Faustus stared the courtyard up and down. He rarely left the Peacemaker Cathedral without a blindfold. But even with minimal exposure, he knew the trees here were artificial. Nothing could grow without magic in the Imperial City after all.
Using Magic was forbidden in the name of saving the world. Or at least that is what he had been told. The Mage would need to discard everything from his past if he was to survive in the Imperial City. Much less the greater world outside it.
“Please reconsider!” Aldin, his only friend of confidence, had warned him the night prior to his daring escape. “No one leaves the Peacemakers.”
I will be the first to succeed. He could deal with the trees, real or fake later. Right now he had a ten minute window. Instead of grabbing water from the nearby fountain he would flee.
This plan would not fail. Escapees ran away in the dead of night. No one expected him to flee when the sun was at its highest in the sky. Still, he ran for it. Best not to linger in case he was uncertain.
“Where are you going boy?” A voice called to him from above. He had made it a block without encountering a soul. Was he far enough away from the cathedral for him to lower his guard?
“I’m going about the city.” He said, though he could not find the speaker.
“No you aren’t. Runaways cannot be allowed to live.”
Wind rushed past Faustus. An arrow had avoided his skull. This encounter revealed what his inexperience lacked. The buildings around him stood tall enough to conceal enemies above!
“You are making a mistake.” Faustus warned. “I can use Magic.”
“No you won’t.” The person above fired another arrow. But the Mage sidestepped the attack. This attacker needed to improve his skills.
“This is your last chance. Let. Me. Go. Or. Else.”
“This is your last chance to turn around. I won’t miss next time.”
“Neither will I.” The man amplified his voice using magic.
To the Peacemakers, such tricks were acts of heresy. Amplifying his voice was something only a fool would do. This enemy, whoever they were, must not have been with the Peacemakers at all.
The person with the bow above looked at Faustus. This was not what he had planned given from the fear growing in his eyes. Even from far away, the Mage could see it.
In the next instant, the bowstring moved taut, but the arrow never flew. After all, the Mage attacked first. Using basic magic, he sent a wave of energy at this foe’s arm. The one that held the bow forward.
After losing his composure the imposter dropped his weapon. That was the important bit. Without a means to defend himself, the faux soldier was more likely to give in to Faustus’ demands.
“Will you surrender now?” The runaway asked his attacker.
The wannabe archer above tried to run. But if he ran away, Faustus would have to deal with worse things from behind. He took a deep breath and killed his first man.
One quick spell made his death quick. A simple bolt to the face killed him before his body spattered to the ground. The act didn’t rattle him too much at the moment. But Faustus would think about what transpired today later.
Still, he was not free from this run yet. There was still quite a bit of running left. The cathedral where his former family lived was too close for comfort.
And more soldiers stepped in the way. One of them managed to draw a sword and strike him before he could avoid the attack.
“Let me through!” Faustus demanded. “I will not kill you if you leave now.”
“Kid. No one leaves the Peacemakers alive. Not me or you. If I let you go, I’ll die instead.”
Sighing, the hooded Mage once again cast spells of death. He chose the points of his spell with care like before. This enemy only took one more breath before he crumpled to the ground.
Unfortunately while distracted, he took an arrow to the arm. Luckily, he had already been hit in this spot by the first man’s sword. The blow stung for a moment and subsided.
Yet, there was a second archer on the opposite rooftop, and Faustus only had one moment to react to the attack. He could not afford an injury on his other side. He would be slowed down too much and his chances of escape will be none.
But that one moment was enough. Grabbing the corpse of the second man he had ever killed, the flesh served as a perfect shield.
“Flee this place now unless you want me to use your bodies as weapons too!” Doing his best to frighten these men, he held the corpse over head and prepared to smash it into the ground if needed.
No more attacks came. The killers above seemed to be rattled to the point of hesitation. Finally throwing the heavy body to the ground he stomped on it for greatest effect. Faustus took off at a charge. He ran, never looking back. Pushing his body to its limits as he fled from the alley.
Once he reached the Imperial City streets, filled with people to hide in, he stopped. There was a huge chance that the Peacemakers were on the trail, and that meant he needed to find a sanctuary fast.
Of course he had come up with a plan before he fled. He knew where to hide. And when he got a chance, asked the first guard he came across where to find it.
“How do I join the adventurers guild?”
“Their main headquarters are in this city. Follow the signs to the trading district. You can’t miss it.”
No group was more powerful and feared than the Adventurers Guild. That was what his former master had taught him. Even the Peacemakers respected their authority. And one day, that power would be his. A day that started now. He set off eager to start his new life. A life free of a cult that had controlled every aspect of his life.
**
Aldin paced the halls of the Peacemaker Cathedral. He had been planning to flee for months. This Cult was dangerous and wanted to cause great harm to the world. A Paladin, even one trained in his very powers by said Cult was the enemy of the world. And he would tolerate it no more.
For whatever reason, the whole place was in chaos. Something had happened. And whatever the reason, the guards at the front gate were missing. It was time to leave. Now.
This would be his only chance. Aldin had Dragon Blood flowing through his veins. A rarity in the world. The Peacemakers would rather kill him than let such a rare specimen be free.
Freedom. That is what this Cult opposed. Now, he would exercise his own will and determination and escape this wretched group.
Out the front door he went and met no resistance at any stage. The courtyard remained as it always had, a stark contrast to the evil inside.
Down steps he sprinted, and across cobblestone fields beyond. An alley kept the Cathedral separated from most of the Imperial City. No doubt it would be guarded. But freedom was worth fighting for, and Aldin would do what he must. Even killing people that stood in his way if need be.
After all, anyone who would force him back to the Peacemakers served evil interests. A Paladin’s duty was to oppose such deeds.
It did not take long till he encountered signs of resistance. But those signs were rotting on the ground. The blood was fresh, though dry enough that the flies had started to feast on remains. Had another been this way? Was he the only escapee?
Noting that the corpse had a look of horror fixed on his face, Aldin dropped the body. Whoever this had been would remain a mystery. And since he didn’t recognize the face at all, this was not a run away. More likely, they had failed to kill whoever had been in their way.
Moving on, the Paladin found more resistance from above. The only warning that trouble stood ahead was a second corpse on the ground. Unlike the first one, this one had been brutalized. Countless arrows filled the flesh. Entire sections of whoever this had once been lay scattered on the ground.
But since this one did not have a bow, Aldin scanned the sky for other enemies. And found two waiting for him.
“A second escapee? Don’t let him escape!” One of the men on the roof demanded. Both drew bowstrings and prepared to fire.
But Aldin was in peak physical shape thanks to training. He scaled the wall to get on an even footing with these foes. Armor protected him from an arrow in the back. He focused his efforts on the first man.
“Not so tough now are you, servant of evil.”
“Servant of evil my ass.” The archer spat. “I’m doing my job. Now please die so I don’t have to.”
“I am afraid to admit that I cannot comply.” Aldin struck the archer before he could switch to his own sword. The paladin had trained in quick skirmishes and had mastered killing in a single stroke.
“You can leave now.” He called to the second man while deflecting an arrow with his small shield. “Pretend you didn’t see me. You might still have a chance to bring into the world.”
“You don’t think the Peacemakers will let me live if you escape right? Especially since one of your own already got past.”
“I would very much like to know who the other escapee was. I’ll have to seek them out once I’m done with you.”
“Tough words. But you don’t seem to have a bow, and I have this alley separating you from me.”
“I mean, your friend has one.” Aldin moved to pick up the bow, but the foe let fly an arrow and moved the weapon out of his immediate reach.
Yet, there was another way to deal with this man. After all, the Paladin had Dragon blood. And that meant…
“I’m going to show you something to light your way to the next world.” He stepped towards the edge of the roof. His foe did not back up where he would have been out of range.
“Heavy words from a man about to die.”
“Oh but you see, I’m not an ordinary man at all. The Peacemakers consider me important cargo.”
“And why is that?” The game was over. While the archer talked, Aldin took a deep breath.
Once ready, he exhaled. Lightning flew across the building towards his foe. From the look of shock on his face, a breath attack had not been what he had expected.
He twitched and jerked about as the attack did its work. The corpse fell off the roof and splattered into pieces right by the other mangled one nearby.
“The worms will feast well tonight.” Aldin grabbed the bow from the remaining dead enemy. He didn’t know much about bows, but it seemed to be in working condition. Now that the guards were dead, they didn’t need it anyway.
The farther he stepped from the Peacemakers, the more unnerved he became. If he was the second to escape on the same day, he would not get away with only a couple fights.
Without realizing where he had gone, Aldin found himself away from danger. Even he would not stick out here. In the Imperial City, people moved around this way and that. He was another person. Nobody of interest
“Excuse me.” He called a nearby soldier stationed near a large gate. “What is in that direction?”
“This way leads to the Adventurers Guild. Is this your first day in the city, everyone knows about the Adventurers Guild.”
“Umm.” He needed to come up with a story fast. No telling whether his former masters were nearby listening. “Yes. I am new here.” It wasn’t a lie.
“Well then check it out. The Adventurers Guild Headquarters is one of the pride jewels of the Imperial Empire. Those blasted Southerners are even thinking of war to show us up.”
Aldin had no idea what he was talking about, but continued to nod as he passed through the gate. He hoped that this Guild could protect him from the many enemies he now had. The Dragonborn made his way to his new life.
If you enjoyed this segment, check out the rest of this series here.