Heroes to Hunted

'Time to knock some heads,' I smiled and stepped out from behind the crates into the open streets. I had the element of surprise, or at least I did before the damn lemming tripped over himself into the street!

Upon hearing the clattering crates, the guard with the sword hiccupped and turned toward us. "foo ish zhat?" he asked the other two, staggering away from the wagon.

'FUCKIIIIING LEMMIIIIING!' I internally shrieked. He ruined my element of surprise, so I opted to strike as hard as I could, as fast as I could.

I slammed my legs into the cobblestone below and propelled myself toward the guards. Like a bullet, I passed clean through the closest opponent with a strike to his unarmored neck.

He tumbled to his back, and the clang of his steel cuirass against stone echoed through the air.

Next, before they could realize what had happened, I sprang onto the next two. Like a savage beast, I tore at their armor to reveal the small weak points underneath and pummeled them with a volley of blows.

Infuriatingly, they barely even fought back. Hell, I wouldn't even call them opponents at this point. They were personal punching bags. Something that annoyed me to no end.

"FIGHT BACK!" I screamed, completely neglecting my goal of stealth. But my demands would go unheeded.

In fact, what I'd received was the opposite response. After my plea, they conceded easier, as if they didn't want a drawn-out fight. Like the first, the other two dropped faster than flies would to a swatter. The two, like the first, now lie still and unconscious on the ground.

I heaved heavily and gazed upon them with immeasurable disappointment.

Turns out, winning easily was even less satisfying than retreating entirely. I couldn't help but shake the feeling I was being toyed with. As if they allowed me to win the fight for reasons not yet known.

"What are you doing?!" Agawa shouted to me. "Hurry up!" she was carrying Sato and leading the group from behind the crates.

With the outer guards now incapacitated, the rest of the group bolted to the wagonAgawa and Ayame flung open the door, swiftly shoving Sato onto the carriage floor before hopping in themselves. Kamida, Nakamura, and the younger sister rushed inside in a frenzied panic before slamming the door shut behind them.

"All full up?" I asked with a bladed grin. "Fine, I wanted shotgun anyway," is what I said, but my excitement deflated once I discovered who my wingman was.

'Ugh, it's the lemming.' I griped and looked at him with an expression of open disgust.

He gave me a stupid, twitchy grin before taking hold of the reins.

"Hell no!" I exclaimed. "There's no way I'm letting you drive!" Then, shifting my body, I lunged at the horses' leash for control of the carriage.

"Stop!" he shouted back. "What are you doing?!"

"Not dying! Like hell I'd trust you with this!"

To my surprise, the lemming was actually brave about something. Instead of meekly handing me the reins, like a good little coward, he struggled against me…ME!

Between shoves, grunts, and loud insults, I tried everything I could to wrestle the reins from the lemming; however, he was incredibly slippery and always managed to keep the leash just out of my reach.

"You won't take them from me!" he bellowed. "I'm driving!"

I couldn't believe my eyes. Seeing the lemming be so adamant, I was stuck between being halfway impressed and wanting to toss the guy overboard.

"Do you even know how to steer?!" he shot me with a look of irritation.

I'd been about to ask him the same question when the door to the tavern swung open with force. Popping out of it was the squadron of heavily armed soldiers that once enjoyed a feast of booze and meat.

They dashed out to confront us.

"What the hell is going on?!" With the sound of metal grinding on metal, they unsheathed their swords and directed them at us. "Explain. NOW!" the lead guardsman ordered.

"No problem," I smirked, "I just wiped the floor with your three buddies over there, and we're stealing your wagon! That cool?"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" he replied. Nodding his head to an ally, they moved to surround the wagon. That is until the lemming put the pedal to the metal.

With the clap of leather slapping against the horses, we rampaged through the now-broken blockade of soldiers.

As we rode, the only sounds that I'd hear would be the clacking of stampeding hooves on cobbled rock pavement and the furious shouting of receding mob characters behind us.

Looking back, right before we turned a corner, I saw a sight that angered me to no end. The guys I'd just pulpified were now nonchalantly standing up and confronting the other guardsmen with a commanding presence.

'This feeling,' I brought a hand to my chest and squeezed. It was the same intimidation I'd felt from their captain! Their faces were now devoid of expression, a far cry from their drunken stupor just moments ago.

The three drew their swords, forcing the other guards to stand down and cease their explosive shouting.

I boiled over with rage. "What?! You'll fight your friends but not me?! Am I not good enough for you?!" I shoved the lemming beside me in another attempt to take hold of the reins.

"What're you doing?!" he cried. "Stop! We'll crash!"

"Who cares! We need to go back!" I snapped with eyes that twitched with rage. "I need to kick their asses!"

"Are you crazy?!" he looked at me wide-eyed and terrified. "There's no wa-"

"HUHHHH?!" Though I used the usual tactic, my intimidation ended in complete failure. The lemming must've steeled his resolve to the point of absolute resistance.

"You can be an ass all you want! You won't take these reins from me!" he had them on lockdown, like a diamond in a museum's vault.

While yelling in a fury, I was locked in a bloody conflict within myself. I wanted so badly to shove the lemming off the side and take control, but I, once again, was stopped by her visage.

The mangled face fresh in view, I considered my actions' possible repercussions. 'Could I end up killing someone again? Could my anger turn me into someone I'd always despised? Could I... Could I end up like my old man?'

My last thought terrified me; I always hated the guy, after all. Not just that, I always thought of myself as better than him. That I was superior to him. However, with the decisions I've made and the things I've considered, was I like him after all?

"It... I can't be," I shuddered, forcing myself to bottle up my anger.

In my shock, I took a breath and soothed my irritation. Then, I did something I never thought I'd do. I obeyed the lemming and took my seat. "Fine," I sighed, "but I'll be back for those three…"

Looking at the roads ahead, I saw a sight I thought I might never see again. Though it was slight, barely peeking over the city walls and the mountains beyond, we all witnessed the glimmer of hope. It was the dawning glow of the rising Sun.

With the symbol of our homeland beckoning us forward, nothing could stop our advance now. Nothing to stop us from surviving this hell!

"BRIIIING IT ONNNNNNN!" I shouted and raised an arm in excitemen

***The Guards' POV***

Watching the carriage turn the corner and disappear from view, a group of city guards confronted three men in gray armor.

"What the hell are you three doing?! You tol-"

"We told you what you needed to know, " the leader of the three responded. "This is by order of Captain Harmon; interfere, and your heads will roll," he spoke in a tone devoid of hesitation and angled his sword at the city guards before him.

These kinds of threats were why tensions had always been high between the Blackwood Guard and Harmon's Honorbound. Ever since the Vlads took control of Blackwood, fullkin-kind was always arrogant and cold toward the humans that had lived there for generations.

Each member of the Honorbound was groomed and handpicked to be the best of the best. Not only that, but each had an innate advantage...each was of fullkin descent.

Given this tension, it was no surprise the Blackwood Guard lieutenant considered ordering his men into a clash in retaliation to the threat. But he also knew their numbers wouldn't guarantee a win against these three. Not only that, but they each had a family to protect.

Obedience was their only option for survival. Even if it meant allowing scum like 'heroes' to escape captivity.

A bead of sweat formed on the lieutenant's forehead before he conceded entirely. "V-Very well," he bowed.

"But, Sir!" a guard protested.

"It's final!" the lieutenant snapped back. "If Harmon's personal guard says to stand down," he bitterly glanced at the three, "then we stand down..."

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