Yes, but you're followed

Walking only a block deeper into the city, you look for signs of Alexia but you're having difficulties due to the damage to this part of the city. Not far from where the bombardment of siege engines focused on the walls, it is clear that a good number of the massive projectiles overshot the wall and crashed into the decrepit housing of this slum. As you wonder how many of the inhabitants of these old houses lost their lives, you hear movement in one of the only relatively undamaged buildings. Seeing as this is the first sign of life since the street urchins, you decide to have a look hoping to find Alexia inside waiting for you.

Still in your hand is that beautifully crafted knife that the boy had been carrying. On closer examination you see faint engravings that you can't quite make out due to the age of the blade. As you're trying to identify what they say, you hear a scream coming from inside the building.

Rushing into the dark, smoky building you determine this was a tavern and curse the dumb fool who decided to take shelter where most mercenaries would come searching first.

"Why look what we found scrounging through our supplies." You dislike the owner of the gruff voice without even seeing him.

"Is that pretty Miss Dorothea from the stables?" A second voice, this one a raspy tenor, sounds as vile as the first voice and, as if to confirm your opinion, your fears are confirmed.

"Yes, and now we're finally gonna get to have some fun with her." Quickly making your way towards the storage room behind the bar to save this Dorothea from being ****, you hear a (starting to become annoying) high-pitched voice from behind you.

"Hey! Hel-Pig, you stole my knife. Return it to me or I'll take it by ****."

A quick glance confirms that it is the helmeted boy from earlier now welding a gladius, holding it at the ready like a skilled dualist. Somewhat surprised at both the boy's bravery and apparent skill welding the sword you almost forget what you're doing until the two men come barging out wearing full armor and carrying spears drawing both your and the boy's attention. To your experienced eyes these men look like deserters who have decided to take what they can in the chaos of the fall of the city. The soft-spoken kid however, upon seeing the mercenaries' blue cloaks of Athenapolis sees them as allies.

"Good, now its three on one and you can't pull off any tricks like before Hel-Pig." The two men just start towards you - looks like they are going to help the kid - when one of them recognizes you. Not as the King of Kalion (thank the Gods) but as the Legendary Silver Haired free-Rider that single-handily caused chaos in your now infamous two month vacation.

"Wait Nikos," The owner of the raspy tenor grabs the larger man's arm. "He's not from Heliopolis or the United Armies, he's that Kalion demon. Fuck, we'd better get help before he does to us what he did to the slaver's guild in Acrena.

"You think he's that silver-haired free-Rider?" The burly warrior stares at you doubtfully. "I heard he retired to fuck himself silly with those filthy savages sluts?"

"Look at his swords, you idiot, there can't be two platinum-haired bastards who carry matching swords like that!"

Starting to get pissed at them for insulting you and your friends and allies, you draw one of the swords in question. Yes, the Coreli & Biessoi tribesmen did have a noticeable horsey odor, but they weren't filthy, their women weren't sluts and every single horseman among them had more honor than these two rapists.

Before you can teach these scum some manners, the four of you hear the panicked cries of the girl who must have worked the gag out of her mouth.

"Help! Someone help, I'm going to ****! Help!" The kid looks towards the door the two men came out of as the reality of what these two mercenaries final dawns. He turns to you instead.

"You, Rider." The entitled tone of command is impossible to miss. "Help me take out these pathetic traitors of Athenapolis"

"With pleasure." You move forward smoothly, "They insulted my friends, and I don't care much for rapists." These mercenaries might be scum, but they were highly-skilled scum. The larger of the two mercenaries blocks the slash of your sword easily with his shield and you have to twist awkwardly to avoid the vicious thrust of his heavy spear. A second attack, this one to his knees brings down the heavy shield and you respond by jumping past his thrust and, clinging to the top of his shield, slitting the surprised man's throat with the boy's knife.

Galeos would thrash you if he saw that fool-hardy attack. You kill your man, but lose your balance as he falls pulling you from your feet. The awkward landing lifts your arm leaving your flank exposed to the other deserter's attack. The smaller man's spear stabs at a spot under your left arm but before he can push it in to pierce the heart of a god, the boy plunges his gladius into the deserter's neck just under his jawbone.

Before you can thank him, the kid disappears through the door to the storge room. You pull yourself up from the floor and follow the boy shocked at what you see. The person you thought was a boy of about fourteen, has taken off the helmet and in spite of her a crudely cropped hair is unmistakably a young woman a few years older than that. Leaning on a wall, you put pressure on your wound and listen to the conversation intrigued by this fearsome young woman.

"Sandy!" Squeals the buxom Dorothea, "Thanks for saving me, again."

"You're welcome, Dory." Your unlikely ally kneels by her side pulling at her bindings. "But what are you doing here? You're supposed to be watching the prisoner."

"I was, but Thadeus explained that I could help some of the wounded with ****." She explains cheerfully, "You know, to clean there wounds and I membered this tavern had a shipment come in before the siege-" she rambles on as Sandy struggles with the knots "-and thought the area was deserted because all those people were allowed to leave. I guess those bad men thought so too."

As the two women chatter, you evaluate your position. These deserters were likely part of the same group that wiped out the detail by the gate, and their friends could be close by.