Technomancer: Genesis - 108 Thunder Strikes

Rycharde strode and entered the Tavern. Hearth who was still aiming his gun put it down slowly. Rycharde’s words were like cold water that dropped to his spine, all the ale that he had drunk seemingly came down and engulfed his senses.

“What the hell are you doing?” Rycharde bellowed with an austere voice. He hit him on the head. Even though Hearth was of higher standing than him since he was of noble blood, in Ezra’s retinue, Rycharde was treated as the captain and the senior. “If I wasn’t on patrol with the Blackfyre Guard I wouldn’t have caught you! Explain yourself.”

“I was just teaching that Lord over there a lesson,” Hearth nodded left toward the lord as he tucked the gun back in his shirt.

“Let’s step outside first before we settle things,” Rycharde with a commanding tone.

“Hmm, Blackfyre Guard, It seems he is a vassal of the young Lord,” Heinrich whispered to Ulric.

“Curious, why did that knight stop him abruptly, I mean that wouldn’t do a thing to the Lord, if that [Rock Bullet] didn’t affect him I doubt that laughably tiny thing could,” Ulric whispered back.

“Yes, that is indeed peculiar, but I wouldn’t dwell too much on it, he obviously didn’t want any more squabbles,”

“We deeply regret this incident, Please just list the damages that were incurred. Castle Blackfyre will pay for the repairs and a little extra for your trouble,” Rycharde knelt down and patted the sobbing barmaid.

“Don’t worry the Castle will take all the blame for this” Rycharde said soothingly.

Each word about the damages from Rycharde was a stab to Hearth’s heart. He sat down and put his hands on his head. ‘No, I won’t let Lord Ezra pay for this, I’m going to do it with my own money.’

After consoling the barmaid, Rycharde stood up and strode toward the Lord. “We apologize for the damages. How much do we owe?”

The sitting lord spared him a glance and spoke conversationally, “Don’t worry I was partially at fault, I did slander the boy somewhat,” he lazily spoke.

“We insist, Lord . . .” Rycharde asked fishing for an answer,

“Redway,”

“Yes, Lord Redway we insist that we pay for damages. Castle Blackfyre seeks that you have a pleasant stay in Bren,”

“If you insist, then a meeting with Lord Blackfyre would very much pay for my damages here,” answered Redway.

“I cannot guarantee an audience milord, however, I can guarantee that Lord Blackfyre will indeed hear of this,” Rycharde bowed.

“Very well go on now,” Redway raised his hand and did a shooing motion.

Rycharde bowed.

“Now everything is in order, let’s get out of here,” Rycharde directed his voice at a hunched Hearth.

Hearth walked slowly it was as if he was drifting.

The guards that were left standing let a heavy sigh of relief.

“He told us he was from the Lord Ezra’s entourage, right?”

“Yeah,” replied another.

“Remind me never to cross paths with those guys, if he was twelve years old and destroyed us, I wonder, how much the other guys will decimate us,” the captain added.

“Aye,” replied the other guard as he shuddered.

“Ulric, seems like they going out,” Heinrich whispered, “I have a feeling we should tail them?”

“What for?”

“Something is just really bugging me about that weapon. If it was a crossbow why, then why didn’t it have any bows at all, something is really off,”

“You have a point, but I don’t see why we would tail them for that,” Ulric replied.

“Call it a hunch,”

“Bah, whatever, we have nothing else to do anyway.”

Hearth and Rycharde walked three blocks away from the tavern. Rycharde looked to see if there was anyone in the vicinity when he saw no one. He started to talk

“What the hell are you thinking? Getting drunk, picking a fight? What is wrong with that damned head of yours? Did you get too many hits on the head last time you duelled?”

Hearth’s head was down and didn’t reply, they didn’t know the truth. Only Lord Blackfyre knew that he was in truth a bastard. Aaron had been trying very hard to hush things. If he didn’t try to reason things out, then everything he did would be irrational.

“I – I just. That Lord said that I was a bastard, so I defended my pride,”

“Are you three? You know full well that you aren’t. You didn’t need to go on a rampage. The collateral damage you did was unpardonable. You just made a fool out of yourself”

“I-I will have Castle Bedross pay for the expenses, they will go out of my pocket” Hearth mouthed an answer.

“So what? They are guests of Bren, to them it is going to be Castle Blackfyre that pays for your foolishness, the reputation of the castle will be tarnished not yours. Insolent fool. If you can’t handle your ale then you aren’t allowed to drink any,” Rycharde announced with a stern look, “Brawling was the least of your faults, you even tried to use Lord Ezra’s weapon! Do you understand the repercussions of such actions!” Rycharde’s voice was now too overbearing for Hearth.

His head was even lower and his face flushed red, the liquor that he had been drinking was slowly rushing back now that the adrenaline had subsided. He started to hiccup.

“I shall have my recommendations of punishments to be incurred for your atrocities today. I think a few lashings, hard labour and dungeon time should straighten you up!”

“I know, it doesn’t make sense right now,” Hearth hiccupped, “but someday whatever happens I hope that you don’t find out,”

“What? You are not making sense at all, it just proves that you can’t handle your ale,”

“I drank 10 mugs of ale hic, for your information. Hic, I can handle my ale,” Hearth was beginning to feel wobbly as they started to walk.

“Whatever,” Rycharde scrunched his eyebrows at the remark, he was obviously in a bad mood,

“What I can’t handle is hic,” Hearth hiccupped again, ” Is that I’m actually, I’m actually a bas-, ” Hearth stepped on a loose rock and slipped.

BANG!

“What was that!” Ulric asked Heinrich with a voice so loud it almost blew their cover, “It was loud. it’s as if thunder had struck but it didn’t come from the sky.”

“I don’t know exactly, Is that a spell?” Heinrich observed closely as he gazed intently.

“It seemed to come from Lord Hearth, you saw his body convulse as the sound came, right?,” they had fully acknowledged Hearth’s prowess and thus they addressed him with an honorific.

“But he fell down,”

They hid in the rooftops observing the scene.

Rycharde picked up Hearth who was groaning. He fell on his chest, Luckily the bulletproof vest did its job.

“Stupid boy, you forgot to put the colt in safety.” Rycharde took out the gun from Hearth’s tattered pocket and set the gun to safety. Hearth was now fully knocked out. Even though the bullet didn’t kill him, it destroyed the bulletproof, the shockwave was more than that of a hammer to his chest. Rycharde proceeded carry Hearth who passed out in his arms.

“That knight, he took out the weapon that Lord Hearth used a while ago,” Ulric whispered.

“That loud thunderous noise came from that little thing!” Heinrich gasped.

“Great Omnipotence what in the world is that!”

“It must be some sort weapon the artificers at Rexasticus created, I heard the that the Lord’s son is betrothed to Princess Hestia, in fact, she is here right now,” Heinrich added.

“If that was a special weapon from the Imperial Capital then why the hell is that lordling using it in pub fights?”

“I don’t know for certain but it is interesting to find out why, is it not?”

“let’s get back to our quarters and write a report. For now, we should get more spies in Bren,”

“Looks like our stay in Fulmen will be interesting,” smiled Heinrich.