“You would refuse my offer?” asked the monarch, leaning forward in her throne ever so slightly. Her pupils narrowed further into vertical slits, giving the woman a more bestial appearance. “With Valen on the loose, all that awaits you is a bitter end.” She continued.
The man she spoke to shrugged, before shaking his head. “You’re probably right. Valen is the sole reason I’m here, Ruler.” He said, crossing his arms. “You’re the Guardian Spirit that the Kana spoke of, right? You’re not very subtle.”
The silence in the throne room was palpable. The two guards stood on either side of the throne had their eyes trained on the man, while the other guards lined up on either side of the room tried their best to maintain their composure. But all knew – save for the Tiefling – that the monarch, Ruler, was particularly incensed by disrespect. And not only had this man rejected the chance to swear his fealty, but he also spoke out of turn.
The woman on the throne paused for a moment, before sitting up proper once again. The expression on her face was neutral, but those vertical slits were unable to hide its malicious intent. “You both refuse my offer and insult me.” She said, placing her left hand atop of her right as it lay atop her lap. “And you expect me to offer you my blessing?” She gave him a wide grin, making no attempt to hide those tiger-like canines.
“You should know your place, child.”
With that, the soldiers on each side began to move towards the man, their weapons at the ready. The man at the center of this furore looked to his left and to his right, before looking back at Ruler, giving her a half-hearted shrug. “Not sure why you want to waste good soldiers, but …”
A puff of darkness erupted from the man’s position, engulfing him and the rest of the guards. Soon after, the sound of a sword unsheathing could be heard, followed by grunting and yelps. The royal guards also unsheathed their weapons but remained in place, waiting for what would come next.
As soon as the darkness cleared, it became clear that there was a small pile of bodies on the floor, each man covered in blood, with only three left standing. “Know your place, Tiefling!” yelled one of the soldiers as he drove his spear forward. The Tiefling intercepted the thrust as he moved forward, pushing the soldier to the side before pointing his sword at the other soldier. A cone of ice burst forward from the tip of the sword, causing icicles to form over the attacking soldier’s arm. The soldier jolted himself to the side to avoid running into the tip of the Tiefling’s sword, only to be met with a metal kick to the side, winding him.
The Tiefling turned in time to intercept another spear thrust before hopping backwards and stealing a glance at Ruler. “Look, my bad. Didn’t mean to be rude!” He said between breaths, slowly walking backwards as the soldier held his spear at the ready, carefully advancing. At this point, some of the soldiers on the ground found their second wind and were slowly getting to their feet. “But if you won’t give me your blessing, well … I’ll just have to make my own path.”
He quietly chuckled to himself before focusing on the advancing enemies. Even if he escaped the throne room, it would be a hard fight to escape here by himself. But he had to. He had no other choice. “If you could do me a favor, Ruler,” the Tiefling said, his grip on his sword and shield tightening as a wave of menacing energy began to flow from him, pausing his attackers in place. “If my friends come by – a freaky Warlock lady and an even weirder man with a weird mask on – don’t tell them about all this.” He said with a small grin on their face. “I trust in them to do what’s right. They’re my treasured friends, after all.”
And the Tiefling quickly turned on his heel and ran for the grand doors to the throne room, parting them with his shoulder and knocking over the two guards who were entering at the time. And soon, the throne room, with its blend of differently-colored lighting that poured in through the stained glass, fell quiet again, with the soldiers soon overcoming their fear and charging after the Tiefling. The silence was broken only by the sound of a chuckle, and as the two royal guards sheathed their weapons, Ruler crossed her legs and leaned back in her chair ever so slightly, a large grin still on her face.
“You’re a curious one, Azei. Let’s see if those friends of yours will make it.”
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