Immediately, Riki unsheathes his sword, the metal glinting sharply. He points it at the intruder, snarling. "Fat chance, old man. Scram while you can," he threatens.
The man's lips curl up into a sinister smile. "That's no way to speak, prince, I thought your parents taught you better than that. And as for fighting me? Cute. But you're no match for me, princeling."
It was the same man at the restaurant with no doubt. He had a cruel, beady eye of a thief and a body built like a thug. One eye was covered with an black eye patch. A sword was at his side, but he seemed to have no interest in using it... as of now.
"Who are you? How did you know I was the prince?" Riki demands, circling the man warily.
He snorts. "You think your pitiful glamour could fool me? Maybe to a normal person, but I've been especially trained to detect illusions," he bares his teeth, "Now if we could get to the matter at hand? Either you come willingly or I can chop your head off. No hard feelings. Prince Renjin would pay handsomely for your head."
Prince Cha Renjin. The Crown Prince of the West.
"Money," he seethes, "You're doing this for money?"
The mercenary shrugs. "Of course. I have to make a living somehow. Besides," he draws his blade, "my allegiance is to the West. Enough talking, it's time for you to say bye-bye."
Suddenly, he leaps into the air, his sword flashing in the air as it sliced downwards through the air, almost splitting Riki's skull if he had not dodged. The man growls before locking into an intense fight with the prince.
Slash. Dodge. Parry. It took almost all of Riki's concentration to try to land a blow on him while counterattacking. He intercepted a strike and countered it with one of his own. He feinted to the right before swiftly slashing at his left arm, leaving a small cut on his opponent's arm, but not as deep as intended.
He cursed. His cloak was restricting his movements. Hastily, he shook it off, just in time to block another attack.
"Not bad." The mercenary muses, grinning widely. They were so close that Riki could see his yellow teeth. "But not good enough to beat me!"
His attacks got stronger and wilder, one rapidly coming after another, merely a blur of movement. All the prince could do now was dodge and block to avoid being hit. But even then, he was quickly losing his strength. Soon enough, Riki's back hit the wall with a thump. He struggled to muster his strength. Beads of sweat started to form on his forehead.
Fire, he thought to himself, I need to summon fire.
He concentrates on a flicker of a flame as the weight of the mercenary's sword presses against his. Darkness. Nothing. Oddly enough, his power seemed to be restrained. Subdued.
Riki couldn't count on magic to help him.
With great effort, he drops to the ground and rolls out of the way before getting up, staggering. His only satisfaction was that his adversary's sword had exerted too much force to make him yield, causing it to drive through the wooden wall. He roars before jerking his weapon out of the wall violently, whirling around to face the prince.
The gash on his arm still spilled out blood. He spats on the ground. "A good trick. But even magic has failed you. It is merely luck that you are alive now."
He raises his arms to the sky, where a slit of sunlight shone through the alley. Riki furrows his eyebrows into confusion before it hit him.
Shadows of abandoned crates strewn around them seemed to peel off the ground. And to his horror, they were. Literally.
Shadow magic. He had read about it in one of his classes, but he had never encountered it. Shadow wielders were rare, uncommon. And incredibly strong.
The mercenary simply flicked his hand. "Pin him down," he commands the shadows.
Riki could only stand wide eyed as the shadows launched at him. Instinctively, he slashes at the shadows, only for his sword to be swallowed by them. His weapon went right through the shadows, barely making any damage. It was futile, but he swung his sword repeatedly, trying to get rid of them.
A chuckle. "You're only delaying the inevitable. The shadows cannot be stopped by your puny weapon. You can't slash at them forever, Your Highness."
As much as Riki wanted to salvage his pride, he was right. He was quickly losing steam, each attack becoming slower than the last. Eventually, he stumbled, dropping his sword, allowing for the shadows to crawl over his arm and legs, solidifying into shackles. They didn't have a particular sensation, as if nonexistent, but he knew if he struggled against them, there would be a consequence and he wasn't eager to find out.
"For causing me all that trouble," the man hovers over him and smirks, looking down at him victoriously, "we should play a bit before getting right to it, shouldn't we?"
"Let me go!" Riki snaps, growling at him. "Don't you dare touch me?"
"Whoops." He flashes an innocent, mocking smile as he drags his sword against the prince's pants, leaving a cut on the fabric. Riki could feel the sword dig deep into his flesh, possibly even to the bone. He grunts as his nerves scream, pain washing over him. "You son of-"
"Choose your next words wisely, princeling," the mercenary warns, "Or you may get another wound on the face to match the cut on your leg." Leaning down, he whispers, his terrible breath reeking of dead fish. "I'd shut my trap if I were you."
Riki bit his tongue. It was clear that he was going to die. Or kidnapped. Or maybe something worse. He had lost. As soon as the man had decided to stop toying with him, he'd be a goner. He closes his eyes and braces himself for the pain.
"Drop your sword."
His eyes flit open, latching onto a new, familiar figure. Their, no, her, back was faced to him, standing over him, clad in a plain, white tunic. By her side was a silver sword. Her raven hair billowed around her shoulder. He blinks in his confusion. Who was she? And why did her voice sound so vaguely familiar?
"Get out of the way, girl." The one-eyed man growled. "Stay out of this if you value your life."
"Afraid I cannot," the girl replies. "Bring it on."
"Me? Fight a girl?" Laughter echoes through the alley. "Interesting. You must be either courageous or a fool for challenging me."
"I'd like to think I'm the prior." she shrugs slightly before suddenly pouncing on the man.
The battle had begun.
Their swords clashed, flashing through the air. The mercenary's sword sliced through the air, about to cut the girl's abdomen. She dodged in time and countered with a strike of her own. It was hypnotizing for Riki to watch them, each attack was a blur and easily countered.
As they fought, he caught a glimpse of his supposed savior's face only for his eyes to widen in shock.
Hyewon. Cho Hyewon was the girl. How in the world did she manage to find him?
A fierce look was upon her face as she whirled around the man. Every time their weapons came in contact, a loud clang resounded the walls, neither of them being able to land a hit on the other. He grins crookedly. "This one's got spirit, eh? Feisty girl." he comments with malicious glee, avoiding another blow.
Hyewon snarls. "I'll show you feisty, you vagrant," she growls. Sidestepping his attack, she launches into her own flurry of moves, slashing viciously at the man. Riki could see her strategy. She was aiming for his weak parts while disguising her moves with a series of feints. Soon enough, his clothes were completely in tatters.
His eyes twitch. "You'll pay for that, you dimwitted girl," he snickers, his eyes flickering to pitch black.
"Hyewon!" Riki yells, "He can control shadows!"
She only casts a brief backwards glance at him before focusing on her opponent. The man sneers. "Keep your mouth shut, boy."
A wisp of black fog drifted over before clamping his mouth shut, muffling the rest of his speech. Unable to handle staying still anymore, he fought against the chains binding him to the ground to no avail.
"Any last words?" The mercenary lazily twirls his fingers, tendrils of black smoke emitting from his hand.
She smiles dangerously. "Screw you."
And once more, she leapt into battle.
As they fought, Riki noticed something strange. Hyewon's sword began to glow. No, she was glowing. He blinks his eyes in surprise, sure that he was hallucinating. How was this possible? He knew that her sword had magical properties, but never had he heard of a sword granting its wield the ability to glow.
However, the light seemed potent against the shadows. Every time the sword was swung, the shadows receded, withering away.
The enemy wasn't too fazed though. "Harnessing the power of Amaterasu? It'll take a lot more than that to defeat me!" he crows.
He lunges, the smoke following his every move. Hyewon blocks with the blade, her eyebrows furrowed as if in deep thought and concentration. She thrusts her sword out far, to Riki's horror, making it easy for her to be disarmed, the blade unbalanced. The mercenary had noticed it too. With one strike, he slapped the sword out of her hand, sending it spinning to the ground, far away from her reach.
"Well," he chuckles, a deep voice resonating through his throat. He grabs her neck. "You're better than I thought. But the best will always be beaten by me. Don't feel too bad."
He raises his sword above Hyewon's head, about to cleave her head in two. Riki could only stare in shock. He couldn't bear to see it, but somehow, he couldn't make himself turn away. There was no hope now. As soon as the mercenary finished her off, his death would follow. They were going to die.
Oddly enough, Riki notices the air shimmering as if heat waves were rising from the ground. He frowns.
"Foul thing."
Hyewon's figure rippled, fading, leaving the mercenary holding nothing but air. Her sword dissipated, no trace of its existence to be found.
"Lesson one, keep your guard up."
(A/N: has a brief mention of blood, nothing to gory. skip if you feel uncomfy.)
The real Hyewon stood behind him, smiling as she pulled out a familiar knife. Beforr Riki realized what she was about to do, she stabbed the mercenary, burying the katana on his left hip.
Blood spilled from the wound, seeping into his clothes. "How?" The mercenary gasps, staring in shock at the hilt protruding from his waist. "I didn't sense you at all? What kind of witchery is this?"
She shrugs nonchalantly. "Hard to admit that you've been fooled by a girl, hm? Don't worry, it isn't poisoned. Only magicked to draw out your energy." She grabs her weapon by the hilt and yanks it out. Not caring that her knife was speckled with blood, Hyewon simply wiped it against the man's shirt. She begins to walk towards Riki.
The mercenary staggers, struggling to remain standing while fighting the pain. "You. You're one of them, aren't you? No one else could've-" he collapses, writhing in pain.
She visibly stiffens before relaxing her shoulders. She looks back, scanning him with an unreadable expression. "Perhaps. That is for me to know and you to not find out."
Hyewon bends down and inspects Riki. The shadow shackles had disappeared. "Can you walk?"
No mention of his leaving of the palace. Nothing about how his parents were going to kill him if they found out. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to be thankful or worried.
He rolls his eyes before lifting his chest from the ground. "Gee, I can most definitely walk with a wound cutting deep in my skin on my leg." he remarks sarcastically. "Of course I can't!"
She made no retort to his surprise and nodded. "Stay still. This might hurt."
Gingerly, she pours out water from her canteen, washing away the blood. Riki winces, but no sound escapes from his mouth. He watches as she takes out a small container, dipping her fingers into what he assumed to be a salve. As gentle as possible, she rubs it over the wound, muttering a few chants under her breath. Hyewon easily rips a chunk of her tunic before wrapping it around the wound. She stands up. "Try now."
He was hesitant to stand up, not wanting to feel the sharp pain rush through his leg. But nonetheless, he eases himself to get to his feet, preparing himself for some major pain, only to feel a slight, minor sting, nothing more. Riki waited. How was this possible?
"No medicine could've been this potent after applying," he frowns. He looks at her. "You're a healer, aren't you? You have magical talent. But that doesn't explain how you created that illusion... healers are of earth magic. And Amaterasu is the goddess of the sun, not earth."
He hoped that she would provide, at the very least, a shake or nod of her head to provide indication whether or not his guess was right. Or an explanation, which would be ideal. But to his dismay, she ignores him, putting the salve back into her satchel.
"You came on a horse right?" she asks.
"Erm... yeah." Another question to put on his list. How did she find out that came riding on Bisco?
A groan rattled in the passage, interrupting his line of thought.
"Is- is he going to be okay?" Riki wasn't so sure why he was so... well not worried but slightly concerned about the mercenary's fate. Especially after considering that he had just tried to kill both of them.
Hyewon glances at the man with disdain. "He'll live." she replies dismissively. "If he found you, there are probably other thugs like him in town. Best to get going."
Her tone suggested that he should keep his mouth shut from now on. Riki knew she wasn't going to answer his questions, no matter how much he would pester her. And remembering how she had single-handedly taken down the mercenary, he wasn't keen on making her angry. He decided to zip his mouth.
But who was she really? He was starting to believe that she was more than a mere guard his parents had assigned to protect him. The mercenary had said that she was one of 'them'. Who were 'them'? And how was she associated with them?
These were questions he had to ask her another day.
A/N: got another niki story idea and my impulse is to drop everything to write it- i feel like the story's getting a bit boring, im used to writing modern time and highschool au. I NEED MORE IDEAS FOR THE PLOTLINE AHDLENHSJSNNWBS lowkey miss school. have a good day!