Chương 89: To Maelridge!

I didn't see the arrow; I only felt its aftermath. A deafening crack, a flash of golden light, and then I was airborne, thrown across the room by a shockwave that felt like being hit by a charging bull. I slammed into the far wall and crumpled to the floor, my health bar dropping by nearly half in an instant. Dust and debris filled the air, and I was instantly disoriented. The attack was powerful enough to completely overwhelm me. Through the ringing in my ears, I heard Erdin's voice.

"Everyone down! Stay down!" I forced my eyes open. The room was devastated. The window where Erdin had been standing moments ago was gone: not just broken, but obliterated, the entire section of wall reduced to rubble. Only Erdin's shield, still raised and glowing with defensive magic, had prevented the shot from killing us all outright. Even so, the knight was on one knee, his shield arm still trembling from the impact.

"Kara?" I croaked.

"Here." Her voice came from somewhere to my left, weak but alive.

"What... what was that?" I crawled toward the destroyed side of the wall, ignoring my protesting muscles and the plethora of debuff notifications present over my health bar. When I reached the edge and looked out, my blood ran cold. Calian stood in the street below, standing tall with a massive longbow in his hands: different from the sword he'd used to cut his two fellow knights down, and probably twice as deadly, too.

The weapon hummed with power; golden runes were etched along its limbs, fading from the shot he'd just fired. Behind him stood five knights in full armor, their weapons drawn.

"Erdin!" Calian's voice carried easily through the night air, calm and almost conversational.

"I must admit, I'm disappointed. I thought you were smarter than this." Erdin rose to his feet, his shield still raised. Blood trickled from a wound on his forehead, but his expression was solid as granite.

"You need to go," he said quietly, not turning to look at us.

"Now."

"We can't just—" Cathe started.

"You can and you will." Erdin's voice brooked no argument.

"The Count needs you. Tidemark needs you. We'll hold them here." The two other knights moved to flank their leader, drawing their swords. Three against six. It wasn't a fight. It was a sacrifice. Erdin was definitely strong, but he was not on Calian's level. The knight-commander was something else entirely.

"Erdin, please—" Cathe's voice cracked.

"Cathe." He finally turned, just slightly, enough to meet her eyes.

"You know what's at stake. You know what has to happen. Don't let this be for nothing." She stood frozen for a moment, tears streaming down her face. Then she moved, but not toward the exit; she ran to the knight. She grabbed the front of his armor, pulled him down, and kissed him. It lasted only a second, but in that second, I understood everything. The way she'd looked at him when we arrived. The way he'd spoken her name. This wasn't just a knight protecting his liege's aide.

This was a man saying goodbye to the woman he loved.

"Come back to me," she whispered against his lips.

"I will." He gently pushed her away, then turned back to face the window. His sword sang as it cleared its scabbard.

"Get them out of here," he told Cathe.

"Through the secret pass. You know the route." The woman nodded and grabbed my arm, gesturing towards a trapdoor.

"This way. Quickly."

"Erdin!" Calian's voice again, closer now.

"The two knights who caught your little fugitives reported what happened. Ser Harwick was quite thorough in his description. If you were planning to betray the Count and me, you really should have killed them." Erdin stepped through the ruined wall, dropping to the street below. His two remaining knights followed, forming a line between Calian's group and the building.

"I'm not the one who betrayed the Count, Calian." Erdin's voice was steady, carrying the weight of absolute conviction.

"You are. And when this is over, you'll answer for your crimes." I saw confusion flicker across the faces of some of Calian's knights. They exchanged glances, uncertainty creeping into their expressions. Whatever they'd been told about tonight's events, Erdin's accusation clearly didn't match the narrative. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

"Don't listen to him," Calian said smoothly.

"He's been compromised. Working with the adventurers who murdered two of our brothers."

"The only murderer here is you!" Erdin raised his sword.

"How many loyal men have you killed to keep your secrets? How many more will die for Darius's ambition?" This time, there was even more confusion among Calian's ranks, but not enough to break their discipline. They followed their commander's lead, spreading out to encircle Erdin's small group.

"Move!" Cathe hissed, pulling me away from the window.

"There's nothing more you can do here!" She was right. I knew she was right. But leaving felt like cowardice. Kara grabbed my other arm, her grip surprisingly strong.

"Orion. Please. We have to go." I looked at her. She was pale, shaken, but already on her feet and moving toward the back of the room.

"There's a passage," Cathe said, her voice barely holding together.

"In the cellar. It leads outside the walls." We followed her through the trapdoor, which was surprisingly still unscathed, down a narrow staircase into darkness. Behind us, I heard the clash of steel on steel, and I knew that the fight had begun. Erdin against Calian. Three knights against six. I didn't need to see it to know how it would end. The cellar was cramped and musty, filled with old crates and forgotten supplies.

Cathe moved with practiced efficiency, navigating the cluttered space until she reached the far wall.

"Here." She pressed against a specific stone, and a section of the wall swung inward, revealing a tunnel beyond.

"This passage runs beneath the eastern quarter and emerges near the old mill outside the walls. The rebels don't know about it."

"How can you be sure?" Kara asked.

"Because Erdin had it built in secret, months ago. He told me a couple hours before you arrived. For exactly this kind of situation." The squire's voice was tight with emotion, but she maintained her composure.

"He always said preparation was the difference between victory and defeat." We entered the tunnel. It was narrow, barely wide enough for two people to walk side by side, and pitch-black beyond the first few meters. I summoned Lune. Her Foxfire illuminated the passage, revealing rough stone walls and a floor worn smooth by occasional use.

"Thank you," Cathe whispered, though whether to me or to some higher power, I couldn't tell. We moved as quickly as the confined space allowed. The tunnel twisted and turned, occasionally branching into side passages that our guide ignored with the confidence of someone who'd memorized the route. She knows where to go despite only knowing about it for a couple hours. Impressive memory. No one spoke. The only sounds were our footsteps, our breaths, and occasionally something echoing behind our backs.

After what felt like an eternity but was probably only around ten minutes, the tunnel began to slope upward. The air turned to a fresher breeze, carrying the scent of grass and earth rather than dust and stone.

"Almost there," Cathe said. The passage ended at a sturdy and solid wooden door. The squire pressed her ear against it, listening for several seconds, then carefully lifted the latch. Moonlight spilled in as the door swung open. We emerged into a small structure, an old mill perhaps, its wheel long since rotted away. Through gaps in the wooden walls, I could see open fields stretching toward distant tree lines. We were outside Tidemark.

"The Count's retinue should be in Maelridge," Kara said, her voice steadier now that we were clear of immediate danger.

"It's about three hours on foot."

"That's too long," Cathe pondered for a moment.

"There's a farm not too far from here. The family has a small boat. We could take it to Maelridge, be there in half the time."

"How do you know they won't report to Calian?" I asked.

"They are loyal to the Count," she stated.

"And they know me."

"Then let's go." The farm was where Cathe had said it would be. It was a modest homestead with a small stable and a family of NPCs who asked no questions when Cathe identified herself. Within minutes, we were sailing on open seas. It was different than taking one of the big vessels in Oakenlight to travel to the city of Tidemark. Here we all had to take part in maneuvering the boat, raising sails, rowing, and navigating around sharp rocks. It was a refreshing challenge after all we'd been through.

"Lothras and Athos," I said as we settled into a steady rhythm.

"We need to contact them. Let them know what happened." I opened the party chat interface. Orion: Change of plans. We have Cathe with us. Heading to Maelridge now. A moment passed, then Athos's response appeared. Athos: We're already here. The Count's retinue arrived an hour ago. We're standing by. IDK how to approach them without getting sent away. Where are you? Orion: Sailing there on a small boat. Long story. Calian found us. Ser Erdin helped us escape. Lothras: Erdin? Who is Erdin?

For a moment, I forgot that the other villages had different groups of knights recruiting players for the Trident quest. Calian, Erdin, Cathe, and another knight named Syrak came to Carpa, but not to the other villages. Orion: He's a good man. He's been building a network of loyal knights. He knows about Calian's betrayal. But Calian caught up to us. Erdin stayed behind to buy us time. There was a longer pause this time. Athos: Is he...? Orion: I don't know. We had to run. Kara: We're maybe an hour and a half out.

Can you make sure the Count doesn't go anywhere until we arrive? Athos: We'll try. But Lothras and I can't exactly waltz up to the Count and demand an audience. We're still outlaws, remember? Orion: Figure something out. Once we get there, Cathe can get us in. She's the Count's aide. Lothras: On it. Sail fast. We'll be waiting at the village's eastern entrance. I closed the interface and focused on the road ahead. In a bit more than an hour, we'd arrive in Maelridge.

From then on, all we had to do was convince Count Vizgrad of Calian's treachery and somehow prevent a coup that had been in its planning phase for years. Behind us, Tidemark's lights grew smaller and smaller until they vanished entirely. Somewhere back there, Erdin and his knights were fighting, giving their lives to give us this chance. I wouldn't let it go to waste.