PAM!
A heavy callous hand landed on his leather armour, which, apparently, did its job just fine. He didn't feel a thing, except for the loud impact that made Roi shit his pants.
His legs gave out, and he fell on his knees. His hand grabbed the parapet in vain.
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"He was sleeping a moment ago!"
From that distance, Roi couldn't see anything better than many small points. At least a dozen of them were black, and among them, only three were riding a horse. More than twice as many of them were near the ground with white clothes, or armour, that reflected the light of the battle in the sky. Among them were two large wagons, each pulled by four men divided into two rows.
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The Savior eagerly followed him. The ruined houses were slowly being replaced by the tall wall made of yellowish stones, all different from one another.
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Lish just shrugged and glanced at them.
<>
A guard, with the same white armour of Lish, was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs with a thick, green rope that held by the hilt a black sword with yellow veins all over the blade.
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His voice, instead, was deeper than Omes's.
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Lish shook the rope and looked up.
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He remembered that the Bastard had one similar.
"Maybe it's a symbol of power. Even Greth has the armour black, and he's the leader. Omes trained us and was there when the fish was killed. It makes sense that Lish had one."
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They walked across the Regulursteum, over the temple, and the warehouse that was a part of the wall.
The city was waking up in that moment. The more Roi got close to it, the more he was stunned by how those wooden balconies didn't crush under the weight of the people, who came out to see what was happening.
Some of them were even walking down the stairs that enveloped every single house. Many wore simple green or brown clothes, and others just their underwear.
On one of the tallest balconies, he saw Derlom fixing his black hair next to a woman holding a toddler. His friend looked at the two men in black armour on their horses behind Greth, who was talking to an unknown guard, with a confused expression. Then, he looked around and widened his eyes when he met Roi's icy eyes.
They both happily waved at each other.
From one of the streets appeared Omes, struggling to wear a green shirt, who was approaching Greth with long strides.
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Roi bowed too, driven by the authority of Greth and of the two men behind him.
They both had the same type of armour as Omes had when Roi first met him. Yet, theirs had a slight change.
Thousands of dark yellow veins radiate out from a small circle engraved in every piece of their armour. Their black swords hung freely down from a well-made, but worn, belt.
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He was as tall as a giant on the horse, and twice as intimidating. Roi couldn't help but tremble uncontrollably before him.
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"Did he realize that Gordàlish is inside me? Should I say something? No. He wouldn't have used 'trick'. If I say something, I will be killed here, I'm sure."
His hands gripped tightly around the reins; even his horse seemed scared. His long, oily brown hair was tied in a ruthless braid with the side of his head shaved. His short, thick beard gave him a much darker tone to his sunken eyes with golden rivers.
<> That guy was clearly mocking him, but at that point, Roi got used to it.
Roi didn't dare to raise his head in front of that authority.
Meanwhile, the other guy got off the horse. He was approaching Omes with a big smile and open arms. Thousands of little wrinkles decorated his sparkling amber eyes. The black, well-kept mustache was much thicker than his black hair, which was struggling to remain attached against that faint wind. On the back of his head, skin already reigned supreme.
Tiny little regrowth hairs filled his cheeks and neck.
The horse was quickly taken to the nearby walls by one of the guards, who was running towards the wagon with buckets and green baskets, as Omes and the man hugged each other.
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The horse snorted, shaking its enormous head.
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<> Lish eventually said.
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A shadow of worry passed over Lish's eyes.
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Someone on the tallest balconies shouts out. In an instant, the air trembled with applause and the children's shouts of joy, which were quickly stifled by their mothers. Guards carried food like a trophy of war, raising the baskets, or buckets, over their heads as they ran to the warehouse.
The city was becoming more crowded. Calees was pressed against the handrail of the stairs; she seemed not to mind that.
That bastard of Mansin was on his tiptoe behind an ocean of people.
Master Dolor calmly walked through the crowd.
Saphine was together with her family: Her dad, mother, and a boy who was slightly shorter than Lou.
Jest pushed his way through until there was no one left in front of him.
Roi observed the guads, too. He saw many types of food, each more strange than the last. Yet, he knew their name, and his mouth knew their taste. Bread, carrots, potatoes, and meat.
His eyes and mouth weren't the only parts of his body to work. His ears were catching a cacophony of voices; other than the food, they were talking about him. He couldn't understand who they were, nor the exact words, but the words Monster, Outsider, and Princess were pronounced clearly, as if they wanted him to hear them. Even Skeleton was often used.
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Just now, Roi noticed that Teren placed himself next to the other man, with his horse behind him, both of them were on the left side of Greth. Omes, on the right side of the Leader.
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This time, no one applauded.