Chapter 15: A Queen's Knight Tale
A Rural Village in Southwestern Falena, 337 Solar Year
The storm had just let up as two dark figures cloaked in shadows and wet robes made their way down an old mountain path many miles south of Port Spinacks on the Southwestern part of the Queendom. At the bottom of the path, there was a large wheat field with the lights of a small village community off in the distance. The two began their trek through the muddy field to the other side where the town's cemetery lay.
The younger cloaked man asked a bit too brashly of his master, "Lord Nyoka, how much longer are you going to trust that fool, Godwin? You have your powerful rune now. And every day your legions of undead grow. The survivors of Nethergate and your cult monks from the Order of Tessares; they all worship you. Most importantly, you have me. Why don't we stop working in shadows with that traitor!? We should just kill Godwin and the royal family, and take the True Rune by force. Surely, they would not expect such a powerful and swift attack with their precious royal wedding just weeks away."
In his cold hollow cadence, Nyoka declared, "Silence! I art the master, thou art the slave. Thou canst understand my intentions. For thine only concern shalt be for keeping mine vessels ready and these foul runes in supply." "Yes, milord," he replied, "I will do as you say."
A shiver ran down Razi's back, not from the wet chilled air, but from the cold darkness in his master's voice. The young warrior was a prodigy with a blade and spell, but he knew how powerful the 4th Grand High Priest was without his rare rune, let alone with it. He did not mention his own idea again to Nyoka.
Moreover, he assumed by 'foul runes' that the old priest met the Shield and Resurrection Runes embedded in his vessel to keep the curse of the Half Moon Rune in check. Yet, to a dark soul like Nyoka's the holy-type magic would no doubt seem like a foul and odious curse, he reasoned.
The problem with common runes is that if used too extensively, they would burn out rather quickly. And he had used up many of these runes in recent weeks. Their supply of them was nearly depleted.
For every time, Nyoka used this much power of the Half Moon Rune to raise more undead troops, it would exhaust these two runes, which were already keeping the lunar curse at bay, in addition to resisting Nyoka's own decaying soul. The current ones would need to be replaced with new ones tomorrow. For he knew the sinister runic magic his master was about to summon was very powerful.
At last, they came to the end of the soggy plain. Razi looked around, his hand on his hilt, just in case there were any interlopers nearby. There were none. But there was an old cottage next to the cemetery. An old caretaker's residence deduced the young cleric, hardly a threat to him or Nyoka. Assuming that anyone lived there at all, since the place looked a little run down from the moon and star light that was now beginning to peak through the clouds.
The normally confident swordsman stopped walking, as Nyoka took a few more steps forward. He knew what the old priest was about to do and it still gave him goosebumps at how unnatural it all was.
Nyoka raised his right hand. He murmured something under his breath. The image on the back of his hand started glowing bright. A vortex of energy formed around Nyoka. The swirling rays of light were dark blue and purple in color. The whole area became filled with a violent rush of howling wind.
Razi began to hear the sounds of strange muffled moaning. Then it got louder and more eerie as he could feel the ground under his feet begin to shake. He quickly stepped aside. As a person rose from the very ground, he had been standing on moments ago.
The thing before him had the form of a man, for that is what he had been while alive decades ago. Bones and hanging flesh were all that remained now. The sockets where his eyes had once been, now glowed in a pale blue color. The same color that was now softly pulsating off the Half Moon Rune on Nyoka's right hand.
Razi looked around the cemetery. Everywhere dozens and dozens of the undead were rising from their eternal rest, mindlessly ready to serve the one who had summoned them. The wind died down when the spell had stopped, but the sounds of moaning were no longer being muffled by the earth beneath their feet. Out of sheer instinct, the warrior again gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, if only for his own personal comfort.
Just then a new sound filled their ears. It was a woman screaming. Rather it was two females, a mother and her child, screaming at the same time. The door to the old cottage was open. Razi could see people in the door way. The cemetery caretaker was standing there dumbstruck with a candle in one hand and a small dagger in the other hand. Beside him were his wife and young daughter.
All 3 were petrified with fear and couldn't believe what they were witnessing. The screams of the living had not been lost on Nyoka either. Razi knew his master would not chance leaving any survivors as his plan was too important to him to risk leaving any eyewitnesses that he had been in the Queendom without invitation.
He again raised his right hand, just as the caretaker told his family to run out the back door and to the village to get help. Suddenly, a beam of energy left Nyoka's hand and struck the man in the chest. He was dead instantly. The daughter burst into tears. Her mother cried out, but out of instinct grabbed the girl and ran back into the house.
The Nagarean clergyman looked at his newly raised legions, and from Razi's perspective, seemed to wordlessly give them their first orders. Some of the zombies went through the front door while others went around the back. Nyoka and Razi turned around and began heading back to their hidden estate while the rest of the undead followed behind them.
The sounds of two females screaming could be heard over the eerie wailing of the undead for a moment in the ears of Razi. Then it stopped. Razi sighed, whatever remorse he had felt for a second quickly vanished as a new concern occurred to him. He needed to get more Shield and Resurrection Runes quickly and quietly, or the next time Nyoka might use those same zombies on him, should he fail at his job.
Lord Rovere's mansion was the largest and most elegant home in all of Lordlake. And despite having been there many times in his life, Graess never failed to be in awe of its elegant, yet simple, beauty. Once at the main door, he pulled a small chain that was attached to a bell above his head. After a few rings, an older gentleman dressed like a butler opened the door and invited the knight into a waiting room.
A few moments later, a brunette woman in her early 30s entered the room with the butler. She had brown eyes and a fair face. Her figure was average, but trimmed. She had a slight tan from being outside a lot, which seemed right for the clothing she was wearing. As she wore a dark green long-sleeved shirt that buttoned down the middle, a pair of brown pants, and leather boots. To Graess she appeared to have been gardening before he arrived. Odd for the niece of Lord Rovere, but not surprising as she was always a very down to earth person, despite her station.
The knight stood as the butler introduced her, "Lady Milas Rovere, may I present to you, Sir Graess of her Majesty Elemark's Queen's Knights." "Yes, yes Willis, we all know each other. You may leave." "As you wish, milady." said the butler in a monotone voice before exiting the room.
Graess smiled sarcastically, "I am glad he introduced you. I almost didn't recognize you dressed like a commoner." She retorted in a snappy manner, "You're hardly one to talk. No Queen's Knight uniform? Dressed up in dark blue trousers and a shabby red tunic, you look more like a homeless vagabond, then I do as a commoner." Both started to laugh from their little verbal joust.
Milas was first to speak again, "The last time I saw you was 3, no 4 years ago. You were still Princess Cyrah's personal bodyguard, and she had just celebrated her 16th birthday here at Lordlake. I remember, while everyone else was having fun you just stood there like a statue watching silently. It was such a contrast from the boy I knew growing up, playing with you and Robert. When I asked you about it, you gave me some nonsense about a bodyguard's responsibility and..."
He cut her off mid-sentence, "Yes, I remember. But that cannot be why you asked me here, Milas. You said in your letter that it was a matter of great urgency. And that's why I came. Is Lord or Lady Rovere in some kind of danger?" "Always to the point, a true knight, I suppose." she retorted.
Milas became more serious now, "Lord Rovere… Uncle Alvin and Aunt Elena are doing as well as they can be. I mean both are already in their 70s. They've been vacationing in Yashuna for nearly five months now. Uncle Alvin thinks the hot springs there help his declining health. And their son, Alastair, he's still in Sol-Falena, squandering his money, waiting for his father to die, so he can finally get all of this." She gestured to the mansion with annoyance in her voice.
"I know about the younger Lord Rovere. I often see him around the Senate trying to buy favors and friends with anyone who will listen. But I still don't understand, what is this urgent matter that required me to leave the capital just weeks before the royal wedding and in disguise no less?" Graess asked his childhood friend in a calm, but inquisitive voice.
"The problem is not a what, but a who. There is a lesser noble in town by the name of Toman Bennet. Lord Bennett is an awful man. A cruel, fat, pompous backside of a toad. He only recently joined the noble ranks. The rumors say he made his fortune on the black market during the war by selling weapons to both sides." she said as she paused for a breath.
"I know that is not important now, but many strange things have been happening lately. Many unsavory men have been showing up here in town. They've been heading into the woods just south of us, where I think Lord Bennet is having some kind of building constructed by the lake, because we've heard the sounds of hammering echoing over the water nearly every day until a few days ago when it stopped. And these thugs of his aren't letting anyone into the woods to see it. But, more importantly than all of that, five teenage girls have gone messing in the last few weeks. Most of them younger than Princess Olinda. Their parents came here to ask Lord Rovere for help. I didn't know what to do. So, I sent my letter to you." Milas concluded.
Graess processed the information carefully, before asking, "I thought Rovere had paid for a town militia and employed several of his own personal bodyguards here on the estate. Why haven't they done anything about these thugs or missing girls?"
She replied, "There are only about a dozen private soldiers here on the estate right now. Most are in Yashuna with my uncle. The rest are in Sol-Falena protecting my idiot cousin. As for the militia, Alastair cut their funding in half about a year ago, so most of them stopped showing up for training drills. The rest are either afraid of Bennett or are taking bribes from him.
"I am telling you, Graess, things are getting worse each day, and without my uncle here to keep people like Bennett in check, I think it's going to get even worse. That's why I need your help. You know I wouldn't ask you or the Queen's Knights if it wasn't important. We need to figure this out, and you're one of the smartest people I know. Will you help me?" she pleaded. "Nature does hate a vacuum, I suppose. Someone trying to replace your uncle was inevitable, and I don't think it's in the Queendom's interest that it be this man. Yes, I'll help."
Milas beamed. She hugged Graess for a moment before quickly letting go and adding, "That's great! So where should we start?" "We?" asked the dark-haired swordsman. "My parents might be gone, but I am still a Rovere and protecting Lordlake is my responsibility. I'm going to help you find those 5 girls."
Having known this woman for most of his life, he knew better than to try and argue with her. So instead, he said, "Very well. But leave those clothes on. It's better that you look common born too. It will draw less attention. If those lackeys of Lord Bennett are as new in this town as you say, I doubt they'd recognize you. Are you still proficient with that staff your father left you?" "Proficient?! I could still kick your but with it, if I need to." she retorted returning to her joking attitude from earlier. "Indeed, we homeless vagabonds are terrified." he retorted.
Later that evening as the sunset, they left the house and made their way into town to the local tavern. "That fat pig's house is to the east and his thugs are roaming around the forest to the south. Why are we going into town to visit a bar?" she asked. "We need more intel." Graess responded.
When they entered the tavern, they took a table in the back of the room. Graess sat in the chair against the wall so he could see the whole room and study everyone in it, before deciding who to talk to first, or least that was what Milas figured he was doing.
A few minutes later, a tavern maid came over and asked them what they wanted to drink. Graess was sure that this local woman recognized Milas, but not himself. However, to her credit she kept her realizations to herself. He asked for a beer for each of them. A moment later, she returned with 2 tall drafts. Graess dropped several Potch on the table; more than the cost of the beverages. The woman gladly took it realizing the extra tip had been for her silence.
After about twenty more minutes of watching the crowd while finishing his drink, Graess gestured to the brunette woman to follow him into a back room. His guess had been correct this was indeed a gambling room. Several tables were in use. Most paid them no attention as they were focused on their games.
The pair walked up to the only free table. The old skinny man sitting behind the table asked them, "How's your luck tonight, son? Care for a little Chinchirorin? Wanna win some extra money to get your girlfriend something nice?" Graess smiled. He simply reached into a pocket of his trousers and pulled out a few hundred Potch and dropped them on the table.
The old man picked up the three dice and tossed them into the large bowl. He rolled a 3-3-6. "Looks like 6 is the number to beat there, son." the old gambler boasted confidently. Unfortunately for him, Graess had spent much of his youth tossing dice as a means to perfect his fingers' muscle control and finesse. His dad had told him that the extra dexterity would help with weapon control. The end result was that Graess was skilled enough now to pretty much make the dice land on just about whatever number he wanted.
He rolled a 4-5-6 on his first try, much to the old gambler's surprise. Chalking it up to beginner's luck. He insisted they play again. Seven games later. Graess was up several thousand Potch and most of the people in the room were now watching his table with excitement. After winning the latest round with a triple 3-3-3, the old gambler said he was done and didn't believe the stranger was playing fair, which just got him booed by the crowd of half-drunk gamblers.
After Graess gathered his winnings, he walked out of the room and yelled to the whole tavern, "My good fortune is your good fortune. Free drinks for everyone!" He walked up to the bartender and tavern maid from earlier and placed nearly all his winnings onto the bar table. They both just shrugged and started pouring drinks into glasses for all the patrons.
In the midst of the celebrations and drinking, Graess took Milas, who was still utterly baffled by what he was doing, and led her out a back door. Once outside and down the street heading east towards Lord Bennett's large house. She asked him what was he doing as it made no sense to her. He simply replied, "Just giving some of the mice free cheese." Still confused by this, she didn't ask any more questions, but was happy they were finally doing something important like going to spy on that porkish noble.
When they arrived at the east end of town Graess saw the large obelisk on a pedestal reflecting some of the moonlight. He recalled that a previous queen had given it to Lordlake as a gift a full generation ago when the town was first being constructed. The niece of Rovere took him further down the street to a big house that appeared empty at the moment. There were no candles burning nor fireplaces lit as far as they could see through the windows.
They knew the front door would be locked and they didn't want to be seen by any nosey neighbors, so she led Graess around back to a side door that the servants used. The door was locked too. "One of our cleaning girls use to date the chef here. She told me about this door and a secret key kept under the third rock on the left." the staff user whispered. Sure enough, there was the key and once inside Graess saw a candle and matches on a table.
After making their way through several rooms upstairs and down they found no trace of any of the kidnapped girls being there. However, they did find the nobleman's personal office. It was filled with hundreds of request letters, order forms, and receipts for everything from weapons, armor, runes, booze, various animals, monsters, and even some for humans. One that caught Graess's eye was a recent purchase of several Giant Creepers to some rich noble in Stormfist.
"He's not just using the black market; he's practically running it!" Milas exclaimed, "That old bastard seems to be organizing all the illegal trade in this part of the country to go through him. How insane!" The Queen's Knight gathered many of these documents. He knew they would make for good evidence later if there was a trial.
Taking Bennett's own brief case, he placed several documents and scrolls inside and said, "Come on, let's head back to your uncle's mansion and drop these off. I suspect our mice are getting close to finishing all their free cheese." She still didn't understand his metaphor as she followed him out. About a half hour later, they had returned to her mansion, hid the documents, and went back to the main street near the tavern.
"Okay Graess, I've played along with this adventure long enough. What are you planning? We've got the evidence against Lord Bennett. Which is great! But it seems to me that with what we know now those girls who were kidnapped are meant to be sold as slaves. They are probably in that building he built by the lake. So why don't we just go there before it's too late? Why do we keep coming to this bar?" the noblewoman demanded.
Graess smiled, "Do you know why mousetraps always work? Because the mice don't understand why the cheese is free until it's too late. And here come our mice now." He pointed to 3 drunken men coming out of the bar heading south toward the forest. "I spotted them earlier tonight while we had our drink. They were the only ones who had sunburns on their necks, arms and face. Meaning they've been outside a lot recently in the hot sun…. probably building."
Her face lit up again, she was ready to hug him once more, but he stopped her this time, as they had to hide from the drunks now passing their location. As they hid down an alley, she understood his plan. By using the gambling winnings to buy everyone drinks, those 3 wouldn't get suspicious by the free beer, because everyone was having it.
Now being intoxicated, they would be easier to follow without being noticed in the middle of the night. Assuming they could still remember where to go, he and she could just follow them to the kidnapped teens. Now she understood the true brilliance in his strategy.
One of the ruffians grabbed a lantern they had placed by the forest entrance hours ago before heading to the bar, lit it, and proceeded into the forest. After a few stops so their drunken mice could throw up and relieve themselves on several trees, much to Milas's disgust, they made their way through the forest until at last the pair could see the men enter a building.
Even in the dim moonlight they could tell the building was very large. It was a warehouse to store and ship all his illegal products via the lake to the Feitas River and then anywhere, both reasoned accurately.
Just as she was about to open the front door, Graess whirled around and drew his blade. Seeing this Milas raised her staff to a fighting posture. There were 5 men standing before them. One of them barked, "This is private property and you're trespassing." "This land belongs to the people of Lordlake and you're the trespassers." Milas countered.
After a moment of long silence, one of the henchmen had enough and tried to attack with an axe. Graess wasted no time, he thrusted his blade out into the man's chest stopping him dead. After he withdrew it, he made his way for the 2 on the right. Milas began fighting the 2 on the left. Spinning her staff above her head she brought it down on one of their heads before he even had time to react or move aside from the strike.
The other thug wouldn't go down so easily, he drew a sword and was blocking each of her wooden staff's strikes. Being larger and stronger he forced her back until she could go no further as the building was now in the way. Realizing her situation was dire. She took her staff and threw it at him, like a javelin.
Yet, he side-stepped it as he was fairly skilled and the throw was not very strong. However, her plan had worked. As he was dodging the staff. She started to slide forward raising her leg in the process and kicked the man as hard as she could with her leather boot in the middle of his pants. He crumbled like paper. He dropped his weapon as he fell to the ground. Grabbing her staff, Milas hit him on the side of the head, rendering him unconscious.
Graess finished off both his opponents, who were also axe wielders. They were strong, but large and slow. The agile warrior used that to his advantage striking both fatally before they could block his attacks.
Turning his attention back to his childhood friend, he saw her striking the last man in the head with her staff. "Are you okay?" his concerned voiced asked. "Why Sir Graess? Were you worried about me?" she said coyly. He merely rolled his eyes, "Good. I am glad you're okay. Let's get going before anymore of his goons show up."
Entering the building, they immediately found themselves in a very long and narrow hallway with doors at each end. Several torches lined the long wall, but only the one in the middle was lit. "Perhaps both doors open and just go around to the other side. I'll go left. You go right. We'll meet back in the middle on the other side." she stated as she went left.
Graess hesitantly started heading right, but quickly stopped. He spun around and started running after her. He said to wait, but it was too late. She was opening the door and preparing to step into the new room, when she heard him. As her leg went forward there was no longer a solid floor there. Milas began to fall forward into a hole in the floor, but Graess slid forward grabbing her hand just in time. He pulled her up. Both now sat against the wall breathing heavily.
"How did you know about the hole?" she asked as her breathing returned to normal. He replied, "I didn't. I just saw the dirty boot prints of our drunken trio. They went right when they came in. So, I figured the left door was a trap or something for intruders."
After entering the right side, they came to another hallway, but it only had one door at the end of it. However, they could see a bright light coming through the key hole in it. Graess took a peek through it and saw no guards or persons nearby, but they could barely hear people talking inside. He tried the doorknob. It opened. One of the drunks had forgotten to relock the door.
So, carefully and slowly they opened the door and stepped in. They were in awe. There was boxes and crates everywhere lined up and filled with all matters of goods. Everything from steel swords to rare Kanakan wine filled row after row in this massive storage room.
In one back corner of the room, they saw several men standing around a small cell. As they snuck closer, they could hear a voice more clearly as well as a woman crying. "I told you wenches, if I heard any more crying you could forget your next meal." a snobbish high-pitched voice declared. Peeking around a crate they saw Lord Toman Bennett.
He was a short man, very fat and very bald. His face was quite round with very little neck. He wore a white laced shirt and jacket along with fine black pants and boots. He, also, wore a purple cape that gave him a regal look, despite his stature. Lastly, he walked with an ivory cane that had a silver ball at the top of it.
One of the girls put her arm around the weeping teen. A blonde girl seemed to speak for the group, "Please, she's just scared. Why are you doing this? Please, just let us go. We promise we won't tell anyone in town. I swear to the Sun. Please!?" Bennett laughed. He hit the cage with his cane. The young woman spokesman backed up.
He told them, "Let you go? Impossible! But I will humor you and tell you why. There is a very rich noble in New Armes, who is expanding his harem and he is looking for foreign virgins to fill his growing quota. You see he's offering 200,000 per maiden, and between the 5 of you that's a million Potch. And there is no way I am going to 'let you go' when we're talking about that much money." All of the teen girls, except the blonde, started crying upon hearing this new truth about their future.
Bennett began laughing anew in his high pitch voice, when one of his goons walked over and told him that his special customers had arrived and were waiting in the back by the loading dock. He turned to the three men who had been standing there laughing as well, but they were each very wobbly.
Their boss yelled at them for being drunk again while on duty as he put it. He, also, warned them not to touch any of the girls, because their buyer would be arriving tomorrow and he didn't want them to jeopardize him not getting paid the full amount.
When he finally walked into the back room and closed the door behind him, Milas spoke to Graess, "We need to save those girls! But we can't make a ruckus. Who knows how many more thugs he could have in that back room, right?" Graess shook his head silently in agreement while surveying their environment for ideas. At the same time, the guards, who were beginning to sober up, pulled out some dice and were starting to play a game of triple toss.
That's when Graess saw in an open nearby container a set of knives. Sneaking over to the crate, he examined them. The steel was quite sharp and extremely well crafted. The knight grabbed 3 knives. He turned back to Milas and said he had a plan, but it could be dangerous for both of them. In order to avoid one of them calling for help all 3 needed to die at the same time.
He told her his plan and handed her a knife as she laid her staff on the ground. She reassured him (and herself) that she would do whatever it took to rescue those Lordlake teens. It was her responsibility as a Rovere. She took the knife and tucked it under her belt behind her back. She quietly stood up and went around between the wall and a row of crates.
Some of the girls in the cage saw her first. One was about to say something, when Milas placed her index finger over her lips to call for silence. Again, the one teen spokesman took charge and put her hand over the one girl's mouth who looked like she was about to speak. All 3 men had their backs to her and the cell as they were deeply into their dice game.
"Dammit, three 1s. I lost!" cried one. That's right, pay me triple!" celebrated another. Milas tried to make her voice sound as soft and young as she could, "Umm, excuse me, sirs. The cell door opened on its own and I like need to go to the bathroom." The gamblers immediately turned around and stood slowly to their feet, still a little intoxicated.
The female before them, it took them a second to realize she was no teenager, but an adult woman, and the cell door wasn't open liked she claimed. One of the guards stepped forward towards her, "You're not one of them. How'd you get in here?" As he was reaching for her, Milas, who had had her hands behind her back the whole time, suddenly produced the sharp knife. And with all her might she stepped forward and stabbed his chest.
Two of the girls were about to scream in shock, but again, the leader and now the other 2 muffled the others' mouths. Concurrently to all of this Graess had snuck from behind on the other guards, who were just about to draw their swords to attack this woman.
He gave a quick soft whistle. They spun around and saw him for a moment. With a knife in each hand, he killed both men with a stab in the heart. Their plan worked. There was very little noise and the guards couldn't yell for backup.
Graess found a set of keys on one of them and unlocked the cage door. Some of the girls were still scared and unsure if these people were there to save them or to kill them. He told them he was a Queen's Knight and that this was the younger Lady Rovere, and they had come to rescue them.
Once out of the cell, several of the girls hugged Milas when they realized who she really was. Graess looked at the back door and then at the ladies. "Milas," he said, "you know the way back to town. The way should be cleared still. Take the girls and go back to the mansion." "I am not just going to abandon you here alone. We should all leave together." she protested.
He replied, "No. Once Lord Bennett realizes what has happened, he'll just flee. What will stop him from kidnapping more girls in another town? I need to either arrest him or stop him here. Now. Tonight."
The noble acquiesced "Fine. You're right. Getting these girls home and arresting Bennett are both important. However, I am going to get backup too. Once I get these girls to Uncle Alvin's estate, I am going to gather the rest of his personal security and we are coming back here to help you get him. Please don't do anything foolish until I return." The master swordsman said nothing. He didn't want to make a promise he couldn't keep.
His friend sighed. She retrieved her staff and the knife, just in case there would be trouble on the way out, and told the girls to follow her. The blonde teen, also reached down and pulled a knife out of one of the men that Graess had killed, and quite forcefully. She wiped off the blood using the dead man's shirt.
She said to Graess, "I am glad you killed him. This bastard is the one who kidnapped me two weeks ago. He laughed the whole time. He said if I struggled or tried to run away that he would kill my mother and sister, since he knew where I lived. I won't be helpless again." The knight didn't comment on her story. What could he say? He merely responded, "Go, help the other girls and stay close to Lady Rovere."
Once all six women were out of the warehouse and heading back to Lordlake, the Queen's Knight made his way back to the entrance of the loading dock in the rear of the storage room. He, likewise, retrieved the last knife from the deceased. He cleaned it and stuck it under his belt next to his sword's sheath. Just in case he told himself. Graess knew whether Rovere's reinforcements arrived on time or not, he was going to stop this cruel man. He softly opened the door and walked inside.
Graess couldn't believe what he saw. These must have been the special customers that Bennett was talking about. There before him were several men loading small boxes onto a skiff. On the raft were 2 other men with oars in their hands waiting to leave at a moment's notice. They were dressed in plain Falenan clothes.
However, the man that Bennett was talking with was dressed most strangely. He wore all black from head to toe. Even his face was covered in a black mask. Unlike his companions on the skiff, he didn't want his face or identity to be revealed.
Moreover, he had a sword strapped to his back. He looked like some sort of ninja or assassin to Graess. It was clear to him from his stance and movements that the warrior was well-trained. The knight's concentration was broken by the laughter of the fat old noblemen. Bennett grinned happily, "Very well. Then we have a deal." The masked man untied a bag filled with Potch from his belt and handed it to the greedy nobleman.
Now the ninja turned to board his boat. Graess knew it was now or never. He drew his sword and stepped out from behind the crate declaring to them all, "That's far enough. Lord Bennett you and your customers are all under arrest. Surrender peacefully in the name of the Queen."
Bennett's men, all three of them, looked at their boss for instructions. He nodded to them to attack the Queen's Knight. Likewise, the two oarsmen, looked toward their employer for orders. Graess didn't hear what the masked assassin said, but the oarsmen immediately began paddling out of the dock heading for the direction of the Feitas River.
The master swordsmen quickly and effortlessly disposed of Bennett's unarmed thugs. Bennett was frozen with fear and unsure of what to do. His one hand was still clutching tightly onto the moneybag and the other on his cane. However, to his surprise, the warrior's attention was no longer on him but the ninja, who had drawn his sword. Bennett reasoned he would have sailed off with the others now that they had their cargo, but he had not.
Then it occurred to the old aristocrat, that this man was going to act as a distraction, so the vessel could escape safely into the night free of this intruder's interference. If this black dressed man was going to be the scapegoat for his oarsmen, he might as well use him too by escaping himself. He dropped his cane and began running back towards the exit. He did not hear the whistling sound in the air.
A knife suddenly sliced through Bennett's open hand just as he was reaching for the doorknob. The tip of the blade was stuck in the wooden door. Graess's throw had been perfect. The greedy noble dropped his Potch bag to the ground with coins rolling out everywhere. Tears in his eyes, the pampered noble was unaccustomed to any sort of physical pain, let alone pain this agonizing.
Instead of trying to pull the knife free from the door with his good hand, he merely passed out as blood dripped from his hand, which was shish kabobbed between the door and the knife's hilt. Now Graess was free to focus entirely with this new threat before him. And judging by his form and stance, this ninja was going to be a formidable foe, indeed.
The Falenan swordsman drew his weapon and moved toward the assassin. Their blades clashed and sparks formed as metal moved against metal. They matched each other strike for strike as each one seemed to be able to read the other man's next move as quickly as the other one countered it. Every strike and thrust from the knight's sword were countered or parried by this unknown swordsman.
His technique reminded Graess of a Nagarean swordsmen from the last war mixed with the various fighting styles of Nethergate, just much more polished and prideful. These thoughts were quickly brushed aside as the darkly dressed warrior now seemed to shift his stance to offense. Now it was Graess's turned to be on the receiving side.
His strikes and cuts at the Falenan were nearly flawless, but the Queen's Knight kept up as well. Graess was one of the best swordsmen in the Queendom. True, he was more famous for his mental skills, but his artistry with a blade was well-known by all who trained with him. Yet against this assassin, neither warrior seemed to be able to gain the upper hand, as each man felt the other was his equal, at least for the moment.
Suddenly, the masked fighter seemed like he was about to go for an overhead strike, Graess raised his blade out of instinct to block it. Concurrently, the ninja raised his foot and kicked him in the chest. The usually strategic knight had let his guard down and was knocked back into one of the empty crates dropping his sword in the process.
He tried to stand back up, but he was still woozy. He had the air knocked out of him and was struggling just to breathe. He quickly reached in his pouch and took out the last of his Mega-Medicine herb. He swallowed it quickly and could feel its restorative properties beginning to take effect.
The other fighter, however, had not followed up his advantage. Instead, he had hesitated as if weighing his options in his mind. His gaze had turned toward the water, where he could see the two oarsmen now several hundred yards out onto the lake paddling northward up to the Feitas River where they would be soon turning into the southwestward current to head toward Lelcar.
Graess stood back up on his feet, retrieved his sword, and assumed an offensive posture. "Don't worry, I'll get them." said the swordsman confidently, "After I take care of you. Ready for round two? Or do you need a longer breather?"
The darkly dressed man could not seem to resist the challenge, as Graess had reasoned. The daring taunt had worked. He had correctly deduced the warrior was vain and full of pride. He could hear him laugh under his mask as they began dueling anew.
Once more steel clanged against steel as each warrior seemed to be going all out. The knight's strikes were perfectly placed, but the assassin once again matched him move for move. Graess was doing likewise back towards him. It was a stalemate.
However, both men were getting tired quickly as each could hear the other breathing harder. Graess only hoped that the ninja's mask was poorly vented so that his opponent would stumble first.
The sounds of battle could be heard coming from the other side of the door as Milas and several personal guards from Lord Rovere's estate were now trying to open the door, but something was blocking it. Lord Bennett's unconscious body was making for quite the heavy door jam. A few guys had to heave hard several times, pushing him and the door open enough for the 10 fighters to enter the makeshift indoor dock.
Milas yelled, "Graess! I've brought reinforcements!" Both warriors, breathing heavily, backed off from one another, but still maintained guarded stances. Their eyes both turned toward the door as more men entered the room. The darkly dressed assassin bent his head in a mock-gesture of bowing at Graess. "Another time, perhaps. Falenan." he whispered hoarsely just loud enough for the knight to hear him.
He pulled a small sphere from his pocket and threw it at the ground. Upon impact with the floor, it burst open and a dark smoke began to fill the room instantly. Graess soon heard a splash. He paused, but then ran through the smoke to the edge of the dock. He saw the figure swimming away into the night across the lake.
Milas raced forward as well as and saw what Graess was looking at. She put her hand on Graess's back, who was still breathing heavily himself. "It's okay. At least, you're alive and safe." He sighed still mad that the man got away. She asked, "Should we send out a few boats to try and find him? There may be enough moonlight to spot him at least up close." Again, there was silence in reply.
She declared, "We rescued those girls thanks to you. Plus, we've caught Lord Bennett red-handed. Literally!" She hoped her joke about his bloody hand would make him smile. It did a little. Graess did smirk at the irony of the statement. She added, "Listen, Graess you're a hero. Enjoy the victory. You can worry about those others tomorrow."
He looked at her and then back toward the lake before saying calmly, "I'm no hero. I only did my duty. My duty as a Queen's Knight and to the people of Falena." She wanted to roll her eyes, but she knew he was being genuine.
Milas asked another question noticing his eyes going back toward the lake, "Do you have any idea who that masked man was?" Graess replied quietly, "I have a few suspicions about where he came from. As for his true identity, I don't know... yet. But once, Lord Bennett wakes up, we will at least find out what he sold to that man." Milas smiled happily. At last, the man who had made her people's lives so miserable was about to get the justice he deserved.
On the western isle in Lelcar in a secluded area near the dock three men were meeting once again just as dawn was breaking. "We loaded the cases of rune orbs in that wagon. And the horses are attached and ready to go. Just like you wanted. Now about our payment." spoke one man to the masked warrior. His clothes were still a bit damp after having swam across the lake before walking to Lelcar. Yet he remained quiet as they made more demands of him.
"That guy with the sword who showed up. He probably killed that fat noble and the others. You get to leave Falena. But he saw our faces. What's going to stop him from coming after us next?" added the other unsavory man. The first chimed in again, "That's right. We're gonna have to lay low for a while, which means were gonna need more money."
The second continued, "We told you 10,000 Potch before, but since we had to risk our lives it's 15,000 Potch now." Upon hearing this the man behind the mask started to laugh coldly. It made the two ruffians begin to fill uneasy. The ninja reached up and removed his mask.
Their uneasiness faded into passivity. Because there before them was a young man, who could be no more than 20-years-old or so. A child as far as they were concerned.
It was Razi, but they knew not his name nor his position within the Nagarean government. He spoke in a tired, but confident voice, "You gentlemen, want hazard pay? You really think your lives are worth that much extra money? Alright, very well. I'll give you exactly what they are worth."
This last cryptic statement from the youth confused them, but before they could do or say anything, it was already too late. With a quick reflexive speed, Razi pulled two darts filled with a deadly poison from his belt, and using both his hands at the same time threw them. Hitting both men in the throat.
They each began to gasp for air and pulled out the darts from their skin. Both men tried to speak, but couldn't for the toxin had already taken effect. They both fell to their knees and then to the ground. Each man was dead in moments after being struck in such a vital area. Razi declared with a self-satisfaction to the now lifeless bodies, "You get paid nothing, because your lives were worth nothing."
The young cleric proceeded to inspect the cargo in the wagon. Sure enough, they were all there: dozens and dozens of Shield and Resurrection Runes. It was all the healing magic that his master's clone vessels would need to resist the curse of the Half Moon Rune until his plan to acquire the Sun Rune was complete.
And with that Razi quickly exchanged clothes with one of the dead men, reasoning it would be better to dress like a regular Falenan in broad daylight, and not like a black-garbed ninja. Plus, these clothes, while they had a foul odor about them, were at least dry, he reasoned. And with that he gave the reins a slight whip and the horses were off. He proceeded right down the street and over the bridge out of the city and began his journey back to Nyoka.