Chapter 12:

A little mess

The Last Dawn (TLD)


*Boom!*


 With the explosion of the door to the room where Alex was, a handsome man with gray hair and black eyes could be seen at the entrance. "I've finally found y'all guys!" He exclaimed with a smooth voice.


 Brody, who was standing in front of the door, was sent flying to the ground. He got up dazed, dusting off his bald head.


 Seeing that the gray-haired man at the entrance remained still, Brody understood what was happening - an intruder.


 Pulling a machete from his belt, without wasting time and pissed off by the bastard in front of him sending him flying, Brody, at high speed, advanced in his direction and struck his chest horizontally.


*Swoosh*


 Followed by a clean cut and the sound of something falling to the ground, a miserable scream was heard.


 "Ahh! Damn it! My arm!!!" Brody, on his knees, was screaming, holding his right arm, or at least what was left of it, having disappeared everything from the middle of the forearm down.Rivers of blood were leaking from the newly severed arm.


 Hearing the curses and screams, Brandon took a step forward, emerging from the light curtain of dust that the previous explosion had created, now making it possible to fully discern his appearance.


 Seeing the man in front of him approach and remain a step away, a frightened Brody yells: "You're screwed, surely more guards will be here soon, including our rank 1 Knight chief guard! Kneel now and I'll give you a quick death, son of a b…"


*swish*


 A silver glow crossed the room and a sharp sound silenced the unpleasant voice that polluted the environment. A head falling from Brody's already kneeling body.


 "Really, I don't have time to waste on you." Said the man holding a thin ornate sword, as he passed by the lifeless body and looked at the slaves present.


 Putting his free hand in his trouser pocket, Brandon pulled out a shiny silver pendant and recited some words: "By the Silverhand, restore our spirit."


 Like a wave, the silver pendant lit up the room with a dazzling light and, like magic, as soon as it turned off, the previous lifeless looks that the slaves present disappeared, turning into exciting looks of someone who had just gone through great suffering.


 Lanuzel and Kadricia began to shed emotional tears, Alex's gaze softened and the eyebrows of the ugly high-quality slave showed surprise.


 "Ok, at least you will be able to hear and understand me. I came to save you, Lady Lanuzel, Lady Kadricia, gentlemen." Brandon said with a slight bow of introduction.


 "I know everything is very sad and confusing, but we don't have time now, we need to escape immediately, after all, I'm just a rank 1 Knight." He quickly added, before his sword swiftly moved and broke the shackles that held the people in front of him.


Instantly, the four captives stood up, Alex, Lanuzel, and Kadricia thanking him.


 "Leave the introductions for later, quick, let's go!" Brandon exclaimed, turning and running towards the exit of the room, with the four in tow, or rather, three.


 Alex, seeing that the 3 had left the room, quickly thought and threw the two present books, as well as some jewels into a wool bag that rested in the corner of the room.


 Running right after to the outside and, luckily, after turning left, he found and barely reached the group that was already turning again.


 "Ok, this way!" Brandon shouted as he moved through the maze of corridors in the building. Arriving at a crossroads, Brandon backed up, pulling the newly rescued behind and hiding at the fork. "Damn, there's a group up ahead, a little more than 20 people."


 Brandon turned to the group he was rescuing, observing all the members, thought: "Hmm… too weak, too weak, too weak… wait, since when does he have that bag with him? Anyway, good!" Brandon thought, looking at the ugly man in the group, asking: "You, what's your strength level and what's your specialty?"


 The man, surprised by the sudden question, was speechless for a brief moment, but seeing the penetrating gaze of the person who saved him, he replied: "P-peak Knight apprentice… Specialized in assassination."


 "Great! Behind that group is the side exit I entered. I have no problem defeating 20 fries like those, but, at least the other three, are useless in combat and they can use them as hostage. Your role will be to kill all those who manage to get past me, ok?" Brandon said, more ordering than asking, while pulling a dagger from his waist and handing it to him.


"Ok." The ugly man replied as he took the dagger.


 "Follow me!" Brandon exclaimed loudly, as he quickly ran towards the group of guards, followed by the assassin and, right behind, Alex, his bag, and the two women.


 The guards were not at Brandon's level, arms and heads flying wildly with each swing of his sword. The few who managed to dodge Brandon, circling him to reach the seemingly weaker group, were easily taken care of by the skilled and quick cuts of the assassin.


 Standing amidst the bloody chaos, it was amazing how Brandon didn't have a drop of blood on his clothes, not even his sword, the body dismembering weapon, getting dirty. Unlike him, the assassin had quite a bit of blood on his dagger, face, and clothes.


 Looking back and confirming that everyone was okay, Brandon smiled, opening the door and going through it, with the group of 4 in tow.


 In front of them, several dense trees formed a natural barrier. Turning to the group, Brandon said: "Ok, guys, from here, we just need to blend into the dense artificial vegetation that surrounds the auction house and…"


*Swoosh* .. *clang*


 A metallic trail, followed by a muscular bald guard, who held a huge long sword, interrupted Brandon's speech, who stopped the large blade with his thin ornate sword and looked at the bald guard, his previous smile turning into a serious look.


 A little behind, clapping was heard, as an always well-dressed Henry approached. "I must admit, I don't know how you alone managed to cause all this havoc, but you really deserve a round of applause."


 Keeping his distance, Henry stopped approaching and, with a smile, added: "You almost ruined this very important day for me… Your death will be very, very, very slow."


 Blue sparks materialized in Henry's hand, as he chanted some words in a strange language.Observing this, Brandon smiled.


 Just a moment ago, when he was interrupted by the level 1 Knight, he took on a serious demeanor because he felt a magical aura approaching. Going against a level 1 Knight and a level 1 mage, Brandon, even being a stage 5 level 1 Knight, knew he stood no chance.


 But… Just a peak acolyte?


 It's necessary to remember the difference between a large realm and a small realm in any power system.


 A peak acolyte, without counting tricks, would never defeat a level 1 mage, even though, most of the time, they are indeed more powerful than a level 1 Knight.


 But Brandon, being who he is, is not a normal level 1 Knight, no, he is the son of a count, with access to proper training and high-level Knight technique.


 In the blink of an eye, Brandon, who is still in a defensive position against the bald guard's large long sword, deflected the enemy's sword to the side, skillfully kicked one of the enemy's knees and, after the latter kneeled due to lack of balance, with a clean movement, Brandon decapitated him.


 Everything was so fast that all Henry could do was widen his eyebrows. Even before the bald head with a disbelieving expression fell to the ground, Brandon was already running towards Henry, in no time, with his thin sword placed next to his neck, while saying: "Last words?"


 Henry, shocked by Brandon's performance, stopped murmuring the words he was saying, causing the blue sparks around him to disappear. However, even in such a situation, with his life just one arm movement away from his enemy, Henry smiled arrogantly and said: "Never give your enemy his last words."


*Swoosh*


 A bloodied dagger could be seen slitting Brandon’s neck, who widened his eyes in disbelief. As if trying to say something, blood exploded from his throat, staining the face of the now smiling Henry.


 "Well done, dog." Henry said, making a hand signal, the mark on the ugly assassin's neck glowing with it.


 Brandon knelt down, losing the strength necessary to stand. Dropping the ornate sword in his hand, he desperately tried to cover the large gash in his throat, all to the amused gaze of Henry, who watched him until he stopped moving, with his arms falling and the look, once bright, becoming increasingly cloudy.


 Walking forward with the assassin in tow, Henry casually pushed aside the now dead Brandon, as if it were something trivial and annoying, and observed the two women who, now with their personalities returned, cried and sobbed fallen on the ground, seeing their savior being killed.


 Henry smiled amused as he watched them, while cleaning his dirty face with a silk handkerchief he had taken out of his suit pocket, when suddenly he stopped and thought confused: "Wait, where's that handsome slave, Alex?"