After drinking all the blood from the paladin and the king, Rudolph pulled the sword of the slain guard from its sheath without a fuss and quickly massacred all four guardsmen, then drank their blood. Angry shouts could be heard from the hall, demanding that the door be opened. So there was still time. After surveying the battlefield, Rudolph quickly removed the ring with the "royal stone" from the king's finger and slipped it into his pocket.
After a moment's thought, he closed the door to the hall and thrust his sword into the floor, thus propping it open. It was no great barrier, but it took only a second to create. Snatching the dagger sheath from the paladin's belt, the magister rushed down the corridor, trying to get as far away from the bloodbath as possible.
Avoiding the servants, Rudolph went up one floor and entered an inconspicuous door in the wall. The room was used for storing dirty laundry. After looking around, the ghoul sat down directly on a bale and tried to calm down. All plans had gone to Moore. No more access to the study. His own home was off-limits as well. Ah, and there and there, there are valuable things. Good thing the hiding places were made in completely different places.
But you have to get to them first. And to do that you have to leave the palace, which will soon be searched with special care. Kings don't get killed every day! But in addition to escape, it is also desirable to find out what he's been up to. How could they find out about his new inhuman nature? What if they've invented a new spell?
Of course, that was just a dream. Anyone with such information was beyond the ghoul's grasp. The "King's Stone" equalized the odds, but he didn't want to seek happiness in hand-to-hand combat. And it was desirable to get rid of the ring soon, because a magical creature deprived of its essence, simply died, not lose the ability to magic, as it happened for example with people.
Rudolph looked out of his temporary shelter and looked through the small window. A demur was shining brightly in the sky. There were visible manifestations of air magic. The clouds were being actively dispersed. This, however, had become commonplace of late.
Weather control, which mages usually did not pay attention to at all and were engaged in only if paid for, in the light of recent events in the country, had become an important part of the life of the kingdom. It was necessary to wait for evening and sunset, which was still four hours away. That meant hiding in the palace. The Magister decided to try to change into a woman's dress. It seemed the most sensible thing to do.
Very quickly it became clear that changing into a woman's dress and thus hiding would not work. The man's dimensions did not allow him to find dresses of suitable size, and it was not even worth looking for. Through the window he could see the soldiers in the courtyard, who had received orders not to let anyone out at all.
From the fourth floor, the ghoul could hear all the orders of the officers and the conversations of the soldiers. The first floor of the palace was already being turned over, looking through all the cracks. But the top floor was still quiet. Not even the servants were running around. Apparently they were ordered not to move. A pity, of course.
Realizing that he would have to work hard in the near future, the magister didn't mind having a few more liters of blood to supplement his daily ration. Footsteps sounded on the stairs and the fugitive hurried to hide in the room with dirty laundry. Six soldiers ran down the service corridor, rattling iron.
- Block the stairs and do not let anyone through! - came a commanding shout from the beginning of the corridor.
"So really just blocking off all routes while the search parties slowly but surely explore the palace and all its hiding places."
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