At the city's largest tavern, as the most popular place for merchants, travellers, and adventurers to gather for meals and place to stay, the place always very crowd and noisy.
Huey look at the window and see the sky turn dark, the city outside start to get bright from magic lantern across the streets, and yet.....
His friend did not come back.
"Sir Cheryl seems late~..." Brigid said as he take a big bite on a big chunk of meat he ordered.
"Does he late like this often?" Huey ask as he sip amug of ale in his hand.
"Nah, he's always being model knight, being late is never in him." Brigid reply.
"Then strange, he should've come back already." Huey murmur as he continue with his drink.
As the young rogue enjoy his ale, he look around with suspicious gaze.
He feels like there's a lot of eyes looking at him and Brigid lately, normally, he's get used to it since his feminine appearance attract a lot of attention, but this time was different.
It feels like they're being watch.
"Brigid, where's Angie now?"
"In the room, praying like a typical priest." Brigid reply while busy with his last piece of meat.
Huey then grab his shoulder tightly, then whisper at his ear.
"Better finish our meals and grabs our gears."
"Yes?" Brigid seems a little bit confuse, but when he look at Huey's seriousness within his eyes, he understand immediately.
"Understood." The young armoured knight reply, as he bite the last piece of meat.
"I'll go outside for a while, you take care of Angie here."
"How long will you go?" Brigid ask silently.
"Can't tell, but holding as long as you need to, got it?"
"Under~stood...!" Brigid smile back.
The feel of coldness touching Cheryl's cheek as the young knight slowly open his eyes.
All he see are the iron bars, a stone cold floor, and dungeon like surrounding.
".....!?" He quickly recall what's happened previously, being drug and subdue by Mcbeth, the young lord he was suppose to inform about the disturbance of the northern region.
And it's turn out that Mcbeth has anything to do with it.
"(Damn it, I have to get out of...)"
*Clank.
"Whhh?" Cheryl notice as he try to get up, he was bound from head to toe, multiple layers of rope wrap around his chest, torso, knees, legs and ankles. With more secure his wrists behind his back.
A big, thick piece of cloth also tying around his mouth, gagging him and seals his words. Along with an iron collar with small gemstone on on it around his neck, connect to the wall by chain.
"Nnghh!!" He try to struggle them off, of course it's not work. And judging from how it's looks, the collar was likely a magic seal device for in case he's manage to take off his gag.
He was also not wear any armour, pobably being strip off of them during his sleep.
Cheryl look around, trying to find something to help him get out of situation. But all he see is an empty cell, with iron bars between him and outside of the cell.
He look at the cell's small window, seeing the sky was already dark, Huey and the others would've notice that he's late. All he could hope, was any of them notices something's wrong.
But the words he heard from a mysterious figure that stay at Mcbeth's side make him worry. She says she'll deals with his friends soon enough, and they probably doing something right now.
All he could do, was simply sit tight, hoping his friends would be alright.
And his hope, or his worriness has been answer.
The sound of foot steps coming from outside, Cheryl raise his face up in worry.
"Hello there, cutie." And it was the mysterious figure, a woman in cloak.
Cheryl only reply is his grunting voice from his gag and hostile glare.
"Aww, don't need to be so mad. I just here for a talk." The woman open the cell's door and walking in, standing in front of the young knight.
"You happen to know that brat, do you?"
Cheryl look in confuse.
"That brat with frickles on his cheeks and wearing shorts. Don't act dumb."
She meant Huey, no doubt.
And what will you do if I know him? Cheryl ask her with silent glare.
"I just have some personal scores to settle with him, he's a nuisance to whatever I do back in those days." The woman kneeling down, then grab Cheryl chin and inspect his face.
As they eschange eyes contract, Cheryl could see her face beneath the hood, silver hair, purple eyes, and tattoo under her eyes. The face that none can forget if meet her again.
"Maybe you and your friends can compensate for that."
"Hmmp!" Cheryl pull his face away.
"Wanna talk? I can let you for a moment." She gleefully smile, mocking at the young knight's bravado.
"Nnhh nhht, slffr!" Through his gag, Cheryl reply, he now know who this woman is.
A slaver. The enemy of the knigdom ever since the abolition takes effect.
"Quick learner than I through." The woman stood, then walk away from the cell.
"Enjoy your stay, your friends will join you soon."
"Dmmn yhuu!!" Cheryl try to stand up, only to be keeping down by the chain.
He fell back to his spot, struggling a little, then give up and lie down onto the ground.
"As expect, can't believe that little boy would stoop this low." A familar voice coming from outside the cell, Huey in his cloak standing tall.
"Hnngghh!!"
"Shush now, or you'll warn the guards." Huey raise his finger at his lip and tell his friend calmly. Cheryl answer by just nodding.
The young rogue then couch down and proceed to picking the cell's lock. It didn't take him too long to do so.
"Luckily, they're not use any lock on your binds." Huey said as he untie his friend from bondages.
"How did you come here?" Cheryl ask, his voice full with joy and relief.
"I was Margrave's acquaintance, remember? Just the building's layouts wasn't too hard to memorize."
"By the way, you already know that lord Mcbeth was in kahoot with the bandits?"
"Yes, I know, and coincidentally, it's someone I know well."
"Then you should've know that come here is a big mistake." A voice of woman coming from from the entrance, the mysterious woman standing there, blocking the way out with some guards.
"Delilah..." Huey turn his face at her with hostile gaze.
"You haven't change a bit, after 2 years ever since."
"And you still being a stinking slaver, I though you suppose to change your job." Huey hand his short sword to Cheryl as he pull out his dagger.
"Business gone bad, you know? Then the empire abolishing the slavery, now I stuck here without ways to make money."
"What about I help you get free rent? This cell looks like it suit you well." Huey give her sarcastic answer.
"No thanks, I rather see your lovely body bind in rope." Delilah said as she pull out her twin katars and waving her hands, signaling the guards to move foward.
"Sorry, I'm not available to sastified your weird kink right now." Huey smile, as he pick something out of his pocket.
"Auf Wiedersehen" He then pull it's ring out and throw it at them.
"What!? Is this....!?"
*Bang!!
A loud bang sound roar across the manor with load of smoke coming out.
"Now run!! Don't lose me from your sight!!" Huey yell at Cheryl before running through the smoke and confusing guards.
"What was that!? How did you....?"
"Ask me later! For now let's get out of here!" Huey cut Cheryl's question short as both of them running away into the manor's backyard, Cheryl is now recognize that he was imprison at the manor's basement.
"Shit, there's a lot of them." Huey cursing as he see more guards blocking the backyard entrance, with two gaurds from the inside is now closing in.
"How can we go through them? They're too many!"
"Luckily I got more of my gadgets for this case." Huey said as he taking out more grenades. This time it's shape like pestle.
"Run foward if you wanna get out of here! I'll open the path!" Then proceed to pull the cord from it's handle and throw at the group of guards.
Another bang roar, and the gaurds disperse in fear, some of them even injure from the blast.
"I never see grenades with this shape before, how did you get it? Who are you?" Cheryl can't keep his curiousity and asking Huey, but the young rogue didn't answer him.
"We need to get back to Brigid and Angie." Huey say.
"Fine." They both run away from the lord's manor, now all guards alarm from the explosion sound.
"Just who are you really?" Cheryl ask in his mind. But now, he need to get back to his other friends first.