Escape-Chapter 3

Sprinting out towards the doors of the hall, he kicked it down and came face-to-face with two guards.

Reacting quickly, he swept his legs on the ground, causing the guard on the left to fall.

Unfortunately, the one on the right already sounded the alarm.

Cursing at the decisiveness of the guards, he caught the sword they dropped, before piercing their throats, effortlessly killing both.

Listening around, the once silent corridors echoed with tension as alarms rang out.

Dragging the two corpses of the guards with him, Noah quickly switched his clothes.

After wearing the guard's armour, he attempted to infiltrate into the guards, searching for an opening to leave the palace.

Unfortunately, it seemed like the palace was encircled with the king's private army.

While quietly walking, he held the guard's sword and started getting used to its weight.

With a weapon in hand, even one that he rarely used, he could confidently say that not a single person in the palace could force him to fight to the death.

However, this was all on the basis of one on one fighting.

If he wanted to fight the army, he could find easier ways to commit suicide.

Turning back, he once again, minimized his presence, and moved like spectre through the ornate halls.

Softly tapping the walls, eventually he found a hidden passage that he could rest in.

Moving objects and tapping the floor, eventually a hole appeared and he went inside.

Breathing heavily inside the passage, the clatter of armoured guards reverberated through the walls outside as they scoured the palace for the assassin.

Though the assassination might've seemed simple, the mental stress from hiding his killing intent, and the quick plans he made were taking a toll on him.

The scrutiny of the guards only worsened the situation, and he sat down quietly to meditate.

...

After resting for a while, the soft sounds through the walls made it clear that it was night.

He promptly broke the sword in two, and with his heart thumping on his chest, he tried to hear if anyone was moving closer to the passage.

Luckily, it seemed very few knew about the passage as despite the flurry of movement outside, nearly none were heard close to him.

As the tumult slowly cooled down, he knew his opportunity had come.

With a dagger shaped object in hand, his systematic dagger skills would be of vital importance during fights with experts.

Moving with silent grace he reached a window with a view of the moonlit courtyard. The drop was considerable and the encirclement of the army dissuaded him, but it was the only way out.

With no time to hesitate, Noah made the daring leap and landed with a controlled roll.

The impact sent a jolt of pain through his legs, causing a sprain on one of them.

The dirt underneath helped soften both the sounds and impact.

Slowly limping across the courtyard, he had only the toughest obstacle yet and he would have another chance to cultivate.

The army.

Even at night, the footsteps of the armies watchmen were heard.

Looking at their camp, his eyes widened.

Despair started gnawing at him after seeing the unending tents spread around the castle.

They covered the earth in a patchwork of canvas and flickering lanterns, an encampment that seemed to have no end.

In the dim light of the moon and the campfires, it was as if the sun was plucked from the sky, and crying for the kings death.

He knew that the encirclement here would be near impossible to break through; especially with his injuries.

His only hope was to bet on his luck.

Once again backtracking, he hoped to find residents of the castle that had yet to depart.

The visible tension throughout his body disappeared, with fortune seemingly favouring him heavily tonight.

A princess was there, guarded with her private knights; an estimate gave forth to thirty.

Even he would not be able to assassinate that many silently, and thus he opted to impersonate one.

The princess was mourning for her fathers death, the knights initial caution gave forth became more eased when no accidents occurred the whole day.

The long hours of guarding also led some to be tired, and needing to be relieved.

Noah took advantage of such an occasion to quietly kill one with a similar stature as him, disposing his body a moderate distance away.

Already equipped with armour, he silently joined back to guard the princess.

Eventually, a wizened man seemed to provide some advice to the princess as soon afterwards, she got a hold of herself and started to leave.

Against the silent backdrop of knight, the sounds of the guards reverberated through the hall.

The guards seemed to expect this, with their previous ease completely erased, with caution in every one of their movements.

As they slowly made way to the encirclement, envoys met and seemed to be discussing their identities.

While both the princess and guards were undergoing checks, Noah brazenly took the princess hostage.

After shoving fabric in her throat he started speaking

''Take one more step forward and I'll kill the princess.

Do you want to be responsible for her death?''

The clammer of guards seemed to cool down; none wanted the death of a royal twice in one day.

...

The tense standoff lasted minutes, with neither side coming to a compromise.

With a glint in his eyes, he cut of her arm.

Her screams were audible, even while muffled.

Instantly, the courage shown by the guards seemed to dissipate.

A consensus seemed to be reached, with a pathway leading through the army.

As Noah, slowly retreated, his mind was operating at lightning fast speeds, calculating and determining the results of each and every one of their muscle twitches.

Suddenly a shackle seemed to be broken; his once overstressed mind seemed to cool down, the world seemed slower.

And against all the armies calculations, he threw the princess away and ran in the opposite direction.

The meticulously thought out ambush was seen through, and only the endless current of soldiers chasing was the result.

With a volley of arrows, he was shot down and dead

At daybreak, the light finally allowed them to see who they killed.

With a pale face, the princess lay there.

Dead.

Noah had escaped.

...

The palace receded into the distance as Noah made his way to the city's sewers.

Breathless, even the shadows of night couldn't hide smile Noah had on his face, and the ecstasy he experienced.

He escaped.

Against all odds, he escaped.

Thinking of how the guards tried chasing him, he smiled.

The figure they expected to be him, was actually the princess.

And the figure he threw away, was merely the guards armour.

The dark night had a huge contribution in this matter, even top notch warriors were only able to perceive slightly more than the average person.

And the panic the princess experienced also helped his goal.

Everyone's instinct, was to first save themselves, rather than take revenge if it was all but guaranteed.

Thus, she attempted to run from the stream of guards chasing her, rather than bet on her life that they wouldn't kill her.

The fabric prevented her from speaking, and by chasing after her with the crowd, then later leaving it, he made a successful escape!

And thus with a cruel look on his face, he left the sewer.

Entering a strangers home, he looked coldly at the children and their parents.

Then he used their water to clean himself.

With a smile on his face, he left a gift for the next visitor.

The mutilated corpses of the children, and the parents hanged on the roof.

And with light steps, he continued on his adventure!