Chapter 3:the rescue (1)

  "I've been waiting your visit, young master Vincent." Said the obese man

  "Cut the bullshit, Solicias. You know what I want. And we both know I'm only leaving after getting it."answered Vincent.

  "Show some respect -"the guard intervened, but was cut short by the obese man. "Now, now, Calm down. Your job is to guard me. Not intervene in my affairs."

  "Young master Vincent, I do not know-"Solicias tried to defuse the hostile environment. However, Vincent didn't let him continue and interjected "Where. Is. Valerie. I know, she came here, last night. I also know, she didn't come back home. So if the next words out of your mouth aren't her location. I'll cut your tounge."

  After Vincent made his intentions clear, the atmosphere, grew even more tense. Solicias and the guard looked at each other with nervous eyes. But then, and only for a moment. Solicias signed something with his eyes. A movement so little, most people wouldn't notice it. But Vincent was perceptive enough to notice it.

  *Swish* *crank* with that, the guard slashed vertically with the axe that was on his back. However, surprisingly for him and Solicias. Vincent, was able to react in time. He unsheathed the short-sword, reinforced it with magic and countered axe, which resulted in it shattering.

  *What the-* the guard, got confused after seeing his axe shattering after being striked by a cheap short-sword. However, he was not given time to process what happened. And was cut short by a horizontal slash, he barely dodged the strike by stepping back, and retaliated by throwing the handle of the axe towards Vincent,and unsheathed the longsword that was on his left hip with his right hand.

  Vincent dodged the handle by ducking to the front, and then shot towards him, and striking while aiming towards his neck.

  The guard trude to dodge by back stepping again, however. It appeared that Vincent's attack was a faint meant to distract the guard from his left hand.

  *Shink* "Impossible-" the guard was shocked to see the icicle that was formed in Vincent's left hand, however he was not given enough time to Dodge. As by the time he utterd this words the icicle has already hit his head.

  *Thud* with a loud thud, his heavy lifeless body, armed to the teeth with all kinds of new and unused weapons, hit the ground.

  Vincent knelt next to the dead guard, held the icicle that was lodged deep inside the poor man's skull, and pulled it out, Vincent refroze the icicle with the blood and pieces of the mans brain becoming one with it, and looked deep into Solicias's eyes, and emotionlessly said "there was no need to make this like this, but now. I'm going to enjoy what's coming." And started slowly walking towards him and using ice magic to lower the temperature of the room.

  Vincent knelt before Solicias, the tavern keeper’s massive frame sprawled across the wooden floor. His back pressed against the planks, his chest heaving in frantic, ragged gasps. Each breath was a visible puff of frost in the magically chilled air.

  "Shouldn’t have tried that, Solicias," Vincent said, his voice flat.

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  He lodged the icicle into Solicias’s left thigh with a sickening thhhck. However, before Solicias could even scream, Vincent froze his mouth shut. Mmmmpfh! His muffled cries didn't even reach the busy tavern downstairs.

  "Last chance to tell me what I want," Vincent said melting the ice over his mouth. "Or you’ll lose an eye."

  **"T-they’re taking her to the capital,"** Solicias stammered, sweat glistening on his brow. **"Th-they left with her and the others at dawn."**

  "And where are they now?" Vincent’s voice was a blade wrapped in silk.

  "I-I don’t—"

  *THWAK!* Vincent’s fist snapped Solicias’s head sideways, cutting off the lie. "If you’re not giving me answers," he said, "then you’re not breathing, Sol."

  The tavern keeper spat blood, his words frantic. "Th-they’re camping tonight—their base near the River of the Damned!"

  Vincent’s eyes narrowed. "The River of the Damned?" His grip tightened. "That’s to the north. Limveil is south. Why divert to the Unclaimed Lands if the capital’s their goal?"

  **"I don’t know!"** Solicias’s voice cracked. Then, with a sudden, desperate defiance, he glared up. "You know they’ll kill you once they know of this."

  "Doesn’t matter." Vincent’s gaze flicked to the icicle buried in Solicias’s thigh. "Not that either of you will live."

  Realization dawned in Solicias’s eyes—wide, horrified. "Wait, Vincent! We wer—"

  ***SHLUCK.***

  Vincent ripped the icicle free and drove it into Solicias’s skull in one fluid motion. The man’s body jerked, then stilled.

  Silence.

  Vincent stood, wiping his hands. The only sounds were the drip of blood pooling on the floorboards and the tap of his boots as he walked to the door.

  He paused, glancing back at the corpse. "If only you hadn’t turned out like this,"he muttered, voice thick with something between disgust and regret.

  Then he was gone.

  The night awaited. If he didn’t find his sister by dawn, he’d lose her trail forever. And although he would not miss her presence, failure was still not an option.

  ***

  While the blue moon is the only thing lighting the world,a dirt road that cuts through a deep and thick forest right next to a river

  with uneven currents, almost as if made by unknown creatures.

  A group of ten riders, riding in a loose diamond formation around a big wagon that is being controlled by two others. Their armor, a mix of scavenged plate and hardened leather ,signifying that they are indeed mercenaries.

  The wagon is heavy, it's wooden wheels groaning under the weight of it's contents, hidden beneath a stained canvass tarp. And the sound of many Iron shackles coming from within.

  The men on the carriage looked infront of them, at the two who are about fifty steps infront of the Group scanning the road ahead.

  Among them, the two men on the wagon stood apart—clearly the ones in charge.

  *The driver* was a grizzled veteran, his face a map of old wars carved in scars. His grip on the reins was effortless, his gaze locked ahead.

  The other was worse.

  Bald, one-eyed, and built like a stone wall, he radiated command without speaking. A fresh scar—still pink—cut across his missing eye’s hollow, as if he’d let the wound stay ugly just to remind people how he’d survived it. When he shifted, the mercenaries near the wagon stiffened. When he spat, the horses seemed to step lighter.

  We’ve already got a solid haul," the wagon driver muttered, his eyes flicking over the group’s chipped blades and notched axes. "Do we really need to chase the elf?"

  The leader didn’t look at him. His lone eye scanned the forest, fingers drumming on the haft of his battered axe. **"Yes."**

  "Look at our gear." The driver hefted his spear, its tip snapped off like a broken tooth. "Your axe is hanging by a splinter. My spear’s useless. Another fight and we’re done."

  "We don’t have a choice." The leader’s voice was iron. "Let her escape, and bitch'll brings her clan down on us. Besides—" He finally turned, his scarred face splitting into a grin. "Elves fetch a high price."

  The driver spat. "Your ambition’ll get us killed."

  "My ambition’s the only reason you’re not starving in a ditch," the leader snapped. "Now shut your mouth and drive."

  The silence that followed was heavier than the wagon’s load. moments later,the silence was broken by the sound of hooves, then. two men on horses emerged from the forest with a limp robes figure on the back of one of their horses. "We got the elf" one of them said, with a knocked out person in a robe slung on his saddle.

  Seeing them, the entire group stopped and the ones in front whistled, signifying that they will be keeping watch.

  "Alive?" The leader asked

  "Of course, she was so exhausted, She didn't even resist." One said "knocked her out with one punch." The other continued

  "Great, chain her and put her in the wagon with the rest" the leader said, he then looked towards the driver "she was too exhausted to even resist." He mimiced his underling to the driver.

  "now,we should find a place to camp the night." The driver, seemingly ignoring his leader's remark said.

  After a few minutes the two riders that were dispatched before, returned with news of a camping ground close to the river of the damned.

  After reaching their destination,the saw that it was nothing special. It was a somewhat even and small area with less vegetation than other areas. However, many of the mercenaries were anxious to sleep so close to the river of the damned and asked the group that brought them there,

  "Are you sure we can camp next to that river?"

  "Yes. Predators don't get close to it, and the creatures in it dont just jump out and eat humans."

  "Stop chatting and put up the tents."hearing their conversation. The one-eyed leader ordered them to start working.