Iron Gate Border City, South Gate

"Whaaaaat?" Dr. Sharon wailed as she saw the main gates shut tightly and the short dwarvan guards shaking their heads at her and waving her away. She glanced at her watch seeing the time was barely after eleven pm. "Why do they close the gates so early?"

"Well, strangers from afar." One of the dwarvan guards helpfully advised, "You can head down to the eastern side gate of the city if you wish to leave the city. That gate normally doesn't close at night is only for people to enter and exit. No wagons or transporting of goods allowed. Or you can rent a room in one of the inns here for the night."

Dr. Sharon quickly thanked the helpful guard and she turned around and faced the rest. "Alright! Let's hurry over to the other side of the city! We got less than an hour to return to the ship!"

Magister Thorn and Professor Hamlot both let out an amused chuckle at Dr. Sharon's frantic gestures. Her shopping and dining had made them late and when they rushed to the main gates, it was closed for the night. The Professor's students giggled causing Dr. Sharon to glower at them while the four Marine escorts let out a sigh of helplessness.

"Madam," Marine Private Bartley spoke up, cutting Dr. Sharon antics with the students. "If we want to make it back on board the Old Ugly before 2359 hours... we need to move now..."

"Yes, yes!" Dr. Sharon clapped her hands as if she was like a tour guide and started shooing everyone. "Let's go! Chop chop!"

The whole group consisted of Magister Thorn, Professor Hamlot and his three students, Clarie, Uwen, Berringer and four other Marines with Private Bartley leading the escorts. The whole group hurried along the streets lit with gas lighting placed at regular intervals along the cobbled street. The weak glow of the street lamps was barely enough to lit the dark streets for the whole party as they followed road signs and directions from some locals still out.

As they approached the street that will lead them to the gate, they heard a rowdy steam wagon huffing and puffing away drawing closer. They paused and automatically shifted to the side of the street to allow the wagon past to prevent any accidents as the streets were not brightly lit. The steam wagon appeared around the corner of the street but suddenly as it made the turn, the entire wagon tilted dangerously to the side and fell over on its side with a mighty crash!

-----

"Your Highness!" Prince Herod's Life Knight leaned over with a frown. He did not even need to lower his voice as the racket made by the steam boiler was loud enough to drown out his words from the city guard soldiers. "This does not look like the way to the cathedral or the garrison!"

Prince Herod peered through the barred windows and tried to identify the streets outside. He had a rough idea of the city's layout when the representative from the Greenrock Clan gave him a tour of the city when he first arrived. Now, he could barely recognize anything as everything looked the same in the dark night but he trusted his head knight.

"What is going on?" Prince Herod mumbled to himself before he said to his knights. "First we were attacked by killers and now this?"

"We need to find a way to escape!" Prince Herod said. "Something is wrong here!"

At this moment the wagon made a turn and everyone could feel the weight of the wagon tilting to one side. The Life Knight instantly said, "Your Highness! This is it!"

"We have to wait for the wagon to make a turn again! Once it does all of us will shift our weight to one side and we should be able to tilt the wagon over!" The Life Knight suggested. "This is our only chance to escape!"

Prince Herod gave a nod to his knight and he looked at the critically wounded and said. "I am sorry but I will remember your service to the Skystars! If I make it out alive, your families will be taken care of for life!"

The seriously wounded knights gave their salute and steeled themselves for their duty to the Prince. The rest kept watching outside the barred windows, waiting for the next opportunity to present itself. "Everyone get ready! Brace yourselves!"

The wagon made a turn around another bend and the Iron Kingdomians shoved themselves against one side of the wagon causing the vehicle to suddenly shift off balance. The wagon tittered dangerously on two wheels and Prince Herod let out a shout as he gave another shove against the inter side of the wagon and the wagon tilted over to its side together with cries of panic from the city guard soldiers.

-----

The crash of the wagon was louder than the screaming steam boiler and its cranking gears and wheels. Immediately, the noise woke up the neighborhood and windows of the surrounding buildings swung open and curious heads popped out.

Dr. Sharon stared at the moaning bodies that were scattered around the smoking wagon and her first instinct was to help the wounded. She ran over to the wagon which laid broken on its side with the steam boiler cracked and steam leaking out dangerously.

As she checked the first wounded on the ground, banging sounds came from the wagon and the rear doors slammed open. Several figures climbed out wobbly and there collapse to the street coughing and moaning. By now, more and more people had appeared and they too came to help the wounded.

"Madam!" Private Bartley appeared next to Dr. Sharon and he pulled her back just in time when the steam wagon's boiler sudden let out a last cough of steam before it cracked and boiling water and steam burst out, scorching anyone that was too close to the wagon. Screams came from the dazed and wounded passengers who were unable to move away in time as they cooked in the steam.

Dr. Sharon stared helplessly at the screaming bodies that were being boiled alive before her eyes. She closed her eyes to shut off the horror scene and when she reopened them, her eyes were filled with determination. She rushed over to the other side of the flipped wagon to help the wounded that did not get hit by the steam.

To her surprise, she saw a short city watch dwarvan being dangled in the air under a choke hold by a tall handsome blonde elf. The dwarvan's eyes rolled up and the blonde elf released the chains on the dwarvan's throat and dropped the body down. The blonde elf stared directly at Dr. Sharon and the murder lust in his eyes froze her to the spot.

The blonde elf made a menacing step forward but quickly retreated when he heard someone calling out. He cast warning glare at Dr. Sharon before he turned and ran off, pushing his way through the crowd that was forming and disappeared into the night.

Dr. Sharon jumped in surprise as Private Bartley called out to her. She blinked her eyes rapidly feeling that she had just had a close brush with death itself. Private Bartley stood next to Dr. Sharon and asked in a concerned tone, "Madam? Are you alright?"

"I- I am... I am fine!" Dr. Sharon replied. "I- The wounded! Help me move them to one side!"

Together with help from the locals, they managed to move and perform some form of basic first aid to the crash victims. Those unfortunate dead were left where they had fallen to await the city watch to come collect them later. By now, the street was brightly lit by the watching crowd with torches and gas lamps. The city watch soon arrived and took over the scene and slowly the crowd was dispersed as they returned to their homes.

Dr. Sharon stood at the side of the street and a frown was on her face. She had tried to listen in to the city watch soldiers talking about the cause of the crash but from what she heard, she found there were many doubtful points.

Firstly, there was no mention of any prisoners being transported nor escaped. But she was clearly certain she saw the blonde elf were clad in chains and even saw a dead body inside the wagon that too was cuffed in chains as well.

Secondly, the city watch that arrived seemed too unbothered and hurried with their investigations and questions. They barely even asked anyone what happened but instead just condoned off the area and shooed everyone away.

Thirdly, the street which the wagon had turned into leads directly to the side gate where the guards had earlier told them that no wagons were allowed as it was purely a pedestrian gate only. Unless there was a barracks there or something, Dr. Sharon felt the wagon coming here was strange.

Fourth, the city guard that arrived surely knew that some of the guards on the wagon were murdered by the escapees. Yet they did not speak of it but their body language were clearly nervous and agitated.

Based on these few points, Dr. Sharon found the whole incident fishy. She shared her doubts to Magister Thorn and Professor Hamlot, who both nodded in agreement to her points. Magister Thorn stroked his beard in thought and said, "This... blonde elf seems dangerous! We better leave the city now and not get caught up with this nasty business!"

"I agree!" Professor Hamlot nodded. "This is a incident with the local law. Let them handle it, it has no dealings with us."

"Madam, we really need to get going," Private Bartley added. "We are already late to return and they would surely be worried about our situation if we do not report in."

"Alright, let's head back!" Dr. Sharon replied as the incident truly does not involve them and getting involved in unnecessary problems could break their cover. "Radio back to the Old Ugly and tell them we met with a small accident but is on our way back."

"Yes Madam!" Private Bartley nodded and he gestured the Marine with a portable radio to make the call. The Marine radioman wearing the portable radio in a bag quickly made the call while making sure no locals spotted his actions. In the dimly lit streets, it was easy for the radioman to do so.

"Madam, Old Ugly has received our sitrep," The radioman said. "They are asking if we need backup?"

"No, we should be fine," Dr. Sharon replied as she gestured to the front. "Look, we can see the side gate already. We should reach the Old Ugly within half an hour."

The radioman repeated Dr. Sharon's words into his handset while everyone headed to the well lit gates. There was a short line before the gates and when they came closer, they could heard loud angry conversation among those people before them.

"Why are the gates close?"

"We need to leave now!"

"Open the gates!"

"What happened? Are the gates closed?" Magister Thorn asked a person before him.

The elf dressed in a well worn set of traveling leathers let out a helpless sigh and said, "The gates were suddenly closed! The guards are not allowing anyone to leave tonight!"

"Why?" Magister Thorn continued to inquire about the situation. "Don't this gate always remains open for travelers to enter and leave?"

"Not tonight, friend!" Another person cut in. "I just heard the guards say that all the gates were to be closed! We cannot leave here the city tonight and have to wait until sun rise!"

"There rumors about some dangerous murderer is on the loose in the city!" Yet another person added. "The city watch do not want that murderer to escape the city!"

"Oh dear..." Magister Thorn turned and faced the rest of the party. "Looks like we are stuck here tonight..."