"Rune!" The frantic cries leave Selphine's throat as she loses sight of her friend. "Rune!"
Selphine tries to stop, but she can't as her guardian's death grip on her wrist refuses to listen, and Ritona's feet don't stop moving. Despite the difference in strength between herself and Selphine's most treasured friend, the princess still attempts to struggle against her guardian.
"Rune will be fine," Ritona assures her as she effortlessly fends off the princess's attempts to escape. Ritona doesn't look back or slow down. Selphine finds herself being pulled for the streets by her guardian whether she likes it or not. "It's you they are after."
Selphine knows what Ritona is saying is right. They have to keep moving if they want to live. Behind the two young ladies, a column of smoke rises into the night sky, and an orange glow illuminates the buildings. These people are after them, Selphine doesn't know if this attack is connected to the assault on her castle, but the fact that they are after her life is undeniable.
"Rune knows where we planned to meet up if anything happens," Ritona continues to assure her. "She will be there, we just need to shake our attackers and meet up with her."
"I hope so…" Selphine weakly says giving up the fight.
"Rune will be…" Ritona suddenly stops, and Selphine crashes into her back, nearly knocking them over. "Selphine. Stay behind me."
Ritona doesn't even have to ask what's wrong before a shadow steps out from the dark corners of the streets. A man wearing a black vest which displays his muscles and a mask over his face block their path. The man's red eyes glow unnaturally and menacingly sending a chill down both Ritona's and Selphine's backs. Drawing a longsword, the man stares down the girls before taking a step forward, kicking Ritona into gear. Ritona doesn't even think as her body moves into a defensive stance and her hands take out a sediment stone from her pocket.
"I only want the princess," The man says in a deep arrogant voice while taking another step towards his target. "Step aside, and you won't get hurt."
"Not happening," Ritona replies before she uses the mana in the sediment stone to craft herself a sword of glass. Normally she wouldn't have needed the aid of sediment, but with the lack of mana in this part of the world, she needs the assistance of those stones.
"Foolish girl," Both Ritona and Selphine jump at the sound of a woman's voice.
An endly lady steps out from the shadows, and unlike the man who hides his face, she displays hers without a care in the world. The old lady has long grey hair that reaches her hips a wears a black robe, like the man's eye, the elderly lady's eyes are a bright red. Selphine shivers seeing the evil in their gazes, but Ritona stays strong even though she too is sensing the darkness within their two assailants.
"You do realize you will die too," The elderly woman warns but when she sees Ritona shows no sights of retreating she sighs. "So be it." With a brief glow around her eyes, the woman summons a spear of fire. "Last chance, leave the princess or die with her."
"Selphine take cover and don't come out until I give the all clear," Ritona orders while she takes out a second sediment stone.
Selphine quickly rushes to hide behind a nearby stone wall, and as Ritona predicted, the elderly lady throws her flaming spear at the princess the moment she emerges from behind her guardians back. Ritona has to admit it wasn't a bad idea and probably would have worked if she wasn't counting on the lady attacking Selphine. Nearly as soon as the spear leaves its throwers hand, Ritona uses the sediment stone to summon a wipe of fire of her own which catches the spear stopping it mid-air and extinguishing the flames. The man seems to be shooked by the move, but the elderly lady seems impressed.
"It's been a long time since I have seen someone stop my attack like that," The elderly smiles as she turns to the man and gives him one simple order. "Kill her."
The man recovers from his shocked, and a dark smile grows on his face as he starts to approach Ritona. Peaking out over the wall from her hiding space Selphine can only watch as a man twice Ritona's sizes raises his sword above her friends head and swings it down towards her. Selphine gasps and was about to call out Ritona's name in horror when the look on her guardians face stops her. On Ritona's face, Selphine doesn't see a trace of fear just a calmness that instantly tells her everything will be ok.
As the man swings his sword down on top of Ritona, the royal guardian handles the attack just as swiftly as she handled the flaming spear. In a blink of an eye, Ritona swings her glass sword cutting through the man's metal weapon like a hot knife through butter. The man can only watch in disbelief as her blade breaks and before he can recover Ritona quickly cuts her attackers arms and legs being careful not to kill him so the princess wouldn't have to witness the event. The man cries out in agony as he falls, but once again, the elderly lady only looks impressed by Ritona's skills.
Clapping her hand, the old lady takes a step towards Ritona with the biggest smile the young guardian has ever seen adoring her face.
"My, my. If only we met soon, I would have loved to have recruited you," The old lady says as the smile slowly fades from her face. "But alas that doesn't appear to be an option."
Shaking her head, the elderly women shakes her head before she whistles. Ritona only just catches a glimpse of a small silver bolt flying through the air but its too late to dodge it. Ritona dives out of the way only for the blot to slices across her arm, doing nothing more than scratching her but doing its intended job.
Ritona tries and fails to hide the fear that swells up inside as she feels her body shout down and her limbs no longer responding to her commands. Selphine feels just as helpless and scared as she watches the old lady step towards her friend and draws her own sword. The elderly lady stands over the guardian and rests the tip of her sword against Ritona's neck.
"It's always a shame whenever talent dies out! Exspicely in one so you!" The old woman calls out looking into the shadows where she last saw the princess diving into. "Princess Selphine Rughzenhaide! We only want you! Give yourself up, and we let your friend live! Resist and…" The elderly lady steps away from Ritona and walks over to her downed comrade. "She dies!" The lady presses her sword into the man's chest, piercing his heart. "I don't work with failure." She tells him before pulling her sword free and walking back over to Ritona. "Your friend's life is in your hand's princess! It's time for you to choose her life or yours!"
"Selphine don't Aghhh!" Ritona tries to call out only for the old lady to stomp on her hand.
"I can drag this our princess!" The lady says as she kicks Ritona in the stomach. "Or you could end her suffering!" Another kick to Ritona's stomach and she's laying on her back looking up at the night sky. "Last chance!" Ritona feels the lady's boot press down on her throat, and her eyes widen as her supply of oxygen is cut off. "I don't know how long your friend can hold her breath, but that's how long you have to give yourself up, princess!"
Selphine can only watch on in terror as she sees the closest person she has left to family gasp for air under the elderly lady's boot. Selphine watches her guardian's eyes widen in fear and Ritona struggle to move her limbs against whatever poison has immobilized them. Selphine finds herself wanting to scream, wanting to run to her friend and the blood of her ancestors call out for their assailant's blood. The princess made up her mind, Selphine can't stand to watch Ritona suffer for a moment longer. Selphine feels her heartache and tears form in her eyes as she watches the life drain from the eyes of her friend. She has to surrender, Selphine can't live with herself if she lets Ritona die in her place.
"What do you think you are doing you fool?!" The voice of her ancestor Rhegan Rughzenhaide, also known as Rhegan the Bloodthirsty fills Selphine's mind making her head throb, but Selphine ignores her and steps out of hiding space. "You're an idiot! It's her job to duty you to her dying brief!"
"Shut up," Selphine tells the voice before she steps out onto the street. "I'm here please take your foot off of Ritona's throat!" Selphine cries out as she approaches the woman, but the old lady doesn't move. "Please let her go! I give up just let her go!"
The old lady smiles as she releases her foot, allowing Ritona to fill her lungs with deep breaths.
"A wise choice princess," The old lady says before looking over her shoulder. "Secure her!
A figure steps forward completely covered by a black robe and mask holding a crossbow. It is impossible to tell anything about this latest threat because of there clothing but whoever it is rapidly closes the distance to the princess before taking out a length of rope and binding Selphine's wrists behind her back. Ritona can only watch Selphine is bond and can't even say anything in protest thanks to her empty lungs. All she can do is watch, and Ritona feels her heart drop when her eyes make contact with the tear-filled eyes of the princess she was meant to protect with her life.
"Don't follow us if you want to live," The warning from the old lady was the last thing Ritona heard before the lady's boot connected with her head knocking her out.