Jovahkiin entered the city of Syliras. Civilization. Finally.
He ate at a cheap restaurant. However, he had barely touched his meal when he got this feeling of urgency. It’s not as if he could have explained it to himself, let alone someone else. He left the restaurant, ignoring the waitress, who asked him if everything was all right.
Jovahkiin looked at the paper with the address. He’d no idea where that place was. He asked someone in armor, and the man gave direction. He tried to give the man some coins, but the Knight refused to take them.
The man said, “I’m a Sylarian Knight, and I will not take any money.”
Jovahkiin nodded, and walked away. Dumbass, he thinks of himself. How could I forget? When you are in the wilderness, knowing which direction to take is valuable information. If you meet somebody who happens to know where the nearest village is, that ‘somebody’ can require payment for the information. In the city, however, everyone knows where everything is. And most people are willing to talk. Why pay for that information if everyone else is willing to give it to you for free?
Jovahkiin saw more people in heavy armor. Probably Sylarian Knights. Gods, there are many of them. I wonder what that does to criminality. Rumors claims that this place is crime-free, but who knows? I could ask someone.
His thoughts were interrupted as he saw smoke. He ran towards the source. He turned a corner, and saw the apartment he was searching for. Only problem was: The damned apartment was on fire.
Jovahkiin ran toward the apartment. On the ground, he saw a couple of Knights, and other bodies. It wasn’t easy to tell what had happened. It looks like the Knights fought against someone. But there are lots of bodies who aren’t Knights, which might indicate that the Knights fought alongside some of these guys. Perhaps they were defending Rallak.
He ran into the apartment. More dead bodies. One of them tried to attack Jovahkiin. Jovahkiin cut of his head. Hm… if he attacked me, that probably means he wasn’t dead after all. He walked past a Knight who might have been alive. But for how long? And why do I care, anyway? I’ve got to find Rallak.
I fear this will end badly.
Jovahkiin heard a scream. He ran into the next room, and saw a man dying. His friend stood beside him. Three men faced the man standing beside the fallen. Jovahkiin walked up to the man standing alone. Not because Jovahkiin wanted to protect the innocent or something like that, but because the man standing alone was probably a friend of Rallak, which might have meant that they were allies. Anyway, can a man who kills be innocent? If so, what does innocent even mean?
The fight started. Jovahkiin’s ally cut the leg of one of the enemies. Jovahkiin blocked an axe-strike with his sword, and then avoided a spear thrust. He danced around the man with the axe, waiting for a good opportunity time to slash. The man with the axe attacked, but had a short reach. That was the opportunity Jovahkiin had waited for. He slashed at his enemies’ neck, killing him in a few seconds.
The remaining enemy soldier, the one with the spear, jumped at Jovahkiin’s ally, and successfully sent the spear through the man’s throat. Jovahkiin attacked at that exact moment, but the enemy rolled on the ground, evading Jovahkiin’s attack. The enemy drew two knives, and held one in each hand. Fuck, this one may be a dangerous.
The man attacked Jovahkiin first, forcing him to back away, blocking or avoiding the knives. Jovahkiin then hit the man’s skull. A purple spark shot out from the side of the man’s head. And the man didn’t die. He’s got a shield.
The furious slashing continued, and Jovahkiin managed to land a blow at the enemy’s hand. To no prevail. The shield was covering his entire body. The knives. The knives can’t be shielded. Jovahkiin chose an evasive tactic, trying to avoid all the blows, blocking the ones he couldn’t avoid. He was pressed into the next room.
In the room, a body was on the ground, with a woman kneeling beside him. The body was Rallak. So I failed. He’s dead.
Jovahkiin’s enemy caught him off guard, nearly hitting him. The enemy then turned towards the woman. He walked towards her, raised his knives. No, Jovahkiin thought. I can’t let him kill her. Some hidden desperation rose in his hearth. She must not die! He couldn’t explain the anger, nor his next action.
Jovahkiin smashed into the enemy. The enemy hit the ground with a crash, dropping his knives as a result. Jovahkiin sat atop the man, trying to cut the head off him with a sword. Eventually, the shield broke, and Jovahkiin killed the man. He looked at the woman.
“What’s wrong with you?” Jovahkiin said, “Why are you just standing there? You could have been killed.”
No reply.
“Look, you need to get out of here. It’s not safe.” Still no reply. Shit, she’s in shock, Jovahkiin realized. The woman looked at him, but before she could say anything, someone entered the room.