Tangled By Fate

Both Veronica and the shopkeeper came up with a plan after seeing a sword. They halted and looked at each other. Their eyes locked. Both knew that they were after the same object.

The two of them dashed toward the sword at the same time. At the exact time, they reached there and grabbed the sword. The sword had a decorative sheath. The shopkeeper laid his hand on the upper side of the scabbard and Veronica seized the lower part of the scabbard. They started to pull the sword toward them with all their might. 

Both realized the one who got the sword would win - that's why none of them let go of the scabbard. The poor sword was being pulled on both sides.

On the other side, Catherine was being cornered by the tall guy. When she had nowhere to run, she got close to Veronica. She saw that her friend was trying hard to get the sword.

She noticed why her friend needed the sword; it was the only weapon they could see that could help them to save their lives. Although she was busy with the other guy, she decided to help her friend. She picked up a small object and threw it at the shopkeeper.

"Oww!" the shopkeeper wailed in pain. Despite the pain he felt, he was still eager to hold onto the scabbard. Blood started to drip from his forehead, catching him by surprise. Instinctively, he raised his hand to touch his forehead.

Veronica used his momentary break as her chance to yank the scabbard toward her.

But to her dismay, the tall guy was right behind her, ready to grab her by her hair.

However, before he could reach her, the tip of the scabbard directly hit him in between his legs. Right on his manly jewel.

Bull's eye!

"Hkk!" The guy let out a groan and cupped his wounded area. His face turned red. His knees touched together as he knelt on the floor. Since Veronica was trying hard to get the sword, the scabbard hit him hard. He couldn't think of anything other than the pain.

Veronica gasped upon realizing what she had done. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hit you there. Does it hurt too much? I'll heal you right away!"

The man didn't have the condition to heed her words. His body had already become numb. 'Please goddess, let my family jewel go. If it's safe, then I promise I will never bully another woman,' he prayed in his head.

"What are you doing, Ver?! You mustn't heal him. Give that to me!" Catherine snatched the sword away from her friend.

He wanted to continue his prayer but Catherine raised the sword and hit his head with all her strength. That person lost consciousness at that very moment.

Bam!

Just then, someone barged inside the room. The girls were startled by the sound.

'Is this a new enemy? No worries. We have a sword. What do they have?' Veronica thought. 

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A few minutes ago –

Sebastian cleared his stomach and peacefully came outside. To his surprise, the ladies he left in the shop were no longer there. "Where are the two ladies I left?" he asked the shopkeeper. 

"They left right after you left. I thought they were tourists. That's why I forbade them to go outside without your guidance. But they didn't listen. They said they had some things to do. So, I didn't stop them anymore," the shopkeeper explained.

"Damn it!" Sebastian wanted to curse. He slammed the table of the shopkeeper. 'Where could they have gone?' he pondered. He briskly went out and started to look for them. However, they were nowhere to be seen.

Chills ran down his spine. He didn't want to think about what kind of danger they be facing.

Meanwhile, Darius and Merlin were walking down the street. They saw Sebastian and called out to him. "Sebastian! Where are you going?" Darius asked him.

"I messed up," Sebastian answered. "I lost Mistress and Miss Catherine... I don't know where they went."

"They ditched you?!" Darius was stunned. "Man, this is worse than I thought. No wonder you were looking for someone so desperately. Let's find them before Arthur hears about this. You're not going to make it alive if something happens to them." 

"I know - you don't have to tell me..." Sebastian trembled as he tried to imagine what could happen to him. 

"Let's not waste our time anymore. We will split up and go in three different directions," Merlin declared in a relaxed tone.

Just as they planned, the three of them scattered and went in three directions. Darius was going towards the southern direction. His eagle-like eyes were scanning the area as he walked. He went to the pretty shops where females could be. He also checked the restaurants around the area. Unfortunately, he couldn't find them.

'Where could they have gone?' he scratched his head while pondering. 'We don't have much time. The more we delay, the more dangerous it will be for them.'

As if to give him a sign, he heard some noises coming from a shop. "What's going on inside?" he muttered. He walked forward and kicked the door. The wooden door fell apart. He entered the shop and was shocked to see the massacre. He let out a cough when the dust reached his nose and mouth, and waved his hand in front of him to clear his sight.

And then what he saw before him - he swore he would never forget it for the rest of his life. He found the two girls fighting against two men. One of the men was already down and another one was bleeding. He found another man lying in the corner. And there was another man under the shelf full of antiques. One of the girls had a sword in her hand. Another girl was empty handed but still had a fighting spirit within her. They were in defense mode.

"Darius!" Veronica exclaimed. The girls sighed in relief realizing that he wasn't an enemy.   

"What a disaster!" Darius exclaimed. "Mistress, Miss Catherine, I never thought that I would see you here. We have been looking for you, thinking you would be in danger. To think you had handled four guys just by yourself – this is so hilarious!" He couldn't stop laughing. "I never thought I would see this day. How could two women who don't know how to fight take care of four guys on their own?"