Eight Intertwined

195 - Harald

It didn't take long for the travelers to make their way out into the main square of Riverford, and from there, they spotted the man with the red hat almost immediately. The rebel they had already spoken with was discussing the coming duel with the man in the red hat. Olberic squared his shoulders and shoved all of his anxiety back down where it had come from. Realistically, he knew he didn't need to fear this encounter. He had fought stronger opponents before, he was sure. Just before this, Olberic had stopped a cultist dedicated to a fallen god and an immortal who could manipulate people's minds with and without dark magic. Surely a man in a hat would be an easy foe by comparison. Olberic knew better than to underestimate any oponent, of course, but he was just as sure that he would be able to handle this. 

The man with the red hat looked up from his conversation with the other rebel upon catching a glimpse of Olberic. "He's the one?" the man with the red hat asked.

The rebel from earlier nodded. "He is. Wanna I see if 'e can use that sword of 'is," he explained. 

The man with the red hat stepped out and let his arms fall to his sides. "Very well. I am ready when you are." He reached for a short sword where it hung from a sheath at his hip. "You look tough. I wonder how strong you truly are."

Olberic pulled his own blade free and leveled it at his rival. "Do you want to see what the rest of my allies can do as well?" he asked. "I can assure you that all of us know how to fight, but if you would like to test each of us, then--"

"Just you will be enough," the man with the red hat assured him. When he noticed hesitation in Olberic's posture, he shook his head. "Don't worry about the guards coming by and trying to stop us. They don't give enough of a damn. You've got nothing to worry about."

Olberic nodded, and he took the initiative to swing his blade first. The man with the red hat tried to deflect the attack, but it didn't go as well as he would have liked. Olberic had too much force for him to avoid the weight of the slash, and the man was left staggering backward. Olberic followed up with a feint thrust and then a full stab. A tear was pulled open in the man's shirt near his abdomen, but no blood flowed from the wound. 

The man with the red hat rushed forward with his sword ready to try and slice at Olberic's arm. Olberic deflected the first and then second attack that came his way. He easily slashed at the man again, and despite his best efforts to deflect the strike, the man in the red hat was sent crashing to the ground from the sheer force of the blow. The man tried to swing up with what little strength he had left, but Olberic deflected the attack with the tip of his blade before twisting the sword so that the man was forced to let go of his weapon. As soon as the man on the ground was disarmed, Olberic pointed his blade at his chest but did not move to stab him. 

The man in the red hat smiled as he held up his hands in surrender. It hadn't even really been a fight in the first place. Olberic was always set to win the battle, and they both knew it. "I yield. There's no doubting this one's strength."

Olberic nodded and turned to face the other rebel as he easily slid his blade into its sheath. "I did my part. Now it's your turn. I would meet with your leader at once."

The rebel thought for a long moment before he nodded. "A deal's a deal. My name's Reggie. Come on. I'll take you to the den." Reggie didn't waste even a second to make sure Olberic and the man in the red hat were following him. He took off through the alleys of Riverford, the swish of his gray scarf the only sign he had stood proud in the streets at all. Olberic trailed after him easily, and the other travelers followed him from there. 

Reggie took the group through a path that wound into the backstreets of Riverford. When he finally stopped walking, he had settled down in front of a building that threatened to collapse under the weight of another good Riverlands storm. Olberic got the feeling that appearance was on purpose though; if everyone thought the building was a dangerous place to be, then they would choose to leave it alone. Reggie reached into his pocket before shoving a key into the lock on the front door, and with a brutal twist, the door opened.