Alexander: The Second Conquest

Three: The Tale Of Troy

When I had gone out of the network of caverns,I could finally breathe in fresh air. It took me a few winding corridors,and the entrance was in fact at a shop,guarded by an innocent-looking warrior in normal civilian clothes.

He barely spared a glance at me when I walked past his counter. It was a clothing shop that sold quite ugly clothes(no offense to those who stitched them together).

When I stepped out of the shop,the sun had already cast brilliant streaks of red and orange through the darkening blue sky. The streets were still busy,however,with vendors on either side shouting out in Latin. The feeling of silk against my back made me turn around-the armour had sprouted a cloak.

Okay,there's a lot of mortals.

My thought train had left me. Everyone seemed to be so identical. How could I differentiate them?

Then,an idea popped into my head. The mortals that had attacked me saw through the Mist,so all I had to do was just wander through the street with my sword out,giving myself away. I would be able to fight them,right?

My dominant arm ached in protest.

So the plan was set,I literally showed off my sword from underneath my cloak. Some locals glanced at me curiously,but soon a dazed look passed over their eyes.

Someone bumped into me,and I turned to say sorry when his eyes were full of hostility. It's a clear-sighted mortal. I realised with a jolt,almost going after him before stopping myself. I have to get myself somewhere emptier.

So I headed to another part of the town,which was the central part. Believe it or not,it was empty. I could probably guess why-there were no shops and no sign of life. This was perfect.

Three figures emerged from one of the alleys. It was two men and a woman,dressed in local clothes. They did not hold guns-but instead steel swords.

"A challenge!"I exclaimed with a smirk. Step One: Never show your enemy that you're scared.

Strangely,they did not say anything,advancing forward in a single file. I unsheathed my sword,its blade glinting in the setting sun. One of them struck first,aiming right at my neck. Of course,I was able to deflect it,pushing his sword so that it pointed towards the ground. It gave me an opening-I aimed a kick towards his abdomen.

They might be adults,but their reactions were slow. Plus,they were inexperienced,I could tell by the first move.

The second one struck along with the third one,and this pair was lucky enough to give me a cut on my right side. I did stumble a bit,but recovered fast enough to deflect their shots. I jabbed my sword at one of my attackers. His wrist bleeding,he dropped the sword,and I used that opportunity to hit his injured wrist with the flat of my blade.

The woman remained. She squared off against me,her stance not at all good. I narrowed my eyes,my sword clashing against hers as I sweep her feet. However,her blade cut my cheek,exposing it to the cooling air.

I wanted to grab one of the men,but when I lifted him up,he fell limp. My mind racing,I tried to remember whether I dealt the killing blow. I didn't.

But why was he dead?Not only him,the other two were dead as well.

"Well done."A slow applause broke the silence. Someone who looked older than Julian was now sitting at the previously empty bench. His eyes gleamed with hatred,but a smirk was plastered onto his face. The alleys shimmered,and I realised that the Mist was making it seem empty. The only person I knew who could do that was Hazel.

"Who are you?"I asked warily,gripping my sword.

"Hector Kyros,son of Hecate."

"Hector?"I frowned,recalling the familiar name. "Wasn't that someone in the Trojan war?"