I stepped out from behind the crates and into the moonlit open streets, but not before the damn lemming tripped over himself into the street and kindly alerted the guards to our presence.
Seeing me, the guard with the sword hiccupped. "foo ish zhat?" He asked the other two, staggering away from the wagon.
After slamming my legs into the moist cobblestone below, I propelled myself toward them. Like a bullet, I passed clean through the closest guard with a strike to his unarmored neck. He tumbled to his back, the clang of steel against stone echoing through the air.
Next, before they had even realized what had happened, I sprung myself onto the next two. Savagely, I tore at their armor to reveal small weak points underneath and pummeled them with a volley of blows.
Infuriatingly, they barely even fought back, opting instead to be my personal punching bags.
"FIGHT BACK!" I screamed, completely neglecting my goal of stealth.
But my demands would go unheeded.
In fact, what I'd received was the complete opposite response. After my plea, they only conceded easier, as if they hadn't wanted a drawn-out fight. Like the first, the other two dropped faster than flies would to a swatter.
I heaved heavily and gazed upon their now still bodies; I'd been left with an immeasurable disappointment.
Turns out, winning easily was even less satisfying than retreating entirely. I couldn't help but shake the feeling I was being toyed with. As if they'd allowed me to win the fight for reasons not yet known.
"What are you doing?!" Agawa shouted to me. "Hurry up!" She'd been carrying Sato and leading the group from behind the crates.
The outer guards now incapacitated; the rest of the group bolted to the wagon.
Throwing open one of the doors forcefully, Agawa and Ayame tossed Sato onto the carriage's floor before jumping in too. Likewise, Kamida, Nakamura, and the younger sister clamored inside frantically before slamming the door shut.
"All full up?" I asked with a bladed grin. "Fine, I wanted shotgun anyway," is what I said, but I'd become deflated once I knew who my wingman was.
'Ugh, it's the lemming.' I griped.
He sat next to me and moved to grip the reins.
"Hell no," I exclaimed, "there's no way I'm letting you drive!" Then, shifting my body, I lunged at the leash for control of the carriage.
To my surprise, the lemming had actually been brave about something. Instead of meekly handing me the reins, like a good coward, he struggled against me…ME!
Between shoves, grunts, and loud insults, I tried everything I could to wrestle the reins from the coward. But, surprisingly, the bastard was incredibly slippery and always managed to keep the leash just out of my reach.
I couldn't believe my eyes. Seeing the lemming be so adamant, I was stuck between being halfway impressed and wanting to toss the guy overboard.
"Do you even know how to steer?!" He bellowed.
I'd been about to ask him the same question when the door to the tavern swung open with force. Popping out of it was a squadron of heavily armed soldiers that dashed to confront us.
"What the hell is going on?!" With the sound of metal grinding on metal, they unsheathed their swords and directed them at us. "Explain. NOW!" The lead guardsman ordered.
pαпdα Йᴏνê|,сòМ "No problem," I smirked, "I just wiped the floor with your three buddies over there, and we're stealing your wagon! That cool?"
"What the hell are you talking about?!" He replied. Nodding his head to an ally, they began moving to surround the wagon...until the lemming put the pedal to the metal.
With the clap of leather slapping against the horses, we rampaged through the now-broken blockade of soldiers.
As we rode, the only sounds that I'd hear would be the clacking of stampeding hooves on cobbled rock pavement and the furious shouting of receding background characters.
Looking back, right before we turned a corner, I saw a sight that angered me to no end. The guys I'd just pulpified were now nonchalantly standing up and confronting the others with a commanding presence.
The intimidation I felt from them now had been just like what I'd felt from their superior! Their faces were devoid of expression, a far cry from their drunken stupor just moments ago.
The three drew their swords, forcing the other guards to stand down and cease their explosive shouting.
I boiled over. "What?! You'll fight your friends but not me?!" Shoving the lemming beside me, I tried another attempt to take hold of the reins.
"What're you doing?!" He cried.
"We need to go back!" I viciously snarled. "I need to kick their asses!"
"Are you crazy?!" He looked at me wide-eyed and terrified. "There's no wa-"
"HUHHHH?!" Though I used the usual tactic, but my intimidation ended in complete failure. The lemming must've steeled his resolve to the point of absolute resistance.
Yelling in a fury, I was locked in a bloody conflict within myself. I wanted so badly to shove the lemming off and take control, but I, once again, was stopped by her visage.
The mangled face fresh in view, I considered my actions' possible repercussions. 'Could I end up killing someone again? Could my anger turn me into someone I'd always despised? Could I....end up like my old man?'
My last thought terrified me; I had always hated the man, after all. Not just that, I had always thought of myself as better. That I was the superior man. However, with the decisions I'd made and the things I'd considered...was I like him after all?
I shuddered and forced myself to bottle up my anger. Taking a breath and soothing my irritation, something I never did, I obeyed the lemming and took my seat. "Fine," I sighed, "but I'll be back for those three…."
Looking at the roads ahead, I saw a sight I thought I might never see again. Though it was slight, barely peeking over the city walls and the mountains beyond, we all witnessed the glimmer of hope. It was the dawning glow of the rising Sun.
With the symbol of our homeland beckoning us forward, there was nothing to stop our advance now. Nothing to stop us from surviving this hell!
***The Guards' POV***
Watching the carriage turn the corner and disappear from view, a group of city guards confronted three men in gray armor.
"What the hell are you three doing?! You tol-"
"We told you what you needed to know, " The leader of the three responded. "This is by order of Captain Harmon; interfere, and your heads will roll." He spoke in a tone devoid of hesitation and angled his sword at the city guards in front of him.
These kinds of threats were why tensions had always been high between the Blackwood Guard and Harmon's Honorbound. Ever since the Vlads took control of Blackwood, fullkin-kind was always arrogant and cold toward the humans that had lived there for generations.
Each member of the Honorbound were groomed and handpicked to be the best of the best. Not only that, but each had an innate advantage...each was of fullkin descendance.
Given this tension, it was no surprise the Blackwood Guard lieutenant considered ordering his men into a clash in retaliation of the threat. But he also knew their numbers wouldn't guarantee a win against these three. Not only that, but they each had a family to protect. Obedience was their only option for survival. Even if it meant allowing scum like 'heroes' to escape captivity.
A bead of sweat formed at the forehead of the lieutenant before he conceded entirely. "V-Very well," he bowed.
"But, sir!" A guard protested.
"It's final!" The lieutenant snapped back. "If Harmon's personal guard says to stand down," he bitterly glanced at the three, "then we stand down."
***
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