It was clear that Barin’s directions to the Last of the Strong’s manor were correct. As soon as Hirrus set eyes on it, he realized he would have known it on sight without the rumormonger’s help.

The building looked like it was the elder brother to Clive’s manor. Being within the city, the grounds between the outer fence and the buildings was smaller, but the buildings themselves were much larger and more impressive. What had been two outbuildings on Clive’s estate were now wings off the sides of the manor, giving the building a U-shape around the central courtyard - complete with a fountain that was a true twin to the one that stood before Clive’s home.

Maybe they’d used the same decorator. Someone with less taste than common sense.

The fence and gate had been obviously designed to impress rather than impose. There was a low stone wall that formed the foundation of it. That part was about two feet tall, and made of gray stone that matched Inoha’s streets. Sprouting from that was a latticework of pitch-black iron, designed for appearance rather than security. There were gaps between the metal bars that were narrow enough that Alric could have squeezed through, even if Hirrus' broader chest might have proved too wide to fit. The top of the fence was uneven, and rose and fell in concert with the wavy pattern of the fence, between ten and twelve feet tall at the tips of the metal bars.

Beyond the gate, the manor itself was enormous. At least five stories high - taller than Hirrus' High Jump could take him - with room enough to comfortably house the entire population of Yenon. Ostentatious didn’t even begin to describe how overly built and designed this place was.

And it wasn’t empty.

Even from the street along the river, Hirrus could see guard patrols through the numerous huge windows. The narrow space between the outer fence and the manor’s walls were also thick with patrols.

Having them patrol at all seemed excessive. There were at least twenty mercenaries milling about in front of the manor. Those people alone could have been an imposing force to protect the miniature castle’s inhabitants.

Hirrus could tell the difference between these guards and those he’d encountered elsewhere just on first glance. The other guards had been dressed in an obvious imitation of the city guards, wearing either chain and plate like Hirrus had, or thick brigandine like the night shift guards. These guards were outfitted in a foreign style Hirrus didn’t recognize. They wore full plate armor, with each piece fluted and flared in a way that gave them silhouettes that appeared almost inhuman. Bulbous helms with wedge-shaped visors gave the appearance of a fly’s head, while the flared armor around the shoulders and elbows made their arms look like scrawny segments. Their chest plates were shaped like the prow of a ship, and Hirrus could guess that the angled metal would turn aside weapons, but he wondered how that advantage could possibly make up for the bulky armor.

With Alric in tow, Hirrus made his way to the front gate. It was unlocked, but there were five mercenaries lined up on the far side, staring him down. Their faces were unreadable through their bug-like helms, but he got the impression that they were glaring.

In the middle of the gate were two huge metal rings, and Hirrus could tell from the scrape-marks on the stone that they opened outwards. Taking hold of the rings, he yanked, pulling the gate open. The mercenaries closed ranks, as if to bar his way, but as he stepped up, using his body language to convey that he was not going to be stopped, they broke and yielded, parting before him.

As he stepped onto the grounds, the patrols stopped.

Every single one of the bug-eyed helms turned to stare at Hirrus and Alric as they started towards the manor. They didn’t attack, but the eerie feeling of their attention made Hirrus' skin crawl.

The feeling redoubled as he looked up at the building and saw that the patrols he’d seen through the window had stopped as well, with scattered windows now filled with insect-like silhouettes staring down at him.

“What are you doing?” a voice demanded from around the corner. “Why have the patrols stopped?”

Hirrus readied his axe just as someone stormed around the corner. He expected Alric to duck behind him, but the adventurer stood true.

The newcomer was obviously an adventurer, dressed in full plate armor closer to more local styles, even though it was a gaudy gold metal rather than anything sensible. He took two steps forward and then stopped, his eyes nearly protruding from his head. “Shit!” The man turned around to bellow over his shoulder. “He’s here! The Merciless dude is here!”

Hirrus readied himself for a fight, but the cry that followed gave him pause.

There were at least a dozen voices readying for battle, maybe more.

The man with the gold armor drew a long rapier and charged, and following right behind him were three others. A man in thick fur hides with a giant morningstar, another in blood-red leathers with a kukri, and a cloaked figure covered in streaming brown rags with a glittering bronze khopesh.

There was likely enough damage and hit points between the four of them to give Hirrus cause to use his Merciless transformation, and he considered using it now. But then three more emerged from around the corner, joining the charge.

And then two more came around, visibly readying Arcana to fling at him from a distance.

And then four more.

And then two.

There was no sign of the stream of adventurers thinning.

It was obvious that Hirrus was out of his depth here. Even with his Merciless transformation, he would likely fall under their sheer numbers. And even if he survived, he would have no strength left to face down the officers using these people as cannon fodder.

“The door,” Hirrus said, pointing up at the manor. “Run.”

Hirrus didn’t wait for acknowledgement from Alric. Instead, he ran across the courtyard towards the door.

The mercenary patrols parted before him, but they parted much more quickly before the throng of adventurers charging behind. At the lead, the man in gold armor was physically shoving them out of the way with his free hand as he sought to close the gap before Hirrus could reach the front door to the manor.

Fearing what would happen if the mob caught them, Hirrus activated Split Second, extending his lead. He had to dart around the mercenaries, but the burst put him at the base of the stairs up to the manor’s main door. There were two guards stationed at the door, and despite the imposing appearance put forth by their helms, they stepped aside as he mounted the stairs.

The front doors looked like they’d be more at home on a castle than the front of this estate. They were ten feet tall and made of solid oak. Hirrus threw his weight against them, struggling to move their mass. Despite the imposing size, they were relatively well-balanced, and once they started moving, they swung open slowly and dramatically.

Alric pelted past him into the manor’s entry hall. The adventurer immediately reversed direction, hands on the doors to bring them to a stop. Hirrus followed his lead, and the pair of them shoved the huge doors closed.

“No!” the man in gold armor shouted, too late.

The huge doors boomed shut, leaving the adventurers behind.

Hirrus turned and looked around at the entry hall. There were a couple of mercenaries staring impassively at them, but no adventurers just yet. Yet, of course, being the key word there.

The inside of the building, too, looked like Clive’s manor, but on a grander scale. A similarly garish floor was laid in a huge checkerboard pattern of alternating squares of white stone tiles and dark metal panels. In the middle of the large room emerged a huge staircase, leading up to a landing that ran around the room along the second floor.

At the head of the stairs there was another huge pair of doors, and despite the corresponding entrance in Clive’s home leading to a sparring room, he had the impression that in this stronghold, the guild as a whole was likely to be less imaginative.

Hirrus pointed up at the large double doors. “We have to-”

He was interrupted by an impact against the door. It opened just a crack, but the impact hit Hirrus in the back, sending him staggering away. There was no damage, but plenty of intent.

Alric cried out in a panic as a glittering khopesh lashed out through the gap, narrowly missing the adventurer’s face. Hirrus hurled his weight against the door, slamming it closed before the weapon’s holder could squeeze through.

There was another impact shortly, and then another.

What followed next was an intense and growing pressure as the number of bodies trying to force the door multiplied.

“I shouldn’t have stopped,” Hirrus snarled, forcing his strength back against the door. “I had a lead and now I’ve lost it.”

“What did you think you were gonna do?” Alric asked with a laugh. “Run through here like a Scooby Doo bit and lose them?”

Hirrus shook his head with a growl. “I don’t know what that means. And I don’t know if you understand how unhelpful that is.”

“I just mean that this was inevitable. As soon as they saw us, we were going to be here.” Alric gestured around the room. “Maybe not right here. Maybe not these exact doors, but we were going to get stuck trying to trap these fuckers at a barrier somewhere. The only other way would be if we ran right to the guild officers and got sandwiched between the two groups.”

As if to punctuate that point, the force against the door redoubled, opening the gap between by a crack again. A golden rapier blade slipped through, whipping around wildly. Hirrus activated his Going Ape Arcana, and used the enhanced BUR it afforded him to force the doors closed again.

“Alright,” Hirrus growled, straining against the force trying to open the doors. “If you’re the tactical genius who understands how this all ends, then tell me our next move?”

Alric seemed unfazed by Hirrus’ comment. “Fighting them is suicide.” Alric’s brow furrowed as he concentrated. “While I came here knowing I would die for this, you can’t fall with me. Not until you’ve brought them to justice.”

“What, do you want me to leave you here to handle this?” Hirrus grunted in what would have been a laugh in any other situation.

In response, there was a thump on the door. It shook, but Hirrus' strength was holding.

Going Ape had a limited duration, however. They had less than a minute before it was over.

And the adventurers would win.

Hirrus shook his head. “Unless you have an Arcana that can hold this door by yourself, I don’t foresee leaving you here going well. Or lasting very long.”

“I don’t-” Alric stopped and gasped. “Oh. I do. I actually- Hold on.” Alric started to giggle, even as the force pounding on the door redoubled, shaking the two of them. “I actually have something for this!”

“What?” Hirrus demanded, his patience wearing thin. “What do you have?”

“Don’t tell anyone but I-” Alric said, and then shook his head with a laugh. “What am I saying, of course you won’t. You won’t know what it means. Let’s just say there’s a reason I was attracted to this game. I have an unusual role model.”

Alric adjusted position, standing between the two doors, and put his back against them. Hirrus was briefly afraid that the door was going to fly open, but Alric took a deep breath and activated an Arcana.

Hirrus wasn’t sure what happened at first, but with shocking suddenness, the pressure on the door was relieved. He tentatively let go, and while the door shook and rumbled, it wasn’t budging.

“What did you do?” Hirrus asked, surprised by the shock in his voice.

Alric didn’t answer.

It took a long moment for Hirrus to realize why.

The adventurer was frozen in place, his face locked in a satisfied smirk. Despite that, his eyes were following Hirrus, periodically flicking up towards the stairs.

The adventurer’s Arcana had turned himself into a stone statue, giving him enough weight to pin the door closed.

Hirrus put a hand on the man’s shoulder, giving him a sincere smile. Or, well, as sincere as he was capable of, given the current situation.

“Thank you, my friend,” Hirrus said. “I won’t forget this. And even if I do, it won’t change that when you were here, faced with what you faced, you chose to do the right thing.”

Alric couldn’t move, but Hirrus thought he saw gratitude in his eyes.

Or perhaps satisfaction.

It could have just been his imagination, however.

Hirrus turned around and made for the stairs, despite knowing this would likely be the last time he’d ever see Alric alive. The big double doors waited above at the head of the stairs, and beyond them lay his revenge.