9 Ch 8: Chase

Lucius was running away with Connor im the damp neighbourhood. The shadows still chasing them but the elder fangs tried as hard as they could to distract them. It was hard to kill an elder fang but the attackers were only focused on Lucius making the jobs of the elders harder. Each time a knife was sent towards Lucius another knife would intercept it, a rushing blade was blocked against another elder. It was a back and forth battle.

Of course, the four butlers didn't just watch from the sideline. They split into groups of two, one group would shield the young masters and another would search for help. The two butlers were blocking the shadows view on Lucius' back while running preventing them from hitting their target. The other two split and traversed the slums with great speed quickly reaching a guard post.

*Clang* *Clang*

Lucius couldn't see behind him but he could here the blades clashing with each other. He made a right turn inside a narrow alley way that had ropes with wet clothing hanging from them. This should obscure the assassin's field of vision as well as movement.

'Where are the people? It feels like a ghost town!' Lucius was concerned why the entire section was empty. The houses and roads had no sign of life. He thought that this must've been the work of beastclaw or the shadows wiped the entire section out.

Thankfully the sound of battle began to escape Lucius' ear. The assassin were having difficulties in following Lucius and fighting the elder fangs in the alley way. Instead, they choose to stall the five fangs while two of their men chase after Lucius.

****

It had nearly been half an hour and Lucius was still running around the slums trying to shake off two of the assassins with Connor. They had ran out of strength to run long ago and the butlers were forced to carry both of them. The task for them became harder, weight of Lucius and Connor, and the responsibility of their survival, was crushing them.

*Swosh*

They turned around a corner but a knife stabbed the butler who carried Lucius, in the back. Lucius landed on his feet and ran quickly. He hated the taste of guilt from leaving someone behind to die, but he already knew it was impossible to save the butler's life with assassins following them from behind. He needed to take the guilt for now and survive to compensate the butler's attempt of saving him.

However, a kick to the stomach had hit Lucius. The other butler dropped connor and tackled the shadow the moment he saw Lucius being repelled. Fortunately he had achieved to grab the assassin.

"Young masters, RUN!"

It was a brave attempt but his head was decapitated by the second shadow before he could properly hold him. Lucius didn't waste any effort and used the gap to run away.

'F*CK! F*CK! F*CK! F*CK! F*CK! F*CK! F*CK! F*CK!' Without the butlers protecting them, Lucius only had one option left. It was to run inside the tiny holes and windows on the wall of the houses.

They both were short enough to fit but the assassin's didn't stop there. Like a blood crazed beast, they broke through the walls and chased after Lucius and Connor once again. They went from houses to houses and room to room until Lucius finally lost his breath. He raised his arm to his face and faced the assassins as they burst through the wall.

They quickly blocked the two sides of the road. Connor had a pale face while sweating and panting. Lucius wasn't so different either, both of them were exhausted. Yet the two assassins were fine, they lost all their throwing knives, and had a few bloodstain on their ghastly clothing that made them appear like a shadow, but they were unharmed.

"So, you finally stopped running?" One of the shadow said. His voice was hard to hear, it was similar to hearing a voice changer with multiple voices on.

"Hah... Hah... Not quite, I'm just allowing you... Hah... to rest... Hah..." Lucius was planning to stall as much as he could. The only option was to wait until help would arrive.

"Still high and mighty even in the face of certain death. Perhaps you haven't tasted what torture actually tastes. No matter, no. 6, kill the red head, i'll capture snow white." The shadow ordered his companion. However, before they could kill Connor, Lucius grabbed Connor and used his body to cover him. The shadow that was ordered retreated back.

"Kid, just let us kill the other brat and i'll swear to you that you'll get to survive." The shadow pulled out a one-handed short sword.

'So it's like that huh...' Lucius had guessed that they might need him. So he used his body to protect Connor, if they need him then they wouldn't kill him. If they want to kill Connor then his value was close to none in the assassin's eyes. He didn't know Connor for much long, but he wanted to save him. Not for any particular reasons other than it would haunt his conscience that he could've saved him. The death of two butlers were enough, another would be too much for Lucius. He also wanted to try and save someone other than himself this time, death wasn't terrifying to him anymore. Lucius planned to live but if fate said otherwise then he would gladly take his fate. Power was something he lack and hoped he could obtain, however, power was something gained through effort and hard work. Something a relaxing life will never have.

'Huh... Never did i thought that one day i would need strength. Fine, if i can't have a normal and comfortable life then so be it.' On this day, a small seed of determination was planted on a Lucius mind.

Lucius turned his head towards the assassins while holding the trembling Connor between his arms. "Spare him... Hah...and i'll follow you." Lucius was not going to follow them even if they spare Connor, which he knew they wouldn't.

"Well, too bad kid. Orders are orders." The assassin answered. He was slowly circling around Lucius with his companion on the opposite end, they were inching closer and closer to them with their weapons out.

"Orders?.. Hah... then you must have...Hah... someone ordering you?... Hah.... Is it the Heinzberg?.." Lucius was backing off to a small shop behind him.

"Sorry kid, cant tell you." The assassin replied with a slightly joyful tone. Like a predator playing with his prey.

"Is it now... Hah... then im guessing you wont listen to my counter offer?" Lucius had a small smile on his face. He had finally regained his breath.

"No, of course not. You wouldn't listen to me... or perhaps you didn't hear me?" Lucius voice had slowly been turning from a questioning tone to a mocking tone.

"I'll say this only once. Let me be your new hand that feeds you, and you'll receive more than what your current master could offer you." The assassins knew what Lucius was planning. He had been questioning and taunting them to stall as much time as he could before running again. They weren't going to let him.

"Kid, I suggest you don't run." The assassin had a hind of irritation, both from the slight insult and from the idea of chasing Lucius again. They were fast but chasing two small children in confined spaces riddled with holes that they could fit and escape through was challenging for them.

"Then tell, who ordered you?" Lucius' back was against the shop door, he questioned the assassin once again.

The assassin didn't answer.

"Oh, pardon me my insolence. I forgot you're all nothing but mangy muth!" Lucius opened the door and rolled inside. A knife flew by his head, fortunately it missed him.

"Bold words from someone so weak. New plan, break his bones and kill the boy in front of him." The assassins rushed through the door and found that Lucius had already escaped through the back area of the shop.

"These damn buildings. Who built them!" The assassin was certainly annoyed of the convenient exits of each house and shops.

They traversed through the houses, this reminded Lucius of the time he had been chased by police through a city. This time he had plenty of escape routes and less annoying heroic citizens. One of the assassin was behind him, both him and Connor went to a kitchen inside one of the buildings. He planned to used the back exit again, however, the second assassin was waiting for him.

The moment he opened the door, a spartan kick greeted him. He got knocked down to the ground. For a moment, the assassin caught a smug face from Lucius. But when he looked at him again on the floor, it was a face field with pain and agony. He screamed loudly, which worried the assassin. If he crushed his internal organs then the chances of death from internal bleeding and ruptured veins was eminent.

However, even with a pained expression Lucius stood up and covered Connor once again. The assassin didn't stop Lucius, the assassin was going to knock him out while holding unto Connor. It was the assassin's first time seeing seeing Lucius have a crumpled expression. It had been annoying and repetitive to chase down a child through the houses. What was more annoying was the fact that they couldn't kill him. Now the assassin could finally achieve his mission.

"What's the matter kid? Thought you were high and mighty, where's that attitude now." The assassin threw a right hook at Lucius side albeit weakly but still enough to let Lucius feel pain.

"Like how you said i was a DOG!" Lucius bled from his forehead as a kick land on it.

It was a one sided beating. Connor had tears on his eyes feeling the impact of the punches and kicks on Lucius through the sounds Lucius' body made. He started begging Lucius to let go or to stop the assassin from harming Lucius. He was terrified and afraid before that he couldn't talk, but this was something he found cruel. Just like how Lucius wanted to save Connor because his conscience and pride couldn't allow it, Connor wanted to save Lucius because he couldn't bear to watch others in pain.

His mother had taught him kindness and compassion for the sole purpose of redeeming for what she did. Since then, he had always been the kind kid that everyone in the Kalmuth household knew.

Of course, Lucius was once again stalling for time. He didn't need much, just a few minutes worth.

"Haha... Hahahaha."

Lucius was slowly laughing, he may have been beaten but not broken. His frown turned upside down.

"Is the pain funny? HUH!-" the assassin was about to punch Lucius on the face when his arm fell off. It was sliced from the wrist with a clean cut.

"It seems you were too distracted, have you forgotten where we are?" Lucius stood up slowly. As the assassin's head fell to the ground, Lucius stared at Connor with his smile.

During the entire chase, he had been mentally mapping the area. This was the bakery he was nearly abducted from, which was near where the elder fangs were fighting. He had been slowly and surely running back towards the carriage with the assassins behind his back. And the scream when he was kicked was a call for help, he knew the fangs or anyone of the butlers would return to the carriage after finding help. Thankfully the elder fangs had arrived to his rescue.

It was a tough day, the sun had finally began to set, and Lucius was finally safe. He had grown tired of the assassinations and developed a goal to become strong, strong enough to protect his peace and quiet. Until then, he has to finally start placing more effort into strengthening himself. A quiet life that he couldn't receive, it seems fate is laughing at his face for trying to achieve something he wouldn't be able to obtain once again.

"Connor, Lets head back. Im quite tired today, so i'll need you to accompany me." It was a genuine smile of joy from Lucius face. He didn't want to deal with the after math, so he decided to leave as soon as possible. Of course, he wouldn't leave Connor behind.

'The more i look at him, the more i feel guilty. The only thing i could do was run... have i been running all my life?..' Lucius offered Connor a hand. From his life on earth to his new life, all he ever did was to run away from his problems. 'Then i guess it's time to stop. I've ran long and hard. Now is the time i fight and face it head on!'.