Dannas and I entered Terin's house. I put all my equipment down against a wall. They were all looking at me, eyes of worry beaming my way.
"What?"
Terin spoke, "Well you kinda stormed off there. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Dannas and I talked."
"Alright, I guess."
Dannas and I walked back to our seats and sat down. I started looking at the tattoo Inowyn gave me, mostly because I forgot I had it. I wonder what significance this tree has to them.
Suddenly, Tulas came out of the kitchen, holding a plate with the scraps from their dinner. "Here it is, Ladon."
I took it off of his hands when he got close. Considering it contained cooked potatoes and cheese, it looked somewhat better than I thought it would, since it was made last night. There were three slices of potatoes with cheese and some form of creamy sauce. Not a lot; not a meal, but more than I thought it would be.
"I heated it up a bit. Probably isn't as good as it was last night."
I took my first bite, and it was delicious. I couldn't remember the last time I had cheese. Before I knew it, I had eaten it all.
"So you liked it?" Terin stared at me expectantly.
"It was appetizing."
"Well that's all there was, so you'll have to come back someday to have it again."
"I might just."
Dannas, Tulas, and I stayed at Terin's for a few more hours. Jackmond and Renny came back to join in. Eventually, before dark, time cut it short as Dannas and Tulas were going to get a head start. The goal was for them to get some distance ahead and for me to catch up. I had no real proof there was a demidragon in the mansion, so incase there wasn't, we wouldn't be behind on completing the mission. Besides, it wouldn't be difficult for me to catch up. Even with an empty wagon, I doubt they'd bring it terribly far, but incase they did, we planned for them to stop by the first bridge at the furthest. After they headed out with my new shirt and quiver in the back, Meg and I went to her house for dinner.
This time, instead of soup, we had bowls of diced potatoes, eggs, and tomatoes all fried in a pan.
"You sure you're only going to stay until midnight?" her mother asked.
"I'm currently wanted. Night's the best cover I have."
"There's always the next moon."
"True. But it would only risk you both further. Besides, I fear if I stay here too long, I'll never want to leave."
She laughed a bit. Surprisingly to me, Meg was mostly silent the whole time. Eventually, when it was time for me to leave, she even looked a little down or disappointed.
I reattached my scabbard and put on my cloak just before pausing, as Meg's stare behind me was too obvious to not notice. "I'll be leaving now."
"Are we ever gonna see you again? Is this the last I'll see you?"
"I'll be a full-fledged Midnight Ranger soon. It's unlikely, unless we're asked to help again. I might stay when they leave, so it could be likely aswell. Either way, it might be a while."
I watched as a full wave of emotions washed over her face as her tear-drowned eyes rushed into my chest, giving me an embrace I wasn't expecting. I awkwardly patted her back with one hand, not knowing what to do as she silently cried into me.
Before long, she slowly pushed herself off me. "G-goodbye, Ladon."
I was still mostly statued, until I regained my thoughts from a wave I didn't think I'd feel. "Bye." I turned and left.
I walked quickly down the road, processing what I was feeling, unknowing of what it was beyond sadness. It made me realize that I was going to miss Meg and her group.
When I reached the crossroad, I turned to my right to see the mansion, and without hesitation, steeled myself and buried everything that wasn't part of the plan. After one deep breath, I looked around to make sure I wasn't being watched, then walked toward the mansion.
Once I passed the last building on the line of this road, leading to the mansion, I saw Yennen, Bron, Lund, Randen, and four others crouched behind a mound of dirt, not far from the tall, black metal fence seperating the mansion's hill from the town. I walked in a half-crouch to join the group.
Yennen reached out his hand. "Glad to see you decided to join, Ladon."
I didn't shake it.
"I'm not," Randen remarked.
I noticed just about everyone who wasn't Yennen or Lund was staring at me, intent on sending a constant stream of disdain.
"Alright. Any minute now we'll see the fire. Remember, when it starts, stay still until all the guards leave the mansion."
They all nodded. I noticed on the ground by his side were a pile of shoddy swords, spears, and unlit torches. After a while, impatient waiting ceased as we all turned around to a bright light emanating past the roof of a building behind us. We couldn't see the fire itself, but the halo was all we needed to grasp its size.
"Stay still, stay quiet," Yennen whispered.
After a minute passed, several groups of armoured men, some with metal plating, burst out the front doors. We watched in silence as the long lines of men passed our mound, all unaware of our presence. Thirty seconds after the last one passed us, Yennen handed the swords and spears to everyone but me, then passed the torches to everyone wih a sword. Crouched around each other, they lit their torches.
"Now!" Yennen shouted.
Everyone sprinted to the metal gates, I followed behind. When we reached the gate, Lund's violent shaking of it revealed it was locked. I walked through the small crowd to it, and when I got close, kicked it, busting it open with one impact. They all immediately rushed past me. Before long, we all made it up the hill to the front double door. This time, Bron rushed into it with his shoulder, breaking it open as he fell on his side. We all entered after Yennen. This first portion was a wide, short hall opening to a T. Straight down the hall was a room opening up through an arch doorway with a large rectangular table, littered with glass and pewter tableware. As we walked through the hall, it was as clear as day everything here was rich. The walls looked dark and polished, there were tables all about displaying jewelry and fine works of craftsmanship. Paintings were scattered without rhythm along the walls. When we reached the end of the hall, where the turns would fully present themselves, I heard a breath, disconnected from our position. I stepped past to check down the hall, Randen walked nonchalantly. As soon as my head passed the corner, a bolt released in my direction. I narrowly dodged back, watching it pass me just before it hit Randen in the ear.
"Shit!"
As I watched Randen collapse, I saw a second bolt in the left side of his head.
"What the fuck!" Bron shouted.
Scales started forming on my arms, legs, sides, and neck up to my chin. "There's at least two crossbow men. One on the right, one on the left."
"Yeah, no shit!"
As the guards prepared their next bolts, I rushed into the room with the large table. Yennen and Lund followed. I was able to catch the sight of multiple doorways along the right hall.
Yennen collected his breath. "If we can trick 'em into missing, we can rush 'em before they can knock again."
I listened for any extra information. I heard footsteps above us, even on the third floor, and more breaths in some of the rooms on this floor.
"There's more. A lot more. It's like they're expecting us."
"What?" Lund asked.
"Even if we can rush the crossbowmen, more will come out of the rooms to ambush us, if they don't come out sooner."
"How do you know that?" Yennen asked.
"I can hear them."
"Alright." He responded, "Two people per crossbowman."
I took a deep breath. "I'll draw out the bolts."
I peeked out my head to confirm their positions, and found they were both on the ends of the halls, by stairs on each side. Neither of them loosed. I then stepped out, looking at one as I listened to another. From behind I heard the click and release of a bolt, so I began moving to my left, back to my cover. Immediately the one in front released his bolt aiming to my left. Without stopping my momentum, I let myself fall, dodging both bolts as I escaped back into the room.
"Now!" Yennen commanded.
Yennen and Lund charged the right as Bron and another guy charged the left. After I took a moment to calm my breath again, I watched them take out the crossbowmen as guards from all of the side rooms came out to ambush them, four from each hall. The rest of the rebellion ran into the frey. I stayed behind, struggling to figure out what to do. I noticed the footsteps above mostly stopped. I looked down the right end of the hall, watching the battle. One of Yennen's men got stabbed in the gut before pushing the guard into a room with his body, and his torch. A fire began. I stopped peeking. Fuck. I'm ruuning out of time. I need to get to the top floor fast. I looked down the left of the hall. I could probably get through them. I might have to kill them. I heard the fire build. If I knock them out, they probably won't wake up quickly enough to survive. I'd be killing them either way. I've never killed anyone before. Fuck. I heard the fire reach out of its room. I need to move. Don't think. Move.
I drew my messer from my scabbard, failed to slow my breath, then rushed myself out of the room.
"AAAAHHHHH!!!"
I looked behind and saw one from the rebellion covered in flame, far down the hall. Yennen and Lund, who just finished off the last guards there, kept their distance.
I focused, opened my left hand, and pushed forward, throwing all the fire off of him, and much of the fire in the hall further down. They turned to me. Yennen nodded. I turned back around and started running toward the battle. A guard broke out of the fight to give his attention to me. When I reached him, he sent a downward slash that I deflected before sending my point into his neck. Before he could drop, I swapped to reverse grip, pulled my sword out of his neck while turning counterclockwise to deflect another guard. As soon as his blade passed me, I sent my point to his neck. Another guard rushed in front of me. I pulled my sword out of the dying guard's neck as I sweeped his sword away with my own just before piercing his chest. I walked forward, forcing his body to move with me before I shoved him into another guard. One of the men from the rebellion caught up to me and stabbed them both while they were on the ground. Seconds after, Yennen and the rest caught up. There weren't any guards left down here, so we started heading up the stairs. Yennen and I were in front. The stairs were rectangular with wooden balustrades following up. When we made it to the second floor, we saw another group of six guards waiting in the hall. Four had swords, two had spears. I need to keep going up. I doubt I'll be able to leave without the rebellion assuming treachery. Guess I'll have to fight. I entered a stance. Just when the guards got halfway to us, I heard a step, right behind me, along with the faint sound of a small blade piercing the air. Instinctively, before I could turn, I reached behind myself to catch a wrist too late as a dagger was plunged into my lower back. Without hesitation, I turned, swinging a hammer fist at whoever was behind me, barely caring about the force. The bottom of my fist impacted the head of a man from the rebellion, knocking him away, unconscious, or dead. Without turning back to the group, I pulled the dagger out of my back. Shit. I have even less time now. The original Ladon was right. I was growing more angry than afraid thanks to the pain.
To the sounds of metal crashing, yelling, and grunting, I rushed back to the stairs. A guard was coming down from the top, so I jumped to the wall to my right, kicked off it, then vaulted over the balustrade, slashing the guard as I shakily landed on the steps. The man wasn't dead yet, so I grabbed him with my left hand and pulled him off his feet, throwing him down the stairs. Another guard came before I could take another step. He sent a downward slash. I dodged to the right, hitting my side and shoulder against the wall. I grabbed his shoulder and yanked him as hard as I could. He flew face first into the wall down the stairs. The snap of his neck echoed throughout the stairway. On my way up, I noticed there weren't any more stairs to the left. This must be it. I'm starting to get tired. Can't slow down now. Entering the large, wide hall of the third floor, I saw several double doors leading to different rooms, a couple single doors, and five more guards, all holding swords. I let out a sigh.
After a moment, I rushed forth, straight to the closest one. Before he could attack me, I thrusted my messer into his gut, then shoved him into the next closest, causing them to both fall just before I engaged with the other three. Only two sent attacks: one thrust on the right, and a downward slash on the left. I deflected the thrust, stepping even closer to ruin their range. I grabbed the second guard's arm before he could finish the slash. I then plunged my blade into the third guard's chest before he could react properly, pulled it out, and elbowed the first guy in the head, knocking him to the ground before I cut the second guard's neck with a thrust. The guard I elbowed, along with the one I originally threw a guard on, got back up. They looked plenty terrified at the odds, considering most of them are now dead, and bleeding out. With terror in his eyes the first guard rushed me, swinging wildly, practically flailing. I dodged one slash and let him run my blade into himself. I pulled my blade out of him and pointed it at the last guard. He took a second to process before turning and running. I let him go.
I took a series of heavy breaths, as my exhaustion and pain were making themselves known. I need to find the room. I opened a couple doors, one seemingly a bedroom, another a bathroom. My frustration grew more. Before long I heard muffled voices above me. I closed my eyes and focused, pushing past the raging inferno billowing smoke into this floor. There were three voices
"Fuck, is that smoke?" the first one asked
"Yeah," the second answered
"T-think we should leave?" the third asked
"We can't. We've got orders from Cornelius, remember? If he finds out we ran, we're dead," the second answered.
"Well, we'll probably be dead if we don't leave," the first added.
"Oh g-gods . . . W-what if that demidragon is here?"
As they continued talking, I tried to find where the sound was coming from. I could tell there were two areas: the ceiling, and somewhere else. I held my ear against a wall. It felt somewhat closer to the other source. On that wall was a single door, resting inbetwen two double doors by about five meters. That must be it. Just then, I heard several steps run up the stairs. I rushed to the door, and as I opened it, saw multiple guards appear from the stairway. I quickly went through and shut the door. Using substantial force, I kicked the floorboards a little ways away from the door to create a small hole, then quickly and arduously tore a board from the wall. I placed it against the door, under the handle, with the bottom of it in the hole. That should stop them for a bit. I guess they already tore through the rebellion.
Turning away from the door, I noticed I was in a narrow, dimly lit hall. As I approached the end, I noticed it branched off in two directions. I went left, trying to not waste any time. Soon after, the hall led me to stairs, and after I went up, the hall took a right turn. I halted immediately before hitting a door awkwardly close to the turn. I opened it up to see a much wider hall that opens up to the left, to an even wider wall. I walked through.
"SHH!" They're gonna hear us.
Holding my sword low, I slowly walked into view of the left hall.
"Oi! You're not sposed ta be here!"
I slowly turned, and walked in their direction, never speaking a word. I saw three guards. A terrified one, a wide shouldered, strong looking one, and an exhausted, quiet looking one. I heard voices below.
"Fuck, the door's stuck!"
"Well ram it then!"
I heard some men grunting and yelling before a loud bang was heard. The yelling continued below, making no progress yet.
"T-that's the guy! The f-fucking demidragon! We can't beat him! W-we-we—"
"Shut it! Fucking coward," the wide-shouldered one said.
As I stepped, I noticed the terrified one was the one I struck the jaw of, when I first arrived. He was missing some teeth I remembered seeing before the fight. To their left was an opening in the hall, probably leading to the double door.
"Right. Always wanted to kill a demidragon," the wide-shouldered one started walking to me.
I death stared him through his eyes. "Leave. Now. If you stay in my way, I will kill you. Your only way to live is to leave."
He laughed. "That's some hard talk for a scrawny ass kid."
Another bang struck.
"I-I think you should listen to him, Declan."
"Shut the fuck up."
We reached each other. He obviously telegraphed a downward slash. Predictable. I deflected it to the left, bringing my blade over my head, straight to his neck. In less than a second, his head fell from his shoulders, as his face realized he's dead.
"FUCKING HELS!!" the third one exclaimed.
Another loud bang, followed by a crash. I then heard a muffled female voice, too difficult to recognize, spoke, though I could still make out the words.
"Alright. I'll go first. In three minutes, you all head up. It'll be easier to make him surrender if one turns to six."
I kept walking forward. The terrified one couldn't utter a sound. I kept walking closer to them. The third one drew his sword. I kept walking, staring through them both.
Once I got twice a sword's range from the terrified one, I noticed the opening did lead to the double door that still had two guards on it, and he finally let out a sound. "F-f-f-f-FUCK THIS!" He turned and ran, scared out of his mind.
"Hey! Don't fucking leave me!"
Just as the terrified one reached the turn at the hall, I saw a woman, Gin-me emerge from the same turn.
He stopped in his tracks, breathing heavily. "T-thank the gods." He pointed at me without turning away from her. "It's him! The demidragon!"
She didn't speak. Just pulled out her left dagger as she looked at him. She then looked at me as she took her next step. As she passed him, quicker than wind, she drove her dagger into his throat then back out as she turned him to grab his sword and take it.
The terrified one choked on his own blood as he fell to his knees, then his face.
She tested a couple slashes in the air, looking at the blade. "Hm. Not that heavy."
"Shit!" The guard I was close to turned from me and ran toward her.
Guess he thought she was a better choice than me. Fool. Could just leave.
I grimaced, as the pain in my back finally caught up all the way. My energy was getting low as well. I turned to the two guards. As I walked to them, I noticed they both had the same metal armour as the guard from the gate, though unlike him, they both had spears, their points aimed at me.
"Just fucking leave."
They both, as terrified as they should've been, stood their ground.
I sighed as I stepped closer. Just before I got in range, I quickly lunge-stepped forward. They thrusted too late. As their spearheads passed by my left and right sides, I swapped to reverse grip as I grabbed the left one's spear, pulled him to me, stabbing inbetween the plates. I pushed him, then pulled my blade out, just before ducking under a swinging spear. His spearhead struck the wall behind me, almost getting stuck just before I rose back up, switching back to normal grip as I grabed his spear, then brought my messer down apon it, breaking it in two. I stared him in the eyes for a moment, before taking a step toward him. When I got close, he ran away, taking a right down the hall. The guard I stabbed was sitting against the wall, still alive, coughing out blood. I approached him, curbing my anger and disgust for everything I've done this night just long enough to behead him, to put him out of his misery.
I heard steps rushing from the hall below leading here. I picked up the dead guard's spear, before heading back out into the hall. I looked to Gin-me to see her in front of the guard that charged her, holding her new sword, blade in his mouth out the back of his head, holding up a blocked attack with her left dagger.
"Who's too weak for a fucking sword now?"
He made a terrible, gurgling, choking sound.
She kicked him off of her sword before looking at me.
"What are you doing here, Gin-me?"
"I made a choice. I want to be a part of the change."
The rushing steps of five men were getting closer to the opening she came from. I aimed, and threw the spear like a javelin, past her head into the wall just before a guard ran his head into it, sending him on his back.
"Nice throw!"
"I was planning to hit him."
More guards rushed out, not repeating the mistake of the first one.
"You have a demidragon to save, don't you? I'll take care of them. Go!"
"Th—"
"Thank me later! Go!" She charged at them.
I ran back to the door and tried pulling it by the handles. It wouldn't budge. Through the sounds of blades clanging and scraping, I kicked the door. Didn't budge. I kicked again. The wood almost broke through, but it didn't open. I kicked it again, using as much force as possible. The doors crashed open as my foot planted itself from the kick. Almost done. Let's finish this.