Prologue: Strange kid

"So...where could be my stuff?" A black, long-haired man opened his cell door, after he got the key for it from one of the prisoners. He was sure that he could go out and then come back to his prison cell without anyone noticing but he still had a strange feeling about his helper. "But seriously, who was that old man? Why would the commander himself pick him up?" Guessing that there was no point in thinking about it further he went straight to the exit. Suddenly he noticed somebody in one of the cells. Strange, he was sure that he and the old man were the only ones in this section. The black clothed man looked to his right and saw indeed a person: The male prisoner looked like a teenager, about sixteen if he had to guess. If the now free man had to guess that this kid was about a head smaller than him. He wasn't to sure about it since his apparent prison neighbor was lying on the ground as if this prison was his home. At least he assumed that since the teenager wrapped himself inside of his dirty prison blanket and only had his head outside of it, which looked at him with a sleepy face and plain, brown short hair, that was a little spiky. Probably from the sleep. The teenager also seemed to shiver which would explain why he would be willing to use that dirty piece of bed equipment. They stared each other into the eyes before a grin appeared on the kid's face.

"Heyho! Broke free, huh? Something important to do? What's your name? My name is Ray Verrier! You gonna free me, right?" This Ray-fella was pretty happy and talk active considering where he actually was. A bit too happy and talk active since this could wake up the guard easily. At least the kid tried to be quiet. The long haired man decided to play along and talk with the kid, not wanting to risk that Ray would sell him out to the knights.

"Name's Yuri Lowell and yes, I'm kinda in a hurry to catch a bad guy. And no, as much as I liked to, I can't free you." The last part wasn't really a lie. He did want to free this kid since he didn't looked like he did something bad but he only got one key from the old man and he was sure that they had more than this one specific key-type. However Ray did not let Yuri go away that easy.

"Oh come on, why not? I have to get to Dahngrest as fast as possible! I can't even imagine what happens with my babies when I'm not there for them!" Beside the fact that the wrapped up kid looked pretty calm despite the rejection, the, unlike Ray, free man processed said sentence inside his head. Either this kid is REALLY popular with the ladies or he got really "busy" with some of them. What would be actually the same if I...I better stop thinking about it.Shaking off these thoughts since they both sounded equally creepy, he replied with a calm tone:

"Listen kid, even if I would free you, the way to Dahngrest is pretty long. It's way too dangerous for you alone. Which leaves me to the question what you are doing here anyways." The reaction Yuri got wasn't the one he expected: He looked insulted.

"Excuse me, but you never heard of the great Ray Verrier?! The best blacksmith in the whole world?!" Hearing the growling of the sleeping guard only a few steps afar from them, Ray seemed to calm down a bit. Though he still had a hint of happiness and brightness even if he sounded insulted.
"Anyways...It is truly a shame, that you don't know my fame!", Did he just rhymed?, "I was here to get some raw material since the delivery costs would take to long and I couldn't risk them screwing up again in a month. So I came here, insulted a knight and they threw me in prison for that. And for the thing with the journey...I paid some guys back in Dahngrest to get me at least to Deidon Hold. Though these guys aren't really the one you would call bodyguards..." Tilting his head Yuri now was quite curious in what way he insulted a knight and especially why, though he could answer it for himself. As if the long-haired man asked for more information, Ray continued to talk.

"Can you believe it? That guy wanted to snatch away my first baby because she was "forbidden"! Okay, enough of that, back to topic: How much money to get me out and bring me to Dahngrest?" Yuri sighted when he heard that again. Slowly but steady this got repetitive and the part with the babies got more strange. Before he could repeat his answer about him not being able to free him however, Ray cut him off.

"These are half-pin barrel hinges. With the right leverage and the proper application of strength, the door will lift free. Don't ask me why my cell is the only one like that. You have to use something like a sword or a sheath at this point", Ray pointed with his arm at a certain spot, "Anyways I will give you whatever you want they didn't take from me as prepayment. I will give you the rest if you bring me to Dahngrest." Huh, this kid knows about this stuff apparently...Should I risk bringing him with me? The self claimed blacksmith however saw the thoughtful expression and took his choice.

"Of course I can just scream like a maniac to get the soldiers. But since I'm a nice kid, who just wants to go home, I am offering you this deal, mahahahahaha!" Yuri only smirked and gave a like chuckle as an answer.

"You are pretty evil, you know that? Fine, but I will only bring you to Aspio. At most. I have to give chase to that bad guy after all."

"Okay, deal! Now get your stuff and open that thing. I bet that you can fight, right? Or else you will at least serve as a meat shield, mahahahahaha!" Yuri asked himself why the hell that guard didn't woke up from this noise. The ones outside probably thought that this kid has gone nuts, which was something he couldn't deny. The kid stood up after he finished his short laugh and showed his clothes to Yuri: The kid wore something like a priest robe, only not as plain. It had a mixture of white and red on it and he noticed that the hood was big enough to shadow is entire face. One could see that he had something underneath, which looked like a white vest. Seemingly that way Ray could strip of that robe in emergencies. After stopping observing him Yuri went past the sleeping guard and got his stuff. After that he went back to Ray's cell and did as he was told: Using his sword as a lever to open the door. Surprisingly that was pretty easy and before he noticed the young man dashed off the get his own equipment. Walking after him Yuri saw another strange thing.

"Blaze! Oh, thank the heavens, you are okay! Don't worry, Daddy will stay at your side from now on forever!" So that's what he meant with babies..." Ray was hugging a katana and even talked to it like it was a human. The kid then proceeded to put it on his belt around his waist under his robe, took a small bag into his robe pocket and looked over to the guard that didn't really did his job well. Ray just shrugged it off and wanted to walk ahead, but Yuri pulled him back.

"Stay here for a while, I'm gonna scout ahead", the other sword fighter answered smirking.

"Kay, just don't ditch me like a girl, mahahahahaha!" Ray raised his hand for a high-five and Yuri could see his hand: They were covered in scars and bruises. Either he is a bad cook or he really is a blacksmith... Nonetheless there was another detail he could discover: It shivered. It was barely visible but he clearly shivered. Considering how he was a blanket roll a few moments ago Yuri didn't thought about it much. He responded to the hand with his own hand and walked out of the prison to look around. There were only a few things he actually knew about Ray at the moment but he was sure about one thing: If there would have been a living definition of strange then this kid he faced just now was that definition.

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So...slowly and steady... After making sure that the guard above him turned around he began to walk but instantly cursed himself after that.

"Hey! Who's there?!" A knight spotted him. Naturally it wasn't really hard since Yuri practically walked into him. Before the knight could attack him, suddenly he felt two legs landing on his helmet and then on his stomach, knocking him out as a result. Ray turned around while still standing on his victim and said with a satisfied grin:

"Sooo...not really good at being stealthy?" The other prison break smirked back at him and answered casually.

"Talk for yourself, kid, making that kind of move isn't really subtle." After the word-exchange they proceeded to make their way out.

"Any idea how to get out? Some secret passage or something?", the kid asked while walking next to his "savior" and Yuri replied with a shrug:

"Well, I kinda got a hint that there is something beneath the statue of the goddess."

"Better than nothing I guess."

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Incompetence

Ray: So...is it common that knights are so...incompetent? I mean, I was pretty loud and that other guy fell like a sack of potatoes.

Yuri: Well, most of the knights only got their job through some connections or slacked off as soon as they passed the entrance exams. There are only a few exceptions who are actually trying to make a difference. That's why I left.

Ray: Huh, understandable. Must have been annoying to be a knight.

Yuri: Didn't expect you to believe just like that.

Ray: Well, considering the knights I saw so far, a ten year old could become a knight.

Yuri: Wow, thanks.

/

"Milady, please come back!"

The young woman didn't even bother to turn around. She didn't had time for that. Every second counted. Flynn... However Estelle knew that the dress wasn't really the best clothing for fleeing and also knew that her physiques weren't the best either. The way she wore her pink hair also made her uncomfortable but this was the least of her worries.

"No step further, ma'am!" She gasped as she suddenly saw another knight right in front of her. She was inside of a big hall with three ways to go, from which two were blocked each by one knight. The third one on the other hand only lead deeper into the castle. She slowly stepped back and only had two options: Fight or reason with them. Given her personality she took the second one.

"Please, you have to let me go! I have to warn Flynn!"

"I am sorry, but we cannot allow this. Please, if you just-" Deep inside of her she knew that it wouldn't work out that way. For that specific reason she brought the item with her she now pointed at the knights: A rapier.

"With all due respect, I have to ask you to drop that weapon! You will only hurt yourself!"

"I know how to fight!" This wasn't the wisest respond she could come up with but she couldn't stand how they underestimated her.

"You leave us no choice..." The knights drew out their weapons and wanted to attack her, but suddenly a blue aer wave hit the two soldiers. That was Flynn's technique! She remembered the shape and the color from the time she observed him in training. She turned around while talking happily:

"Flynn, I am so glad that you-" Sadly for her she didn't gazed upon the one she wanted to see. She only saw two people she never saw, one of them was even younger and smaller than herself.

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Ray sighed. He feared that it would come to something like that. It just was way too easy to get past the patrols and he cursed himself for jinxing it. He didn't had time to think more about it since reinforcements came in – if one could call them reinforcements since they will end up like their colleagues on the ground most likely. If this goes on then I don't even have to fight..tch. He held his hands, noticing they were still shaking. It was like that since he was inside his cell and he hated this sensation. Ray could consider himself lucky, that there were at least other people to talk to and that there was light that distracted him. While having a short grim look on his face he mumbled

"I hate those stuffed places...well, could have been worse." Suddenly he heard his name getting called which brought him back to reality. He blinked and saw how Yuri already was done with the knights. He put on his smile and walked up to them.

"Mahahahahaha! See? Don't need my help! For these weak knights, your bodhi blastia is more than enough!" Yuri gave him a little frown and replied:

"You could at least try to help me. Even if you don't have one for yourself you could distract them or something. Consider this on the bill. Speaking of bill, where is my prepayment?" Ray flinched a bit but then grinned again.

"Sure, here!" He searched around in his pocket and picked out a golden necklace with a ruby inside. He threw it over and quickly added:

"Don't worry, it isn't that much worth. Only artistic and looks real. Now..." He turned around to see the pink haired noble. When he realized what he saw, he dodged instinctively and witnessed the destruction of a vase.

"Woman, what the hell?! That is art!...Oh, and why are you trying to kill me?! I would understand if you try to kill him! He is obviously the fighter!" The blacksmith did not like it when someone does that to art.

"Hey, I take offense to the part with killing me", Yuri replied with a humorous tone but the young woman on the other hand was not in the mood for that.

"You aren't from the castle and you gave him payment! Surely he is an assassin and you are his client!" The two man looked at each other and the one with the longer hair said sarcastically:

"Well, I take it as a compliment for seeing that."

"Do I look like some kind of secret boss? And if I would be, why should I be here? At the place where I would want to have my assassination? Sounds kinda wrong, right? Mahahahahaha!" Before they could talk further a ridiculously loud voice rang through the halls of the castle.

"YUUUURRRIIII LOWELL! WHERE ARE YOU?!" After that Ray stopped listening and rather looked at Yuri's sighing before raising his voice.

"Guess there's no point in going back to the prison cell now." The self proclaimed blacksmith raised an eyebrow and asked surprised:

"Hold on, you wanted to go back? Why?"

"Because unlike you I have a crime register in this town and I live here." He had a point, so the youngest one in the room just nodded. Suddenly they heard Estelle asking something in almost a panic tone:

"You are one of Flynn's friends, aren't you?"

"Huh, seems like he finally found someone to talk to", Yuri just remarked while smirking, but the young woman was just frantic about this "Flynn".

"I have to talk with Flynn! Please help me find him!" Ray felt that he didn't had context to their talk and was pouting a bit while lost in thought. All of a sudden Yuri touched him and said:

"Come on, "boss", we have to go." While turning his head around he put on his smirk again instead of a pout face and responded:
"Oh, don't flatter me with "boss". You can call me "bro" if you want to, wahahahaha!" The boy then glanced over to the pink haired noble and frowned when nobody looked at him. What the hell is princess Estellise doing here? And...no, must be my imagination...

/

Lucky

Ray: Man, you sure are lucky, you know that?

Yuri: Having to break out of prison and escorting two people is considered lucky?

Ray: Hell yeah! I mean, come on. There is me, a prodigious genius blacksmith and then the damsel in distress who owns you now and who is pretty cute, if you know what I mean!

Yuri: Are you...trying to hook me up with a person I just met?

Ray: A man at your age should start to think about stuff like that.

Yuri: Aren't you too young to give me advice about that kind of stuff?

Ray: Hey, I'm sixteen already, ya know!

Estelle: What are you talking about?

Ray: Commoner stuff.

Yuri: Yup. Now come on, let's get moving.

/

Yuri felt that Ray was hiding something but he let it slide for the moment, since it didn't really concerned him. At least yet, since they would travel together for quite a while. The ex-knight still was a bit skeptical about the fighting abilities of that kid, since he didn't do anything yet except drop kicking a knight – and that wasn't really hard. Hopefully the kid won't be making trouble...

The young man then looked over to the pink haired noble and mentally sighed. I sure attract people who need my help. He wondered what was so important for her to meet Flynn and he had a bad feeling about it. I worry too much. This guy is too stubborn to die before he reached his goal...wait, what's that? The long haired man sniffed in the air and smelled some food, so he said:

"Mmm...something smells tasty." The girl who was with them sniffed too and said surprised:

"Oh, you're right. What could it be?"

"Guys? On the run here? Come on, let's keep going or do you want to get back in prison while you were eating? Mahahahaha!", Ray said loudly and Yuri just shrugged. They didn't need to eat yet, since he got fed with that prison junk a while ago, so they continued their way through the castle halls. After a while of walking and dodging guards (or knocking them out) they finally reached Flynn's room and immediately entered it. Looking inside he just sighed and said:

"He's really keeping this place cleaned up. Flynn must be off gallivanting around somewhere." Ray just groaned, probably because they walked all the way for nothing and Estelle gasped and said discouraged:

"Then that means I'm too late..." Speaking of which...Yuri turned around and asked wary:

"So...what sort of wickedness did you do anyway?" The noble girl just tilted her head and replied by the book:

"Me? I haven't done anything wrong." The ex-knight just raised an eyebrow and replied sarcastically:

"And yet a bunch of knights were chasing you around the castle. Yeah, that makes sense."

"I guess she's supposed to stay in her room and she didn't? Looks like an important person", Ray suggested while he was looking out the window, checking their surroundings. Suddenly the girl raised her voice loudly and said:

"Um, you see Yuri!" That surprised him and the kid, ergo he replied with the same tone of surprise he felt right now:

"Whoa, what is it?"

"Okay, you know what? Tell me if you're done with your conversation", Ray said a bit annoyed and leaned at the wall.

"I can't be specific, but Flynn is in great danger! I've got to go and warn him!", the noble said in a serious tone. Yuri sat down on Flynn's bed and said causally:

"So go if you want to go. What's wrong with that?" The girl let her head down and replied disheartened:

"I wish I knew…"

"Listen, I've got something I've gotta take care of right away, too. As soon as things quiet down outside, I want to get back to the lower quarter and then escort this kid to Aspio." He pointed to Ray behind him and was a bit perplexed by the fact that he didn't reply. Maybe he was too focused on checking the surroundings.

"In that case,would you take me with you? Please? Other than Flynn, there's no one I can depend you at least help me get out of the castle? Please, I'm begging you." She bowed down and Yuri just scratched his head.

"Okay, I can see you're serious, but why don't you...Ray? Everyhing okay?" The teenager suddenly moved forward and unsheated his sword he named Blaze, while squinting his eyes. He then replied in a serious tone:

"Get your weapon out. Someone's coming." What? I didn't heard anything...

Without warning the door got kicked down and the pink haired one shrieked from the startle. They saw a man slowly approaching through the the door. He had a mix of pink, black and yellow in his hair, which made him look like a punk. He was mostly clad in dark, reddish colors and had a glint of madness in his eyes. At least the others saw that, since Yuri didn't look at him at all.

"Prepare to fall victim to my blade." For whatever reason the guy destroyed a vase with one of his blades he held reversed and Ray just groaned:

"Why does everybody destroys artistic stuff?" Yuri stood up and turned around while saying casually:

"Ever heard of knocking?" The intruder ignored all of that and just went on introducing himself:

"My name is Zagi! The man who will end your life! Now die, Flynn Scifo!"