Ambrosius had always been capable of escaping from jail, he had just made the decision not to. The cell was cramped and small and not nearly as hygienic as he preferred, but he'd be darned if it wasn't somewhat cozy. The guards made for some decent conversation and he could tell a story or two and they would laugh their asses off. They were enthralled with the tales of his escapades, and it made him feel appreciated, validated even. If he had wanted to escape, he could get out of his cell, sure. But then the guards would be forced to come after him and that could get messy. He didn't like that. As far as he was concerned, the guards were his friends.
But even that was not the true reason Ambrosius stayed in his cell, or at least it was only part of it. The woman who had captured him had also captured his attention. She didn't come through often, as she was a soldier first, not a guard, not military police, but she did make occasional visits to the guards, who were likely her friends or seniors in some sense. He could always smell her before he saw her, and usually he could hear her before he caught her scent. She was loud, foul mouthed, and, in his opinion, a little dim. But that was what intrigued, and infuriated, him. How did he get caught by someone so...dumb? So stupid? She was a muscle-headed warrior, and he was a clever and cunning thief. It was embarrassing, to say the least.
He'd tried to talk to the red-headed soldier a few times, but often their conversations would end up with him insulting her, and either she wouldn't get it, which would piss him off, or she would get pissed off and unfurl a hurricane of obscenities that offended not only his ears, but Ambrosius the third, second and first's as well. Then she would ignore him for the rest of her visit, and to be honest, he would do the same. In any case, he always tried to talk to her, to get to know her, and it almost always failed, usually thanks to either one of them, in whole or part.
Still, the days were peaceful and entertaining, though he knew a trial was looming, and it would likely end up in his execution. He was laying on his bed, contemplating what to do when the screams began. At first, he thought he might be hearing a murder. Then he knew that wasn't quite it. He was hearing mass murder. What was a single scream became tens of screams, then hundreds. Then, the temperature dropped. He went from being quite warm to shaking in seconds. It had to be magic, he knew this instantly. Something was going on out there, and it did not sound good.
"Guards!" Ambrosius cried out as he jumped to his feet, but there was no need for him to call for his captors. One of them, a young guard by the name of Asmond, was already at the cell door, keys shaking as he struggled to unlock it. "What's going on? What are you doing?"
"Orders, Ambrose. We gotta let free all the non-violent offenders..." Asmond's voice was shaky, a far cry from his usual confident tone. Even his body language was seeping with fear. "W-we're under attack. Mages of Brila...they're killing everyone." As he finished his weak explanation, he finally finished unlocking the door.
"Brila?!" Ambrose never liked Brila. The land was cold, and so were its people. They were rude, crass, and violent, with nasty tempers and a strongest will survive mentality. The only reasons most kingdoms tolerated them was because they were indeed formidable, but also because they had settled the raiding Skjöldung tribes, by genocide of course. "Mages too? That explains the cold...lets get out of here, eh?"
Ambrosius grabbed Asmond's hand as he exited his cell, pulling the young man along with him. "Don't be alarmed. I liked all of ya, so I'm going to do my best to keep you alive." He could tell his words had an immediate effect. He could feel Asmond's hand close tightly around his own, and the young man's pace increased.
The two exited the jail, and were greeted by the sight of blood, ice, and snow. Immediately, Asmond puked, and Ambrosius frowned. The bodies of men, women, and even children lay scattered along the roads. He could see the crowd of people not too far from him running, fleeing from just a few people. The mages, obviously. The frost and ice exuding from their bodies as they attacked the civilians made it obvious, despite their casual dressings. They probably snuck into the city by way of disguise. He could tell this was organized. They weren't just killing indiscriminately. No, they were herding the people.
"Bolt! Bolt!" Once again, he heard her before he saw her. The red-headed muscle girl was running with a speed that made him raise his eyebrows in shock. Even more to his surprise, he saw her avoid an attack that she couldn't have seen coming before hand. He had no idea why he was surprised anymore; she was a monster, obviously. "She's good." He muttered, watching her kill the mage. "Look Asmond, it's our monster friend," He turned to the guard, grinning, "Let's go-"
"She's gonna die!" The young man screeched.
Ambrose turned around, a scowl encroaching on his previous grin as he saw a mage approach her. Of course, she was tired. He'd been so impressed with her display of skill that he didn't realize she might have had no energy left. For all he knew, she came running from the other side of town. He let go of Asmond's hand and bolted forward, hoping to stop the mage's attack. But he wasn't going to make it in time. Instead, thinking on his feet, he grabbed the shield of a fallen guard, and hurled it with all his might, hoping it would make it in time.
And for the most part, it did. The shield took the brunt of the ice magic, becoming encased in ice as it was sent flying a distance from the red-head and the mage. Unfortunately, some of the frost did hit the girl in her side.
"I'm coming!" Ambrosius called out as he continued running towards the two, sparks crackling and dancing between and around his finger tips. He thrust his hand forward, casting a bolt of lightning at the mage. The light was blinding, but the speed of the energy was insurmountable. It hit the mage with such force that he was sent flying. The smell of scorched cotton and flesh his Ambrosius's nose instantly, causing him to wrinkle his nose, but even that couldn't stop the smirk on his face.
"Well, looks like you owe me one, muscle girl." He spoke as he approached her. "I just saved your life."
