"Heave ho!"

"Heave ho!"

"Heave ho!"

Chanted through a thick cloud of dust; they alerted the archers that were situated above the roof. The crowd’s panic caused a chain of confusion inside the plaza. It’s a perfect chance for Victor alongside Yemen’s band of merry men to escape. Right there at the moment, imagine a turtle shell made out of a wooden gallows, and now imagine that thing burst out of the cloud of dust. It wasn’t a perfect shield, but it worked as it protected them from a rain of arrows.

“Hahaha, I never thought we got this far, mate!” yelled Yemen at the top of his lungs.

“Wait, you had doubts about the plan, and you just went with it?” asked Victor while Haruhi was in his arms.

“Of course, I had doubts, mate. In my experience of coming up with plans, there’s always a chance that any plan will go south so fast, but you know, if we don’t try, we don’t know.” They kept marching down the street; breaking a few small stalls along the way while behind them a crowd of Imperial Police was on their tracks.

They stopped marching and halted their movement when a large muscular man in a full steel helm and armored Imperial Police’s uniform stood in their way with a shield so large that it covered his entire body. Something was wrong about this man the moment Victor and Yemen laid their gaze on him. This man wasn't any regular Imperial Police, that is for sure. A quick glance behind him, Victor saw the Imperial Police were getting closer to them by the second.

“Yemen?”

“An alley to our left. It’s blocked by a wooden fence. We can destroy it, but it may slow us down. Despite the circumstance, I propose we took on that man, mate. Seems like a good challenge, ain’t it?”

“Not now. We got life baggage. We can’t risk it.”

“Excuse me, but I’m not just any common baggage. I can escape on my own,” chided Haruhi as she struggled within Victor’s arms. It wasn't long before Haruhi was released from Victor’s grasp so she could stand on her own.

A small thin dagger plopped against a wooden plank. Victor didn’t see it coming, but Yemen did, that’s why he extended the plank in front of Victor; saving him from getting impaled by a thin knife. A short woman stood on the roof at their right. She was the same as the gigantic man; different in terms of look. She was far from your standard Imperial Police. Her face was hidden under a hood and mask and it seemed her preferred weapon was a bunch of thin daggers that were strapped all over her uniform.

“Our chance is thinning by the second. You’re right, mate. We need to leave as soon as possible.”

“I can break that wall, but I need a sword.”

Yemen tossed him a katana, “Use this, I snagged it from a guard earlier.”

“Cover me.” Victor held his breath then dashed toward the wooden fence at great speed. He drew the sword and with a single slash; the fence was destroyed.

“Run! Run! Run!” Yemen’s band of merry men left the wooden gallows behind and stormed into the newly opened alley. Haruhi followed the men, but to Victor’s dismay, a dagger flew straight at her. However, thank the goddess for Yemen’s sight, he was able to intercept the daggers using the same wooden plank. The muscular man with the shield began to charge like a bull, shield first straight to them. Victor pulled Yemen into the alley despite his wish to battle the great man.

Victor and Yemen ran after their allies while both of them were chased by an agile rogue on the roof and the muscle-bound man with a giant shield behind them.

“We need to get them off our trail. Any idea, Yemen?”

“Ai, mate. I got one.”

“What is it?”

At the top of his lungs, Yemen shouted, “What do you mean you brought the letter with us?! You’re going to get us killed!” Yemen nodded his head to Victor so he would play along.

“I didn’t realize that there were so many of them! I’m sorry!” Victor used his glance to tell Yemen that they need to take the incoming door on their left.

They both slid down the path so they would slow down before launching themself through the doorway on their left. Inside the building, the residents screamed as two men rushed through their kitchen. Victor took a glimpse and smiled when a muscle-bound man broke the doorway and chased after them. There was no stopping this gigantic man, not even the wall. Yemen listened closely and he heard the patter of footsteps on the roof that means the other one also took the bait.

“Take a right here!” Victor took a right through the doorway with Yemen behind him and they were out back into the main street. Looking at their left, more police were heading toward them. An explosion of black smoke in the sky had alerted more police to their location. They had to take a right and head down the street as fast as they could. Yemen yelped in pain when a dagger pierced his shoulder after pushing Victor to the side.

“Bloody hell! That woman is gonna be the death of us.”

Victor pulled Yemen and threw themselves into the tavern’s window. The broken glasses splattered on the wooden floor, Victor and Yemen leaned against the wall and when they turned their gaze at the patrons inside the bar; they found their faces filled with confusion.

“You people might want to leave, right about now” Victor warned them then three daggers landed near his leg. Quickly, the customers left their seats and ran to the back door.

"Before you leave, mate. Can you toss a bottle over here," Yemen said to one of the men trying to sneak out, and without thinking about it, he tossed a bottle of alcohol onto the pirate.

Yemen caught it and chugged it down. "Wooh, that's some good stuff. Want some?"

"Sure, pass it over." Victor caught the bottle and chugged it down.

"Well, our plan just derailed," sighed Yemen.

"We didn't expect to run into a couple of strong weirdos, but at least we got good booze out of it."

“Ah, gotta appreciate the small thing. How’s that sword treating you, mate?” A dozen footsteps marched in front of the tavern, both of them knew that they were surrounded just by the noise outside.

“Never got the chance to use it.”

“Well, you might though. Right about now. But, nothing as good as Frozehaven’s steel, right?”

“I’m no expert, but I agree. Oh, that big guy with the shield, I think his shield is made from Frozehaven’s steel.”

“Oh, yeah?” Yemen grunted as he pulled the dagger out then tore a piece of fabric to wrap around his injury.

“Yeah.”

“It must have cost him a fortune to make that shield.”

“Your hand. It’s bleeding.” Yemen pointed at Victor.

“Oh, it happened when I used that technique against something harder than my body. It literally tore my skin apart after I hit the support beam, but don’t worry, I got it.” Victor tore a piece of long fabric from his sleeve and wrapped his bloody hand.

“Yemen Zabazz and Victor. Under the imperial rule of her Empress Shihong, both of you are sentenced to death for treason against the Empire!” shouted one of the Imperial Police.

“Quite the heavy accusation, you got there, mate. Got any proof to back it up?” replied Yemen with a slight chuckle. Despite his enthusiastic nature, the police didn’t indulge him by replying back.

Victor wrapped his hand on the Police’s katana while Yemen took out his makeshift staff and inhaled slowly. Both of them took the last sip of the remaining alcohol and sighed deeply before raising themself. Injured and outnumbered, they couldn’t ask for better odds. They nodded their heads at each other for the last time before taking a few feet away from the main door.

With a cry of war, they barged through the main door, gusto and loud.

Weapons drawn as their feet touch the dirt, but they stopped when their gaze landed on Kenn. He was on his knees with his hands cuffed behind him beside their captured ally stood a Captain. It’s none other than the Second Captain; Hajime Harime.

“Enough, or this will be the last time your friend sees your face,” warned Captain Hajime at the duo.

They let out a defeated grunt before tossing their weapons at the ground and dropped to their knees. The Imperial Police marched at them and cuffed their hands behind their back. Before they knew it, a black hood donned over their heads and they were forced to walk into a separate carriage.

None of them was able to talk to each other, and after a long ride and multiple turns; the carriage stopped. They were forced to get off the carriages, Yemen struggled a bit and sequentially, he was hit in the stomach. He let out a grunt of pain, and Victor recognized it. Victor let out a cough, and Yemen heard it, they were waiting for Kenn to make a noise, but there was none, so he wasn’t here with them.

Good news and bad news.

Down a ramp, damp air, wet ground, Victor concluded that they were near the dock because there wasn't any source water in the city that could create such cold damp air but he could be wrong. Winter was looming over the city, but after feeling the shifted level on the floor, there’s no denying that they were underground. The creaking of the metal bars echoed and sooner they were tossed into a cell after their hoods were taken off by their captors.

One in each cell, Victor turned to his left and found Yemen slamming his hand against the bars, “I’m gonna screw you open if you lay your hand on that rookie!”

The Imperial Police left the vicinity, ignoring the pirate; but Yemen kept yelling, “Do you understand me?! You bloody--”

“Yemen… calm down. We need to hope for the best.”

“Hope for the best? Hope isn't good enough, mate.”

“Ha! You like the rookie, huh? Even after he caught you in the first place.”

“It’s not like that. That bloody kid just saves my men, and he probably got caught because he tried to save us. I owed him.” Yemen leaned against the bars and dragged himself down until his buttocks reached the cold floors.

“The rookie will be fine. If they wanted to kill us they would already. Something is up, I don’t know why, but it kept us alive, and it probably even kept the rookie alive. For now at least,” Victor rubbed his hands together to warm himself; this cold he felt always caused him to be a little down because it reminded him of his home.

“I hate the cold. It would be nice to have some booze right about now.”

“Here.” Yemen tossed a small metal flask at Victor.

He caught it and uncapped it. “This is…”

“Yep.”

“You sneaky bastard.” Victor took a small sip; he felt it kicking back, this wasn’t the normal stuff he drank. This stuff was stronger but tasted more horrible. He tossed it back to Yemen.

“Now what?”

“We wait...”

The only thing they could do is wait. As the temperature began to drop, their hands and feet were getting numb and they found themself unable to fight the cold without a heat source. Steam escaped Victor’s lips, despite being locked inside a dark underground cell, he was able to guess that it was night time judging by the cold. He tilted his head slightly to Yemen, there were no signs of movement.

“Yemen?”

“Wha-at?” He sounded tired, but at least, he wasn’t dead.

“How’s that injury treating you?”

“It stings, but I’ve been through worse---”

In that dark jail cell, a loud smack can be heard echoing through the hallway; it sounded like a body just dropped to the floor. Victor raised himself and gestured to Yemen. The two of them were backing away from the cell door and readied themselves. A dimly lit torch can be seen in the hallway and it was getting closer. Victor and Yemen let out a quiet chuckle when they saw who was holding it.

“Bloody Kenn. You’re still alive?”

Kenn let out a smile, “I am, and still kicking.”

“Yemen was sobbing furiously when he heard they took you somewhere else,” Victor joked as Kenn took out a dangle of keys and unlocked Yemen’s cell.

“I’m didn't not. Don’t listen to him.”

Kenn moved onto Victor’s cell. “I love you too, Yemen,” laughed the rookie as he unlocked the cell.

“Oh, buzz off,” cursed Yemen as he peeked in the hallway, he went in and came out with a pair of swords that was familiar to Victor, and a longbow for himself. Yemen even brought a bag of quivers with him.

“How did you get out in the first place?” asked Victor as he took both Katana and strapped it under his belt. One of them belonged to unconscious police and the other belonged to Keiko; the Man-eater. Victor caught a glance from Kenn before he stored the keys back into his pockets.

“Captain Hajime wasn’t the one who faked the letter, we had a talk. He told me that there was something more going on than I realized. He didn’t give me the details but he did tell me to go to the State Lord’s house.”

“And you believe him?”

“Truth to be told, I don’t know. But I need to go there first, to find out or at least talk to the State Lord. Friends; if you don’t mind me calling both of you that.”

“We don’t. In fact, Yemen is teary about it.”

“Come on, buzz off, mate, but I don’t mind. Friend.”

“Aww, Yemen is such a softie.”

“I will screw you open, you know that, right?” Yemen gestured rudely at Victor.

“I can’t get inside the State Lord’s house alone. I know that I’m asking you both to charge into more trouble than necessary, but I need your help.”

Victor glanced away. “Is Haruhi fine?”

“Before I got captured by Captain Hajime, I managed to make sure that Haruhi and Yemen’s men escaped without any trouble.”

“Thank you, but we barely made it out in the first place,” said Victor as they started moving deeper into the hallway.

“Bloody hell, I’m in,” said Yemen as he made sure the corner was empty.

“Are you sure, Yemen?”

“He helps us save our people, mate. Besides, I did say; I owed him.”

“You crazy bastard, fine. If anything goes sideways again, I’m leaving,” huffed Victor as he placed his hand on the hilt.

“Thank you, both of you. Take a left here.”