The prince shows a troubled expression glancing over at the window from which the two shadow guards had just escaped from. A crude, rough hand grabs his shoulder and pulls the prince from any other thought. "Your highness, you must divulge what you were discussing with the traitor." The knight's words were void of respect, insistent and malicious. They were a command, not a question. Even the most basic respect had faded when Nicodemus lost his support and power. It still amazes him nevertheless when he experiences the discourteous behaviours of those once loyal to him.
"I have nothing to say." Nicodemus spoke coldly, the knights arranged themselves to chase after Rennier and left two knights to stand guard at the door.
"Shouldn't we arrest him?" One of the knights whisper to his companion
"It's not like he's going to get up and walk away." the other replied, loudly without whispering, earning an emotionless look from Nicodemus.
Rennier runs into depths of the imperial hunting grounds. The dense forest homes an abundance of beasts and creatures for hunting. Rennier felt confident enough that none of the creatures would pose much of a threat. The forest is dark and no light aside from the moonlight is present.
After blindly running into the forest, Rennier stopped, listening intently for any sign of movement. He took in his surroundings before leaving the ground to find safety in the trees. He sat on a sturdy branch, scanning the forest ground, the trees and surrounding area. Rennier made out nothing in the darkness aside from the occasional creature scurrying about through the forest, however could not detect no people.
He closes his eyes and holds his breath; stifling any noise that could interfere...Rennier listens closely, trying to find any form of presence. The distant sounds of shouting and heavy armoured steps that rush towards the forest can be heard but they are a little ways off.
A slight ting alerts him to turn around, the sound of something that disturbed the air. Quickly he shifts, feeling the air of the first knife that narrowly missed its target. Rennier clashes against the second knife with his own. The knife is hit into the distance of the forest and he can make out the shadowy silhouette of Melgren approaching.
"Hm...Oh? I missed." Melgren feigned disappointment before leaping right for Rennier. His bigger build giving him the advantage in the head on confrontation, the struggle leaves Rennier unable to contend against Melgren's strength. He slips and falls from the tree, hitting the forest floor with a hard thud. He struggles to breathe from the force of the impact, Rennier gasps for air. He notices Melgren headed straight for him, and struggles to force his stunned body to move out of the way of the oncoming assault.
Melgren lands, this time annoyed that he missed. Rennier is quick to recover and stands steady on his feet despite the pain and faint trembling. He readies himself for the next strike that comes fast and viciously. Melgren slips another knife, this one different to the previous few he had thrown. If anything he appeared reluctant to risk an attack via throwing. He wanted this blade to connect no matter what. Melgren sprints for Rennier, closing the distance quickly whilst Rennier can only defend against the onslaught. He is pushed back, nearing a tree that intended to trap him. The smaller shadow guard skilfully uses his agility to his advantage, stepping out of the path of Melgren's attack. He doesn't miss the opening it provides, he steps in with his knife, a few shallow slashes in quick succession into Melgren's arm has him faltering and hissing with the pain. Rennier steps back, slashing towards Melgren's face leaving it with a nasty gash.
Melgren grew agitated at the successive attacks, he disarms Rennier. Leaving him without a weapon and tackles him to the ground, using his body weight to force Rennier to stay on the ground and pins him down. Melgren raises the knife above his and stabs it downward with every ounce of strength while aiming for Rennier's heart.
Rennier catches the blade, the sharpness digs and shreds through his thick gloves and cuts deep into his palm. Melgren pulls the blade back, forcing the laceration to become jagged making the wound worse. Rennier cries in pain, connecting his free palm against Melgren's jaw to stun him. The small window of opportunity is more than enough. He slips out from under his assailant, and like a constricting snake, Rennier wraps around skilfully and forces Melgren into a rear choke-hold.
The sound of the knights shouting finally enters the forest, the light from the torches are fast approaching. Rennier releases Melgren and escapes further into the forest and away from the knights in pursuit.
'There's too many...I'm at a disadvantage.' Rennier puts as much distance as he can between them. The blood dripping from his hand leaves an obvious trail, not only for the knights but for any hungry beasts that would be lurking about. He rips his sleeve and wraps his hand tightly to combat the bleeding.
A sudden wave of dizziness hits him hard, Rennier staggers and falls into a tree. 'Did I lose too much blood? I can't...I have to get up...' He leans on it, trying to stay on his feet. He falls to his knees, vision blurring and darkening before collapsing to the ground. Rennier cannot hold onto his consciousness any longer and faints.
Melgren lays on the ground, found by the knights that help him sit up. He is injured, covered with multiple wounds and bruises from the fight. He looks towards the knife he had used and watches with amusement as the blade slowly turns black.
"I only needed to scratch you and you can die like a rat." He chuckles.
Khio, Rhetta and Florian stand before a tavern, looking worse for wear. One would have easily thought they had been deserted and stranded for days. Rhetta and Khio even more so since they were stripped to only the barest clothes that make them look like beggars, not that their attire mattered in the face of execution. Even Florian, for someone who had been wearing an illustrious temple robe, it was now covered in blood and mud.
"One directionally challenged person is enough!" Khio fumed and pointed to Florian. "How did you expect to find anyone if you can't even read a map!?"
Florian shrugs and grumbles "I found you guys just fine."
"By sheer dumb luck!"
"Hey, luck is considered a skill too."
Khio and Florian get into one another's faces, the tension between them growing even more dense when Rhetta taps both of them on the shoulder. "There there children, let's go in now."
The two break up the fight and follow suit towards the tavern entrance.
The tavern wasn't the biggest building, yet it was not the smallest compared to others on the same street. The building is sturdy and relatively clean for a tavern. A large sign hung on a post outside, the opposing post holding a lamp to light the entrance. The group steps towards the large wooden door.
"The Onion...Ore? That's a strange name" Khio comments after reading the sign
"The owner is rumoured to be rather...eccentric" Rhetta states, opening the door as she steps inside. Florian and Khio look at the opened door, and glare at one another. They step into the doorway at the same time, wrestling for who will be entering first, Florian manages to worm in and slip in front of Khio. She flashes a cocky smile.
The tavern was on the fairly large side once inside, two floors worth. The front door led onto the upper floor, a few tables spread out, around and to the side. In front; a wooden staircase descended into the main part of the tavern. The old, magic lamps kept burning through many long nights, an albino stag head graced the mantle above the fireplace, along with decorative swords and other little apparatus were all spread about the walls to create a fond history about the tavern.
The bottom floor held far more tables, in the corner; barrels and kegs of different drinks all piled up. The furthest corner away from the staircase held a long wooden bar, the wood certainly looked new, well kept and polished to an eye-catching shine. Tall bar stools remained in front of the bar and behind the counter, a single door that led into a small and busy kitchen.
Upon their entry, Florian kept her triumphant gaze at besting Khio, and seeing her annoyed face was even more entertaining. She went to sneak another glance at Khio, though a bad decision. Florian had not paid attention and missed the first step; thankfully for Rhetta paying attention she managed to catch Florian in time. The surprise made her yelp yet not a single eye turned to see the small commotion. Khio snickered while making her way down the steps. Rhetta chooses the innermost corner table.
Once settled at their table they could take in the atmosphere. It's warm, and cozy. A fair variety of many different people from knights to vagabonds. Even some noted criminals and other faceless wanderers from afar were all sharing a drink. Foreigners and regulars alike all took comfort in the strange tavern that is the Onion Ore.
A duo of bards sat on the chairs towards the back of the tavern, playing happier melodies that complimented the various chatter and conversations of the patrons. The sounds of tankards being slammed onto tables and lifted again seemed to create its own contribution towards the music.
Florian admires everything inside, certainly looking like a tourist. It is somewhat of a shock for her but not an unpleasant one, she made her way down the stairs having to dodge and weave through some dancing drunkards before slipping into the seat alongside Rhetta. A busy waitress drops a set of menus on the table and runs to deliver drinks to the next table over. Florian eyes the table and notices the same uniform the knights at the execution ground were wearing. She turns pale and grows nervous, thinking about how she knocked out the previous knight but even more so...Khio and Rhetta with their faces on full display and only a table away.
It is easy to infer that the knights were off duty seeing how leisurely they sat and drank away in a little tavern. Some were even too drunk to hold a sword much less a conversation, Rhetta notices Florian's nervousness and follows her line of sight to the table.