“Was this before or after you killed the dragon that landed on your mother?” I tried not to keep my eyes from rolling.
“After, dear friend. It was actually a lich king that had enslaved the dragon.”
“So then you went after the lich king?” I asked.
“Yes, but he is still out there, dearest friend. Let us speak more of my vengeance later. For now, we have a beautiful woman to protect.”
“That is fine. Your eyes are sharper than mine. Do you see anyone suspicious?” I asked as I scanned the throng of people. It was mid-morning, and the docks were filled with the passengers exiting our ship, dock workers, merchants, sightseers, and porters.
“Nay, dearest friend. The ocean has too many waves. It will be easier for me to tell once we get onto the streets. I will take the lead if you watch the rear.”
“Sounds good,” I said, and my friend moved to the front of our group.
There were too many damn people, with too many tags over their heads. The graphics engine wasn’t slowing down in the slightest, but I was visually overwhelmed by the amount of people. In actuality, the docks of Sanduport were no more packed than the busy city roads of Arnicoal, but I hadn’t been worried about assassins in the streets of Arnicoal. I kept expecting someone to jump out and drive a dagger into Chrysa. I ended up wrapping my left arm around her waist so that I was closer to her than the crowd at our sides.
Cornalic was a tall guy, his muscles were large, and his shoulders were broad. The crowd did part around him easily, and even though it felt as if our trip from the docks had taken an hour, it had probably only been a handful of minutes. Then we were at the mouth of one of the narrower streets.
“I do believe it will take us an hour to reach the palace. I will remain in the lead. Please walk as if we are out for a shopping stroll, acting as if we are in danger might make us more of a target,” Cornalic said.
“I’ll stay in the rear,” I said as I let go of Chrysa’s waist. The young woman cleared her throat a bit and then adjusted her dress when she stepped away. Her cheeks were a bit red, and I guessed that she wasn’t used to standing so close to a man.
The half-orc pivoted on his heel like a dancer, and we began our trek through the streets.
The women did try to walk naturally, but Allurie was the only one that seemed blissfully unaware of our danger. The elf tried to peer into the windows of every shop that we passed, and she gasped at the different designs of the buildings. She looked like a tourist, and I did spot a few citizens in the streets that looked to be sizing her up for pick pocketing opportunities. They were mostly kids, though, and as soon as their eyes fixed on Cornalic or me, they decided to look for a less risky mark.
“How much farther, do you think?” Chrysa asked as she slipped her right arm through my left. Her big brown eyes had darted to the buildings on the side of the cobblestone street before they fixed on me.
“It has only been ten minutes,” I said. I nodded up to where Cornalic was in the lead. “It might be longer. He knows what he is doing though. Just trust him.”
“I do, and you as well. It shames me to admit that I came here so unprepared. My family has plenty of money and guards. I should not have to rely on you. I apologize for putting you in this situation, and I am grateful that you have accepted my offer to be my champion.” The beautiful brunette fluttered her dark eyelids at me. I was attracted to her, but she didn’t make my head spin as much as Zarra, or Lady Feeyaz’s presence did.
“I am helping you, and you are helping me. Don’t worry about it,” I said. Cornalic had made a right turn up ahead, and I made a quick glance around the road before I led Chrysa after the group. This was a narrow path, little larger than an alley, but it was clean and seemed to be lined with tailor and textile shops.
Cornalic flicked his finger over his right ear and then made a motion with his hand. It was a quick thing, but I saw him flash two fingers twice. I guessed it meant that he had spotted two groups of men following us, and I fought against my sudden desire to turn around and see if I could spot them.
“Yes, but it is a noble thing. Sir Lennox, I mean Leo. Might I ask you for another favor? I feel as if I am already such a burden to you. I am afraid to ask. I don’t even know if I can get you the item you seek. I will try of course, but I do need your help with another matter.”
Chrysa didn’t seem to be as nervous now, which was good, but Cornalic’s signal had filled my body with adrenaline. I was trying hard to hold the smile on my lips when I spoke the noblewoman.
“Sure. What do you need help with?” I turned to look at her and saw a flash of movement on top of the roof behind us. Was that one of the people the half-orc had seen? Or were there more following us? Shit. If these fuckers had crossbows, it was going to be a tough battle. I was confident that Cornalic and I could kill pretty much anything in our path if it were a melee fight, but we had to protect Chrysa, her handmaidens, and Allurie. All four of them were going to be next to useless in a fight.
“One of the men with me, he was not just a guard. He had been with our family for years. I almost thought of the man as my uncle.”
“I’m sorry. I wish I could have gotten there sooner,” I said, and I caught another flash of movement on the street behind us. It took all my willpower not to spin my head around.
“No, Leo. You did everything you could. More than any man might have been able to if we are, to be honest here. You said you were an adventurer, but you also seem to have a keen eye for strategy.”
“Yeah. You could say that I have played a lot of strategic war games.”
“You have?” Chrysa gasped slightly and brought her gloved fingers up to her full lips. Her eyes grew large, and there was no mistaking the adoration there.
Oh shit.
“Uhh yeah.”
“What style of war games do you play at Cutno?” she asked, and her tone was surprisingly urgent. The half-orc made a left turn onto a wider road, and I breathed a bit of a sigh of relief. The street here wasn’t as packed as the first major road we had taken so it would be easier to see enemies approach.
“Uhh. All kinds,” I said. I saw Cornalic flick his hand past his ear again, and the half-orc rotated his shoulders a bit to loosen the joints.
Shit.
“Have you played Castles before?” she asked, and her right hand squeezed around my bicep.
“No, but I’m good at games. Some say I’m the best.” I saw Cornalic drop his hands down to his belt, and I didn’t bother trying to look at Chrysa anymore. I turned while I walked and saw three cloaked figures about fifty feet behind us. They saw me spot them, but instead of trying to make as if they weren’t following us, the trio pulled their swords.
“That is encouraging to hear--”
“Get behind me!” I interrupted the young woman as I pushed her hand from my arm.
Chrysa gave a startled gasp a half second before the crowd started to scream. The three cloaked attackers were plowing over any citizen that got in their way, and their pulled swords reflected the mid-morning sun in a way that made it look as if they carried fire weapons. The tags over their heads read Sanduport Assassins, and their health bars were all full.
“Roof!” Cornalic shouted, and I glanced up to see a pair of crossbow carrying assassins lean down from the closest three-story structure. They were a good sixty feet away from us, but I guessed that the downward angle of their shot would help their accuracy.
They were aiming at the beautiful woman standing behind me.
“Shield,” I said as I raised my left arm. The crossbows above me sang out like bass guitar strings, but the bolts both slammed into the magical shield attached to the bracelet around my wrist.
“Cornalic! Get the guys on the roof!” I shouted at the man, but then I saw four more sword carrying assassins charge through the street on the other side. My half-orc partner had both of his swords out, and his blades turned into a flurry of steel.
The crossbowmen on the roof were reloa
ding, and I turned my eyes to the trio of assassins running toward me. Two were men, one was a woman, but all had their faces concealed by the hoods of their cloaks. I freed my broadsword and short sword from my belt, and twisted at an angle in the street so that I could keep my eye on the crossbow-carrying assassins while I exchanged sword strikes with the three on the street.
This was all sorts of bad.
The woman reached into the belt over her leather armor and then flicked her fingers at me. I moved my bracelet shield into the way, and a flurry of throwing needles bounced off the magic protection there. She didn’t seem surprised by my movement, and she stepped to my flank as the largest man hacked his sword at my left shoulder. He was wielding a one handed knight’s style sword. It was about as long as my broadsword, but the blade was more in a long triangle shape than the rectangular shape of my own weapon.
His sword met my shorter blade with a clang, and I twisted my wrist to try to knock his arm wide. My strength came to my aid, and he let out a surprised yelp when my jerking motion actually threw his weapon free of his grasp.
Before I could shuffle forward and end the defenseless man, the other male attacker stepped in and thrust at my right shoulder. His movement forced me to sweep my right arm up and parry with my broadsword. It also gave the other man a second to fall back, and the assassin brought his hand down to the short sword in his belt.
At least none of these assholes were dual wielding.
One of the crossbowmen on the roof had finished loading, and he aimed his weapon down at me again, I didn’t move until I saw the weapon jerk, and my shield managed to catch the next bolt before it could rip through Chrysa.
The woman assassin made her move when I brought my shield up, and she darted forward with a low thrust aimed at my right leg. I smacked her attack away with my broadsword and then stepped toward her. The movement would have left my left side completely open to attack from the assassin I had just disarmed and the one in the center of the trio, but my movement was a feint, and the dumbasses fell for it.
The man in the center darted forward and made a horizontal chop at my left shoulder. I was already ducking, though, and his knight’s sword passed over my head by a few inches. I twisted my hips as I whipped my right arm around, and my magical blade separated his shoulder from his torso with a satisfying cutting sound.
The assassin screamed and stumbled away from me. The other two assassins were taken aback by my unorthodox strike, and I thought about stepping toward them, but the second crossbowman on the roof had finished loading, and I had to step back around Chrysa and block the next bolt.
I glanced toward Cornalic to assess the situation. The half-orc’s twin swords had taken care of three of the four men, and he finished off the last as I looked. I felt a flash of relief flood into my stomach, but then I noticed another trio of cloaked figures pour into the street from the alleyway we had just walked through.
And another group of five cloaked attackers was running toward me from behind the three I had just battled.
“Cornalic and Allurie! Into that store!” I yelled at my two friends as I blocked the male assassin’s next sword thrust and gestured at the store where the assassins with the crossbows perched. It might have been an inn or an apartment. I didn’t know for sure because I couldn’t quite see the sign from where I stood. I did know that my magical shield was about to run out of time, and it was going to be way too hard to try to defend against them and the three different groups of assassins while we were in the open street.
“Okay!” Allurie said happily as she began to walk in that direction.
“Bring Chrysa and her servants!” I yelled as I blocked the woman’s thrust with my broad sword and then pivoted my chest so that the man wouldn’t run me through with his pointed blade.
I didn’t have time to see if the pretty elf followed my order. I did see Chrysa’s dress move away from the corner of my vision, but the other two assassins each made thrusting attacks at me, and I had to sweep my blades between both of them to keep from getting ventilated.
Cornalic stepped to my side and parried two of the attacks from the woman. I had been stepping back so that I could follow Allurie inside of the building, but his arrival allowed me to move a bit quicker. We made it to the door of the place before the other two groups of assassins got to us, and I gestured for him to step in before me.
“I’ll hold this door, you take the rear,” I said to him.
“Dearest friend, this situation does not inspire hope,” he said as he parried a series of vertical cuts from a new assassin.
“Maybe we can hold them off until the city guards arrive,” I huffed. “We’ll keep them at the door.”
Cornalic jumped behind, and we both fell back into the opened doorway of the building. One of the assassins shuffled forward and might have stabbed me, but a dagger flew from over my shoulder and sunk into the man’s skull. I tried to kick the door closed as soon as we crossed the threshold, but the assassins were already there, and one of them stepped into the doorway. I was going to have to kick him back into the crowd of cloaked figures so that I’d have enough space.
But then what?
Cornalic was right. The situation didn’t look good at all. There were at least ten of them out front, two on the roof, and there might be more in the back of this building. If it was just Cornalic and me, we could probably escape, or tear through them with a combination of my healing, and our swordplay, but we didn’t have the numbers to do that and also protect Chrysa. It could take half an hour for the city guard to show up, but they might not be able to fight off these attackers. Cornalic had managed to kill his four, but I guessed he had used his Never bracelet for increased attack speed, and it would be awhile before he could do that again.
The assassin at the door interrupted my thoughts with a quick thrust of his sword. This man was using a broadsword, and I managed to push the tip of his blade out of the way at the last possible moment. The guy was big, fast, and looked to be wearing black chain mail. This might be the boss assassin or their leader. This single attack and his position in the doorway hinted at his skill.
His next series of attacks convinced me of his skill.
The man was fast, and he thrust the tip of his broadsword back at me with a reactive flick. I knocked his weapon aside with another push from my own blade, but he had expected me to block in the manner that I did, and he stepped toward me while he tried to punch with his other hand. It was a risky move considering I still had the short sword in my hand, but his body suddenly glowed a greenish-orange color.
It looked as if he was enchanted with Guardian of Fortune.
I brought my short sword up to stab into his neck, but the blade just slid across his throat. The fucker had some serious balls, and his punch almost landed. I just barely managed to tuck my head down to my chest. His knuckles grazed my scalp, and I flicked my sword across his chest with a combined effort to push him away. This didn’t cut him, and his arms wrapped around my neck.
Fuck.
I wrapped my left bicep around the man’s shoulders and then kicked my left foot out at the open door. My toe caught the edge of it, and the thing swung closed before the next assassin could step through the doorway. Before the man grappling me could get the sword in his left hand free of my blade, I pushed against him and slammed his back into the door. He let out a gasp when his back collided, and I felt all the air escape from his lungs.
Guardian of Fortune didn’t catch that one, asshole.
The door buckled as the cloaked people on the other side pushed on it, but I just pushed the door back and then made a kidney punch into the man’s side. He didn’t cry out, so I hit him again, then a third time, and then a fourth. The last strike actually made him scream, and his hug around my neck loosened enough for me to pull my head free of him.
The women screamed behind me, and I heard the sounds of battle in that direction. There must have been a group of assassins coming in the back, but I couldn’t rea
lly look. The man had yanked a dagger out of his belt and lunged toward me. The hallway where we fought was the entrance to the store, and it was only a few feet wide. I had used Guardian of Fortune on myself before he made his first cut, and his attack slid across my stomach without doing any damage.
“Leo!” I heard Allurie shout behind me, but my attacker made another quick series of slashes that I had to parry with my short sword. Our situation had changed a bit. The man was now trying to pin my broadsword against his so that he could use his faster dagger against my sword. It would have been a solid tactic against someone with less blade skill, but the man had underestimated my ability, and he made a grunt of pain when I cut off his right hand with the side of my weapon.
Then I drove the tip of the short weapon into his face, pinning his skull to the door.
I turned around to see Cornalic fighting against a trio of men. This looked to be a clothing shop, and there were wood tables, shelves, and hat hangers spread throughout the space. The men were in the middle of the room, and I saw the five women in the corner to the left of me. Chrysa and her handmaidens were cowering on the floor, but Allurie stood with both of the blinding magical daggers in her hands. The elf-girl had a determined look on her face, and I guessed that she planned on defending the other women.
The sight made me almost fall in love with her.
The door kicked open a bit behind me, and I grabbed the locking handle. There was an iron bar that slid into a place of security, and I moved the thing into the locking arms. Once it was in place, I freed my broadsword from the tangle of the dead man’s weapons and stepped toward my half-orc friend.
As I watched, Cornalic blocked two attacks from the opponents, then cut a third with the short sword in his left hand. The man was a fantastic fighter, and I guessed that I would have had a difficult time going toe to toe with him. He moved with an amazing amount of grace for such a big guy, and he spun his blade around as if he was wielding two paint brushes.
Lion's Quest: Trinity: A LitRPG Saga Page 10
