Jacob felt good about his plan. There were a few bumps in it, but as far as he knew everything was going according to his will. Minus the ring, which he did not acquire. All he needed to do was find some guards to have secure the temple so he could obtain more priests. Once that was finished, he planned to head to the palace.

The Marshal that was in charge of the entire force of the Valorian empire could still be alive. He died in battle against Mikhal in his background, so Jacob was praying this point still stood. If not, he would have to quickly assemble his forces and leave this place. The Marshal was his trump card, a weapon he could use.

The emperor was useless, and Jacob cared not if he survived or not. He did however hope all the ministers suffered greatly so that they would not be in charge of the empire anymore. Even with all that he was doing, something still scratched at the back of his neck. It felt like something was off, but Jacob could not tell what it was.

This small point bothered him.

After minutes passed by, his small group finally encountered a few guards. Jacob spotted five, but there could be more in the surrounding area. The five guards were on high alert and checking the alleyways seemingly trying to clear the area before proceeding forward. Seeing this, Jacob started to view them in a new light.

As Jacob was about to move forward to go meet the guards, his ears twitched as he heard something. It sounded like metal being pounded against the ground, and it seemed he was not the only one to pick up on the noise. Matthew and Angelia glanced in the direction the sound was coming from. A moment later, the guards took out their weapons ready to take action.

From an alley emerged a figure in golden armor, but the armor looked as if it has been through a lot in such a short amount of time. Jacob's expression instantly changed as he recognized the armor. It belonged to the royal guards, one of the highest level troops in Pathfinder.

The guard's armor was covered in blood, and their helmet was gone revealing the features of a man a bit past middle-aged. He moved his head side to side swiftly as he scanned the area.

'This is good.'

Jacob thought to himself as the appearance of this one man could provide him with some valuable information. Not to mention an asset he could use. Hopefully, good things lay ahead with this person's appearance.

"Something is off..."

Matthew started to say something but stopped as he squinted his eye. The royal guard he was monitoring started to move after emerging from the alley. His body flicked as his foot pushed off the ground creating a dent in it. As the royal guard reemerged, his claymore was in his hands already in full motion. The claymore sliced through all five guards like butter, leaving them stunned and unable to comprehend what had happened.

Jacob was bewildered, why was this guard who was supposed to protect the capital and listen to the direct orders of the emperor slaying the city guards? Not only that, but the man's movements were a blur to Jacob.

He could not fully grasp the royal guard's dash.

"Ian..."

Matthew said through gritted teeth.

"Ian? What is he doing here? I heard he was banished from the capital because he killed Duke Valor outside of a proper duel. He had no just cause, so the emperor banished him."

Matthew nodded at Aneglia's words.

"Yes, that is partially true. There's a bit more to the story, he was not 'banished' as you said he left on his own accord. No one was capable of holding him back at the time of him being charged."

Jacob coughed drawing both his companion's attention.

"Who is Ian?"

Both looked a bit shocked by his question. To them, Ian was a pretty famous person within the empire. It was odd not to know of him.

"You are being serious?"

Matthew eyed Jacob with a confused look on his face. However, after seeing that Jacob truly did not know, Matthew opened his mouth to speak again.

"Ian is a former general of the empire. Thirty-five years ago he committed a crime, which insulated all of the nobility. In accordance with the law, he was supposed to be judged and punished, but he simply left before he was judged. This caused a stir, and the emperor stripped him of his title, and land, then imprisoned his entire family. No one has seen him since."

Matthew quickly explained.

"I understand."

'When I have time, I should read about this world's history.'

Jacob made a mental note to himself.

As he tried to look in the direction Ian was, he found the man had vanished. That is when he felt it, alarms ringing inside his head. The hairs on the back of his neck started to stand, as a cold shiver went down his spine.

Jacob ducked.

Something silver swept past him as he barely moved in time. The pressure coming from above caused Jacob to stumble.

"Oh?"

A voice full of surprise could be heard from behind Jacob.

"I thought it was you I sensed, traitor."

Matthew's body expression changed dramatically as he drew his sword.

"And you still seem to be the war-crazed maniac I recall you to be."

Matthew replied back.

Ian grinned.

"I never did like you."

"And I, you."

The two men shared history, one that Jacob knew nothing about. Very few actually knew Matthew's background.

"Can you handle him?"

Jacob hurriedly asked.

"You want the truth?"

Matthew responded with a question he had a feeling Jacob would not like to have answered.

"Just leave, I can hold him back for a few."

Jacob looked at Matthew for a second before he glanced at Ian. The man's level and strength were unknown to him, but Jacob had a grasp on Matthew's abilities. With Angelia here, the three of them should win.

He could not have Matthew die. He did not want to lose anyone.

"We'll fight him together."

Jacob told Matthew.

"Honestly lord, you would only hinder me. But, suit yourself."

Matthew turned his attention to Angelia.

"Use whatever you have, we'll need everything."