Oscar was very hungry, having not eaten the night before. Upon arriving in the city around midday, he found that the city square, Shingen's primary center of commerce, was filled with several dozen angry people. Apparently they were all yelling over one another over whether or not another tavern was truly necessary for the city, as Shingen had already had four, and there was an ever increasing number of crimes every month that were traced back to the abuse of alcohol. Many people saw no harm in the addition of a fifth tavern to the city, but there were a select few that were strongly against it.

Oscar decided to use this commotion to his advantage. He worked his way into the bustling crowd, stealthily reaching his fur-covered hand into the pockets of unsuspecting and disgruntled individuals, taking their coin purses. He knew that Marcus would frown upon him for this behavior, but in a way, Oscar saw this as a way of helping Marcus. In order to avenge Marcus, Oscar needed to be alive. This was the only way that he could see to do so.

Oscar was about to reach his hand into the pocket of his final victim, when suddenly he felt a tight grip around his wrist. The person he'd tried to pickpocket had caught him in the act. This man was massive. Oscar recognized him as the one known here in the city as The Human Hill. Aptly named for his enormous size and threatening stature, the man-beast would easily tower over Braun. The man had been the source for many troubles in the city. The giant sausages that he called fingers were wrapped tightly around Oscar's thin wrist. The Hill looked down at Oscar, grabbed him by his neck, hoisted him into the air, and tossed him like a small stone across the paved street. Oscar landed and rolled, stumbling and falling over himself. He'd become careless, he'd tried to take too much. All he had really needed was money to buy himself food. The Human Hill waked away from the crowd, making his way toward Oscar, who attempted to pick himself off of the ground quickly. The Human Hill reached him rapidly, pushing his way through the crowd and picking Oscar up again and thrashing his body around like a ragdoll and smashing him against a nearby wall. Oscar was being flung around as if he weighed nothing. Oscar was tossed to the ground again. He unsheathed his sword, disoriented and in pain, and prepared to fight this muscular beast of a man. The Human Hill swatted his blade aside with ease. Seeing no other option, Oscar turned to flee. He leapt high into the air, his agile legs landing atop a lamppost. The Hill was tall enough to reach Oscar and he knew that he wouldn't be able to stay up there safely for very long. Oscar looked out for another point that he could jump to, finding almost nothing among the crowd.

Oscar saw that the Hill was upon him and took a leap away and toward the citizens. He landed atop the head of one of the protesters, much to the man's surprise, and quickly jumped to the head of another, running on top of the crowd and toward the opposite end of the crowded street, leaving The Human Hill behind him. Oscar left a trail of commotion, as most people did not leave their homes expecting a large, fur-covered man to use their heads as stepping stones. Oscar leapt down to the street, turning around to discover that The Hill had managed to keep up with him, only a few feet behind. The man was incredibly quick for someone his size.

His sword was far out of reach now. Oscar attempted to throw a punch at the monstrous man, but his fist was caught by an enormous hand, crushing his fingers. Oscar cried out in pain. The Human Hill reached for Oscar again when suddenly a small stone flew through the air on a direct collision course with The Human Hill's head. The moment the stone made contact, it exploded and a deafening BOOM accompanied by a bright flash of light filled the city square. Oscar's ears rang so loudly he could hardly hear a thing around him. His eyesight returned after a few moments. Everyone in the square had stopped their bickering and turned to look at them. The Human Hill was standing there, but seemed unresponsive. His eyes rolled slowly into the back of his head as he began to fall backwards off of his feet. He hit the ground on his back, causing vibrations as well as several cracks in the street. He lay still, neither breathing nor moving at all. Oscar looked into the direction where the stone came from. He spotted Gell, the half-orc from the forest, walking toward him. He had another person with him, a human dressed in simple robes, carrying a sword across his back. This was the one that had been sitting with him in the tavern.

Oscar's ears still rang from the stone, but he could hear Gell say to him, "You sure you don't need help?"

Oscar wasn't sure what he should say, but he started by saying, "Thank you. You really saved my skin there. What was that thing?"

"A thunderstone," Gell said, showing Oscar another small stone with a lightning bolt carved onto one side. "Upon impact, thunderstones create a loud, explosive sound and a brilliant light, disorienting enemies. In some cases, they can be lethal."

"I think this may have been one of those times," the human next to Gell said.

"Who's this?" asked Oscar.

"This is a friend. I left him behind this morning to sleep, he had a night of heavy drinking and I figured that that may be the best for him. His name is Seph," Gell explained, "You know, I never did catch yours."

"I didn't give it. My name is… Oscar," he said reluctantly. He'd considered using an alias or fake name, but decided against it. He wasn't sure about these people, but after thinking it over, Oscar decided it would be a good idea to invest in any possible ally he could get.

"Pleasure," mumbled Seph, followed closely by a loud burp. He still sounded drunk.

"The pleasure is all mine," Oscar responded, shaking his sticky hand.

"You seem to be in a much better mood than this morning. You're a very pleasant person when you aren't leaping from a tree and trying to kill me," Gell said.

"I apologize for that. I've been going through a lot lately. It was a long day yesterday."

The crowd that had gathered in the city square was only about half of its original size. After witnessing the killing, many people had fled. The rest stayed out of morbid curiosity, wondering what would happen to the sorry lot that had gotten themselves mixed up in all of this. Oscar pushed through the crowd to retrieve his sword from the ground. He turned back to face Gell and Seph. Sephardi was on the ground over The Human Hill, rummaging through his pockets.

"What are you doing?" Oscar asked.

"Looking for stuff," Seph said, pulling a few coins and a sizeable jewel from the pockets

of The Hill.

A fanfare was heard in the distance, and the sound of horseshoe on stone signaled the approach of the king's guard. Seph stood, stashing the coins in his pocket and the jewel down his trousers. They drew nearer, and more of the crowd scattered. Less than a dozen individuals stayed behind to watch what would happen. The king's guard entered the city square, three men in mail suits with the crest of Solace across a tunic on their chests. The men carried flags with the same blazing sun imprinted upon them. The also carried hand crossbows and rapiers at their sides. The men approached Oscar, Gell, and Seph.

"You, half-orc," the man in front called, pointing to Gell. "Are you the one that threw the thunderstone?"

"I am," Gell said.

"Only in order to save me," Oscar said. He wasn't sure why he'd said it, maybe he just felt bad for his behavior that morning. "I was the one fighting him."

"Then the both of you can come with us. King Fernando would like a word," The man said. He wore a shining helmet, and his horse was covered in an armor that was encrusted with gold. Oscar knew him to be the captain of the guard, Jaeger. Jaeger's word was law in Shingen, and Oscar knew better than to try to defy him.

Perhaps this wasn't all bad. This had granted Oscar an opportunity to gain an audience with the king. Granted, he would most likely be addressing the king as a prisoner, but he would be addressing the king no less. Oscar and Gell presented their wrists to Jaeger, and the two other guards placed shackles on them and confiscated their weapons.

"Hey, I'm with him," Seph slurred drunkenly.

"Seph, you imbecile," Gell said, rubbing his forehead with his shackled hands.

Seph presented his hands and another pair of shackles were placed on his wrists as the sword was taken from his back. Seph smiled at Gell, who simply sighed.

Jaeger attached a chain to each of their shackles, trailing it behind his horse. "Keep up," he said. He let out a "hyah!" as he got his horse trotting. Oscar, Gell, and Seph trailed behind his horse, dragged along by the chain. Other guards were trotting along on either side of them. Petunia had been found and taken by the guards as well, being led to a set of stables near the castle.

"Why did you say that, Seph?" Gell asked.

"I thought he was going to split us up," Seph responded, still slurring his words.

"You could have been fine, you didn't even do anything, they didn't even know that we were affiliated with one another."

"What?" Seph asked. He seemed entirely lost.

"You didn't have to say anything, you committed no crime," Gell explained.

"Ah, really?" Seph said.

"Quiet down back there," Jaeger said without looking back.

They were approaching the steps to the castle. They saw the golden statue of Solace that stood at the base of the hill, at the beginning of the steps. A brilliant golden knight, kneeling and staring skyward, clutching the hilt of a sword that was buried halfway into the ground.

High on the hill, Oscar could see it in the distance. They began climbing the stone stairs, led by Jaeger on his horse, making their way toward the palace at the top.

At the top of the steps, Oscar, Gell, and Seph saw the massive castle doors. They were made of ancient, cracked, dark wood, reinforced and studded with heavy iron. The castle itself was made of stone with gold trimming that was beginning to fade in some places. Spires climbed into the sky, topped with waving flags that featured a golden sun on a crimson field.

The enormous doors opened, creaking with every inch that they swung. More guards had been standing by the doors, just outside, wielding halberds. Jaeger and his men climbed off of their horses, and the men that stood by the doors walked over and took hold of the reigns, leading them around to what could be assumed were stables.

Jaeger, still holding the chain, led Oscar, Seph, and Gell into the castle. The inside was every bit as ornate as one might assume a castle would be, suits of armor, paintings, tapestries, and woven rugs adorned the halls. He led them through and closer to the king's stopped and turned around, signalling for his men to stop walking as well. He reached into a pouch on his side and pulled out a set of keys, going to each of them and unlocking their shackles.

"King Fernando will not speak to you unless you are unbound. It is a sign of respect," Jaeger explained. He finished unchaining them, then led them into Fernando's chamber. He opened the door, allowing them to enter first, then followed shortly afterward.

The throne room was enormous, with high, vaulted ceilings, lavish paintings, statues, and furniture, and a large stained glass mural behind Fernando's throne, depicting Solace in his golden armor. Fernando sat in his throne, a large chair encrusted with jewels and trimmed with gold. The seat appeared to be a deep crimson velvet.

Fernando himself was quite a sight, with his golden mail and chestplate. His crown was the purest color of gold that Oscar had ever seen. He held a scepter that appeared to be encrusted with jewels as well. King Fernando spoke, saying, "Leave us, Jaeger. I would prefer to speak with these men alone."

Jaeger seemed hesitant for a moment, but quickly nodded his head, saying, "Yes, my king," then backing out of the room, closing the door behind him.