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"No Easy Way Out" (L'Renouille) Under normal circumstances, the L'Renouille inn offered excellent food, clean rooms, and a warm friendly staff, but today was no typical day. According to local gossip, Prince Ruka Blight intended to pillage a Jowston fort, which contained mercenaries loyal to Lady Anabelle. Patrons huddled at the bar counter, occasionally whispering to one another, about the latest rumors regarding the insane prince. Well, everyone except a trio of travelers in the corner of the bar, who were absorbed in a different set of problems altogether. Georg Prime and Humphrey Mintz ate their meal in complete silence, their gaunt faces evident of lack of sleep. Obliviously, to her companion's misery, Camille Valentine enjoyed her stack of homemade pancakes. Stuffing a huge forkful in her mouth, she asked Humphrey an important question. "Hey, how long is it going to take to reach Gregminster?" The dour man shrugged his broad shoulders. "Depends on the weather." he replied, staring into his cup of coffee. "Hmmph." the red haired woman mumbled, through her full mouth. "Some answer." Meanwhile, still half asleep, Georg hunted through the condiments, on the table, for the bowl of sugar. His black-gloved hand obtained the saltshaker instead so he poured half of the container into his cup of coffee. As the raven-haired man lifted the mug to his lips, Humphrey cautiously commented, "Georg, you just put salt in your coffee." The older man stared at his friend, as if he were a dumb child. "I know." he said indifferently, before downing the pungent substance in one quick motion. Instantly, the black substance spewed from Georg's mouth onto Camille's azure shirt, leaving a dark stain. Bolting out of her seat, the younger woman started to scream at Georg at the top of her lungs. "You idiot! That was my favorite shirt, so pay up or else!" Gasping for air, Georg managed to find his voice. "What are you going to do about it?" he retorted. "Hurt me with your piece of metal on a stick?" "My WHAT?" Camille shouted enraged. "It's called a SPEAR! At least, I'm not stupid enough to put SALT in my coffee!" By now, the older man had recovered from his misfortune accident. "Well, that was probably wiser than the smartest thing YOU'VE ever did in your entire life!" he retorted, his temper rising to the boiling point. "Oh you are such a chauvinist pig!" the younger woman fumed. "When I come back, you'll see what 'a piece of metal on a stick' can do!" Camille stormed up the stairs, her footsteps loudly echoing throughout the inn. Patrons stared at the empty stairwell, then at Georg, fearing his reaction. They were surprised to discover that the tough warrior, looking as if all the fight had gone out of him, simply say to Humphrey, "I'm going to get some fresh air. Will you take the bill?" "Alright" the younger man said, returning to his rapidly cooling cup of coffee. Outside, Georg greedily sucked the fresh morning air, into his tired lungs. It was nice to be relived of the smoke filled bar into the peacefulness of the outdoors. He thought about the incident at breakfast. If Camille was going to be so hot headed and lose her temper over every situation that didn't go her way, then he couldn't take much more of it. Realizing what he just thought, Georg laughed ironically to himself. He was the one who couldn't control his temper, destroying his only source of light in this dreary world. As he gazed towards the main square, he suddenly noticed a black-cloaked figure dart into a nearby alley. Curiously, Georg drew his sword and started to pursue, down the dark corridor. "Hey, wait up!" he yelled to the figure in the distance. To his surprise, the mysterious figure stopped at the end of the deserted alley. As Georg walked closer, he noticed a strange rune engraved into the man's hand, which glowed faintly black. He felt a strange attraction to this character, but Georg wasn't sure if it was good or bad. "Excuse me, do I know you?" the raven-haired man asked, extremely curious about the identity of this shadowy form. The figure chuckled to itself evilly. On his hand, the rune glowed more intensively. Then, Georg could hear a voice, neither male nor female, speaking to him in his thoughts. I am your worst nightmare. Black light streamed from the rune, engulfing Georg in a sea of darkness. Desperately, he fought to save himself, but the sheer power of this strange magic was too powerful for him to bear. The former knight collapsed to the stone pavement, attempting to remain conscious, despite the agonizing pain. The black-cloaked figure stood over Georg, gloating triumphally. So how does it feel to be the hunted instead of the hunter, Georg Prime? "What…. have I… done?" Georg groaned, doubled over on the ground. I thought you would never ask! Let me show you… Suddenly, Georg received a vision of Marguerite, at the day of her death, with blood seeping out of the wound in her head. She opened her lips and mouthed words, which her lover had denied for the past three years. Why didn't you help me Georg? "Please stop, Marguerite." Georg pleaded. "I didn't mean to kill you!" The apparition of the queen was replaced by the taunting presence of the owner of the rune. He towered over the suffering form cowering on the pavement. Why, Georg Prime, I thought I would never see the day that YOU of all people would beg for mercy. However, one must pay for their crimes and you are no exception to the rules. He raised the black rune over his head, casting a spell, which releasing a cloud of smoke. The cloud descended over Georg, and then shot through his body like a sharp blade. The weakened man let loose one last scream, and then collapsed into unconsciousness. Humphrey Mintz exited the inn into the abandoned streets of L'Renouille. He glanced for any traces of his friend, but it was if Georg had disappeared into thin air. The blond haired man shrugged it off, knowing that the seasoned warrior could take care of himself. However, he began to regret his decision, when he heard a familiar voice scream in the distance. Drawing his khopesh off his back, Humphrey immediately ran in the direction of the cry. He turned into an alley, where he was shocked to see the still form of Georg, laying on the gravel. As he cautiously approached, Humphrey felt another presence in the passage. A black-cloaked figure was in the process of removing a blade from underneath his garment. "What did you did with Georg?" Humphrey asked, pointing in his sword in the direction of the stranger. I was doing my job. Momentarily surprised at the thought speech, nonetheless, Humphrey stood his ground. "I said what did you do to Georg?" he said, with a bit of emotion cracking through his stony face. Poor, poor Humphrey. He doesn't know that if he plays with fire, he'll get burned. "What's that supposed to mean?" Humphrey demanded, before becoming bombarded with a voice, which stirred up a nightmare created long ago. Daddy, don't let the bad men hurt me! Instantly, Humphrey recoiled in shock, his sword dropped to the ground with a clank, which echoed throughout the alley. His eyes widened, showing his fear. The black hooded figure also seemed to smirk underneath his cloak. Sound familiar, Humphrey? "How, how did you know?" the normally stolid man stuttered, his face betraying strong emotions. Yes, poor Humphrey, who left his previous life behind, because he couldn't handle pain. "Shut up!" Humphrey yelled, feeling a mixture of anger and fear. "What do you know about me?" More than you think, for I am Justice. The mysterious figure backed away slowly from Humphrey and raised his right hand. It was nice talking to you, but I have other plans to attend to. "Wait! I have to ask you something…" Humphrey was
cut off, by the activation of the rune.
So you are unwilling to face the truth, Humphrey Mintz. Perhaps, you can be useful to me. After all, you are among the few that Georg trusts and I need a weak link in his chain. If you're willing to pay the price, then I can remove you from the past, which you seem all too eager to avoid. Only time will tell.
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