"Which Sword?", the guard who had spat on Rhett asked.
"The Crimson dragon hunters sword", Came the reply from a confident Rhett.
"Oh, that old sword", a guard said with a low, almost silent hiss.
The guard who had been earlier vicious to Rhett smirked and looked him over. Rhett didn't quite look bad. Just a trouser that had turned baggy and looked like a pantaloon and a jacket that looked torn and tattered.
"What's that for?, you our leader or something?, who are you to give me orders", the vicious guard said.
That was it, Rhett was ducking, with a swift motion, moving towards the guard, his motion so swift no one saw it coming. He made himself a spear and then with all his might, drove himself into the guard, making the latter to cropper on the floor.
Rhett hammered his clenched fists unto the face of his opponent. And then, before another guard could get to him, he had bitten the nose of his opponent, almost tearing it away.
A guard dived into Rhett and pushed him away, his face in shock. He didn't know if to hit Rhett or thrust his sword into his belly. Meanwhile, Rhett had staggered up, he crouched and eyed the armed guards in front of him , ready to rip him apart.
The guard who Rhett had just fought was shouting and holding his face, he was seriously injured and Ash loved it, it was this sort of scene he always relished. Haicor on the other hand felt no remorse for the fallen guard, after all, he deserved it.
Two guards rushed over to the guard shouting and knelt beside him, not knowing what to do.
"Seize the psychopath!", Shouted a guard pointing at Rhett.
The other guards rushed to him, raising their swords in the air and for a split second, Rhett showed a sign of fear, his face was twisted into one but suddenly, it rekindled its charismatic look, one that was brave, in a dangerous way.
Rhett ducked a sword directed to his head, he kicked the guard who had done so in the stomach and that jolted him backwards. A sword was coming his way again and he rolled to dodge it, standing up and running briskly to a corner where frankly, he was helpless.
The five guards who were fighting him ran to his direction and he almost screamed. But then…
"Stop!", a female voice shouted.
They all, including Ash and Haicor, stared backwards and saw, much to their surprise, Dhamsel. As usual, she was clothed in an ancient Chinese-like gown, only this time it was purple but still with the usual decorations.
The guards stopped and bowed, their faces shocked. Their question was:
'Why intervene?'.
"Why spare him m'lady", one of the guards finally asked, mustering the strength to do so.
Dhamsel's face was if not anything shocking. She was genuinely surprised, so surprised she had to walk over to the guard and put her hand, with a hard movement, into his face.
"Ouch!", the guard said, holding his face.
She hit him again and shook her head sideways. Ash, watching, didn't quite know why she was shaking her head sideways but he would say out of surprise?, he smiled at the mere thought.
"Are you seriously daft, this man is planning to slay an ember dragon in the next couple of hours or even minutes and you guys beat him to stupor?", she paused. "Unbelievable!".
Ash smiled at that.
'Ok', he thought in his mind. 'That was funny'.
His smile widened into a grin but it instantly turned into a frown. He had squeezed his face into that because he noticed that a guard was staring at him in wonder. He was sure the guard would be thinking of him as an eccentric character, which he knew he wasn't, or was he?.
"Oh, it's vice versa here m'lady", a guard said pointing to the guard Rhett had beaten and bitten his nose. "Look at what this son of a donkey did, he bit the nose of our man and so dastardly beat him to stupor".
Dhamsel sighed and looked at Rhett who avoided eye contact.
"You all should get out of here, apart from", she pointed to two not so hefty looking guards now.
"But-", a guard questioned.
"Will you go against your princess orders?", Dhamsel asked with a stern frown, looking intently into the eyes of the guard.
"No m'lady",the guard said and with his head bent down, he walked out of the prison with the other guards, even the 'nose bitten' one who limped out of the place with the help of a guard.
The assigned two remained, clumsily holding their swords and shields.
Dhamsel faced Rhett. "You okay?", she asked.
Rhett, obviously still angry with her hesitated before mumbling:
"I guess I am".
She looked at Ash and Haicor and made no comments. Walking towards the door, she said:
"Follow me".
They did, they all followed her. Rhett touched his wrists and shook his head sideways slowly. It ached him and just the sign the chain had made on his wrists left him pitying himself - in a way.
Dhamsel led them to a building. They just took a corner after the palace building to get there and Rhett was beginning to wonder. This kingdom was quite big.
The building was made of bricks and from outside, it presented it as a masterpiece of architecture. It was small in size though, and Rhett immediately knew it was built for just one purpose.
Dhamsel reached to the door and paused, making Rhett was at the back with the guards to catch up with them at the front, that is including Ash and Haicor.
Dhamsel took a back backwards and with a soft whisper, she said to Rhett:
"Will you slay the dragon?".
Rhett smiled, this time it was more sinister than all of his previous ones. It's not that the smiles are evil but they look the part.
"Apparently, yes I will".