Sebastian's mission was simple: infiltrate the merchant's guild by blending in as one of the guards in order to find and secure transportation. A quick, easy errand...or so he thought.
"State your business," Ron said with his sword raised at him. "I'll decide whether to kill you or keep you for questioning."
The butler chuckled. "That's adorable."
"Adorable?"
"The fact you think you can even scratch me is truly amusing. Please, do your worst."
"If you insist!"
Ron lunged at Sebastian, blade slicing through the air, but the butler dodged it effortlessly. His movements were fluid, too quick for Ron to land a hit. The more Ron swung, the more frustrated he became and lost breath, yet Sebastian remained calm, barely breaking a sweat.
Despite the gap in speed, Ron was able to evade most of Sebastian's strikes, though barely, his blade always a fraction too slow.
With a swift push off the wall, Sebastian flipped overhead and launched four shurikens mid-air. Ron was forced back, the stars digging his uniform into the wall behind him.
"You have the spirit," Sebastian said, "but your skills need serious work."
Ron struggled against the hold. "I'll kill you!"
"Your breathing technique was all over the place. Maybe if you stopped poisoning your lungs with these things, you might actually reach my level."
"Don't act as if you know me."
He scoffed, "Anybody can read you like a book. You're one of those annoying troubled kids. The ones that are constantly misunderstood, right?"
Sebastian approached Ron, grabbed face and looked at him in the eyes. Ron writhed, but, no matter how hard he tried, the stars held him firm on the wall.
"The eyes are the window to the soul... or so they say. For some reason, when I look at yours, it annoys me. Ah, so your name is Ron..."
"W-what's happening?"
Before he knew it, Ron thought he was looking at a mirror. The butler had transformed his body to look exactly like him. To the point of not being able to tell the real one apart.
The guard was shocked. He had never witnessed magic of that level, "What do you want? Are you here because of our guest?"
"No," Sebastian replied as he let go of the guards face, "I Didn't even know there was one. I'm here for something entirely different, not that it concerns you." He pulled a small pouch from his pocket, "Let's see… ah, here it is. Valerian powder, plus some mystery ingredients." He quickly mixed the ingredients together, "You look rather tense. Maybe you could benefit from a nap."
"Stay back!" Ron shouted, struggling harder.
Sebastian raised the contents to Ron's face. Within seconds, the young guard slumped forward, unconscious.
"Alright, enough of that," Sebastian muttered. "let's get back on track."
One of William's few conditions had been clear: bring a carriage capable of carrying at least three people and their supplies. The Reinsfield family, despite their reputation as one of the wealthiest in the region, was in no position to lend one. Sebastian refused to burden his master with the task. There was only one option left for him: steal one.
The merchant's guild was the perfect place to do so. Wealthy travelers loved to show off.
There's always one who brings their flashiest ride
One by one, he inspected the carriages until one caught his eye. It was lavish, with a golden trim and a spacious, upholstered interior. Clearly the most expensive of the lot.
"--Beautiful, isn't it?"
Sebastian stiffened.
A coachman stood beside him, hands clasped behind his back, admiring the same carriage.
The man extended his hand to him, "Gustav."
Sebastian shook his hand, "Ron. Pleasure to meet you, sir."
The coachman smiled, "Likewise."
Things just got a bit more complicated.
"So, Ron, what's your position here?"
Sebastian shrugged his shoulders, "I'm just a guard. The lowest of the low."
From the outside, nothing about Ron's uniform stood out. He blended right in as an unremarkable low-rank officer.
"Really?" Gustav raised an eyebrow. "You seem like the cleverest of the bunch."
Sebastian tilted his head. "Is that so?"
"Yeah, I've seen the other bunch and they're not that impressive." The coachman leaned in, eyes sharp and discerning, "But you... You don't carry yourself like these mutts."
A bead of sweat slid down Sebastian's face. He forced a chuckle, scratching the back of his head, "I get that a lot from the others."
The man was sharp. Too sharp. Sebastian needed a distraction and fast.
"Care for a drink?" Gustav offered. "I've got some fine wine in the carriage."
"Oh, I shouldn't. I'm still on duty."
"Nonsense. Your chief won't find out and my master won't miss a bottle."
Sebastian smiled politely, "They'll probably notice eventually."
"If she does, I'll just replace it," Gustav said smirking.
He poured two glasses of wine and handed one to Sebastian, "Cheers."
"Cheers..."
Just as the glass was about to touch Sebastian's lips, he noticed Gustav was waiting for him to take a sip. That's when he realized, it was a trap. The butler let go of the glass in his hand. Before it could hit the floor, the sound of the clashing steels filled the room. Both men had unsheathed their katanas. Each pushing aggressively towards the other.
"When offered a drink," Gustav said, "the polite thing to do is drink."
"As far as I know," Sebastian replied, "drinks are supposed to be enjoyed together."
They pushed each other back and circled one another, each sizing up the other.
"Something tells me you're not just a low-rank guard."
"And something tells me you're not just a coachman."
With a grin, Gustav flung shuriken at the butler. Sebastian dodged them as he run up the stable wall and leaped toward the roof.
The coachman followed behind him, soaring even higher. In midair, he slashed his katana, unleashing a blade of wind. Sebastian bent backward just in time, the gust slicing the air inches from his face.
Gustav landed, brandishing his weapon proudly. "This sword absorbs the wind around it to deal a powerful blow. I've taken thousands of lives with just a swing. Not a single person has been able to make it out unscathed." He pointed the katana at Sebastian. "You'll be no exception."
"I'll like to see you try!"
Their swords clashed once more, sending powerful shockwaves through the air. Each strike was faster than the other, nearly impossible to track with a naked eye. The strength between them was evenly matched, but the stables weren't built to withstand such a battle. The roof creaked and splintered.
The carriage is inside. I can't let it get destroyed.
Sebastian tried to disengage, but Gustav pressed the attack.
"Eyes on me!"
Catching him off guard, Gustav kicked Sebastian off the roof. He crashed hard onto his back inside the stables. Before he could recover, Gustav landed atop him, with the sword near his throat.
"Hm? You're not afraid of dying?"
"I've been through worse."
Gustav laughed. "Then let me show you something special."
He raised his sword skyward. The air around them grew heavy, harder to breathe.
"This is the end!"
Before the final blow could land, the weakened roof gave way on top of them. Both men were hit with the collapsed building. What was left of the room was swallowed by the smoke and debris.
Gustav made it out with barely a scratch. He scanned the ruins to find the butler, when suddenly he heard footsteps nearby. With a swift swing, he cleared the smoke and dashed after him Steel met steel again, but something was off. The Ron in front of him was sent flying out the ruins.
Once he roughly landed outside, he yelled out, "Stop! I'm not the one you're looking for." he tried to say as he gasped for air.
"You…" Gustav stepped closer. He examined the young man's eyes and saw they were missing that fire within them.
"You're not the same man from before… are you?"
"No, I'm not... He had us both for fools."
Who Gustave had front of him was the actual Ron. When the realization dawned on him, Gustav looked around. He noticed the impersonator and his masters carriage were gone.
"The carriage? He wasn't after my master at all?"
He exhaled a long breath, then let out a laugh, "I see… Clever bastard."
Somewhere during the collapse, Sebastian had woken Ron and used him as a decoy. By the time Gustav realized what happened, Sebastian was already long gone with the carriage.
He looked up at the moon and smirked, "I hope we meet again, impostor..."
"--Gustav, what happened here?!"
In mere seconds, a group of guards appeared at the scene and the one leading them was none other than,
"Boss, what are you doing here?"
"What do you mean, exactly? The whole guild is at high alert with all your commotion!"
Wait, did he called him boss?, Ron thought.
He looked up to see none other than the general right in front of him while he was pathetically collapsed on the ground. They both exchanged glances for just a millisecond and then the general disregarded him completely.
"Come Gustav, you'll report to me everything that just happened. As for the rest of you, search the area for the intruder. He'll respond for the mess he made here tonight."
Just like that, Ron was left alone on the floor by his peers... and by his own father.
Talk about reunion.
Back at the gates, chaos erupted. Guards gave chase, archers rained arrows down, but Sebastian, despite the damage he caused, escaped mostly unscathed.
Carriage secured.
He made his way toward the forest, where a certain blacksmith was waiting.