Quinn was riding a modest stagecoach, and a bronze shield was etched into its side. On the inside was a grey-haired man, his hair combed neatly to the side. The man was wearing a neat white button-up suit with a black coat that split up to the lower back; his trousers were also black. A pair of shined brown dress shoes clacked gently against the floor of the stagecoach. Carter had been in a hurry to take Quinn home, yet he still seemed so put together.
'That's what years of being a butler will do to you.'
Quinn lurched forward as the coach came to a sudden stop. Carter raised an eyebrow; a faint choking sound could be heard outside. Quinn moved quickly, pulling Carter down. The glass windows shattered as arrows whizzed past above.
'An ambush! Cowards!'
Quinn looked around. He needed something, anything. He grabbed a sharp glass shard, no concern on his face as it slightly cut his skin.
"Don't move, Carter. I think I can handle this." Quinn whispered, and Carter nodded.
Footsteps approached the leftside door. Quinn raised his leg, mana rushing to the bottom of his boots. With a grunt, he kicked the door. The door flung outwards with astonishing speed, and a hooded man let out a groan as the door rammed straight into him. Quinn quickly jumped out of the stagecoach, leaping at the man and stabbing the glass shard into his arm.
Quinn quickly grabbed the handle of the door; it was a viable enough shield. It was better than some dainty piece of glass. He calmed his breath as he brought the door upon the face of the hooded man, just for good measure. Quinn quickly turned around, raising the shield as two more arrows bit into the wood. It was just thick enough to prevent them from hitting Quinn.
Quinn rushed to the closest assailant. His stance was low, and the enemy attempted to pull out something from his belt.
'Too late.'
Quinn kicked the man's knee inward. The man yelped as his bone cracked. Quinn followed up by bashing the shield against his face. The man fell back; he wouldn't bleed to death from his bone popping out. Quinn knew as much.
Quinn turned just in time as a slimmer figure was aiming for his back. A curved dagger in her hand, Quinn turned his body. The girl didn't lose her target; her stab turned into a slash. Quinn tried to block it with his shield, but the girl was quicker. His right arm was slashed, and a throbbing pain came from the now bleeding wound.
Quinn winced; the enemy didn't just stop there. She bashed his chest and stabbed the dagger into his thigh. Quinn fell to the ground, and the girl followed, pinning his left arm with her knee. She brought the dagger up, bringing it down. Quinn raised his right hand, and it pierced through his hand. He struggled, blood dripping onto his face, burning his eyes.
'Come on!'
The girl was winning. The dagger was getting closer to his throat. The tip kissed his skin, leaving a small bleeding cut. Blood fell onto Quinn's body, but it wasn't his. Quinn looked up through teary eyes. An elegant sword had pierced through the ambushers' chests. The blade got pulled back, and the bandit collapsed to the side, revealing his would-be saviour. The woman was fully armoured from head to toe; however, a handkerchief with a D stitched on it was tied around her rerebrace.
"Destiny?" Quinn murmured weakly. Carter's daughter helped him up with her gauntleted hand.
"Let's get you back home, Quinn."
Quinn nodded weakly, taking her hand and standing up. She supported him on her shoulder as they walked to the stagecoach. All Quinn could remember was Carter and Desinty exchanging a few words before he shut his eyes, trying his best to ignore the throbbing pain of his wound being targeted.
***
The next thing Quinn knew, he was in a bed next to a fire, a soft, silken sheet covering his body. He raised his right arm; his wounds had been bandaged, and dried blood slightly stained them. It was only then that a striking woman with short brown hair walked in. She was wearing a simple grey tunic and trousers. She looked over at Quinn; her piercing stare was now relaxed.
'Scary.' Quinn thought. Destiny had inherited her father's sharp eyes. She was a gentle soul; however, Quinn knew as much.
"It's good to see you're awake. You always make a mess wherever you go, huh?"
Quinn hesitated for a moment, then softly smiled.
"Seems to be a part of my nature."
Carter entered the room soon after. A slight relief flickered in his eyes.
"I'm glad you are well, Sir Ardanthe."
"You as well, Carter. Destiny, how exactly did you come to my rescue?"
Destiny looked out the window towards the road for a brief second; her face was obscured in the dim atmosphere of the room.
"I came to receive something from your father. I happened to run into a certain paladin nearly being stabbed to death." Destiny allowed her face to come into the warm light that the fireplace produced. "You did well, I'm sure your father would be proud."
Quinn nodded; he didn't need that reassurance; it never did him any good to begin with.
"Anyhow, the driver is alive as well. In critical condition, I used my Radiance to stabilise him. It's a miracle that man is alive, quite literally."
Quinn let out a sigh of relief. That was the one regret Quinn had; perhaps he could visit the man soon. Maybe compensate him and his family as well. Destiny seemed to read his mind.
"Worry about yourself before you worry about that driver." Destiny stepped forward. "Speaking of that, tell me how your adventure in the dungeon went. All I heard was you got injured."
Quinn scratched the back of his head. "It went about as well as one should expect, with a bit of a mishap at the end. We went in, killed several giant rats, took some treasure, then ran into a Living Statue on the way out." Destiny's eyes widened a bit.
"A Living Statue?"
Quinn nodded. "We only managed to kill it thanks to the mage on our team; she is rather an impressive one."
Destiny seemed to pout. "Am I not impressive as well?"
Quinn vehemently shook his head. "No, no. I'm sure you're still stronger than her. You are the most aspiring knight in the Kingdom of Caelthorne right now."
Caelthrone... the so called rival kingdom to Vireth. While Vireth treated magic to be picked apart and studied, Caelthorne treated it as faith to be trusted. Both sides weren't wrong; however, both had their nuances. An outsider like Quinn wouldn't understand it either way.
"You do know better now, do you?" Destiny patted Quinn on the head, who gave her a confused stare. Destiny gave him a teasing look. "What? I can't tease my soon-to-be husband."
Quinn's eyes widened, and he looked at Carter, who only shrugged in acceptance. "W-what...? What do you mean by future husband? Won't that interfere with your progress at Caelthrone? You are so close to being a Holy Blade."
Destiny shrugged, a grin breaking out on her face. "I told you I came to receive something from your father. What if I told you that something is you?"
Quinn blushed, bashfully looking away. He murmured to himself, "Well... if you request, I suppose-"
"Just kidding." Destiny patted his head once again. "You are right, I still have to become a Holy Blade. A promise is a promise after all, remember?"
Quinn froze for a moment, his face contorted in surprise. Then it regained its calm composure. "Right, I suppose so."
Destiny waved her hand lazily as she walked out of the room. Quinn glared at Carter.
"Traitor, you are my butler, not hers."
Carter stroked his beard. "I didn't think she was lying either. That's the reason she gave me as well."
Quinn tilted his head. Just what was that pretty hooligan up to?