The Border City Ord 6

Win remains atop the roofs of Ord to evade capture. He hadn’t expected to lose the fight against Rolant, much less to end on the run within the city. At least now he has no other choice but to abandon Calliope and escape the city stealthily. Win decides the best moment will be in the night. Avoiding guards, even knocking them around when necessary, doesn’t seem a daunting task to Win, even if he has to do it for hours. Win dashes around and jumps to another rooftop.

The people below him go about their days, and when they look up to see him, they don’t seem to question it. Win finds it foolish that they don’t care about such an obviously suspicious man, one deemed a threat to the public already. There’s not a world where his behavior should be viewed normally, not this one and not Earth, and yet they go about their lives. For just a moment he considers how simple it would be to snuff them out in one fell swoop, but he puts it out of his mind to focus on his escape.

Win is still yet to have looked at the gate he now needs to bypass, so he begins to make his way there via the rooftops. He assumes that many criminals have tried to flee the city entirely, and that there would be more guards stationed there to stop him, but even still he decides to push forward.

When he reaches the high wall of Ord that separates Lufian lands from Pacaster Win starts to evaluate the defences. He believes he could destroy the gate with relative ease, though that would only escalate the issue, and he would rather disappear from Ord like a bad dream. Luckily, it doesn’t seem all too hard to scale the wall from this side, presumably to help the soldiers get to the top of the walls quickly no matter where they are in the case of an emergency. However, as expected, soldiers swarm the wall. Win would have to blitz his way through them. Instinctively, Win reaches down to his hip, only to find that there is no sword to be found there. He had forgotten, or perhaps not even properly realized, that Rolant had taken it from him. Win turns away from the wall, a new resolve born in his heart.

Win lands in front of the inn. The door is still broken, and although he’s been away for a while there does not seem to be any move to repair it just yet. Win steps through the broken door, then casts a spell to mold the wood back into place. When the door has been returned to proper form, Win feels a tap on his shoulder. He turns around and sees Calliope, who seems tired compared to this morning. She holds her notebook up.

“Why did you come back?”

“I realized I forgot my sword, so I came to retrieve it.”

“Your sword?”

“I would shame my master if I didn’t get it back, and I would shame myself if I let myself run away after a loss like that. I need to ask Anterus if he knows where Rolant has gone.”

“You want to fight?”

“Yes. I should just let myself drift off without a trace, but I can’t back down to him after all.” Calliope seems displeased by the talk of disappearing.

“Will you win?”

“I have no intention of losing to that man a second time.”

“Mr. Anterus isn’t in the right state to answer questions.”

“Pardon? Can you take me to him?”

Calliope takes Win to a back room. Inside, Anterus sits at a small table, clutching his head. When they walk in, Anterus notices them. He stands up and glares at Win.

“You! It’s your fault! How dare you return!”

“I beg your pardon? What has happened?”

“They took her! All because of you! Just so they can get to you!”

“Calm down and explain the situation properly, Mr. Anterus.”

“The soldiers took Clara! They took her so that I would turn you in!”

“So they truly are such cowardly wretches. Margrave Lufian would never stand for such a thing. I apologize for involving you in these matters, Mr. Anterus. Do you know where they might have taken her?”

“What?”

“Don’t worry about anything but the question. Everything will be fine.”

“T-the spire, I suppose. That’s the only place I would think she might be.”

“Do you know where Rolant Guiscard is?”

“Mr. Guiscard… I have no idea. Oh, if only he was here. He never would have let them take her away… Why did you have to chase him off?”

“I apologize again, sir, but he left of his own volition after defeating me. Indeed, I’m not quite sure why the guards so quickly decided I was the criminal, though I suppose I was in truth. Well then, if there’s nothing else, I’m off to the spire.” Anterus looks up at Win, awe in his eyes.

“Do you truly intend to turn yourself in?” Win smiles gently.

“Not at all, sir. In the place of the absent Margrave Lufian, I will enact punishment on those corrupt fools. Corruption will be uprooted and I promise that your daughter will be returned to you unharmed. I’ll return with her soon.”

Win starts to walk away. Calliope follows after him. She watches his back, carried with the pride he ought to have as a man of his caliber.