"Everybody grab hands!" Whisperclaw yells.
We all begin to lock hands together. I can hear the knights below us beginning to regain their senses. There's a falling sensation in my stomach. Everything goes black for a split second. Then, we're all standing in the shadows of the road where we parted ways with Liaz. In the distance, a horn blows. Amacedia is officially on lockdown.
"Let's move." Renald moves towards the main road. "Whisper, you lead. I'll follow up the rear. Ironvine and Goldenclaw, let Glimmer move in the middle of you both."
We all nod and quickly file into our positions. Whisperclaw leads at the front, Goldenclaw follows directly behind her, then it's me, Ironvine, and finally Renald at the very back.
"I assume you all have a plan?" Goldenclaw asks as we move through the shadows, making our way towards the city's north gate.
"We're going to meet up with a ride out of here, just outside of the city." I answer.
We come to the end of another alley. Whisperclaw slams herself against the wall. We follow suit and see a set of twenty or so Sellsword knights rush past. Whisperclaw looks both ways to make sure the coast is clear before we all sprint across the street into the next alley.
"You think Liaz managed to get the cart?" Ironvine looks worried.
"He better have." Renald states firmly. "If not, we'll have to go on foot."
"That would suck." I suck my teeth at the thought.
"Yeah, it would." Goldenclaw laughs softly.
"Can you guys focus, please?" Whisperclaw looks back at us seriously. "We're kind of on the run, remember?"
"Sorry." My eyes meet my feet.
We're silent the rest of the way to the gate. The only sounds are the quiet taps of our shoes thumping against the ground. It takes us another hour or so to make it to the north gate while making sure we don't get spotted.
"This is as far as we go on foot." Whisperclaw stops us in a nearby alleyway.
The gate itself is closed with a spiked, blue steel barricade directly in front of it. Most likely, set it up to stop anyone who may try to ram the gate. A ton of knights stand around nearby, watching for any signs of movement. I stopped trying to count at forty.
"Psst!" Someone whispers.
We all turn to see where the source of the sound is. A figure wearing a black cloak with a hood over his head steps out from behind a trash bin. They flip the hood off, revealing Liaz underneath.
"I thought you guys had been captured when I heard the horn." He says.
"And we thought you wouldn't be here." Renald and Liaz laugh, firmly shaking hands.
"Liaz?" Goldenclaw looks shocked. "Well, this is a surprise."
"If it isn't Goldenclaw the ranger. Don't tell me they roped you into this, too." Liaz and Goldenclaw both laugh.
"If everybody's done catching up, can we leave now?" Whisperclaw looks irritated.
"Yeah, right. About that…" Liaz scratches the back of his head. "...They wouldn't let my guy through the gate. As you can see, they're not letting anybody through the gate. In or out."
"Dammit," Renald whispers angrily. "Alright, plan B. We forget about the cart and leave on foot."
"They saw everyone's face, so the Sellsword guild will most likely have bounties out for us by first light tomorrow." Ironvine states. "We'll have to travel all night if we want to get a head start on any Bounty Hunters in town."
"Headstart to where? We can't exactly waltz into another city with a bounty on our heads." I'm starting to panic.
I imagine my father hearing from one of his connections that I've got a bounty on my head. It would be even worse if one of his Bounty Hunters in the Tower recognizes me, or even worse: Glamm realizes I'm looking for him.
"We don't have to worry about that." Goldenclaw smiles. "Vesp had me meet up with you guys for reasons other than stealing a scroll."
"Vesper?" We all look at Goldenclaw.
"I know of a Secret Dungeon in the forest a short way northeast of the city." He explains. "If we can beat the Boss Monster inside, it will teleport us just outside of the Floor 1 Boss Room."
"Really?" I ask, looking up at Goldenclaw in awe. "Is that true?"
"Yeah, it's true, my little friend." He pats my shoulders. "If we can make it to the second floor, we should be able to enter cities again without worry of capture. The laws are different on the higher floors."
"That explains a lot," Renald says. "I was wondering how Blackthorn made it to Amacedia when the bandit told me his camp was near the Boss Room."
"Alright. We're ditching the cart. Now, let's go before the knights see us over here." Whisperclaw urges. "Everybody grab hands."
Without saying another word, we all clasp hands. The falling feeling from earlier reappears in my stomach as everything goes black. I squeeze my eyes shut until the feeling fades.
"Glimmer! Glimmer!" I open my eyes to Ironvine shaking me.
We are outside just outside of the gate, which is now behind us. Ahead of us are seemingly endless fields of corn and wheat, with a few farm houses and stables scattered throughout.
"Hey!" One of the knights shouts from atop the city walls behind us, followed by a horn being blown.
"Run for it!" Renald screams at the top of his lungs.
We all take off into the fields as fast as we can. Arrows rain down around us. One shoots into Whisperclaw's calf, causing her to stumble and fall in front of Renald, who helps her to her feet.
"We have to make it to the forest!" Goldenclaw takes point.
More arrows fall around us. We spread out to avoid getting hit, still following Goldenclaw's lead. I see Liaz get hit in the shoulder, which he grabs in agony. We're almost to the forest, which I can now see in the distance. Renald takes an arrow in the back of his chestplate, but Whisperclaw stops him from falling. Goldenclaw stops at the treeline and turns around to look for the rest of us, only to get shot in the thigh. Ironvine, who had been running beside me this whole time, rushes forward and tackles Goldenclaw into the forest, avoiding another arrow. An arrow flies into Liaz's side, knocking him off balance and causing him to tumble into the forest behind Ironvine. I clear the treeline next and turn around to see Whisperclaw and Renald stumble in behind me.
"Hold on, guys, I'm coming." Irovine digs into his bag and pulls out a bunch of his healing pills.
He gives a set to Whisperclaw, Renald, and Liaz. Then he goes around pulling the arrows out of them before they take their pills. Their wounds begin to close until they are fully gone.
"What about me, doc?" Goldenclaw laughs. "No magical healing pills for a poor saber's leg?"
"I already gave you a set when we were at the town hall." Ironvine goes over to him and grabs hold of the arrow in his thigh. "You can't take another one for another 5 hours or so."
Without warning, Ironvine yanks the arrow out.
"Why didn't you warn me dammit?" Goldenclaw roars in pain.
Ironvine whips a small tool out of his bag and stabs it into the arrow wound. There's a sizzling sound, and Goldenclaw roars again as the wound is burned closed.
"It never helps." Ironvine dusts himself off. "Trust me, I would know."
"Hehe, yeah." I chuckle, remembering when he did the same thing to Whisperclaw.
Ironvine helps Goldenclaw to his feet, who grabs a large stick off the ground to lean on.
"Alright. It'll take them a second for the knights to remove the barricades. So, let's make the most of this chance." Renald walks forward and points into the forest, "Lead the way, Goldenclaw! To the Floor 1 Boss Room!"
{Volume 1 End}