Kjaran and Elstan, with their quick reflexes, managed to deflect arrows that bounced off their swords and embedded themselves in the stone wall.
This caused general chaos in the arena; the frightened crowd began screaming and fleeing. Everyone wanted to get out as fast as possible, creating a crush, while four assassins tried to take advantage of the situation to escape. They jumped over the wall and leapt out of the arena, thinking they had succeeded, and began running toward the Tlum gate—but they hadn't taken five steps before Kjaran Brin stopped them.
"I'm glad my instincts were right. From the start, I found this royal visit suspicious, and when our doctor didn't return this morning, I could have guessed what was happening," Kjaran said, walking toward the masked figures, who then surrounded him from all sides and attacked.
"Foolish," Kjaran said confidently.
The first attack came from behind, but he avoided it with a step to the left. In a second, he grabbed the attacker's arm and broke it, forcing him to drop the dagger he held. Kjaran then struck him in the nose with his knee, leaving him bloodied and unconscious.
The other three froze in place, glanced at each other, and tried to flee in three different directions—but at the same moment, they were surrounded by the royal guards and Captain Elstan.
"You held them back very well. I see one of them tried to attack you. Foolish," Elstan said, looking at the man lying motionless on the ground. The guards restrained the assassins and placed them in cuffs.
"It's time for questioning. I have a few questions for the king as well," Kjaran said, then headed toward the palace. The three mercenaries exchanged glances, nodded, and then pushed away the soldiers holding them. They drew their daggers from their sheaths and killed each other. Blood sprayed in every direction from their slit throats, staining the ground red as they fell. Elstan and Kjaran looked at each other, astonished.
"Quick, remove everything from the one who is unconscious, cuff him, and bring him to the palace. Strip him if necessary—I don't care. He's the only one we can question now!" Kjaran shouted.
"And clean this up," Elstan added calmly, following Kjaran.
Rain began pouring, and dark clouds completely covered the sky. Desimir, Ervin, and Osgar were still waiting in the locker room to receive their reward. They changed into their clothes just as a sergeant entered.
"Gentlemen, first, I must congratulate you on winning the tournament. I know it was exhausting, and, of course, here is your reward: one hundred and twenty gold coins, forty each," he said, placing a bag of coins on the table in the center of the room.
"Thank you. May I ask you something?" Desimir said.
"Of course."
"Who were those four masked men, and why did they want to kill the king? Do you know anything about it?" he asked curiously, wiping sweat from his body.
A silence fell in the locker room, broken only by the sound of rain hitting the arena roof and the wind that seemed ready to sweep everything away. The sergeant replied,
"I haven't received information on exactly what happened yet. To be honest, it's not your concern. That's the royal guard's job. Know that King Anir is safe and in good hands." With that, the sergeant left the room.
Silence returned for about ten seconds before the three friends looked at each other.
"Why don't we sneak into the castle and see what's going on?" Ervin said.
"I was thinking the same," Desimir added.
"You two are idiots. Why did you both immediately think of that? I was planning to go home and rest, but I guess that's not happening," Osgar said wearily.
"Then it's decided: tonight at seven, when the sun sets, we meet behind the castle and try to get inside," Desimir said firmly.
"The rain seems to be easing. See you tonight, guys," Ervin said, taking his forty coins and leaving.
Osgar and Desimir soon followed. The arena was left empty. After today's incident, the streets were deserted, patrolled by the royal guards. No one was allowed to leave or enter the city; Tlum was completely sealed. Night fell, the sun set, and the moon slowly rose in its place in the sky. The streets remained empty, with only guards wandering. In the bushes in front of the castle gate, Desimir, Ervin and Osgar waited, observing the guards' movements and the timing of their shifts.
"It seems," Desimir whispered, "that two guards enter and exit every thirty minutes."
"That's right. We've been here since seven, and all three shifts were exactly thirty minutes apart, as you said," Osgar added.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" a voice said behind them.
They were momentarily startled, but when they turned, Naitu Ujiyoshi stood there.
"Ujiyoshi, what are you doing here?" Ervin whispered, pulling him into the bushes. "Quick, hide."
"I was training outside and noticed you. It seemed like you had something on your minds, so I decided to follow. What's going on?" Ujiyoshi asked.
Desimir sighed, looking at Osgar.
"Well, I guess there's no point in hiding now. We want to sneak into the castle and see what's going on. You must have heard about the arena incident. We think there's more to it," he explained, detailing their plan while the sky brightened.
After the rain, the clouds dispersed, and the full moon rose higher, illuminating the land. Only the echo of guards' boots on wet ground could be heard. The four young men saw their opportunity and planned to seize it.
"Now," Desimir said, "the gate opens during the shift change. Quickly."
They slipped behind the two guards entering. Outside, it was colder, clear, and windy. The windows of the throne room were closed, allowing only moonlight to enter. Yet the room was not dark; lanterns burned, revealing King Anir seated on his throne. Before him stood three kings and a kneeling man. Captain Kjaran paced the room, with Captain Elstan standing beside the king.
"As you know, today we captured four men who attempted to assassinate King Anir. Unfortunately, three killed each other, leaving only one for questioning," Kjaran said, approaching the stunned assassin wearing a mask.
"Well, what does this have to do with us? We are guests here, and this is no way to treat visitors," King Ailred asked, confused and angry, as Emperor Toshimizu yawned, seemingly uninterested.
"I brought you here to ask you some questions—not to King Ailred or Emperor Tošimizu, but to you," Kjaran said calmly, pointing at King Jin Gishic.
Everyone turned toward him. Jin remained calm, almost expecting this.
"You've seemed suspicious to me since arriving in Luganor. First, you claimed to be attacked by forest goblin bandits, known for attacking only the defenseless—not kings and their guards. Second, you said your wife was injured and King Anir sent a doctor, who didn't return by morning, which seemed highly suspicious. Third, your calm demeanor now suggests you knew we'd catch you. Tell us your intentions, or I'll slit your throat, and your cowardly blood will glisten in the moonlight as it spills on this floor." Kjaran leveled his accusations at King Jin, who stared silently.
Meanwhile, Desimir, Osgar, Ervin, and Ujiyoshi moved through the stone corridors, lit by torches, quickly reaching the throne room thanks to Osgar.
"How did you know the way? I thought you'd never been in the castle," Ervin asked.
"That doesn't matter now," Osgar replied.
They approached the throne room, finding two guards at the door. Pressing against the wall, they hid from view.
"Of course the throne room is guarded. Why did we think there wouldn't be anyone at the door?" Osgar whispered.
They pondered their next move. Udžijoši exploited the guards' fatigue, swiftly incapacitating them with strikes to the stomach.
"Quick," he called to his friends, "I don't know how long they'll remain unconscious," and slightly opened the door. Just enough for one to peek and the others to listen.
"What's happening, tell us Ujiyoshi," Desimir whispered excitedly.
"All four kings are in the room. King Anir sits on the throne, the other three stand before him. Wait, there's another man I don't recognize. It seems the captain of the first division is questioning one of the kings," Ujiyoshi reported.
Kjaran noticed them immediately, glancing at Elstan, who subtly gestured for him to remain calm.
"What's going on here?" the four whispered to each other.
The wind died down, and a complete silence fell. Jin Gishic remained silent for a moment, then spoke:
"They have returned," he said, and everyone fell silent. "Demons have returned and desire power. They want all the stones, to rule everything. First, they aimed to conquer me and my kingdom. Soon, they will come for you. They will not stop until they have everything."
"Demons!?" the four boys thought.
"So, demons have returned and you helped them King Jin?" Kjaran asked calmly.
"My wife. They have my wife—a creature that looks like her but isn't. She is there to ensure I do not betray them. I didn't know what to do; they came one night and threatened us. I had no choice but to obey. I am sorry," Jin said, falling to his knees in apology.
At that moment, Ervin leaned slightly on Desimir, who leaned on Osgar, who leaned on Ujiyoshi, and the door opened—they entered the throne room.
"Good evening," Desimir said nonchalantly.
"Hi, Dad," Osgar said, and the others stared in surprise. Elstan merely smiled and waved.
"What is this intrusion?" asked King Ailred as the boys slowly stood.
King Anir descended from his throne, approaching King Jin.
"Let them stay. I was just about to let them in anyway," Anir said, placing a hand on Jin's shoulder.
"You should have asked for help sooner. If there's anything I can do as king, it is to help a friend. Now stand up, and let's devise a better plan than my assassination," Anir said, helping his friend.
"You are no longer needed," Kjaran said, swiftly beheading the last assassin, the head landing before the body in a small pool of blood.
"Thank you, friend, but they are too strong. How do you plan to defeat them?" Jin asked.
"First, we save your wife. Then we can think about war," Anir said, returning to his throne.
"Kjaran, Elstan. Are you ready for a new mission? If you agree, I would like you to lead these four boys," King Anir said.
"You must give us at least a week to train them if we plan to take them to Ganalor. If you agree, Elstan," Kjaran said.
"Five days will suffice. I'll take the samurai and the fox. You can take the other two," Elstan replied.
"My first mission at last. Before that, the captain of the first division will train me," Desimir thought excitedly.
"I know exactly what you are thinking, but trust me. For the next five days, you must train like never before. If you don't reach a certain level, we'll choose someone else. Understood?" Kjaran asked.
"Yes, captains!" all four shouted.
"All right then. Tomorrow at six in the morning, you two meet me outside the city gate. You two meet Captain Nualami in the castle courtyard. Don't make us wait. Now go, rest," Kjaran said.
Everyone except the kings departed.
"I think we need rest after such a long day, don't you, friends?" King Anir said.
"I agree, friend," Toshimizu said, following him.
Ailred and Jin followed. The last to leave the room was a guard carrying the decapitated body. In the room remained only moonlight illuminating the spilled blood.
"Sorry, and thank you again, Anir," Jin said as he left.
"Don't worry, Jin. We will save your wife and your kingdom. After that, we will save the world," Anir said, retreating to his chambers.
Outside the castle, everyone went their separate ways. Darkness had long fallen, the sky full of stars. Walking through the wet streets filled with puddles, Elstan noticed Osgar seemed troubled.
"Probably wondering why I didn't choose to train you, right?" Osgar just looked at him. Elstan sighed and continued.
"You are my son, Osgar. That is the only reason. I may be captain of the second division, but I am also your father. I don't know if I could be strict enough to bring out your full potential," said Captain Nualami, the lantern above his head flickering, as his son gazed at him with admiration.
"I won't let you down, father. Trust me, I will endure the training and come with you to Ganalor," Osgar said confidently.
"I expect nothing less from you, Osgar, or from the other three," he said, and in silence, they walked home as the wind howled and raindrops fell from the wet trees around Tlum.