Before There Was Braveheart

Chapter X: The Agile Thief

A young boy with blonde hair sat inside a cramped room, all by himself.

His ocean-blue eyes stared at the door, waiting for his mother to come home.

The day had slowly turned to night, and yet his mother was nowhere to be seen.

He paced the small room, anxious, wondering if something bad had happened to his mother.

But he knew that he couldn't do anything even if something did happen.

What else could he do?

In the end, he's just some illegitimate son of a noble.

Finally, the door opened, revealing a scrawny-looking woman with luscious blonde hair. She was wearing a long white gown that looked like it hadn't been taken off in ages.

The young boy immediately ran to the woman's side, calling out to his mother.

The woman could only smile, before walking towards the bed.

She was tired, her body was aching, and yet she had to leave in a few minutes because of her duty to serve the nobles' desires.

She didn't enjoy it, but what other choice did she have?

She had to keep her son alive and well-fed for him to grow up into a better life.

The young boy, sensing something was wrong, stayed by his mother's side until the minute she left once again.

Slowly but surely, he could feel his mother weakening at that very moment.

Anxious, he grabbed her hand and held it gently with his two small hands.

His mother could only smile as she felt her life slowly slipping away.

With her last strength, she uttered her last few words to her son.

"Maxwell, please...survive."

The ranger and the assassin managed to get across the river after stealing a boat from the docks.

The ride to the "rich" part of the city was silent, the only sounds they could hear were the constant splashing of water. No one spoke a word.

The ranger paddled across the river with ease. Even though his body looked frail and weak, his strength was no joke.

Once they reached the shore, they got off the boat and tied it to a nearby tree.

The ranger then turned to the assassin.

"Follow me."

Johann and Jaxon stood in the shadows, a few feet away from a giant manor on the other side of the city.

Jaxon couldn't help but gawk at the sight.

"You're telling me this is someone's house?!"

"Pretty cool, huh?" Johann commented, "If only the person who owned this place wasn't a total snob."

Several guards were roaming the area, with swords on their waists. They seemed to be mercenaries, judging from how they moved. They didn't seem knightly at all.

Besides, they weren't exactly wearing heavy armour, to begin with.

Johann smirked as his eyes began to glow in a yellowish shade.

A thick fog began to form around the clueless guards, trapping them in uncertainty.

The fog began to rumble, and not long after strikes of lightning could be seen zapping the guards that were trapped inside.