The rain had stopped.
Midnight draped the city of Rua in silence. Zion and Muscle stepped out of their rusty shack, each carrying a small bag some bread, a few bottles of water, and the weight of a dream too long denied.
They moved like shadows, quiet and cautious, slipping between the alleys.
Suddenly, a guard with a wooden baton strolled into view.
Zion whispered, "Come here. Quietly."
They slipped into a narrow side path, pressing themselves against the cold stone wall.
"My tummy's empty," Muscle whispered.
Zion scowled. "Bitch, this isn't the time to eat."
Muscle yawned. "Still hungry though…"
As they crept forward, another guard turned the corner.
"Hey! Who are you two?"
Zion froze. "Uh… just going for a walk."
"Yeah!" Muscle added, a bit too excitedly.
The guard squinted. "Wait… aren't you the king's favorite little slave?"
Zion blinked. "Oh no"
WHAM! Muscle's fist crashed into the guard's jaw. The man stumbled backward.
Zion lunged, snatched the baton, and cracked it across the guard's face. He collapsed instantly.
Zion wiped sweat from his brow. "Shit."
"We need to hide him," Muscle said quickly. "If someone sees this, we're dead."
Zion pulled a roll of tape from his bag. "I knew this would come in handy."
They tied up the guard mouth, wrists, legs tight and secure.
"Time to take out the trash!" Muscle grinned, hoisting the man and dumping him into a nearby garbage bin. "Cheese!"
Zion opened his bag and pulled out a crumpled map.
"Where'd you get that?" Muscle asked.
"From the king," Zion replied.
"…You stole from the king?"
"Yup."
"Respect."
Zion traced their position. "We're in Rua. We need to pass through Serino City, then hit the border. If we cross that, we're free."
"Sounds risky," Muscle said.
"That's why I brought you."
"I'm honored."
"I was being sarcastic."
They both chuckled and kept walking. Hours passed. Zion sipped the last of his water. Muscle gnawed at a piece of bread. The city slept around them.
Then they heard voices.
Guards.
"RUN!"
They bolted. Zion turned and flung a stool lying nearby crash! A guard dropped. Muscle grabbed another by the wrist and slammed him into the wall. Blood spattered.
"Damn," Zion muttered. "You're strong."
"Thank you, bitch," Muscle replied, grinning.
Zion swung his stolen baton, knocking back the last two guards. They taped them up like before.
Another trip to the trash.
"Cheese!"
Panting, the two fugitives crept forward again.
"That's five guards," Zion muttered. "If they find out, we'll be beheaded."
"If we make it past the kingdom, they won't be able to track us," Muscle said. "We'll vanish."
Zion nodded. "Then we move fast."
Suddenly, Muscle pointed. "Hey, look!"
A rusted metal sign loomed in the dark:
"Welcome to Rua."
Zion blinked. "We're still in Rua?"
"Yeahhh!" Muscle shouted.
"Bitch, don't yell! We still have a whole city to cross!"
Zion took a deep breath. "But… we're closer than I thought."
Far away, inside the golden palace of Savio, a guard knelt before the throne.
"Five guards were found unconscious, tied up, and left in trash bins…"
The king clenched his fist.
King Henry.
The same king Zion once served.
"Whoever did this," he growled, "will kneel before me by tomorrow."
The guard bowed. "As you command."
The hunt had begun.