The hallway intersected with another hallway ahead, he still found no one around. However as he looked at the surroundings he started to find them a bit familiar, as he went deeper and deeper he saw familiar sculptures and decorations and finally realized why the building felt familiar.
This was the flower wall estate. Was his uncle crazy? This was the first place Lucien's people would look for him.
Was he this confident that they wouldn't find him? Just how deep had Reynard eroded Lucien's control of the house?
The sight of the familiar corridors brought an ache to his heart. This estate had been Lucien's gift to Giselle, a token of love. It was one of the finest estates in his territory. No, the entire kingdom. Lucien had been dissuaded by his followers but had he listened? No.
Giselle had him well and truly hooked. In fact the ambush this time had been Giselle wanting to travel to the estate. He had been warned yet again, not that he heeded the warning.
On the way they had been ambushed. This was the result, Lucien had been tortured and killed in a way, his follower's fates were also unknown.
He was suddenly jarred out of his recollections by the sound of confident footsteps in the hallway.
Lucien felt panic rise in his heart as he hurriedly looked for a place to hide. There were no rooms in this stretch of the hallway.
He dived for the only viable hiding spot, behind a drape.
He remained utterly still, looking forward through a tiny slit in the drapes for the person passing. His heartbeat rose significantly when he saw the torturer pass through.
His heart dropped to his chest when the torturer suddenly slowed down and looked around searchingly. Lucien remained extra still, not daring to breath.
There was only one viable place to hide in the hall. The torturer approached it. Lucien felt his hope crumble. As he prepared to meet his end, he noticed the system blinking. Hope returned to his heart.
[Lesser Invisibility: 1 gold coin / sec]
He immediately activated it. At just that moment the torturer flipped the drapes, he looked around and found no one. He seemed surprised.
The torturer looked around for a while then resumed his merry walk through the hall. Lucien waited till he turned the corner but didn't move, he only turned off the invisibility.
[Wealth: 11 Gold coins]
He half expected the torturer to act like in the movies. To pretend to leave then return. Lucien wasn't taking any chances.
After a second or two, nothing happened. Just as Lucien was about to come out, the torturer's figure appeared at the end of the hall.
He scanned the hall carefully before confirming there was no one there. He finally turned around and left.
This time Lucien didn't wait, he stealthily left and walked at a brisk pace towards the exit. The torturer would surely find the dead guards, he would immediately raise the alarm and hunt down Lucien.
Lucien intended to be as far away as he could at that moment.
The moment he turned the hallway he froze, he finally knew why there were no servants. There was a guard at the door, it seemed that they had closed off this wing of the estate to everyone.
Lucien felt that his life was at a crossroads, He couldn't go back, the torturer was there. He could only go forward, he only hoped that the guard wasn't an elite knight.
If he was, then Lucien was doomed.
Lucien broke into a run as he dashed towards the guard. He ran at his normal speed, not purchasing enhancements.
The guard heard him and turned around. His eyes widened when he saw and recognized Lucien, he immediately drew his sword and waited for him.
Seeing the speed Lucien was approaching at, derision appeared in his eyes, he couldn't believe this was the heir to the Aureville lineage.
Lucien waited till he was only a few meters away from the guard before he purchased both borrow knight strength and surge. His speed and strength instantly shot up.
In an instant he was before the guard, the knife swung down. The guard's eyes turned wide in astonishment and horror, however his reactions were quite excellent.
He swung his own in retaliation, Lucien didn't blink, he maintained the swing, ignoring the sword coming at him.
His knife bit into the gap between the armor and through the guard's neck. He felt resistance but his superior strength prevailed, instantly beheading him. The guard's sword followed its momentum and bit into his side, causing him to grunt in pain.
He clenched his teeth and pulled out the sword, luckily he had ended the knight before the strike had landed, reducing the force of the strike.
[Wealth: 0 Gold coins]
He made his way out of the door and dashed into the gardens. He only hoped to be able to disappear in the vast gardens and make his way out of the estate.
He held his injured side to try and prevent a blood trail as he meandered through the gardens. He could feel his wounds from the torture and the battles act up again, his body was threatening to shut down.
He gritted his teeth and held on for dear life. Suddenly he burst out into an occupied lane. A young maiden was working on some flowers in the garden. Her eyes widened as she saw him burst in, all bloodied and wounded. They widened even further in recognition as she saw his face.
Ironically, his body chose that exact moment to give out. Lucien tumbled to the ground as his body reached its limits. Lucien's thoughts as he drifted off were to laugh at himself. This was the second time in as many days his life had been at the mercy of a girl.
The first time he had been burned. This time he hoped the fates would be in his favor.