Private Your House or Mine | Adelina Draco

[Romin Renoux]

H O U S E • R E N O U X​

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Adelina Draco

Everything went black when Romin closed his eyes. Sleep did not usually take him so fast as his mind was often active when he did not want it to be. For whatever reason as his head hit his pillow, the young heir found that he drifted to sleep with an ease that seemed almost unnatural. Even if it were he would not argue as it was a rare thing for him. Some attributed it to stress, at least the healers in House Renoux did.

The way Romin fell asleep felt unnatural because it was. He should have been more concerned, but war was a direct thing. The ways people moved against a house during times of peace were different. He was not used to having to deal with more subversive methods. If Romin wanted a man dead, it was far easier to run a blade through his heart than go to the trouble of something hidden in the shadows.

War brought much to light, while peace ignored the threats which lurked in the shadows.

Everything was still black when Romin opened his eyes. The differences of where he was versus his bed chambers were obvious. Drops of water falling into a puddle could be heard nearby. Humidity was the primary sensation Romin could discern. Sweat beaded on his head, and the foul stench of mildew and mold assaulted his nose. All of it was evidence of the atmosphere.

He moved to wipe the sweat from his brow when the back of his hand brushed against something soft. The more the fog of whatever had been used to drug him lifted, the young man knew he was not alone. It took him a few moments to make his way onto his feet. There were no cuffs or chains, but it was clear they were in a slaver’s cell. Romin reached for his neck and found there was nothing there to restrain him either.

Dark colored eyes looked down, the blur finally clearing up. They fell onto the shapely form Adelina Draco . She had been taken as well. Romin had not seen her since the funeral, and their subsequent escapades after. This did not bode well. Whoever was responsible certainly wanted their houses to break the peace accords.

There were those who profited from war, and went bankrupt during times of peace. It could also have been House Amnen, but the underhanded abduction did not seem like something Darius Amnen would sanction. Then again, it could have been. Not much was really known about the young Lord. None of that mattered if they did not escape. It was necessary to avoid a war that neither house could afford to enter.

Romin tried to shake Adelina awake. It would not matter if the drugs were still in her system. While he waited on her to come to, the young noble would start planning their way out. First thing was first… did he have a weapon?

 

[Adelina Draco]

H O U S E • D R A C O​

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Romin Renoux

Adelina was only vaguely aware of hands shaking her shoulders.

It felt far away, detached somehow. Maybe she was just dreaming. "Five more minutes..." came her slurred response. Oh, chit. Was she still drunk? She couldn't remember drinking. Though, it wasn't the first time. And, honestly, weren't those nights kinda the best ones anyway? Ugh, her head was absolutely pounding now.

Reaching up to touch her temples, Adelina groaned and rolled over.

It was then that she saw the blurred silhouette of a man. Squinting, she willed the man's face to come into focus. He was familiar, for sure -- the Renoux guy she'd met after her father's funeral. Ro-something. Romeo? No, no... "It's Roman, isn't it?" she said, aloud. Still cradling her head between her hands, Adelina slowly sat up and looked around.

"The feth is going on?" she asked, looking to Romin. Had he brought her here to this... disgusting place? Adelina threw aside what seemed to be a mildewy sheet that had been covering her. "Gross."

Crossing her arms, she continued to look at her fellow... captive? "Are we trapped here or something?" Where they were and how they'd come to be here were total mysteries. Her understanding of the situation was not as clear as his. Honestly, she couldn't remember a thing, and it was starting to piss her off.

 

[Romin Renoux]

H O U S E • R E N O U X​

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Adelina Draco

She was still groggy, almost like a hangover. The description would certainly be appropriate for the headache which seemed to accompany the after effects of whatever had been used to put them to sleep. Romin closed his eyes trying to remember what had happened before he woke up in the cell. Had he been out with Adelina? They had not seen each other since the funeral, or had they?

Romin remembered leaving the wine bar at least.

"Yeah… and you're Adelina," he replied. "You okay?"

At least they both were able to establish they remembered each other, even if her question made it seem as though she was not good at putting names and faces together. For now, he would simply attribute it to the toxin that remained in her system. It was enough evidence to indicate he was likely taken first.

"By the massive headache and the fact we both woke up in the same cell… my guess is we've been kidnapped."

What point was there in hiding the obvious. Did Romin know for sure, not really, but all signs pointed to the fact he was correct in his assumption. Whoever was behind this wanted them together. Was there going to be anyone from House Amnen joining them? If no one from their house went missing they would be the first suspected, once Ulysses Renoux and Deyanira Draco realized both of their children were gone. Romin could only imagine their parents would blame each other first.

"Your mom is going to be pretty pissed off at my dad."

Did he need to answer the question of whether they were trapped? The force field holding them in place would give that indication pretty quickly. Romin still looked about the room. There had to be a way to the other side, but but Romin wasn't seeing it yet.

"I'm trying to find a way out. Then I will need to find my lightsaber."

At least Gideon, the Prime Justicar, had taught him what to do in this kind of situation.

"Your Prime teach you what to do if you ever got captured?"

 

[Adelina Draco]

H O U S E • D R A C O​

"Kidnapped?" Adelina echoed.

"Yeah..." she said, groaning at the thought of her mother – she was going to be pissed. Her mom had a general air of being pissed off, anyway. Adelina knew that her mom would bomb the feth out of Jaemus if Amaranthos had gone missing. Her, though? Her mother would likely just use it as an excuse to yell at the Duke and curse him to hell. As a Draco daughter, she wasn't expected to do much... save for marry someone wealthy.

"What?" Adelina asked, giving Romin an incredulous look. She almost laughed at the thought of training, but then she realized that he was being serious. "Uh, our Prime tried." The young noblewoman let her eyes shift away from his. "I never really listened."

Adelina shrugged.

Besides, if she ever got captured, Adelina figured someone would be there to save her. If Romin wasn't here, then surely House Draco would send out their operatives to recover her. Sitting and waiting wasn't ideal, yeah...

"Whatever. You're here, you know what to do." Adelina sighed, as if Romin ought to have already broken them out. From her spot, she looked around for the lightsaber he'd mentioned. But truly, she didn't know what she was looking for. It had a hilt-thing, like a blade, didn't it? With an angry sigh, was beginning to resign to the fact that she did need some training.

 

[Romin Renoux]

H O U S E • R E N O U X​

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Adelina Draco

Romin could not believe what he was hearing. The casual attitude the young woman seemed to have toward whatever training her Prime had attempted to give her would not have been acceptable in House Renoux. His father had been insistent on the fact all of his children at least knew the basics of how to handle themselves in various situations that would befall someone of their station.

He certainly hoped she was not going to be as useless as she was pretty. If they were both going to escape, alive, then she was going to have to help.

“They would not have been dumb enough to leave me with my lightsaber.”

Romin bent down and dug into his left boot for a moment.

“Fortunately I listened to my Prime,” he said as he pulled a knife from inside.

To anyone it would have looked as though it was part of the buckle. Hidden blades were always something that could be used. Unfortunately the paranoia of his father was a trait Romin had inherited, so this would not be a hiding place he would use anymore. Not now that he had let someone from a rival house see it. It would certainly take time to get over the prejudice which came from being at war with the other houses his entire life.

“I just need to find what looks like a…” Romin started turning about, looking for an electrical panel, a loose wall panel, anything that would let him cut the electrical feed from their end. “...that.”

He pointed just past Adelina, just above the bed she had been on. There was only one… it dawned on him they were both on it together. Why that had been the trigger for him to remember the detour to Entralla was odd. Romin was not going to question much as the chemicals of whatever had been used to drug them were still working his way out of his system. Instead, he just climbed onto the bed and popped the panel.

“I’m going to cut the power and when I do, we either are getting jumped by guards, or the hall is empty because they trust the force field too much. If guards rush in, scream or something so I can deal with them?”

Hopefully she listened to this. They needed each other to get out of this.

Romin cut the power, and the lights went out as the field dropped.

“Oh yeah… it is gonna get dark.”

 

[Adelina Draco]

H O U S E • D R A C O​

Tag: Romin Renoux​

Adelina rolled her eyes when Romin remarked that he listened to his Prime... even though, this fact was going to get her out of here. Well, she hoped at least.

A slow, agitated sigh escaped the young woman as her noble companion worked through the situation (without any help from her). She watched as Romin went to work, and her dark eyes followed where he pointed to the electrical panel. Adelina was very good at looking like she was listening when she wasn't, but this time, she did listen.

After all, she didn't want to stay in this dank room forever.

She reached up and ran her hands through her hair, like she was getting ready for a party, not breaking out of a cell. "Yeah, I can do that." Adelina was known for her high volume. Shouting matches with her mother were not uncommon when she was home.

Adelina got to her feet just as the lights went out. "Thanks for the warning..." she said, flatly.

Okay, now what? They were in the dark. Turning slightly, she knocked her knee into a wooden bed post. She cursed aloud, unable to keep quiet. Adelina heard the sound of boots on the ground and shouts, too. Their captors knew something was amiss.

She might not have known just what she was doing... but Adelina felt her anger growing. These goons that had brought them here had messed up all of her plans – which were still fuzzy, but probably included partying and drinking. A good time, to be sure. The feeling began to bubble up inside until...

When the door burst open, Adelina screamed indeed.

 

[Romin Renoux]

H O U S E • R E N O U X​

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Adelina Draco

He sighed. Romin should have known the lights were going to go out, but he did not account for it. Not that it mattered, unless he was trying to impress the Draco girl. Was he? Certainly his father would have an opinion on that. For all he knew Ulysses still intended for him to marry Cyressa. That was odd. They had grown up together and the red haired ward was more like a sister to him than a wife, and certainly he did not see her as a lover.

Romin could at least admit she was pretty.

Adelina was also extremely beautiful. The young heir understood why his father had seemed to have something still burning in him for Lady Draco. Romin was not blind to the fact that something existed between the pair. They could pretend hatred all they wanted, but their level of spite for each other was born of something more intimate than distaste and war.

The sounds of the guards approaching pulled Romin from his thoughts. With his dagger at the ready he advanced. His intent had been to kill the guards before they could stop them, but a loud and violently pitched scream stopped him dead in his tracks. The dark side was felt rippling through it all. Romin felt the effects of the force scream wash over his being.

He knew it was Adelina.

Such raw and unrefined power held in such a small vessel was certainly something the Justicars among his own house would have polished and fashioned.

The guards crumpled into the wall just outside the cell. Their bones crunched with a sickening pop as the force of their impact crushed them. Without a word Romin ushered Adelina beyond the cell and motioned for her to step over their bodies before the backup generators kicked in.

They could not have timed it better.

"That was impressive. You should consider letting your Justicars develop your natural affinity for using the force."

With the lights on he could see one of the guards had his lightsaber. For a moment he contemplated letting Adelina use it, but if she had not listened to her Justicars then she was more likely to hurt herself than the enemy… or worse… him. He offered her the dagger. It technically belonged to her house anyway. Gideon had picked off a dead Draco justicar after a battle and gifted it to a young Romin.

“Here just in case. Pointy end goes into the bad guy.”

Hopefully she did not recognize the origin of the knife being held out to her.

“This way… it looks like the guards came from that way. Maybe we can find out who took us… that way our parents won’t go to war over this. Which I might guess is the whole reason why anyhow.”

If she was listening well enough to catch what he was saying, Romin had just called them pawns.

 

[Adelina Draco]

H O U S E • D R A C O​

Tag: Romin Renoux
​

Adelina hadn't known such power.

When her voice faded from the air and the force, she covered her mouth in a ladylike fashion – like she'd said something unbecoming... and not just killed a bunch of guards. "C-chit," she said, not really knowing what she'd been expecting to happen. Her dark eyes lingered momentarily on the dead guards as Romin guided her out of the cell.

"Did I just..."

He motioned for her to step over them. She'd never killed anyone before. But, there was a strange feeling inside that this was only the beginning for her. Nodding, Adelina's high heeled boot stepped gracefully over the fallen, careful not to tread in any blood. They were designer boots, after all.

"Maybe," Adelina replied, making a note to ask a Justicar or even... Leon for help training.

Then, she blinked down at the proffered dagger.

At that moment, it really struck her that they really were in this together. "You think the war is really over?" Adelina asked, her voice a bit less haughty than usual. She gripped the dagger. He'd suggested that they were pawns – the young woman hadn't ever considered herself anything but. Though it was quite fun to fight with her mother, Adelina knew her place.

She'd be used as a bargaining chip... or married off to the highest bidder.

"Whatever. They are going to go to war anyway... especially if they think we're dating." Adelina laughed.

 

[Romin Renoux]

H O U S E • R E N O U X​

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Adelina Draco


There was a brief moment where Adelina was clearly shocked by what happened. Romin had to admit he had been as well, but if they were going to survive they had to keep moving. The dark haired woman seemed to recover quickly, even if there was a slight lingering of something in the background. She had killed them after all.

“Yeah…”

What else was Romin going to say? He could compliment her on the kill, but in a way, he already had. She had a raw power that was certainly attractive, but she did not know how strong she truly was. Maybe this was an awakening for her, and if so, what would she become.

He shrugged at her next question. Romin did not truly have a definitive answer. Did he believe the war was over? He wanted to, but what he knew of his father it would be hard to think the great Duke Ulysses Renoux would agree to anything that did not benefit him first. The moment the arrangement ceased to be beneficial for him, the war drum would beat again.

Romin was quiet for a few more steps as he thought about his answer. She kept talking, and it was her last comment that made him chuckle.

“Dating. We are certainly off to a grand start if that’s what this is.”

Clearly he was joking.

“Oh I don't know what would make my dad more upset, the fact we were dating or the idea that I might actually succeed where he failed. You’ve seen how they look at each other yeah, like there is some kind of lingering history?”

He wondered what Adelina had picked up on, or even knew about the politics of their houses.

“As for me… I think the Duke is going to force the Tiberos girl to marry me just to keep the remnants of her rebellious house in check. Even as his heir I may not have a say in the matter. This war is only over if they all get their way.”

Romin stopped once the hall ended. He looked around the corner to see if they were still in the clear. No guards yet, but an open archway seemed to open into a gathering room of some kind. There was bound to be trouble in there.

His voice dropped to a whisper.

“And if it fails, they’re just going to hand us their war to fight over what… a piece of the run the Empire controlled our entire lives… and the Sith before them?”

He looked over his shoulder and back at Adelina.

“Us dating would throw a wrench in all of that… and Lady Draco… she clearly does not want me anywhere near you.”

 

[Adelina Draco]

H O U S E • D R A C O​

Tag: Romin Renoux​

Adelina snickered when Romin joked about them dating.

She could already imagine her mother shaking with rage. Many times, she'd been warned about the members of House Renoux, and her mother might well throw herself off the balcony if she thought they were dating. But then, Romin's words made Adelina wrinkle her nose.

"Ew, what--" She shuddered at the mere thought. "Gross. I don't want to think about that."

Her mother had always been quite guarded, not only about her personal life, but about all things. Even now, she felt like she didn't really know or understand the woman. And, Adelina didn't really pay attention to such subtleties... unless it benefited her in some way. Her dark brows rose.

"You're getting forced into marriage?" She brought a hand up to cover a laugh. Truly, Adelina thought this would be her fate. But perhaps, yes, it was something they may have in common as nobles. Well, whoever this Tiberos girl was... she probably wouldn't want anyone flirting with her guy.

That thought made a cruel grin form on Adelina's lips for a moment.

"It's because she hates your dad," Adelina said. At least, that was her take. "But... it's all the more reason to do it, right?" She canted her head slightly and gazed at him in the dim light. The grin still lingered on her face, but she soon shifted her gaze over Romin's shoulder. An open room ahead...

There was a flutter within her, like a whisper of things to come. "Well, go on, then... you're turn." Adelina said, eager to see what kind of damage the Renoux boy could do.

 

[Romin Renoux]

H O U S E • R E N O U X​

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Adelina Draco

“They do share a history though.” Romin decided to point it out. “They were engaged at one point from what I understand. Your father made your mother a better offer, a stronger one.”

Was it wrong to relay the story as he knew it? Adelina seemed the type to want any kind of leverage she could use as fodder to goad at her mother. A smile pulled at Romin’s lips at the thought of it. While he had been raised to view House Draco as the enemy, something about the idea of their parents suffering some form of grief over the slightest rumor of a relationship between the two was gleeful.

He shrugged as a form of response. All Romin knew was that they were intended at some point. Recent events might change that. Were the remnants of House Tiberos truly a threat now that the covenant had been made? If arranging a marriage with one of the two houses was more important to secure peace, then it would not be a far reach for Ulysses to change his mind. After all, the man never let anyone know what he was really thinking.

“Maybe…”

It was as truthful as Romin could be.

“For all I know it’s something he has not given a thought to in a long time. It just feels awkward to think about considering we were raised practically as siblings. I’d rather the choice be mine, but being the heir does not afford me as much freedom as it would seem.”

They would have to revisit the subject of dating later. Adelina had already caught on to the fact there was some kind of movement in the room ahead. That meant there were plenty of people in it. None of them would be friendly. She had looked past him as though it was his turn to show off.

He grinned…

…of course it was.

The young noble reached out through the force to sense what he could about the situation ahead of him. There were three others. Whether they were the ones who had kidnapped them, or the remainder of the guards, did not matter. Romin was out for vengeance. He had been taken. Adelina had been taken. Someone was trying to jeopardize the peace their houses were trying to establish. That fact alone was enough to meet them with the brutality House Renoux was known for.

His white blade snapped to life with a hiss. It echoed through the corridor as the soothing hum resounded off the duraplast walls. The others had no doubt heard it. Romin could feel them scurrying about in the force.

They charged.

A volley of blaster bolts flew at them but were deflected and redirected with ease. One of the guards fell dead immediately. Romin now stood too close to the second to fire. With a slash of his blade the blaster arm of the assailant was cut off, and a second relieved the guard of his head. This left the third which was now retreating.

“Not so fast,” Romin said as he extended a hand.

The rodian floated in the air, levitating as he tried to run. It was futile. A slight twist of his wrist, and Romin turned the alien to face him. He closed his eyes and began to scour the mind for whatever information he could find about their kidnapper.

“Show me,” came the demand as Romin opened his eyes. They were now bloodshot, yellow, tainted with the dark side of the force.

He tore the information he needed from the mercenary. The alien screamed as the young heir did nothing to keep the process from being painful. When had what he wanted, Romin closed his fist. The same sickening crunch of bones breaking from minutes before once again reverberated in the room as the force crushed the rodian from the inside out.

The lifeless and fromless body lay piled on the floor like soupy rags. It did not stop Romin from advancing. There were two doors toward the back of the room, and the one on the left was where they needed to go.

He looked over his shoulder with a grin, and as though nothing had just happened, Romin returned to the subject at hand.

“Making your mom angry is more of a reason for us to date… so I take it you have thought of others?”

 

[Adelina Draco]

H O U S E • D R A C O​

Tag: Romin Renoux
​

Silently, Adelina wondered what made her mother choose father over Duke Renoux. Power, money, all of the normal things, she supposed. But was there more to the story? Her mother was difficult to read, but maybe if she poked and prodded enough, she'd get an answer someday.

Her brows arched when Romin spoke about his intended. Indeed that did seem like a strange arrangement, given the two of them had been raised togther. Weird, yes, but Adelina knew that other nobles even resorted to matching cousins together. So, maybe it wasn't that bad. Still, the idea of this girl intrigued Adelina. Was this Tiberos girl the jealous sort?

Adelina hoped so.

She watched when Romin ignited his saber, and she stood with her back pressed to the wall when blaster bolts started flying in their direction. Others spoke of the Renoux prowess in battle, and the young woman had a front row seat. He cut off arms without even blinking. Her mother had always used the word weakness when speaking about House Renoux, but Adelina wondered if her mother had been wrong on that front.

Romin's use of the force to seemingly toy with the enemy before crushing him was amusing. Perhaps she did need a lesson or two. When the last body dropped in a crumpled heap, Adelina stepped into the room and came up behind Romin as he spoke, continuing their conversation like nothing happened.

Had she thought of other reasons?

"Not really," she shrugged, nonchalant. Though, she flashed him an alluring smile a moment later. She'd leave it at that. Even if there were other reasons, Adelina knew that it didn't really matter in the end.

It's not like she was going to marry for love.

"So, any clue who these guys are?"

 

[Romin Renoux]

H O U S E • R E N O U X​

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Adelina Draco

"No other reasons," he asked with a quirked brow as he regarded the playful smile she offered. "I suppose there doesn't need to be any other reason."

Romin did not believe her for a second. That was more his ego than anything else. To date, the girl had not given him any evidence to indicate she was interested for any other reason. They had just met each other after all, and despite the fun diversion she had provided the day of the peace talks, this meeting had not gone according to plan. Romin still had no memory of what occurred before they woke up in the cell. The events of their time together were still fuzzy.

A shrug was all he could answer with in regards to who had done this to them. He nodded and started to look for any kind of insignia to identify their kidnappers, but nothing. They did not even wear a color associated with any house Romin was aware of.

"If it was House Amnen nothing indicates them."

Perhaps it was not wise to jump to conclusions. Romin was not sure the peace would last long considering the history that existed between the three houses. Much of the war had been a stalemate in his lifetime, but that had not changed the fact he had witnessed territory exchange hands. Just because there was no clear winner did not mean that peace would be something they could hold. He knew his father, and the man had to win. If he could not control the peace, he would not keep the ruse of it.

"If we can figure it out on the way, we should. Regardless, we need to find my ship, or steal one."

The room they were in did not have a computer terminal, so onward it was. Romin pointed to the other door opposite of where they had entered. It appeared there was a staircase which led up to another level. That only made sense. It also meant they would run into more guards. He hoped the girl was ready to use the knife he had given her because Romin expected to encounter larger groups as they got closer to their escape.

He led them up the stairs, quietly. More voices could be heard echoing through the corridor. They were certainly not alone.

"How good are you at sneaking around when you have to be," he whispered.

Romin did not want to simply invade her mind without permission. Telepathy would be easier, but if she was untrained, then it would not be all that helpful.

"You didn't happen to learn how to use telepathy did you?"

 

[Adelina Draco]

H O U S E • D R A C O​

Tag: Romin Renoux
​

Yeah, he was kinda cute – that was a reason.

But she wasn't going to go saying it. Adelina just wanted to have fun. And the definition of fun might have been dating Romin or else making his life hell. The young noble knew it was twisted, but she enjoyed it when people were made uncomfortable.

She hadn't even seen the delegation from House Amnen when they were on Entralla. Adelina probably wouldn't have known them unless they announced themselves or wore badges that bore the name. Yes, another one of mother's lessons gone to waste – she'd always been told to know the faces of the enemies.

"Right," she said, nodding.

Yes, a ship was quite important. Though, they still had no idea where they were. Adelina supposed they were about to find out. As they went up the stairs, she did her best to quiet the clicking of her heeled boots. "Sneaking?" Adelina replied... at full volume.

She almost started laughing, but covered her mouth with her hand.

Clearly, stealth wasn't one of her strong suits.

But Adelina wasn't totally a lost cause. Her presence would brush against Romin's, like a flirtatious caress in the force. <<Only so I could tease Tolmeh and not get in trouble.>> Adelina's voice and cruel laughter would be in Romin's head.

<<You go first.>> Adelina gave him look, something like a challenge. <<If you die, I'll make sure everyone knows you were very brave.>>

 

[Romin Renoux]

H O U S E • R E N O U X​

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Adelina Draco

There were certain skills she was capable of when she wanted to be it seemed. While her reasons for the demonstration of her abilities was not how Romin would have anticipated them, the noble son did appreciate them. The last thing they needed was to get caught which they just about almost did when she asked the question about sneaking out loud.

<< “Telepathy it is then… for now…” >>

He just about wanted to roll his eyes, but the girl seemed to be full of surprises. Romin grinned instead. Her humor was just enough that he sense the sarcasm, though there was still the question of whether she was serious or not. Two could play at the game he supposed. After all, Romin was not the type to take anyone too seriously, unless he had to.

Maybe this was one of those times, after all, they were not in a safe place.

<< “If I die… I think you would rather have me brave and still alive," >> he winked.

Was he calling her out? Maybe a little. Romin did not think she would be able to take care of herself, and they had both been taken for a reason. If the heir apparent was one to gamble he may think she was not valuable to them without him. It would at least be good to have the mystery of it solved. At least that way maybe his father would not think he was worthless. Sometimes Romin got the impression, but then again, he was the only son.

He just nodded, going first. Whatever was down the corridor waiting for them would be something he could handle, he was certain. The kidnapping had been a good test of his abilities at least, and the young noble did not mind showing off for a willing audience. He just hoped that if she was needed the girl would at least be able to replicate that scream again.

Romin charged ahead, quietly. His back went to the all before peeking around the corner.

<< “Chit… there is twelve of them…” >>

It was not an admission of defeat as it was that he had no armor. Romin had also never taken twelve on all by himself before. Adelina was going to have to help, and there was not really a stealthy way to kill twelve men without getting noticed. Still, that did not stop him from taking the first two out by sneaking up from behind. His blade snapping to life caught the attention of the others, which meant Romin had to commit to killing them all.

Three more were taken out in a matter of seconds. The others would be on him soon. Out of a sheer panic, Romin blasted his arms out sending a wave of force energy around him in every direction. The rest crashed into the wall, but not before he fell to his knees.

Romin was short of breath, and hoped there were not any more coming until he could catch it.

“It should be safe for now,” he said, not sure if Adelina was behind him or still hiding.