The streets of the city were about as busy as usual- the markets were booming with people haggling with the vendors and the children were playing and laughing about through the alleyways. Raeguel looked on lazily at some of them throwing around a ball made of animal skin as he stood outside of an inn. His squire was still inside, dealing with a minor dispute between the owner and one of the customers that was trying to haggle his way out of paying his bill. He and Gwen had been in the city for only a few days, seeking out recruits to join in his cause, to become the protectors of the weak in this world. He wanted to make this a better world for the generations ahead and he was sure that there would be at least a few good warriors that would join his difficult quest. Gwen had been one that he kept an eye on for some time; she being a serf to a lord far up north, that had a reputation for being unbelievably cruel and wicked to all in his household. This particular one annoyed Raeguel greatly enough to make the travel and punish him for his misdeeds. Death would have been an easy punishment for him, but instead he allowed for her to take revenge for what he had done to her. Her lord was still alive, though he was one hand short and seeing the strength in her eyes, the daywalker took her under his wing and watched as the months passed by until she had grown capable of joining in his mission. She was the standard of what he needed to be surrounded by in his order.
The door beside him flew open, and the knight in golden armor turned to see the customer literally tripping over himself in trying to get away. His eyes met briefly with Raeguel’s form before he scattered down the street. Removing his helm, he was met with his squire calmly walking out in armor of her own and shook her head in annoyance. “I never heard a fool mouthin’ off like he did”, she huffed before removing her own helm and revealing a youthful face with long blonde locks tied into a tightly bun. Honey colored eyes looked tired as if she wished for a good night’s rest despite the high noon settling in now. “Don’t worry about it. They come in dozens, I’m afraid. Seen too many of their kind, though they aren’t exactly a problem for you or I.” He replied as he felt something hit his leg. His eyes trailed down until the familiar sight of the children’s ball was caught and he rolled it over to the group to continue their play. “We should go to the Academy later on and see if we can find any recruits.” Gwen scratched at the top of her head and nodded. “But we should find something to eat first, I keep forgetting that I have to look after people on that”, he chuckled. Before he just had to deal with a flock of vampires and he would allowed for them to eat up just about anyone they could sink their fangs into. Having to deal now with the other mortals of this world was slightly more taxing. He watched the children one more time as one of the boys threw it a bit too much and it ended up going into an alleyway. The one that was suppose to catch it ran after it, but soon his dreadful screams could be heard echoing from there and he ran as if he just saw a ghost. The duo looked on puzzled and immediately gripped onto their swords’ hilts when a man ventured from the darkness. “Oh, they probably just angered the man with their playing”, she groaned and dropped her stance. But Raeguel knew that something was wrong with this picture. “No, look closer Gwen. That man…” She took a second good look at him before noticing what her lord did. Black veins covered him from head to toe and there was a feral look in his eyes. He darted over to the group of children, scaring them with his inhuman cries while another man made the unfortunate mistake of getting too close to him in an attempt to address all of this. The moment they watched in shock as his head was grabbed roughly and and then his neck was twisted with ease was all that Raeguel needed to step in with great haste and snatched the murderer up by the scruff of his neck and slam him against the building. The body fell limp onto the ground as they carefully approached it. “What the hell was that?”, Gwen asked, not as willing as to step closer to it. Raeguel moved in and kneeled, studying the body when the man’s eyes snapped open and he flung him a good few feet away. She took to her sword but slammed the flat side of the blade against his head, knocking him out for good. “Lord Raeguel!”, she called out, worry was etched across her face. Sitting up, he held his head and waved at her. “I’m fine.” As he stood up, he begun to hear more of the same wailings as the illed man. The markets were being ripped apart, the masses were in panic as whatever had affected the now unconscious man was spreading around, taking it unsuspecting victims and turning them into frenzy barbarians. Withdrawing his sword, Raeguel quickly moved into the fray, to help out as many people as he could while repelling the onslaught. “Gwen, get as many of them out here as possible! I’m going to try and clear out a path for you!” The moment he was noticed, two of them leaped onto him as if they were leopards and he was a gazelle. He, however, would have none of that and ducked, evading the first one and catching the other with his free hand and used both his strength and the momentum of the attacker to let them fall harshly against the paved street. Another came from the top of a market cover and jumped onto his back, flailing against his armor. They were so strong and fought like animals, something he would have never expected out of a well kept place like Egjora. He reached over his shoulder and eventually caught and threw him off his back and struck at him with the end of his hilt. As he looked around, he could see the peaceful (enough) bazaars falling into madness and chaos.
