Knights of the Nine - The Unborn Seed

Chapter 4: The Battle On New Years Eve

Derek, aboard his paint stallion, rode fast down the muddied side path. He avoided as much people as possible, especially humans. If he had to guess where he was, he would say Vaggen; a war-torn, crime influenced, vagabond town.

Derek took to the outskirts of the town, leaned against his horses mane. He dug his heels into the stallions side and it jolted to a dock equipped with a sail.

Derek took the reigns and hung them up on a branch nearby. He checked his surroundings, making sure it was clear of peasants and the guard, then he stole some mead and rye from the sacks aboard the boat.

Just as he loaded up that last bit of rye into a saddlebag, three peasants began coming over. They noticed the horse like a stain on a white shirt. Derek, not wanting to get caught, slid under the boat launch and silenced his breathing.

One of the lads, his neck beard basically conjoined his chest hair, stood above Derek, the dirt and dust collapsed into his face, sighed loudly, burped disgustingly, and began pissing in the lake.

Derek waited it out. He had no clue what they did with his horse, but it wasn't there when he left from under the dock. Derek swept the dirt and sweat from his face and tore off his ragged shirt, tying it around his face like a mask. He next took off his boots, as they clanged too much, and left them in the sail.

Derek crept through the night, all the huts dark, the snoring harmonized with the crickets, looking for his paint stallion. The wolves were howling loudly to the moon, though it was covered. Derek found his horse reigned inside a thatched roof barn, water dripping from the ceiling.

Derek unreigned his steed, reattached the saddlebags, steadied the saddle, placed the bit back in, and rode out of the town known as Vaggen.

Before he left, he decided a map would be very helpful in his situation. Derek's destination was unknown even to him, he had no intention of fleeing to Borden - as that would put Ciri and himself in danger - or his hideout stashed in the city of Balewood.

Screw it, Derek thought, Balewood's run by Vivian the Eighth, Coën was his stepbrother, sure he'd keep me safe

And so Derek sought off for Balewood; known as, arguably, the most wealthiest city on Condor. Balewood has the most banks, casinos, whorehouses, hideouts, and its guards are always drunk or highly easy to bribe off.

Balewood was east, past the Urdian mountains - the tallest mountains on earth - and soon followed by swampy marshes home to bogs. It would be a weeks journey, though Derek didn't mind. As long as the patrols of humans were slim, it wasn't a problem.

Derek set off in the dead of night, leaving Vaggen behind him. The sun would soon rise to his back, the howls of wolves would calm, the chirps of birds would soon boom, the grasses and flowers would soon bloom in the light. The Knight rode, hungry, thirsty, he rides east to the Urdian mountains, to Balewood.

--------- Two Years Ago --------

Ciri and Felix were upon a battle, the elves outnumbered them: fifteen to two. The village was under siege, an unknown village occupied by king Kahn the Third, was set aflame in the dead of night. A day from the new year.

Two elves moved in, three soon followed. Ciri held her sword, Zireael, firmly in two hands above her head. An arrow shot at her, she deflected it masterfully. She zoomed ahead, evading a blade by an inch, and sliced the jugular of the archer.

Ciri's next target was the elf armoured in steel plate, it was very un-elf like. She slid left then right, dodging many blades. Ciri teleported directly behind the plated elf and stabbed her sword into the back. The armour blocked it, it shattered the blade. Ciri threw the hilt down, but was grabbed by the gauntlet of the plated elf. She yelped and her ashen-hair was tugged, she yelped when the steel gauntlet hit her in her face.