A Knight's Help

Theo ripped the steak knife out. He sensed a dangerous level of dishonesty in her proclamation as she jumped on his desk and slashed at him with claws that extended from her fingers. The young man's chair rolled back as he tumbled backwards onto the carpeted floor to avoid getting diced to pieces.

"I knew you would scorn me like this! The other maids told me so!" Sharona screeched as she dropped onto his side of the table and stepped over to him, "You want to make up with that wife of yours Lia! But what about me? What about us?"

This was not the situation Theo desired. He got to his feet and shouted, "Guards!" causing Sharona's head to turn towards the door she had entered from. The count slammed past her with his elbow as hard as he could and grasped the door open. Sharona stumbled on her feet a bit from this, but remained upright as she realized Theo was going to make her chase him.

The CES system remained open yet shrunk in size before his eyes so that it could remain portable and within his view. It showed the Lord's Study and the Lord's Bed Chambers behind him connected by a door and ahead of him the hall he was currently in along with a single set of stairs heading down into a main hall as he ran. Behind him, Sharona's footsteps followed and he knew she was going to catch him if he did nothing.

His hands moved and he started shoving braziers lining the sides of the hall over. None of these were lit, so they wouldn't start a fire, however, they might just trip up Sharona. That was the plan until she broke the rules.

"Foolish Theo, I can run along walls!" Sharona shouted as she twisted her body and planted her feet on the uneven castle walls to keep chasing him.

"Notice: The Maid Sharona as a Hunter possesses the skill Wall Climb allowing her to run horizontally or vertically to a wall." CES relayed.

Eric realized just how weak his current body was as he tried to use objects and his own legs to flee his assassin, no more like a crazed stalker, the moment his help system was telling him how she could defy conventional gravity. He still aimed for what looked like stairs at the end of the long hall leading down a floor. However, Sharona stopped mid run and crouched before lunging off the wall towards him.

The moment Eric reached the stairs though heavy footsteps ascended from below. Eric thought he might get pincered in, but instead a strong, young man came into view exclaiming, "My lord what-"

This person was here to help yet he found himself cut off though as Sharona flung her claws out at Eric's back in mid air and the arriving young man, forced to react, slid himself between him and their attacker. Sharp nails landed a blow on a gauntlet ripping it like paper. The young man felt no fear as he tossed it aside and demanded, "Maid Sharona, what are you doing? Have you joined that army of feckless women outside?"

"Feckless women?" Eric thought aloud as he stood behind the strong man in front of him.

"Yes, all the women who worked here have formed a small revolution outside the castle over your womanizer ways and their lack of- funds." The young man sighed as he drew his blade.

Sharona cackled as she leaped back and landed on all fours on the navy blue, carpeted floors. "Of course I have! No lady can deny the charm of Count Greymont and the great funds his charm brings! We, of the Maiden's Army, spit at the lady of the house's presence here! We want what Lia Greymont has!"

"I can't believe this," Eric said aloud resting his hand under his chin, "It sounds like they want to murder Lia and to do it they probably need me."

"Indeed, your known skill is Lover's Host, and has made many a woman fall in love with you but seeded much mistrust against you. With its power to charm the opposite gender, you have caused the household too much trouble but we must defend you nonetheless." The young knight acting as a wall between him and Sharona announced.

"You damn knight," Sharona growled as she stood up with all her hair on end.

"No, you are the only damned one here. We tried our best to vet  ladies like you to serve the castle and you betrayed that trust."

"Because he is mine! No! The property of our Maiden's Army!" Sharona howled as she disappeared. Eric thought he blinked but then a fury ripped through the air as Sharona reappeared with metal studded gloves and started trying to pummel the knight.

The knight deflected blows with the flat of his blade but still received a number of heavy punches across his face as he traded shallow cuts with Sharona to subdue her. "My name is Sir Aren Rivers, my life is yours to use, wait a moment and I shall have this floozy under control." He explained to Eric as his deep blue eyes focused straight ahead.

Sharona screeched as she found herself separated from her target. She leaped back once more as blood dripped from her cuts across her chest and tears filled her vest. Her body wanted to continue fighting but then she suddenly collapsed, hitting the floor with a soft thud.

"What a hassle," Aren sighed as he uttered the empty words, "Binding Hold." Large manacles of white, crackling energy formed around Sharona's ankles and wrists holding her firmly in place. Eric realized what he saw was magic yet it left him stunned as he slowly attempted to scurry down the stairs he aimed for before. His CES system indicated Aren was moving back towards him again and he soon found his right shoulder in a vice grip. The CES system along with his castle map display disappeared on him though before indicating he had survived the "Ordeal with Sharona"  like it was an in game quest, telling him as well that he got 10 experience points.

"My lord, I came to escort you today let me do so from this point on so we don't have this happening again. Most of our staff is currently hostile towards you so we constantly have to vet every person here," Aren stated. Eric chuckled and gave in to the knight's idea as he felt he had no further choice in the matter.