Chapter 11: The Female Guard

He had already memorized the highways and byways of the Manor, given that this huge estate manor has a separate building for the Guards, and the Servants, as well as the stables where he can steal a horse and make a quick getaway.

Shin peeks through the windows of the guardhouse, hearing a commotion already. It's the female guard, being held by a pole, stripped naked and beaten as the other guards participate in this spectacle of beating someone defenceless. The captain of the guards smiled, enjoying the spectacle of a defenceless girl getting beaten up by the other guards. Then he said,

"Thought you could get away with this huh, Salene?!" He said, showing a letter to her. The female guard's eyes widened and said to him, teary-eyed and her face bloodied from the blows she endured. "No! That's for my brother! It's for my brother, please, Sir Woodson! Believe me!"

The captain didn't read the contents and just looked at her, then threw the letter to the fire. She screamed as she would cry, bellow, and be heartbroken. The captain, along with the others howled and mimicked the girl, thinking that everything was a joke. "You fucking bastard! I wanted to go home to my family!". Captain Woodson smirked and huffed at her remark. "I'm a bastard, am I?"

He snapped his fingers and a man with toned muscles landed a blow to the girl's solar plexus. She gasped for air, coughed, and vomited as she would spasm. Then she was doused in cold water, keeping her conscious as she would shake from the cold, and her muscles spasm, getting the cramps as she winced in pain.

"YOU SHOULD BE GRATEFUL THAT YOU HAVE BEEN EMPLOYED BY A NOBLE, ROYAL FAMILY, YOU STUPID BITCH!". Captain Woodson shouted and then slapped her face. Salene spat on Captain Woodson's face. Shin, knowing the opportunity to strike was now, opened the door suddenly and looked at everything and said to them, knowing that his witnessing this event would be the end of him, but he was not going to die tonight.

"Gentlemen. I'll be crashing this party." Without delay, Shin caught them by surprise, taking the nearest sword he could grab and with one motion, he slashed the neck of the nearest guard, spurting blood, being choked and gurgled with their own blood. Captain Woodson barked a command. "Get him!".

The men charge with instinct as they take their swords and arm themselves. One of them charged ahead, swinging his sword to the right, aiming for his side, but Shin, being a master swordsman, dodged the attack and attacked at the same time, sliding the blade to their trachea, taking the blade of the attacker and used it to distract the other one before closing in, slashing and slicing specifically in the trachea to prevent them from screaming. 

Captain Woodson is scared now, raising his arms and throwing his weapon to the ground. With a shriek, he said. "I surrender! Please spare my life!". Shin said nothing but walked to the pillar where the female guard Salene had tied. Suddenly, Captain Woodson would pick up his sword, screaming. "DIE!!!"

But Shin is quicker than him, releasing Salene and chopping Captain Woodson's hands clean off. It took a few moments before he screamed in pain as he looked at Salene, then back at Woodson. "Can you stand?". Shin asked while offering his hand to her. Salene groaned in pain and stood up slowly, shaken, and beaten, but had the strength to stand.

After Salene stood, Shin handed the sword that he was using and she, exhausted but still having the strength to lift a sword, proceeded to walk towards the bleeding, hand-less Captain Woodson. "You raped and killed my precious lover, Diana.". Her anger is evident on her face. Her rage consumed her. 

"No! No, please wait.." Then proceeded to stab Captain Woodson multiple times, hearing the blood-curdling scream of someone being stabbed to death. Even with the begging and pleading of Captain Woodson, it was no use. Salene uses her strength to stab Captain Woodson to death. 

After the dastardly deed is done, she stands and then spits on the mutilated corpse of Captain Woodson. "Rest in peace, you bastard.". Salene said with bated breath, covered with Woodson's blood and bruises. She sat down and began to laugh, then cried, as if relieved by some twisted circumstance. She is happy exacting vengeance on who wronged her. 

She sobbed, saying "Diana... You may rest in Elysium now." After a few moments, Shin called her attention, kneeled, offered a towel to wipe her tears off, and asked her. "You all right?". She wiped her tears, sniffling, and gained her composure. She nodded. "Yeah... I'm okay.". Shin shook his head and continued. "We're not out of the woods yet. Can you stand, walk, and wield a sword?".

She stood up, hissing in pain as she rummaged through the Guard's chest to find a potion to get her strength back. She drank the potion, feeling a bit better as the effects rejuvenated her, healing her of her injuries if only a little. After she took the potion, she checked on her skin if any wounds were visible. 

As she looked at herself, she realized she was naked in his presence. She blushed with embarrassment. "Sorry!". Shin quickly turns around as she scrambles for her things, then hears her dressing up in her clothes. "Thanks for saving me, sir Shin."

"Don't thank me yet. I need your help in getting the others out of here or taking arms and killing the people here tonight. No one is going out here alive.". Shin is determined. Salene nodded and asked. "What do you want me to do?". Shin, with determined eyes, told her. "Lead the insurrection, Salene. Use the same method you did to Captain Woodson. Save people and if they want to bear arms, let them. Show them that these people are powerless when good people fight back."

Salene, listening to Shin, nods as Shin continues his speech to her. "This day, show them the power and might of justice and vengeance. Show them that they can do it too and after all this, you will be known as a hero. You will be known as the hero who took down and exposed the family to their evil and treachery. You are a hero and we believe in you." 

Salene contemplates, looking at her reflection with the bloodied blade. She closed her eyes as if she was thinking it carefully, then nodded, kneeled, and told him. "I swear on my name, I will use my sword to smite the wicked. My sword is yours to command.". She swore, sincerity in her tone. Shin nodded as he kneeled and laid his right hand on her left shoulder, then took her hand and helped her stand. 

"Here's what we must do...". They go over the plan, with Salene agreeing to lead the insurrection, killing anyone who is allied with Thomas, making noise as loud as possible, and making it as seem if their servants have had enough of the Family and their inhumane treatment of them. Salene thought this day would never come, but it did after he arrived in this hell hole. 

Shin, using Salene as a scapegoat without her knowing, leads Salene to absorb the wrath and the blow of the Lichtensteins and Thomas's forces to get closer to the target by leading the insurrection.