- The Manumission -

Lothar, Traetos Province, Southern Avestria

Running through the pile of Parso corpses, sprawled over the arena, Ramusa and Ikshah rushed towards the citadel. They were accompanied by a handful of Sanek who were under Ramusa's command. Even though he was injured and languid from being imprisoned for so long, he was saddened by the brutalities of the Parso. He was carrying Herios over his back to keep him safe. Ikshah was leading them towards the door of the citadel, armed with a bow and a small dagger that was attached to his arm by a strap. Ramusa was carrying a Vorken, although Bladius was his popular choice of weapon.

As soon as the citadel was visible from their line of sight, all of them grew heedful about the possible enemies. The citadel was engulfed in the darkness that consumed its leaden walls which were demolished during the invasion. A dementing ambiance gripped the milieu as the company warily advanced towards the staircase.

"Be on guard. We might get ambushed" said Ikshah as they entered the premises of the citadel. It was a huge black tower, stacked with stone walls and ramparts. The entire arena was dark and the only light that illuminated the milieu was from the moons. The frigid air coupled with the quietude of the campus made it quite precarious. They could hear a distant yelping of the injured Parso troops and the occasional bellowing of a Shrava which might have been cut loose during the skirmish. They advanced warily and gradually towards the staircase. Ikshah had raised his bow and mounted the arrow over it, to counter any possible ambush that might have been waiting for them. It was so serene that they could hear each other's breathing and see the cold fumes coming out from their mouths.

Ramusa could feel Herios, shivering due to the wintry winds. He tightened his grip over his Vorken and held out his left hand in front of his body as an aggressive stance. Finally, they arrived at the foot of the spiral staircase which led towards the chamber where Krora had settled. On the other side of the citadel, they had a glimpse of the middle bailey which was completely vacant. Perhaps, Velnik Stoneweld had been successful in eliminating the Parso troops at the middle bailey and rescuing all the civilians of Lothar.

"Be careful" said Ikshah as he stood at the ingress of the staircase.

His arrow was pointed at absolutely nothing. Perhaps, it was just a countermeasure. He slowly stepped foot inside the tenebrous staircase. The Sanek followed him and so did Ramusa and Herios. Some of the Sanek were behind Ramusa to keep a guard over Herios.

They started climbing the tenebrous staircase, being alarmed at every corner or a swirl. Ikshah was leading them which also made him quite susceptible to a surprise assault. Unfathomably, the sconces at the niches of the staircase were still lit which was quite dubious. It was as if the way was lit for them. After climbing the staircase, they finally arrived at the entrance of a long corridor. It was a tenebrous corridor with chambers stationed on both sides of it. The corners of the corridor were lit by the lamps which were surrounded by gossamer cobwebs, adding to the eeriness of the situation. The Sanek tightened their grips over their Rener. Ramusa was prepared for an all-out assault. Herios, who was on Ramusa's back, was quite tensed as he clutched Ramusa's garment. Since they had escaped from a dungeon, they had no armors or gauntlets to protect them from the deadly assaults.

They were fortunate to have swords that were handed to them by Velnik and his men. Ramusa's sword felt heavy and he felt light-headed as he tried to narrow his vision to locate the enemy, amidst this dark passage. Suddenly, out of nowhere, they heard a woman's scream from one of the chambers. The scream startled everyone as they moved a step backward. The scream vanished in the next instant implying that the screamer must have been killed. From the sound of it, it was a woman's scream, not far away from them. All of them rushed towards the sound, warily but swiftly. When they stormed inside one of the chambers, from where the scream was heard, they saw a woman who was held hostage by a Parso troop. He had pressed a dagger against her throat and he was standing at the edge of the balcony.

Ikshah swiftly launched an arrow that impaled right through the Parso's thigh. The Parso stumbled behind and yelled while the woman was let loose. She jerked towards Ikshah and the other men. Ikshah pulled out another arrow and stood over the man, looking into his eyes. He mounted the arrow on his bow and pulled the string behind. The Parso troop stared at his death with a bleeding mouth and a begging face.

Ikshah released the string and the arrow penetrated inside the Parso's chest as it burst like a balloon. Drops of blood were sprinkled over Ikshah's limbs and he felt elated on taking his revenge. Suddenly, there was a commotion in the vicinity. As Ramusa turned behind, he saw six Parso troops storming towards him and his men.

Ikshah pulled out his arrow from the Parso's chest and rushed towards Ramusa. Ramusa's Vorken clashed against the Parso's sword. But Ramusa was much stronger. He shoved the Parso's sword downwards and hit him with his elbow. The Parso collapsed backward with a dislocated jaw. Ramusa impaled his sword right through the man's skull. Herios was terrified while he was still clinging to Ramusa's back. Ramusa swiftly lowered Herios and instructed him to stand near the rescued woman. Ramusa and the other Sanek were engaged in a skirmish with the Parso troops who had arrived out of nowhere.

Ikshah was launching arrows at the enemy while Ramusa was thrashing and gashing the Parso troops. Ramusa was, after all, an Ashra Primus warrior, and his strength and killing proved his mettle. He had lacerated almost eight to ten of the Parso troops and he slit their throats as they collapsed on the ground, yelping in pain. Now they had seen the wrath of Ramusa Vorcerus. Herios, meanwhile, was terrified of watching all of this bloodshed. He started to regret his decision of following Ramusa and Ikshah on this sanguinary path to rescue the Queen.

Maybe he should have left with the other civilians who were rescued by Velnik Stoneweld and the soldiers of Harāpiā. But then he thought about Kiyara which reminded him of his sister. Somewhere deep down, Herios felt contrite for not being able to save Aerytha. He remembered what his grandmother had said to him, just before they departed. 'If I know that you are with them, I know that Aerytha would be safe', those were her exact words.

Herios felt repentant of leaving Aerytha and Mythra behind and he was convinced that it was his fault that all three of them were separated. Now, he was completely oblivious to the whereabouts of his sister and his brother. Somehow, Kiyara reminded him of Aerytha. Since Herios couldn't save Aerytha, he was determined to save Kiyara to repent for his negligence. Ikshah signaled Ramusa that he is going through another route to creating a surprise assault. Ramusa nodded. Ikshah immediately climbed out of the balcony and started jumping over the raised platforms of the castle.

Ramusa was relentless in killing the Parso soldiers who had attacked over their company. After butchering almost ten to twelve Parso troops and advancing through the long corridor, they finally arrived at the chamber where the Queen and Kiyara were taken as hostages. Krora had grabbed the Queen by her throat and her upper torso was uncovered. Kiyara was held captive by another Parso troop. However, almost eight men stood as stalwarts between Ramusa and Krora.

"You bloody swine!! You are so dead!!" roared Ramusa on seeing such a state of their Queen. He stormed straight towards the throng of Parso troops who were blocking his way. He appeared as an elephantine giant in front of them, as he stood taller and stronger than all those Parso soldiers. They charged towards him with their swords and daggers and so did Ramusa and his men. Amidst that cramped chamber, there was a melee between the soldiers of Lothar and the Parso troops. Ramusa's strength was overwhelming for those Parso so they decided to attack as a collective unit.

Six of the Parso troops surrounded Ramusa while others were combating the remaining soldiers of Lothar who had accompanied Ramusa. The Parso was successful in isolating Ramusa from his men. Ramusa was prepared for every assault. He stepped back over his right leg and took an aggressive stance with his Vorken gripped tightly in his right hand. He had no shield to protect himself but being a warrior at the rank of Ashra Primus; he was trained to fight without shields. He was prepared for all possible contingencies.

Herios and the rescued woman were watching all of this from a distance. They were cringed at the corner of the chamber with a barricade of Sanek, protecting them from the Parso troops. The woman was terrified and so was Herios. He could see Ramusa being surrounded from all sides and being attacked by those cowards. He glimpsed at the Parso who had taken Kiyara captive under his dagger. Herios was infuriated but he couldn't get past the throng of people in front of him. His wounds were too deep to engage in any kind of combat.

The assault on Ramusa began. He was attacked by three Parso troops who raised their swords and slashed him. Ramusa was able to ward off their swing but the third soldier somehow was able to impale his sword inside Ramusa's lower abdomen. Ramusa yelped and pushed him away. He attempted to rend the man who had attacked but the Parso slipped away. The next attack came from the Parso troops who were standing behind him. Ramusa swiftly shifted his weight forward and turned back to face the assault.

He dodged the first two swings and aimed for the Parso which was closer to him. In the next instant, he slit open that soldier's throat with his Vorken. Two of the men attacked him from the right-hand side and their swords penetrated his soldier. Ramusa was struck with that assault and stumbled forward. Somehow, he adjusted his balance. He lunged forward and lacerated the Parso troops who had attacked him from the side. Just when he was about to butcher them with his Vorken, he felt a twinge across his shoulder which had been impaled by the swords of those Parso troops. His hand was lowered due to the pain and this was an opportunity for the Parso soldiers in the front to strike the man down.

One of the Parso soldiers slid towards Ramusa's feet and pierced across Ramusa's thigh with his sword. Ramusa shrieked in agony. He shifted back and landed a knee over the Parso who was near his feet. There was a cracking sound as Ramusa's knee banged over the Parso's face. Supposedly, the Parso must have broken his teeth.

But Ramusa had incurred an equally baleful assault. His thigh was damaged which drastically affected his agility. He wasn't able to make swift moves due to the stinging pain emerging from his thigh. Krora was watching all of this from a distance. There was a devilish smirk over his face. The Queen was under his knife.

The Sanek of Lothar were losing their battle because there was no strength left in them. They had been used as slaves for days and nights and this had frazzled them. Fighting through the throng of Parso soldiers, one of the men was able to reach Kiyara who was being held by a Parso troop. The Sanek of Lothar moved swiftly and slashed the Parso troop before he could harm the princess Kiyara. Kiyara was freed from the Parso's hold but she was petrified on seeing this bloodshed. In the last few days, she was dragooned to watch her mother getting raped, she had witnessed the slaughter of innocent people and now she was looking at this bloody skirmish that was engaged between Ramusa and the Parso troops.

Herios was stuck in the corner of the chamber along with the woman who was recused earlier. He saw Kiyara being freed from the Parso's hold but she had cringed in the corner. Herios had to save her. This was his opportunity to become a savior of Kiyara. He couldn't save his sister from these vile men but he wanted to save Kiyara, as a form of repentance. Ramusa was fighting with six of the Parso troops, bravely and skillfully. He was a giant and he maimed most of the troops who had surrounded him. Herios had to save Kiyara by hook or crook.

Herios scampered through the edges of the chamber towards the corner where Kiyara was cowed. Along his path, he lifted a sword lying on the ground. It was a Rener that was used by the soldiers at the Sanek rank but it was still heavier for him. Finding his way through that scrimmage, he finally arrived near Kiyara. Kiyara had cringed into the corner and she had coiled her legs around her chest and her entire body was shivering. Her head was between her knees and her palms had clasped her ears tightly. She couldn't bear the sound of all those shrieks and screams and war cries.

"We have to go!... Come on," shouted Herios and began pulling her but she was too rigid to move. She was stupefied to witness this sanguinary tussle. Herios yanked her and carried her away from that battle, towards the other corner. Kiyara was clinging to Herios as he scuttled towards the other side.

Ramusa had slit the throats of three of the troops and now he was advancing towards Krora and the Queen. Krora's guards stood as a stalwart in between Ramusa and him. Krora started moving back to shield himself from Ramusa. His dagger still pressed at the Queen's throat. She was standing, in the hold of Krora, enervated. Ramusa battled with the guards who were defending Krora with his Vorken. Blades bashing on blades, swords getting swung, fists clawing at the assaults, Ramusa was fighting with those Parso troops with an injured limb and an impaled back.

As Krora saw his men getting butchered at the hands of Ramusa, fear of death surrounded him. Seeing Ramusa's bloodthirsty avatar, Krora was moving away from him. Just when Ramusa was distracted, he got impaled by a sword from one of the Parso troops who stabbed him from the back. Ramusa yelped as he stumbled forward. Adjusting his balance, he landed on his knees and managed to shove the Parso away.

He was severely wounded. Herios was dumbfounded and restless on seeing Ramusa, plummeting to the ground. Another Parso advanced the tip of his sword to impale it in Ramusa's chest. Ramusa quickly shifted to the left and warded off the Parso's assault. The sword penetrated his right shoulder.

While it appeared that the soldiers of Lothar were losing the battle, there was a ray of hope when a man suddenly jumped into the room from the terrace of the floor above that chamber. It was Ikshah. He landed exactly behind Krora. Krora was confounded. Krora had never expected someone to come from behind him. Ikshah had defended this citadel since he joined the forces as a young man. Ergo, he knew every nook and corner of this citadel like the back of his hand. He could easily take a stroll through the castle, in his mind, without even being there.

Ikshah immediately pulled out his dagger and propelled it towards Krora. The dagger pierced through Krora's armor and found its way to bleed his flesh. Momentarily, his grip over the Queen loosened and the Queen could resist his life hold but he had clutched her hand tightly. She couldn't escape yet. Ikshah wrapped his left hand around Krora's neck from behind and shoved his dagger, deeper into Krora so that it penetrated through his flesh and cleaved his bone.

Krora yelped and let go of his hold over the Queen. But Krora was agile despite being opulent. He banged the backside of his head over Ikshah's nose. Ikshah was pushed backward by the blow and Krora quickly pulled out his sword and yanked the Queen who tried to scurry away. He held her hand and let out a smooth motion of his sword over her throat, slitting it till she bled. When Ramusa saw this, he turned maniacal. The Queen had just been murdered in his presence. Ikshah punched Krora from behind and yanked him behind to restrain him.

Ramusa slashed two of the Parso troops but Ikshah yelled at him, "Take her away!" Ramusa turned behind to see Kiyara and Herios who were thunderstruck on seeing this brutality. Kiyara was screaming towards her bleeding mother but Herios had held her tightly. The Queen of Lothar, one of the most venerated persons in the kingdom, was drowning in her blood, naked and maimed. Such was her fate. She was born in riches and royalty, she was raised with honor but now she had died as nothing more than a butchered whore. Fate is indeed a fickle fruit. Ikshah had restrained Krora by strangling him so that he could provide enough time for Ramusa to escape from the chamber, along with Kiyara.

"Go!!!" he yelled again. Ramusa was unwilling to leave Ikshah behind when it was his duty for being the commander of forces. But he was forced to abandon Ikshah because of these unfavorable circumstances. Seeing their chief getting strangled, the Parso troops immediately retreated towards their commander to save him.

This was an opportunity for Ramusa to save Kiyara and Herios. He lifted the Queen's body in his hands and rushed towards Herios and Kiyara. "Quick!!" he shouted. Herios dragged Kiyara along with him as they rushed towards the egress of the chamber. The woman who was rescued earlier, also followed Herios and Ramusa. Ikshah on the other hand was restrained by the other Parso troops. They pulled him behind and seized him. Krora slowly stood up at his place as he saw Ikshah, frantically resisting the Parso who had restrained him.

There was no fear in his eyes. He had accepted his death and all that he felt was rage, revenge, and hatred. Krora spit blood and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He gripped his sword and held Ikshah by his neck. Krora stared into his eyes before he aggressively pierced his body with the blade of his sword. Krora gazed into Ikshah's eyes as his sword penetrated deeper into Ikshah's abdomen.

He shoved it inside till it protruded out from Ikshah's back. Ikshah vomited ample of blood as the sword pierced through his abdomen. Krora smirked as he vigorously pulled out his blade, tainted with Ikshah's blood from the tip to the hilt. Ikshah was kneeling on the ground with his palms resting on the floor. He was vomiting blood with every exhale. This was his death. As excruciating as it was, his torment worsened when all the other Parso troops plunged their swords inside Ikshah's back from above. He was struck by multiple weapons that protruded out from his chest and abdomen.

Meanwhile Ramusa, with the corpse of the Queen, hightailed towards the foot of the staircase and hurtled towards the middle bailey where Velnik Stoneweld and the other Harapians were awaiting their return. Herios and Kiyara followed him till the middle bailey. The civilians of Lothar were rescued from the hands of the usurpers and the kingdom was left as a stronghold of the Parso Empire. Lothar was no more under the dominion of Avestrians. It was a captured land like its neighboring kingdom, Goldrunes.

Ikshah's body was ripped to pieces as it collapsed on the ground with a thud. He died in the King's chamber of the citadel which he had protected all his life. He died as a martyr. He died as a savior of their kingdom. A sacrifice, that was worth his life. 
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Footnotes:

• Vorken is a type of sword that is used by warriors at the rank of Ashra or higher

• Rener is a type of sword that is used by the warriors at the rank of Sanek