "Likely he will be killed yes. The man deserves it true but sadly if he has a master that man will walk free for what he's done. I've witnessed it before and I know Sir Rosewall wishes that the dirty nobleman didn't have loopholes in our laws for them to exploit." As the group reached the castle some of the guards posted at the gates took the prisoner from the group asking Ethan to come and explain their evening. As Ethan followed the guards Derek walked off with Archvald to the medical wing and Xavier couldn't help but feel envious of the brotherhood the two men shared.