The Chronicles of Nirn: Bane

by Jensiferum Satyrus

When a Canthan mercenary arrives in the land of Tyrlach, she offers her sevices as a bodyguard to its princess, not knowing of the dark powers plotting around her employer. I own nothing that others own. rated M for safety's sake.

Night was falling, and all was silent near a small village in the middle of the wilderness. However, as the sun set over the nearby mountain, the tension in the small community was almost tangible.

The village was surrounded by a wooden wall, with a hedge of sharpened poles driven into the ground near the bottom of it. Torches were being lit, and the villagers were arming themselves. One man in particular stood out from his peers. He was dressed in finer clothes, had a scabbard strapped in his belt and the eyes of a leader. He sighed and headed towards the tavern after overseeing that every man in the village had been given a weapon that would not break after its first strike.

He strode in through the doors of the large building, nodding in greeting to some of the patrons, before heading for the largest table in the drinking-hall. He arrived to see several men surrounding the table, and others standing to the side while massaging their hands, their faces twisted in slight pain.

The men surrounding the table stepped aside for him. At the table itself, two figures were arm-wrestling. One of them was one of the villagers, the other was an outsider that had arrived a week ago and stayed for a while.

The villager's hand was slammed firmly into the table. He rose and shook his opponent's hand, before a signal from the finely-clothed man sent him and his fellows outside to be armed.

The outsider looked at him, and rose from its seat as he nodded. The two ventured outside, the outsider bringing its equipment with it. They stepped onto the walkway running alongside the wooden wall, and turned towards the mountain. The outsider, whose body was hidden from view by a silver-grey cape and hood, was a good head taller than anyone in the village was.

The last of the sun's rays disappeared behind the mountain. He sighed and placed a hand on his hilt. "Don't worry," the cloaked figure spoke, its voice distinctively female. "Balthazar will guide us through this battle. If not, then he will guide us to The Fissure of Woe."

"Encouraging thought," he mumbled, then they fell silent and waited. The cloaked woman's sword was quite long, reaching from her soles to her chest, with a small hilt on the end. The woman identified it as Murakai's Blade, but made it quite clear that she was not, in fact, Murakai herself. Her shield was large, round, golden in color, and emblazoned with a pouncing lion.

As the night grew older, the tension among the villagers grew as well, all as one too upbeat to even consider going to sleep. Suddenly, an arrow whizzed through the night and into a throat to the left of the two. "Incoming!" someone yelled as a hail of arrows appeared in the sky.

"Shields up!" the woman shouted and brought her own shield above her head. Some arrows struck the shields, some struck the barricades, and others simply fell short. Soon after, the arrow-rain ceased. In the light of the torches, several greenish-grey-skinned creatures with a wiry build and hunched backs came charging over the field separating the village from the forest.

Many were shot down, more impaled themselves on the poles. The ones that came after obviously learned from the experiences of their fallen kin, as they carried shields. Crude, and badly-maintained, yet still effective.

Those who got close to the walls, were speared down swiftly, yet for each of the creatures who fell screeching, another three appeared in its place. Suddenly, a boulder came flying out of the night and crashed into the wall, tearing down a large chunk of it.

Immediately, the goblins swarmed towards the breach, as did the woman and her companion. They arrived at the breach to find the village's defenders in a vicious melee with the fiendish creatures. A man fell in front of her with a nasty gash over his chest, and she swiftly ran the goblin through before taking his place.

Her sword slashed and stabbed in all direction as blow after blow rained upon her shield, soon she had to climb a small hill of dead goblins to see the enemy when they came at her. Another boulder smashed into another section of the wall and tore it down.

"Kai sang!" the woman cursed and turned to the leader of the village. "Hold the breach!" she called and ran off, her cape and hood falling away from her as she went. Her armor was masterfully crafted, one could tell by simply looking at it. It was adorned with images of wings and feathers, with the stylized head of an eagle carrying a large ring in its beak at the left shoulder. Her hair was short, dirty blonde and held up by a headband with two long bangs framing her face and parting into two small low-hanging ponytails in the back. Her skin had a golden hue to it, and her eyes were dark and slightly slanted, giving them a cat-like quality.

She arrived at the newest breach just as the first few goblins leapt through it. A few swift slashes of her sword dispatched them. The next few were more complicated. Five goblins came at her at once, three with shields and various weapons, and two with skull-adorned spears.

Two of the shield-bearers came at her first. One of them swung its axe at her, she parried it with her blade and sent the creature to the ground with a powerful swing of her shield. She turned to the second one, and swung her sword simultaneously, slashing open the throat of the third shield-bearer while doing so. The second goblin studied her for a second or three before screeching savagely and leaping at the warrior while flailing its mace around. The woman sidestepped the leaping creature and brought it down with a thrust to its back, before slicing the head off of the first goblin.

She turned again, and jumped to the side as one of the spear-wielders made a stab at her. She slashed at the weapon and cut it in half. The warrior closed in and ended the goblin's life with a thrust to the chest. The second one swiped at her. She leapt over the weapon and buried her sword in the monster's forehead.

Yet another boulder slammed through the barricade. "We cannot hold them off if this continues," she thought to herself. "I have to do something." She leapt through the breach she was defending and laid into the enemy. After drenching the ground around herself with goblin-blood and littering it with the creatures' corpses, she put two fingers in her mouth and whistled twice.

A roar erupted from the village. Seconds later, a large, scaly, bluish-grey and horned creature, looking like a relatively small, wingless dragon came galloping through one of the breaches. The drake swung out with its neck, seized a goblin between its jaws, and crushed the unfortunate creature, before it skidded to a halt beside her and laid itself on the ground.

The woman patted the drake's head affectionately and swung herself up into the saddle just below its neck. Once seated, the warrior grabbed hold of the beast's reins and drove it forward into a sprint with a sharp command. Several goblins were trampled under the dragon-like creature's claws, while others ended up in its belly.

A goblin, riding on the back of a giant wolf, came at her, followed by several other wolf-riders. At its rider's urging, the drake leapt forward, its jaws taking the goblin, and its claws rending open the wolf beneath.

One of the wolf-riders appeared to her right and slashed at her with a scimitar. She parried the swing and countered with a slash of her own that sent the goblin out of its saddle.

The warrior and her drake tore through the goblin ranks, with steel and claw they scattered all who stood in their way. Those who managed to get close enough to the drake to make a grab at the saddle were swiftly kicked off by its rider. The wolf-mounted goblins kept coming, though as she neared the edge of the forest, their ranks began to thin out.

Another boulder flew over her head, but this time, the goblins were too busy with her to charge at the new breach, though there were still those who attacked the defenders behind her. Three more of the wolf-riders fell, along with at least seven other goblins, before she reached the trees and slipped between them.

The luminous golden glow of her drake's eyes was the only source of light available, as the leaves above shut out the light of the moon. Luckily for the woman, these goblins were not of the subtle kind. Screeching like pigs being impaled, the beasts came rushing at her from in front and to the sides.

Realizing that it would be difficult to defend herself on two fronts while on her mount in such confined space, she quickly leapt off him and sent him away with a single whistle. The first goblin who reached her fell with his head missing. The second one was greeted with a sword through his chest; several others were being mauled by her companion.

When the area finally fell silent again, she sent her drake off to divert attention, knowing that he could take care of himself, and took off, holding her shield high and her sword ready, watching the trees for archers.

Soon enough, she came upon a clearing, where a massive creature stood. It was as tall as a full-grown yeti from her homeland, significantly more bulky, hunched over onto its hands and covered in dark-green scales. The head was similar to those of the goblins, only very much larger, bulkier and sporting tusks, smaller ears and a more pronounced brow. The creature she could only assume was a troll of some sort stood and looked towards the village, while several goblins were rolling a boulder towards it. As soon as they were in range, the monstrous beast grabbed it and flung over the treetops.

"Kai sang," she muttered. Whenever she faced yetis back in Cantha, she was usually part of a group, and she could tell that this troll was stronger than an average yeti back home. "How am I going to take that thing down fast?"

After thinking for some time, she looked beside herself at one of the nearby trees, and smirked.

She swallowed, and tried to silence it as much as possible, as she slowly stepped out on one of the branches hanging over the clearing. She had placed her shield on her back, and held her sword in both hands, one on the hilt and one near the end of the blade itself.

She stopped close to the edge of the branch, and breathed deeply three times before running forward and leaping off the tree with her sword pointing down.

She landed hard on the troll's shoulder, and thrust her blade through its skull. The monster howled in pain. She leapt back and made for the goblins present, brandishing her shield along the way. The stunned creatures were quickly felled, but the troll's dying roar, coupled with the tremor of its form hitting the ground, had not gone unnoticed.

Screeching sounded through the forest, and even worse, a boulder was heading straight for the clearing she was standing in. The warrior bolted, cutting though a few goblins in her way.

The boulder touched down in the clearing just as she made it under the trees again. She whistled twice, and mounted her drake again when he arrived. "Come on boy," she said and turned her mount towards where the boulder had come from.

She faced little resistance on the way, certainly nothing that she could not handle, even if she had been by herself. Along with her drake, she seldom even needed her sword against the few goblins they ran into. Suddenly, he reared up and gave a contemptuous hiss. "Steady! Steady!" she whispered loudly and pulled on his reins, managing to calm him down before leaning down and rubbing his neck soothingly. "What's wrong boy?" she whispered.

The drake expelled a snort through its nostrils, laid its head on the ground, and covered its snout with its forelegs. The warrior rose slightly from her saddle and inhaled through her nose, before quickly covering it with her hand. "Oh yeah," she winced. "I think we found our troll."

With a firm urging from its master, the drake crept closer, silent as a breeze despite its size. Another clearing spread out before them, and again, there was a troll standing in the middle of it. A quick scan of the area told the woman that there were no branches that extended far enough for her to repeat her last strategy.

As the creature prepared to launch another boulder, however, she saw her chance. The beast's belly wasn't covered in the scales that ran all over the rest of its form. She held her drake back, and waited.

The troll grabbed another boulder and raised it over its head. The warrior kicked her mount into action, brought up her sword, and slashed open the troll's gut while charging past it. The beast's howl was cut short as the boulder it had lifted slipped from its grasp and crushed its ex-carrier.

The screeching that she had anticipated came at her from the dark, plus something that she had not counted on. A tremendous roar shook the forest, and her drake began to slowly back up as she brought up her blade again.

Three trolls emerged from the forest, two of them bearing massive tree-trunks as clubs, and the third wielding an enormous warhammer. The two in front were clothed only in loincloths, but the third had large plates of dark iron hooked directly into its skin. A small horde of goblins swarmed forth around their feet.

The hammer-bearing troll, whose head was partially concealed by a helmet, bellowed and charged at her, the two other following with the goblins close behind. The troll raised its hammer, and she kicked her drake into a sprint forward towards the two other trolls.

The troll she was approaching swung its club at her, which the drake hopped away from and closed with the beast. The dragon-like creature stopped short of the troll's body with a firm pull of its reins, and the warrior atop it swung her sword in a wide arc. Guts spilled from the deep wound, and showered her in them.

Disregarding the troll-innards for the moment, the woman ordered her steed to move again, slashing open several goblins along the way. Some of the remaining ones were fleeing back to the woods as she headed towards the second troll. The first troll swung at her again, the drake tossed itself to the ground at her urging and the hammer passed over them and smashed through the second troll's ribcage.

The warrior turned her drake around and started riding in circles around the final troll. Spotting that the insides of its knees were bare of iron or scales, she rode closer while dodging the beast's swings. As soon as she was close enough, she stabbed her blade into the back of its knee and rode farther away as it collapsed.

She jumped off the drake's back and sprinted over to the fallen behemoth, knowing that most trolls possess a powerful rate of regeneration, being able to recover from any wound that would not kill them outright.

With that in mind, she hurried and thrust her sword into the thin slit of its helmet that allowed eyesight. The monster roared and thrashed about, and eventually fell still and limp. Breathing out, she turned to see the goblins retreating into the woods.

"Cowards!" she hollered and leapt onto her drake before taking off after them, several of them stumbling and falling, her shout clearly robbing them of what courage they had left.

Those who fell were trampled under the drake's clawed feet as the pair gave chase, and they caught up with many of the fleeing enemy, felling them where they stood with sword and fang. And by the time they reached the next clearing, all the goblins that had accompanied the trolls had been slain.

With her blade drenched in goblin-blood, and herself covered in troll-guts, the warrior was a fearsome sight to behold, if the reactions from the goblins she ran into, and over, were any indicators.

In the next clearing, the warrior came to a halt, panting deeply. In the middle of the clearing, a posse of goblins, clad in black iron stood huddled around a figure sitting atop a great black wolf, with a pair of horns protruding from its skull.

The mounted goblin was unmistakably the chieftain, as he was the largest one she had seen that night. Its face was a roadmap of scars, and a mane of wild black hair framed it and tumbled down its back, though that back was covered in a cloak of bearskin.

The goblin-chieftain and its warriors swiftly became aware of her presence. The horned wolf snarled threateningly, and her drake answered with a defiant roar. The guards cast one look at her blade and armor, splattered as they were in the blood and guts of their allies, and fled. Most of them never made it past the chieftain. He felled those he could reach with a serrated scimitar he pulled from his belt, before turning his attention to the newcomer and making a slashing motion with his blade.

The two warriors regarded each other for some time, before spurring their mounts forward and raising their swords. They clashed in the center of the clearing, their blades meeting, parting and meeting again three times before they rode away from each other.

They turned sharply and met again, their respective mounts snapping after the other. The goblin made a sudden swing of his shield, and though she blocked it with her own, the force of impact was great enough to knock her from her saddle.

She grunted as she hit the ground, and rolled to the side to avoid the wolf's maw as it came at her. Her drake was held at bay as several goblins erupted from the forest and went at it.

The chieftain charged at her again just as she got to her feet. She brought her shield up and the wolf crashed into it, full-force. The barrier routed the beast and had it careening to the right. As the horned wolf turned, the warrior's hilt slammed into its rider and sent him flying from his saddle and onto his back.

The goblin rolled back onto its feet and retrieved its blade before she rushed at it. Their steel clashed several times, their shields both blocking and striking. The drake slammed into the wolf as it came at its master from behind, the two animals falling into a heap of rending claws and snapping jaws.

The goblin's scimitar and Murakai's Blade clashed and stayed as the two warriors started a vicious power-struggle. In one swift motion, the goblin dropped his shield, fisted his hand and sent a blow that struck the unarmored stretch of skin below her chest but above her stomach. She fell back and brought her sword up to parry the creature's overhead swing. While doing her best to keep the goblin from beheading her, the woman raised her leg and slammed her boot into the beast's leg, toppling it as well.

She swiftly rose to her feet again, and made her own swing against the chieftain. It rolled out of the way and rose again, before charging at her with its scimitar raised to kill. It seemed to have forgotten that it had a shield, as it had not retrieved it after striking her.

"Last mistake you ever made" she thought with a small grin. The goblin swung down at her, she whirled out of the way and swung upwards, severing his sword-arm, before stabbing her sword into his guts. Instead of keeling over and dying like she expected it too, the goblin snarled and grabbed her wrist with its remaining arm, pulling itself closer to its foe and snapping its toothy maw at her. She swiftly stepped back, bringing her sword with her, raised the weapon and sliced the beast's head clean off.

The goblin's body collapsed just as the warrior's drake tore the horned wolf's head off, tossed it away, and roared in victory.

The woman cleaned her blade with the goblin's cloak and sheathed it in the scabbard on her back, fastening her shield over it, before retrieving the goblin-head and mounting her drake. The sky began to turn pink and red in the horizon as the sun began its ascent.

She held the drake at a leisurely pace, knowing that she had done her work to its fullest extent. As she arrived from the forest, she could see that the village was not out of trouble yet. Many goblins were still assaulting the breaches, and it looked like they could break through the defenders any second.

She rose in her saddle and whistled loudly. The goblins at the back turned to look, and their eyes widened as she tossed the severed head of their chieftain on the ground before them with a mighty throw.

Those attackers that had turned to look were noticeably shocked, and that shock turned to pure terror as the woman drove her drake forward and drew her sword again, yelling out a battle-cry that echoed in the early morning. "Cantha!" she roared. "Cantha and the Emperor!"

Like a storm of blades, she crashed into the backline of the enemy, cleaving them open wherever she rode. Most of the goblins were now fleeing, though they did not get far. The village-defenders were quick to man their archery-posts when the pressure on the breaches lessened, and shot down their foes in their tracks.

By the time the sun rose fully above the trees, there wasn't a single living goblin within miles of the village. The warrior dismounted and placed her sword's tip on the ground before kneeling by it.

"Balthazar," she whispered. "You have been my sword. You have been my shield. Your will has guided my arm, and your fire has kindled my courage in this battle. May my worthy foes travel swiftly and unharmed to The Fissure of Woe, where they shall be Your warriors forevermore. Blessed is Your word, and hallowed is Your name, Balthazar, Lord of War and Fire."

She finished her prayer and rose again. The warrior sheathed her blade and took her mount by the reins, leading him with her back to the village. The leader of the village had a bandage wrapped around his head and his sword had many dents in it, his clothes were torn and bloody, but he was smiling brightly as the warrior approached the wall.

"The deed is done," she smiled at him. "If you want to talk any further I'll be in the inn celebrating victory." That said, she strode past him and smiled at the cheering villagers before heading to the inn as promised.

The next morning, after ridding herself of her pounding headache, the warrior was saddling her drake and loading what belongings she had onto it. "Leaving already?" a voice sounded from behind her. "Indeed I am," she answered. "Not much work to be had now that the goblins are gone, now is there?" "I suppose not" the villager-leader answered and shrugged. "But surely you were not thinking of leaving without receiving your payment?"

"Of course not," she replied as she finished fastening the drake's saddle. "Money makes the world go around after all. Keeps the blade sharp and the stomach full." "That it does," he agreed and walked along as she led her drake out of the stables.

Just inside the gate, the two halted and turned to each other before shaking hands. He was not as disturbed as he thought he would be by the fact that he had to look upwards to look her in the eyes. Another villager approached the, carrying a bag of gold, followed by others who carried food and other supplies.

"It's all there," the leader said as he took the gold and handed it to her. "You can count it if you like." "I trust you," she smiled and turned to make sure her drake didn't bite anyone it wasn't supposed to while the new supplies were being loaded onto it.

After everything was in place, she bowed deeply, keeping to the customs of her homeland, and mounted her drake. "Ah yes," the leader of the village piped up. "I don't think we ever caught your name, warrior."

She thought for a bit, before slapping herself on the forehead. "My apologies, I guess it all just disappeared in the midst of all the fighting. My name; is Yun Dao, Hezokio Yun Dao, though I am often called Beastbane. And this scaly lump," she reached down to pat her drake. "Is Ryûng." Ryûng shook a fly from his head.

"Very well," the leader said. "In that case, may the gods be with you, Yun Dao Beastbane. You have our eternal gratitude." She bowed her head. "May Balthazar shield you from harm, and may Dwayna grant you all long and joyous lives."

Waving, she spurred on Ryûng and rode out of the village, followed by the goodbyes of the villagers until she disappeared into the forest.

Two weeks had passed since her last job, and she had already spent most of the gold she had made from it in various taverns and general stores she encountered on the road, which was becoming increasingly more populated as she went. Although the stretch of land and road she found herself on at the moment was empty, as they were moving into a valley of sorts.

"I think we ought to find ourselves some more work soon, eh Ryûng?" she spoke, regarding her almost empty bag of money. The drake answered by raising its snout and sniffing deeply, before rolling his tongue out of his mouth and panting. A sure sign that he had smelled something tasty.

She rolled her eyes and loosened her hold on the reins. The dragon-like beast sprang forward and rounded a bend; she pulled hard on the reins to halt him when she saw what he had smelled.

Yun leapt from Ryûng's back and knelt beside the armored body lying in the middle of the road. A quick check proved him dead, and the arrows in his back had her drawing her sword and hefting her shield.

Investigating, she found the tracks of a carriage and several horses on the road. She could tell that the horses were galloping due to the tracks' frequency, and they were quite fresh.

She ran back to her drake, mounted him and sent him into a run. After some time, she rounded another bend and stood drake-to-face with another man in similar armor. He shrieked when he saw the beast before him and fell back, and then he spotted the armed figure on top of it. He shrieked again and began to crawl backwards.

"Please! Please don't kill me!" the man spluttered. "I've got three wives! And fifteen children! With each!" She rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to kill you! Pull yourself together man!" The soldier immediately ceased his jabbering.

"What happened? Speak quickly!" she ordered. "We, we were a-attacked," the man stuttered, glancing nervously at the drake. "By bandits o-on the road. They killed many of us, a-and I fled. There were just too many of them."

The warrior's face turned into a scowl. "Balthazar does not look kindly upon cowards," she said as her scowl deepened. "And neither do I." The soldier whimpered and curled himself together. She left him where he lay, and quickly steered Ryûng past him and down the road.

Yun rode as swiftly as she could and soon enough, she could hear the sounds of battle up ahead. She halted her drake, dismounted, and crept closer. She ducked behind a rock and peered over it, discovering the carriage she had seen the tracks of standing still on the road, surrounded by fighting figures.

"A carriage that's guarded that heavily is bound to carry something important, or maybe even someone important," she thought. Of course, she would have helped out in any case, though she was a mercenary she was most certainly not heartless, but if she could help and secure herself work in one blow, then that would be a nice bonus.

She swiftly assessed the situation, and found the odds to be tipping in the favor of the attacking bandits. Though shabbily equipped and lacking any form of skill, the brigands were numerically superior to the soldiers defending the carriage. Many of the soldiers were already dead, dying or fleeing, and while the remaining ones were not unskilled, they were far too few to hold the attackers back.

Deciding that she had no time to return to Ryûng, Yun leapt over the rock and charged the bandits with a roar. "Cantha! Cantha and the Emperor!" The bandit at the far back turned just in time to be impaled.

The brigands were obviously so sure of victory that they never thought of a strategy, should their luck turn around. They were caught completely by surprise by the newcomer's ferocity, and were quickly routed.

As the bandits fled, the soldiers returned to the carriage without sparing the warrior a glance. "My Lady!" one of them shouted as he tore open the carriage's door after discarding his helmet. "You're welcome," Yun mumbled and sheathed her blade. "My Lady! Are you unharmed?"

"Unharmed? Unharmed? I feel insulted, transgressed and violated! Out of the way man!" the soldier was pushed out of the doorway by an arm covered in deep purple silk, followed by a young girl, surely no older than seventeen summers, with long, curly hair the color of an autumn-red leaf.

"Have you tended to the wounded?" she asked as she knelt by one of the soldiers. "There are no wounded, My Lady," the soldier said quietly. "Only corpses and deserters." The girl bowed her head for a few seconds before rising again.

"Captain," she began. The captain in question saluted in response. "Load the bodies into the carriage." She held up her hand to silence his outburst. "Load them in," she growled. "We are not leaving them for the wolves."

The soldier bowed his head, and he and the other guards began their grim task, while the apparent leader turned to Yun. "And who are you?" she asked, her hands on her hips and glaring defiantly at the much taller woman.

The warrior fisted her hands, placed them on her own hips and glared back. "I'd say that I am the reason you're still standing here," she said, her slanted eyes narrowing. "Captain!" the girl yelled. The soldier was by her side in a heartbeat. "Who is this woman?"

"I know not, My Lady," he answered. "She came out of nowhere during the fighting and scattered the enemy from behind." "Oh. You did?" the girl asked, her tone and posture changing considerably. Yun nodded slowly, "I suppose I did."

The girl smiled and curtsied. "Then you have my gratitude. I am Princess Marion of Tyrlach." "An honor to meet you, your highness," the Canthan said and knelt before the girl. "I am Yun Dao of the Hezokio clan, though I am often called Beastbane."

"Very well, then Beastbane I shall call you," Marion smiled. "I must thank you for rescuing us. If you would come with me back to the capital, I shall have you rewarded appropriately." Yun smiled as she rose. "I thank you for your generosity, Princess Marion, and most humbly accept your offer."

The captain cleared his throat; Marion motioned for him to speak. "All the…bodies have been loaded into the carriage, your highness," he said, though the look in his eyes made Yun sense an oncoming "but". "But…" he slowly continued, obviously preparing for an enraged outburst from his young princess, and judging by the way her eyes darkened, he was rightfully prepared.

"But what?" she asked, her tone dangerous. "Two of the soldiers who deserted during the fight with the bandits escaped on the horses. We cannot pull the carriage back to Tyrleôn by ourselves," the soldier explained.

Yun raised a hand and spoke. "If you are in need of something to pull the carriage with," she said. "My mount is at your disposal." "Your offer is greatly appreciated, m'lady," the captain replied. "But no horse, no matter how hardy, would be able to pull a carriage filled with dead bodies by itself."

"You are correct, good captain," the woman nodded. "Though my mount is by no means a horse." That said, she turned and whistled twice, loudly and clearly. A roar rose in answer from the side, and a moment later Ryûng came skidding down the valley with a limp bandit in his jaws. "Oh! Good boy!" Yun exclaimed and hugged her drake around the neck. "Good boy."

The soldiers let go of their weapons when they saw that the warrior and the beast were companions. "Just hook him onto the carriage, and I'll do the rest," Yun said. The remaining soldiers were visibly careful as they approached the dragon-like creature, though it quickly passed, and the drake was soon pulling the carriage along the road.

Yun sat up front, only because she could not ride Ryûng while he was busy pulling, and Marion sat beside her. The captain, who had introduced himself as Kheyrn Randeel, and the other three soldiers had placed themselves on the roof behind the two women. Kheyrn struck the mercenary as a pleasant sort. He was shorter that her by a head, or so, his hair, light brown in color, reached his shoulders and was pulled back into a small ponytail at the back. His chin and cheeks were covered by a light stubble and his eyes were as brown as they came.

"You are from Cantha, are you not?" Marion suddenly asked. "You surprise me," Yun answered after a while. "Not many know of my homeland in these parts." "That's what I thought," the princess said, grinning triumphantly. "My father took me along with him on a trip to The Tyrian Continents when I was little. We visited The Raisu Palace in Kaineng and received an audience with Emperor Kisu himself! Have you ever met him?"

The Canthan nodded, though her expression became annoyed for some reason. "I've met him many times. My father is very highly regarded by the emperor, and the rest of the continent." "How exciting! Are you a noble?" Marion asked, her eyes, which were the color of grass in the middle of summer, wide and almost glittering with wonder.

"Not anymore," Yun answered, keeping her own eyes on the surroundings. "Now I'm just another mercenary trying to make her way in the world." The princess's expression was a mixture of disbelief and puzzled curiosity. "Why would you give such a life up for one on the road, with that thing?" she motioned towards the drake.

"Ryûng is not a thing, princess," the warrior scowled at the girl, not at all caring for her attitude. "And I usually don't tell people whom I've just met my life-story." Marion looked taken aback, though it quickly changed into an annoyed grimace. "Fine," she huffed and motioned for Kheyrn and her to switch places. "Be that way then."

Yun gripped the reins tightly and gritted her teeth together as the captain sat down beside her. "On behalf of Princess Marion, the city of Tyrleôn and the kingdom of Tyrlach, I apologize for the young lady's behavior," he spoke, quietly so that the pouting royalty behind them would not hear what he said. "She is used to getting her will. Her mother passed away when she was young and… well, you did not hear this from me, but her father has been spoiling the child rotten ever since."

"No kidding," the Canthan mumbled. "That reward had better be worth all this." "You should not be concerned about that, my lady," Kheyrn said. "The king's reward for saving his daughter's life will be no less than monumental, I can assure you." Yun smiled, definitely liking what she heard. "Then I suppose I can deal with Her Royal Snoopiness for the remainder of our trip, how far is Tyrleôn anyways?" Kheyrn thought for a bit before answering, seeming to be a man who chose his words carefully. "I'd say, based on the pace we are keeping, that we shall arrive in the capital in…two weeks or so."

The woman drew a deep breath and held it. "Alright," she whispered as she let it go. "This isn't the foulest beast I've fought. I hope." The captain disguised his small laughter as a coughing-fit, attributing it to the cool air of the encroaching evening.

The days passed slowly, as the sight of a dragon, though smaller and devoid of wings, was sure to scare off potential attackers. Not to mention the Canthan warrior sitting up front, her slanted eyes scanning the surrounding area and always seeming ready to draw her sword at a moment's notice.

Though Marion had decided to stop talking to the mercenary after their previous conversation, the stream of questions would not end, as she merely relayed them through a very downtrodden Kheyrn instead. Questions the mercenary answered directly with a message for the young princess to, "Mind her own, royal, beeswax," along with repeated mutterings of curses in Old Canthan.

After the third day of non-stop blabbering from the girl, Yun had sent her drake running so that the trip would not be as long. As was expected of a draconic race, drakes were more enduring than horses, and Ryûng held a quick pace for several days before he stopped completely on the sixth one.

"Why are we stopping?" the deceptively pleasant voice of Princess Marion asked, surely she was busying herself with placing her hands on her hips and giving a scowl that could not have frightened a squirrel. "Why is the beast stopping?" she asked, her voice rising.

"Balthazar, give me strength!" the older woman snarled as she hopped from the driver's seat of the carriage. "Ryûng is not a machine, your highness," she scowled and knelt by her mount. "Even he cannot go for this long without a decent meal and not be exhausted." "Feed it then, so we can get moving!"

It took all of Yun's willpower to not draw her sword and run the girl through where she stood. "Keep your eyes on the prize," she thought as she drew a deep breath. "Do have any idea of how much a grown male drake eats when it's hungry?" Marion opened her mouth, held it open for a while, and closed it, crossing her arms and turning away with a huff.

"I thought as much," the Canthan smirked and rose. "As tired as he is now, this lug could probably stuff the population of an entire village in his belly and still have room for seconds." The soldiers, who had stopped worrying about the beast after two days, let their hands drift towards their weapons, clearly uncomfortable.

"Don't worry," she reassured them. "He won't eat anything I tell him not to eat. How far to Tyrleôn, Kheyrn?" The warrior's abrupt change of subject caught the captain off guard, and he stood and thought for a while before speaking. "At the pace we've been going," he began. "I'd say… two days, maybe less."

Yun let out a relieved breath as she went and unfastened a bow and arrows from Ryûng's saddle. "Stay here," she said and moved off towards a forest nearby. "I'll be back. Try to not disturb the drake; he can get quite cranky after a rude awakening, especially when he's hungry." She could see by their looks, that they would probably not even go near the beast, and she chuckled to herself as she disappeared into the woods.

Yun had discovered a long time ago, that sneaking in heavy armor was difficult, remaining unheard while doing so, next to impossible. At least it was if one was trained by humans alone, she had trained with both the proud tengu of her homeland, and the fierce norn race of the far north. Both of the two races had taught her many different paths of a warrior. On the subject of stealth, the norn had been particularly helpful as they were hunters, and well versed in the ways of tracking and stalking prey, something they had taught her, something she was now using to her advantage.

The mercenary was moving slowly, carefully avoiding twigs and crunchy leaves, her bow out and an arrow placed on the string. She had come across the fresh tracks of a deer in some mud a few minutes ago, and they kept on going, though making it clear that the animal was in no hurry. Another set of tracks she discovered had a plan formulating in her head.

Soon enough, she came upon the deer she had been tracking and pulled her arrow back. She drew a few deep breaths, like her uncle had taught her, and let the arrow fly from the bowstring. The projectile flew though the air, just as the animal bolted and disappeared between the trees.

"Kai sang!" Yun snarled and dashed off after it, not willing to let it win. Her teachers at the Shing Jea Monastery had often mentioned to her father, and herself, that her stubbornness was one of her greatest assets, and one of her most dangerous enemies. She leapt over a fallen trunk and made a swift turn as she spotted the deer's hindquarters dashing in between a cluster of trees farther down.

The Canthan dove through another cluster on pure guess, and crashed straight into her prey, sending hunter and hunted to the ground in a heap. The struggle ended quickly, and the deer was left on the ground with a broken neck. Yun rose with a satisfied nod, and went off to find a position that would give her a good vantage point. She did not have to wait long.

A large, brown bear lumbered into her view and sniffed around near the carcass. Yun was preparing to lay another arrow on her bowstring, when she felt a small breeze flow past her and in the bear's direction. She froze, knowing that that breeze would carry her scent straight at the animal. The woodland giant roared and leapt at the hidden mercenary.

The crouched warrior rolled out of the way, simultaneously drawing her sword from its scabbard. She whirled to face the beast as she stood and was about to unfasten her shield when one of its paws slammed into her head and sent her flying.

Blood ran down her face from four gashes on her cheek, though she paid them no heed, instead snarling like a tiger as she rolled back and onto her feet again. "Come on, you walking rug!" she shouted and brought her blade up before her. "I've single-handedly slain kappa that were bigger than you!"

The bear roared again and came at her, its jaws open wide and spittle flying from them. She roared back at it and leapt forward herself, her sword raised high.

She landed and turned to the bear, who had also landed and stood for a while, before collapsing. Yun placed her gauntlet-covered palm against her cheek and looked at it when she drew it away. She gritted her teeth and stalked over to the deer, picked it up and laid across the bear-carcass before tying the two together with some rope she had taken with her.

She breathed deeply, bent over, and hauled the two corpses onto her shoulders, almost buckling under the sheer weight of them. She managed to stand straight, and began to walk back to the road, following her own footsteps as she went.

The sun had set by the time she stumbled out of the forest. She fell to her knees for what seemed like the thousandth time, her built muscles bulging under golden-hued skin as she groaned and rose once again.

"Lady Beastbane?" a voice asked. The mercenary looked up as she walked and spotted Kheyrn in front of her. "That's me," she grinned. "That looks…heavy, do you require assistance?" Yun fell, and rose again before she answered. "No, no. I'm fine. No biggie, honest." "Sir, she's wounded!" one of the soldiers accompanying his captain noted and gestured towards the gashes on the Canthan's cheek. "Just a scratch," she muttered.

"A scratch?" Kheyrn exclaimed aghast. "Your face is practically off, woman! We have to get you medicinal attention posthaste!" The warrior groaned and stumbled some more. "I have to feed Ryûng," she managed to speak. "He's likable to bite the arm off anyone else who tries. Just give me a few minutes."

"With all due respect my lady, you are in no state to be feeding monsters right now," the captain said and hurried to stand in front of her. Yun scowled at him, her scars only serving to make her more intimidating. "Don't make me drop this bear on your pals before kicking the living daylights out of you," she growled, her voice ominously low.

"You are most welcome to try, my lady," Kheyrn growled back. He and his subordinates drew their weapons. "But as I said, in your condition we are more than a match for you." "Well guess what, white boy," the Canthan snarled. "I'm stubborn."

The bear and the deer flew from her shoulder and flattened the soldier to her right, before she kicked hard to the left, her armored heel slamming into the second soldier's chin and downing him, she then made a quick thrust backwards and both of her elbows crashed into the third soldier's ribcage.

"I should let you know, captain Kheyrn," Yun smirked as she stood her ground again and raised her arms, her hands poised to resemble claws. "That I am a master of the Xián Long style of unarmed hand-to-hand combat." Gritting his teeth, Kheyrn let his mace and shield drop from his hands and took a fighting position himself.

One second, the mercenary had been standing in front of him smirking, the next second the heel of her palm had smashed into his forehead. He stumbled back and was greeted by her boot slamming into his right cheek, only to come back and slam into his left cheek as well. The impact had him whirling around, and a solid punch to his back sent him downwards.

He grunted and was about to push himself up again, when a sudden weight on his back told him that she had dropped down on him, which was proved further when a gauntlet-clad hand grabbed him by his hair and shoved his face in the ground beneath him.

He gasped for air as the woman pulled his head up again. "Come on!" she yelled and sent the captain's head to the dirt again. "Fight like a man, you inbred son of a dredge!" "What in Athalan's name is going on here!" a familiar, and mildly despised, voice demanded in a shriek. "I think I may have insulted this fine lady's honor, your highness," Kheyrn groaned before his face went down again.

Marion's eyes rose to the Canthan, who seemed to pay little heed to her presence, before letting her gaze travel across the other soldiers. Two knocked out completely, and one trapped beneath a dead bear. "Lady Beastbane!" she shouted, her hands making themselves comfortable on her hips. "As princess of Tyrlach, I demand you stop this barbaric behavior!" Yun's eyes met those of the younger woman, before she lowered them and continued her onslaught. "You're not my princess," she growled.

Marion narrowed her eyes until they were thin slits. "Did your father never teach you respect for royalty?" she shrieked. The warrior halted in her brutal manhandling and stood, before stomping her way over to the girl, stepping on the back of Kheyrn's head in the process, which had him emitting a pained groan.

"My father," Yun began, her voice colder than ice as she stood before the princess, being at least two heads taller than her, the Canthan practically dwarfed the Tyrlachian. "Taught me to respect people for who they are, not what they are. He also taught me to never be weak in the face of adversity, and that everything that does not kill me, makes me stronger. I do not want to be perceived as weak! So yes! Your captain over here," she made a gesture over her shoulder at Kheyrn, who was getting up slowly. "He was insulting my honor by insinuating that I was weak! That I was unable to complete a task I had set before myself!"

"I meant no such disrespect, good lady," Kheyrn stated. "And I never meant to imply any form of weakness or frailness on your part, and should imagine that you have demonstrated your strength quite well. Please accept my most humble apologies." The mercenary turned and bowed to him after studying his eyes for a while. "I accept. Please accept my own apologies for causing you and your men harm."

"Think nothing of it!" Kheyrn exclaimed, though clearly struggling to not show any signs of injury. "A good workout is only appreciated! Right men?" The other three answered only with groans of varying volume, and looks that said, "No, not really."

Yun quickly hurried over and rolled the bear and deer off the first soldier she had downed, all while offering her most genuine apologies, before helping the rest to their feet. "All right men, no broken bones?" Kheyrn asked, and was answered with a collective, "No Sir!"

"Splendid! Lady Beastbane, if you would feed your drake so that we can get underway…" Yun nodded and heaved the carcasses onto her shoulders again. "By the way," she grunted. "Stop calling me "lady" all the time, I'm only a mercenary." "As you wish, my la-," he bit his lip. "Beastbane."

The Canthan smiled and strode off towards the still-sleeping drake. She whistled as she came closer, and when he did not wake at once, she dropped the carcasses in front of him and lightly kicked him in the right side of his face.

Ryûng awoke with a snarl, though he quickly calmed down upon spotting his master standing in front of himself, with food at her side. The drake waited patiently until the warrior had untied the two corpses from each other, before wolfing them both down in a matter of minutes, his powerful jaws and sharp teeth rending flesh and crushing bones.

Soon enough, the beast's hunger had been adequately sated, and the carriage was underway once more. Yun had given the princess the reins, after denying her the chance over five times, and decided to rest herself, still being weary from her hunt, the carrying of her prey and her scuffle with the soldiers.

A hand laid itself upon the Canthan's shoulder and gently shook her awake. She groaned and stretched before blinking her eyes open and looking up at Kheyrn who stood above her. "What?" she groaned. "We are here," the captain said and offered his hand to help her up.

She accepted his offer and pulled herself up to her feet, with some help, before turning to look at the city of Tyrleôn. It was a genuinely beautiful sight where it laid in the middle of an enormous plain between a large valley and the ocean. The walls were white in color and rose more than fifty feet from the ground, decorated with blue-and-purple banners emblazoned with a golden lion sporting a pair of bull-like horns. Before she could make further observations, Yun closed her hand over her nose. "Urgh, I think those corpses are ready for burying right now," she spoke.

"I think you are right la-Beastbane," Kheyrn nodded, quickly correcting himself. "But the princess insists on going on through the city, she thinks that the stench will be no problem." They were still on a small road, leading towards a gate on the south side of the wall, Marion was sitting up front, asking one of the soldiers about her hair. She was, of course, answered with heaps of praise.

Yun leaned forward and pushed a stray lock down behind Marion's ear. "There. Much better," she said and lifted the girl from the front before sitting down there herself. The princess looked shocked at being lifted around like a sack for a minute, before taking on a more regal posture as she rose to stand on the carriage's roof.

The soldier sitting beside the mercenary kept a close eye on the crowd that surrounded the carriage the very second they passed through the gate, obviously scanning for any suspicious activity. Suddenly, the crowded street went deathly still, before the people pulled to the side and opened a wide berth around the carriage, kneeling deeply before their princess. Marion smiled and waved to the citizens, still appearing regal and reserved.

This went on for some time. They were moving slowly, as Marion wanted to see her subjects for as long as possible. It felt like several hours had passed since their arrival. Yun rolled her eyes and leant backwards before stretching out in a yawn. As her head went backwards, she caught sight of something on a nearby rooftop. A figure in a black cloak, raising a crossbow.

In one movement, the warrior whirled around to face the princess behind her, dove at her and tackled her off the carriage and into the paved road beneath, just as a crossbow-bolt lodged itself in the throat of a soldier.

"What in Athalan's name…?" Marion shrieked. "Get under the carriage!" Yun snarled and pushed her back before hefting her sword and her shield. She looked up just in time to see the cloaked figure disappear into a window on a nearby wall. "Stay down!" she ordered and took off towards the house the shooter had been standing on top of.

A solid kick sent the door flying across the room behind it. The Canthan strode in to see the would-be assassin standing in a staircase at the back of the hallway, raising its crossbow again. The bolt collided with the mercenary's shield and fell to the floor. She advanced on her foe, while staying behind her shield, until she was within striking range.

Lashing out, the warrior's sword clashed with a long dagger. Though their respective blades met several times, it was apparent that the Canthan was the superior fighter, as she drove the crossbowman back and even slashed his dagger in half with a particularly brutal swing. A blow from her shield sent the cloaked figure to the stairs behind him, and her tried to rise, only to find the point of a sword at his throat.

"Who hired you?" Yun snarled, pressing the blade slightly deeper. The masked and hooded male glared at her, before making a forward thrust and impaling his throat on her weapon. A slight widening of her eyes was the only way to tell that the warrior had been affected by the display at all.

Still keeping her weapons out, the warrior moved upstairs and searched the upper floor. She did not find anything, not even a note or any kind of symbol. She frowned and went downstairs again before venturing outside. The sight that met her was not the same she had left. Several more bolts were lodged in the carriage, and some of the townsfolk, and among the fallen there laid three other men in black cloaks, with another one standing over Marion with his dagger raised and bloodied.

Acting without even pausing to think, the Canthan tossed her sword forward. The weapon impaled the assassin-to-be and sent him to the ground with a sword through his skull. Yun ran over to the corpse and retrieved her weapon before turning to Marion. Another soldier laid before her, dead as dust.

"Are you alright? Where's Kheyrn, and that other guy?" she asked. The princess was breathing heavily and her eyes kept flickering from one corpse to the next, and she did not answer. "Oh, for Balthazar's sake, girl!" she groaned and grabbed the younger woman by the shoulders and shook her. She did not get a response. "This is going to bruise her, and come back bite me in the ass," she thought with a groan before bringing her hand back, and then slapping the princess. Hard.

Marion's head snapped to the left, and the stream of words and an odd amount of vulgar swears, for a princess, told the mercenary that her method had worked. "How dare you strike The Princess of Tyrlach?" she shrieked and held her cheek before muttering, "That really hurt, you know…" "Believe you me, princess," Yun said back. "You could've been hurting a lot more. Where's Kheyrn and the other guard?"

"They went after some of the other attackers," Marion answered shakily. "They came at us after you left, at least six or seven of them. Kheyrn and his soldier chased after some of them into that house over there," she pointed at a nearby building. "He posted one of his men here, to defend me, but one of those…devils leapt from the roof of that house over there," another point at a different building. "And he just landed on top of the soldier and skewered him, like a pig at a feast. And then he got up and came towards me, he raised his dagger, and then you came in and… killed him, and then everything got woozy and stuff! And then, and then, and then-." The warrior closed her hand over the girl's mouth and waited until she calmed down before removing it.

"We have to find Kheyrn," Yun told her, and was answered with a nod. "Stay close to me." The two women stayed low and moved quickly as they put distance between themselves and the carriage. The warrior turned back to the carriage, and let out a relieved breath. Ryûng was no longer strapped onto it. "The lug must've torn himself loose," she muttered and smiled.

"It's so quiet," Marion whispered. "Where did everybody go? Why haven't the guards arrived yet?" "I don't know," the Canthan woman whispered back. "But I know that we can't stay out here. There may be more of them." With that decision made, the two of them quickly slipped into the doorway that Kheyrn and his subordinate had ventured into before them.

Once they were inside, Yun closed the door and barricaded it with an overturned bench and table that lay nearby. "Let's go," she said. "Stay behind me." "Go where?" Marion hissed. "Kheyrn has got to be in here somewhere, we have a better shot at survival if there are more of us" the older woman answered.

They found their first indication of life in the house a few rooms in. The soldier who had accompanied his captain lay on the ground with a massive gash over his throat, his killer slumped against the wall only a few feet away. Yun took a quick look at the princess, wrested the long dagger from the assassin's hand, and handed it to her. "In case we run into trouble," she said quietly.

Marion nodded, breathlessly, and the two of them moved up the stairs. A groan reached the Canthan's ears and she quickly held out her shield to halt the girl briefly before speaking. "Follow me," she whispered. "Stay down and move slowly. If it comes to blows, I need you to do what I tell you to. Got it?" The princess nodded again, though Yun had a sneaking suspicion that she would be mightily wrathful over being bossed around later.

The mercenary peered up from the stairway and spotted Kheyrn shambling to his feet, his mace bloody. She sighed with relief and sheathed her blade as she strode over to him and helped him steady himself. "Are you alright?" she asked. "The princess!" he exclaimed. "Where is she?"

"Oh, she's right-" Yun turned and faced another cloaked man with his dagger raised, just as he fell to the floor with Marion's weapon in his back. "-here," the Canthan finished and bowed to the royalty, who looked like she was going to hurl at any given moment. Marion lifted her skirts, stepped over the corpse in a slow movement and quickly went to help support Kheyrn.

"Captain," she said hurriedly. "Are you unharmed?" "A few bumps and scratches," he grunted back. "Nothing I shall die of." The mercenary nodded. "Can you stand on your own?" she asked. "Yes, yes. Give me a minute."

Shortly after, the trio moved out of the house and into the street, after scanning the area for potential hostiles. Once in the street, Yun whistled twice, the sound booming like a thunderbolt in the deathlike silence, though it paled in comparison to the roar that rang through the air.

Ryûng came skidding out of a nearby alleyway with the still-twitching corpse of an attacker in his mouth. "Marion, help me out a bit," the mercenary said and motioned towards the drake. They had found out rather quickly, that Kheyrn had a limp, and they had to help him up on the beast. Marion went to sit in front of him, and Yun sat between them.

"If you see any more of those black-cloaks, scream," she whispered to the girl. "That won't be a problem," she answered. A snap of the reins sent the drake forward along the street. Before long, the sounds of horses were heard. The three of them pulled their weapons out and waited, Ryûng growled.

Several armed men on horseback appeared around a nearby corner, flanked by at least thirty footmen with pikes. Kheyrn and Marion sighed in obvious relief and put their weapons away. The Canthan's eyes narrowed slightly, but she sheathed Murakai's Blade nonetheless.

The man on the foremost horse steadied the animal as it reared up and whinnied at the sight of the drake before it, before dismounting and running to help Marion off of it.

The two embraced. "Marion," he sighed. "I was afraid we would not make it in time. Are you hurt?" "I am fine, Gaelm," the princess reassured the armored man. "But captain Kheyrn received an injury during the fighting." The man, who was tall, though not quite so tall as the mercenary, with shoulder-length bright-blonde hair and pale blue eyes, rose and looked to the captain, who saluted him.

"Captain Kheyrn," he firmly said. "You are to give me a full report on the attack once you have recovered." "Yes milord!" Kheyrn said quickly. Gaelm's eyes drifted over to the mercenary. "And you are…?"

The Canthan bowed hopped from her mount and bowed deeply. "I am Hezokio "Beastbane" Yun Dao, daughter of Hezokio "Beastslayer" Long Dao, of the Canthan Hezokio Clan," she said before rising again. "The best mercenary there is," she added with a smile.

"I'm sure," Gaelm said dryly, his voice colored with sudden disdain, before turning to the princess. "Marion?" he asked. "It is alright brother," she said. "I owe this woman my life. Several of it, in fact. She simply must accompany us back to the castle and collect her rightful reward."

"Very well," Marion's supposed brother said. "Back to the castle!" he shouted as he remounted his horse and took off, with Marion sitting in front of him and the rest of his men following him, leaving Kheyrn and Yun in the dust.

"Unpleasant fellow," the Canthan warrior muttered as she climbed back onto Ryûng. "He is, unfortunately, not very fond of foreigners, or non-humans," Kheyrn said from behind her. "So," Yun spoke as she snapped her reins and sent the drake moving after the others again. "He's Marion's brother is he?" "Stepbrother," the Tyrlachian answered. "His mother and Princess Marion's father are wed, but he is not of royal blood. As such, he was instead given the title of commander and full control of the kingdom's military resources, including the city-guard. Even though they do not share blood, Lord Gaelm and Princess Marion are as close as can be."

"I see," she nodded just as they caught up with the "lord" and his men. She rode outside the group of horses and was soon riding just beside Gaelm and Marion. The glare the commander sent her was brimming with obvious contempt, though he quickly focused forward as they neared the castle-gates. Marion sent her an apologetic smile, which she returned, her dislike for the girl lessening by the minute.

Soon enough, the soldiers, and the mercenary, halted in the courtyard. The mounted men dismounted, as did Yun and helped Kheyrn from the saddle. "Leave the horses and that…thing, here!" Gaelm called, glancing at Ryûng with clear distrust in his eyes. "Let the stable boys take care of them! We must make haste to the king!"

"Hey!" a voice he already despised shouted. He slowly turned to see the foreign mercenary stand by her beast, hands on her hips and a scowl plastered on her face, making it even more unbearable to look at. "Did you want something, mercenary?" he asked, his voice cold. "Yeah, I do want something!" she snarled back. "First of all I want you, and that means all of you, to stop referring to my drake as a thing! His name, is Ryûng!" while talking, or shouting/snarling, the Canthan had moved from her spot by her animal and was now poking her finger in his chest. "Secondly, I want to give you some advice," she continued. "You shouldn't try to have others take Ryûng anywhere if I am not around, he might just eat someone."

"Fine!" the commander snarled. "You may oversee the stabling of your…Ryûng. However, we must make haste! Come, Marion, your father has been worried sick about you. "You may go ahead, brother, I wish to see that Ryûng is properly taken care of," the princess said. "But, you father-," "That was not an order, commander. This is. Go, I will catch up with you."

Gaelm bit his lip, bowed and disappeared with a final, murderous, glare at the Canthan. "Balthazar's gauntlets!" she snarled as the commander disappeared from sight. "How do you stand living with that guy?" Marion sighed and tucked a lock of her autumn-red hair behind one of her, rather small, ears. "While I shall not deny that my stepbrother has…controversial views on the subject of race and nationality," she began and turned to the warrior. "The fact is, that he is excellent at what he does. He keeps peace in the city admirably."

"Well, he and his toy soldiers were pretty slow to get to the scene of the crime earlier if you ask me," Yun snorted. Again, Marion sighed, but quickly looked up. "Shall we get the big lug stabled, then?" she asked with a smile. "I recommend that you do," Kheyrn spoke. "I am going to see the healers. Until later, your highness, Beastbane." He limped off after declining an offer to be supported to the healers.

Yun let out a breath. "Well then. Shall we?" she asked and grabbed hold of the drake's reins. Marion nodded and went to walk beside her as they headed towards the stables.

The mercenary whistled as she and the princess ventured into the entry hall of the castle. The roof was very high above them, decorated with a scene of a bull-horned lion tearing apart shadowy figures.

"That is Athalan, our highest god," Marion said quietly. "The legends say that this city stands at the very place where he conceived children with a mortal, whose offspring became our first queen, before he left this world for The Heavens. My family has ruled this kingdom for three-thousand years."

Yun whistled again. "That's a pretty long family-line, I bet." "Quite," the princess nodded before heading towards the large double-doors at the end of the large chamber. The soldiers in front of them saluted and pushed the doors open before their princess, not sparing the mercenary so much as a glance.

"-and I believe that I, and the troops I took with me, arrived in the nick of time, my lord, any later and I fear dearest Marion would have been lost to us all," Gaelm's voice greeted the two as they stepped into the throne-room. "As usual, my faith in you has not been misplaced, my boy," an older, though still powerful yet gentle, voice said. "I am truly thankful to hear that both you and your sister are unharmed."

Marion stepped forward while Yun hung back to watch, she tried at least. The princess quickly noted the Canthan's absence, stalked back, grabbed her by her bicep and pulled her with her back in front of the throne.

"Father," Marion curtsied, the warrior kneeling down beside her. "Marion!" the king called, and stood from his throne, revealing that he had only one leg, and he supported himself on a finely-decorated crutch as he went to embrace his daughter. The king was, as far as Yun could tell, of strong build. His hair was long and reddish, looking like it could've been the same color as Marion's once in the past, and his chin and upper lip were covered by a thick beard and an accompanying mustache. His eyes, on the other hand, were iron grey-black, most unlike his daughter's. His face was rough, though not ugly, and a few scars were present, the most prominent of which ran across a nose that looked like it had been broken at some point.

"I was so afraid I would not see you again," the king whispered. Marion hugged him back, her eyes shining with tears. "I'm here now daddy. I'm here, and I'm fine." The monarch pulled away from his daughter and looked her over, before settling his gaze on the still-kneeling Canthan.

"I have heard from lord Gaelm, that you were with my daughter when she was found," he rumbled, obviously having been told whatever suspicions festered within the hateful mind of his stepson. "What, pray tell, is your part in this calamity?"

Yun drew a deep breath, stood straight, again being at least a head taller that anyone else in the room, and began to tell the story of how she had met Marion, explaining every detail in a strong and unwavering voice until she was finished, before kneeling down again.

During the warrior's tale, the king had stolen the occasional glance at his daughter, receiving confirming nods in return. Once the Canthan finished, the monarch limped back to his throne and sat down. "I would bow to you, Beastbane of Cantha," he said. "But bowing with one leg is more difficult than one should think." He chuckled and let his hand rest on the stump that remained of his leg before speaking again. "Therefore, my most sincere gratitude will be given, as well as something else."

He snapped his fingers, and a servant was instantly by his side. He motioned the man closer and whispered something in his ear. The servant bowed and took off, returning shortly afterwards with a large sack in his hands, big enough to stuff two grown men inside of it.

"Rise, Beastbane of Cantha, and receive your reward," the king spoke. Yun did as she was told and was handed the large sack. She blinked a few times before the king spoke again. "You may now go to the treasury and fill that sack to the brim with whatever you wish for in there."

The mercenary's eyes widened, and she quickly bowed as deeply as she could, muttering her most profound thanks. "My lord, I feel I must protest!" Gaelm suddenly exclaimed, looking like he was caught between distress and outright fury. "While it is no doubt a blessing to have Marion home safe and sound, the notion of admitting this… foreigner," the word was spat out, as if it was something contagious. "Entry to our treasury is a most risky and, if I may say so, unwise thing to do. For all we know, this "Beastbane" could be working with the assassins. After all, she is Canthan. And Canthans are known for having mastered the arts of the assassin."

As if knowing that Yun would not take such accusations lightly, Marion placed her hand on the older woman's arm in what looked like an attempt to bodily hold the warrior back. She could not, however, stop the snarl that erupted from the woman's mouth. "How dare you accuse me of such acts, you toad-faced ettin-licker!" she snarled. She did not stop, despite the gasps that sounded from around her. "If I had wanted Marion dead, she would be laying gutted on the side of a road by now!"

The room fell quiet, until Gaelm could no longer hold himself in. "I'll have your head for that, you whore!" he snapped and pulled his sword halfway from his scabbard before two soldiers stepped between them, and the king spoke once more. "Calm yourself Gaelm, your accusations have little merit and no hard evidence," he said. "And we never treat our guests with such suspicion and disrespect. Sheathe your blade, my son."

Gaelm grudgingly obeyed, though neither he nor Yun took their eyes off each other. "Now then, Lady Beastbane," the king began. "It would be an honor if you would stay the night, as a small bonus for rescuing my daughter."

"The honor, my lord, is mine," the mercenary bowed deeply. "Marion!" a voice shouted from the back of the hall. All color drained from the girl's face. A grown woman in a bright red dress and long blonde hair rushed at the princess and embraced her, nearly well breaking her ribs in the process. Only a quick look at the woman's eyes stopped the Canthan from drawing her blade.

"Oh Marion! Your father and I have been so worried about you!" the woman, Yun guessed she was the princess's stepmother, cried, her voice distraught and joyous at the same time.

"I was in the healers' wing for a little something against headaches, when captain Kheyrn practically fell though the door and passed out, he told me what had happened once he came to, and I came here as fast as I could. Oh, it is so good to have you home, sweetheart!" the woman sobbed, covering her stepdaughter's cheek with kisses.

"Now, now, Elin, Marion just arrived, give her some room," her husband laughed. Elin immediately released the, now-gasping, princess from her grasp and curtsied to her king before joining him in the slightly smaller throne on his right.

"Oh, I know that Agnar," Elin said and put her hand on her husband's. "But having our daughter back is a joy I cannot even begin to express!" Yun noticed that Marion clenched her jaw slightly at the, "our daughter," part. The Canthan's eyes took on a slightly questioning glimmer before she whipped her head back at the sound of Elin's voice.

"Oh!" The woman seemed quite fond of the word. "We should arrange a grand feast in honor and celebration of her safe return!" "A splendid idea!" King Agnar agreed. "We shall begin the preparations at once!" He clapped his hands, and several servants rushed off.

"We shall oversee the preparations, my love," Agnar smiled at his daughter. "You may do whatever you please, so long as you do not leave the castle-grounds."

Marion curtsied and went off, once again grabbing the mercenary and hauling her with her, barely giving her time to bow before being dragged off. "Athalan's horns!" the girl practically shouted once the doors closed behind the two women. "That woman drives me insane!" "Elin?" the warrior said as they walked. "Her voice could have sent a jotun running in pure terror….or annoyed it until it decided to smash her, which seems more likely, but she seemed…pleasant." Marion shuddered as they entered a hallway and headed westward. "Too pleasant," she grumbled. "It is bad enough that she treats me as if was five summers old, but she seems to think of me as her daughter by blood!"

They passed a trio of bowing servants as the descended a stairway, the warrior's long strides easily keeping up with the princess's quick pace. "Where are we going anyway?" Yun asked as they rounded a corner and entered a smaller courtyard with a large building at the other end of it.

"We are going to visit captain Kheyrn, I have something I would like to ask him," Marion answered. The warrior and the princess entered the building and were led to Kheyrn's room by one of the healers. When they arrived, the soldier was sitting on his window's sill, writing something on a piece of paper. His head raised itself at the sound of the healer clearing her throat. Sternly.

Kheyrn looked at the door, and tried to stand to salute, only to nearly fall over. Yun was by his side in a heartbeat and supported him. "You are not supposed to out of your bed, captain," the healer scoffed. "My apologies, milady, but I have a report to write, and the light by the window is excellent for such activities," the soldier replied.

The healer huffed, and left the three on their own. "Your highness," he made a rather weak salute. "What brings you here? I was sure your father and Lady Elin would not let you out of their sights for at least another month or so." Marion and Yun laughed a bit, before the princess spoke. "Lady Elin and my father are holding a feast in honor of my return this evening and I want you to be present," she informed him. "I'll be present and accounted for ma'am," he answered. "Or I will, presuming I can escape the healers' claws." Marion laughed again. "How are you feeling captain?" Yun asked as she helped him back to his bed. "As I said, only some bumps and scratches. I expect to be up and about again in a week's time."

"Good," the girl nodded and sat down beside him on his bed, the Canthan mercenary remained standing, leaning against the wall and looking out of the window while listening. "Because I have a question to ask you." Kheyrn nodded and motioned for his princess to go on. "When Beastbane and I found you on the second floor of that house, you were just returning to consciousness. How did you fall unconscious? There was no one else in the room, except for the one I…" "Stabbed and killed," Yun offered from her spot. The Tyrlachian shuddered noticeably. "Thank you, Beastbane. However, he came in later, and would most certainly have killed you off at once. How did you survive?"

The soldier thought for a while, the two women waiting patiently. "Were there no one else in the room?" he asked after some time. Yun and Marion shook their heads after thinking back. "That's odd…" Kheyrn mumbled. "I could have sworn I cracked open the skull of one of them down before the other got me."

The princess paled and excused herself for a moment, before rushing out of the room. Yun took her place on the bedside. "Is there anything else you remember?" she asked. "Well…my memory is a bit hazy," he replied. "But I thought, call me crazy if you must, I thought I saw someone in a black cloak come at my assailant from behind and drag him off before he could finish me off."

The warrior rose from her position and stepped over to the window. She remained silent for some time before talking. "I don't think you're crazy, Kheyrn," she said and turned to him. "But I think you might want to keep that little detail to yourself." She turned back to the window and let her gaze rest on Marion, who looked as though she could've hurled. "If Elin and Agnar got wind of such things, they would either think you insane, or surround Marion with guards from morn to eve." She ignored the look of disdain she received from the soldier when she neglected to use the royal titles while speaking, and instead watched Marion some more.

The girl had sat herself down on the edge of a fountain and was now running her fingers through the water, lost in thought. The young princess was a strong soul, Yun could tell as much merely by watching her, and she would no doubt make a fine leader once she inherited the throne, if she learned to tame her temper. "Look who's talking," she thought to herself with a scoff. "The girl with a temper to match a charr's is talking about others needing to tame it. Oh the irony."

The sun had started its slow crawl downwards in the heavens, covering most of the small courtyard Marion sat in with shadow. The Canthan was about to turn back to the bed-ridden Tyrlachian, when she noticed something.

The shadow of the roof was completely flat on top, except for a single point, where the shadow of a man-sized figure was standing up, with the shadowy outline of a cloak billowing in the wind. "Marion! Get down!" the mercenary hollered.

The princess looked at her for a split second, looked up for a split second, screamed and tossed herself to the ground as a bolt whizzed past her and into the water. Yun climbed onto the windowsill, snarled a firm, "Stay," at Kheyrn, turned and jumped, managing to grab a hold of the sill above and pull herself up.

A few leaps and some more climbing and hanging brought her to the roof, where, as she had suspected, another black-cloaked crossbowman was taking aim again. She pulled herself up and launched herself at him, her fist closing around his wrist as he dropped the crossbow and produced a dagger from seemingly nowhere. The assassin was strong, of that there was no doubt, Yun was already having a hard enough time in keeping the dagger away from her throat, when she felt the sole of a boot against her midsection.

"Kai sang!" she cursed before she went flying across the roof, landing short of the edge of it with a grunt and quickly rolling to her feet. As soon as the foreign interloper had been temporarily dispatched, the assassin stood to his feet, ignoring the mercenary wholly, and raised his dagger to toss it at his target. That target, however, was nowhere to be seen.

Though the would-be-killer remained as silent as a slight gust of wind, his eyes were ablaze with fury as he turned to the Canthan, who had gotten on her feet, only to have the dagger kicked from his hand.

Yun struck quickly and relentlessly, as was the creed of Xián Long, to strike hard, strike fast, strike without mercy and to strike with wrath. Blow after blow rained down upon the assassin, even though he gave nearly as good as he got, he was still driven backwards.

Soon enough, he was standing with his back against thin air, at the absolute edge of the roof. The woman grabbed him by his throat and held him still. "You are not jumping off this roof!" she growled. "Now tell me, who are you working for?" The cloaked man answered her with silence and a cold stare, before quickly swallowing something he had in his mouth.

Within seconds, his eyes rolled back into his skull and his chest ceased all motion, his head falling limp. An enraged roar ripped itself from the mercenary's throat. She lifted the corpse over her head and tossed it from the roof, almost relishing the sound of bones snapping as she turned and stalked back to a lower point before leaping off.

Swiftly heading inside the healers' wing, she found Marion and a few healers huddling together at the back of the entrance-hall. The girl quickly relaxed, detached herself from the group and approached the warrior. "Did you get him?" she asked. "Please tell me you got him." The Canthan drew a deep breath before answering. "Yes…and no."

"Yes or no! Make up your mind!" the girl snarled. "Okay! Okay!" the older woman exclaimed. "I had him, and then he swallowed something, and killed himself! Happy now, princess?" The two women stood and glared at each other for several minutes before calming down.

"Sorry," they both muttered at the same time, then chuckled at it. "We should inform your father I suppose," the mercenary spoke. Marion's glare would have sent less brave, and perhaps more intelligent, people running. Yun however was not known for being particularly brainy, nor would she ever let anyone get away with calling her cowardly unscathed.

As such, she stood her ground against the smaller woman's seething glare, eventually returning it with a glare of her own. "If my father finds out about this," the princess sighed and averted her gaze. "I shall never have a moment to myself ever again. Unless…"

Marion placed a finger to her own chin and let her eyes wander up and down Yun's frame, before grinning impishly and hauling the older woman off by her bicep. "You are ever so right, Beastbane," she laughed, her face still twisted in the same maniacal grin as she dragged the mercenary up the stairs they had come down from earlier.

Yun was, understandably, confused. Marion did not strike her as the type to suddenly change her mind, but whatever it was that the girl had planned, she was being dragged into it, literally.

The Tyrlachian practically burst through the doors to the throne-room, finding Gaelm sitting on the throne and looking quite shocked. The shock quickly turned to embarrassment, and he quickly stood and cleared his throat while dusting off the seat.

"I was just-" "Never mind that! Where is father? I must speak with him!" Gaelm actually had the audacity to look slightly angered at being interrupted by his princess. "He and mother are in the feasting-hall. They are preparing for- wait? Where are you going?"

After hearing what she wanted, the girl took off again, still dragging Yun behind her. Gaelm quickly gave chase, and was soon trotting alongside his stepsister. "Marion! What in Athalan's name is going on?" he demanded, clearly pretending not to notice the warrior behind him.

"You will see, brother," Marion answered. "You will see." As before, the princess's entry was announced by the slamming of large doors against the walls, causing everybody in the hall to turn to the newcomers. Most of the servants and such made a quick bow to their princess and their commander, before turning back to their tasks.

Agnar had also turned, and smiled brightly as he limped his way over. "There you are, sweetest," he sighed. "I was just wondering, should we decorate in blue with purple trims, or purple with blue trims? I know purple is your favorite, but-" "I was attacked again, father," Marion said, loudly.

The room fell so silent, that the assassin from earlier had made as much noise as an earthquake in comparison, except for one detail. "Oh no!" Yun swiftly repressed the urge to cover her ears, while Marion clenched her jaw and looked like she'd rather sink through the floor.

Elin crawled out from underneath one of the tables, rushed over and caged the princess in her embrace. "Oh sweetheart, are you alright? No holes, wounds or life-threatening injuries?" "If she had any, would she be standing here, acting this calmly?" Yun asked after swallowing a laughing-fit at the girl's mortified expression.

The glare Elin sent the mercenary was no less seething and hateful than that of her son. The Canthan simply narrowed her eyes and glared back. The queen was about to say something, but her husband spoke first. "It is settled then," Agnar began. He sighed and closed his eyes before continuing, "Young lady, you are to go nowhere without an escort of at least seven soldiers, and you are hereby prohibited from leaving the grounds."

He instantly held his hand up to prevent an outburst. "I know that this may seem a little…pushy, but it is only for your own good, and I shall personally make sure that the soldiers picked are to your liking. Captain Kheyrn will of course be in command, and-" "Father!" Marion shouted, sending the room back into silence. "I have already chosen my escort."

Agnar looked taken aback for a moment, before smiling and ruffling his daughter's hair. "I'm sure you have!" he laughed. "You are such a resourceful girl, Marion, just like….never mind," he stopped and cleared his throat at his wife's expression, a venomous glare. "Who then, my dearest, have you appointed to this task."

"A brave and strong individual, father, whose intervention has stopped Death in its tracks no less than three times, two of them by these assassins," Marion said, looking quite smug. Agnar sighed and laid his gaze upon the Canthan, who bowed hastily. "Yes father. I hereby employ the mercenary Hezokio "Beastbane" Yun Dao, as my personal bodyguard."

Softly pushing his daughter aside, Agnar limped over to the warrior. "Let me have a better look at you, my dear," he said. Yun rose from her position and looked the monarch in his eyes. Agnar circled the woman a few times, and studied her eyes before stepping back. "She is certainly strong, brave and a more than capable warrior, but she is still only one woman. For your own safety's sake, I must insist that you choose at least one more."

"Very well, father," Marion curtsied. "I choose captain Kheyrn as my second bodyguard, I have no doubt that I shall be safe while watched by the two of them." Agnar nodded, seemingly content. "Then let it be so," he said. He turned back to the Canthan again. "I ask you then. Do you, Hezokio "Beastbane" Yun Dao, solemnly swear to defend the heir to the throne of Tyrlach with your very life?"

Yun knelt, drew her sword and placed it before herself, with the tip on the floor. "I, Hezokio "Beastbane" Yun Dao, with Balthazar, Lord of War and Fire, as my witness, swear by the honor of The Hezokio Clan, to defend Princess Marion of Tyrlach with every breath in my lungs, and every drop of blood in my veins, until I am slain in her service or released from it!" she said, loudly and clearly. "Furthermore, I vow on the honor of The Hezokio Clan to track down and end this threat, with my employer's consent, before lethal harm may come to her!"

Agnar nodded, clearly satisfied. "Marion," he said and smiled. "While she is in your employ, she is still our guest, and I expect you not to treat her as your slave." "Do not worry, father dearest, from what I've come to expect from Beastbane, I don't think she would let me treat her badly, oath or not."

Yun, who had risen and sheathed her weapon, shrugged. "You got me there," she said. Agnar let loose a booming laughter and said, "I can already see that you two are going to get along just fine." He wiped a tear from his eye. "Now then, I must know. Shall we cancel the feast?"

Marion shook her head. "I could use some festivities after the assassination attempt," she smiled. "As you say, my flower," Agnar smiled and limped towards the tables again, leading his daughter along and asking his question about the colors again. Yun quickly followed, and Gaelm and his mother trailed after, looking like someone had given them both a punch to the face. None noticing the young servant who slipped out of the doors and closed them after himself, silent as a wraith.

The servant quickly retreated to his chamber and wrapped himself in a large black cloak, with dark green trims, and pulled the hood over his head. He peered around himself as he exited the room, and quickly made his way down the hall. Given the size of the castle itself, the servants' quarters were huge, enormous even, and getting out took some time.

After an hour or two, he tried to appear to be in no hurry, the servant crossed over the grand entrance hall. He cast a glance upwards, hissed at the bull-horned lion depicted on the roof and pulled his hood longer down. He had never liked the roof-painting, he often felt that the eyes of the heathen-god tried to pierce him. He suppressed a shudder of discomfort and hurried across the room, keeping his eyes on the floor until he was clear of the wretched painting.

He passed the soldiers posted at the gate easily and without any trouble, giving his reasons for leaving the castle at that hour a stroke of paint. He headed out of the courtyard and into the city itself. The streets were mostly empty, due to the late hour as well as the news about the assassination attempt in the streets earlier. That did not bother the servant in the slightest however, in fact, it would probably make his task easier.

He looked around himself. Seeing no one, he slipped in to an alleyway and down a manhole. He landed in filth, water carrying human waste, but he paid it no heed and began to walk again with a fast and purposeful stride.

If one looked closely enough at the wall at a certain point while in the sewers, one could've made out the shape of a hand carved into the bricks. The servant stopped in front of this carving, and placed his hand in it. A spark of energy passed through the carving, and as he removed his hand, it glowed a sickly green. He stepped back and the wall in front of him sunk into the floor, revealing a passageway illuminated by the same sickly green glow.

He ventured inside, hearing the wall rise up behind him as he went. Wisps of green, mist-like substance whirled around his feet as he went, and the feeling of being watched closely was ever-present, as always. After some time, the servant came to a halt before another door. This door was adorned with a crucified skeleton hanging onto it. He laid his hand upon the corpse's skull, and it eye-pits blazed to life with dark-green flames.

He stepped back and bowed his head, just as the skeleton raised its own and spoke with a voice that could send grown men fleeing. "Life…is plague," it stated. "Death is the cure," the servant replied. The flames in the skull's eyes extinguished themselves and the door the corpse hung on opened. He wasted no time and passed by quickly, hearing the door slide into place behind him.

He entered a chamber that, while not particularly tall, stretched out for miles, supported by countless pillars. The old catacombs had been abandoned for centuries, and they now housed someone that would make good use of them.

"You are late," a cold voice echoed from somewhere in the dark. Lesser men would have jumped, or even screamed, the servant was no lesser man. He stood his ground as a figure emerged from the shadow of one of the pillars, cloaked from head to toe in black. "What news do you bring?"

The servant and the newcomer pulled back their hoods. The newcomer's skin was dark brown, almost black, and his lips were larger than those of the average man were, the servant understood that that was a normal sight in his colleague's homeland, far to the south.

"It is as we were told," the servant began. "The princess has a new protector, a warrior that easily bests the finest soldiers in the kingdom, if the rumors in the castle are true." The man who had waited frowned. "Rumors will be rumors," he said. "We must try and base our operations on facts. Do we have a name on this…warrior you speak of?" The servant nodded. "A Canthan. She calls herself Beastbane, but I understand her given name to be Yun Dao, of The Hezokio Clan."

His colleague's eyes widened. "Are you certain that was the name?" he asked, not showing the slight dread that had gripped him. He nodded. "Absolutely, furthermore, she has been employed as the princess's personal bodyguard. Will she be a problem?" "Quite," the dark-skinned one replied. "She is dangerous, and crafty. She is a major obstacle in our path."

The servant bowed. "I understand," he said. "I shall have her disposed of by the end of the week, at most." "No!" The servant was taken aback. The man with the dark skin quickly regained his composure. "No," he said, calmly. "This decision is not ours to make." The servant blinked a few times, clearly not understanding.

"Return to the castle. Monitor the princess and her new…pet, and report back to me as often as you deem necessary." The servant quickly bowed and was waved off. As soon as he heard the door close, the dark-skinned man turned and actually ran as fast as he could towards a small table somewhere in the catacombs.

He sat down and dipped his quill into an inkwell standing on the table, a suspiciously red inkwell, and started penning his message. It was short, to the point, brimming with respect and covered the events that had unfolded. The red ink, which did not smell like ink, dried as soon as it was penned, and he rolled the parchment together and dashed for another exit.

He emerged from the sewers near what was commonly referred to as "The Port Gate," due to the road that lead from it and over the great plain known as Athalan's Back, until it reached the port city standing by the shore. The city, though much smaller than Tyrleôn itself, was still an impressive sight. The locals often referred to it, though jokingly, as Little Tyrleôn, officially, however, it was named Athalgar.

The dark-skinned foreigner exited through The Port Gate and went along the road. At daytime, the road commonly called Athalan's Spine, that ran from the bay in the west, to the valley in the east, was crowded with merchants and such, arriving from faraway lands to ply their trade. At night, it was generally quiet, and this eve in particular, it looked to be deserted altogether.

That did not bother the black-cloaked foreigner. He made sure that he was a good distance away from the walls, before taking a look around. He was in luck, finding the corpse of a recently-dead horse some way off the road, why it was there he had no idea nor interest of.

Looking around himself to make sure that no one was watching him, the man held out his hand, his fingers were strangely crooked and claw-like, and sent a bolt of sickly-green lightning into the corpse. The horse emitted an unholy wail as its legs twisted and cracked into place. Eventually the corpse shambled onto its hooves, and knelt.

The necromancer climbed onto his new steed and commanded it to move, which it did with amazing speed, taken into consideration that it was dead. Within the hour's passing, the foreigner had passed the gates of Athalgar.

He thundered through the streets, nearly trampling a few pedestrians under the hooves of his undead steed. Once he was close to the actual port, he dismounted and let the animal fall dead again. He rushed to the nearest dock and looked around again, finding himself in luck once more.

Working his dark craft once more, the necromancer raised a nearby seagull from its watery tomb and beckoned it over. The undead bird perched itself on its master's arm, and he tied his letter around its leg before sending it off with its directions made clear.

He watched as his minion disappeared in the night sky, confident in the fact that his message would be delivered. He turned and walked away, ignoring the festering horse-corpse he had dropped earlier, heading back to Tyrleôn on foot.

Marion opened her eyes and sat up in her bed. She was about to stretch and yawn, when the sound of snores reached her. She peered over the edge of the bed, and fastened her eyes on the Canthan sleeping on the floor. The mercenary's eyes snapped open in mid-snore, startling the princess and sending her onto her back again.

Yun rose from her position and gave a stretch, Marion noticed that she was clad in her armor. "You didn't sleep in that suit, did you?" she asked. "Good morning to you as well, princess," the warrior said dryly. "And no, I came back about five minutes ago, after my morning workout."

"So…you weren't really asleep, then? And why are you in my room?" The Canthan had placed herself in a chair nearby and was pouring herself some water from a canteen, which she drank before answering. "Do you want me to answer both at the same time, or separately?" she asked with a grin. "Don't get smug with me, mercenary, you're on my payroll, remember that," Marion growled. Yun defensively threw her hands up. "Well I'm not the one hunted by mysterious assassins, princess. If you want to relieve me of service, go ahead, it's your funeral."

The Tyrlachian buried her face in her hands and groaned out, "Just answer the bloody questions. At the same time." "Very well," Yun said. "No, I've been awake for hours, and I'm in your room because I deem it easier to hinder you from getting murdered in your sleep that way."

The princess stretched and stepped out of her bed. "Good plan, Beastbane, continue that way." The warrior rolled her eyes, and stood as Marion walked by, before following her into the dressing-room. "What do you think Beastbane?" she asked and held up two dresses. "The green or the red one?" The Canthan thought for a bit. "The red one matched your hair," she muttered. "But the green one matched your eyes, I say it's fair game princess." Marion promptly threw them both down and donned a blue one instead. "There, much better, what do you think?" "Does it really matter what I think?"

The princess smiled at her, mischievously, and headed out the door. "I suppose you've already eaten breakfast," she stated. "Well, yeah," Yun replied, "But I've never been one to pass up on a second go." She laughed a bit, before clearing her throat and regaining her vigilance. "I am glad you feel that way, or else you would have had to stand and do little to nothing while I was eating," Marion said as they descended a stairway.

The mercenary shrugged. "I can be very patient, sometimes," she smiled. "Patience and level-headedness are two important factors in combat." The younger woman sighed. "We're not in combat now, Beastbane." "Life is one great battle," Yun said in her wisest voice. "And to make it far, you have to treat it as such."

"That was a grim philosophy," Marion said, and was answered with a smirk and a, "Not if you love battle." The two women entered the dining-hall and sat down, Marion at her father's right and Yun at Marion's right. "Good morning Marion, Beastbane," Agnar greeted. "Good morning father," Marion replied, while Yun bowed her head. "I trust that last evening's feast was to your liking?"

"Very much so, sire," the Canthan answered, once again bowing her head before reaching out and tearing a leg from the roast pig that had been placed before her and digging into it with her teeth, and though she seemed to focus completely on her breakfast, the warrior's eyes were constantly searching for hiding-spots for potential assassins.

Breakfast was finished quickly, and the denizens of the castle went about their daily routines.

"Routines," Marion moaned as she had her hair brushed, put up into buns and washed, while powder was applied to her cheeks. "It's always these Athalan-cursed routines." Yun was barely able to contain her mirth. "Routines can be a pain, true. However, they can also aid you well, if used properly."

"Let me guess the "but" in that word of wisdom," the princess said dryly, and gasped for air as her corset was tightened from behind. "But," she began after sending the chambermaid a murderous glance. "Too much routine makes you predictable in battle." The mercenary clapped. "You're a fast learner," she smirked. "We'll make a warrior-princess out of you yet."

Marion rolled her eyes and was, at long last, released from the claws of her over-attentive chambermaids. The "screeching pack of mantid-hatchlings," as Yun had named them, had also tried to make the warrior more "feminine," as they called it. The warrior herself had put a hand on the hilt of her blade before they backed off. "So, what do you do all day to make you hate routines so much?" she asked. Marion grimaced. "You will see," she replied. "You. Will. See."

Yun looked up from her spot behind the thrones. Her eyes drifted upwards until they came to a halt by the sun. "Balthazar shield me, it's been hours!" she thought with a silent groan. "How long does it take to hear the pleas of the people, especially when she just sits there and looks pretty?"

She peeked around the throne from her spot from time to time, finding Marion's expressions widely different. When people were complaining about trade, or neighbors were quarreling, she sat with her head supported by her hand and looked like she would rather watch the grass grow. When people were asking for help against bandit attacks, or aid against wild creatures. On the other hand, she paid rapt attention, almost trembling in her want to promise help and defend her people.

Yun leaned back and smiled. The princess was definitely a girl of her liking. The audiences if the day passed with no trouble, if one did not count the two merchants who actually started fighting each other near the end. The Canthan found this most humorous, and struggled to hold back her laughter for the remainder of the session. She managed to hold her mirth inside of her until after the audiences, bursting into peals of laughter once they were finished.

Marion looked like she wanted to sink through the floor, though with a hint of a smile herself, Elin and Gaelm looked almost offended at the warrior's behavior and Agnar retained a neutral expression. "I suppose you think that was terribly funny," he stated. Yun clapped a hand over her mouth, looking rather ashamed of herself.

She stepped out in front of the thrones and kneeled. "Forgive me, sire," she said. "It has been a long time since I was last in royal company." Agnar's dry expression softened. "Think no more of it dear girl," he smiled at her. "You are after all not hired to be polite." He chuckled before grabbing his crutch and pushing himself up from the throne. He limped across the floor while speaking. "I am going to retreat to the gardens for a while, everyone may do as they please."

"Thank Athalan!" Marion sighed and stood from her throne, stretching as far as she could without breaking her back. The princess hastily went on her way, while tearing her buns loose and muttering loudly about, "Ridiculously bombastic dresses and much too tight corsets."

Yun had to make a quick jog to catch up with her employer. "I have got to change," said employer grumbled. The Canthan leaned down, and ripped open the strings of the princess's corset. Marion immediately breathed easier. "You're welcome," Yun grinned. "Thank you," the girl replied gaspingly.

"I see that I was too late to bear witness to the audiences," a voice spoke. "Pity." Marion smiled, looking genuinely pleased for the first time since that morning's breakfast.

"Captain Kheyrn!" she exclaimed and went to shake his hand. "I thought you were going to be out of commission until the end of the week." The soldier accepted the handshake with a bow and greeted the mercenary with a curt nod, which she returned. "The healers received word that I had been picked as your bodyguard, my lady," Kheyrn explained. "They had me drink some vile potion of theirs, and here I am. At your service, my princess."

"Very well," Marion smiled. "You may guard the door while I change into something less…Beastbane?" "Overblown," the Canthan stated, it was her honest opinion. "Yes! Overblown! Thank you Beastbane," the princess said and turned back to the soldier.

"Come on then," she said. "I'm not going to get out of this dress if we are just going to stand around." That said, the young royalty trotted down the hall at a quick pace, clearly aching to distance herself from her garment as quickly as possible.

The Canthan sent Kheyrn a look that said, "She really doesn't like that dress," and was answered with a knowing nod before the two followed the girl. Neither of them noticing the kitchen-maid peeking around the corner and then disappearing.

Yun leaned back, laid her boots on the table before her, and crossed her legs before mustering a jaw-cracking yawn. Kheyrn, as instructed, was standing outside of the door and guarding it, and it seemed to the mercenary like her employer had spent an hour or more trying to pick a new dress, completely disregarding her attempts at giving advice.

Eventually, Yun had ceased her advice-giving altogether and was now giving the thought of simply forcing a dress onto the girl some deep consideration. She sighed, and decided to not do that. It could cost her more than just her job. The princess, however, did not know that. "Are you finished yet?" the Canthan muttered. "Or am I going to have to come over there and force one of the damned things over your head?"

Marion's face was a satisfying mixture of terror and disbelief as she peeked out from behind her dressing-screen. "You would not dare," she hissed. Yun's eyes narrowed. Disregarding her own advice, she quickly stood from her chair and advanced upon her employer. "Let me show you just how much I dare!" she snarled and cracked her knuckles.

Kheyrn tipped his head in greeting to a servant-girl who passed by. She blushed till she looked like a human strawberry and swiftly disappeared down the hall, giggling like a tickled child. The soldier sighed and leaned back against the door, reaching back to pull slightly at his low-hanging ponytail, a trick he had discovered to help him stay awake, when he had serviced as a watchman near The Northern Borders.

Even so, it felt as though he had been standing still for more than an hour. Undoubtedly, the good princess was taking her usual time in getting dressed. "She does that every day," he thought with a slight smile, he would not want to be in Beastbane's boots. "For someone who hates routines as much as Her Highness, she does have quite a few of them herse-" His train of thought was interrupted by a yell from inside followed by a crash.

Without stopping to make a strategy, he turned and drew his mace before slamming his boot into the door. It flew open, and Kheyrn was inside in a heartbeat, only to find is princess flailing about in a vain attempt to escape the hold his fellow bodyguard had on her. A dress had been pulled halfway across Marion's head and the rest was soon to follow, by the look of things.

Yun glanced at the captain, who looked like he had been played a particularly insidious prank, and forced the dark-red dress, with two splits up the sides of the skirt that looked like they had been torn open just recently; down upon Marion's thrashing and shrieking form. "There!" she grinned triumphantly. "Stylish and easy to move in, in case you have to run away from some killers, or fight them."

"Fight?" the girl squeaked in a perfect imitation of a frightened mouse and managed to scurry away from the older woman."Beastbane," she breathed. "I've never held a weapon in my life, except the dagger yesterday, I can't fight to save my life."

"That's exactly the problem," the mercenary snorted. "Imagine this scenario. The three of us are moving across open space, when several of those assassins drop from above!" Marion nodded, not quite sure where the warrior was heading, Kheyrn still looked dumbstruck, and stood as if paralyzed. "Kheyrn and I move in to fend them off, and are quickly surrounded, barely able to keep them away from you!" the Canthan continued, drawing her blade for the sake of emphasis. "While we are busy trying to save your royal ass, two of them drop in front of you once we have been lured away successfully!" Yun's sword was suddenly a hair's breadth from the princess's throat. "When that happens, you have a choice," she said, her voice low and dangerous. "Fight, or die."

The Canthan withdrew her weapon and spun it around once before sheathing it. "So what'll it be princess?" she asked, fisting her hands and putting them on her hips. Marion had paled considerably, and remained silent for some time, before swallowing. "W-well I, I…" she swallowed again and regained control of her breathing.

"I suppose the prospect of learning to fight is more appealing than the prospect of having my throat slit," she muttered, putting a hand to her throat and shuddering at the thought. Yun smiled brightly and nodded, pleased as could be. "Hey, Kheyrn!" she called and turned to him. Marion looked like she only just realized that the captain was in the room, which was probably the case. "Kheyrn? Kheyrn!"

The soldier looked startled for a second before regaining his composure. "Yes! Learning how to fight! Good idea!" Both Yun and Marion were slightly taken aback. "Really?" the Canthan asked. "You think it's a good idea?" Kheyrn nodded. "Not only will it help to better secure your survival, my lady," he began and kneeled briefly. "But it will also strengthen the kingdom in a political sense. The people will surely rejoice in a strong leader, who fights for their cause, and potential enemies will think twice before attacking when they hear word of our fierce battle-queen, once you take the throne." Marion thought for a bit, and smiled. "It is indeed a win-win situation. I like it!" She turned to the Canthan. "When can we get started?" Yun smiled and looked down. "As soon as you get something on your legs, we'll get started."

Marion followed her protector's gaze down, and blushed heavily when she realized that her legs were uncovered and peeking out of the slits in her skirts. Kheyrn found a sudden interest in the roof.

The girl hurried back behind her dressing-screen and came back wearing a pair of tight black pants that looked like they were made of leather. "Is there anything else?" she asked through her teeth, still blushing lightly. "Or can we get going now?"

The mercenary's gaze swept up and down, before she shook her head. "Those shoes," she said and pointed at the princess's feet before pointing her thumb over her own shoulder. "They have to go. There is no way you'll be able to fight in those. Don't you have any boots or something?" A slow shake of her head was all the answer Marion gave.

"Right," Yun sighed. "We'll go into town and get a pair." She put her index-finger against her chin, before smiling again. "And a few other things, while we're at it." Kheyrn cleared his throat and both women turned their heads towards him. "I feel I must intrude on your conversation, lady Beastbane," he said and bowed his head. "The princess cannot simply prance about the city, as if she were a commoner. It is far too dangerous! Even more so with these assassins running loose!"

The Canthan nodded and thought for a while. "Kheyrn, run down to the stables and fetch one of the bags that were tied to Ryûng's saddle, the one that looks weatherworn." She tossed him a piece of dried meat that she fished out of a pouch she carried with her. "If he's awake, give him this. It'll calm him down. If he's asleep, you just have to be really sneaky."

Kheyrn paled, bowed and went off, with an order from the warrior to, "Try to not let anyone see you too much." As the soldier disappeared, Yun made herself comfortable in the chair she had been sitting in before and placed her legs back on the table, taking them off of it after receiving a scathing glare from the princess. Marion herself sat down at the other end of the table.

They waited in silence for some time, before Kheyrn came through the door again, carrying the weatherworn bag. He looked quite shaken as he said, "Remind me to never ever ever sneak up on a sleeping drake ever again." Yun got to her feet. "Are you alright?" she asked and stepped over to him. "Balthazar's sword! He didn't bite you, did he?"

"No, no," the captain replied, waving her off. "I am almost certain that I am not missing any limbs." "Thank the gods," the Canthan sighed, and took the bag as it was handed to her. She rummaged around in it for a bit, before pulling out an old cape, with a hood. The garment was dirty brown, tattered and torn, with spots of what looked like dried blood here and there.

"Beastbane…" Marion said slowly and rose from her chair. "What in the world is that?" "This, Your Majesty," Yun smirked and tossed the cape at her. "Is your disguise. Put it on and we're off." The princess's expression went from being dumbstruck, to shocked, before settling for mildly offended. "I am the princess of Tyrlach," she hissed. "I will not be seen wearing such…hideous garments."

"Good," Yun hissed back, taking her usual "I-will-not-take-any-such-bullshit-from-you-or-anyone-else-for-that-matter" stance and tone. "We are, after all, aiming for an approach that is more incognito-ish." The girl's expression soured, clearly not used to being stood up to. She opened her mouth, and was cut off by the older woman. "Do you want me to teach you or not?" Yun snarled.

Kheyrn remained silent as his princess bit her reply back. He had learned the hard way, that interrupting a woman in the midst of an argument, never mind two women in the midst of an argument, could have disastrous consequences. "Yes," Marion sighed after a while. "Yes, I do wish to be taught how to fight."

"Then you're going to need some things, and the fewer who know about all this, the better," the Canthan said. "Now get that cape on, keep your hood low, and wash the makeup out of your face." Grumbling complaints under her tongue, the princess obeyed the mercenary.

Shortly after, the three of them were ready to go on their way. "Captain Kheyrn," Marion spoke. The soldier saluted and bowed. "I wish for you to stay outside this door and hinder anyone from entering until Beastbane and I return. Tell anyone who may pass by that I am resting, and that I do not wish to be disturbed under any circumstances. Am I clear captain?" "Clear as crystal, milady," Kheyrn answered.

The trip through the castle went considerably faster this time, as the two women walked at a quick pace. No servants they passed bowed to them this time either, and Yun could almost sense the agitation of her employer. The Canthan could not be bothered with that though, her eyes tried to be everywhere at once, impossible as that was, and the slight feeling of being watched was crawling in the back of her head.

She looked behind her and above her whenever she got the chance to make it look like she wasn't scouting for any stalkers, but she never even caught a glimpse of anyone, other than the servants who hurried on their ways.

The princess and the mercenary were crossing the grand entrance-hall, with Athalan gazing upon them from above. Yun was, once again, admiring the painting, while sneaking glances around the room, when a quiet gasp had her face whirling forward and her hand reaching for Murakai's Blade.

Her face soured and she took her hand from her weapon. "Jumpy, Canthan?" Gaelm asked from where he stood leaned against the wall. "Dangerous times, you know," Yun answered and crossed her arms underneath her bust. "Indeed," the commander smirked and moved away from the wall.

"For one person in particular, if my memory does not betray me," Gaelm's smirk was ever-present as he stopped less than two feet in front of the two women. "I don't suppose that my sister has tired of you presence yet, then?"

"Of course not," Yun smirked back, though both her eyes and the eyes of her self-proclaimed foe were alight with challenge and unfriendliness, the air was heavy with tension. "She merely asked me to run some…errands for her." She had to struggle quite a bit to keep herself from punching the Tyrlachian's widening grin from his face. "Downgraded to errand-girl?" He shook his head, his expression becoming mock-mournful, before reverting to simply mock. "What a shame."

"She's the boss," the Canthan shrugged. "And if I have to run laps around the castle for no particular reason, I will if it is in her best interests." This comment made Gaelm smirk even wider, before his eyes drifted down and stopped at Marion, who was trying to make herself as small as possible. "And who is your little friend, if I may ask?"

"Her? Just a servant that Marion sent along with to make sure I get the right things, her hood is up for personal reasons." Gaelm looked suspicious and his hand moved towards the garment. "Having your face covered is clearly a reason of suspicion these days," he muttered, more to himself than to the women. His hand never reached the girl. Yun's hand closed around his wrist and squeezed it, hard.

"Personal reasons," the mercenary hissed. "You should learn to respect the privacy of others, commander." Gaelm gritted his teeth, but quickly shed any trace of emotion and wrested his hand from the warrior's grip. "Only exercising the caution that is due in this day and age. But as you wish, you may be on your way." The commander stepped to the side and motioned for them to go on. "I want you to know one thing, commander," Yun said as they passed him, her voice colder and sharper than a naked sword. "You hold no jurisdiction over me, this girl, or captain Kheyrn. As far as I am concerned, we stand under direct rule of Princess Marion, whose authority outweighs yours by far. You would do well to remember that."

The two warriors made eye-contact. Marion knew that both were one wrong word away from drawing their swords and attempting to kill each other then and there. The gaze exchanged between the two was just short of actual hatred. "And I want you to know something as well, mercenary," Gaelm snarled. "Regardless of your…position as my sister's personal lapdog, I am still commander, and you will treat me with the respect my profession demands." Yun's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I shall give you my respect, when you have earned my respect. Come on, we're wasting time." The mercenary pushed her employer ahead of her, and followed with a final, murderous, exchange of glances.

The two women continued in silence, even though the tallest one of them was visibly fuming. They passed the courtyard without further trouble, though people mostly gave them a wide berth after taking a look at the armored Canthan with the storming eyes.

That changed when they exited the castle-grounds and entered the main square in front of it however. People there didn't much care about what went about around themselves, instead focusing on their own daily doings. Yun finally breathed normally again, though she was still not completely calm.

Marion let out the deepest breath, which she had been holding ever since the battle of tongues between her bodyguard and her stepbrother. "So," she smiled. "Where do we go from here?" The mercenary kept walking. "We are going to find a blacksmith, and get you a few things, but first we're getting you some new footwear."

The princess nodded and followed. "Oh," Yun said. "You had better stay in front of me so I can keep an eye on you." Marion nodded again and stepped in front of the Canthan.

"So, uh, does this town have any sort of merchant district or something?" Yun wondered. The girl nodded, quite vigorously. "Oh yes," she began. "We can find everything we're looking for near The Port Gate. New wares come in from Athalgar every day." The mercenary nodded, "Then we'll start there. Lead the way, boss."

"Boss," Marion mused, then smiled. "I like that. Would you really run laps around the castle for no reason if I asked you to?" "Of course not," Yun snorted. "I just had to reassure him a bit." "Aw," the princess grinned. "Maybe I would've made you do it."

"And maybe I should bend you over my lap and give you a spanking," the mercenary replied cheerfully. Marion's face fell into a sour grimace, and they went on in silence, only interrupted as Yun hollered curses at people who bumped into her.

"Here we are!" the princess exclaimed as they entered the next square, that happened to be especially crowded. The square, or rather an enormous circle, was dotted with tents and buildings, and lined with shops of all kinds. "Shall we ask someone for the best place to begin?" The warrior shook her head. "I'll know what's good when I see it, now let's see if we can find a leatherworker."

Half an hour later, they found a leatherworker, which Yun deemed good enough. They entered, and came out again a few minutes later, with Marion wearing a pair of soft calf-high leather boots, that could be laced up and down. "What now?" she asked. "Next, we get you some weaponry, and some armor while we're at it."

"Armor?" The girl looked shocked as she spoke. "Do you really think that is necessary?" Yun motioned for her employer to walk before answering. "Listen now," she began. "The only reason I thwarted the last two attempts on your life, was pure luck. Luck alone will not win any wars, so we need to get you some extra bodily protection, see?"

Marion nodded slowly. "Don't worry boss," the Canthan said and patted the girl's shoulder. "You'll get used to wearing it all day after a while." "All day?" A few heads turned in their direction, though a glare from Yun had them turning back again. "Yes, all day," she growled as she turned back to Marion. "If we find a durable enough armor, you will wear it all day to reduce the chance of someone lodging a crossbow bolt in your guts!"

This time around, she had to reach for her sword to avert the gazes from the crowd. "Listen," Yun hissed through her teeth and pulled her employer closer to her, and pushing her forward at the same time. "I'm making all the precautions necessary to keep you alive. The least you can do, is help me do my job properly."

"Forgive me," Marion whispered. "I know that you only mean my best. You certainly know more about this kind of thing than I do, so I'll let you take point." "Don't worry about it," the mercenary smiled. "Now let's go find a blacksmith and get you suited up."

There were many a smithy dotted across the area, but Yun seemed to need only a look to decide what wasn't worth their time and gold. After a whole hour of pacing around the market, the two found a smithy that the Canthan smiled at, and went inside.

The blacksmith looked up as the two women entered. He was a large man, with a great jet-black beard and hair. His upper body was mostly concealed by a thick leather apron and a white sleeveless shirt, while his lower one was, thankfully, covered in a pair of wide pants and boots of the same thick leather as his apron. His arms were muscular and hairy, but despite his rugged appearance, he bowed to them when they were both inside.

"Afternoon, good ladies," he greeted in a voice that sounded every bit as rugged as he looked. "I am Gorn," he stated as he rose to his full height, standing a full head taller than even Yun, at the very least. "How may I be of service?" Marion was too busy gawking at the man's height to answer, so Yun talked instead, after deciding that the man was not an unnaturally short norn who had strayed far away from The Far Shiverpeaks.

"Fine greetings, Master Gorn. My name is Yun Dao of The Hezokio Clan, from the land of Cantha. My employer wishes to learn how to fight like a true warrior, but she is ill-equipped. Therefore, I respectfully ask you if you would craft a suit of armor for her, and that we may take a look at the weapons you have already forged, so that we may find the right ones for her," she said and bowed deeply.

Gorn smiled and gave a laughter. "If all Canthans are as well-mannered as you, I might just move my smithy there instead!" He bowed back, just as deeply. "You and your employer are more than welcome in my humble establishment, if you would follow me, good lady, so that I may take your measurements?" Marion did not budge until her bodyguard slammed an elbow in her side. "It's rude to stare, boss," she muttered.

"Please forgive me!" the girl squeaked and curtsied hastily. "It's just…you are so, ah…" "Big," Gorn smirked. "We get big like this along The Northern Borders." The princess paled noticeably, but followed the northerner nonetheless. The measuring did not take long, and Gorn got to work right away, claiming that he could have the piece the mercenary had asked for finished in a matter of hours. Yun thanked him profoundly and led her employer to the weapon-racks, where they began to evaluate every weapon to find the one that would suit the girl.

"Are you sure we can trust him Beastbane?" Marion whispered quietly as she handed a longsword back to her bodyguard. Yun blinked and put the sword back on its rack. "I see no reason not to trust him," she replied. "It's just that…" the girl bit her lip and snuck a glance at the large man hammering away at his anvil. "He's a northerner. The northerners were in constant conflict with us until we managed to establish a treaty with some of their tribes five years ago." The Canthan handed her a rapier. "If you have a treaty with them, why are you worried?" she asked, before frowning and taking the weapon back after seeing it in the girl's hand. It seemed…off somehow.

"Many of the tribes refused the treaty," Marion replied silently. "Those tribes have been making raids into Tyrlach ever since, and Gaelm says that they are little more than beasts." "I would not put too much faith in what the commander says about outsiders," the warrior muttered as she weighed an axe in her own hand, looked the younger woman over, and put it away without even offering it to her. "If everybody listened to him, I would probably be hanging from a branch and swinging in the wind somewhere."

"Well, actually, you would've been…beheaded," the girl paled again. "Then your head would have been staked and placed in the main square as a warning to those who would threaten my father or his kin or allies." "Thanks for the correction," Yun muttered dryly and handed Marion a shortsword that was quickly given back.

"Well, I suppose it's better than the punishment at home," she sighed as she peered along the racks in search of anything that looked like a fit. "What happens to criminals in Cantha then?" the princess wondered. "They're incinerated," the mercenary stated. Marion's slowly fading paleness became a shade of green. "That is, they're incinerated if they get caught alive."

The Tyrlachian stumbled back and supported herself against a table. Yun looked over at her to say something, but her gaze was drawn to something behind her. She gently pushed her employer out of the way and removed a pair of twin scimitars from their place before handing them to the princess. Marion accepted them and swung the pair around herself a bit, finding them to be of perfect weight.

The Canthan smiled. "For every warrior there is, whether a soldier, a mercenary or a king, whether good, evil or in between, there exists a weapon, or weapons that are forged for them," she said. "Many times, one has to go through several weapons before one finds his or her fated weapon, and some go through life without ever having the weapon at all, or even come close to it." She laid her hand on the girl's shoulder. "These blades, are your fated weapons, my friend. Hold on to them, and they shall be your faithful servants and protectors for the rest of your life."

"Wise words from a wise warrior," Gorn's deep voice rumbled from where he stood with the finished product. "The upper body-armor, as you requested good lady." "Call me Beastbane," Yun smirked. "Everyone else does." Gorn grinned. "Beastbane it is, a name well deserved if your eyes do not tell untruths." "By Balthazar, my honor and my weapon I swear, my eyes hold no lies," the Canthan said.

"I believe you," the northerner replied. "Now then, are you sure you do not wish for more than a cuirass? Her legs will not be very well protected." "Don't worry," Yun smirked insidiously. "When I'm through with her, she will have learned how to guard her legs well. Besides," she shrugged. "Greaves are hard to move in. A fast and mobile warrior is an efficient one, my father told me when I was little." "As you wish," Gorn rumbled and bowed. "Does the good lady wish to equip her new cuirass at once?"

"Let me just have a word with my employee first," Marion smiled, and pulled the warrior off with her. "No greaves?" she hissed once they were out of earshot. "Are you trying to get me killed?" Yun's features became cold again. "Do not for a second even dare to think me disloyal, princess! When you doubt my loyalties, you insult my honor!" she snarled. "A shot through the leg will not kill you, unless the bolt is poisoned. It's your vital body-parts that I concern myself with!"

"Even so," Marion muttered, more meekly. "I can't help but wonder if it would be better for me." As always, the Canthan's anger subsided quickly. "Hey, if you need encouragement, look at me." The older woman stepped back slightly. "I don't wear any greaves, and I'd say that I'm very much alive!" Indeed, the mercenary's armor was devoid of any greaves, though her boots reached up to just below her knees, and her legs were encased in some sort of wrapping up to just above them.

"Don't worry boss," Yun grinned. "I'll teach you how to fight without those things on your legs." Marion smiled back at her, and the two of them went back to Gorn, who was waiting patiently by his anvil. "I would very much like to equip my new armor," the girl said, adding, "master Gorn," after a nudge from her bodyguard.

"Very well milady," the northerner said. "If you would follow me." Marion cast a glance at Yun, who nodded and motioned for her to go on and relax, before following Gorn into the back-room. The Canthan went back and admired the weapons hanging around the smithy.

Shortly afterward, Gorn and Marion returned. Yun placed a battleaxe she had been looking over back on its hanger and turned fully to the pair. She gave a whistle and stepped over to the princess, tapping her knuckles against the steel that now covered her from her shoulders to just below her hips. "What do you think, boss?" The cuirass was not a single plate, as Yun knew that such an armor would be difficult to move in, not to mention fight in, instead, it was constructed of several overlapping plates, which were simpler to bend and move in.

"It's a bit heavy," the girl groaned. "But not entirely unbearable." "You'll get used to it," the Canthan patted Marion's shoulder and turned to Gorn. "How much will that be master Gorn?" The northerner grinned. "Now normally," he began. "Those blades and that cuirass would come at at least five-hundred pieces of gold." He held up his hand to stop Marion as her hand went for her pouch. "But I'll make you two a deal, because I like you. You can pay the full price, or you can…give me a little extra something, and get the things you want for half the price." His grin seemed to grow as he spoke. "But of course it's your choice." Understandably enough, the princess looked mildly appalled, and was about to dig out what they needed when her bodyguard spoke.

"A little something extra, was it?" she gave a sultry smile and crossed her arms under her bust, cocking her hip to the side. "What did you have in mind?" The northerner's smile mirrored that of the woman's. "Surprise me," he chuckled. Still smiling, Yun sauntered over to the larger man. The second she was within range, her foot flew into the northerner's gut. Gorn groaned and doubled over, only to have his hair gripped in the Canthan's fist as she pulled his head up and planted a kiss on his cheek before releasing him.

"Did I surprise you yet?" the mercenary asked as she stepped back, smirking like a jester. Gorn looked both taken aback and a little less than pleased as he stood, before the two erupted into booming laughter. "They're mad," Marion muttered to herself. "They're absolutely bonkers." "Indeed I have been surprised," the northerner said and laughed again. "And so I shall fulfill my end of our bargain."

The two women were standing in Gorn's doorway. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, Master Gorn," Marion said and curtsied. Gorn bowed to her and shook Yun's hand. "Likewise," he replied. "Perhaps we will meet again." "Perhaps," Yun smiled. "May Balthazar smile upon your forge." "And may you always find shelter from the storm," the northerner answered before bowing once more and disappearing into his smithy.

Yun had decided that Marion should wear her new cuirass under her cape on their way back to the castle, in order to get used to the piece of armor. "See now, that wasn't so bad now was it?" she asked. "I suppose not," the girl muttered in reply. "But did you really have to get so violent? I was afraid he was going to toss us out on the street when you kicked him." The mercenary sighed and turned to her employer, opening her mouth to say something when something crashed into the shield on her back.

She whirled around and noticed a crossbow-bolt falling to the ground. "Kai sang!" she swore and brought her weapons out, spotting the shooter sitting on a roof not too far ahead. Just as she was about to bark an order to stay behind her at the princess, several black-cloaks came rushing out of the crowd, brandishing daggers along the way.

Yun swore again and swung her blade at the closest one. The blow caught the assassin in the neck and tore halfway through his throat before she pulled the weapon out and thrust it into the chest of another attacker. Her sword clashed with one of the assailants' daggers, while she blocked another one with her shield, before kicking out to the side and sending the man to his back.

The would-be-assassin rolled backwards and rose to his feet, but before he could rise fully, he found a sword buried in his forehead, nearly cleaving his skull in two. Yun removed her sword, turned and slashed open the guts of another black-cloak in one swift motion, before leaping forward with her shield in front of her face, dodging another bolt in the process and landing on top of an attacker. She smashed the ring-like pommel of her sword into the forehead of the one she had landed on top of three times. It went through his skull with a sickening crack, and she tore her blade loose to parry an incoming swing.

The Canthan got to her feet and swung her shield at an attacker, sending him down and stabbing her blade into his back as he fell. Those who remained had obviously wizened up after seeing their comrades being slaughtered, and they kept at a distance, circling her like wingless vultures. "Beastbane! Watch out!" Marion screamed. The mercenary swore yet again and turned to ward off a lone attacker, she had almost completely forgotten about the girl. She swiftly felled the assassin and blocked another bolt with her shield before turning to find her employer.

She found her just as another assassin came at the girl from behind with its dagger out. Before Yun could act, or even make a sound, the assassin pushed past the princess and came at her. "What in Balthazar's name?" she wondered briefly before leaning back to avoid a slash of the assassin's dagger. "I thought they were after her, not me!" She turned to face another attacker after felling the previous one, and came face to face with a wide-eyed assassin, who looked dumbstruck. She followed his gaze, and bit back another curse, when the assassin Yun had just slain pushed past her, Marion had fallen to the ground and her hood had fallen away from her face, revealing her to every assassin in the area.

Everything was silent. No one so much as breathed, until the mercenary turned and thrust her sword into the guts of the closest assassin before making a beeline for her employer. The Canthan's sudden movement spurred the attackers into action, and as one, they surged towards their new target.

Spread around the square as they were, it was only to be expected that the assassins reached the princess first. Marion had not been completely idle, however. After being exposed, she had quickly risen and unsheathed her new weapons, and even though she had no training at all, three of the attackers were already dead.

Two assassins turned and charged at the Canthan to keep her occupied, but were slain in a heartbeat. Others took their place immediately and they too, were slain. Yun was getting closer, but she was going much too slow to have any hope of reaching Marion in time.

Six of the assailants had fallen before the princess, and a few crossbow-bolts had bounced off her cuirass. She swallowed her gut-wrenching terror and brought her scimitars up to block an attack from two sides. While her blades were kept busy, one of the assassins threw himself at her and sent her onto her back with the assassin on top.

Yun cursed lividly as she saw the younger woman go down, and witnessed the assassin on top of her raise his dagger. Suddenly, an anvil slammed into the attacker's face and sent him flying backwards. Gorn's massive fist smashed the face of an assassin before he pulled an enormous two-headed battleaxe from his back. The heads of the axe from one end to another were easily three feet in length, and the handle was as thick as a beer-stein.

The northerner swung his axe and sent another one of the assassins flying with a deep wound in his chest, while Yun laid into them from behind. Soon enough the mercenary reached her employer and helped her up on her feet. "Fight or die!" she reminded the girl and stabbed down another assassin.

"Yes, I noticed!" Marion snarled back and got in behind her bodyguard, Gorn joining their small group seconds later. "I had a feeling that keeping an eye on you two would pay off," he rumbled and separated a head from an attacker's shoulders.

"So you're stalking us," the Canthan replied as she pulled her blade out of a chest and blocked a tossed dagger with her shield. "Anything else you'd like to tell us while you're at it?" "Yes, there is, in fact," Gorn answered. "I would like to offer my apologies for not recognizing my princess right away."

"Apology accepted," Marion whispered, her eyes wide and her skin pale. The assassins who remained had formed a large circle around the three. "How many of them do you think we can take out before we're overwhelmed?" Gorn muttered. "I don't know," Yun answered. "A good chunk, I suppose, maybe we won't be overwhelmed at all." "What are you saying? Have you seen how many there are of them?" Marion shrieked. "Quantity is not an acceptable substitute for quality," the mercenary stated. "I would rather have five skilled warriors by my side, than a hundred unskilled ones."

"Truer words I have not heard since I came to the southlands," Gorn said. "In you beats a true warrior's heart, Beastbane of The Hezokio. We shall face them, and triumph, or perish with honor." Another bolt fell to the ground beside the group. "Marion," Yun spoke. "Get behind me and stay there." The princess, as usual during such situations, was quick to obey the warrior.

"Watch my back!" the mercenary shouted and charged forward, her employer and the blacksmith following swiftly. The small group swiftly clashed with the less-than-subtle assassins, their weapons carving bloody swathes through the enemy.

A volley of arrows suddenly erupted from the rooftops around them and fell like deadly rain among the black-cloaks, seeming to avoid the princess's group entirely. "Pull your hood up," Yun hissed at the girl. "I think we're about to have company."

Another volley rained death upon the attackers, just as a large group of Tyrlachian soldiers struck their rear flank. Assaulted from three sides, the assassins either fled or perished. Soon, there was nothing left of them but corpses. "I thought that you might've been involved when I heard of the disturbances going on in the market," Gaelm said, smirking smugly for some reason. "Looks like I was correct."

"Don't get smug with me, commander," the Canthan snarled between her teeth. "We were doing just fine before you and your tin-men showed up, which was late as all hell if you ask me!" "Luckily, nobody asked you," his eyes went to the northerner. "And you are…?" Gorn snorted. "I have nothing to say to you, Spebarnslakter!" the last word was spat out like rotten fruit.

"Ah, a northerner. Charming," the commander sounded even more resentful towards the larger man than he usually did towards the Canthan. "I do not know what part you play in all this," Gaelm gestured towards the myriad of corpses behind him. "But I do know that you are going to have to state the name of your tribe, as well as show us you tribal mark." Gorn crossed his hairy arms. "I am Gorn Skulfeson, of the Tordenbjörn!" he proclaimed. Gaelm sighed. "Say it so I can understand what tribe you are talking about."

"Thunderbear," the northerner muttered, sounding like he would rather punch the smaller man across the square rather than talk to him. Gaelm himself fished up a small piece of paper from his belt-pouch and rolled it out. "Ah yes, the Thunderbear tribe has signed the treaty. Now show me you tribal mark and we can get underway."

"Wait just a moment here!" Yun snarled and stepped in front of the Tyrlachian. "You can't just order him around like that, you are not his prince or anything!" Gaelm snarled wordlessly and closed a hand around the hilt of his sword. "I am the commander of all Tyrlachian military affairs, mercenary, I have every right to-!" "Gorn is not one of your soldiers!" Yun cut him off with a growl. "He is a civilian, thus you can't just hold him up for doing nothing!"

The two warriors were once again glaring daggers at each other. Though their attention was diverted towards the ground as a shirt with no sleeves fell down upon it. Yun turned and Gaelm looked up to that Gorn had indeed taken his shirt off, revealing a tattoo of a bear's head shooting a bolt of lightning from its maw.

"Are you satisfied now, Spebarnslakter? Or do you want me to take my pants off as well?" Despite his choice of words, the northerner did not sound amused at all. "Keep your pants on," Gaelm growled, muttering, "Savage," under his tongue.

Yun turned back to the commander, crossing her arms, her dark eyes ablaze with defiance. "I'm pretty sure I can handle anything else from here on," she said. "Surely you and your men have other matters to attend to elsewhere." "Oh, believe me, Canthan, nothing would please me more than being as far away from you, and this beast, as possible." A hand from the cloaked figure was laid upon the northerner's arm to keep him from goring Gaelm to paste.

"But, I'm afraid we have to identify your hidden allies as well, so you may call for them to come out of hiding." Yun blinked and turned to Gorn. "Did you bring any hidden allies?" The massive man shook his head. "I thought those arrows came from the soldiers," he said. They turned their gazes back to Gaelm, who also shook his head.

A quick order from the commander had several soldiers running to investigate. They returned shortly after, claiming that there were no one else around. The rest of the soldiers were busy unmasking the assassins, revealing many different faces. One in particular had Marion emitting a gasp. Gaelm turned to her. "Do you know this girl?" he asked.

The princess remained silent for a while before answering. "Yes," she whispered, adding, "Milord," as an afterthought. "Or rather, I didn't know her. I just knew of her, milord. She is…was a kitchen-maid at the castle." "Athalan's horns!" Gaelm exclaimed. "They have people within the castle itself. Men!" Every soldier in the square stood at attention. "Back to the castle!" the commander barked. "We have to reach the princess before these assassins make another go for her head!" The soldier turned and ran back towards the castle. "As for you," Gaelm snarled as he turned back to the Canthan. "I don't know why the assassins came after you, but rest assured that if my sister is not in her room anymore when I return to the castle, I will find you and slit your throat!"

With his threat made, the Tyrlachian turned again and hurried after his men. "Quickly! This way!" Marion shouted once Gaelm was out of eyeshot and swiftly ran into an alleyway. Yun followed without a moment's hesitation, while Gorn wondered for a second what he should do, before retrieving his anvil and speeding off after them.

The three moved quickly, the two women more so than the northerner, who came close to losing them in the crowd several times. They ran until Marion nearly collapsed, at which point Yun scooped her up and flung her over her shoulder. "Just tell me where to go," the warrior said and kept on running. "I can't even see where we're going from here!" the girl panted. "Good thing I made a new dress for you," the Canthan smiled and arranged for the princess to sit with one leg over each shoulder.

It was doubtlessly a ridiculous sight, but most of the townspeople were too dumbstruck to actually laugh or take any other sort of action. It made it easier for Gorn to know what way he should go, at least. "Left here!" Marion shouted and Yun made a sharp turn. The castle stood before them and they raced up the stairs and past the guards, almost running down a servant or three.

Kheyrn looked up as Yun came thundering down the hall, his eyes widening at the princess's position, and even more as the massive northerner came after them. "Stay outside Kheyrn," Marion ordered as the three came to a halt outside of the door. "Gaelm will be here shortly, and you must not let him through at once, hold him at the door for a bit, understood?"

Kheyrn could only nod slowly, his eyes were fixed on Gorn. "Don't worry," Yun assured him. "He's with us." She leant close to the princess. "He is with us, right?" she whispered. Marion glanced over her shoulder at the northerner before nodding and entering her room, the smith and the mercenary following her.

Marion tore off her cape the moment they were inside, and Yun quickly assisted her in getting her armor off. They then shoved Gorn into the largest closet they could find before Yun hid under the bed. Just as the Canthan cramped herself into the darkest corner she could find, a muffled voice rang through the door.

"Athalan's claws and horns, Kheyrn! She could be lying dead behind this very door!" The door opened not two seconds later and several soldiers burst in. Marion herself rose from the bed with her sheet around herself. "Gaelm? What is the meaning of this?"

"Oh gods!" Gaelm rushed forward and hugged his stepsister. "You live, Athalan be praised!" The girl blinked and awkwardly returned the embrace. "Gaelm, what's wrong?" she asked. The commander quickly stepped back and bowed. "I was merely checking to see if you were safe, my lady. Your Canthan accomplice was assaulted by a large number of the assassins who have been attacking you in the market earlier." Marion gasped and grabbed his upper arms. "Is Beastbane alright?" she asked. "Please tell me she is alright!"

"She seemed to not have a scratch…suspicious, given their numbers," Gaelm muttered. "Thank Athalan," the girl sighed, before adding a surprised, "Wait, what? You are not saying that Beastbane is involved, are you?" The commander's eyes fastened themselves on the roof for a minute, before meeting his sister's gaze. "I am not saying that that is undisputedly the case," he said quietly. "But the facts are that she has discovered the assassins every time they have struck strikes me as…odd." Marion crossed her arms and raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"Could it be that she was merely lucky?" she rhetorically stated. "And that she survived because she is a skilled and capable warrior? Besides, she was not all by herself!" "The servant you sent with her?" Gaelm raised an eyebrow of his own. "I doubt that that poor soul would be any good in a fight." Marion kept her arms crossed and huffed out, "Maybe better than you think," before changing the subject.

"On the subject of my bodyguard," she snarled. "I would like you to remember that I picked her personally. Am I to understand that you doubt my judgment?" The princess's voice was colder than ice, causing her stepbrother to step back and raise his arms defensively. "I have said no such thing," he said. "And I meant in no way to imply that you lack good judgment. I am merely concerned about your safety."

"I know," Marion replied and smiled brightly at him. "And I appreciate that, believe me, but my safety is Beastbane and captain Kheyrn's job. Not yours." Gaelm bit his lip and bowed. "Now is there anything else you want, or do you mind leaving me to my business?"

"Two more things!" the commander hurriedly said. "One of the assassins that were unmasked after the fighting turned out to be one of the kitchen-maids. They are inside the castle!" Marion gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, looking absolutely terrified.

"Secondly, and don't bite my head off," he said and pointed at her. "Again, be cautious around that woman, she has thrown her lot in with one of the northerners! And you know what I have told you about them." The girl gasped again. "Oh yes," she nodded vigorously. "I'll be careful, and I shall talk to Beastbane about her choice of companions for the future."

Gaelm smiled. "I know that you will do the right thing," he said and hugged her again before turning and leaving, taking his men with him. Kheyrn closed the door after them and sank down along it with a sigh, echoing Marion's as she dropped to the bed. Gorn peeked out from the closet and Yun crawled out from under the bed.

"You are a brilliant actor!" the mercenary laughed. "You could easily act the pants off of the finest actors in Vabbi!" Marion smiled at her from her position. Gorn moved out from the closet he was standing in and Kheyrn picked himself up from the floor. "That was all too close," the captain muttered before turning his head to the northerner and cautiously extending his hand. "Master Gorn, was it?" Gorn nodded and took the smaller man's hand and shook it. "Gorn Skulfeson, smith from the Tordenbjörn tribe."

"Kheyrn Randeel, captain of the Queen's Guard, though since the queen died years ago, we have been temporarily renamed the King's Guard." Gorn nodded. "Your name is known to the tribes of the north, Kheyrn Ormdreper. You fought valiantly during the wars." The Tyrlachian saluted him. "As did your tribe. The Tordenbjörn are stalwart and courageous."

"If you two are quite finished becoming the best of friends," Yun said dryly. "We have to get an overview of the situation here." The Canthan pulled out a nearby chair and sat down in it. "Those assassins didn't originally come for Marion back in the square." She crossed both her arms and legs and leaned back as far as she could.

"They attacked her only after her face was revealed, which means they're probably trying to thin out the protection around her." "So that was why they only attacked you at first," Gorn muttered, before bowing quickly. "If you allow it, princess, I should return to my smithy. Lots of work to be done."

"Wait!" Marion called, shooting up from the bed. "You saved my life," she said, though a lot quieter, when the northerner focused on her again. "I wish to extend my thanks to you, and reward you in whatever way you wish." Gorn stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Whatever way I wish?" he asked. The princess nodded, managing to make that simple movement of her head regal and refined.

"In that case," Gorn began and knelt. "I wish to serve you as your third protector, if you will allow me to." The room fell silent. Marion bit her lip and looked to her two bodyguards. Yun gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up, and Kheyrn nodded once. "What about your smithy?" the Canthan suddenly said before Marion could agree. "Can you afford to leave it for lengthy periods?"

"I am a smith," Gorn said as he rose again. "Like my father before me, and his father before him. Still, in my chest beats the heart of a warrior," he thumped his chest with one of his fists for emphasis's sake. "And I wish to serve. In that regard, I shall leave my smithy unattended until I am no longer needed by your side, princess."

"Very well," Marion smiled. "Gorn Skulfeson, of the tribe of Tordenbjörn, I hereby appoint you as my third bodyguard." "Welcome," Kheyrn bowed to the large man. "But would anyone mind filling me in on the details of the attack? I'm afraid Lord Gaelm's version was a notch too, shall we say, tattered for my liking."

Marion nodded and told the captain what had transpired, from the moment she and Yun had left the room up until the event that had just taken place. "Well, at least you obtained what you went to get in the first place," the older Tyrlachian smiled. "And we can now get Your Highness's training underway." Marion nodded again, and then yawned. "Though that is going to have to wait until tomorrow," she groaned. "It is late, and the day has been long. We'll begin after the audiences are over." "As you wish," Yun shrugged. "You had better rest while you can, boss. This training will not be child's play."

The girl yawned again, simultaneously giving an absent-minded nod before crashing down into the bed. "You two go and get some rest," Yun spoke to the two men in the room. "I'll take the first guard. I'll wake you in three hours Kheyrn." The captain nodded and excused himself, quickly followed by Gorn, who departed with a fist to his heart as a form of salute. Yun waved goodbye to them, before turning back to her sleeping employer and crossing her legs. "Not bad for day two," she smirked to herself.

The abominable creature had been flying as fast as it could for an entire day and night straight. Surprisingly, that had been sufficient, as it was closing in on its destination. The land it flew over was a dead one, covered in sand and thorny bushes struggling to cling to their existence. The howling and merciless wind sent the desert-sands whirling with enough force to cut into human-skin, and it carried a foul stench with it from the east, and it was to the east the corpse was heading.

A wall rose from the sands, surely a hundred feet tall and fifteen feet wide, forged from stone as black and cold as a desert-night, despite the nigh-unbearable heat of the day. The wall's foot was surrounded by a sea of corpses, an army waiting to be raised at a moment's notice. Large spikes of black iron were hammered into the wall, from which more corpses were hanged by their necks, a bow and a quiver of arrows fastened to their backs and they swung in a decidedly morbid fashion due to the raging storm.

The guards on top of the wall were clothed in rags, tatters and bits and pieces of armor. They stood still as statues, their faces hidden under hoods and mismatched helmets, staring out into the deadly sandstorms without taking any notice of the cutting wind. They carried large halberds for the most part, many of them not matching those of the others, but each and every one had a bow and a quiver of arrows on their back, as well as swords of varying design strapped to their hips.

The rotting seagull soared across the wall and dove down once it was beyond it, into the streets below. The city, if one could call it so, was a peculiar and terrifying sight. The buildings were tall and brooding structures constructed from the same black and cold stone that the walls were made from. The streets were narrow and constantly shrouded in darkness, and though they were mostly deserted, there moved figures in dark garments along them, often stopping to greet one another before moving on.

The tall houses eventually gave way to great manors and monuments, including an enormous statue in the middle of the city. Beyond the statue, an enormous palace rose from the ground, the tallest tower standing at least fifty feet taller than the black walls. Into this palace the seagull dove, through an entrance in the form of an enormous, gaping skull. An eerie, almost sickly, green glow shone from somewhere inside. The building was commonly referred to as Kem'hewet-netjer, or simply as The Black Temple, and the common folk of the city could often be found inside, basking in the presence of their Lord and his chosen one.

Down the creature went, through tunnels and passageways, through corpse-laden pits and above walkways spanning across black depths, through corridors and down spiraling stairways. From somewhere in the deep, there sounded a chanting, growing louder and clearer as the abomination drew closer. The undead bird rounded a corner, soaring upwards as it entered a massive corridor, teeming with living corpses, all as one carrying large barrels on their backs.

The corridor reeked of blood, for it was blood that was contained in the barrels, and the living dead poured it down into canals that ran down alongside a massive flight of stairs and into a moat of sorts around a massive statue. Around the moat, scores of men and women kneeled, chanting in a morbid tongue. The statue itself was that of a man concealed in robes, though from under his hood stared the cold, empty gaze of a beast's skull, with a pair of horns tearing through the hood. An ocean of fresh blood flowed around the foot of the statue, and above the flood of spilt life, there was a platform.

The platform was square and not particularly large, a stair lead up to it, and upon it there stood a lone figure in black robes, and an altar upon which another figure laid spread-eagled. The robed figure threw its hands in the air, and all was quiet, still as death. "Mighty Grenth!" the robed one shouted, the voice female, but there was something…off about it.

"Oh mighty Grenth, we stand before thee as but humble servants, tamed slaves, loyal dogs, worms squirming in the mud for thy acceptance! Thou doth rule and guide us in life, as thou shalt rule and guide all in death!" The woman lowered her hood, revealing a head of white hair, short in the back, but with two longer bangs in front. At first, the most striking feature about the woman was her dark ashen-grey skin and white hair, but if one dared look closer, they would find her eyes to be more than most could handle. They were like black pools, with a hazy glimmer of pale grey orbs where a normal person's pupils would be.

"It is I, o Grenth, who stand before thee! Thy loyal servant, whom thou hath laid thy blessings of darkness upon! Thy humble chosen one, Shetani Adin am I, she who is called The Dread Queen! I humbly bring before thee, a sacrifice, that was brought to me from the fortress of Gandara two nights ago!" The eyes of the young man laying upon the altar snapped completely open and he pulled against his restraints, screaming through his gag.

The grey-skinned woman let one of her crooked, claw-like, fingers run from the forehead to the chest of the man, before speaking again. "Hear me, o great master! This man hath denounced thee, and preached the name of She Who Is Beneath Thee! He praises her name, and speaks the cursed words of Dwayna! He claims that thy power is lesser than Hers! Therefore, we give him unto thee, so that he may see the error of his ways!" The woman, Shetani, reached into her robes and procured a dagger, long and curved, before raising it over her head.

"Grenth! We send to you, this ignorant soul! Take him in thy cold embrace, punish his denial, and reward his eventual submission! Of this we ask thee, o lord, do not let his soul linger in ignorance! Let thy will be done upon him! Hail the Lord Grenth, God of Ice and Death, The Master of The Underworld and Warden of Dhuum! Do not fear death," she spoke softly to her sacrifice-to-be. "Grenth will forgive your crimes in time, all you must do is accept your fate, and His might." She raised her head again. "Grenth!" she called to the statue. "Take our humble offering! Grant us thy power! Bathe us in thy dark magnificence! Let us kneel to thy might! Let us-!" A sharp pressure to the side of her head interrupted her.

The pressure was repeated three times before she turned her head to see an undead seagull perched on her shoulder. The creature pecked again, and its beak pierced the woman's skull. Unfazed, the necromancer turned back to the statue, bowed and uttered a clear, "Just a minute, my Lord," before pulling the bird loose from her forehead. She put it back on her shoulder, pulled the message from its leg and read it quickly, her soulless eyes widening.

"Lord Grenth!" she called. "I beseech thee! Lend me but a few drops of the blood that shalt be spilled in thy name!" She bowed her head in thanks, as if the statue had spoken to her, and plunged her dagger into the sacrifice's throat. After the man stopped thrashing, she ripped the dagger from his corpse and slashed open both of his wrists.

Blood poured from the corpse and onto the altar, before spilling into the moat below. The hollow eyes of the statue glowed dark green and a beam of that color shot out of them, crashing into the grey-skinned necromancer, while smaller rays broke off and shot into the scores surrounding the moat. Shetani fell to her knees and gasped for air as the beam dissipated, before tipping her head forward and licking some of the blood pouring from the altar. The wound in her forehead closed, and she rose and dipped her finger in the blood, quickly writing a reply on the backside of the letter she received with the bloody digit.

She tied it around the leg of the seagull and sent it on its way back to Tyrlach, she then kneeled and whispered her thanks to her Lord, before turning and stepping down from the platform. The necromancers kneeled to her as she passed and dispersed once she reached the stairs.

Two figures in black cloaks that concealed all but their dark burial-mask-like helmets and one rotten hand holding a large halberd turned from their position and followed their Dread Queen as she exited The Hall of Blood. A creature was waiting for her at the end of the hall where the undead were still keeping the blood flowing. It was translucent, appearing as if covered in long robes, though its hands were dark brown, almost black, and possessing only three fingers each, if one counted the thumbs. Underneath its hood, there was only blackness, except for an ethereal, amethyst glow that emanated from beyond it.

The phantom bowed its head as its mistress approached. "Greetings, my queen," it spoke, its voice cold and hollow. "The ritual was a success, I reckon?" Shetani passed it without answering, or even acknowledging the phantom's existence, which was unusual, seeing as it was one of her favorite "children". The phantom knew better than to comment on this, and instead followed her, gliding over the floor just behind the necromancer, yet in front of the two creatures flanking her.

"Merenok," she spoke as the four exited the large chamber and crossed over one of the walkways over a black pit. "I have some business to attend to elsewhere, an errand of great importance." The phantom called Merenok bowed its head again. "I shall order the ships to be raised, my queen." With that, the phantom flew upwards through the roof and disappeared from sight.

Shetani headed for her quarters and shed her robes once there, instead donning the Monument Armor she had had forged for her a few months ago. "The Ebon Vanguard's craftsmen know their trade well," she thought as she pulled the long jacket-like tunic on, before securing the one oversized gauntlet she had once taken from the corpse of one Armind the Balancer, over her left hand. The gauntlet-like focus seethed with power that flowed into her as she fastened the ancient death-scepter of the dwarven king Droknar in her belt.

Shetani's high heels clacked against the floor as she hurried down the corridor, her guards following close by. Every living creature she came across in the halls threw themselves to their knees before her, and she often stopped and laid a cold hand on their foreheads, whispering, "Be always blessed by Grenth, child," before moving on. The necromancer walked at a quick pace, just short of jogging, and was soon out of her temple-palace. She passed the large statue of Grenth in her courtyard and stopped to kneel before it.

"Grenth, Lord of Death. Be with me on my errand," she whispered and bowed her head before taking off again. At the gates to the city, she whistled and a large black steed came trotting up to her, the green glow of its empty eye-pits being the only indication of its deceased status, if one did not count the unnatural chill of its skin. Two similar steeds appeared, and they all knelt before the necromancer and her minions. They mounted and stormed through the gates, the hooves of their undead carriers barely sinking at all in the sand.

A boulevard of broken obelisks guided the necromancer on her way to her port, even though she could have made the journey blindfolded, she was thankful. She could not explain it, but the mostly shattered structures brought some measure of comfort to her mind. The Dread Queen and her two bodyguards reached the walls of the port swiftly, finding the gates open for them. Merenok had obviously given word of her coming.

She slowed her steed to a walk and stopped at the edge of the port, watching as a ship that looked like it belonged on the bottom of the ocean drifted closer to shore. As it came up against the dock itself, it turned so that one could simply hop onto it. Merenok flew down from the top mast and bowed to its mistress once more.

"My queen," the phantom spoke. "Your ship has been risen and crewed adequately. Is there anything else you wish for?" Shetani stepped through her second-in-command, and regarded the ship. "Raise two more, and have at least ten living servants on all three," she commanded. "I will not leave anything to chance on this matter." Merenok bowed deeply and drifted off to give the orders.

The necromancer headed onto her ship as the two others came close, followed by ten lesser necromancers and her Dreadknights, as her personal guard was known. She stood at the far back of the ship and witnessed as the other two were crewed before turning and heading below deck. Seeing as the sails were torn and tattered, they were of little use. "Thank Grenth for oars," Shetani chuckled as she reached the lowest hold of the ship, where two dozen undead were sitting, ready to row at her command.

After giving her command, she retreated to her cabin and sat down in the throne she had had placed there, using the power stored within it to cloak the ships in a thick, foul-smelling fog. As the three vessels departed for Tyrlach, Shetani leant backwards and closed her eyes, deciding to rest until the time to disembark came along, she soon fell into a restless sleep, laced with dark dreams. Yet, her lips were curled into a chilling grin.

Marion gasped for air as it was knocked out of her, before stumbling backwards and falling onto her back. The tip of her bodyguard's sword pressed itself against her throat and the Canthan sighed heavily. "Balthazar take me," she muttered and sheathed her blade. "You downed six assassins without breaking a sweat, and now you cannot even defend yourself properly?"

"Well now is hardly comparable to then!" the Tyrlachian princess huffed. "You are not aiming to kill me." She kept grumbling, to herself mostly, as she got up from the floor of the sandy, arena-like ring the two women were standing in. Kheyrn and Gorn alternated between watching the mercenary beat the living daylights out of their mutual employer, and playing a game of chess. Surprisingly, the northerner proved himself a worthy opponent to the seasoned tactical mind of the captain. They had been playing the same round for about an hour.

"No," Yun said as Marion dusted off her skirt. "No, I am not aiming to kill you; I am aiming to train you. And if I have to inflict grievous harm upon you to keep you alive; then by Balthazar's beard, I will!" Murakai's Blade practically flew from its scabbard, and Marion yelped as she dove to the side, rolled to her feet and brought her own blades up to parry the next attack.

The Canthan was relentless in her assault. It was like trying to fight off a whirlwind of a hundred blades. Marion could only just barely hold her at bay, yet somehow she managed to put some measure of distance between herself and the Canthan. "Athalan, protect me," she panted and opened her eyes to see the mercenary's round shield soar towards her cheek. She only had time for a small mouse-like squeak before the weapon struck her and sent her spiraling through the air.

She crashed to the ground, face-first, and her attempt at getting back up was hindered by a boot in her back. Kheyrn shuddered as the Canthan dropped down onto Marion's back, knowing all too well what was about to happen. True enough, Yun grabbed hold of the younger woman's hair and pulled her face out of the sand. "You can pray before battle," she hissed and slammed her head down, before lifting it again and continuing. "You can pray after battle," another slam. "But you never stop to pray during battle!" The mercenary kept shouting as she continuously slammed her employer's head into the ground and pulled her up again. "In battle, your arms, your legs and your head are your gods! Your weapons are divine instruments! All these components are all that stand between you, and the merciless claws of Grenth! Fight or die! Fight! Or! Die!"

"Do you suppose we should try to rescue our princess from a painful and humiliating fate, Ormdreper?" Gorn wondered as he looked up from their game. The captain cast a brief look at the two before shaking his head. "Beastbane made us swear to not interrupt her while she is training Lady Marion, and I aim to keep my words. Besides, I am quite sure that she will not want to postpone the training by severely injuring her student."

The northerner nodded, if somewhat reluctantly, and turned his own attention back to the game. Yun seemed to have forgotten the two completely as she got off her employer and pulled her up, checking her for injuries. "Nothing too serious," she smiled, a completely different person when compared to the raging monster she had unleashed just a few moments ago, and picked up her sword. "Swords up, and let's try again."

Marion bit back a scathing reply and did as she was told. The ground greeted her again only a few seconds later, though she ground her teeth together and got up again, not catching the pleased glimmer in her teacher's eyes. Their blades met again, and Marion went down seconds later, rose, and attacked anew. "I must say, I am contemplating the fetching of a healer for when this is over," Kheyrn muttered, stroking his chin and remembering that he had forgotten to shave. "Again do our oaths bind us, Ormdreper. The fewer who know about this, the smaller the chance is that word gets out to the assassins, remember?" Gorn furrowed his brow and chanced a move of his tower. The captain raised an eyebrow, and sent his knight into the northerner's king. "Check, and mate," he smiled. Gorn's eyes widened and he quickly crossed his arms and turned away with a snarl.

"Come now, master Gorn, do not act like a child, it is merely a game after all," Kheyrn said and rose from the barrel he was sitting on. "Come on. We'll go for round two." "You won't have the time," Yun spoke as she approached with Marion slung over her shoulder, like a sack, and dropped her onto the table the two men were sitting at, quite unceremoniously. "Regrettable as this is," she sighed. "We're going to need a healer that's in on our little group. Kheyrn," the Canthan turned to the older man. "Go and find someone you trust, and bring him or her here, don't rush, or people may start wondering." Kheyrn bowed and took off.

Yun sat down in the captain's abandoned seat and crossed her legs, as usual. The northerner tool a quick peek at the princess's face. "I don't suppose that you will consider going easier on the girl?" he asked rhetorically. Yun shook her head, clearly not one for rhetorical questions. "She has to learn fast, and the best way to learn how to be a warrior; is to simply be a warrior. And I know that she has it in her, but I cannot reach it just yet."

The two sat in silence for a while, until Yun spoke again. "That name you keep calling Kheyrn, Ormdreper, what does it mean?" Gorn smiled, seeming rather fond for some reason. "It means Wormkiller. My tribe named him so during the wars when the fortress he was stationed at was attacked in masses by our enemies, the Fjellorm tribe, or Mountain-worm tribe in the common tongues. Captain Kheyrn rallied the troops he was stationed with, even though he was a mere soldier then, and drove the Fjellorm back. The casualties were great on both sides, but it is said that our good friend felled three scores of the enemy by himself, thus, we named him Ormdreper. A title well deserved." Yun nodded, genuinely impressed. "Three scores, not bad. What about Gaelm? I seem to recall that you have a name for him too." The large man's smile faded and was replaced with a scowl.

"Spebarnslakter," he snarled. "In the northern tongue, which we call Spraak, it means Infantslayer." Yun felt her jaw tighten and her hands clench themselves together. "What deed did such a nickname come from?" she slowly asked. "Several deeds," Gorn replied darkly, his scowl deepening. "To him; the wars along The Northern Borders were more unto a campaign of extermination than a battle for territory. He led his troops across the plains to every village he could find, and had everyone in them killed, making sure to kill any newborn he could find, himself."

The two warriors fell silent. "I had a feeling that he was not a good man, but this…" the Canthan shook her head. "I ought to go and beat some Balthazar-given sense into him." "The idea certainly is appealing," the northerner agreed. "But I am afraid that even our graceful majesty, King Agnar, will have his reservations against those who would ruthlessly assault his stepson."

"Not to mention Marion," Yun turned her head to look at the girl before brushing a stray lock away from her face and tucking it behind her ear. "Some people say I make a poor mercenary, more specifically, a poor bodyguard," she said after a while of letting her gauntlet rest on her young employer's cheek. "They say I get too attached to my employers."

She paused and stroked her thumb in a circle on the princess's face, a smile playing at her lips. "I find that my job is easier to do if I achieve a personal interest in keeping my employers alive, and keep you alive I shall." She leaned down and placed the softest kiss to the princess's forehead.

"Do you usually get mushy with people after you've beaten them half to death?" Marion asked with a groan. The Canthan smirked and sat back. "Only the ones I like," she replied and crossed her arms. "How long have you been awake?" "I came to when you started going on about being a poor bodyguard," the girl answered and tried to sit up, only to wince and drop to the table again.

"Athalan hide me in His mane," she groaned. "I think I'd rather let the assassins get me than to go through that again." Yun frowned slightly. "Don't be like that," she said and lightly punched the girl in the shoulder, causing the younger woman to grit her teeth and groan again. "If you let them take you, then all my hard work will be for naught."

"A girl can't help but wonder if death is better than getting the stuffing beaten out of her every day," Marion groaned, making another doomed attempt at getting up. "If you learn, you'll avoid getting your stuffing beaten out, and you might even beat some stuffing out of me." Yun grinned widely and hopped from her barrel before walking across the room towards the doors at the other end. "I wonder what's taking Kheyrn so long," she said to herself. As if he had heard her, the captain entered with an elderly woman in tow. "Apologies for the delay," Kheyrn said and bowed to the princess. "But I ran across Lord Gaelm in the hallway on my way back, and had to stay and chat with him for a while."

Gorn's face darkened at Gaelm's mention, as usual. Though this time, Yun's features became dark as well. No heed was paid to the warrior and the blacksmith, however, as the healer shrieked and stormed over to the girl on the table. She quickly examined her and turned to the other three.

"Which one of you inflicted these damages?" she inquired in a voice harder than steel. Her hair was grey as iron and pulled back into a round bun, her eyes were grey as well and at the moment, they blazed with a fire that could've sent a pack of wolves running for their very lives. Her gown was black, as was customary for the healers, and she wore a white apron emblazoned with a red lioness's head. She was not particularly tall, but what she lacked in height, and weight for that matter, she made up for with an aura of authority, that was strengthened by her hands on her hips.

"This is not a woman I would want to get into a swordfight with," Yun thought and shuddered as she raised her hand. The woman stomped over to the Canthan and slapped her, surprisingly; the blow was not nearly as hard as the woman's intimidating presence had led Yun to believe it would be. "You," the elderly healer hissed. "You could have killed the poor girl, you inconsiderate little brat!"

Her fear of the woman's eyes disappeared from the mercenary's mind like an icicle tossed into an active volcano, replaced with anger. "You listen here, whoever you are!" she snarled back. "I am training this girl! I am not going to stand here and take shit from a wrinkly old witch like you without-!" "You disrespectful rat!" the woman cut her off. "Be quiet when adults are talking or go home to whatever Athalan-forsaken pit you crawled out off and come back once you have stopped suckling your mother's breast!"

Yun swallowed her shock, but upchucked her rage, letting out a nearly ten-minutes-long stream of the most vulgar curses she knew of in Old Canthan. "-and I hope all your daughters were born with three asses!" she finished in a yell, not seeming to realize that no one in the room could understand her tirade. Her tone however, spoke for itself.

The healer was about to retort with an enraged tirade of her own, when Kheyrn stepped between them. "Pardon my intrusion, Beastbane, Madam Irena, but if I may suggest so, we should focus on Lady Marion's injuries, yes?" Irena nodded, turned and walked back to her patient. "It's nothing too serious," the healer said after a while, contradicting her earlier statement that Yun could've killed her.

"A few drinks of healing potion and she'll be on her legs again before the day is through." "Well that's a relief," Yun smirked and went to stand beside the short woman. "Because I need her on her legs again for tomorrow's training." "Athalan take me," Marion groaned, her first words since Irena had arrived.

"Beastbane, I'm not a northerner, apologies to you Master Gorn." Gorn shrugged it off, and the girl continued. "I am not used to battle every day." The mercenary narrowed her eyes. "You will be when I'm through with you," she chuckled. "Trust me on that. Trust me when I say that you have a warrior's spark in your soul and your eyes, and that come three or four days, the practice will be much simpler."

Irena snorted loudly. "Warrior's spark," she muttered in a mixture of disbelief and outright contempt. "Being a warrior is a man's job, and certainly not a suitable choice of lifestyle for a princess." The Canthan's eyes narrowed further, now looking more akin to thin, slightly slanted, slits than eyes. "You northern people are so old-fashioned," she muttered. "I'm a warrior," she said, louder. "I'm a woman too. I don't see why I am a warrior and she could not be." "You," the healer turned to the younger woman and put a gnarled and crooked finger against her chest. "Obviously don't know any better, poor dear, having women be warriors is a barbaric practice, and so I assume you come from a barbaric society."

Irena turned to Kheyrn, who was, along with Gorn, steeling himself against the inevitable outburst from the mercenary's poorly-reined temperament. "That healing potion will not fetch itself, captain," she dryly informed him. Kheyrn stuttered and paled as he saw the flames that had ignited in his colleague's eyes. Irena noticed no such thing and sighed. "I suppose I shall have to do everything myself then, useless excuses for menfolk." She muttered the last part as she elbowed her way past the Tyrlachian and the northerner, seemingly not surprised to see one of his people at the castle, and exited the chamber.

As soon as the door closed, Yun unleashed an enraged scream and punched the wall behind her, leaving a large crack in it, before moving on to a punching-bag nearby and literally beating the stuffing out of it, all while yelling in a fit of incoherent fury. After murdering the sand-filled leather bag, she turned and gave it one last kick that had it ripping open and spilling out its contents, sand and the badly beaten body of a young man.

The residents of the room fell silent in shock, until Yun screamed again and hauled the youth up by the front of his shirt till he dangled above the floor and drew her fist back to strike him. The servant, Kheyrn recognized him as one, shrieked and tried to cover his face with his arms. "Wait!" the captain called and ran to the mercenary's side to grab her arm before she made paste of the poor child's face.

"Beastbane, wait!" he said firmly as his fist closed around her wrist. "We should at least question him before you beat the stuffing out of him as well!" "I'll make him talk!" the warrior snarled in response. "I'll talk!" the servant screamed, sounding like he was on the verge of crying. "I swear, I'll talk! Please don't hurt me!" and then he actually began to cry. Gorn sniffed the air and looked down at the wet spot on the spy's pants, before backing away, as he had also gone to stand beside the Canthan. Yun took a look as well, dropped the man and backed off slightly before drawing her sword, pointing at him and uttering one word, "Talk."

The young man bit his lip and sunk his head downwards between his shoulders. "Talk!" the mercenary yelled. "!" The three warriors blinked. "So you are saying," Kheyrn said. "That you were ordered to spy on us all." The servant nodded. "And then report back to your superiors, whose identities you cannot reveal because you fear the wrath of your queen and her fanatically loyal subjects more than anything in the world." The young man bit his lip and nodded vigorously.

"Master Gorn, Beastbane, watch him. I shall inform the guards," the captain said and went to do so. The youth curled up and started rocking back and forth whilst muttering to himself. "Gorn, you should hide away Marion, we don't want more people than necessary to know what we're up to," the Canthan suggested. Gorn nodded and scooped up the princess, before stuffing her under a table, grabbing a chair and sitting down in front of it to block her from view.

Kheyrn quickly returned with a pair of guards who, with obvious disgust, took the servant to the dungeons. Irena returned moments later and administered the potion, after sipping a bit herself to convince Yun and Gorn that it was not poisoned.

"Alright," Yun spoke after Marion had gotten to her feet again. "Should we all agree that the guy in the bag was not in any way connected to the assassins?" Nods and sounds of acknowledgement sounded from the three others who had been present. "The assassins, if I am not completely mistaken, must be part of a sort of religious group," the Canthan mused. "I agree," Kheyrn spoke. "Killing oneself rather than exposing one's superiors is not commonplace with hired killers."

"My thoughts exactly," Yun nodded. "Which brings us to this question," Gorn rumbled. "Who is spying on us, and why? And how, for that matter?" The others looked confused. "How, as in, how did he get into that bag in the first place, and how did he know that we would be here? As far as I was told, this whole thing about turning the good princess into a warrior was to be between those present now." The four others present gave a collective, "Ah…," of understanding.

Marion sighed. "I guess this doesn't mean we'll cancel training, does it?" Yun shook her head. "Training just became more important than ever. If more than one group is after you, then we need to train harder and be alert at all times." Irena snorted and received a glare from the Canthan for it. "If you have anything you wish to say, Madam Irena, say it," Marion ordered and crossed her legs. The elderly healer actually fidgeted. "I just think we should tell the king and then let Lord Gaelm and the guards take care of this business," she finally spoke. "I mean…for Athalan's sake, look at these people!" The Hag, as Yun had decided to name her in her head, turned from her princess and motioned towards her bodyguards.

"You have commandeered a captain from the military who would be better off leading an entire troop of protectors, you hire a mercenary from a land that lies Athalan-only-knows-how far away, whose mannerisms and views of life are absolutely detestable and who only remains loyal to those who pay her the most, and last, yet certainly not least, you go and drag this northerner into the castle, without anyone knowing! Honestly, he's even slightly more of a brute than she is!"

"Kjerring," Gorn snorted. "Kjerring is what I shall call you from here on." Irena did not pay any heed to the large man, but kept going. "All in all, I think that you have chosen poorly in regards to your defense, Your Majesty, and I cannot help but wonder if I was mistaken when I thought you possessed a good sense of judgment."

The room fell silent again, though this time; it was more tense than the pondering silence of a few minutes ago. "How dare you," both Yun and Marion snarled simultaneously. Yun closed her mouth and turned her back to the group, feeling like she would rather dive into a pond of grawl-droppings than spend another second in The Hag's presence. "If anyone needs me," she called back. "I'll be in the stables with Ryûng!"

"How dare you even imply that I am not in possession of a sense of judgment? Believe you me, Madam, if I did not trust everyone in this room with my life, none of you would even be here! I cannot believe that you of all people could be so…so rude as to waltz in here and verbally attack both me and my bodyguards! You'll be lucky to avoid scrubbing the floors when I am through with-!" Yun closed the door behind her and shut out the rest of her employer's outraged yelling.

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, before going on her way to the stables. "Northern people are mad, all of them," she thought as she stalked through the halls, largely ignoring the few people who crossed her path. "So much for trying to keep all this under wraps," she thought glumly, as she could still hear the muffled sounds of Marion's shouting, several corridors off. The rumors would be teeming around the castle before sunset. She walked faster, and was about to breathe a relieved sigh once she got out of earshot, but had to swallow it again as a voice spoke to her.

"And as usual I bump into you just after something odd has happened," Gaelm said from where he stood in the middle of the hallway, blocking the mercenary from going any further. Yun growled and killed her urge to draw her blade and lop a limb off the commander. "Get out of my way, Gaelm. I am in no mood for your crap." Gaelm smiled slightly, though it was by no means a pleasant one.

"You simply have to tell me when we decided to be on first-name-terms with one another, Canthan. Because I seem to have missed out on that part." Yun growled again, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Get out of my way before I stab your eyes out with your teeth," she snarled, unconsciously clenching her fist together.

"What I should like to know however," the commander said, ignoring the threatening picture of the taller warrior and her blazing eyes. "Is why that servant would be spying on you of all people, as he is obviously not one of the assassins." The Canthan crossed her arms, her hands clenching around her biceps just so she could hold onto something, gritting her teeth as she imagined the man before her raising his sword and ending the lives of a thousand infants.

"In fact, he confessed to being tasked with spying on Marion, who he claims was in the room with you and training in sword-fighting. What do you have to say to that?" Yun forced her voice to be calm, trying to suppress the image of his face coated in innocent blood. "I'd say that's a preposterous claim, surely the soldiers who fetched him can tell you that my employer was not in the room at the time." "They did," the commander nodded, stepping closer, almost too close for comfort. Yun did not miss that he laid his hand to rest on the hilt of his sword. "They also told me, that there were others in the room with you, obviously Captain Kheyrn was present, as it was he who alerted the guards, and one more, a northerner at that." His voice darkened considerably, along with his eyes, which were blazing with sudden hatred. "Care to explain?"

Somehow, Gaelm's loss of his usual cool brought a sense of satisfaction upon the mercenary. "Why don't you ask your sister about that," she smirked. "She's the one who hired the man as her third bodyguard." The Tyrlachian's eyes flew open, wide as dinner-plates, before narrowing and becoming as murderous as her own eyes had been moments before.

"Lies!" Gaelm hissed and took two steps back before drawing his blade and training it at the Canthan. "You lie, you cursed yellow-skinned freak!" Yun glared down the point of his sword. "Put that knife away before you hurt yourself with it," she said, low and cold. "Tell the truth you lying whore!" he yelled.

The woman stared back at his manic eyes. "My father," she began. "Taught me that only cowards shy away from the truth, and hide behind walls of lies." She reached over her shoulder and drew her own blade from its scabbard. "By accusing me of lying, you call me a coward and by calling me a coward you have both angered me, and insulted my honor." The mercenary paused to let the words sink in, as well as give the moron in front of her a chance to put away his weapon. When he, as expected, didn't even move, she warned him only with two words. "Big mistake."

The two blades met, the sound of clashing steel rang through the hallway. The commander pulled his sword back and swiped at the Canthan from the side. She hopped back and avoided the attack before counter-striking with an overhead swing. He parried it and sent her weapon sideways before thrusting at her chest with a yell. Yun danced away from his blow and knocked his own blade to the side before following the attack with a closed fist to his face. He spun and followed his blade to the side, before growling and attacking again.

A bout of blocking, evading and parrying ensued, carrying on for several minutes as the two warriors drove each other back and forth through the castle's halls. The Tyrlachian's sword was not as long as Yun's, but hers was heavier, and the maddened commander's rapid assaults kept her busy to a degree where she did not even have time to draw her shield.

The pair was so engrossed in their vicious melee that they did not even notice the servants, guards and even nobles they battled past. The guards in question were about to step between them, but a snarled threat of flaying had them stepping back again. The mercenary threw herself backwards and collided with a pillar before ducking to avoid the commander's sword. The blade lodged itself in the rock, and she took the chance to roll out of the way and bring her shield up.

"Coward!" he spat at her. "You hide behind a shield, while I have none! Your "honor" is about as much worth as dog-shit!" "Cowardice and common sense are two traits often confused for one another!" she snarled back and blocked a swing from the commander. She leapt forward and struck against his weapon, and a brief power-struggled ensued, ending as Yun felt her opponent's boot collide with her leg. The Canthan went sprawling to the ground, and rolled backwards onto her feet just as Gaelm's blade made contact with the floor.

She had barely gotten back up when he came at her again and drove her back towards a railing behind her, which she didn't notice until her back collided with it. The mercenary shot a quick look behind herself, noting that while the drop from the railing to the floor was great, it would not be lethal if one did not land on their neck. "Die!" Gaelm yelled manically as she turned back to him, and charged her with his blade raised high.

He swung at her, and time seemed to slow down. She ducked under the blow and surged forward, slamming her shield into his abdomen, lifting him up onto it and flung him over the railing. His yell was halted by an abrupt, "Oomph!" as he hit the floor, his sword landing within arm's reach.

Yun was about to sheathe Murakai's Blade, when he commander peeled himself halfway off the floor and raised his head to look at her. His eyes were blazing with challenge, and accusations of cowardice and lies. One out of three would have sufficed.

"Cantha!" she hollered as she leapt off the railing with her sword pointing down. "Cantha and The Emperor!" Gaelm rolled to the side with a curse, and the woman cursed loudly herself as her weapon lodged itself in the floor. She gripped her hilt tightly and began to pull, only just managing to avoid having her arm hacked off as the Tyrlachian made for her again.

Using her long sword as leverage, Yun swung up in the air, the toe of her boot connecting with her foe's chin, sending him stumbling to his back. As she landed from her jump-kick, she mustered what strength she had and heaved her sword loose before tossing it in the air and catching it when it came back down.

Gaelm had gotten to his feet in the meantime, and the two warriors charged at each other, their blades meeting as they squared off in the middle of the entrance-hall. They had started another power-struggle, when a voice rang through the hall. "What in Athalan's name is the meaning of this?"

Both Yun and Gaelm dropped their weapons, turned and then dropped to their knees. Agnar stood at the entrance to the throne-room, making an imposing picture, despite his missing leg, mostly due to his thunderous eyes. "Would someone mind telling me why my daughter's protector and my commander and son are attempting to murder one another?" he demanded, his voice lower but his tone remaining unchanged.

"It was my fault, my liege," the two kneeling figures spoke as one. "I lost control of my temper, and let it get the better of me." Again, they spoke as one person. The king sighed and let one of his hands rest on his brow. "One at a time, if you would. Gaelm, you may go first." "I am to blame, father," the commander spoke through gritted teeth.

"I provoked Lady Beastbane when she was clearly not in a good mood, and her, relatively innocent, retort drove me over the edge. Please forgive my harsh actions." Agnar let his gaze rest on his son for some time, before shifting it over to the mercenary and nodding to her.

"I was…overzealous, in the defense of my honor, Your Majesty," Yun admitted, both to the king and to herself, keeping her gaze cast downwards. "My actions were entirely my own fault, and Lord Gaelm must not be punished for them, please accept my deepest apology." Agnar nodded, seemingly pleased with the explanations given. "You should not ask me for apologies," he said, smiling somewhat. "After all, it was not me you were having a vicious struggle with."

The mercenary and the commander's eyes grew wide as they realized what the monarch was getting at. "Shake hands, and give one another an apology, and we shall put a lid over this whole affair." Biting their jaws tightly together, the two warriors rose and turned to each other, both obviously uncomfortable. "I…am sorry for insulting your honor and drawing my blade on you," Gaelm ground out, looking like he was struggling not to headbutt the taller warrior in the chest. "And I am sorry for losing control of my temper and tossing you over the railing," Yun murmured, feeling like doing some headbutting herself.

The two then shook hands, or rather, they gripped each other's hand tighter and tighter until Agnar nodded. "Very well, all is forgotten. You may all return to your doings." With that said, the king of Tyrlach turned and hobbled away, seeming smugly pleased with himself.

Yun and Gaelm tore their hands away from each other, and parted with a final exchange of hateful glares. The Canthan stormed off, snarling at anyone who got too close, while the commander remained where he stood, glaring at her back. "I told you that she would be trouble," a voice snorted from behind him. "I know that mother, you said it as early as this morning," Gaelm replied without turning.

Elin walked up beside her son and joined him in venomously glaring at the retreating mercenary. "Foreigners," she snorted. "Thieves, liars and murderers, all of them." Gaelm nodded in agreement as Yun disappeared from sight before turning to his mother. "There is a northerner in the castle," he said, managing to suppress the hissing such a subject normally would have brought with it. "The Canthan says that Marion has hired him as her bodyguard." Elin closed her eyes and sighed.

"Your sister's choices, unwise as they are, are her own. All we can do, is watch and wait for them, or her, to make a mistake that will allow us to gain the upper hand." She laid a hand on the commander's arm and squeezed reassuringly. "Everything will turn out for the better, my son. Believe me. Now, what way did your father go?" Gaelm pointed in the direction Agnar had disappeared in. "Athalan take me," Elin huffed and stormed off. "I swear that man spends so much time with his garden that one might think he was married to it instead of me!"

The commander turned to look at where Yun had gone off while his mother's huffed ranting faded away, before narrowing his eyes and taking off to find Marion. Questions would need to be answered.

Yun waited until she was out of the hall before slamming her fist into a nearby pillar and cursing loudly. "Way to go, Beastbane," she growled at herself as she went onwards toward the stables."Way to get in the good graces of a king. Assault his son with murderous intent! Balthazar burn me and my accursed temper! And may he take my stubbornness as well!" The Canthan kept mumbling to herself as she entered the stables at a brisk pace, not stopping for even a second until she reached her destination and dropped to her knees by the drake.

Ryûng raised his head and nuzzled his master. Yun smiled and put her arms around the dragon-like beast's neck, finding comfort in its presence. "These people are crazy, Ryûng," she chuckled. "And I think that I'm turning a little crazy myself." The drake laid its head to rest in her lap as she shifted into a sitting position, raising her hand to scratch him behind one of his horns. "The intrigues that go on in this place could've had The Celestial Ministry nodding in approval, and I think, my fine friend, it's high time we found out who masterminds these spies and assassins." "A sound strategy, Beastbane. Do you often discuss them with your mount?"

Yun smiled and turned her head to look at her young employer out of the corner of her eye. "He is a fine partner for conversation," she said as Marion dropped down beside her. "He never talks back to me, always agrees with what I tell him, does his best to protect me and goes wherever I tell him to go, while carrying me around. If he had no scales, stood on two feet and had a less lizard-y physique, he would have made a perfect husband." The mercenary and the princess laughed at her remark, before settling down.

"In all seriousness however," Yun began. "I think some sort of investigation is in order." Marion nodded. "The spy in the training-hall makes me think that you are right. The longer all this business is going on, the longer I am restricted by my father's worries, not to even mention Gaelm."

"We'll look into it," the mercenary smiled and squeezed the girl's shoulder. "Kheyrn, Gorn and I will find out who is responsible and take them down." "How are you all going to find the time for that?" the younger woman wondered. "Between the training and all?" Yun patted Ryûng on the head and he moved it away, allowing her to stand up. "You don't need to train with me all the time," she smiled and helped the girl to her feet. "You'll learn if you practice on your own, or against Gorn or Kheyrn, as well. Besides, I think that two of us will be enough to watch you while one of us looks around a bit."

The two women exited the stables after feeding the drake a treat. "He's going to get all fat and lazy if he doesn't get any exercise sometime soon," Yun smirked, not seeming to notice that her employer was troubled. She looked down, and spotted the princess's slightly worried expression. "What's wrong?" she asked. "If it's about Ryûng, don't worry. He'll be fine, it was a remark made in jest." Marion shook her head. "It's not that. I was just thinking about some of the remarks Madam Irena made." The Canthan groaned, not at all wishing to recall The Hag and her biting words. "I wouldn't let anything that hag has to say bring me down," she muttered. "Neither should you."

"I know I shouldn't," Marion nodded. "And believe me, if I could forget all the horrible things she said about you and Master Gorn, I would." The mercenary stopped her employer with a hand on her shoulder, turned her around and looked into her eyes. "Balthazar strike her down," she hissed. "This is about the remark on behalf of my work, isn't it?" The princess closed her eyes in shame and turned her face away from Yun's gaze, before nodding. "Listen to me," the Canthan whispered. "I am not loyal to those who pay me the most, do you hear me? I am an honorable mercenary, I offer my services to those with good intent, and I stay with them until I am no longer needed, either in their service or on this world."

Marion smiled. "I know," she whispered back. "In my heart, I did not doubt you a second." Yun smiled back and patted her employer's shoulder. "So," she began as they began their trek back to the castle proper. "Where are the others? You really shouldn't be wandering about on your own." The princess's smile grew humored. "Master Gorn and captain Kheyrn are attempting to persuade madam Irena that keeping our little secret would be beneficial to us all."

The mercenary chuckled. "How well that turns out remains to be seen," she smirked. "I imagine they shall have quite a hard time," Marion nodded. "If she did not know better, madam Irena would demand three different evidences to believe that the sun rises every morning. I daresay she could compete with even you on the subject of stubbornness." Yun raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "My stubbornness was what got into my current line of work," she said. "I'd like to see that old crone take up her sword and become a mercenary because she wants to prove that she is not like her father." Marion turned her head to the Canthan, who fell quiet and snapped her mouth shut. "What happened between you and your father?" she wondered.

Yun didn't answer, instead closing her eyes and tightening her jaw, almost walking into a nearby pillar as a result. The younger woman rolled her eyes, figuring the warrior's self-proclaimed stubbornness had a role to play in her silence, and decided to not dwell on the subject, almost. "Your past is yours to give away, of course," she shrugged. "Know, however, that you can tell me anything. I will listen to you, keep it a secret if you desire, and I will not think any less of you for it."

"Nice try," the older woman snorted. "You'll get nowhere with me by playing like that, princess." Marion's lips turned into a childish pout, causing Yun to laugh out loud at her display. "I am serious," the girl huffed, before her tone softened. "You can tell me anything." The Canthan smiled and ruffled her short companion's hair, causing her to pout again. "Play nice and maybe I'll let you in on a few bits and pieces before all this is over." Marion was visibly unsatisfied, but seemed to drop the matter for the time being.

As the pair crossed the entrance-hall, two tall shapes covered entirely in black, though not in the same manner as the assassins, moved to pass them. One of the figures carried a large sack across its shoulder, and as they got closer, a pungent stench of rot and decay reeked from them. Both the warrior and the princess moved to avoid the two. They passed them without so much as acknowledging their existence.

Yun cast a glance over her shoulder at the strange pair, and for an instant, she could've sworn she saw the sack's content squirm slightly. She narrowed her eyes and turned to Marion. "Go back to Gorn and Kheyrn," she quietly said. "I'm just going to check on something." She registered the girl's nod before turning and quickly walking after the mysterious pair. The mercenary exited the hall just in time to witness the tall shapes exit the courtyard, the guards at the gate moving away slightly and covering their noses. She gave chase, and slipped into the waning crowd of common-folk outside of the inner walls.

The setting sun proved both itself both an advantage and a hindrance. The two cloaked ones were easier to follow in the slighter crowd, when compared to the hustle and bustle of the midday hours, but hiding would be difficult if they decided to turn around. As the shadowing went on, however, that obstacle seemed unlikely. The pair moved as though they did not even notice the very world around them, never once moving to make way for anyone. Those few who did not move away on their own because of the stench were very close to simply being trampled under the hidden boots of the strange figures.

Yun watched as the two made their way through the city, and was positive she had seen the sack being moved from the inside, as if someone was squirming inside of it. Only when they were close to The Port Gate did the cloaked shapes move away from the road and into a back-alley. The Canthan mercenary moved beside it and peeked into the opening, seeing the lid of a manhole be pulled into place from below. She quickly moved forward, tossed the lid away and leapt down after them, drawing her blade as she landed.

The warrior looked to both ends of the pipe she was standing in, seeing no signs of her quarry or their package. Yun sheathed her weapon and scratched her head. The passage was quite large. Even if the pair had taken off at full speed the moment they touched the ground, they would've been in sight still. Realizing that she was wading in sludge, she sighed, reasoning that hers could be a dirty job.

Drawing her sword again, the Canthan moved along the pipe, hoping that she could find some sort of lead, not at all noticing the hand-shaped carving on the sewer-wall.

The servant gasped for air through his sobs as the corpse in front of him removed the red-hot poker from his skin. "Kill me," he whimpered. "Kill me, please, anything but this." The dark-skinned necromancer rose from his chair and stepped forward, seizing the younger man's chin between his crooked fingers and forcing his head up, his dark violet eyes staring into his accomplice's green ones.

"Death is a blessing," he spoke, his deep voice even colder than normally. "Why should such a reward be given to such a failure?" The Elonian let go of the Tyrlachian's chin, which caused his head to slump down against his chest again, and turned while issuing another command to his minions. "In any case," he spoke through his associate's screams and sat down again. "It is no longer up to me whether you live or die." The pokers were removed again shortly after. "No," the servant mumbled. "Of course not. Only Grenth may decide when the time comes for Him to call me to His side." The sitting necromancer made a sound of mixed confirmation and anger. "That is not exactly what I meant," he said and rose again, he seemed restless for some reason.

"She will not be pleased by this turn of events, not pleased at all," he mumbled, noticing the younger man pale in front of him. "She?" he croaked. "She, She? Or just another she?" The necromancer sighed and pulled a small piece of parchment from his robes, holding it up in front of his captive's face. The ex-servant's eyes seemed to expand, while his pupils seemed to shrink.

"I am on my way." Those were the only words written. The parchment was signed with some sort of rune, which was rumored to be a birthmark on The Dread Queen's right hand, and though she never spoke of it or made any note of its existence, she always signed her letters, written orders and declarations with it. "She is coming here?" the young man squeaked, doing a perfect imitation of a scared mouse. "Here to Tyrlach? To Tyrleôn?" "Indeed," the dark-skinned necromancer nodded. "She will be the judge of your final punishment. But take heart," he turned back to the man suspended above the catacomb-floor by a pair of chains. "Our Dread Queen works in mysterious ways, perhaps she will see it fit to have you remain in her service."

The ex-servant sighed with relief. "Whether that service would be as a living man, or a reanimated corpse remains to be seen," the older man chuckled. The young man bit his lip to hold back his sobs. "All in good time, my misfortunate friend," the necromancer smirked and sat down again. "She will be her before the month is through, and the time to act… will not be far off after Her arrival."

Yun punched the sewer-wall and cursed in a most unladylike manner. She had long since lost track of the time that had passed since she entered the underbelly of Tyrleôn, and she had not found anything, except for sludge and stench.

"Balthazar take me," she growled. "I must've trudged beneath the entire city by now." She sighed and contemplated sheathing her sword and returning to the surface for the thousandth time since entering, quickly discarding the idea and moving on. The mercenary's gut-feeling had often saved her from Grenth's claws and guided her actions, and at the moment, her gut was telling her to hold on for a bit longer.

Her shield had remained on her back, in case someone decided they wanted to plant something sharp in it from behind, and she held her blade with both hands, keeping it low and ready to sever a limb or tear open a stomach at a moment's notice.

She stopped suddenly, listening. A series of splashes from up ahead had her swiftly moving from the stream and onto the walkways beside it. She pressed herself against the wall and almost held her breath as two figures appeared in the opening in front of her. Their black cloaks had her thinking for a second that her search had finally borne fruits, until she realized two important differences. For one, they were of a far smaller stature, and for two, they carried crossbows on their backs. In addition, while the two she had been pursuing originally had been completely covered by their clothes, the men she was looking at had a stretch of bare skin from the mask that covered the lower half of their faces, up till the forehead where their hoods hid the rest.

The two assassins peered down the passage and skimmed over it a few times before they moved on. Yun managed to hold in her sigh of relief, and swiftly, but quietly, moved forward. "-lost too many of our own to that mercenary already," she picked up as she got closer. "She is a minor inconvenience," the other one replied. Yun pressed herself to the wall again and peeked out. The two were some distance away, and she was suddenly grateful for the fact that the sound was easily carried through the sewer-passage.

"She cannot hope to defend the girl against all of us, and all of us will be brought to bear if necessary." "You underestimate her," the first one spoke. "I have passed her several times in the castle myself. Even when there is no apparent danger, she is on alert, though she may not look like it. Casual in appearance she may be, but that appearance hides a beast of a warrior, or have you forgotten how many we lost in the market to her alone?"

The second one snorted. "When did you become leader of her fan-guild? She got lucky in the market, if the northerner had not been there, then all of this would have been over already." "We were sloppy in the market!" the first assassin snarled. "We did not even know that the princess was there before she was knocked over!"

"Still, pure luck saved the lives of the girl and her comrades" the second one shrugged. "Pure luck, certainly," the first grumbled. "Pure luck and a mysterious hail of arrows from out of nowhere!" The second one nodded, not noticing the Canthan that had snuck closer and hid herself behind a conveniently placed crate. "That is a cause of worry…do you suppose that whoever fired those arrows are also the ones who have been murdering some of our own?" "I know not, but it is not entirely unthinkable," the first assassin replied with a shrug.

"Athalan's mane," he suddenly growled. "We don't have time to stand here and gossip, you know what The Mistress thinks about wasting time." "The Mistress," the other assassin mimicked. "The Mistress is so close to the princess that she could've taken her life years ago, yet she has not. I wonder why that is…" The two halted, and the first assassin casually drew his dagger and lined the tip against his comrade's throat. "I would not speak ill of The Mistress if I were you, friend. I hear it can bad for one's health."

The second cloaked man raised two fingers and pushed the blade away from himself. "One would think," he started. "That I'm entitled to speak my mind." "The Mistress has her reasons," the first one said and secured his dagger back in his belt. "And you know The Code, we may only kill someone so long as we wear our cloaks, I urge you to not forget that part." The second assassin nodded and dismissively waved his hand. "Let us just get on with this, I'd rather not sleep in the sewers tonight." The first one nodded in approval, and the pair moved forward.

Yun snuck out from behind the crate and followed them while keeping low, getting up and speeding up slightly as they rounded a nearby corner. "What of the spy our man in the guard informed us of? Do we have any leads on him?" The second assassin shook his head. "He was supposed to give a report just a few hours ago about it, but he never came." "Odd…"

The mercenary crept closer again, still holding her sword down low. She never lifted her feet above the sewage to keep her splashing to a minimum, and moved with a slow, long stride. The two assassins rounded another corner, seeming sure that no one could find them in the sewer. "I hate this place," the voice of the second one growled from around the corner. "Just yesterday, I swear I saw a corpse drifting down with the stream, but when I looked again, it was gone." "I hear you," the first one replied, his voice sounding like it was heading downwards. "Some the others say they've seen…things, glowing eyes in the dark, hissing, moaning and such, and there's often a stench, a fouler one than the usual stench, the foulest one you've ever smelled. I think there is something down here, other than…" His voice trailed off.

Yun crept around the corner. The two assassins had disappeared from sight, and if she had to bet, the mercenary would've put every coin she owned on the enormous, gaping hole in the floor, given that the room was a dead-end otherwise. Peering over the edge, she discovered a mass of wooden walkways and platforms leading down into the gap. It was mostly dark, but the glimmer of torchlight could be seen at the bottom. She was about to swing herself over the edge, when she became aware of something. An assassin was on her way up the ladder, presumably on her way to do her rounds, and she was looking straight at the mercenary, shock and surprise etched onto her face.

Yun swore loudly and swung her weapon downwards. The assassin's head flew from her shoulders, and her body fell from the ladder and down through the gap, making contact with the bottom with a splash that might as well have been an explosion in the silent sewer. The Canthan did not stick around to wait for the inevitable bolts that would be fired against her. She moved herself back and sprinted through the passages, already hearing the shouts of her pursuers. "They're a lot more vocal underground," she noted and rounded a corner, coming face to face with two others.

The pair was felled quickly, and Yun resumed her sprint. Lightly armored as they were, the assassins were steadily drawing closer to her, a fact she became aware of when a few bolts bounced of her shield. A narrow opening up ahead had the mercenary thanking her warlike god. She ran into it, and turned to face her pursuers halfway through the passage, bringing her shield up in front of her.

A great many bolts fell to the floor without any harm done before the first assassin came at her. Only then did the massive flaw in her strategy become apparent. The passageway was too narrow for more than one assassin to enter it at a time, but her foes' daggers would prove themselves more advantageous in the enclosed space than Murakai's Blade.

Even so, she swung upwards and split open the gut and chest of her opponent. He fell with a gurgle, his blood spraying over the mercenary, who barely had time to swing down again to fell the second one and then raise her sword so that the third attacker impaled himself as he leapt forward. The extra weight forced her sword into the ground just as yet another assassin appeared in front of her. The mercenary swung her shield forward and sent its edge digging into the assailant's forehead.

Soon enough, the hallway was blocked by a hill of corpses, and Yun decided that the time to move on had come. She heard a splash behind her, turned and flung her weapon. An assassin went down with the sword through his head, and another one was taken down as the mercenary leapt forward and closed her hands around his throat. She snapped his neck, retrieved her sword and sprinted off, slashing to the side by another passage and downing two more assassins.

Eventually, and after losing count of the assailants she had killed, the warrior found a ladder and raced up to the surface, practically punching the lid off the manhole of her choice. Yun hauled herself up, finding that the sun had not yet risen above the walls. She tossed the lid back on and stood for a while, waiting for them to come after her. Half an hour later, she sighed and sheathed her blade, before turning and heading towards the castle, which towered over Tyrleôn.

The Canthan did not stop to look herself over, or note that she reeked of sewage, blood and guts, and instead ran as fast as she could to her destination. She stormed past the guards posted in the courtyard, for once not finding the time to belittle them for not being more suspicious of people, and rushed into the castle itself, not even stopping when Gaelm stepped into her path. She pushed him away and kept going.

She reached Marion's chamber not an hour after crawling out of the city's filth, infinitely relieved to find Gorn outside the door. She fell against the wall, panting, as she got close only realizing how tired she was once she was certain her employer was alive and well. "Where in the hills have you been?" the northerner exclaimed. "Ormdreper and I have had our hands chock-full while you were gone! We have been attacked twice!"

"Sewers…" the out-of-breath Canthan wheezed. "Assassins…headquarters…attacked?" Gorn caught her before she hit the ground and pounded at the door. Kheyrn opened the door, threw a glance at the limp mercenary and rushed out to hold his colleague's legs as the two men carried her into the chambers.

Marion had raised her head to look at the door when Gorn had pounded on, and she rose completely from her chair as Yun was carried in, before rushing to her bed to prepare it for her. "Captain Kheyrn," she spoke calmly. "Run and fetch Madam Irena, tell her to keep her comments to herself." The soldier nodded and ran off.

As the captain's footsteps faded, another pair were approaching. Without stopping to knock or any such formalities, Gaelm burst through the door, ignored the usual hatred the northerner directed at him, drew his blade and stalked over to the bed, raising it to strike down the unconscious mercenary. His sister tackled him just as Gorn seized his arms. "What are you doing!" she shrieked. "Drop your blade, Spebarnslakter!" the northerner growled. "She is one of them!" the commander snarled. "They attacked while she was gone, twice!"

"I have had it with your ridiculous suspicions!" Marion shouted. "I trust this woman with my life! My judgment has never failed me before, and it will not fail me now! Out!" The commander stood firm. "Didn't you hear me?" the princess hissed. "I said out!" "I am not your dog, sister, unlike others I can mention," Gaelm snarled and tore himself from Gorn's grasp. "And I can no longer stand idly by while you give the enemy shelter in our home, and your service!"

Marion gave a nod, and the massive northerner picked the commander clean off the ground and carried him outside, despite his loud protests. "We'll talk once you've decided to calm down and act rationally," the princess stated, her voice both icy and venomous, and the bearded blacksmith slammed the door in his face. "You'll regret this Marion!" Gaelm's muffled voice shouted from the other side of the wood. "And when the day comes, when you realize I was right all along, do not come and tell me that I didn't warn you!"

"Athalan's horns!" Marion snarled. "Why can't anyone in this castle see that I know what is best for myself? Why does everyone insist on treating me like a child?" Gorn shrugged. "If it brings you any comfort, Your Highness," he began. "I must say that in my homeland, you would already be preparing for The Rite of Valor." The girl blinked at him. "The Rite of Valor is a test that all tribesmen-and women must undertake," the northerner explained. "To prove their worth as warriors. Those who pass The Rite are seen as adults, and true members of their tribe, those who fail usually perish doing so." Marion nodded. "Interesting," she muttered. "How does one go about completing this Rite of Valor?" "It varies from tribe to tribe from what I've heard," Gorn replied with another shrug. "We Tordenbjörn are tasked with venturing into the wilderness and slaying a worthy foe, while bringing back proof of our deed."

"How did you complete your Rite, master Gorn?" the girl asked. The northerner smiled. "I single-handedly slew a mammoth with nothing but the anvil my father gave me when I was a boy." He smiled wider and laughed. "Good times!" "What is a mammoth?" the girl wondered. "It is an animal that dwell on the tundra of my homeland, it is-." Whatever the northerner had thought of saying about the so-called mammoth was interrupted by the door slamming open again.

Irena stormed past the two, huffing and puffing as if she was planning to blow the castle apart with nothing but her lungs as weapons. Kheyrn came after, looking uncharacteristically meek. "Goes off for days she does," the elderly healer grumbled. "Has everyone in this room worried sick she does. Then comes back and collapses outright. Why, I ought to give her a crash-course in mannerisms!"

"Did you tell her to keep her comments to herself?" Marion whispered as quietly as she could once Kheyrn got close enough, knowing her old nursemaid to have the ears of a rabbit, and a tongue akin to a snapping viper. "I did, Your Majesty," the captain whispered back. "You should have heard her on the way here. Those curses could have flayed a man alive." "Oh, be quiet back there!" Irena exclaimed. "I can't even hear myself think with you rabble making so much noise." "Mind your tongue, Kjerring!" Gorn snarled and fingered with the hilt of his battleaxe. Marion placed a hand on his arm, and he calmed himself, though he still looked like he wanted to lop the healer's arms off and then beat her with them.

The Madam finished her examination quickly and turned to the group. "She is exhausted, she probably hasn't slept in the days she's been gone, she has a number of minor cuts and bruises, and she stinks something terrible." She paused to let the report sink into her onlookers' heads. "Let her rest for a while, and she should be good as new. But someone should take her armor off and get it, and her, washed and cleaned." Marion nodded. "I'll have my chambermaids take care of it, under my supervision of course." Irena bowed in a rare display of respectful obedience. "Very well, if I am no longer needed, I shall be on my way." With another nod from the princess, the healer strode past the group and headed back to the Healer's Wing.

"I shall alert the chambermaids, Your Highness," Kheyrn offered and disappeared out the door with a bow, and a nod at the northerner, who nodded back. Marion rose and walked over to her bed, where she sat down and let her hand run over her bodyguard's cheek, skimming across the scars left after the mercenary's bear-hunt. It seemed strange to her now, that the two of them had disliked each other so intensely only a few days ago, it seemed like months had passed since their first meeting.

As usual, Kheyrn was quick in performing his duties, returning shortly after with Marion's chambermaids. This time around, the captain was beet-red, and he appeared to have found something quite interesting to observe in the roof, while the chambermaids themselves giggled whenever they looked at him and smiled dreamily. Marion and Gorn raised an eyebrow each at the soldier, who cleared his throat and spoke. "I have brought you your chambermaids, Lady Marion," he said and cleared his throat again. "And I took the liberty of searching them…quite thoroughly," the maids burst into another giggle-fit. "For any hidden weapons or venoms."

Marion's palm collided with her forehead, while Gorn burst into booming laughter, causing the captain to grow even redder. He mumbled something about waiting outside, and exited the chamber. Gorn followed him, grinning festively as he disappeared through the door.

The chambermaids immediately got to work, and while they had some trouble removing the mercenary's armor correctly, it proved itself to be lighter than any of them had anticipated once they got it off. The mercenary herself was not as easy to lift, as her, rather impressive, height and built muscles combined made her heavier than one would think if one looked at her relatively slim figure. The combined effort of all the maids together managed to get the Canthan into the tub and before long, she had been scrubbed clean, soaped in, washed off and dried, before being lifted back to the bed.

Once the warrior was covered, Marion peeked out the door. "Master Gorn?" The northerner looked up from his crouched position on the floor. "Do you, by any chance, have any experience with cleaning armor?" "Certainly," Gorn answered and rose to his full height. "The maintenance of armor is, after all, one of the duties of a smith." Marion nodded and turned to Kheyrn. "Captain, would you head down to the stables and see if Beastbane has any…actual clothes in one of her bags and bring it here?" Kheyrn paled slightly at the prospect of facing the Canthan's beast again, but nodded and hurried off nonetheless.

"Maybe we should consider bringing Beastbane's belongings up here instead of running to fetch them every time," Kheyrn suggested when he returned shortly after, carrying a sack over his shoulder, again looking quite shaken. "And didn't I tell myself I would never ever sneak up on a sleeping drake ever again?" Marion extended her hand, and was handed the sack. Kheyrn went to sit over by Gorn, who was still scrubbing at The Silver Eagle armor.

"This armor is a masterpiece," the northerner exclaimed. "It is light, but still durable as any steel, more durable even! Whoever made it was a true artist, a master of his art nonetheless." Kheyrn nodded, being somewhat familiar with armor-quality himself. "I am glad that you have found something that fascinates you, my friend," he spoke.

The two men covered their eyes as the chambermaids lifted the warrior again and carried her behind the dressing-screen, while Marion walked behind them with Yun's sack. They emerged from behind the screen shortly afterwards. Yun was dressed in some sort of robe, tied in the front. It was made of silk, and was colored a deep bluish-purple.

After having the unconscious Canthan put down in the bed, the princess laid her head comfortably on the pillow and covered her with the blanket. "A job well done I'll say," she smiled. "Indeed," Kheyrn nodded as he moved to stand beside her. "I suppose the only thing we can do now, is wait." "The armor has been scrubbed, Your Highness," Gorn piped up from his seat. "And I worked out a few chinks in her shield while I was at it as well. Her sword seems unharmed though."

"Well done, Master Gorn, captain Kheyrn, and of course all of you," Marion turned to her chambermaids as she spoke, who curtsied as deeply as they managed. "You may all go down to the kitchen and tell the kitchen-maids that I said you could all have something extra yummy for your help." Smiling brightly, the maids curtsied again, said their thanks and went off.

Gorn closed the door after them and went to stand beside his colleague and employer. "Who would've thought that this woman could easily break every bone in your body if you looked at her now?" he muttered. "You can say that again," Marion nodded before turning and ushering the two out. "You two had better go stand guard, Beastbane needs her rest." The men bowed and did as ordered, neither of them insisting upon staying to watch over both Yun and Marion, as they suspected the princess would be displeased, in the least.

The young woman turned after closing the door and sat down in a chair on the side of her bed, securing the Canthan's headband under her dirty-blonde hair and tying it in two small, low-hanging, ponytails in the back. She removed her hands and nodded, pleased with her work, and sat back to watch over her bodyguard, and secure her an easy rest.

Yun's eyes snapped open, the thunder roaring from the storm outside not a second later. The mercenary peered upwards at the roof through the darkness of the night, her mind vaguely registering that she was in Marion's bed. "Well, I've woken up in the beds of worse people," she thought and turned her head to the side, spotting Marion herself snoozing in a chair beside her, the silhouette of a cloaked figure raising its dagger outlining itself as lightning streaked across the sky.

Suddenly wide awake, the Canthan warrior-woman struck, leaping up to her feet and diving at the assassin. She crashed into the cloaked assailant and sent both him and herself flying through a window, sliding down to the edge of the rain-soaked roof outside. Yun raised her fist and slammed it into the assassin's cheek, before tearing his mask off and forcing his mouth open, removing a small berry under his tongue and tossing it away just before the cloaked attacker threw her off himself and stood.

The mercenary rolled to the side and whirled onto her feet, noting that she was wearing her old formal kimono, before hopping backwards to avoid a swing of the man's dagger. The thunder roared as the warrior surged forward and planted her fist in his guts, smashing her knee into his chin as he doubled over before raising her leg high and sending him back with a powerful kick to his chest.

The roof creaked dangerously as Gorn landed behind the assassin, swinging his axe in a wide arc. The man ducked under the attack and back-flipped impressively, soaring above the Canthan and landing behind her, before making another swing at her. Yun cursed and bit back an outcry as the dagger made a gash in her shoulder, dodging away too slowly.

She dropped low and swept her foe's legs from under him with a kick. The northerner roared in tandem with the thunder behind her, and an assassin flew over her and fell from the roof and towards the gardens below with a scream. Another one slid down from above, his cracked skull surely courtesy of Kheyrn's. Realizing that keeping her opponent alive would be of little worth, the mercenary spun around and smashed her heel into the side of his face, sending him falling to his doom.

Yun turned to Gorn and sighed in relief as she saw him cleave a head from its shoulders, before taking a deep breath and began her ascent back up the roof, moving in long leaps and successfully avoiding slipping several times. Another attacker rolled down the roof, with two bleeding wounds in his chest. Yun smirked. "I knew she could do it," she laughed just as she pulled herself up into the windowsill in a crouching position, seeing Kheyrn and Marion squaring off with several assassins.

She leapt forward with a flying kick and smashed one of the attackers' head between her heel and the wall. A pair of severed arms dropped to the floor just to the side of her, and the shrill scream of a woman was cut short as Marion slashed open her throat. Yun dropped to avoid a dagger and rolled backwards, retrieving her sword and spilling the guts of the swinger onto the floor.

She rose and parried another swing, slammed her fist into the attacker's face and sent her steel through his back as he spun around. An assassin flew backwards with a shattered lower jaw, after a vicious upwards-swing from the captain's mace. Kheyrn turned and slammed his weapon into the side of another's head, just as Marion ducked under a pair of daggers and sliced open the torsos of both of her attackers.

The Canthan drove her sword up to the hilt into an assassin's guts and kicked her off, turning to see a pair of assailants appear behind Marion, and Kheyrn was held up at the other end of the chamber. She was about to toss herself over her employer, when two attackers moved in and engaged her. "Marion!" she shouted. "Behind you!" The princess turned her head, her blades still buried in the last two she felled. She would not be able to raise them in time.

Suddenly, the lightning flashed again, illuminating a tall figure completely covered in black crashing through a window. A vile stench filled the air as the newcomer landed and drew its weapon from inside its robes. Yun recognized it as a Tyrian fellblade, the cruel shape and large size of the weapon unmistakable, not to mention the dark energies moving across the blade itself.

The newcomer swung the fellblade in a wide arc and severed the two assassins' heads, before leaping to the side and cleaving another one in two, from his head to his groin. An attacker flew through another window and smashed into the wall, Gorn's roar from below drowning out the thunder this time, and quenching any worries his companion's might've had about his welfare.

Another tall figure crashed through a window, the whole wall was lined with them, but instead of drawing its weapon and joining what had turned out to become an assassin-slaughter, it largely ignored everyone else in the room and moved against Marion, seized her and began to drag her back to the window. The princess shrieked and struggled, but the vile stranger's grip was hard as iron, and cold as iron as well.

The captain spun around and smashed his mace into the face of one of the remaining assassins when a shout reached his ears. "Let go of me, you bullsucker!" He winced slightly at his princess's language, internally blaming Beastbane for it, and Gorn, to a lesser degree as the northerner mostly watched his tongue in her presence, before moving to free her.

Snarling, the soldier came up behind the robed figure and smashed his mace into its neck with enough force to pulverize its spine and the back of its head. The foul-smelling figure dropped its prize and turned to him, drawing its own fellblade as it did, and raised the dark weapon to swing it down at the Tyrlachian. Kheyrn raised his shield and blocked the blow, though the force of the attack sent him onto one knee with a grunt, just as Yun appeared to its left and drove her sword into its ribs.

The black-robed creature turned its head towards the Canthan, but did not raise its weapon against her. Instead, it reared its arm back and backhanded the mercenary with such force that she was sent flying back, before pulling her blade out of itself, dropping it, and resuming its attack on Kheyrn, not even flinching as Marion's scimitars were driven though its chest from behind.

As it raised its sword to strike again, Kheyrn rolled out of the way and slammed his boot into its knee, snapping it backwards and sending the cursed thing to the floor. He looked up, and saw the first creature raise its own fellblade to cleave him apart, as it had cleaved the assassins earlier. Before he could move, Gorn tackled the robed thing with a roar, and the two of them tumbled to the floor.

Yun had managed to retrieve her sword, and now stood between the fellblade-wielding creature and Marion, who had gone into something of a shock at seeing her blades doing no harm, when a blow of that stature would be deadly to others. The thing seemed…uneasy somehow. They were obviously after Marion, but they seemed unwilling to use lethal force against the Canthan.

Something slammed against the door, and everyone present turned their heads towards it. The two figures suddenly turned and made for the windows, the one held down by Gorn managing to throw him off. Yun leapt forward and made a grab for the thing's robe, just as it leapt from the windowsill, causing it to stumble and fall, crashing into the second one as it rolled down the roof. It tried in vain to halt its fall as they tumbled over the edge, clinging on to the roof with a rotten hand for a few seconds before losing its grip and plummeting into the darkness below. All without a sound.

The door to the room was slammed open. Gorn, Kheyrn, Marion and Yun raised their weapons as one and trained them on the opening, lowering them again as they saw that it was only Gaelm and his men. The commander, along with his troops, was out of breath, panting heavily in an attempt to regain it, and had a fresh scar on his cheek.

"What in Balthazar's name happened to you?" Yun asked. When he did not answer, but instead looked downwards, she noticed that her kimono had come open during the fighting, uncovering her, mostly-naked, body underneath it. She killed her urge to castrate the smaller warrior with her bare hands, and tied her formal-wear back together again.

Gaelm snapped out of his trance-like state, cleared his throat and spoke, looking everywhere but at the mercenary. "There was a fire in the market," he said. "We were nearby and went to help, and were then assaulted by the assassins, and mysterious beings in robes that stank something fiercely, who would not die, no matter what we did." He stopped to regain his breath, before continuing. "We rushed back here after fending them off and putting out the fires, fearing that they were merely a diversion," he nudged a nearby corpse with his boot. "I see that our suspicions were correct."

Marion dropped her swords and then dropped to the floor herself. "Athalan's mane," she groaned. "I am going to have to get a new room." "I'll say," Yun agreed with a nod as she surveyed the blood-drenched and corpse-ridden chamber. Piles of slain assassins were strewn about the room, and the princess and her companions were soaked in the blood of the aggressors, and some of their own.

"Well as you can see, brother," Marion began as she rose again, managing to look regal, even while she was covered in blood. "My bodyguards and I have managed quite well on our own." Gaelm nodded. "I noticed," he said, and bowed. "I shall inform mother and father of the attack, and make sure that someone gets rid of the bodies, and moves your belongings to a new location as well." He turned, and stepped through the doorway, sending his sister and her companions a nod before closing it behind himself.

"Some wake-up-call that was," Yun chuckled as she finally dropped her sword. The captain and the blacksmith let go of their arms as well, and the small group went to sit on either the bed, or some chairs that had been knocked over, trying to ignore the piles of corpses around them.

"I vote that your new room should not be as easily accessible from the outside, My Lady," Gorn spoke, receiving nods and various confirms from his companions. "So," Yun began and laid back on Marion's bed. "How long have I been gone, and what happened during that time?"

"You went after those robed fellers about a week ago," Kheyrn began. "You came back four days later, collapsed and laid unconscious for three days, before waking up in the nick of time tonight." The Canthan's eyes widened. "I spent four days in those sewers?" she exclaimed. Adding, "No wonder I stank and was dead tired," as an afterthought. "But you people really didn't need to dress me up like this," the warrior muttered and gestured towards her kimono.

"Were we supposed to let you remain in dirty armor, then? Or dress you in nothing?" Marion huffed rhetorically. "You don't have to get huffy with me, princess, I've slept in that armor more times than there exists a number for!" the mercenary retorted, her temper flaring as usual. Gorn and Kheyrn rolled their eyes at the women's display, already coming to expect them.

"I was merely trying to take care of you!" Marion snarled. "Perhaps you should have mentioned before, that you'd rather that I do not!" "Well, excuse me, princess!" Yun exclaimed, her voice rising to a shout. "For being such a pain in your royal ass, for risking my life to save yours and having the audacity to make a slight remark at my state of dress!"

The princess and the mercenary turned from each other with a huff and a snarl, respectively. "Storm take and avalanche bury you both!" Gorn growled and stood. "We have just scored a massive blow to our enemies! And yet you squabble like children!" The northerner grabbed the two by one of their shoulders each and turned them so that they were facing him.

"Stop quarreling and rejoice, if only for but a second!" Kheyrn laid a hand on his friend's arm. "Calm yourself Gorn," he muttered. "While our victory here was surely a grand blow to the assassins, we cannot rest until they have been removed." "We may have a shot at doing just that…" Yun murmured. The other three turned their heads to her, Marion raising her eyebrow.

The mercenary quickly told of what she had heard in the sewers, giving a detailed retelling of the two assassins' conversation. "Yes, the opportunity is certainly present," the captain murmured and scratched his chin. "How can we be sure?" Marion asked. "They spotted her, and that was three days ago. They could be miles away by now."

"We'll see about that," the Canthan snorted and rose. "Where's my armor? We'll head into the sewers, investigate and see if we find some skulls to crack." She pounded her fists together for emphasis. "Should we go alone?" Kheyrn wondered. "If the assassins are still down there, we have no idea of how many there are of them."We will destroy them, no matter their numbers," Gorn boasted. "Our victory here tonight has proven as much."

"Be reasonable, Master Gorn," Marion said. "While it is undisputable that we were superior to our assailants in this battle, that does not mean an assault on their headquarters will be as successful. They may keep their best down there."

"I think these people rely on quantity over quality," Yun stated as she emerged from behind Marion's dressing-screen while securing her gauntlets. She had slipped off while the others were talking and donned her armor. "Together, we can take them. Besides," she continued and secured her shield and scabbard to her back, over her silver-grey cape, before strapping them off with a frown and packing the cape away, along with her kimono. "We don't know who we can trust in the castle."

"I must admit that the revelation of the leader of the attackers being in the castle disturbs me," Kheyrn nodded. "Especially the fact that this…Mistress, is supposedly very close to you, Your Highness." "Elin," Marion growled. "It has to be her. She wants me dead so she can take the throne if father should die." "That makes little to no sense, princess," Kheyrn argued, placing his fists on his hips. "If Lady Elin wished for the throne, she would certainly have removed your father already." "What about Kjerring?" Gorn spoke up. "She seems like the type to remorselessly murder someone."

Yun let a snort of laughter past her lips. "True that," she chuckled, before regaining her businesslike expression. "But we can worry about that later, after we've looked around a bit." "I agree," Marion nodded. "But that too, we can worry about later, after getting some sleep." "I've been asleep for the past three days," the Canthan groaned. "Can we just get all this over with, before we're swarmed by Gaelm, The Hag, excuse me, Irena or your father and his wife, and Balthazar only knows who else?"

Kheyrn and Gorn turned their heads to look at Marion, who shook her head. "We'll go tomorrow, after sundown. Once the audiences and the training has been done away with." Yun bowed her head. "You're the boss," she smiled. "We'll wait until then." Marion smiled back. "Well now," Kheyrn began. "We had better find an unoccupied room we could use for the night. I would say that we should do so in highest possible secrecy, and pick a discreet location. Any good ideas?" Gorn rose from his seat and grinned in his beard. "I think I know the perfect location, inside the castle-walls."

"I am well aware of the fact that discretion was my advice," Kheyrn stated, covering his nose. "But the stables? Really?" "As discreet as it gets, Ormdreper," the northerner replied. "Who would look for a princess in the stables?" "I like it!" Yun grinned as she dumped herself down in a haystack. "Warm and cozy, and it doesn't smell nearly as bad as the sewers."

Marion looked mortified, muttering something to herself. Probably complaining about the living-conditions compared to her status. "Besides," the mercenary continued. "Now, if anyone comes close while we're all asleep, Ryûng's going to warn us. Won't you, you old lizard?" The drake answered by snorting, sending a cloud of dust whirling through the air, and turned away from the group.

"I feel so much safer already," Marion mumbled through her teeth, and carefully sat herself down in a haystack of her own. "But I suppose it is better than getting a knife in my gut." The four of them fell into silence as they made themselves comfortable, or as comfortable as one could get in hay and bathed in the stench of horse-droppings. "By the way," Yun spoke and shattered the silence after a while. "I picked up that you were attacked twice while I were gone before I collapsed. What happened?" "The first was another crossbowman," Kheyrn answered. "He attacked while we were in the garden with Lady Marion's father. King Agnar took care of him."

"Took care of him? How? He's only got one leg," the mercenary wondered, raising a disbelieving eyebrow. "He threw his crutch at the assassin," Kheyrn stated with a shrug. "Turns out, it serves a double purpose as a javelin as well as a crutch." "Wow," Yun stated after a while. "Didn't see that one coming." "None of us did," the soldier replied with another shrug. "His Majesty said that a ruler could never be too secure of his place on the throne."

"Sounds a bit paranoid if you ask me," Gorn snorted from his haystack. "But it was a mighty throw in any case. He could've felled a bear with that one." "My father is not paranoid," Marion stated before Yun could reply, her eyes closed and her voice even, as if she had heard that accusation before and no longer took offense from it. "He is simply being prepared for the worst."

"And I would stamp that as a paranoid course of action," the northerner retorted with a shrug of his own. The princess rose up on her elbows and opened her mouth to defend her father, her eyes revealing that her defense would be an unforgiving one, but Yun cut her off. "What about the second attack?" Her question was directed at Kheyrn, who spoke quickly to help her avoid a confrontation.

"In the throne-room, just after the audiences were through. Three of them broke out from the crowd once the king had left for the garden." He paused and cast a glance at his princess and the northerner, continuing once he was sure that they had calmed themselves. "One of them got past us, came from a different direction than the others, and made a stab at the princess. Luckily, she was protected by a fine piece of work." Gorn grinned at the statement. "Unfortunately, Lady Marion wasn't carrying her weapons at the time. Fortunately, Lord Gaelm was still in the room."

"Ah, so the commander did something right, for once," the Canthan laughed. "Good for us then." "If we're done making small-talk," Marion groaned sleepily. "I very much want to get some sleep tonight." Several sounds of confirmation were issued by her companions, along with three, "Good night,"s.

"I still smell like horseshit," Marion grumbled as she climbed down into the sewers, where Yun was waiting and keeping an eye on the passage they were touching down in. "Trust me," the Canthan mumbled. "You'll be smelling a lot worse before we get this over with." "Charming," Kheyrn said dryly as he came down after them.

Gorn came down shortly after, grumbling loudly about tiny holes or some such, with a large sack flung over his shoulder. The group drew their weapons, and began moving. Yun took point, seeing as she had been to their destination before, the rest of the small group forming a triangle behind her. They carried no torches or lanterns, and moved in complete silence, slowly and without lifting their feet above the sewage.

At first, Gorn had grumbled about their careful approach, insisting that it would make no difference for the outcome of an eventual struggle. Kheyrn had grabbed the northerner by his wrist and pulled him off to try and convince him that survival was the preferred option. The two women had not heard what the smith and the soldier had said to each other, but it had involved heavy gesticulating and more than once, one of them had raised their voice. When they finally came back, the northerner had agreed to their way of approach.

"I think we're getting close," Yun whispered, peering down a passageway. "Thank Athalan," Marion sighed. "We've been down here for hours. I thought you knew where to go?" "This sewer is a gargantuan maze," the mercenary replied in a mutter. "Knowing where to go is hard, but I recognize that crate over there." She pointed with her sword at a crate standing in the sewage.

"I hid behind that when I eavesdropped on the assassins. It's just around the corner." The group drew a collective breath and tightened their grip on their weapons. Rounding the corner, they laid their eyes on the hole in the floor, dark and foreboding, with no torchlight shining from the bottom of it.

"Looks as though we're too late," Kheyrn muttered. "Should we turn back?" They turned their heads to Yun, who looked down into the gap, seeing in the sparse light, that the walkways and platforms had been removed. "I want to take a look around," Marion decided. "Maybe we can find out something. Like where they went, or what their reasons are." "That's going to be a bit hard, boss," Yun murmured, just loud enough for her companions to hear her. "There were ladders, walkways and such last time, they're gone now. Getting down is going to get difficult without some sort of rope."

"Something like this?" Gorn suggested and pulled a long, thick, chain from his sack. Yun grinned. "Exactly like that." The northerner grabbed hold of one end and lowered the chain down until it hit the bottom. He then pulled a large, topped, iron spike from his belt along with his work-hammer, and nailed the chain to the floor. After bolting the chain down with three spikes more, they decide that it was secure enough.

Kheyrn volunteered to go first, and slowly disappeared in the darkness below, pulling lightly on the chain after a while to signalize that it was safe. Gorn came after, then Marion, and Yun formed their backline. At the bottom of the hole, they could barely make out a passageway leading further in. "All in favor of lighting the torches now, say aye," Marion whispered. "Aye," the word was quietly spoken simultaneously from the other three. They did as agreed, and moved into the passage.

The passageway was broad enough for four grown bulls, and large enough for the northerner to walk upright. They walked in silence, listening intently for any suspicious noises, and squinting into the darkness to try and spot something outside the torchlight. "Hold on to your weapons people," Yun muttered. "I think I see an opening up ahead. Maybe we should douse the torches." They discussed for a short while, before agreeing on that the torches would be useful so long as another source of light was not present.

With that decided, Kheyrn and Yun gave their torches to Gorn and Marion, respectively, and moved ahead to scout, sticking close to the walls. "Stay here," the mercenary whispered to the captain once they were close to the opening. "I'll go and have a quick look around, if something happens, I'll shout." "What if they put a bolt in your throat before you get the chance to shout?" the soldier asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll be careful," she promised and moved before he could say anything else. After a few minutes of scouting and neither hearing nor seeing anything, she returned and the captain called the other two forward. "See anything interesting?" Marion wondered as she handed Yun's torch back to her. "Well," the mercenary shrugged. "It was hellishly dark, so seeing something did get difficult." "Well, we're about to get enlightened…anyway…" The northerner's sentence faded as the group stepped into the chamber.

"I don't think we're in the sewers anymore," Yun whispered. And indeed, the small group had just entered an enormous, natural cave. Great stalactites hung from the cave-roof, some of them merging with equally great stalagmites rising from the floor. The sound of running water reached them, but they were busy regarding the narrow, natural, walkway leading across a gap in front of them.

"Well," Marion sighed. "We're here now. Might as well get over there and see what we can find." Yun moved forward across the walkway first, making it across without complications, as did the rest, although, Gorn had to crawl across, as they feared his width would be too great otherwise.

"This place is enormous," Kheyrn muttered in awe. "Something is bound to have been left behind." "We shall see," Yum muttered back, already moving forward, still clutching her sword tightly. Beyond the walkway, the stalagmites formed a wall of sorts, obscuring the rest of the cavern from view.

The mercenary climbed over the wall and disappeared, her companions quickly following her. They arrived to see Yun already making her way towards what seemed like some sort of amphitheatre. "Beastbane!" Marion hissed intently. "Beastbane, wait for us! None of us should go off on our own down here!" The Canthan warrior stopped, thought for a while, then turned and rejoined the group, muttering a, "Sorry," under her breath.

The princess dismissed the happening, and instead focused her attention on the stage-like structure. It was like a half of a circle filled with stone benches, sloping down towards a ring of sand. "I think we may have found their gathering-place," Gorn spoke, his voice raising itself to normal volume. "Looks like it," Kheyrn agreed. "Alright gang!" Marion called. "Let's split up and look for clues."

"That was sudden," Yun mumbled to herself, but quickly went to work nonetheless. The four of them regrouped at the theater shortly afterwards. "Anything?" Kheyrn asked. Yun and Gorn shook their heads. "They were very thorough with their clean-up," the mercenary growled. "I found something," Marion spoke, holding up a torn piece of black cloth. "I think it's a piece of one of their cloaks," she said, before her face fell. "Though I don't see how that will be of any help."

Yun smirked and ruffled the girl's hair. "I do," she said, ignoring Marion's venomous glare. "I just so happen to know a drake that can track prey for miles by scent alone, he's very handy to have if I decide to play bounty-hunter." The Canthan's revelation, and her infectious grin, had the group in good spirits in a heartbeat, and they wasted no time, moving out at once. They crossed the walkway again and made for the passage. As they neared the end of the tunnel, however, they were reminded that carrying weapons was a wise choice.

Four massive figures, completely covered in black robes, stood before them, at the bottom of the gap the group had come down through earlier. Weapons were drawn, and shields were raised. "Take the women alive," a deep and cold voice echoed from above. "Kill the other two." Yun looked up, her gaze only just registering a dark-skinned face, with dark-purple eyes glaring down at her and her companions, and she could make out a set of lips that were thicker than those of most men and a beard that stretched from his upper lip to a goatee protruding from his chin.

At the man's order, the robed figures drew their fellblades as one and advanced upon the group, slowly. As his reach was the longest one, Gorn first made contact with the enemy. His two-headed battleaxe swung out and clashed with the dark steel of one of them. The creature held its weapon with both hands and managed to block the blow, just as its own companions laid into the rest of the group.

Kheyrn blocked a swing with his shield and smashed his mace into the thing's chest, sending it stumbling back a few feet before regaining its composure and coming at him again. The soldier gritted his teeth and slammed his weapon into its side as it raised its own weapon to strike, which sent it spiraling to the ground. The thing did not stay down for long, but fell as the mace smashed into its neck as it got up. "Die, damn you!" Kheyrn shouted and hammered his weapon into the creature's skull.

The cloaked figure's hand shot up at him, quick as a viper, closed around his throat and managed to shamble onto its legs, lifting the captain off the ground. Kheyrn held his breath and slammed his boot into the thing's knee just as it raised its blade. The joint cracked backwards, and the creature fell, releasing him at the same time. The captain got onto his knees in time to see the thing get up again, just before a second creature crashed into it.

Gorn seized the smaller man by his shoulder and hauled him to his feet, before rushing off to hack at the two creatures. One of them charged him, their weapons clashing, before ducking and lashing out with its blade. Gorn dodged back and retaliated with his knee to the thing's face, sending it rolling back and onto its feet. Kheyrn leapt backwards to avoid having his waist severed from the rest of his body somewhere in front of the northerner, quickly striking back with an impressive swing. The smith decided to change his tactic and took one hand off his hilt. As the thing swung again, he grabbed it by its wrist and held its weapon back, while swinging his own at it and lopping its head off.

The creature stumbled back, and then reared up and slashed at the northerner, cutting a long gash open on his chest. He stumbled backwards himself grunting and clutching his chest, the headless monster's boot slammed into his stomach, and it raised its sword as he fell, only to have its arms lopped off from behind, and its torso separated from its legs. Marion dropped her swords and knelt beside the bleeding northerner. "Are you…No, wait that's a stupid question. Are you alright?" "Comfy as a snowball in an avalanche, princess" Gorn grunted. "'tis but a scra-Watch out!"

The Tyrlachian looked behind herself, hearing clashing steel and seeing Murakai's Blade block a fellblade in mid-swing. The creature fell back as Yun followed her block by bashing it with her shield, before turning to her employer, who was helping Gorn to his feet. "Never, ever, drop your weapon like that before the battle is won ever again!" she snarled, turned and cut the arm off the creature as it attacked again. "It's going to get you killed!"

The creature's second arm flew off, quickly followed by its head and a stab to the chest finished it off. "I had to help Master Gorn," Marion insisted. "I couldn't have let him just lie there!" "Of course not," the mercenary snapped back at her. "If you can save a wounded ally on the battlefield, do so, but losing sight of the battle itself will only get both of you killed."

"I am afraid we have another problem," Kheyrn spoke as he approached them. His mace was covered in a brownish-green substance, and the broken body of his opponent laid behind him. "Looks like our friend up there," he motioned towards the purple-eyed stranger standing at the edge of the gap, looking amused if anything. "Removed the chain we came down with."

The dark-skinned man clapped slowly, his thick lips pulling back in a grin, revealing a set of teeth, pure white and filed to sharpness. "Well done," he laughed. "Very well done. I expected no less of you, after your recent victories." He let his head roll back and laughed again. "However, I feel I must inform you, that those four were only the beginning. A test, if you wish." The dark-skin chuckled anew as six or seven of the cloaked figures crawled off the edge of the gap and fell to the bottom, before standing and drawing their fellblades.

The two groups laid into each other, the superior skill of the princess of Tyrlach and her companions becoming apparent, as well as their numerical disadvantage. Unlike the assassins from before, these creatures were both numerous and difficult to kill, proving themselves able swordfighters. Every victory was hard-fought for, and for each dead or incapacitated enemy, another two came falling from above.

It didn't take a tactician to see that the group would not be able to hold them off indefinitely. The first to make any real thought about this, however, was Kheyrn. He had, after all, not become a captain by physical prowess alone. Over his years as a soldier in the royal army, he had devised many strategies and tactics, and he knew that this was not a battle they could win.

"Princess!" he shouted, deflecting a swing from one of them and slamming his mace into its chest. "There are too many of them, we must fall back!" Marion did as he said after taking the head off an attacker, Gorn and Yun took more convincing, as he had expected, but eventually did as he said too. The captain and the mercenary raised their shields and formed as big a wall as they could behind the other two. The blows and chops rained down upon them as they slowly moved backwards.

Yun felled her seventh foe that evening and looked at Kheyrn, who nodded after looking behind himself. The two broke off their defensive position and dashed for the exit. A pair of torches flew over their heads, and the tunnel behind them erupted into light while the creatures made their first sounds. Screeching howls that made Yun want to cover her ears flew from the creatures' throats as they flailed about, knocking into each other and setting more of their own ablaze.

The Canthan and the Tyrlachian dashed out of the tunnel, but only Marion was in sight. Before any of the could ask where Gorn was, the princess raised her arm and yelled, "Now!" The mercenary registered movement out the corner of her eye and whirled around to see the northerner swing his axe and cut a chain in half, sending a massive iron-gate slamming into the ground behind them.

Through the thick iron, they could hear the clanging of dark blades swinging against it, before they halted completely. "I know you can hear me," the dark-skinned man's voice called from the other side. "And I commend you on your abilities. You have bested us…this time. Know, however, that She is on her way here, and when She gets here…no force on this world can save you from Her might, for death itself walks by Her side. Enjoy your victory while it lasts."

They waited for a while, before assuming that the man with the purple eyes had left, along with his largely voiceless minions. "Gorn," Yun spoke and turned to the smith. "Can you haul the gate open again?" The northerner shrugged. "I will try," he said and moved to do so. A few pulls later proved the endeavor useless, even with Yun and Kheyrn pulling with him.

"Oh, stop it," Marion groaned after the tenth failed attempt. "We can't get out the way we came in, in any case." "Oh…right," was the general response from her bodyguards. "Well," Yun began. "I suppose we had better find an alternate route. Let's look around." The suggestion was met with the anticipated acceptance, and with warnings to, "stay alert," the group moved.

"I found something!" Kheyrn called after an hour or two. Yun pulled her head out of a small niche in the wall and hurried over to the captain, who was busy tossing rocks away from an entrance he had discovered. "I guess they wanted it to look like it had caved in," the mercenary guessed as she set about helping him, Gorn joining in shortly after.

"These rock were definitely placed," the northerner confirmed. "I have seen too many cave-ins to believe otherwise." "We'll take your word for it, my friend," Kheyrn answered, and the three of them rolled the last, and biggest, rock out of the way. "Does anyone have any torches left?" Yun wondered as they peered into the darkness of the passageway. Gorn pulled several of them out of his sack. Marion took one and handed it to the Canthan. "Beastbane, you'll take point," she ordered. "Captain Kheyrn will follow, I will go behind him and Master Gorn will take the back."

The Canthan lit up her torch and looked at her companions, they all nodded and she ventured into the passage.

The tunnel was straightforward, clearly not meant for any other purpose than having another entry-and-exit-point. Even so, it was painfully long, and they had to take turns carrying their employer, because unlike them, she was not at all used to walking long distances. After a few hours, they weren't visibly closer to the end than they had been since the beginning.

A sudden growl had them reaching for their weapons, all except for Marion, who turned beet-red and tried to hide her face in her arms. "I'm sorry," she muttered at the Canthan. "I'm just hungry." "Well, I guess none of us supposed that we would be down here this long," Yun said, smiling consolingly. "It's alright, I'm hungry myself." Marion smiled back at her, and Gorn briefly marveled at how the tone between the two women changed from snapping and snarling, to almost sisterly.

Suddenly, the tunnel ended, and the torch having been lit along the way prevented them from being blinded by the sudden light. Yun snuffed out her torch, and they looked upwards, as the passageway they were walking on became a stair of stone, spiraling upwards to a hole of some sort, through which the light shone. Wordlessly, the four began climbing upwards.

Gorn, being the tallest of them, peeked above the surface first, seeing nothing but what looked like an abandoned village of sorts. "Looks clear," he muttered after a while, and his companions crawled their way out from beneath the ground. Kheyrn stretched and inhaled deeply before looking back at the hole, noticing that it was actually some sort of large well. He looked around a bit more, and nodded, recognizing the place, before making his way over to Beastbane and the princess.

"I have good news, and bad news," he stated as he reached them, Yun was stretching out and Marion had dropped to the ground, rubbing her feet. The mercenary spared her employer a slightly amused glance before motioning for the soldier to continue. "I know where we are, and in which direction we must go in order to reach Tyrleôn," he began. "Bad news is, it will take us at least two, maybe three, full days' march." Marion groaned loudly from where she sat. The Canthan sent a less amused glance her way, bordering on an expression that said, "Hush, the grown-ups are talking," before turning her attention back to Kheyrn.

"We spent two days underground? That seems a bit much I'd say," she stated, her arms crossing under her dwarf-steel-bustier. "I imagine that going under the ground sped our journey up quite a bit," the captain mused as Gorn neared after scouting out the surroundings. "We were after all not moving at a very slow pace, and straight lines are always the quicker routes." Yun nodded in agreement and Gorn came to stand beside her, shaking his head.

"There is no one here, Ormdreper, not a soul in the entire village," the northerner informed. "Looks like it has been abandoned for quite some time." "It has," the captain muttered. "This village was hit by a raiding-force, from the Dödsskrömt tribe if I remember correctly, during the wars. No one has lived here since." Gorn shuddered at the mention of the tribal name.

"We have to move, now," the blacksmith insisted. "Which way, Ormdreper?" Kheyrn raised his hand and pointed to the southwest. The northerner took off at a quick stride, pulling his companions behind him. He let go off them once they were clear of the silent settlement and relaxed visibly. "Gorn?" Yun asked quietly, not used to him behaving like a frightened bunny. "Who are the Dödsskrömt?" "Ask me not who they are," Gorn replied, just as quietly. "Ask me neither what they are, for nobody knows." Kheyrn and Yun exchanged glances.

"We don't know much about them," the captain said. "But during the wars, areas hit by their raiders suffered the highest casualties, whether military or civilian." Marion gulped noticeably at the concept. "They are not mere raiders," Gorn mumbled. "They are monsters. Every child in The North has heard of them, and every grown man and woman in The North fears them."

Yun's brow furrowed itself as she tried to imagine what kind of creatures could strike terror into a people as stalwart and brave as the northerners. "Let us speak of those creatures no more," the smith suggested. "It is too fair a day to darken it with talk of such things."

Again, Yun and Kheyrn exchanged glances, adding a shrug at the end for good measure, then dropped the subject. Marion, however, was not so easily deterred, and she asked and asked and asked until the older woman pulled her away from the blacksmith, partly because hearing her employer spew out questions non-stop made her want to slug something, and partly because Gorn looked like he was about to slug something himself.

"If I may suggest so, Your Majesty," Kheyrn mumbled to his princess. "I think we should let this matter rest, I am sure that Master Gorn will tell us if he sees reason to." The girl pouted, but complied, which caused Yun to both roll her eyes and smile at the same time. They walked for the majority of the day, Gorn keeping ahead of them most of the time. The blacksmith seemed….fidgety, a trait that definitely did not suit his massive stature or his general way of being. The Canthan was still wondering about the monsters he had spoken of, the Dödsskrömt tribe. Secretly, she was as curious as her employer was, but knew how to hide it better.

Marion stretched out and yawned, blinking against the setting sun and noticing the mercenary beside her blinking heavily as well. "I think we should stop for the night," the princess said and stopped, Kheyrn and Yun halting as well. Gorn kept going. "Master Gorn?" The northerner stopped and turned around, looking over their heads. "We are not far enough away," he stated, turned and started walking again.

"Gorn, stop," Yun said, he didn't even turn to look at her. "Gorn, stop," she repeated with the same result. "Gorn!" she snapped, her temper flaring as usual, as she ran to stand in his way. "Balthazar take you, Gorn Skulfeson, listen to me!" The blacksmith stopped and looked down at the shorter warrior, his eyes like stone. "We are not machines, we are human beings and we need our rest, besides, we've been walking all day! That village and whatever it is you fear so much about it is probably miles behind us by now!" Gorn looked her in the eyes, and she defiantly met his gaze. After a few minutes of the two tallest members of the party staring each other down, the northerner sighed and nodded.

Yun smirked to herself as Gorn went to sit with the others, but the smith's distress was almost tangible, and as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, it only got worse. He was constantly looking back in the direction they had came from, as if he was expecting something to suddenly ambush them from the surrounding vegetation, and he constantly fingered with the hilt of his battleaxe.

Yun took the first shift, and sat listening to the forest while keeping the small fire they had lit alive. She knew, however, that she was not the only one who was awake, "Can't sleep?" she asked quietly. Gorn sighed and rose to a sitting position, his gaze flickering towards the village far behind them.

"You know, it could get easier for us all if you just opened up to us instead of carrying everything inside you," the Canthan suggested. Gorn didn't answer, he was looking intensely at the flames. "No one remembers how they came to be, not exactly. That happened many hundreds of years ago," he said after a while. "But the stories say that their tribe, whose true name has long since faded into memories, forsook the ancient ways of the northern people and took up the worship of dark and forbidden gods." The smith slid closer to the campfire.

"They named themselves Dödsskrömt, Deathwraith in the common tongues, and launched attack after attack on the other tribes. Their bloodlust is said to be insatiable, their cruelty unmatched by any creature who walks the earth." The Canthan rubbed her arms, suddenly feeling colder. "The Dödsskrömt are said to have lost their humanity itself somewhere along the way, as they feasted on the flesh and blood of their victims. They became monsters, creatures that we call vandöde, deathless and unstoppable. Or so many thought. For eventually, the tribes who had not been wiped out gathered together and formed an army, the likes of which have never been seen before or after in The Northlands. Though greatly outnumbered, the Dödsskrömt did not relent, and over two thirds of the tribe-army was butchered before the fiends were defeated. Beaten, yet not broken completely, the rest of the accursed ones fled, their dark gods leading them into the caves, deep into the mountains, where our ancestors could not follow."

The large man swallowed. "They were not seen again for many an age, and were eventually forgotten, until they emerged from the darkness once more, wielding black sorceries that sucked the very earth of its life. Their rampage lasted for three months before they disappeared, supposedly back to the caves. After that, our people were struck by plague and famine for three years. They have emerged four times since then, always the harbingers of despair and tragedy among us. Their most recent appearance was during the wars, where they directed their unrelenting evil against Tyrlach to the south for the first time, raiding their lands and sowing destruction in their wake."

He shook his head, clutching his battleaxe tightly. "No one has ever faced one of the hordes of the Dödsskrömt and lived to tell of it since ancient times, and now, no one with their sanity intact will venture anywhere near a place they have desecrated. Such places are cursed, and some say the spirits of their victims haunt them."

The northerner leaned forward, obviously wishing to be as close to the flames as possible. "But, it is said that Dödsskrömt abhor sunlight, and avoid it whenever they can. The stories tell that the sunlight is the only means by which one can drive them off." Yun nodded, not quite believing what she was hearing, but knowledgeable enough to not dismiss it as flights of fantasy. "That sounds terrible," she said, her tone quiet. The northerner nodded back. "They are terrible," he replied, even quieter. "They ceased to be men long ago, though what they are now, whether they are above or below what they once were, no one can say."

"If what you have told me has but a spark of truth in it, which I do not doubt for even a second, then these men, if one can call them so, are far below us," Yun assured her friend. "Go to sleep now, you look like you need it." Though he looked like he was about to protest, the northerner's eyes slipped shut and he fell back, his loud snores ringing through the air.

Yun smiled and sat back, knowing that she could not sleep with Gorn snoring as he did, in any case. She stood after a while to stretch her legs, and wandered off a bit, not far enough to lose sight of her companions, but far enough to considerably lower the volume of the smith's snores.

The mercenary leaned against a nearby tree and watched the others sleep for a while before wandering back and sitting down by the fire. She cast a look at it, and decided that it would need more wood if it was to live through the night. Groaning in slight annoyance at having to get up again, she rose and walked off to find some firewood that she would not have to climb for.

Finding the trees in the immediate area a notch too tall for her liking, the Canthan moved further into the forest after debating with herself whether or not she should wake one of her friends up to watch the others while she was gone, deciding that she would only be away for a few minutes and therefore didn't need to disturb them.

For safety's sake, she brought up her shield from her back and moved with one hand on her hilt. The minutes dragged on, and she had soon lost count of them. "A few minutes," she sighed. "That was fourteen minutes ago. Balthazar's Sword, how hard can it be to find a bundle of sticks in the middle of a forest?"

The warrior let out a deep breath to calm herself down and turned towards the direction she had come from. She stopped and dropped into a bush nearby, listening intently. She could hear…something, something that sounded like two pairs of feet walking towards her.

She peered out of the bush, breathed in relief and stepped out to greet her comrades. "Hey, sorry that I left, I just thought that we would need some- wait where's Marion?" The two men ignored her altogether and kept going. "Hey, wait up!" the woman called and ran up in front of them. "Gorn, Kheyrn, you didn't just go off and left her on her own, did you?" Again, there was no response, and only then did she notice their blank stares and stiff gaits. "Hello?" she shouted prolonging the "o," at the end for emphasis's sake. She snapped her fingers twice in front of each of their faces, before rearing her fist back and slamming it into Kheyrn's cheek. Finally, one of them reacted, though not exactly as the mercenary had hoped. Gorn's arm smashed into her and sent her flying into a nearby tree.

Yun fell to the ground with a groan, and as she got to her feet, she heard someone approaching in a hurry. "Beastbane!" Marion exclaimed and went to help her up. "Where have you been?" "Out getting firewood," the older woman groaned. "What happened to Kheyrn and Gorn?" Marion shook her head. "I don't know," she breathed. "They suddenly got up and started walking. They were so sudden that they woke me up."

Yun turned her head after them, seeing Gorn's back disappear into the forest some way off. "Come on!" she snapped and hauled the princess after herself by her arm. "We can't afford to lose them here." "I tried to stop them," Marion puffed. "But they wouldn't even listen to me." "Was that light there when we made camp?" Yun muttered, seemingly not listening to her employer at all. "I don't…think so…" the girl answered slowly.

The Canthan drew her sword, and the Tyrlachian followed shortly after as they crept forward. Eventually, the trees became sparse and the ground began to slope downwards. At the bottom of the slope, there laid another, seemingly abandoned, village, not unlike the one they had seen earlier. This one, however, was wreathed in an eerie green glow.

The two men were on their way down the hill towards the village, and Yun and Marion could both have sworn they heard singing. A mournful, yet alluring, song was drifting on the chill breeze of the night, and it emanated from the village.

"Stay down low and close to me," the Canthan whispered and dropped into a crouch before quickly moving forward. The song grew louder as they got close, but they somehow managed to reach the village's outskirt, swiftly rising and pressing themselves against a nearby wall. They quietly snuck to the edge of the wall, and Yun peeked out, quickly pulled back and turned to Marion. "Stay here," she whispered and leapt upwards, grabbed a hold of the roof and pulled herself up onto it.

Once up, she drew her blade again and crawled forward until she could peek over the top of the roof. The mercenary narrowed her eyes and assessed the situation. Gorn and Kheyrn were on their way towards the town-center, where a figure stood singing. The figure was a pale, translucent, green, and the tattered visage of a once-beautiful gown fluttered around her spectral form.

The hair that flowed from her head might once have been long raven tresses, but were now wisps of hair, splattered with something that looked suspiciously like dried blood. A slit of dark red, with blood running from it was present on the woman's chest, as if someone had jammed something into it, a scythe-like weapon, from the looks of the wound.

She was standing still in the middle of the village, or town, as it was large enough to be called so, completely still, if one didn't count the movement of her mouth while she sang and the strange, slow, almost hypnotic motion of her arms.

The Canthan's two male companions stopped before the ghostly woman and dropped to their knees. Her gesticulation stopped, though her singing continued, and she laid her hands on their faces, over their mouths. Still singing, the spectral figure threw her head back, her volume rising and her eyes glowing white.

Yun shot to her feet and ran forward, leaping off the roof with her weapon held high. "Cantha!" she roared into the night. "Cantha and The Emperor!" The ghost's head snapped towards her and she quickly flew backwards. The mercenary's blade cut deeply into the ground, but she quickly hauled it up and charged the specter in front of her.

This time, the ghost didn't move. Instead, she smiled. "Foolish girl," she laughed, her voice hollow and dead. "Did no one ever tell you that mere steel cannot slay ghosts?" Yun didn't stop, however, and slashed at the phantasm once she was close enough. With a surprised and alarmed look on her face, the ghost moved just in time, but received a cut to her lower arm for her slowness. She sank into the ground and appeared at the other end of the open space they were located in.

"Silver," the ghost hissed. Yun smirked and brought her weapon back up in front of herself. "When you're in my line of work, you learn to be prepared for mostly anything," she said, before yelling and charging straight at her foe again. The specter was more prepared this time, and dodged the living girl's attack by floating up in the air and staying there. "Why are you doing this?" she asked. "Why do you wish to deny me the life that was taken from me? By savages, like him," at that statement, she motioned towards Gorn, who was still kneeling alongside Kheyrn.

"These men are my friends and allies, and the dead should remain that way," the warrior answered. "I will not let you take them, for whatever purpose you have in mind for them." "You are a fool to stand in my way, child!" the ghost snarled. "But if death is what you seek…then I shall gladly lend my assistance in helping you find it!" The phantasm's eyes flashed, and Yun was sent flying as Kheyrn leaped at her and tackled her to the ground.

Her sword flew from the mercenary's hand, and Kheyrn's own hands latched onto her throat. Her fist smashed into his face for the second time that evening, and she managed to throw him off her. Yun rolled back and took her fighting stance, assuming that appealing to her comrades through conversation would be meaningless. She then noticed that Gorn was nowhere to be seen.

Acting on instinct, she rolled out of the way, just as the massive northerner slammed into the spot where she had been standing. Her move had the unfortunate result of bringing her just within range of the captain's mace, an effect she remedied with a kick that swept his legs from under him.

Yun rolled sideways to avoid Gorn's axe splitting her in half and got to her feet. Kheyrn was in the process of picking himself up from the ground while the mercenary sidestepped another overhead swing from the smith and planted her boot firmly in his gut. The northerner doubled over with a groan, and the Canthan turned and dashed for her sword.

She fell with a cry as Kheyrn's mace came flying from the side and smashed into the side of her head. Yun flew into a nearby wall and hurriedly shambled onto her feet, pressing a hand to her head and finding her gauntlet drenched in her own blood as she pulled it away from the wound. With a snarl, she turned towards the two advancing men, doing her best to ignore the dull hammering in her skull.

The captain dashed for her with an incomprehensible yell and his arms outstretched. He grabbed for her, but she hopped back and slammed her head into his nose, he stumbled back and the mercenary seized him by his hair and used his head as a makeshift club against the northerner behind him.

Once both men were down, Yun turned and made for her weapon again, only to trip over as Kheyrn's hand closed around her ankle. "Kai sang!" she cursed with a snarl and kicked backwards, reminding herself to apologize for nearly breaking the Tyrlachian's nose twice in a row later. But her attack had done its job right. Kheyrn let go with a groan and she rolled onto her legs and ran for her sword anew.

A pair of heavy footsteps thundering after her let her know that Gorn had gotten back up and was giving pursuit. She whirled around and kicked high, slamming her heel into his chin with such force that he was actually lifted off the ground, missing a few teeth when he landed. Yun winced, reminding herself to apologize for that as well before making for her weapon again.

The ghostly woman grinned smugly as she watched the tussle below her. It was clear as day that the living woman would not go so far as to kill her two newest prizes, but she was making a decent effort in defending herself. So caught up in their battle was she, that she did not notice Marion creeping from around the house she had been ordered to stay behind.

The princess had chanced a few peeks at the events unfolding, and had caught that the mercenary's sword could harm the phantasm, and that said phantasm had ordered captain Kheyrn and Master Gorn to attack the older woman through some sort of mind-control.

An overturned wagon hid the girl as she crept closer, if she could remain undetected and get her hands on Beastbane's sword, she could end the battle with a nifty bit of backstabbing. She peeked up, and winced as the Canthan's fist smashed into Kheyrn's gut, before she sent him back with a kick that had him barreling into the northerner.

Marion kept moving, even as she saw Beastbane slam her shoulder into Gorn's chest before jumping and sending her boot into his face. "Almost there…" she whispered to herself as she ducked into hiding behind a crate, snapping her mouth shut when she practically felt the ghost's dead eyes sweep over her hiding-spot.

The specter shrugged and turned back to the fight, grinning in a skull-like fashion as she witnessed the larger man's fist crash into the girl's face, and the smaller one kick her when she was down.

Yun groaned. She hadn't felt this groggy since the morning after her last alemoot before leaving The Shiverpeaks behind a few years ago, if one excluded a few relentless beatings here and there. Gorn was pinning her down with his massive frame, and Kheyrn, who had retrieved his mace, was lifting his weapon above his head to finish her off, and no matter how much she squirmed or kicked, she could not move away.

"Kill her!" the ghost cried with glee. "Kill her! Do it, do it now! Kill he-hurrgh!" Her gleeful feeling was suddenly replaced with an unwelcome and frighteningly familiar cold. She looked down, and noticed the living girl's sword through her stomach. She hadn't even noticed that she had drifted towards the ground. Looking behind herself, she discovered a second girl, even younger than the first one, standing there, her hands clutching the hilt of the blade lodged in her.

Marion swallowed as the ghost's unliving gaze fell upon her, before the specter's eyes rolled up into her head and she dissolved with a scream that had the princess covering her ears and falling backwards. The two men, who were about to finish their task, blinked a few times.

Kheyrn cried out and fell as pain erupted in his nose and gut. Gorn rolled to the side and clutched his face with a groan, his eyes widening as he realized that he was missing quite a few of his teeth. Marion hurried over to them and knelt beside the Canthan. "Is it bad?" she asked and pressed her hand, lightly, to the older woman's newest wound. "Not particularly," the mercenary grunted as she sat up. "Thanks…for not following orders. We're going to have to have talk about that sometime."

"Wha-what?" The princess's expression was both shocked and appalled. "I just saved your life you, you ungrateful-!" She halted as she caught Yun's mirthful eyes and slight smile, settling for a disgruntled huff and turning away with her arms crossed.

"Not to interrupt you My Lady, Beastbane, but would any of you mind telling me what in Athalan's name is going on?" Yun and Marion turned their heads toward Kheyrn and Gorn, both of whom were looking nonplussed, to say the least. "Later," the Canthan answered and stood to her feet. "Gorn, you were right about these places, and we should get going now, before any other dead people decide that they want to suck the life out of us." Gorn paled noticeably and legged off, only slowing down to let his companions catch up to him.

The sun was peeking over the horizon when the mercenary felt her legs give out underneath her, and only Kheyrn and Marion grabbing her from behind prevented her from flying into the ground and adding another injury to her head or face. "No more running for you for a while," Marion said firmly as the two Tyrlachians laid the taller warrior gently to the ground. "You've been in a way too tough a battle to be running all night long like this."

"Speaking of battles," Kheyrn spoke up. "My face and stomach hurts something fierce, and I have no idea why. Mind filling in the gaps?" Yun drifted off into slumber and let her employer deal with the explanations, barely registering Gorn pale even more as Marion began before her eyes closed.

She awoke later with the feeling of something cool pressed against the side of her head, as well as the sensation of moving. The warrior opened her eyes, and found herself being carried by Gorn, like a wounded dog. "What in Balthazar's name…?" she groaned. The northerner looked down at her and grinned. "She's awake!" he called.

"Welcome back," Kheyrn greeted her. "Sorry about nearly cracking your skull open." "Sorry about nearly breaking your nose, twice," the Canthan replied. "I guess we'll call it even." "Can you walk?" Marion asked, sounding worried. "I think so," Yun grunted and motioned for Gorn to put her down.

The blacksmith did as he was instructed, and the mercenary took a few shaky steps before regaining her balance and nodding in satisfaction. "How far till Tyrleôn?" she asked. "Not far," Kheyrn answered. "At this rate, we'll be there before the day is through." "Athalan be praised," Marion groaned and stretched out. "I can't wait to sleep in my bed again."

"Someone's coming this way," Gorn stated, squinting to the west. "At least fifteen men on horseback." "Have they seen us?" Yun asked and went to stand beside him. "I don't think so," Gorn answered. "They're getting closer, I think maybe…Spebarnslakter!" The northerner's voice and face darkened with venomous contempt, and the Canthan's own mood fell quite a few notches.

"It's just Gaelm and the Tin-man Squad," she muttered to Kheyrn and Marion as she and Gorn padded back to them. Marion closed her eyes and groaned out, "I am in so much trouble that it isn't even funny." "I am not going to argue on that, Your Majesty," Kheyrn nodded. "And neither am I," Gaelm snarled as he rode up beside them.

"Father is debating whether he should worried sick or enraged, and mother has been in a fit of absolute hysteria for the past three days! Now that I have found you safe and sound, relatively," the commander threw a scathing glare at the smith and the mercenary before continuing. "I am certain that father will be enraged beyond measure."

"We were trying to eliminate the assassin-threat, commander," Yun growled. "By taking her with you against them? I never took you for a clever one, mercenary, but this is beyond stupidity! This is madness!" "Madness?" the mercenary shouted back. "The best way to deal with one's problems is to attack them in whatever way is best, literally in this case! That is not madness, that is bravery!" "Your foolish and suicidal notion of courage will leave Tyrlach without its heir!" Gaelm shouted at her.

The two spent the next fifteen minutes or so standing and shouting in each other's faces, their arguments and counter-arguments giving way for insults and vulgarities that would've made the most drunken of sailors blush about seven minutes in.

"At least tell me if this…expedition of yours yielded any results!" Gaelm cut her off in the middle of a particularly vicious jab at his sexual preferences. Yun held her jab back and looked over the commander's troops with one eye. "No," she sighed. "We found their previous stronghold, but we have no means of going after them now."

The commander sighed in relief. "Then at least something good came out of this after all." He turned to his men. "Back to Tyrleôn! Give them a few of our spare horses." The men did as they were ordered, and Marion, her bodyguards, Gaelm and his soldiers were soon on their way. The princess and her companions rode close together in the middle of the group. "Why didn't you tell him about the cloth we found?" Marion asked Yun quietly as they rode. "We still don't know who we can trust," the warrior replied, just as quietly. "Any one of these soldiers could be an inside man for the assassins."

"A sound strategy," Kheyrn agreed from the other side. "I presume we will resume our investigation later then?" "That's the plan," Yun nodded. "If we all survive that long."

Given Agnar's reaction, when his daughter and her bodyguards finally stood before his throne again, that survival could be one they would have to fight for. The king or Tyrlach was deathly silent, his eyes alone betraying the anger he felt. "Marion," he began at last, his voice colder than a blizzard. "There are scarcely words in any tongue of any creature, that can describe the absolute stupidity that you have shown in your actions." Elin sat by his side, looking more mournful and disappointed than anything else.

"You have knowingly exposed yourself to mortal danger, risked not only your life, but the lives of your companions as well, and worst of all, you placed the very future of Tyrlach at stake!" Elin laid a hand on her husband's arm, and he calmed himself with a breath. "And when it comes to you three," he said and turned his attention to the smith, the soldier and the mercenary. Gaelm, who was standing at his mother's side, allowed a slight smile to cross his lips for a second.

"I admire a job done to its fullest, but not if that job includes this type of scenario! You are supposed to keep her alive for Athalan's sake, not lead her headfirst into danger!" This time, Agnar brushed off his wife's attempt at calming him down, and stood. "Marion, you are my daughter, and I love you dearly," he said, sounding almost apologetic. "But I cannot allow this…occurrence to go unpunished by, and the same goes for your bodyguards."

Yun quenched her urge to swallow, and remained in her kneeling position. "Kheyrn Randeel, step forth!" Agnar called. Kheyrn tried to control his breathing as he got up and went to stand in front of the throne. "Kheyrn Randeel," the king began. "As punishment for your reckless actions, you are hereby stripped of your rank as captain of The King's Guard, though you shall remain under my daughter's employ." Yun could practically hear the soldier clenching his eyes together and bite his lip as he kneeled even deeper before stepping back to his spot.

"Gorn Skulfeson of the Tordenbjörn, step forth!" The massive northerner rose and stepped in front of the throne before kneeling again. "Gorn Skulfeson, for your reckless acts and disregard for Tyrlach's future and prosperity, your smithy is hereby seized by the kingdom of Tyrlach." The northerner tensed noticeably, his fists clenching. Marion looked as though she was about to protest, but a glare from her father had her looking at the floor. "All the craftwork within the smithy will be taken and distributed among the soldiers of Tyrlach, but you may remain under my daughter's employ if you wish."

The smith bowed his head, and returned to his place. "Hezokio "Beastbane" Yun Dao, step forth!" Agnar called. The mercenary breathed deeply and rose, walked over to the throne, and knelt in front of it. Agnar sighed and massaged his brow. "What, then, am I to do with you, Canthan?" he muttered. "As you are not a citizen of Tyrlach, it is not within my power to strip you of any rank or land. I could exile you, of course," he glared at his daughter again, silencing her outburst. "But you have done your duty admirably thus far. It would be a damned shame to send such a resourceful asset away, and lessen the chance of my daughter's survival." He sighed again, and leant back on his seat. "I suppose I have no choice but to let you go without punishment." "No!" The room fell silent, deathly silent.

"I beg your pardon?" the king whispered. "No, Your Majesty," Yun spoke, raising her head to look in the monarch's eyes. "I cannot, I will not, remain without punishment while my comrades suffer for an act that was my doing first and foremost." Agnar's expression became thoughtful, and he laid his head upon a fist and supported it with his elbow before speaking. "What manner of punishment do you wish upon yourself then, mercenary?"

All was silent again for a while, before the kneeling warrior spoke a single word, "Flogging." This time, Agnar's glaring was not enough to stop Marion from bursting into and outraged tirade, with Kheyrn and Gorn following with attempts to convince Yun that such a punishment was unnecessary. "Silence!" Agnar roared after six minutes, and the room fell silent again.

The one-legged monarch leant forward and spoke quietly. "Is this truly what you want?" he asked. Yun could only nod. "Then let it be so. Hezokio "Beastbane" Yun Dao, of the Canthan Hezokio Clan, for your actions, you are to be publically flogged, yet you shall remain in my daughter's service." The mercenary bowed her head in acceptance. "Father, may I make a request?" a voice she despised asked. "You may, my son," Agnar replied.

"Father, My Lord, I ask that I may personally execute the Canthan's flogging, to make sure that it is done properly." Gaelm's tone was one of baleful hopefulness and Yun peeked up to see him with a slight, yet still sickeningly pleased, smile on his face. "This punishment was proposed to me by Beastbane herself, if she so wishes, it shall be so," the king answered. The commander's grin fell, only to transform into a confused frown before becoming gleeful again as the warrior spoke again. "I wish for it to be so. My punishment must be carried out to its fullest, and I know that Lord Gaelm will have no qualms in doing so."

"Very well," Agnar nodded. "Gaelm, you know what must be done." The commander bowed deeply, his grin still on his face. "Of course, father. I shall make the announcements and prepare the courtyard for the flogging." He bowed once more, and strode towards the door, barely able to stop himself from jumping for joy.

"Marion, my child, step forth," Agnar said, his voice sounding tired. Yun rose and returned to her spot as her employer did as she was told, pointedly trying to avoid the eyes of her companions as she did. "Marion of Tyrlach, by Athalan's Blood the future queen of this land, for your actions, you are hereby forbidden to leave the castle grounds without an escort of ten to fifteen soldiers, these troops shall be with you and your bodyguards at all times, and they will report to me what you have all been up to during the day."

Marion gritted her teeth noticeably. In any other situation, she would surely have exploded in outraged fury, but she kept her anger to herself, curtsied and walked off, waving her bodyguards with her. "What in Athalan's name are you thinking?" she snarled at the mercenary once they were out of earshot. "Flogging, by Gaelm? Are you completely insane? He's likeable to take the hide off your back!" Yun did not look at her employer, or Kheyrn and Gorn either. "I will not go unpunished while you all suffer," she stated. "Well our suffering is not as…bodily," Kheyrn spoke from behind her. "You do not need to do this for us." "Then let me do it for myself," Yun retorted. "I have erred, and I must abide by the consequences."

"This consequence is unnecessary," Gorn growled. "Blades and axes can be forged again, work is easy to find for a seasoned ex-captain, but skin does not grow back from such treatment without leaving marks."

"A scar is proof of a battle won against death," the Canthan spoke, sounding as though she was quoting someone. "Or," Gorn snorted. "A battle lost, and death denied." Yun shrugged. "Be that as it may," she said. "This is something I have to do. My honor demands that I am punished for my defiance."

"Athalan, impale me," Marion groaned. "I swear, your honor is bipolar!" "How so?" the mercenary inquired, raising an eyebrow and narrowing her eyes simultaneously. Gorn and Kheyrn held their breath, knowing that either of the two could erupt at any given moment. "You say that you must be punished for defiance, yet the only one you answer to is me. Thus, you have defied no one." "I swore to protect you," the older woman hissed back at the princess. "I gave my word to your father, an oath on my honor, and the honor of my clan! I have failed that oath!" "Hello! Still alive here!" Marion snarled, both of their voices rising. "You swore to keep me alive! And if you have to put my life in danger to keep your oath, then so be it!"

The Canthan warrior halted and rounded on the princess, before sticking her finger firmly into the younger woman's nose. "Don't try to teach me my job, princess!" she snarled. "I am your boss, mercenary!" Marion growled back. "If I tell you to jump off a cliff-!" "If you tell me to jump off a cliff, I'll tell you to get bent, and then smack some gods-given sense into you, girl!"

The ex-captain and the smith spared a glance at each other, and nodded before stepping forward, laying a hand each on the women's shoulders, and pulling them away from the other. "Let's try to keep things civil between the four of us, shall we?" the ex-captain spoke. "It's in times like these that we need to stand together, and try to be there for one another."

Yun and Marion drew a deep breath each, and shook hands, muttering an embarrassed, "Sorry," to each other. Kheyrn smiled, pleased with his accomplishment. "Nicely saved, Ormdreper," Gorn smirked. "I'm serious, though," the Tyrlachian assured the party. "If we are to make it out of this mess on top, we have to stick together." "Wise words," Marion agreed as she cleared her throat. "And believe you me, in a few weeks, when I have something to say that will be taken into account on this matter, I shall do everything in my power to have you reinstated." "What happens in a few weeks?" Yun wondered. Kheyrn immediately found a sudden, though not uncommon, interest in the roof, while Marion looked rather mortified.

The mercenary glanced over at Gorn, who shrugged and looked just as nonplussed as she did. "Oh my goodness…we forgot to tell you," the princess squeaked through the hand she was clamping over her mouth. "I suppose it didn't have time to come up, given the current circumstances," Kheyrn muttered before turning his attention to his two colleagues. "Princess Marion will celebrate her eighteenth birthday not too long from now, she will then be of age, though she will not ascend to the throne until King Agnar either steps down, or dies. She will, however, gain a large political influence in the affairs of the realm."

"Well that's great!" Yun exclaimed. "We'll just wait a few weeks and Kheyrn will be back on his job in no time flat!" "Provided we survive that long," Gorn huffed, a strange sound from a man of his stature. "Do not be so glum, Master Gorn," Marion said, her tone bordering on commanding. "We have survived this far, and I have little doubt that we shall live further still." She resumed her walking, and her bodyguards were quick to follow her.

"So," Yun spoke as they neared Marion's new chambers, high above the ground in one of the castle's towers. "How did your training go while I was playing tag with shadows in the sewers?" "It went rather well, I'll say," the younger woman replied. "Master Gorn and Master Kheyrn practiced with me for five hours every day while you were gone, and we managed to squeeze in a few sessions while you were unconscious." "That does explain how you handled yourself so well when they struck at us in your bedchamber," the mercenary grinned, both at Marion and the two men.

"I'm glad," she continued. "That means I don't have to go as easy on you as I did before." The younger woman groaned and hung her head. "Is this really a time to think about training?" Kheyrn muttered in question. "Your…punishment will commence in a matter of days." "Then I had better make use of the time I have left," the Canthan replied. "I suspect that Gaelm's treatment will put me out of commission for quite some time."

Marion shrugged somewhat as she pushed open the door to her new chambers. "Not if my father has anything to say about it," she stated. "He will not punish you all that much; as he feels that you don't deserve this at all. He is rather disdainful of these things." The princess stopped to look her new residence over, and nodded after a while. "This is more than good enough," she smiled. Yun nodded as well, after looking over the chambers herself. There were, in fact, several chambers. The first one was something of a common room, with a table and chairs, a wall-to-wall carpet, a few bookshelves here and there, and large windows that offered a magnificent view of Tyrleôn, complete with a large balcony. The second chamber was some sort of waiting room, with six or seven big sofas placed along the walls and even a table with a chess game on it. Kheyrn and Gorn smiled at each other, a challenging glimmering in their eyes. The third chamber was most decidedly a bedroom, and a comfy and cozy one at that, despite being located at the tower's absolute summit.

"Seems like a suitable fortification," Gorn admitted after they had looked everything over. Kheyrn nodded. "The only way in is through the first chamber, either by door or the balcony. To get to the bedroom, one would have to cross through the waiting room, where Gorn and I shall keep constant watch for possible intruders. Beastbane should remain with the princess in her bedchamber." Yun and Marion exchanged glances, a look that practically sighed out, "Men."

"If you're done reliving your glory-days," the mercenary spoke dryly. "We have to plan ahead. We've come too far to just give up and hope that this whole assassination-fad will just pass by." "We won't be able to do a thing when father gets his soldier stationed around us, not without getting into more trouble," Marion huffed.

"Do you still have that piece of cloth that you found?" the warrior questioned, receiving a nod from her employer. "Then we need to move fast, before-," "I think," Gorn interrupted in an insistent whisper. "That we're out of time." The other three looked behind him, to see that ten soldiers had already entered the chambers, standing at attention near the door. They knelt as one as Marion's gaze fell upon them, and so didn't catch her near-murderous glare afterwards in their direction.

"Your Esteemed Majesty," one of them spoke, rather like Kheyrn in posture and equipment-wise. "I am Captain Arean, leader of your…extended bodyguard." "How pleasant," Marion hissed. "Very well, you may wait outside with your men until I have need of you." Arean's face looked like it was made of stone as he rose again. "I am sorry My Lady," Yun repressed a snort, he did not look sorry at all. "But your father's orders were to keep an eye on you at all times."

"At all times?" the princess hissed again. "Am I never to have a moment to myself?" "Well…" the captain's voice faltered for a moment. "At all times may be somewhat of an exaggeration-." "Just as I thought," the girl interrupted. "You and your men, captain, are my first line of defense. Which means you must wait outside until I deem it necessary to call for you." With that said, she turned and headed towards the balcony. "Besides," she added on the way. "It's not as though my companions and I could get anywhere without you noticing." Yun smirked slightly, until she noticed a rather frail-looking feller trying to make himself as unnoticed as possible in the back of the group of soldiers.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. "What's that weasel-looking guy doing here?" The frail one's expression was immediately caught between indignation and terror, the latter growing as Marion turned her icy glare on him. "We have been ordered to report all activities, and everything that is being said by all of you, directly to the king," Arean answered, seemingly not familiar with his princess's violent temper, as he did not flinch or stutter at her narrowing eyes. "Therefore, we brought a scribe with us."

"Out," Marion whispered, raising her arm and pointing at the door. "My Lady, your fath-." "Out!" the girl bellowed, sending the scribe and the soldiers scurrying for the exit. Yun leant close to Gorn. "Is being short an ethnic thing for Tyrlachians?" she whispered. The northerner shrugged and replied, "They're not a tall people, that is for certain."

The Canthan smirked and took off after her employer, who stepped out on the balcony and let loose a loud groan into her hands. The mercenary walked up to her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "We'll think of something," she assured the younger woman. "This is but a minor setback." "I sincerely hope so," Kheyrn muttered. "Arean is…competent at what he does. Though he has a thing for taking orders and following them to the letter. The man is about as flexible as a rod of solid steel."

"Steel can be bent, Ormdreper," Gorn stated as he joined his comrades by the fence of the balcony. "If one possesses enough strength." "I am not going to sit back and allow my father to push me around like this!" Marion exclaimed suddenly, as if she hadn't even heard her bodyguards talking. "We are going after the assassins, as soon as we find a way to ditch Arean and his men."

Gorn suddenly turned and flung his anvil at the door. Though they clearly heard that it hit someone, not a sound was made. Yun swiftly ran for the door, and discovered the weasel-like scribe from before clutching his arm, though he did not make a sound.

The Canthan snarled and hauled him up by his robes. "Spies!" she snarled. "More Balthazar-be-cursed spies! Who do you work for?" The scribe's eyes widened, and he began to frantically shake his head. "You're not a spy?" He nodded, just as frantically. "Then why are you spying?" The frail man held up a piece of paper, lined with everything the group had said on the balcony. "So you're not a spy, but an eavesdropper," Yun snarled. The scribe swallowed and nodded. "For Balthazar's sake man, say something! Are you mute?" The man smiled nervously and nodded again.

The mercenary rolled her eyes and carried him with her out on the balcony. "We're being recorded," she stated and dropped the man in front of Marion. To his credit, the scribe was quick to get onto his knees before his princess. The girl picked up his notes of what they had said, ripped it apart as much as she could, and tossed it over the railing. "Listen now," she said, her voice and demeanor calm. "You are not to repeat what you have heard here to anyone, ever. If anyone outside of these chambers hear of what has been said, I shall hold you responsible for it. Am I clear?"

The scribe nodded as frantically as he could. "You will never eavesdrop on me or my companions ever again, right?" More frantic nodding. "And you will certainly not let my father, or anyone else, know of anything we do not wish for anyone to hear, correct?" The scribe nodded once more, before being sent off with a dismissive gesture.

"That ought to take care of unwanted leaks," Kheyrn mumbled. "Well done princess." Marion crossed her arms, turned back towards the railing and shuddered. "I can't stand being treated like a child who doesn't know what's best for itself," she muttered.

"Maybe some training will cheer you up," Yun smiled and tugged the younger woman with her. "I'd rather not train with those guards standing nearby," the girl moaned. "Knowing Arean," Kheyrn muttered. "He might even step in to bodily defend the princess during the training." "Then we'll train someplace else," the Canthan offered. "Where?" Marion growled. "Those soldiers will follow us everywhere we go." "Well I don't hear any of you making any suggestions," Yun huffed. "Her bedchamber," Gorn stated, causing his companions to turn to him. "What?" Marion wondered, practically speaking everyone's mind.

"The soldiers will probably keep outside the doors, and your bedchamber is far enough from it to muffle any noise you might make," the northerner explained. "The room is wide enough for proper training in any case, and Kheyrn and I shall do our best to keep them out, should they decide to snoop around." The princess scratched her chin for some time, before smiling. "An excellent proposition Master Gorn," she commended and walked off with the others in tow.

"If I was to make a suggestion," Kheyrn spoke to Yun on the way. "I'd suggest that you do not go too hard on each other. I suspect that captain Arean would grow suspicious if we had to fetch Madam Irena." "Don't worry," the mercenary said. "If she's as good as I know she is, she'll barely have a scratch after we're through." "If you say so…" the soldier muttered, sounding rather doubtful.

Gorn and Kheyrn stopped outside of the bedchamber, bidding their comrades good luck as they entered and closed the door after themselves. "A game, dear friend?" Kheyrn offered and motioned to the chessboard. Gorn smirked. "You are on, Ormdreper!" The two sat down and began their game, just as the first ring of clashing steel sounded through the door.

The next three days passed both slowly and fast at the same time, as impossible as that sounded. They were spent mostly with training, trying to work out some way to escape their watchers' attentions and playing chess.

Yun and Marion were only just exiting the younger woman's bedchamber, having spent most of the morning in vigorous training, when a decidedly unwelcome figure strode through the door, at least it was unwelcome to the Canthan. "It's time now, mercenary," Gaelm smirked. Yun closed her eyes and nodded, holding her arms forward as the commander's men handcuffed her and led her away.

Kheyrn stepped up beside his princess, watching as Beastbane was taken to be flogged. "We have to be there for her," Marion stated and went to follow them, Kheyrn and Gorn went as well and Arean and his men came after them. Gaelm and the mercenary were already out of sight, and the princess and her companions sped up, lest they were too late.

After a while, Marion, Gorn and Kheyrn exited the castle, the princess murmuring a small prayer at Athalan's visage as they passed through the entrance-hall, and found themselves in the crowded courtyard.

Bleachers had been erected around a pole driven into the ground in the courtyard's centre, forming a large square around it. One of these bleachers was occupied solely by three thrones, one of which was empty, while Agnar and Elin were sitting in the other two. Marion went to sit beside her father, and her two bodyguards went to flank her.

Agnar reached over and laid his hand on Marion's, squeezing it reassuringly. "She is strong," he muttered to her. "She will be alright. And you must be strong for her sake, my child." The princess nodded, unable to say anything as she saw her bodyguard, and friend, being led before the royal bleacher. Gaelm and his two men knelt before the king, and Beastbane knelt down as well, and as they rose, Marion looked into her friend's eyes. There, she saw no fear nor second thoughts, only steely determination, courage and a trickle of stubbornness that would have put a hundred donkeys to shame.

"It is not yet too late, dear child," Agnar spoke. "No one here will hold it against you, should you decide to change your mind." "I will hold it against myself, Your highness," Yun answered with a bow. "A true warrior does not flinch away from hardships. A true warrior stands its ground, tall and firm in the face of danger, pain and death, and fears none of them." She bowed again. "I cannot walk away from penance that is due," she added quietly.

Marion couldn't help but smile at her bodyguard's stubbornness, though it quickly turned into a sorrowful one as she thought of what was about to happen. To the side of her, Gorn nodded at her words, and Kheyrn nodded at the Canthan in silent respect. "So be it," Agnar sighed, before raising his voice and calling out, "Let the flagellation commence!"

The crowd erupted into cheers, which made both Agnar and Marion sigh and shake their heads, and Yun was led, and chained, to the pole in the centre of the courtyard. "Any last words before you begin screaming, mercenary?" Gaelm whispered in her ear. "Go to hell comes to mind," the mercenary whispered back.

The commander smirked unpleasantly and stepped back, having one of his men hand him a whip. Though she couldn't see him, due to her back being turned to him, Yun could feel his smirk grow into a grin, then gritted her teeth together as the first strike flew across her back, barely managing to keep a cry from escaping her throat. The next strike was harder, but she kept silent and stayed silent through the next five or six strikes. At the seventh or eighth strike, she let out a groan, which turned into whimpers after a few more strikes, then into low cries of pain.

"Stop," Agnar said, just loudly enough to be heard. Another cry burst from the Canthan as Gaelm whipped her anew. "Gaelm, stop!" the king said, louder and more firmly than his last command. The commander whipped again, panting loudly as a result of his forceful swings, forcing another cry from the mercenary. "That is enough!" Agnar shouted. The next strike wrenched a full-fledged scream from the chained warrior. "Gaelm! Enough!" Yet another scream echoed across the courtyard. The crowd having gone silent long since. "Seize him!" Agnar roared. Another scream was forced from the mercenary before two soldiers practically tackled the commander to the ground. "Someone, get her down from there and send for a healer!" the king bellowed. Gorn and Kheyrn leaped over the railing and tore the Canthan loose from the pole.

"Quickly, carry her to my chambers!" Marion ordered, having vaulted over the railing to join them. Her companions agreed, none of them thinking reasonably enough to think about the fact that her chambers were at the top of one of the towers. They carried her with her face pointing towards the ground to avoid too much strain on the many new scars on her back. The northerner and the Tyrlachian moved quickly and reached the princess's chamber in record-time, swiftly moving to the bedchamber itself and laying her down before being sent off to fetch Madam Irena.

"Beastbane?" Marion spoke quietly. "Beastbane, can you hear me?" There was no response. "Beastbane? Yun?" "It hurts…" the Canthan groaned out. "Dwayna and Balthazar, it hurts…" The princess swallowed and embraced the older woman as best as she could. "It's okay to cry," she whispered. "Don't bottle it all up." The warrior looked up into her employer's eyes, and buried her head in the girl's neck, sobbing uncontrollably while Marion stroked her arms, muttering soothing words, while fighting her own tears.

After some thirty minutes, the sobs and the crying died down, and Yun fell into a deep slumber, completely exhausted. Marion quietly laid her down and tiptoed out of the chamber, finding Gorn, Kheyrn and Irena standing outside. "We…heard the sobbing and decided to let her finish before doing anything," the soldier muttered. "She's asleep now," Marion said and wiped away a tear from her cheek. "We should let her rest a bit." Irena nodded understandingly. "I'll take a look at her tomorrow," she smiled.

Marion smiled back at her, and yawned, giving a stretch as she did. "Well, I'm going to get some sleep," she said. "It has been a long day, after all." The princess smiled, but it looked forced to the ex-captain's eyes. "Sleep, Your Highness," he said. "We shall stand guard." The girl nodded and laid herself down on one of the nearby sofas, but did not find any sleep until many hours had passed.

"Does She really have to know about the flogging?" the ex-servant asked, nervousness tingeing his voice as he and his dark-skinned colleague descended into the sewers and out of sight. "I don't think it would serve us well to anger Her further." "Would you rather She finds out Herself and punishes us both for not telling her?" the Elonian necromancer answered with a question of his own. "We have our orders," he continued, opening the secret entrance to the catacombs. "All events surrounding the girl are to be reported back to Her, I would suspect that includes her bodyguards, especially the Canthan girl."

"What is Her connection to the mercenary anyway?" the younger man asked as the two men entered the catacombs themselves after answering the usual question posed by the skeleton crucified on the door. "You ask many questions that I am at no disposal to answer," the necromancer stated, tossing his hood back from his face. "Keep your eyes ahead and don't step out of bounds, and we shall be rewarded for our vigilance in this matter." "As you say," the ex-servant nodded. "What shall we do next?" "The same as we have done until now," the necromancer stated. "We watch…and wait. Her coming is but a few days away, and when She is here, we strike at last."

Marion swallowed a yawn while she sat on her throne. "Sometimes," she thought as the merchants in front of her father, Elin and herself went on and on about how the other man was attempting to sabotage their respective businesses by way of trained rats gnawing on their walls, paying off children to release termites into the floorboards and even such ridiculous reasons as having a bigger sign than any other merchant in the district. "Sometimes I wish the plights of the people were more severe."

"-and that, your majesties, is why this man should have his shop taken away from him, nay burnt to the ground! And he should be banished, or executed!" "Do not listen to him, your majesties! This man is completely insane and should be put to the torch before he infects the whole city with his madness! I shall be more than happy to take his establishment off his hands and restore it to a respectable-," "Insane? Me? You are insane to claim that I am insane! You tamper with demons and black magic!" "Wh-what? How dare you even-!"

"Enough," Agnar said firmly. The two merchants halted in mid-shout. "You are both to work out your differences in a rational manner before three days have passed, or I shall decide myself if I need to have one of you moved across the city." The merchants paled and hastily bowed.

The sound of a door slamming open had the merchants, the royalty and Marion's bodyguards turning their attention to the main doorway, just in time to see Beastbane stumble in while supporting herself with an arm against the wall. Irena came hurrying in after her and curtsied. "My most profound apologies, My Lady," she spoke at Marion. "I tried to hold her back, but she wouldn't stay down."

"I'm feeling fine," the Canthan groaned and moved forward. "Honestly. Never felt better." She then groaned louder and fell to one of her knees, but she quickly rose and moved to stand behind Marion's throne. She had only gotten halfway across the floor when she collapsed onto her knees again with a groan, just as Marion stood from her seat. "Beastbane," she began. "You are in no condition to do your job at the moment. I order you to return to the bed!" "Sorry, princess," Yun heaved as she got to her feet again. "I am not going to waste away in bed while there is work to be done."

Eventually, after much tripping and falling, and waving off any attempts to assist her, the Canthan made it to her destination and collapsed against the wall. "Balthazar, sear me and it would hurt less than these cursed scars," she growled. "Why do you then insist on bringing that pain upon yourself?" Gorn wondered. "I'm stubborn," Yun informed him and got up again. "Did I miss anything fun?" "Only the plight of greedy merchants with little-to-no regard for one another's health and life," the northerner answered with a shrug.

"The usual then," the mercenary chuckled, earning an amused nod from Gorn and a sigh from Kheyrn. "You were advised to stay in bed for the next week, if not more, it has only been three days," the ex-captain muttered. "I know," Yun replied with a sigh of her own. "But I get the feeling that I've been spending more time laying in bed than doing what I am supposed to do." "Nobody blames you Beastbane," Marion quietly said. "You had your reasons, both then and now."

"Just let me do this," Yun hissed. "I can already feel the pain subsiding." "I should suppose that was it for today's audiences," Agnar noted and rose from his throne. "You know where to find me, should any of you need anything." He turned a hobbled towards the gardens, with Elin following in tow. "Where's Gaelm?" Yun wondered. "I've half a mind to give that skale-kisser a piece of my fisted…mind." "Lord Gaelm has been…detained for the time being," Kheyrn explained as the group moved off after Marion, walking slowly so that the Canthan could keep up without overexerting herself.

"Really?" the mercenary exclaimed. "Well that was the first good news I've heard in three days, other than hearing that I would be completely well again with only the scars to prove the flogging ever happened." "If you would keep still, maybe," Irena growled. "Gaelm was sentenced to a week in the dungeons and stripped of his rank for his refusal to follow orders," Marion said from up front. "And for his relentless assault on you after he was ordered to cease."

"I'd call that fair justice," Yun smiled, then asked, "Why are walking so slowly?" As none of her companions, nor Madam Irena, answered for a while, she quickly came to the correct answer herself. "Speed up!" she barked. "I don't need special treatment, least of all from you people!" Deciding to not aggravate the armed and experienced mercenary, Marion sped up as instructed, but had to stop and let Yun catch up after a while, only to be ordered to keep moving.

The princess, two of her three bodyguards and Madam Irena reached her chamber well before the Canthan warrior did, and stood outside the door and waited for her as she came stumbling up the tower's hallway. "What are you four looking at?" she snarled. "Get your sorry carcasses inside!" "Now look here, Beastbane," Marion huffed, forcing a groan from Gorn and Kheyrn. "The fact that you are wounded and cranky does not mean that you can just order the rest of us around as you please."

"What?" The mercenary's outburst was expected. "You think I'm ordering you around because I'm wounded and cranky?" "Well if there is another reason why you're being so moody, feel free to tell us!" "I will not be treated carefully because of a few measly scratches! It is-!" "It is an insult to your honor! Athalan, take me, if I had a golden piece for every time you drag your honor into this and that, I'd be-!" "Careful now, princess," Yun hissed, her voice lowering. "My honor is one of the things that keep me from leaving you to your fate."

The group fell silent for a while, before the mercenary moved forward and extended her hand. Marion smiled slightly and shook it. A pair of "Sorry"'s were exchanged between them and they five headed inside. "There has got to be some way of speeding things up," Yun groaned after a while of trying to get comfortable. "At this rate, I won't be able to do anything at all before the month is through." Irena huffed noticeably. "Not if you insist on…" She paused, and her expression became thoughtful. The elderly healer arose and muttered a, "I'll be right back," before disappearing out the door at her usually brisk pace, leaving the four others present in the room slightly confused.

"What was that all about?" Gorn wondered aloud, speaking everyone's thoughts. "I shall imagine we will find out soon enough," Kheyrn replied. The northerner smith shrugged dismissively and turned his attention back to the game of chess he was playing, against Marion this time. The young princess was a worthy opponent, though not as seasoned and tactical of mind as the ex-captain he usually played against.

"Well whatever it is, I hope it's something that will keep my back from itching like this," the Canthan grumbled and reached behind herself to scratch the areas of her back she could reach. "I don't know how much longer I can go without trying to tear off my skin, just to make it stop." "Don't be like that Beastbane," Marion muttered and moved one of her pawns. "I'm sure you've lived through worse." "Probably," Yun admitted and squirmed in an attempt to scratch her back against her chair. "But I can't recall that being nearly gored to death by a berserking bison was as large of an annoyance in the aftermath."

"Odd," Kheyrn mumbled, apparently listening, even though he was busy reading one of the many books located in the common room. "One would think being trampled would leave a more permanent mark." Yun shrugged and opened her mouth to speak again, just as Irena returned with a vial in hand.

"This is a vial of our most potent healing potion," the elderly healer said and stepped up to the mercenary. "I believe you are familiar with it, Master Kheyrn." The soldier stepped forth and studied to concoction, sniffed it and recoiled with a disgusted face. "Oh I remember it, I can assure you," he groaned. "Healed my near-broken leg in a matter of an hour or two, but you'd rather drink vomit than that stuff." Marion gave a sound of disgust at that statement.

"You have to drink it all, and the pain will disappear shortly. Though I'm afraid there's nothing to do about the scar-." Before Irena could completely finish her sentence, the mercenary swiped the vial and drowned its contents in one gulp. The room fell silent, and Kheyrn looked like he was ready to catch her if the Canthan fell. Yun's face suddenly twisted in disgust and she began spitting and coughing in an attempt to remove the liquid from herself.

"Is this supposed to happen?" Marion squeaked as her bodyguard fell to the floor and rolled around on it, shouting curses between her coughing-fits. "It happened similarly to me," Kheyrn reassured her, already feeling guilty for not catching her. "I'm sure it happens all the time." Irena nodded in confirmation. "Don't be alarmed, girl," she scoffed. "I know what I'm doing."

After a while, the mercenary fell silent and slowly got to her feet again. "Kei na Kai..." she muttered, then asked, "Does anybody have any water?" Gorn rose and went off to fetch some, and Kheyrn helped the woozy Canthan back to her chair. "What was that stuff made of?" she asked as she got to her senses again. "Trust me," Irena answered. "You do not want to know. Try to sit still now, the taste and dizziness will wear off sooner if you do." Yun took the healer's words to her and did as she was instructed. Gorn returned soon after with a vial of water, which he claimed was from one of the fountains.

Cautious due to her last vial, the mercenary carefully sipped a few drops of the water-looking liquid before downing the water in one drink. "Ah…Dwayna's Breath, that felt good," she sighed once she had regained her breath, adding a, "Thank you," in Irena's direction. "Just doing my job," Irena replied.

Yun rose from her seat after a while and stretched out in every direction she could. Once satisfied, she grabbed hold of Marion and dragged her off. "Training," she explained before the girl could even speak. "I need to loosen out my muscles a bit."

The door to the bedchamber closed, and Gorn, Kheyrn and Irena were left standing outside. "Well, I had best get back to the healers' wing. Good day, my lords." The elderly woman curtsied and disappeared out the door. "Good," Kheyrn nodded once she was gone. "Now we can talk about tonight." "Will everything go as planned, Ormdreper?" the northerner wondered. "Athalan give that it does," the soldier muttered in response. The two men sat down by the chessboard and began a new game.

"Explain to me again why we have not yet informed Lady Marion and Beastbane about our plan," Gorn requested and moved his tower. Kheyrn resisted the urge to roll his eyes and knocked the smith's tower off the board. "We didn't tell Princess Marion because Beastbane would probably have seen that there was something she wasn't telling her," he reminded his friend and moved his knight. "And we didn't tell Beastbane because we counted on her being out of commission while we were carrying out the plan. Her recovery will make our objective easier in any case. Had we told her, she would have made every effort to come along, even in her previously wounded state."

Gorn nodded understandingly. "When do we move?" he asked. "Tonight, if everything goes as planned," Kheyrn replied and checkmated the northerner. "And if we are successful, we shall no longer have to worry about the assassins."

Yun was still stretching out after the rigorous training session, nearly overjoyed at having her body functioning as it should again. Marion was asleep, and had been for a few hours. The Canthan stretched one last time before sitting herself down in the chair beside the princess's bed.

She sat and watched her sleeping employer for a while, trying in vain to fend off her own tiredness. Her eyes were about to slip shut, when a gentle rapping on the door roused her from her half-slumber. She stood and opened the door to find Kheyrn waiting outside. "What's up?" she asked quietly. "Wake the princess," the Tyrlachian answered. "We are going after the assassins, tonight."

Yun blinked, but did as she was told and the four of them were soon geared up and ready. Gorn peeked out of the door and nodded before stepping outside. Arean and his men were lying in the hallway, snoring as one man. Marion and Yun raised their eyebrows in question at the two men. Gorn quickly muttered, "His idea," and went to scout out the hallway.

"Well…you see," Kheyrn began with a nervous smile. "Gorn and I took the liberty of going through your bathing salts, Your Highness, and he discovered that several of them combined would produce a powerful sleeping draught." Both the princess and the mercenary raised their second eyebrow at him. "Yes, it turns out that Gorn's mother was some sort of herbalist, and taught him a few nifty tricks."

"How did you get Arean and his soldiers to drink it?" Yun wondered. Kheyrn fell silent for some time before answering. "We…managed to persuade one of your chambermaids to help us, Your Highness," he said. "She brought the draught to the kitchens and distributed it into the soldiers' soup." "How did you persuade her?" Marion asked. "I was sure that my chambermaids were practically bribe-immune." The soldier fell silent again and turned his eyes to the roof, blushing furiously.

"The girl wanted Ormdreper's company for one entire night," Gorn chuckled as he returned. "And if one were to judge by the looks she gave him when next we saw her, he fulfilled his end of the bargain admirably." The Canthan clamped a hand over her mouth to keep herself from bursting into laughter, while Marion blushed even deeper than Kheyrn did, looking quite mortified as well.

"Let us not linger for longer than necessary," the ex-captain coughed and turned to the smith. "Is the way clear?" "Clear as a still pond," Gorn assured them. "If we are lucky, we may go unnoticed." "But what of the patrols?" Marion asked. "We cannot hope to avoid them all." "Then we'll simply have to make sure we don't kill them when they spot us," Yun grinned and took point. The princess shook her head, sighed and followed the mercenary with Gorn and Kheyrn.

Gorn's prediction had been correct, as they had yet to be seen by anyone, though they themselves managed to avoid quite a few patrols on the way. Before long, the small group was huddled together in a shadowy nook in the entrance-hall, and as always, Athalan's eyes were staring down at them.

"The entrance is constantly guarded," Kheyrn whispered. "And the only way into the stables is in the courtyard, through the entrance." "We're not getting out without a fight," Yun summarized. Kheyrn nodded solemnly and drew his mace, the rest of the group readied their weapons as well, when a distant bell caught the attention of the soldiers at the entrance, and they quickly rushed off. "Someone must've found Arean," Marion guessed as the soldiers stormed past them.

"Let's go, before they guess our intentions!" the Canthan urged her comrades, and they swiftly moved across the hall and into the courtyard. They snuck into the stables, and emerged leading a pair of horses and Ryûng by their reins.

"Okay," Yun whispered soothingly and gently stroked the drake on its head. "Quiet now, good boy." Marion had climbed onto the beast, in order to make the trip easier. Miraculously, the group made it all the way outside the walls without running into trouble. Once outside, all of them mounted and put a fair distance between themselves and the city.

"I almost cannot believe it," Kheyrn muttered as he slid off his horse. "I cannot believe that we made it." Sensing that the tension had lifted, Ryûng growled and snapped after one of the horses, only to be pulled away by Yun tugging hard on his reins. "No eating the horses," she growled at him.

"Sorry…" she muttered once the dragon-like beast had settled down. "He usually doesn't eat things unless I give them to him, tell him to eat it or if it's hostile." "Maybe he has forgotten his place while he was cooped up in the stables," Marion suggested.

"Then it's high time he gets a reminder of who's wearing the pants in this relationship," the Canthan growled and extended her hand towards the princess, who handed her a locker with the torn cape inside. Yun fished the cloth out and held it to the drake's nose. The beast sniffed along the ground for a bit, and took off. Yun tugged hard on his reins again and climbed onto him, muttering about his behavior.

She held him still for a few minutes, just to see if he would challenge her control, before sending him off with a snap of his reins. Gorn and Kheyrn mounted and followed the Canthan's lead, none of them noticing the shadowy wisp-like figure that drifted out from between the leaves of a nearby tree, before disappearing with the breeze back towards Tyrleôn.

"We've been out here for hours," the princess of Tyrlach complained, rubbing the sleep from her eyes still. "We should head back before we get into more trouble." "We've barely been here for twenty minutes, princess," Yun muttered and squinted into the dark as Ryûng sniffed along the ground. "And I doubt that we could get into any more trouble than we already are." The mercenary sat still, nearly unmoving, and very quiet on top of her beast. Eventually, the drake raised his head off the ground and swung out to the east. Yun nodded and snapped her reins, ordering her mount to move.

"No, boss, I'd say that the best way of avoiding your father's wrath is to bring him the head of whoever it is that wants you dead." The mercenary's tone was low and edged. She was ready to draw her weapon and kill something at a moment's notice. The two men shared her tense, vigilant, posture, and Gorn's hand was constantly fingering with the hilt of his battleaxe.

Ryûng halted, lowered his head, and growled softly. Motioning for her allies to keep quiet, the Canthan slid off her beast, and at her bodyguard's urging, so did Marion. Quickly, Yun unstrapped the drake's saddle and everything else he carried and sent him off into the woods with a pat/shove on his neck. Gorn and Kheyrn quietly dismounted and drew their weapons, before the group slipped into the woods.

"Keep your eyes on the trees," Kheyrn whispered. "Watch for archers or scouts." "Maybe…we should get up into the trees ourselves," Marion suggested, earning looks of both disbelief and confusion from her bodyguards. "Think, people," she hissed. "If they have scouts in the trees, they'll be watching the ground. If they see us, they'll scurry back to their hideout and warn them that we're coming. And the leader will, unquestionably bolt and attack us while we're unaware."

The three older warriors fell silent for a while. "When did you get this smart at this sort of thing?" Yun finally asked her eyebrows almost disappearing under her headband. The girl gave a wickedly self-satisfied smile and replied, "I've grown up a lot since we met." "I'll say," the mercenary mumbled and began to make her way up the closest tree.

"Do you ever get the feeling that you and I are virtually unimportant?" Kheyrn muttered towards the northerner. "Sometimes," the larger man admitted. The two men shrugged and found a pair of sturdy trees of their own to climb.

Yun looked beside herself, nodding as she spotted her comrades in the branches and moved forward, leaping from tree to tree like some sort of monkey, not dissimilar to the simians of The Tarnished Coast. The full moon rose high above the treetops, illuminating the branches, and guiding the way for the group. Gorn was, understandably, less comfortable than his less-than-comfortable companions, due to his larger size and lack of acrobatic grace. This proved itself to be disadvantageous, at the very least, when a tremendous roar from somewhere up ahead caused him to lose his balance. Only the timely intervention of Yun and Kheyrn, who were thankfully on branches right next to his own, kept the northerner from going down like a rotten plum.

"Was that…?" The Canthan nodded in response. "Ryûng," she said. "Sounds like he's found some of them." "That's where he went off to?" Marion asked. "To scout?" Yun nodded. "He does it whenever I send him off without his saddle. He scouts out the area and roars to let me know where I can find hostiles. Took me hell of a long time to teach him to do that." "What if they kill him?" the princess asked in a shocked whisper. "If that happens," the Canthan replied. "I'll fertilize his grave with their blood. Though, he usually moves on after marking an area, I don't think we need to worry."

Satisfied, the princess motioned for the group to keep moving, and eventually, they spotted a small number of figures in black-cloaks watching a clearing beneath them. The small party spread out, silently, and surrounded the assassins. "Now!" Marion shouted, and the four of them tore into the enemy. Several of them fell with broken necks, and even more were taken down with steel. Within a few seconds, there was only one of them left. He leapt away from Gorn's axe and bolted, only to meet his end in the maw of Ryûng. "Good boy!" Yun called from above. The drake sniffed the air a bit, before settling down and tearing a chunk off his new meal.

"We're clear," the Canthan said and jumped down. "If any more were nearby, he would've smelled them." Gorn and Kheyrn jumped down to join her, while Marion carefully climbed down. "Where to, Beastbane?" she asked once she was on the ground again. Yun shrugged. "We're going to have to ask him about that," she replied with a nod towards her drake. "Though…we should wait until he's finished with his meal. He tends to get cranky if he's disturbed while eating."

And so, they waited until the drake swallowed its latest meal and burped loudly before approaching him and presenting the cloth once more. Ryûng sniffed the torn cape a few times before stuffing his muzzle in the ground and sniffing along it, circling the clearing a few times before running to the absolute centre of it and began to dig. Yun grabbed him by one of his horns, and led him off. "They're beneath us," Kheyrn muttered. Gorn nodded and knelt down where the drake had dug, finding an iron ring seemingly lodged to the ground. "Trapdoor," he mumbled.

"We're not going down there without a plan," Marion stated. "We'll just get ourselves killed." "You're probably right," Yun agreed. "Anyone got any bright ideas?" "I think I might have one," Kheyrn smiled and nudged an assassin's corpse with his boot.

"This plan…is doomed to fail," Gorn grumbled. "And on a different note, I feel decidedly uncomfortable." "Oh be quiet you big whiner," Yun said, pulling the assassin-hood over her head. She had managed to find a uniform that fit her well enough, while Gorn had to settle for one that was a few sizes too small for him. "We'll just be lucky if no one starts wondering about our weapons." "Lucky that these clothes are wide enough to conceal our armors, I say," Marion voiced her opinion. "Quite lucky," Kheyrn nodded. "Are we ready?" The others nodded, and the soldier hauled the trapdoor open.

A stair, lit by torches, led down into a tunnel. There was no one in sight, and the small group hurried inside, leaving the trapdoor open just in case. They moved slowly, though not suspiciously slowly, and before long, they heard footsteps ahead. An assassin came wandering out of a side-passage, halted and turned his head to them.

His eyes lingered for a moment on the two Tyrlachians in the group, moved and lingered a bit longer on the Canthan, before settling on the northerner. "Misplaced your garment, friend? Those look a little too tight on you," he spoke. "Lost in the wash," the smith muttered in reply. "Ah, yes," the assassin shrugged. "Such things happen. You are, of course, here for The Mistress's grand speech." Yun nodded. "We sure are," she grinned. "We're kind of at a loss for where to go, though. We haven't been around much." "I see," the assassin grinned back. "Been out fighting the good fight, eh?" Yun nodded again, and the assassin waved them with him.

"I don't blame anyone for getting lost though. It was way easier to find one's way around back in the Tyrleôn-sewers," he muttered after a while. "Sure was," Yun agreed. "Smelled a lot worse, though." The assassin chuckled and nodded. "Say, friend," he said after a while. "I couldn't help but notice that you have slight of a somewhat peculiar accent. You're not from around here, are you?" The mercenary shook her head. "Cantha," she said. "The best assassins come from Cantha after all."

"Funny, you don't look much like an assassin." "That's the genius of it all. Who would expect an assassin to look like this?" Giving an understanding, "Ah," the assassin nodded. "Maybe we need a Canthan to get past a Canthan," he muttered. "The mercenary?" Yun asked, feigning ignorance. Their escort nodded again. "She's a pain that none of us could've anticipated. Our numbers are severely depleted, because of her and the other two." "Yep," the Canthan smiled secretly. "I hear she's quite the warrior." "You don't know half of it," he groaned.

"It's not as though she didn't have help, though," Marion spoke up. "That northerner and the soldier helped too, I'm sure that if the Canthan had been alone, we would have been done with this already." The assassin sighed. "True," he mumbled, missing the glare the two women exchanged. "And I suppose none of us ever suspected that the princess herself was going to become such a fierce little thing." Marion looked like she was stuck between pride and boasting, and a fuming hatred at being called a, "little thing."

"So…" Yun said after a short while. "Any idea why we're after that girl? Because, I'm kind of wondering about that." The assassin shrugged. "Only The Mistress fully knows what the prophecy says. All we know is that we must reunite the princess with Athalan in the afterlife before her eighteenth birthday, or a great evil will fall upon the world." They fell silent, hearing the buzz of many voices up ahead.

"Looks like we're on time," the assassin smiled. "I have to find my place, I'm guarding The Mistress herself this evening. Athalan be with you." The assassin bade his disguised enemies farewell and walked off to take his position. "I can't believe it," Kheyrn breathed and took his hand off his weapon. "I can't believe it worked." What?" The rest of his companions rounded on him. "It was your idea in the first place," Gorn hissed. "Oh look, I think something's happening."

They turned around at where the soldier was pointing, and spotted a figure moving up to a podium of sorts, overlooking the crowd. The figure was dressed similarly to the assassins present, who had fallen deathly silent, except for the blood-red and gaping lion's head emblazoned on her chest. "Children!" The Mistress called, her voice definitely not that of a young woman, but not quite that of an old woman."My children, Fangs of Athalan! The Day of the Awakening draws near, and our objective remains unfulfilled!" She paused to let her words sink in before carrying on. "But take heart, my children, for the battle is not yet lost! We are so close to victory, that we could reach out and…"

"We have to get closer," Marion whispered while The Mistress kept talking. "We can't get much closer without arousing suspicion," Yun whispered back. "Everyone else is standing still." "Look, if we just edged forward, a tiny bit at a time, maybe we could-," "It's too risky," the Canthan whispered, bordering on insistent hissing. "We can't afford being exposed smack-dab in the middle of the enemy." "Well we can't just stand here while-!" The sound of The Mistress clearing her throat had the two women falling as silent as the rest of the room.

"Was there anything you would like to say, child?" the assassin-leader asked. Remembering that The Mistress was, supposedly, close to her, Marion decided to forgo speech and answered by simply shaking her head. The Mistress cocked her head to the side and raised her hand, beckoning the princess to come closer. "Come here, child. Let me have a look at you."

Marion swallowed silently and moved forward, the crowd of assassins parting in front of her. The disguised princess stepped up onto the wide podium and bowed deeply before The Mistress, who grabbed the girl's shoulders, gently and turned her towards the crowd. "See, my children, your sister in the struggle against the darkness!" she called. "Our cause is just, and our resolve unfaltering! Look, upon this young and brave woman's face, and see hope for our future!" With those words, The Mistress removed the girl's hood and pulled down her mask from behind.

The chamber fell silent as their target's face was revealed before their very eyes. The Mistress blinked at the lack of applause, and turned the girl around to look at her. Her eyes widened until they looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets. Two sharp whistles and a tremendous roar in answer shook the assassins out of their trance, and they had barely gotten their weapons out when Ryûng barreled out of the entrance and laid into them.

Yun, Kheyrn and Gorn drew their weapons and struck down the assassins closest to them before making for the podium. The Mistress snarled a curse and reached down to unsheathe one of her daggers, just as Marion brought one of her scimitars up. The two blades met, and Marion managed to dance away from the older woman's grasp, bringing her second scimitar up as she went.

The Mistress unsheathed her second dagger and struck again, quicker than a snapping viper, and more powerfully than her slim stature would have one believe. Marion blocked the strikes and repaid the assassin in kind with a few lightning-swift swings of her own.

Another assassin went down, and Yun pulled her sword from his throat and hacked open the shoulder of another one, all while moving as fast as she could in Marion's direction. Gorn and Kheyrn were hot on her heels, and the number of dead assassins left in their wake was simply enormous. Scores of black-cloaks had already been felled, with quite an effort on Ryûng's part, but they kept coming in a massive tide, significantly slowing the three bodyguards down.

"Just die!" The Mistress snarled as the princess blocked yet another strike. "Your survival will doom us all!" The girl didn't pay the woman's words any heed, focusing solely on keeping her daggers away from her neck. Footsteps from behind her had Marion swinging one of her blades blindly, actually managing to split open a throat on the way.

Several assassins stormed onto the podium with their daggers drawn. The younger woman sent The Mistress away with a well-placed kick, before moving to engage her acolytes. "Quantity over quality, indeed," she thought as they went down, before turning and meeting The Mistress's blades again.

"I will not leave this realm to its fate for anything!" Marion snarled as they clashed. "And least of all, your foolish superstitions!" "It is you who are foolish!" The Mistress growled. "The dead wander the lands of the living, their queen comes to take you! Your death is the only hope we have of staving her-!" The older woman interrupted herself with an, "Oomph!" as Yun came flying at her and tackled her to the ground.

"Masterfully thrown, my friend," Kheyrn said and smashed his mace into an assassin's forehead. "I cannot believe I just threw her of all people," Gorn exclaimed, standing back-to-back with the Tyrlachian soldier.

The Canthan and The Mistress rolled back and forth across the podium, wrestling intensely while Marion stood her ground against the oncoming assassins. "Let's see who it is that's trying to kill us," Yun snarled as she pinned the assassin beneath herself and ripped the mask from her face. She blinked, shook her head and did a double-take. Irena's eyes were blazing with uncontained fury as she glared up at the mercenary.

"You treacherous, gnarled, bony, heket-loving hag!" the warrior roared and made to crush the elderly healer's head with her bare hands. Irena snarled wordlessly and caught the younger woman's fist with her hand, before jabbing two of her fingers in the side of her opponent's neck. Yun was instantly paralyzed and thrown off the healer.

Irena rolled back onto her feet, barely avoiding the corpse of one of her followers, and stood to face the princess, who stood and gaped at her old nursemaid. "Why?" the girl whispered. "Why, Madam Irena? Why do you want me dead?" "Have you heard nothing of what I have said? Foolish girl…" The elderly woman surged forward, her elbow connecting with the princess's cuirass and sending her onto her back.

"We have seen the signs," Irena spoke as she approached the girl, reaching down and retrieving one of Marion's scimitars as she went, as they had fallen out of the girl's grip when she was knocked backwards. "They started just after you and Kheyrn left, and we knew what had to be done." The princess's crawling retreat was halted as her old nursemaid planted her boot on her chest.

"Believe me, Marion," the healer whispered. "I dearly hoped that it would not come to this." She raised the weapon. "You would have made a fine queen. I'm sorry." "Kjerring!" An anvil smashed into the healer, just as Yun collided with her from behind. As they hit the ground, the Canthan's hands found the older woman's head, and twisted it around.

Irena fell limp in the mercenary's arms, and as she fell silent, so did the rest of the chamber. Kheyrn and Gorn hurried up beside their comrades and helped Marion to her feet. They stepped over to Yun, who had risen with Irena's body in her arms. "I can't believe it," Marion whispered. "Of all the things that have happened to me the last few weeks, this is by far the worst." "We'll take her with us," Yun promised as Kheyrn reached out and closed the elderly woman's eyes. "We'll present her to the king as proof of our deed, and see to it that she gets a proper funeral." "Wrong, foreigner!" a voice behind them snarled.

The group turned, and saw a horde of assassins standing before them, all with their daggers drawn and trained at them. "None of you will leave this chamber alive!" "Ryûng!" Yun gasped. The drake was backed into a corner, surrounded by assassins, though mostly unharmed. "The Mistress may have fallen, but her death shall not have been in vain," the foremost assassin said. "We still have time to hinder The Prophecy from coming true."

The black-cloak took one step forward, and was instantly flattened as a piece of the ceiling slammed into him. The moonlight that shone through the hole was obstructed as a large, limp, figure covered from head to toe in deepest black fell through it and landed with a sickening crack on top of the debris.

"Back!" Kheyrn shouted, and he and his companions beat a retreat, just as the figure rose, unsheathed its fellblade and beheaded three assassins in one swing. In that very moment, several dozens of holes appeared in the ceiling, and the undead rained through them, laying waste to the assassins as they landed.

"We have to get out of here," Gorn snarled. "Quickly, we must make for the surface!" The small group plunged into the chaos that now reigned in the chamber. Yun managed to signalize to Ryûng, and the dragon-like beast appeared by her side. She loaded Irena's body onto his back, and sent him off towards the surface."Follow the drake!" she called and drew her sword.

Ryûng barreled through the assassins and the undead alike, clearing a wide swath that the mercenary and her allies used to stay on his tail. The assassins came at them, and were fended off, but the undead seemed to leave them be, oddly enough. In fact, several times, the corpse-warriors hindered the assassins from harming any of them.

With such unexpected aid, they quickly reached the surface, slammed the trapdoor shut and bolted back towards the horses. In record-time, they strapped Ryûng's saddle back on, mounted and galloped as fast as they could back to Tyrleôn, slowing down after some time, once they were certain that they were not pursued.

The group rode in silence, none of the feeling as elated as they had anticipated they would. "Beastbane?" Marion asked quietly from where she sat behind the Canthan. Yun turned her head around and looked at her. "Is victory supposed to taste this bitter?" The Canthan gave her a slight smile and shook her head, before reaching back and pulling the girl into an embrace.

"Victories sometimes have to come at costs. Often these are costs we wish we didn't have to pay," the older woman murmured. "But…sometimes, the loss of something or someone we hold dear, is for the better of all in the end." Marion nodded and laid her head to rest on the Canthan's back. Yun's smile faded as she heard the princess begin to snore behind her, and urged her drake to go slightly faster, wishing to put herself and her friends as far away from the slaughter that was no doubt going on in the cavern as she could.

"Be quick, time is short," the Elonian snarled as the ex-servant approached him. The younger man kneeled. "None of the assassins escaped the chamber. They are broken, crushed completely." The necromancer sighed in relief. "That is, at least, one thing less to worry about." He looked up and raised his crooked finger to the cloudless sky. "The moon turns to us, the stars glimmer and sing the doom of this land. Grenth's gaze rests on Tyrleôn, and He knows what is coming." "Is it time?" the Tyrlachian asked. "Soon, my friend," the dark-skinned necromancer muttered, turning his gaze back to his accomplice. "Very, very soon." He stepped past the younger man and strode back to his undead steed, the ex-servant following. "We shall await Her in Athalgar, Her coming is mere days away."

Agnar, for the first time in the quite long period Kheyrn had known of him, looked crestfallen. The man had always had a smile lurking around the corner, or a fatherly glimmer in his eyes, when he wasn't serious, he rarely looked sad or discouraged. Now he did.

"Of all the people in the world…" he muttered. "Why would she do such a thing?" "She spoke of a prophecy, father," Marion spoke. "She said that only my death could stave off some queen of the dead, or something like that." Kheyrn narrowed his eyes. "Should we ready our defenses, My Liege?"

Agnar didn't answer for some time. "No," he finally said. "Tyrleôn has never fallen to an enemy, and I will not spread panic among the people because of the deranged superstitions of an old woman." The king turned from the body, towards the servants who stood at attention near the door. "Begin the preparations, we shall bury Madam Irena in three days." "What of the undead warriors we have encountered, My Lord?" the soldier pressed on. "And the one who controlled them in the sewers, he mentioned a "Her" after we faced them."

Agnar held up his hand, and the ex-captain fell silent. "I do thank you all, for disposing of the assassin's threat, but we shall not discuss this manner any further this evening." With those words, the one-legged monarch turned and hobbled from the room.

Yun went to stand beside the soldier and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Come on," she murmured, just loudly enough for the others in the room to hear her. "Let's get ourselves some rest." Kheyrn sighed deeply and nodded, and the group exited the chamber. Gorn leading the princess by her shoulder.

"-and therefore, we cannot allow this matter rest," Kheyrn stated as he stood before the thrones. Three days had passed, and Irena had been buried properly. "This "queen of the dead" may, or may not, be a genuine and real threat, but I say we would be fools to wait until she is upon us before we act." Yun crossed her arms and drew a deep breath. She had barely slept at all during the night, having lain awake with her hands clutched tightly on the hilt of her sword, waiting for something to happen. Her gut-feeling was rarely wrong, and it had her anticipating something, something foreboding and dark.

"This is nonsense," Elin snorted, managing to sound ladylike even while making that kind of sound. "The only word we have of this…queen, is that of a sewer-dwelling madman and a lying traitor. Hardly evidence to be trusted I'd say." The mercenary narrowed her eyes, but kept silent, knowing that stating her opinion based on her gut was hardly a sensible thing to do. She had a stinking suspicion that she had fallen far enough from the favor of the reigning monarch, even without making such statements.

Elin leaned over to her husband and whispered something in his ear, departing from his immediate side with a kiss on his cheek. "We will not mobilize any defense," Agnar stated after some time. "As my wife says, the evidence is sorely lacking in credibility." Kheyrn flinched, but bowed and stood down.

"I suppose, mercenary, that the demise of the assassins means your work here is done?" Agnar said, not even calling her to stand in front of him. "So I assume, My Lord," Yun answered with a curt bow. "Then you may take whatever payment you employer sees fit for you, and then be gone." "Definitely fallen from his favor," Yun thought and bowed again. "With all possible respect for you, My Lord," she spoke aloud. "I am, as you noted, in your daughter's employ, and there I shall stay until she deems my departure necessary." She bowed again and crossed her arms anew.

"I suppose then, that that is the stance taken by the two of you as well, is it?" Agnar spoke, turning his attention to Gorn and Kheyrn, who both nodded after curt bows of their own. "Marion?" he asked. "I see no reason to send these formidable people away, father. I shall keep them by my side until at least three weeks after my birthday," the princess answered.

"Very well," the king said, looking a bit less than pleased. "Get out of my sight, all of you." The order was silent but unquestionable, and everyone in the room cleared out, leaving the king to his thoughts.

Marion and her retinue departed for the princess's chambers. Their heads were heavy with both fatigue and sadness, and Yun cold not, however much she tried, shake off the feeling that something was about to happen, something bad. "What now?" Gorn wondered. "Where do we go from here?" "I don't know," Marion whispered. "I really don't know. Everything seemed so much clearer before." Yun stepped forward and put her arm around the girl's shoulder. "Training," she stated. "It'll take our minds off our troubles, and if this queen truly is on her way…then it helps to be a bit more prepared than you were before."

Marion smiled and nodded as they headed into her chambers. The two women retreated to the bedchamber and drew their swords. Gorn closed the door just as they clashed, and sat down by the chess-table. "A game, Ormdreper?" he asked the soldier, who stood by the balcony-doors and looked out towards the sea. "Looks like it's going to be a stormy night," Kheyrn muttered, narrowing his eyes at a large cloud of fog that moved across the ocean and towards Athalgar, barely a few hours away.

"Kheyrn?" The soldier turned his head to see the northerner sitting by the chessboard, waving one of his knights to and fro. The Tyrlachian rolled his eyes, and with a last glance at the gathering storm, he joined his comrade by the table.

The fog hung heavily over Athalgar, and the thunder rumbled overhead. The pitter-patter of the first rain colliding with the brick-roads of the city were soon drowned out as the rest of the rain fell after it. Two figures stood by the harbor, their black robes billowing slightly in the breeze, a breeze that became ever stronger as the main bulk of the fog-cloud drew closer to shore.

The Elonian swallowed and fidgeted, not having set eyes on The Dread Queen for many a year, he was understandably nervous about her reaction to his work. "Have you…ever met The Dread Queen before?" his companion asked him. He nodded. "Have you?" The ex-servant shook his head. "A piece of advice," he muttered. "Do not look into Her eyes unless She tells you to. Be prepared."

The younger man nodded, swallowed and kneeled down. A bell tolled from somewhere in the fog, and a ship, looking like it belonged on the ocean-floor emerged from it, followed by two others who were in no better condition. A wave of putrid stench washed across the harbor as the ships turned to the side and docked. From each vessel, ten necromancers from all the corners of Tyria, Cantha and Elona leapt from the deck and spread out, forming a large half-circle around the two companions, turned back towards the largest ship and kneeled.

"Kneel deeper, fool!" the Elonian hissed and threw himself to both his knees, kneeling so deeply that his forehead touched the ground. A gangplank was pushed from the flagship, and two of The Dread Queen's elite guard, the Dreadknights, strode down to the dock. The two revenants stepped to the sides of the gangplank and kneeled. Slow footsteps descended down the gangplank, not heavy ones, but commanding nonetheless.

They halted in front of the kneeling necromancer, and a hand, colder than ice, was laid upon his head. "Be always blessed by Grenth, child," The Dread Queen spoke. "Grenth has whispered to me in my dreams, He has told me of the assassins' demise. Rise, Hashek, you have done well." Hashek did as he was commanded, and rose, still keeping his eyes trained on the ground. Shetani reached out and tipped his chin upwards, her soulless black pools, along with the hazy orbs of pale grey where another person's pupils would be, staring into his amethyst eyes. Her hair was a dirty, mattered white and her skin reminded Hashek of the color of dark-grey ash. He swallowed, having nearly forgotten the haunting beauty his queen possessed.

After some time of gazing into her underling's eyes, and soul if he suspected correctly, she released him and turned to the other man. "Be always blessed by Grenth, child," she whispered and laid her hand on his head. Hashek almost sighed with relief when his accomplice didn't whimper. "By what name are you known, my son?" Shetani asked. "I am called…Calec, my queen," the younger man answered. "Rise, Calec, you have done well, both of you."

The ex-servant, too, did as he was commanded, but was allowed to not meet his queen's soulless gaze. "You may fill me in on what else has been going on while we relocate to the catacombs," Shetani said and moved past them, her followers and Dreadknights going with her.

The necromancers were back in the sewers of Tyrleôn shortly, not one of them feeling any sort of hindrance from the storm that raged around them. Once in the catacombs, Hashek told his queen of everything that had transpired since last they spoke with each other. "-and so we returned to Athalgar and waited there until your arrival, my queen," he finished and bowed.

Shetani twirled her wine-glass between her claw-like fingers and gave a hum, before nodding and sipping her wine, and then she crushed the glass in her hand. She glared at the shards with a contempt she usually reserved for foolish underlings, and Hashek and Calec were swiftly down on their knees again. "Forgive us, o Dread Queen," Calec begged. "Forgive our failure, it will not happen again."

"Your failure has made the girl and her…thugs realize our presence, if not our intent," the grey-skinned Elonian muttered. "Nevertheless, it is of little consequence. The king of this land has not made any preparation to counter us, and when he does, it will be too late." She spared her two acolytes a slight glance before returning her attention to the broken glass. She frowned slightly and tossed it away, stood up and walked over to her underlings.

"You are not to blame," she assured, and swept past them, not missing their relieved sighs. "No…the blame falls upon her bodyguards." Shetani chuckled, the corners of her thick lips curling upwards in an unsettling grin. "Though I suppose we owe our eventual victory to them as well." Her chuckle grew into a small laughter. "Without them, the assassins would have gotten her before we could." Another laughter. On anyone else, the sound might've been pleasant, but The Dread Queen's laughter was usually a sign that somebody was about to have their soul sucked from their mortal shell.

The Lord of Death's Chosen One's laughter subsided. "Come," she motioned to her retinue of thirty necromancers, "Tonight, Tyrlach shall know the power of Grenth, and despair." Shetani turned and swept out of the catacombs, her underlings and minions following.

The necromancers exited unseen from the sewers and spread out through the streets of Tyrleôn, before converging in the massive cemetery, a stone's throw away from The Temple of Athalan. Shetani scowled at the building from where she stood in the middle of the ring her acolytes formed around her. Lightning streaked across the sky as she turned back to them, and spoke. "The blood of the heathen priests shall be spilled first." Her followers bowed deeply as she spoke. "We, are Grenth's hand. This is the hour when He fists and crushes this land under our will, in His name."

"In His name," the necromancers repeated. "Let His will be done." As they spoke, the dark figures linked their hands. Their hands glowed a sickly green, beginning as a slight trickle, and growing into a vibrant beam that enveloped the necromancers' arms and seemed to suck what little light there was nearby out of existence. In the middle of the dark green circle, The Dread queen's feet left the ground as she hovered increasingly higher into the air, her hands and eyes glowing sickly green.

The dark-clad necromancers chanted in a strange and forbidden tongue around her, and suddenly stopped as she dropped from the sky and landed, sending a shockwave of dark energy through the area. "Arise, my children!" she roared as the storm whipped around her. "Grenth calls to you! He demands that you rise! Rise up, and serve in His name!" The earth groaned beneath them as the thousands of corpses from both the cemetery itself, and the catacombs below it clawed their way to the surface.

Some of the undead were armed, other were not. Some were fresh, looking almost alive, some were in mid-decay and other were nothing but bones. As they flooded onto the ground, many of them twisted and became something entirely different from what they had once been. A large number of them cracked and twisted, their skin turning pallid shades of various colors, their teeth sharpening and elongating, their nails becoming filthy claws. They became stunted and malformed, crouching down on all four. The newborn ghouls snapped their jaws at each other, others sprang in a rabbit-like fashion to their mistress and rubbed themselves against her legs, like cats seeking attention.

Shetani smiled and reached out to stroke the head of the closest abomination, before raising her hand and pointing. As one, the undead horde turned and surged towards the temple, with ever more rising from beneath and some assuming monstrous and grotesque form along the way.

"It begins," she smiled, standing still as her minions spilled forth. "We will end this kingdom, and then…the rest of the world will follow." Slowly and decisively, she began walking, her eyes fixed on the castle that loomed over Tyrleôn.

"On your left!" a voice yelled. Yun swung out and beheaded a leaping ghoul, wincing slightly as it crashed into a wall, got up and came at her again with blood and some sort of slime oozing from the stump of its throat. Cursing her bad timing for a midnight snack, the Canthan stabbed the abomination through the chest and raced down the hallway, pausing only in her mad dash to fend off the living corpses or assist those who needed help. A shrill scream echoed through the castle, and was abruptly broken off.

Yun winced again, but decided that there was nothing she could've done. The sound of a gasping moan from the side had her lashing out and taking a chunk out of a zombie that shambled in her direction. The rotting creature ducked clumsily and managed to avoid having its head taken off, before straightening up, raising its arm, and coming at her again, swinging a severed, half-eaten, leg as though it was a club.

The mercenary was unable to suppress her shudder, but raised her shield and blocked the limb-weapon before splitting its wielder's guts open. The zombie recoiled and tripped over the spine of a slain skeleton, and before it could get up and attack again, the Canthan thrust her sword through its brain and dashed on. She rounded a corner and ducked behind her shield as four arrows snapped from the bowstrings of a group of skeletons down the hall. The arrows bounced off her shield, and she moved in to fight off the pair of walking dead who came at her.

The first one was quickly dispatched. It came at her with its axe held high, but fell and shattered into a hundred bones as she swiped its legs off at its knees. The second one swung at her with its mace, which she avoided by hopping back. The warrior swiped at the skeleton, but found her blow blocked by the thing's shield. Their weapons clashed, and she somehow managed to outmaneuver her foe, severing its hand at the wrist before taking its head off.

The archers at the end of the hall put new arrows to their bows, only to fall under the swords of several Tyrlachian soldiers. The men finished with the undead quickly and jogged to meet the Canthan. Just as the leader raised his hand in greeting, a massive orb of dark green energy tore through the wall beside them. The guards were flattened under it as it collided with the opposite wall and evaporated, leaving behind a small hill of corpses that had been contained within.

The nearest one twitched and fisted its hand, before screaming, scrambling onto its feet and rushing at the mercenary. Yun thrust her sword forward and simply let the thing impale itself, before pulling it loose and beheading another one. Lightning streaked across the sky again, and the thunder roared as rain whipped into the hallway. Several other corpses made for the mercenary, and were cut down.

"I don't have time for this," Yun snarled to herself and leapt forward into the remaining undead, chopping off limbs and splitting open guts and throats while moving forward. A blow suddenly struck the side of her face and sent her reeling. The soldiers who had been hit by the orb were getting up, their eyes dead and hollow. One of them had struck her with his mace, and was in the process of repeating his attack.

The Canthan swung up and took the undead soldier's arm off before bringing her weapon down on his head and split it in two. Another one came at her, brandishing a longsword, just as something stunted and bony landed on her back. She whirled around, just as her first foe swung at her, and sent a quick "thank you" to her fiery deity as she felt the ghoul fall from her back, before whirling around again and cleaving the soldier's head from his shoulders.

Kicking out, she managed to clear her way somewhat, only to have it blocked by even more undead. "Down!" a voice she recognized yelled, and she complied just in time to avoid the anvil that slammed into her foes and sent them flying. "Thank Balthazar for timely intervention," Yun chuckled as Gorn helped her to her feet. "What are you doing down here?"

"Looking for you," the northerner replied. "Lady Marion and Ormdreper have barricaded themselves in a room not all that far from here, we figured it would be unwise to remain in the tower and get besieged." Yun nodded in agreement. "Come on," she said. "We'd better get going before more-," A chorus of bestially hungering howls interrupted her, and a swarm of ghouls rounded the corner and leapt towards the two.

Sword, shield and axe did their work admirably, but the numerical superiority of the deranged corpses quickly became all too clear. The ghastly creatures were about to overwhelm them Canthan and the northerner, though scores of them laid slain at their enemies' feet, when they suddenly routed and stormed down another passageway.

Yun blinked. "What was that all about?" she wondered to herself. "Let's go," she said aloud. "Lead the way." Several sections of the walls had been torn down along the way, and the two companions were drenched by the time they reached the room Gorn had left the other two in. The northerner pounded six times, three times fast and three times slowly, before the door opened. "Quickly," Kheyrn urged them inside, and closed the door.

Yun went over to Marion. "Are you unharmed?" she asked. The girl nodded, seeming a bit shaken. The mercenary nodded and gave the younger woman a brief hug before stepping over to Kheyrn. "Glad to see that you're in one piece and fully alive," the soldier greeted. "Things are looking rather gloomy." "I'll say," Yun muttered. "I was in the kitchen to get something to eat, and the next thing I know a headless chicken is trying to claw my eyes out." Kheyrn sighed. "We can't stay here forever, those monsters are looking for us." The mercenary raised an eyebrow.

"They came for us while you were gone, Gorn and I fended them off, but it was quite clear that they were after the princess," the ex-captain explained. Yun sighed herself, and turned to look at Marion again. "We should leave while the coast is clear, and try to find some help or something," she said. Kheyrn nodded and peeked out of the door. "No time like the present," he murmured.

Yun went back and fetched Marion, while Gorn took point with the soldier. They moved quickly, silently, and saw neither living nor dead on the way for some time. The hallway in front of them was empty, the invaders were probably off elsewhere, and they had probably taken the bodies of slain defenders with them.

Kheyrn held up his hand. The rest of the group stopped while the soldier mover forward and peeked around a corner before coming back. "There is a pack of ghouls around that corner, I think they're…" He paused and swallowed. "…having lunch." Marion paled and Yun grit her teeth. "How many?" she asked. "Fifteen, give or take," he answered.

"We can deal with that number," the Canthan decided. "The least we can do for those dead men is to keep them from being cannibalized." "Rational enough," Marion agreed.

The ghouls were quickly dealt with, and the group moved on. "Where are we going anyway?" Marion wondered, noticeably less shaken now than a few minutes ago. "Anywhere where we can secure ourselves a defensive position that isn't too risky and get some reinforcements," Yun answered.

"So you have no idea where we are going," the girl stated. The warrior gritted her teeth, but miraculously managed to rein her temper. "We can bicker later, princess, we have bigger things to worry about." Marion fell silent, and the group moved on. The dull roar of fighting soldiers and clashing steel, mixed with the unholy shrieks, screams and moans of their undead foes reached the four of them.

"This way," Kheyrn said and rushed down a hallway. "We should try to stay out of the heaviest fighting, lest we all perish to these invaders." "Shouldn't we try to help them?" "No one can help them," a cold voice spoke. The group whirled around and brought their weapons up. The cloaked man from the sewers stood at the end of the hallway, flanked by a massive swarm of ghouls that looked ready to pounce at a moment's notice. "No one can help you, for that matter." He raised his arm, and the ghouls surged forward, their howling and snarling nearly drowning out their master's command, "Seize the women, kill the other two!"

"Go!" Yun hollered and pushed Marion down the hall before turning to face the stunted creatures. Kheyrn brought his shield up and joined her, while Gorn and Marion retreated down the hallway. The wave of ghouls crashed into the shields of the two warriors and were smashed down or cut open as they did. Clashing steel let them know that the northerner and their employer had not gotten far.

Gorn growled and swung his axe again with a roar. The large, cloaked figure parried the blow with its halberd and swiped at his legs. Though it resembled the cloaked undead they had faced before, this one wore a strange helmet over its cloak. The smith managed to jump over the weapon, countering with a fist to the creature's chest. The cloak obviously hid some sort of armor, and the northerner doubled over and clutched his hand, only to receive an iron-hard knee to the chin.

He fell back, and closed his eyes as the creature raised its weapon to finish him off. "Get away from him, you thing!" Marion shrieked and brought her scimitars upon the beast in a downwards swing that lopped its arms clean off. The undead warrior let out a hollow groan, a groan that turned into an ear-splitting scream as new arms suddenly sprang out of its shoulders, before turning and striking the princess with a vicious backhand.

The girl fell back, but was lifted above the ground again as the creature clamped a hand over her mouth and lifted her by her head. The dread creature's green-glowing eyes bored into the princess's leaf-green ones, and it swiftly made towards the end of the hall, carrying the kicking and cursing girl with it. Gorn snarled, dove for the abomination's legs and brought it down.

Marion fell from the beast's hand and got to her feet, rushing over to fetch Gorn's axe while he was busy slamming his fists into the thing's helmet. The princess heaved the weapon onto her shoulders and wobbled back to Gorn, who took it, and then took his foe's head off.

The northerner breathed out a sigh of relief, and stood before turning to his employer. "Are you alright?" Marion didn't answer, but raised her hand and pointed. The smith turned his head, and his eyes widened. The headless corpse was crawling along the ground, using its rotting hands to drag itself towards its head. The second the body and the head made contact, they attached themselves to each other, and the creature was whole again.

The corpse reached out and retrieved its halberd, before swinging it and slamming the butt of it into the northerner and the princess and sent them to the ground. It rolled back onto its feet, and raised its weapon again to finish the smith off. The weapon clashed with a large, round, golden shield emblazoned with a pouncing lion.

Yun tossed the halberd away from her shield, slammed her boot into the undead creature's kneecap, and sliced its head off. Kheyrn was helping Marion and Gorn to their feet. The ghouls had all been slain, and the necromancer had fled, presumably to inform his queen of their whereabouts.

"Come on!" Yun shouted. "That thing won't stay down for long!" Sure enough, the head was already attempting to reunite with its body. Several tentacles erupted from the throat and dragged the body part towards its body.

The group dashed off, Kheyrn kicked the head farther away from its body to slow it down. "This is bad," Yun thought. "This is really bad." Ever since she had heard the words "Queen of the dead," she had had a suspicion of who that queen was. The Dreadknight had only served to confirm her suspicions. "But why is she here? What could she possibly want with Marion?"

The party skidded out into another, wider, hallway and spotted a group of soldiers attempting to fend off a pack of skeletons. Somewhere alongside the fighting, a fire had broken out, and a wall of flame separated the group from the soldiers. That was when they spotted him. Agnar was with the soldiers, and he had only just finished beheading one of the attackers, when he turned slightly and caught eye of them.

"Get out!" he shouted over the flames. "You have to get Marion out of here! We'll hold out as long as we can!" Yun wasn't listening, she had spotted the one person she had hoped she would not meet in this attack. The king noticed her staring at something, and turned to face the necromancer.

The queen of the dead stood before him, her skin dark ashen-grey, her hair white and her eyes dead and soulless. His men already lay dead on the floor. "Die, monster!" he roared and went at her, surprisingly fast for one missing a leg. Shetani didn't even move as he neared, but as he got close, one of the slain soldiers swung out with his sword and took the king's second leg off.

Before anyone could make a sound, or act, the necromancer clamped her claw-like hand over Agnar's mouth. Her eyes flashed, and the monarch's reddish hair became white with age, his features became wrinkled and saggy and his muscles faded and shrunk in. Soon, there was but a shrunken corpse left of Agnar of Tyrlach, and that was when Marion reacted.

"Daddy! No!" The princess's scream could have woken the dead, and ironically, it did. The Dread Queen's gaze whipped up from her most recent victim, and her eyes met with Yun's. The Canthan shivered, as she usually did when faced with the necromancer's gaze, while Shetani's lips curled into an affectionate smile.

The Dread Queen cast the king's body aside and strode towards the group, the ground seeming to freeze under her feet. "We have to go," Yun whispered, though Marion's sobs drowned the sound. "We have to go!" she yelled. "Now!" "Father!" Marion cried, struggling as the Canthan grabbed hold of her. "Come on! There's nothing we can do for him now! We have to go!"

Shetani drew ever closer to them, her eyes lighting up in nigh-maniacal glee, her smile turning into an insidious grin. "Are you two just going to stand there!" Yun bellowed at her comrades, who seemed to snap out of some trance and immediately grabbed hold of their employer and tried to haul her with them.

The girl's cries had turned into nonsensical sobbing, and her wild struggles kept them all in place. The flames froze around the necromancer as she stepped through them, a deathly chill hung in the air as she drew close and raised her hand towards the girl, her breath quickening and her eyes widening as her smile disappeared. "Forgive me for this," Yun whispered, and slammed her fist into Marion's face.

The princess fell limp, and Gorn quickly heaved her over her shoulder, while Yun and Kheyrn drew their weapons and stepped forward in an attempt to ward The Dread Queen off. "I've waited too long for this moment to be stopped now," the necromancer whispered. The three bodyguards repressed the urge to scream. Her voice was death.

"Far too long," she halted. "Step out of the way, Yun." "Never!" the Canthan snarled. Shetani's eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second. "Go, Kheyrn," Yun ordered. "I'll hold her off." The soldier glanced at the warrior's eyes, and took off after the smith.

"Come now, Yunnie," Shetani smiled. "How are you to hold me off? You won't kill me, that I know." "And you won't kill me either," the Canthan said, her sword trained at the older woman's throat. "I'll just have to beat you senseless then." The Elonian let out a laughter. "You always were a hothead," she smiled, seeming fond. "But, as I said, I have come too far to let you stand in my way." A horde of skeletons appeared behind the necromancer. "Keep her down."

The bony minions surged forward, and Yun readied her weapons. Just then, another orb of green energy slammed into the wall somewhere. The castle shook, and an ominous cracking from above had Yun leaping back just in time to avoid the falling roof that collapsed upon Shetani and her minions.

Yun wasted no time, definitely sure that the necromancer still lived, and dashed down the hallway. "We have to get away," she thought. "We have to get out of this kingdom." She rounded a corner, and stood face to face with the other person she hoped she would not meet.

Gaelm did not lower his sword when he saw who he was facing, if anything, he gripped it tighter. "You!" he snarled. "You are to blame for this!" "Me?" Yun replied. "Have you lost your mind? Do I look like I consort with necromancers to you?" "You cost me everything!" the ex-commander shouted. "My rank, my father's love and my dignity!"

"You took your own dignity when you-!" Yun slammed her mouth shut. "Listen, if we survive, we can settle our differences later, but right now, we have to move before she-," "Where is Marion?" Gaelm demanded. "What has become of her?" The Canthan sighed. "She's with Gorn and Kheyrn, she should be safe. Look, I know you and I aren't the best of friends, but right now-." The shorter warrior snorted. "That would be the understatement of the year."

"Stop interrupting me!" Yun roared, which, surprisingly enough, had the desired effect. "Listen," she growled. "Agnar is dead, his last order was to get Marion out of here, and I can't do that if you don't move." Gaelm didn't answer for a while, obviously trying to swallow that his stepfather was gone. "Go," he said at last. "Go. Take my sister to safety, I'll stay here and hold the defense for as long as I can."

Yun was taken aback, but quickly regained her composure. "Don't be a brave fool," she said. "They'll do worse things than just killing you if you stay here. Come with us, and we'll make sure Marion is well protected." The Tyrlachian shook his head. "I'll try to keep them busy as long as I can. Go." The Canthan blinked a few times, then bowed deeply. "You have my gratitude, and my respect," she said. "May Balthazar guide your sword and shield your soul."

The ex-commander stepped to the side, and Yun dashed on with one last bow to her rival. Gaelm kept his eyes one the foreigner until she was out of sight, raised his sword, kissed the hilt with a quick prayer and rushed to join the battle.

Why the stables were still standing, Yun had no idea. All she knew, was that Ryûng was alright, due to his enraged roaring. He never roared like that when he was wounded. She raised her blade and rushed inside to find the drake backed into a corner by several undead soldiers. A few of the attackers lay strewn about with large chunks taken out of them.

Yun swiftly beheaded the closest foe, before turning and slashing open another one. Ryûng roared and stormed forward, closing his monstrous jaws over the neck of one and slamming him into the ground several times. The Canthan and her beast quickly finished with the fiends, and Yun mounted up and stormed out of the stables.

The drake and its rider skidded out into the courtyard and made for the walls, running down several undead, and a few necromancers, on the way. "Close the gates, you witless worms!" someone shouted. A snarl from her right had the Canthan striking out and slamming her fist into the face of a leaping ghoul.

Seeing several more of her enemies approaching, Yun urged her mount to go faster and drew her blade. She lopped off the head of another ghoul and gritted her teeth as she saw the gates closing in front of her. Ryûng roared in defiance and pressed himself even faster.

The gate closed, almost catching the drake's tail as it got through the remaining gap just in time to avoid being crushed or locked inside. Yun didn't slow down until she was a long way outside of the outer walls. A couple of hours passed before she simply slid from her saddle, and slept, while her beastly companion watched over her.

A few hours later, Yun got up and stretched. It had been months since she had felt so tired. She noticed that she had ridden all the way up into the valleys to the east of Tyrleôn, and then noticed that the sun had not risen, even though her inner clock told her that it was beyond morning.

She looked back at the city, and frowned. Tyrleôn, Athalgar and the entire expanse of Athalan's Back was covered in shadow. The skies above were blocked out by clouds blacker than charcoal and thicker than any other clouds she had ever seen.

She sighed, and turned to her mount, who sat and looked at her. "Come on," she murmured and mounted. "Let's go and see if we can find the others." Urging her drake forward, Yun traversed the valley-slopes and soon found herself back on flat ground. After searching around the edges of the great plain for a few hours, she stopped Ryûng and began reasoning.

"If I was Gorn and Kheyrn, and I had to get out of Tyrlach and go somewhere safe…where would I go?" She sat on top of her drake for quite some time, pondering so hard that she didn't even notice that her mount moved. Ryûng sniffed along the ground for some time, before rearing his head up and roaring to catch his rider's attention.

The Canthan snapped out of her daze and quickly checked around to see if there was any danger. She sighed as she realized that no one was nearby, then scowled slightly. "Don't scare me like that," she muttered before sliding off the saddle again. She knelt down by the drake's head, and immediately spotted the tracks in the ground.

A pair of horses, one more heavily loaded than the other, northbound in swift gallop, little more than a day ago. Yun grinned and swung back into the saddle, urging the dragon-like beast forward with a snap of his reins. "The northlands, of course," she thought. "What safer place than one filled with northerners. If they are anything like Gorn, we won't have much to worry about." She looked back at Tyrleôn, at the dark banners billowing in the wind and the bloodstained walls, and silently added, "I hope."

As the warrior galloped northward, the battles in the streets of Tyrleôn kept on going.

Shetani looked out across her most recent conquest from the balcony of Castle Tyrleôn's tallest tower. Surprisingly enough, it had taken several days thus far to quell the opposition presented by the inhabitants, the Tyrlachians were a steadfast people, of that there could be no doubt. "But no kingdom could ever be steadfast enough to oppose the will of Grenth," she chuckled to herself, just as she heard the doors behind her open. Hashek and Calec fell to their knees behind her, a chained man in armor was flanked by her Dreadknights behind them.

The Dread Queen turned to them and motioned for them to arise. Calec got up first and bowed before speaking. "My queen," he began. "The common folk of the city have all either accepted Grenth and given their blood to Him or been sacrificed as thanks for our victory." Shetani smiled and nodded. "Well done Calec, Grenth is pleased." "Traitorous dog!" the man in chains bellowed. "Athalan will never forgive your part in this atrocity! And neither shall I!" One of the Dreadknights raised its halberd and slammed its butt into the man's back, causing him to groan in pain.

The female Elonian scowled at the mention of the heathen deity and turned to the second of her acolytes. "Hashek, who is this…maggot?" she inquired. The Elonian rose and bowed. "My queen," he began. "This man is the one who has been leading the resistance against your glorious conquest for the past four days."

Intrigued, The Dread Queen stepped forward and stood in front of her captives. The young man looked her straight in the eyes, his own gaze defiant and unwavering. Shetani smiled wickedly. "Such a strong young man. A force wasted when resisting my rule." She raised her hand, and surrounded it in glowing dark-green energy. "But you may yet serve." "No!"

The Dreadknights turned towards the source of the shriek and crossed their halberds, barring the woman's passage. "No, I beg you! Not my son!" Shetani looked from Elin and back to Gaelm, before motioning for the undead to let her past. "Your son, Elin?" she asked and sat down in a throne she had had brought up to the tower, while Elin was quick to kneel before her. "Odd, you have never once mentioned him in any of your letters." Elin swallowed loudly, not missing her son's silent, "Mother?"

"I…I did not think that he needed mentioning, as he was in no way crucial for you to succeed, my queen," she whispered. Shetani sighed and massaged her brow in a silent prayer for deliverance. "Elin," she murmured. "Elin, Elin, Elin." The necromancer-queen lowered her arm and crossed one of her legs over the other.

"This man has significantly slowed down our progress here, and while your efforts to persuade the late king Agnar," Elin whimpered at the mention of her deceased husband. "From raising a defense against my coming have been admirable," Shetani continued as she rose. "This one has managed to do just that, quite quickly and efficiently at that. Had you informed me of his existence, I would have taken the necessary precautions."

The other woman muttered something, but it was so low that the Elonian did not catch it. "Speak up, woman," she scoffed. "Do not whisper secrets to the worms." "I…thought you already knew of him," Elin sobbed. "Of my son." Again, the grey-skinned woman sighed. "I see much Elin," she said softly. "But only Grenth sees all, and I see only what He deigns to shows me." She leant back in her throne and studied the two figures kneeling before her. Elin seemed to be caught between a state of nail-biting terror and hopefulness, while her son seemed resigned, defeated.

"However," The Dread Queen spoke and sat up straight. Elin looked up at her. "Since Grenth has decided to not show me this man, I can only conclude that he is…useless to me, or The Lord would surely have warned me of him. And if his life truly means this much to you, then he is yours to do with as you please." Elin actually cried with relief and reached over to kiss her queen's boots. Shetani smiled, and the other woman stood and went to kneel by her son.

"It's going to be alright Gaelm," she whispered. "We will-," "Get away from me…" the ex-commander muttered. Elin stuttered, her eyes widening. "What are you saying?" she whispered. "You don't need to worry any more, mother will take care of everything, my love." "You are not my mother anymore!" Gaelm snarled. "You treacherous whore!"

Silence fell over the balcony, and was broken as Elin erupted into ear-splitting sobs and cries. "Do not despair, Elin," Shetani murmured as she stood from her throne and laid a hand on her acolyte's shaking shoulder. "A few weeks will turn his mind to our cause." "Yes," Elin choked out through her sobs. "Yes, yes he needs only to open his eyes and see the majesty of Grenth but once." The Dread Queen nodded, seeming pleased, before turning and retaking her seat on the throne.

Hashek cleared his throat and stepped forward before bowing. "My queen, there is something I think you should know about this man," he said, his amethyst eyes turning to the kneeling man being embraced by his mother. The necromancer-queen sighed once more and motioned for him to go on. Hashek bowed again before speaking. "Of course you recall that we spoke of everything that has transpired here since our last correspondence when you arrived." "Go on…" Shetani urged.

"Also, you surely recall that I mentioned the…exaggerated punishment of the Canthan mercenary, yes?" Shetani's eyes narrowed slightly. "This man, this Lord Gaelm, swung the whip that scarred the Canthan's flesh and made her scream."

All presence of calmness disappeared from Shetani's eyes, and she rose with an enraged, banshee-like howl. Green lightning shot from her hand and struck the ex-commander. Gaelm flew back with a pained scream and crashed into the wall opposite of the group. Elin cried out and raced towards her son, only to be restrained by Calec, while the pair of Dreadknights retrieved the Tyrlachian and dragged him before their ruler by his hair.

One of the abominations hauled the warrior's head up so that he was looking at The Dread Queen, whose claw-like fingers left four long scars on his cheek as she struck him, before spitting on his face. "Take him to the torture-chamber," she growled. "But do not start until I get there, I wish to hear him scream." Elin howled in anguish and struggled against the hold the ex-servant had on her. "Silence, wretch!" Shetani snarled. "Or I shall have you join him on the rack!"

"Take him out of my sight!" she growled and sat down in her throne again. The Dreadknights bowed deeply and did as they were commanded. Elin bit her lip and shivered as her queen turned her soulless gaze to her. "Go," she whispered. "I'll deal with you later."

Calec released the woman, and she scrambled for the doors, her sobs trailing after her. The Elonian snarled again and plopped back down into her throne, commanding the, skeletal, spider-like legs at its foot to turn it around so that she was looking across the city. Hashek and Calec remained where they were, knowing better than to go anywhere without permission.

"While we are on the subject of Yun Dao," Shetani began after some time. "Has there been any word about the escaped princess and her allies?" "None, my queen," Hashek answered. "I would like to say, however, that we have had our hands full with the resistance we have faced here. Though, now that it has been quelled, we may begin our search."

The Dread Queen nodded, though it was obscured by the back of her throne. "They have certainly left the city," she said. Her underlings kept silent. "From what you have told me of her, Hashek, I believe her to be a crafty girl, and I know for certain that the Canthan is no idiot." The throne moved again so she was facing her followers. "Send ghouls out into the surrounding areas, sniff them out, track them down and bring the princess here to me." "My queen," Calec bowed and spoke. "Even if we manage to find their tracks, they will already be several days ahead of us."

Shetani leaned forward, and hissed in a deathly whisper, "Then you had better find their tracks fast." Calec paled and was waved off. As the Tyrlachian went on his way, Hashek remained where he was, in case his queen had further instructions for him.

After sitting in silence for a while, The Dread Queen arose from her seat. "I shall be in the torture-chamber if I am needed, although if you have no further business at the moment, Hashek, you may join me." The purple-eyed Elonian smiled and bowed to his queen as she swept past him. "It would be me, an honor to join you, and a pleasure as well, my mistress."

Shetani reached behind herself and let one of her fingers run down the necromancer's cheek, smiling in an almost loving fashion, before going on her way with the male in tow.

Three or four days had passed since Yun and Ryûng had fled from Tyrleôn. She had spent those days in constant movement, only stopping to look for tracks or catch an hour or two of sleep every now and then. Her comrades had been clever enough to cover their tracks, and they had done so well, but the sharp senses of the drake, coupled with the warrior's gut-feeling had helped them on the right way.

"Lyssa be praised for the female intuition," the Canthan thought as she steered her beast across a rocky hilltop. From that hill, she could see for quite a distance, but she did not spot any sign of her comrades. She sighed for the hundredth time since she had left Athalan's Back behind her and had Ryûng move forward again, down from the hill and into the forest below.

Though not as pitch-black and foreboding as those who hung above Tyrleôn, the clouds had not yet lifted. They were grey and heavy, growing lighter as she mover further away from the conquered city.

Two more days passed while she followed the tracks, before she reached somewhat of an obstacle. The dense forest suddenly gave way for a riverbank, and from the looks of it, the river was both wide and deep, and according to Ryûng, the tracks led right into it.

Yun huffed, getting over the river itself would not be an issue. Finding the tracks again afterwards could prove itself a more challenging task, as the water would obscure the scent they left behind. She had no difficulty urging the beast into the water, as his kind were often found in the rivers of Kryta.

Ryûng quickly swam across, keeping the top portion of himself above the water, and crawled ashore at the other end. Yun halted him, ordering him to stay put, before leaping off the saddle and starting her search for any sort of clue.

The water washed against the banks, probably washing any nearby tracks away in the process. Even so, Yun searched up and down the river for a good three hours before turning her attention to the forest in front of her. The grand oaks that made of the woods leading northward were beginning to thin out, still, the forest was dense and thick and only the glimmer of sunlight hitting metal alerted her to the presence of something unusual further in.

She whistled twice, and Ryûng came skidding up beside her, swallowing a large fish as he stopped. Yun mounted, and headed towards the glimmer. Upon arriving at the glimmer's location in a clearing, she discovered that it was caused by a familiar anvil, with a small arrow carved onto the top, pointing to the northeast. Below the arrow, the words, "Northeast, keep to that direction," were carved.

Yun grinned heartily and packed the anvil up onto her drake before remounting and setting off towards the northeast. She tried to keep as straightforward as she could, but sometimes she had to divert from her main course and find it again later. One such obstacle was a sudden ravine in front of her.

It suddenly appeared, and the Canthan had to pull hard on her reins to hinder the great beast beneath her from going over the edge. A few rocks loosened from the side and plummeted into the river some four or five meters below her. She breathed out a relieved sigh, and raised her gaze towards the other end.

She could at once see, that the gap was too wide for the drake to leap across, and a quick investigation let her know that there was no suitable spot nearby. A raindrop made contact with her head, and she just managed a tired sigh before the rest came pouring down over her. "Kormir," she thought and closed her eyes. "Goddess of Truth, guide me. Balthazar, God of War, may your flame light my way."

The warrior opened her eyes and looked towards the heavens, ignoring the raindrops. "I could really use some help right now," she whispered, and fished a small pendant in the shape of a burning sword from one of her saddlebags before clutching it to her chest. She sat there for a few minutes, before something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.

A small, flickering flame, not even the size of her fist, hovered above the ground some feet to her right. It hung there for a few moments, and then moved further away. Yun bowed her head and kissed her pendant before putting it away and turning her drake after the light. "Thank You," she whispered and made a mental note to make a proper offering in thanks later. She sent the beast off after the flame, and as she got close to it, it moved away until it stopped completely and snuffed itself out.

The Canthan halted the drake at the point where the flame had gone out, and squinted towards the other side of the gap, finding it to be a fair way closer now. She backed up and snapped her reins, sending the drake dashing towards the ravine.

Ryûng flew off the edge in a massive leap, and managed to get most of his body onto the other end. His hind legs and tail, however, still hung off of the cliff and he was clawing at the ground in an attempt to pull himself up. Yun leapt off him, bringing her reins with her, and began to pull on them in an effort of her own to haul him up and over the edge.

Luckily, the reins were made of black dragonhide, a gift from a wizard she knew, and therefore, stronger and more durable than most metals. Due to their consistency, the reins didn't snap under the strain of the drake's weight and the Canthan's pulling. Yun gritted her teeth together and snarled savagely as Ryûng clawed his way up, slowly but surely, and before long, the dragon-like beast was standing tall again.

Yun sighed, and thanked Balthazar for both her own strength, and the strength of her companion. She patted her drake over the head for a bit, before mounting him and taking off down the side of the ravine. She found the spot she had been standing opposite off, and made northeastwards from there.

After a while, the rain stopped, and a day later, the sky cleared. As she drew northward, the weather became colder and colder, and the terrain changed. The forests of oak and other leaved trees gave way to massive stretches of dense, evergreen woodland, interrupted by long, rolling, plains and mountainous, rocky hills.

The forests were so dense that the sun barely shone through the upper branches, leaving the undergrowth bathed in darkness. The forest floor was covered completely in moss and small growths, and the trees' close proximity to each other often forced Yun to hack her way through the lower branches, or find an alternate route.

After slashing her way through a thicket, Yun found herself on yet another rocky, hill-dotted plain. Just as she was about to enter into it, Ryûng halted and sniffed the air, before growling fiercely and sinking into a stance ready for pouncing. The Canthan had her sword ready, and suddenly spotted the cause of her beast's sudden hostility.

A man stood on top of one of the rock-hills before her, a northerner, if her eyes did not deceive her. He was tall, muscular and dressed solely in a rather long loincloth of what appeared to be wolf-skin. His hair was long and red, and there was something tattooed on his chest and arm, though he was too far away for it to be discernable.

"Hold!" he shouted. "Who rides into the northlands?" Yun nodded, she was there, at last. "I am called Beastbane, I come from the lands of Cantha, far to the south!" she called back. "What is your business in this land, outlander?" The warrior didn't answer right away, knowing that there were tribes who did not see Tyrlach, its people and its allies as their rulers, but rather as their oppressors.

"My business is my own!" she called. "To what tribe do owe your loyalty?" "What business is it of yours?" another voice called. A woman, dressed much the same as the man stood on another hill. The Canthan's hand twitched, and she had to resist the urge to pull out her shield.

"A simple matter of friend or foe!" she answered. "One cannot be too sure in wild places, such as this!" The first northerner held up his hand to silence his companion, and Yun became aware that many more of the tribe-members had appeared on the hills.

"Your vigilance is…rational!" the first northerner called. "We are not afraid to tell who we are. We are Fjellorm, we bow to none, and least of all to the weaklings of the south who think they rule this land!" "Foe," Yun noted and tightened her grip around her sword's hilt. "Definitely foe." "Now then!" the northerner called. "We have told you our allegiance, so it is only fair that you tell us yours!"

"Only cowards shy from the truth," she thought, remembering her father's words. Aloud, she said, "I owe my loyalty to Marion, princess of Tyrlach and those who would call her their ally or sovereign!" The Canthan unfastened her shield from her back, and brought it up beside herself. "Very well," the northerner said, just loud enough for the warrior to hear him. "Then you must die."

Half a dozen arrows bounced off her shield, and three others lodged themselves in the ground close by. Yun leapt from Ryûng's back and sent him off with a single whistle, before dashing for the steep hills. The drake roared and disappeared into the woods, with several arrows lodging themselves in the trees beside him.

"Forget the monster, kill the southerner!" one of the tribesmen yelled and leapt down from his hill, brandishing a pair of axes on the way. His weapons clashed with the Canthan's sword, and Yun followed by slamming her knee in his gut and smashing her hilt into his neck as he bent over.

A hammer made contact with her shield, and a stab through his chest felled the wielder. An arrow whizzed past the mercenary just as a woman with a great-axe swung at her. Mustering her strength, the Canthan mercenary met the northerner's weapon with her own, and managed to parry the blow before burying her blade in her forehead. Another arrow came at her, and she grunted as it struck her dwarf-steel bustier and bounced off of it.

Three more northerners had fallen to the warrior's sword before Yun decided that having the bowmen there was too dangerous. She parried a blow from a broadsword, and dashed for a narrow passage between two of the hills. Praying for strength again, the warrior leapt forward and kicked off the hill's wall, spun around in the air, and kicked off the opposite wall. Each kick sent her higher up the hill, and she repeated the action until she was up, standing face to face with a flabbergasted archer.

Ignoring the dull pain in her legs, the warrior struck down the bowman and made for the next hill. She leapt over the fissure between the hills, and met the shortsword of another archer. The lithe northerner could not hold herself long against the mercenary's sheer force, coupled with her great skill, and was swiftly felled, only to be replaced as a tribesman scaled the rock-hill and swung at the outlander with his spear.

Yun stopped the spear with her shield, and sent the northerner off the hill with a kick before making for another archer. An axe whizzed past her from beneath just as another archer fell to her blade. "These bowmen are too specialized," Yun thought. "They're worthless in close-quarters combat." As the last archer fell, the Canthan stood atop the hill and kicked the body down. Her blade and shield were splattered with blood, none of it her own, and some of it had even smeared across her face and her breastplate.

"Is this the best you have to offer?" she scoffed. "Are these the finest of your tribe?" The mercenary spat, her slanted eyes narrowing as she glared at the Fjellorm-tribesmen gathered beneath her. "You are pathetic weaklings, all of you!" "You speak grandly, southerner, from your perch!" one of them snarled. "Come and fight us here, or be forever remembered as a coward!" Yun's eyes narrowed further, and her teeth subconsciously gritted against each other. She hated that word, coward, especially when it was used to describe her.

"Cantha!" she roared as she leapt from her "perch." "Cantha and the Emperor!" Her boot slammed into the face of one of them as she crashed into him and brought him down, her sword slashing open the gut of another one before she somersaulted backwards and landed on the ground.

The northerners charged her, yelling furiously. With a furious yell of her own, the mercenary charged them. One of the first ones to reach her raised his axe over his head with both arms, and fell with his lungs spilling out of his chest. Another one was impaled, and she danced around him, tearing her sword from his chest and slashing it across the throat of another one as she went.

She cut out the legs from underneath a woman before ending her with a chop to the head, while simultaneously blocking the mighty blow of a warhammer. The impact had her shaking, and she quickly retaliated by sending her boot in the wielder's gut.

A pain in the side of her head had her spinning to the side, and for the first time since the battle's beginning, she felt her own blood run across her skin. The northerner closed with the Canthan and lifted his mace anew, but found his foe's blade driven hilt-deep into his guts.

Yun tore her sword loose, and hacked off a head as another opponent made her move. Her armguard took a blow from an axe, and the northerner that swung it was rewarded with a shield bashing his skull open. A tribesman swinging a claymore around himself came at her, yelling savagely. The Canthan averted the first blow with her shield and struck out against her attacker with her own blade.

The northerner parried the blow, and a vicious bout of fencing began. The Fjellorm held himself well, but the mercenary's less cumbersome weapon had him on the defensive, and he was slowly but surely driven back. He halted in his defense for but a second as his back hit a hill, and in that second, Yun slashed his throat open.

More blood rained upon the southern warrior as the northerner gurgled his last breath before falling dead to the ground. The Canthan turned towards the remaining tribesmen, only to realize that there were no remaining tribesmen. Her fatigue caught up with her, at last, and the mercenary fell back against the hill where she had slain the last of her foes, and fell asleep.

Her eyes fluttered open some time later, and the first thing she saw was another northerner. She scrambled onto her feet and retrieved her blade, holding it in front of herself in an attempt to ward the tribesman off. The northerner cast a glance in her direction, nodded to her, and knelt down by one of his fallen comrades to look at his face. He then raised himself up again, and carved something into a piece of wood he was carrying.

Yun kept her blade in front of her and her eyes on the northerner, who was actually quite old. His beard was white as snow, and hung down across his chest, his hair equally white and waning at the top of his head. "What are you doing?" she asked curiously as he knelt by another body. The old northerner stood and turned to her.

"You must be unfamiliar with the customs of conflict in these lands," he stated in a gravelly voice that might once have been booming. "I am a battle-scribe," he carried on. "It is our duty to accompany raiding groups on their travels, and record their battles. We keep track of who has been slain in combat, and then bring the names of the fallen back to their tribes, as well as the names and/or loyalties of their killers."

He lowered his eyes back to the piece of wood he was carrying and knelt to check another face. "Though, I must say that you make my task a difficult one by aiming for their heads." Yun sighed and put her blade away, the old man would not attack her, of that she was certain.

"Aren't you going to try and…avenge them, or some such?" she asked. The battle-scribe spared her but a glance before resuming his work. "I shall leave such endeavors to the Fjellorm themselves, we scribes are tribe-less, we merely bring word back to the fellows of the fallen." He nodded and rose again, before turning to her, fully this time. "Know this, southerner," he spoke, his eyes hard and cold.

"Your position as an outlander brings you no privileges here. You must give me your name, so that I may spread the word of this battle." Yun crossed her arms. "I am called Beastbane, that much I told the tribesmen before our battle." The elderly northerner carved what the Canthan assumed to be her name on his wood. "Surely that is not your true name," he scoffed. "Or I do not envy you your childhood."

"It is tradition within my clan," the mercenary said. "At some point in life, we are given a title to wear as though it was our names, based on some feat we have accomplished, or something we are adept at." She stepped forward a tad, bringing the body of the claymore-wielding northerner with her and dropping it at the battle-scribe's feet.

"I was given my title for singlehandedly slaying a kappa when I was only six." The Canthan smiled at the memory. The battle-scribe nodded. "I shall give you a new name, worthy of your deeds this day," he said and looked her over. "I hence name you, Blodstaal, though if you would share with me your true name, that would help in keeping your legacy alive." "I am not afraid of them," Yun said. "I am Hezokio Yun Dao, called Beastbane, and recently named Blodstaal. Let the Fjellorm face me, if they dare."

A hint of a smile appeared on the scribe's face, and he bowed and walked off after finishing his work. Yun waited until he was out of sight before whistling twice. A roar rose from the forest, and Ryûng came galloping towards her. She waited until he had eaten sufficiently, Grenth knew she had left a banquet for the dragon-like beast, and then mounted.

Only a few hours later did she realize that she had no idea what her new name meant. Her fist connected with her forehead. "Balthazar, burn me alive," she groaned. "What if it means something like…bed-wetter, or, or…chicken-chaser!" She shivered at the thought.

A few more hours passed, and the sun began to dip under the horizon. Yun yawned loudly and patted her drake's neck. "What do you say, old friend, time for sleep?" The beast did not reply and instead fell flat down where he stood, his rumbling snores echoing through the night not ten seconds later. Chuckling lowly and rolling her eyes, the Canthan dismounted. Just as her feet hit the ground, however, a scream echoed through the forest.

Yun's blade was out of its scabbard faster than most men could blink. Ryûng didn't even stir, unsurprising, considering that he was probably deep into slumber. The scream sounded again. "Kai sang," Yun cursed softly and dashed towards the sound. As the mercenary got closer, her ears registered the familiar sound of a struggle, and a familiar voice shouting, "Unhand me at once, you brutish-!" The voice was muffled under what Yun assumed was a hand.

"Ho, ho!" a male voice laughed heartily. "Looks like we caught ourselves a feisty one!" "I'll say," another voice, also male, replied. "Lucky for us that we startled her so, or she may have done some damage with these." The mercenary slowed down, reasoning with herself that bursting in was liable to get her young employer killed.

"She screams a lot though," the first one said. "I wonder if she screams as much in bed-." Another scream echoed through the night, though this one was from the man himself. "What happened?" his companion asked. "The little she-rat bit me!" "Watch out, she's making a run for it!"

Yun ducked into hiding as Marion bolted past her, before leaping out and barring the passage of the princess's pursuers. The two of them halted, threw one look at the Canthan, and dashed away in the opposite direction. Not taking the time to wonder what was up with them, Yun turned and rushed after her employer. She paused slightly, ran back and scooped up the girl's weapons before resuming pursuit.

The Tyrlachian princess was clearly not used to running at high speed in such rough terrain, and from the looks of things, she had already stumbled and tripped several times. Soon enough, the girl came into view, and once she was within range, Yun leapt forward and caught her legs.

As fate would have it, a steep hillside was hidden by a bush up ahead, and the Canthan's leap sent both her and the younger woman tumbling down it. During their roll down the hill, they somehow tangled together, and Marion struggled wildly against the mercenary. They hit the bottom, hard, and the girl's efforts to get away only increased.

"Hold still, damn you!" Yun snarled, then gave a cry of slight pain and surprise as the princess's fingernail scratched her across the nose. "It's me! Yun!" The girl ceased her thrashing, and opened her eyes. The two women stared at each other for some time, Yun's gaze hard and soft at the same time, and Marion's gaze caught somewhere between relief and disbelief.

Silently, the princess embraced her protector, then spoke after a few minutes. "Thank Athalan that you are alive," she whispered. The mercenary returned the embrace and whispered back, "Thank Balthazar that you are sa-you are not safe, at all!"

Yun grabbed the girl by her shoulders and forced her to look into her eyes. "Why the hell are you out here on your own, where're Kheyrn and Gorn?" The princess bit her lip and fidgeted slightly. "You left them!" "How did you-?" The mercenary's glare was molten rock, and Marion bit her lip again. "Are you insane?" the Canthan growled. "You would've gotten yourself killed, and then all our work would've been for nothing!" "I went back to look for you…" the girl mumbled sheepishly.

The warrior's fury abated, and she embraced the younger woman again. "You should've stayed with the others," she muttered. "I know," Marion muttered back. "But Master Gorn and captain Kheyrn would not even go back to look for you. They insisted that we should press on to a place Master Gorn called Björnaborg, while I said we should at least wait for you."

"Never mind that now," Yun said. "You're here, I'm here, and we are both alive." The princess nodded, and tightened her grasp on the mercenary. "I was so afraid that I had lost you," she whispered. "Hey," Yun grinned. "Let's not get too sentimental here." Marion smiled at her. "That's better, we'll stay here for the night, and then find Ryûng in the morning. Okay?" Marion didn't answer. she was already asleep against the Canthan, who smiled and sat back with her, closing her eyes and falling asleep.

"What!" Elin exclaimed. "You heard me," Shetani spoke from her throne before sipping a blood-red liquid from her wine-glass. "But…why?" "You knew that I wanted the Canthan to remain unharmed," The Dread Queen answered and sipped her drink again, licking the liquid from her lips. "I informed you as much in my letter to you before I arrived, yet you neglected to tell me of your child's actions against her." She drained the rest of her glass, and handed it to a skeleton standing beside her.

"In fact," she carried on and had her throne turn around to face the city itself. "You never even mentioned him, even once, to me before I met him." The necromancer rose from her throne and leant over the railing, supporting herself with her hands. "You understand, I'm sure, that I simply cannot trust you as much as I would like to any longer." "But, my queen, you promised that I-." Shetani held up her hand to silence the kneeling woman, who felt rather uncomfortable with the two Dreadknights flanking her.

"Un-trust-worthy," the Elonian spoke slowly. "Because you have served my purposes well in the past, I have chosen to spare your life, since you seem to value it so." Elin let out a breath she did not even realize she had been holding in. "Your reward, however, will be bestowed upon someone of this land who has shown me true loyalty in spite of his great fear."

In the back of the throne-room, Hashek smiled at his companion's back and gave it a firm shove. The ex-servant stumbled forward and managed to kneel before The Dread Queen. "Calec of Tyrlach," Shetani said as she sank back into her throne and turned it back to her subjects. "You have served me well in your business as a spy inside the castle-walls, your vigilance has allowed me to prepare accordingly for the enemies we faced here."

Calec bowed his head lower, his chest swelling with pride. "Thank you, my queen," he said lowly. "I live and die to serve you, and The Lord Grenth." Shetani smiled. "This is why I have chosen you," she said and stood from her throne. "Calec of Tyrlach, as soon as my business in this land is complete, I shall depart back to Elona, leaving you to rule in my stead."

Calec bowed even deeper, his head making contact with the floor. "I am…you do me too much honor, my queen. Surely Master Hashek is more suited to this privilege than I." The Dread Queen's smile grew, but still seemed genuine. "Your show of submissiveness is admirable, my son. But I have need of Lord Hashek elsewhere after the ritual is complete."

Shetani rose and stood before the Tyrlachian, taking his head between her hands and planting a cold kiss on his forehead. "My blessings are with you," she muttered. "Grenth shall guide your hand when the time comes." She rose and sat back in her throne.

"However, it has come to my attention that your skill in the dark arts of Grenth is…adequate, at best, and lacking at worst." "It is so," the ex-servant nodded. "Forgive me. My duties in the castle left me little time to better my abilities." "Think nothing of it," Shetani said, still smiling. "Grenth is the master of disease, and so He shall remedy your shortcomings." One of the Dreadknights flanking Elin stepped over to Calec and laid a rotting hand on his shoulder before leading him away. Hashek shot his companion a reassuring smile as he was led past him, before stepping closer to the queen and her former candidate to rule in her absence.

"My queen, I never intended to-." "Silence!" Elin bit her lip, not used to The Dread Queen's sudden changes of temper. "You are lucky to still live. Get out of my sight, and stay out of it until I call for you!" Elin bit her lip harder, knelt as deep as she could, stood up, curtsied and dashed for the door. A command from Shetani had the remaining Dreadknight stalking out after her.

Sighing, the necromancer rose again and leant against the railing. The city below her had gone from a shining white bastion of misplaced justice, to a storm-wreathed, bloodstained citadel of worship in Grenth's name in but a week or so. Down below, a massive temple was under construction. Thousands of corpses, living believers and their necromancer-overseers were at work, and despite the short time that had passed, that work was well underway.

Shetani was, justifiably, pleased with herself. Sacrifices were plentiful, and when word of her conquest swept over the kingdom, scores of necromancers crawled out of hiding and pledged themselves to her cause and her Master. Grenth was obviously pleased, and had bestowed many of His blessings upon The Dread Queen and her acolytes. Of course, with His blessings, came the complaints of the fools that could not comprehend His might.

Crops died, the plain around the city became a cesspool of a steaming, disease-ridden mire and their cattle were claimed as sacrifice when no others were available. Most had the brains to let the matter slide, but some poor souls complained to her, as if they could change Grenth's mind and will.

She quickly repressed her pride. Pride made one careless, and more often than not led to a situation where one bit off more than they could swallow. A prime example was an occurrence in her youth, when she had been a lowly cultist. During those days, there was a necromancer of great power who travelled across Elona, whose arrogance and pride grew with his might, and who eventually proclaimed himself a mightier necromancer than The Lord of Death Himself.

Grenth appeared to her in her dreams one night, many years ago, and told her of His displeasure. He gave her His blessings and sent her out to do His bidding. She hunted the fool relentlessly for over six months, before she cornered and slew him. The arrogant necromancer's life was taken, and his soul consumed by Grenth's Chosen One. Shetani smiled fondly at the memory. Crossing The Lord of Death and Ice was not only foolish and stupid, it was lethal.

In her fit of remembrance, she had not noticed that Hashek had been drawing closer to her. When she noticed him, he was already standing right behind her. She sighed and leaned back into his chest, smiling as his arms embraced her from behind. Her smile only grew as he placed the lightest of kisses to her cheek. "The Tomes?" he asked. She nodded. "It is the only way for him to learn quickly enough, if he survives laying eyes upon its pages." "He is strong of will and firm in his faith, Calec will be fine." Shetani reached up and ran her hand down her consort's cheek before disentangling herself from his arms.

Not many knew of the two necromancers' more intimate relationship, not many needed to know. Their mutual attraction became known to them the very second their eyes met, and they knew, that theirs was a love blessed by Grenth. Hashek had stood by her side in her greatest triumphs, and most devastating losses. With him by her side, and The Mightiest of All Gods at her back, she had built a realm in His name.

Shetani turned and kissed her lover on the lips before retaking her seat in her throne. "How goes the search for the missing princess and her bodyguards?" she inquired. "Slowly, my queen," Hashek answered, though he and his queen were close enough to consider themselves soul-mates, they both knew which one was the most powerful, and The Chosen of Grenth to boot. Thus, they did not let their relationship hinder the fact that she was queen, and he was her acolyte.

"The plain is large, and finding tracks and scents became…even more difficult when The Lord laid His hand across the realm, if I may be so bold to say it." The Dread Queen crossed her legs and rested her chin atop her hands. "Grenth will guide us as He sees fit," she said at last. "Expand your search to just beyond the areas touched by The Lord of Ice, we shall follow them from there. I am sure I needn't remind you that the time is near." Hashek bowed deeply. "It shall be as you command, my queen." The male turned to leave and carry out his order. "Hashek…" Shetani murmured. He froze, and turned back to her.

The other Elonian was piercing him with her eyes, and her lips had curled into a sultry smile. "At the hour of midnight, you will join me in my bedchambers," she instructed. "It has been far too long since we properly enjoyed each other's company." Hashek breathed deeply and stepped up to her, took her face in his hands and kissed her, deeply. "I'm looking forward to it, my queen," he said as they broke off.

Shetani's smile grew and she waved her consort off, before turning her throne back towards the city below. She reached up and traced her finger along her lips, and pushed her lover from her thoughts at the moment. The princess's eighteenth day of birth was close, only a few weeks away, and if she was not brought back to Tyrleôn before then, then all of her work would have been for naught.

The Dread Queen closed her eyes, praying that Hashek would bring good tidings, either way, she would have some measure of physical and mental satisfaction before the night was through.

Two sharp whistles rang through the grey of the morning, for the fourth time since the Canthan and her employer had gotten back up the hill. Yun placed her fists on her hips and scoffed into the fog stretching out in front of them. "That old scale-face must still be asleep," she muttered. "Why are you covered in blood, by the way?" The mercenary turned to look at Marion, who was brushing her damp, autumn-red hair out of her eyes, and looked down at herself, noticing that she was still drenched in the blood of the northerners she had faced.

"Had a skirmish with a Fjellorm raiding party some hours before bumping into you," the older woman shrugged. "They weren't all that much to brag about." "Speaking of bumping…" Marion ran over to her protector, and kicked her hard in the back of her shin. More out of surprise than actual pain, the warrior yelped and hopped on one foot for a while.

"What was that for?" she demanded. The princess glared at her and raised hand to let her finger rest against a bruise on her cheek. "You punched me," she growled through her teeth. "Well I had to punch you!" the Canthan defended herself. "Rendering you unconscious was the only way to stop you from dying like your-!" She snapped her mouth shut.

"Like my father," the girl finished quietly. Yun looked away and hung her head. "I'm sorry that I didn't try to save him," the mercenary said. "I can't imagine what you must be going through right now." Marion laid a hand on the warrior's bicep. "Don't be sorry," she said. "I heard him order you to bring me to safety, and, to be frank, it's probably safer up here than back home."

Yun smiled weakly, and whistled twice again. The roar in answer told her that Ryûng was awake and unharmed. The drake crashed through a tree beside them some minutes later, the two women mounted and headed back the way Marion said she came from.

"So, when was the last time you saw Kheyrn and Gorn?" Yun wondered. "Oh, I'd say about three nights ago…give or take a few hours," Marion replied. "Three nights! You've evaded them for that long?" The girl nodded, quite sheepishly. "I convinced them to let me be on guard duty, so that I would have something to do." The Canthan stared at her, shock evident in her eyes and her mouth agape.

"You left them alone, sleeping in the wilderness?" Marion seemed to shrink under her bodyguard's gaze. "Balthazar, shield us all, we'll be lucky to find them out of the belly of some northern beast!" "Oh no, no, no!" the princess hastily said. "They chased after me the next day, I saw them from a hillside I was climbing." Yun breathed a sigh of relief. How did you stay away from them?" she asked. "No offense, princess, but in the wilds, you move about as subtly as a siege tower when you're in a hurry."

Marion seemed to take offense, as she huffed, turned her head away, pouted, and crossed her arms under her chest. The Canthan rolled her eyes, and dropped the matter, sensing that her employer was in no mood to talk.

They rode in silence for a time, when a familiar pair of voices had them stopping. "I cannot believe this," Kheyrn's voice groaned. "I honestly cannot believe this is happening." "Despair less and search more, Ormdreper, she cannot be that far off." "Three nights, Gorn, she's been gone for three nights! She could be halfway across the country, or eaten for all we know!" Yun rolled her eyes and urged Ryûng forward.

"Some bodyguards you are!" she called as she appeared before them, with Marion still sulking behind her on the saddle. The two men were dumbstruck, and Yun scoffed noisily. "First you lose your employer, and when she moves through the woods like a drunken giant with an unexplainably severe urge to yell as loud as it can, you can't track her!" Marion's glare at the warrior's back could have melted rock.

"Balthazar, burn me alive! I have never been so happy to see the lot of you!" The warrior slid from her saddle and rushed in to embrace her comrades, who quickly regained their composure and returned the friendly show of affection. The time afterwards was less friendly.

Kheyrn and Gorn mounted up on their horses, and the reunited group headed northeast, with Marion under constant watch by the two men. "Don't worry," the princess sighed. "It's not as though I have any more reasons to run off anymore." "Better safe than sorry," Kheyrn murmured.

"So, where are we going?" Yun wondered. "Björnaborg," Gorn answered, his eyes also shifting between Marion and the path ahead of him. "It is the home of my people, the Tordenbjörn. We will seek shelter there while we plan our next move."

"How far?" "Not very," the smith shook his head. "We were but a day or so away when someone decided to slow us down." Marion tried to sink into the saddle and out of sight for the hundredth time that morning. "Hey, give her a break," the mercenary said. "She was only doing what she thought was the right thing to do." Gorn clenched his jaw and resumed staring at the road ahead.

"If we ride all day, we can be there before nightfall," the smith said after a while. "Then we should waste no time," Kheyrn nodded and sped up his horse. Marion nodded at the Canthan, who also urged her mount into a gallop. They rode for many hours, stopping every now and then to let their mounts rest and graze, or hunt in the drake's case.

The party pressed on, and as the sun once again drew close to the horizon, Gorn let his companions know that they were close. They scaled a large hill, and what Yun assumed to be Björnaborg appeared before them. It was a mighty fortress of dark stone, perched upon a great plateau. Yun whistled, as she often did when she was impressed. The fortress was visibly easy to defend, and difficult to attack, its fortifications were solid and its walls thick and tall.

"My friends," Gorn gesture towards the fortress. "Welcome, to Björnaborg." Yun whistled again. "Looks like quite a fortress," she said. "So it is," Gorn said and urged his horse down the hill, a large and sturdy animal it was, able to carry the massive northerner with little trouble. "It is said that no enemy has ever penetrated its walls." "Athalan knows we tried," Kheyrn chuckled. "I was garrisoned elsewhere, but I heard that the armies of Tyrlach besieged Björnaborg for over three months without setting foot inside."

"That's a lot of months," Yun nodded and took off after her comrades. There was still quite some distance between the group and the fortress, and by the time they approached the gates, the sun had nearly disappeared.

"Hold!" a voice shouted from the wall. "Who rides to Björnaborg?" "It is I, Gorn Skulfeson!" the smith replied. "I come bringing dire news from Tyrlach!" "Who rides with you, Gorn Skulfeson of Tordenbjörn?" the lookout inquired. "With me rides Kheyrn Randeel Ormdreper, captain of the royal guard, Yun Dao Beastbane, a mercenary of the Hezokio Clan from the southern lands of Cantha and Princess Marion of Tyrlach! We seek shelter in Björnaborg from the darkness that has swallowed the southlands!"

"Remain where you are, I shall speak to the Björnbröl!" the lookout hastily moved away from his post. "The hospitality in this place could use a crash-course," Marion huffed, her first words for many hours. "One should not let one's princess linger outside their gates." "They're only vassals, Your Majesty," Kheyrn said. "Oftentimes, vassals who keep their lifestyle are more independent than those who live closer to the actual seat of power."

"What is "the Björnbröl"?" Yun inquired. "The Björnbröl, or Bear-roar, is the same as a king, or leader, of my tribe," Gorn said. "Each tribe's leader has its own title." "I got a title," Yun suddenly remembered. The rest of the group exchanged glances before turning their attention back to her. "I ran afoul of a Fjellorm raiding party before I found Marion, I think it safe to say that I butchered them." Gorn's face split in a massive grin, and Kheyrn nodded. "That explains all the blood," he noted. Yun was still covered with the stuff.

"I met someone afterwards, he called himself a battle-scribe," she continued. The smith raised an eyebrow. "Truly a battle it must've been for a battle-scribe to give you a name already," he said, his grin growing. "How many were there?" The mercenary shrugged. "A score, at least. I wasn't really counting. Cut down in less than an hour." Gorn laughed and slammed his palm into Kheyrn's back, nearly sending the smaller man toppling from his horse.

"Careful now, my friend!" the smith boomed. "Or we may have to strip you of your title and give it to Beastbane instead!" "Keep your title, Kheyrn," Yun chuckled. "The scribe named me Blodstaal. What does that mean?" Gorn nodded. "Bloodsteel," he said. "Yet another name well-deserved." The Canthan sighed in relief, just as the gates swung open.

Gorn took point, Kheyrn followed him and Yun and Marion came after him. The inside of Björnaborg was just as stony as the outside. Every building in sight was made from rock, and the only wood the mercenary could see was firewood used to light bonfires around the fortress, and the wood used in bows, arrows, spears, axes and other equipment.

The Tordenbjörn tribe-folk stood alongside the road and observed the newcomers. Many of them called out to greet Gorn, a few muttered the word, "Ormdreper," but most bowed and greeted as Marion rode by. After a few minutes, the group halted before a grand hall, and dismounted. Yun firmly warned her beast to not eat anything unless she said so, and followed her comrades inside.

The hall was a large one, lit by large burning braziers and many torches. Five long tables of stone, rowed by low stone-benches, spanned the room, and at the back, the floor was elevated above the rest of the hall. On the elevated floor, there was a throne, upon that throne, there sat a man. He was no taller than any other northerners Yun had ever seen, but he was somehow even more imposing than his peers.

His hair was the color of dark iron, with a tinge of whiteness at the end, and his eyes were about the same color. He was broad across chest and shoulders, and his muscles left no doubt, this was a man who could crush skulls with his bare hands. He was clothed in a kilt of chainmail that reached past his knees, a pair of spiked armbands, sturdy-looking boots and a great, horned, helmet on his head. His long, ornately-braided, beard covered most of his chest, but the edges of his tribal tattoo were visible. A hammer, its head the shape of a snarling bear's head, rested to the right of the throne, while a shield bearing the lightning-spitting bear's head of the Tordenbjörn tribe emblazoned upon it rested on the left.

The man Yun assumed to be the Björnbröl regarded the four of them for some time before rising from his throne. He approached Gorn first. The two northerners clasped each others' forearms and thumped the other man on his back with their fists. The man then proceeded to Kheyrn, and extended his hand. The soldier shook it and saluted, getting a smile and a salute in return. The northerner stepped before Yun next. She stepped back, folded her hands, and bowed deeply to him, an action he repeated before moving to stand before Marion.

The northerner looked into the girl's eyes for some time, before removing his helmet, tucking it under his arm and knelt before her. "You Highness," he rumbled, his voice like thunder. "I am humbled that you seek refuge in this place in your time of need." He stood again. "I am Björnbröl Halkarr Stormsönn, leader of this tribe!"

"You know of me?" Marion asked, seeming rather shocked at the revelation. "Of course, of course!" Halkarr answered, ushering the girl towards the throne. "We have not forgotten the oaths we gave to Tyrlach at the end of the wars. You are our princess." The northerner picked the princess off the ground and sat her down in his throne.

"This really isn't necessary…" Marion began. Halkarr dismissed her words by stepping to the floor and kneeling again. "Be welcome in Björnaborg and hail to you, Marion of Tyrlach," he said, and every northerner in the hall followed his lead.

"And now!" the Björnbröl called, rose and turned to his tribe. "Now, we celebrate!" Within minutes, ale and food was passed around, and the hall was filled with merry noises. Laughter, music, and shouting rang through the air, and after convincing Halkarr to retake his seat, Marion and her bodyguards mingled with the crowd.

Gorn drank and ate like there was no tomorrow, Kheyrn allowed himself a few pints and some bites of roast boar, Marion managed to sneak in a swig of ale before frowning and pushing the stuff away, and Yun ate heartily, yet did not drink even a drop.

"Drink my friends!" Gorn thundered. "Drink now, for now is a time of celebration!" "Don't you think we have bigger things to worry about?" Kheyrn muttered. "Like figuring out what to do next?" Gorn waved his hand dismissively. "Leave your woes for tomorrow, tonight, we feast!" The soldier pondered for a bit, then shrugged and downed another pint. Soon, the two men were singing quite loudly, and quite badly.

Marion, who felt like sinking through the floor, let her forehead hit the table with an embarrassed groan. The princess raised her head as her sole sober bodyguard chuckled. "Some men just can't hold their liquor," Yun smirked. "And you?" Marion asked. "Why aren't drinking anything? I can tell you want to." The Canthan tore another piece from the boar and shrugged as she bit onto it. "I don't drink while I'm working," she said after chewing the meat down. "I prefer to keep my head clear when I'm trying to keep someone alive."

The mercenary wolfed down more meat before speaking again, ignoring the younger woman's obvious mix of shock and disgust at her table-manners. "No, I figure I'll leave the drinking until I have some time between jobs." Marion stole herself a pint and pushed it towards the Canthan. "Drink," she firmly said. "One pint won't do much of a difference."

Yun eyed the pint with a certain amount of vigilance. Part of her was screaming, "Don't drink it, you fool! One pint leads to the next, and you'll be a wreck in the morning!" Another part of her, however, was telling her, "You're not a child, you can control your urges, one pint to loosen up a bit and that's it." The warrior looked at the pint again, grabbed it and downed it. "See," she thought to herself. "That wasn't so hard." She then thought, "They've got some mighty fine ale here."

The Canthan opened her eyes, she was looking at a stone ceiling, much too close to be the ceiling of the hall from the feast. She groaned and covered her face with her bare hands. "Balthazar, burn me for my stubbornness!" she growled. She had never been able to have only one ale at a time, one always turned into five, at least. She had often woken up after a job well done to find her equipment gone, and herself lying beside some stranger in a bed she had never seen before.

When that happened, she generally made her way to Ryûng and hunted her gear down, more often than not giving the thief, or thieves, a painful reminder to never steal from someone who could kill with his or her fists. She sighed and sat up to look beside herself. She froze.

Kheyrn blinked sleepily and sat up as well, stretching and turning his head to look at the mercenary. He froze. Balthazar's sky-shattering battlecry itself could not possibly have made more noise than the two warriors as they both screamed with all the might of their lungs. Their screaming carried on for several minutes before the door to the room was flung off its hinges.

Gorn yelled furiously as he barged in through the doorway, his axe poised to behead, and clothed in only a flimsy loincloth. Everyone in the room promptly ceased making any sound at all. Another pair of feet raced up the hallway, and before the smith could block the doorway, Marion leaped into the room, her scimitars drawn and her stance one of battle. She froze as well. Her weapons dropped from her hands, and her hand covered her mouth while the other one began frantically pointing at the two of her defenders in the bed, who were trying to edge as far away from each other as they could without exposing themselves completely.

The princess's eyes rolled up into her head and she fell backwards. Luckily, Gorn caught her before she hit the ground. "This," Yun growled. "Is why I don't drink while I work." She stood, and in the process, tore the fur that covered her and Kheyrn with her and wrapped it around herself. The soldier squeaked and covered his loins with his pillow.

The two dressed in silence, Gorn had taken Marion elsewhere, and left the room without a word until they were quite some distance away from it. "Alcohol," Kheyrn muttered. "Cursed are the gods who brought it upon us." Yun nodded. "Hear, hear." The smith joined them after some time, dressed. "Lady Marion woke up, thought what she had seen was a nightmare." The Canthan sighed in relief. "Then, she remembered that it wasn't, and passed out again."

Kheyrn groaned mournfully. "Well, this is certainly a fine start to the day," he muttered. "It's about to get…worse," Gorn sheepishly muttered. The two smaller warriors exchanged glances, crossed their arms and looked at the northerner.

Gorn rubbed his neck and tried to look everywhere but at his companions as he spoke. "In his…joy at seeing the Lady Marion last eve, the Björnbröl forgot that there are…certain traditions, which must be met." The two southerners exchanged glance again. "Tradition, as well as common sense, dictates that if one is to stay with one's tribe, one must undertake The Rite of Valor," the blacksmith said.

Yun blinked. "The what now?" Kheyrn sighed. "Does she have to? Did you tell the Björnbröl of her title, and the deed she did to gain it?" Gorn nodded. "The Björnbröl agrees that it was a fine deed, but it isn't…groundbreaking enough. He wants her to truly test herself against a truly worthy foe."

"Excuse me," Yun said. "Would you two mind telling me what's going on?" Gorn and Kheyrn looked at each other, and seemed to silently agree on something, as Kheyrn turned to talk to his companion. "Long story short, to prove that one is strong enough to be of any benefit to the tribe, one must undertake The Rite of Valor and travel alone into the wilderness to slay a worthy foe and bring back proof of the deed."

"What about you? Or Marion?" the mercenary wondered. "We can't let them send Marion into the wilds by herself! She'll get eaten before the first day is through!" "Ormdreper has already passed The Rite," Gorn said. "When last he was here." Yun narrowed her eyes. "How come you didn't say anything?" Kheyrn shrugged. "I thought it not important to the situations we faced in Tyrlach."

"Fine," Yun agreed. "Well and fine, but what about-?" "Lady Marion is not of age yet," Gorn spoke. "Even if she was, the Björnbröl would be…reluctant to send her into danger due to her status." The mercenary sighed. "Fine," she said anew. "When do I begin?"

"Whenever you are ready, but you must be off before sunset, or else you will be banished from Björnaborg forever." "Alright," Yun nodded. "I'll be off then. Unless there's something I have to do first." Gorn shook his head. "The Björnbröl is the only one who needs to know of your departure." "Very well, take me to him."

Gorn nodded and walked off, his comrades trailing after him. A short while later they stood before Halkarr. The northerner nodded at them and rose from his seat. "You will succeed," he said. "I see that strength in you." He came down to walk with them to the gates. Once there, he turned to the Canthan. "There are no limits to how long your quest takes," he said to her. "Many play it simple, beheading sleeping mammoths, slay a pack of wolves, come back wearing the hide of a cave-bear." Halkarr thumped the Canthan on her back in a friendly gesture. "You'll be just fine Blodstaal. Maybe we will have to give yet another name when you return." He laughed heartily. "Take care."

"I will," Yun smirked. "And I'm going to bring back something worthy of this tribe's respect." She fisted her hand and thumped it against her chest, before turning and striding out the gates. "Now," she thought as she moved down the path leading away from Björnaborg. "How am I going to impress them? I have to kill something really special. Something that few other northerners can brag about."

She kept pondering what to do as she headed into the wilds. Only three to four hours into her quest, she ran into her first foe. She had sat down to rest, when a mighty roar sounded from above her. A bear, the size of which easily rivaled Ryûng, thundered towards her from a nearby hill.

Yun spun out of the way and drew her sword, the bear narrowly avoided colliding with the tree she had been resting against, turned and came at her again, roaring savagely. The warrior didn't wait for her enemy to make its next strike, but took off in between the trees. She ducked behind a tree and readied her shield, managing to bring it up just before the enormous bear's paw crushed its way through the trunk.

She rolled out of the way, and seeing the bear stand on its hind legs, she slashed at it, cutting open a long gash over its belly. The bear howled in pain and lashed out against the woman. Her low position helped the mercenary avoid the blow, and she quickly rolled back onto her feet. She brought her shield in front of herself as the animal struck again. The blow hit, and sent the warrior sailing though the air and crashing against another tree. As she shambled to her feet again, the beast roared and dropped to all four before making another dash for her.

The bear was two arms' length from her when she made her move, she leapt into the air and landed on the creature's back. She clung onto the animal's shaggy fur as it roared and veered to the side. By some gods-given grace, the Canthan managed to turn while on the thing's back, so that she faced its head, and began to make her way forward.

Once she was close enough to its head, the woman raised her sword to finish the bear off, when it suddenly leapt over a large, fallen trunk. Yun cursed and let go of her weapon to grab hold of the fur again. The sword fell and clattered to the ground.

Thinking her options through, the Canthan warrior raised her shield-arm and slammed her shield's edge into the bear's neck. She struck twice more before the animal halted and rose up on it hind legs again in an attempt to shake her off. Acting swiftly, Yun managed to tread her shield in down in front of the beast's head, and, grabbing the edge of it, smashed the round shield into its windpipe.

The beast flailed around and roared, it noises becoming weak as its supply of air dwindled. Finally, it stopped breathing, and stumbled a few steps forward before collapsing to the ground. Yun jumped from its back before it hit the ground and went to retrieve her sword.

She came back after sheathing her weapons, and took a long look at the dead bead before looking back toward the northerner-fortress. "No," she thought, shaking her head. "No, that's too usual around here. But…" She bent down, tore one of the massive bear's equally massive claws from its paw, and stuffed it in a bag she had been given by Gorn before leaving. "A little extra proof of my abilities never harmed me before." A few more hours passed before she decided to rest for the night, still pondering on what feat she could accomplish.

She woke the next morning to a drooling maw above her, lined with sharp teeth. She punched up in an instinctively defensive reaction, and her fist smashed into the wolf and sent it back with a yelp. Snarls and growls erupted from its pack, and the mercenary found herself grabbing two wolves by their muzzles to keep their jaws from closing around her throat, while kicking out to ward off a third one. It too went sailing, and crashed against a tree.

Yun tossed the two wolves away from her and jumped to her feet, nearly sighing as she saw the size of the pack. It was not very large, in fact, it was only eight beasts strong. Three of the four remaining wolves snarled and came at her, while the two she had tossed away aimed for her sides. She managed to bring up her shield just before the first one leapt at her. The snarling beast crashed unto her shield and began to try climbing over it to get at her.

She kicked to the side, sent one of the attackers to the ground, and swung out with her left arm, sending the wolf flying off her shield and crashing into the third one. The two she had kicked and punched off herself, respectively, finally shambled onto their paws and came at her, snapping and snarling.

Yun gathered her wits about her and wrested Murakai's Blade from its scabbard, turned and swung. The first wolf fell permanently, its head torn from the rest of its form. She turned and thrust her sword down the throat of a leaping beast, just as the jaws of another one closed around her wrist.

Her gauntlet kept the beast from tearing her hand off, and she dispatched it with a knee to its throat, before taking it down completely with a stab to the forehead. A weight on her back had the mercenary throwing herself backwards at a tree, and she smashed the beast between herself and the bark before it could tear her throat out.

She sighed at the sound of the animal's bones snapping, and it fell limp to the ground as she moved away. The remaining four wolves were hesitant to attack, for a minute. The first was slashed open down the middle, the second was stabbed between the eyes and the third had its neck split. Then the alpha-male attacked. A vicious beast, the size of a small horse, with fur as black as midnight.

Yun quickly and silently thanked the gods for sunlight. If it had been night, or evening, the animal would've been invisible. The beast circled its enemy, and its enemy turned to follow it. Faster than one could say, "squadala," the creature sprang at her. Yun swung her shield out and deflected the beast entirely before leaping after it with her blade held high.

The wolf rolled to its paws and leapt away to avoid the weapon that struck the ground. The Canthan cried out as the animal's teeth dug into her thigh, before lashing out with the shield and knocking the beast away. It was a minor wound, as she had reacted quick enough to hinder her flesh from being torn off, but it was enough to kindle her temper.

Her anger was a strange thing. One of her masters at the Shing Jea Monastery had informed her and the other students, that the moment you lost your head, you lost the fight. Yun had taken this lesson to her heart, and learned how to focus while being enraged, since she was nigh-incapable of reining her temper. It had taken many grueling years, and had nearly cost the warrior her life on several occasions, but she eventually learned to harness her rage and direct it at her enemy without becoming careless in combat.

At the moment, her anger manifested itself in a snarl that had the beast before her sinking its head between its shoulders. The mercenary beat her blade against her shield twice and charged with a furious yell. The wolf howled and came at her, spittle flying from its jaws and inhuman hunger blazing in its eyes.

Just as the two were about to crash into one another, Yun whirled the side and crouched, holding her sword horizontally. The beast charged on, and split itself in two on the blade. The lower half of the animal ran three steps more before collapsing.

Yun breathed out and stood, holding her blade out for a few minutes more before sheathing it. She dropped to the ground in a sitting position and covered her face with her hands. "It's too early in the morning for these kinds of trials," she groaned, then yawned and stretched out.

She stayed put for a few hours before moving on, her bag eight wolf-tails heavier and her mind returning to its pondering.

A few days passed, most of them a struggle to survive. Her bag was just under halfway full, and she had acquired a tooth from an enormous wooly creature with equally enormous tusks, and the oversized fangs of a large cat-like beast, strikingly similar to the tigers of her homeland, among other trophies. She was fairly certain, however, that such kills were commonplace amongst the hardy northerners.

The Canthan sighed and sat down on a rock somewhere. Supporting her head in her hand, she began to think. She had been sitting on the stone for over an hour, when a voice startled her. "Why so downtrodden, Blodstaal?" She was up with her blade drawn in a heartbeat, and whirled around to face whoever it was who had snuck up on her. A battle-scribe stood and stared down the edge of her weapon.

It was not the same she had met some days ago, he was younger and looked less disinterested than the one who had named her. "How do you know who I am?" she said lowly. "We travel lightly, us battle-scribes," the northerner spoke. "We often meet and share stories of great feats along the way." Yun sighed and lowered her sword, before sitting down again.

"What ails you, Blodstaal?" the scribe asked and went to crouch in front of her. "Can't tell you," she said through her hands. "I am performing The Rite of Valor for the Tordenbjörn tribe." "Ah," the scribe nodded. "Then you have found nothing to slay yet?" The mercenary removed her hands from her face and raised an eyebrow at him, before reaching behind her and presenting him the bag she had been given.

He peeked inside, and his own eyebrow raised itself. He looked back up at her. "I…do not understand your predicament," he said. "The content of this bag is enough for several Rites." "It's not good enough!" Yun snarled and stood, stalking away from the scribe for a bit. "I need to slay something truly impressive! Something that hasn't been done to…death. Death!"

She clapped her hands together and surged back to the scribe, who looked rather nonplussed. The warrior grabbed him by his shoulders and pulled him close to her. "You scribes, you wander around a lot, and you know this land, right?" The battle-scribe nodded slowly. "Great!" Yun exclaimed and clasped her hands together. "Then you can tell me how to get into the holdings of the Dödsskrömt tribe!"

The scribe paled, and his eyes widened while his pupils shrank. "There is a great difference between courage and madness," he whispered. "To seek the darkest of tribes is to seek death!" He laid his hands on the slightly shorter warrior's arms. "Turn back, return to Björnaborg with these, and no one will think less of you."

"They live inside a mountain, right? Which mountain is it and how do I get there?" The scribe was at a loss of words as the woman darted away from him and pointed at a peak in the distance. "Is it that one? Or that one? Or maybe that one over there?" "Are you listening to me at all?" the battle-scribe cried incredulously. "No one has faced those fiends and lived to tell of it in several hundred years!" "That makes it even better!" Yun grinned and clenched her fist. "I am going to prove myself, and disprove the legends all at a same time!"

The battle-scribe sighed. "There is no deterring you, is there?" The mercenary shook her head, and he sighed again. "They are said to dwell within the darkness of the caverns running through Svartbeinfjell, a good three days journey to the north from here." Yun turned her head to that direction, and spotted the shadow of an enormous peak looming over the horizon.

"Heed my words, Blodstaal," the scribe said. "Only death awaits you in the halls of the accursed ones. It is not too late to turn back." Yun looked at him. "I'll be back," she promised. "And I'll bring with me the head of their leader if I can, or I will not return at all." With that said, the southerner waved farewell and ran off, heading towards the unknown darkness.

The battle-scribe stood and watched the warrior's retreating back until it disappeared. He shook his head and turned towards Björnaborg, knowing that he had to convey her choice to her allies there, he sighed and began to walk in that direction.

"Are you certain?" Hashek asked the necromancer in front of him. "The Dread Queen will not be pleased by false news." "Quite certain, my lord," the Krytan answered. "The tracks are those of a river-drake, the type of which the Canthan is said to ride. They lead northward."

The Elonian smiled nastily, his pointed teeth having an unnerving effect on the nearby peasants who were allowed to work with the acolytes of Tyrlach's new mistress. "Stay put," he ordered. "I shall inform the queen of this most recent development.

Yun grew steadily closer to the mountain. She had been running for over two-and-a-half days, yet her determination quenched her fatigue. Svartbeinfjell loomed over her as she drew close, and the land around her became increasingly barren and rocky, loping uphill to the point where she abandoned her running and began climbing instead.

The wind howled like screaming souls and stung like icicles being brushed against her skin. She gritted her teeth together and climbed on, having spotted an entrance from below. "Keep going," she told herself. "They don't come out while the sun shines, if they come out at all."

Grunting, she pulled herself up onto a shelf in the mountainside and regarded the black opening in front of her. She turned her head up and looked at the sun, taking the advice of an orc she knew of, and headed into the blackness, drawing her sword as she went.

The sunlight did not go far, and Yun decided that there was no point in sticking to the wall, as the Dödsskrömt could surely see as well in the dark as she could in broad daylight if they truly had dwelled in the caverns and tunnels for so long. The first noise she heard after entering, aside from the uncontrollable thumping of her heart, was snoring.

She snuck forward, as silently as she could; eventually she stumbled upon two forms. Her eyes had gotten used to the darkness fairly quickly and she spared a few minutes to see what it was she was up against. Whether the Dödsskrömt-tribesman's skin was black, and he had dyed certain areas white to resemble a skeleton, or his skin was white and he had dyed the black parts to make it appear as though they weren't there, the Canthan could not tell.

In any case, the northerner was distinctively different from any other northerners she had seen in her short time in their lands. He was thin, nearly gaunt, yet muscular and his torso and head were dyed, or tattooed, in a manner that made him appear as a skeletal figure. His eyes were large, if one was to judge based on the size of the eye-sockets of his skull-paint, and his fingers were long and crooked. As her eyes traveled down the tribesman's form, she noted that his toes were also long and crooked, with the nails of both hands and feet sharpened into the likeness of claws.

The man, she was now certain that there was nothing supernatural about the elusive tribe, was breathing in and out at a steady pace, and Yun paused. "I can't kill him while he's asleep," she told herself. "There is no honor in such an act, only cowardice." Instead, she reared her foot back and slammed her boot into the sleeping Dödsskrömt.

The man was on his feet in the blink of an eye, only to find himself impaled by a sword. He turned his head towards the Canthan, and screamed. She pulled her sword out of her kill and danced to the side as the second sleeping figure sprang to his feet and lashed out at her with an axe.

Yun caught the blow with her shield and hacked at the northerner, but he was a dodgy one, and ducked under her strike before grabbing her leg. The mercenary grunted as she went down, and rolled away from the tribesman's axe. She spun around and knocked her foe to the ground, simultaneously getting up on her feet and pointing her weapon at the man's throat.

"Can you understand me?" she asked. The Dödsskrömt looked at her with his large eyes, and nodded. "Good," the mercenary said. "Who is the leader around here, and how do I get to him?" The northerner snorted with laughter. "Do you honestly think you will make to the Dödsmester alive?" he asked. "Our mightiest warriors guard him, and The Nameless One protects him! You will be dead before you get halfway!"

The sword's tip dug slightly deeper into the man's throat. "I didn't ask for warnings," Yun snarled. "I asked for directions! Where can I find this Dödsmester?" The northerner swallowed and pointed shakily down the hall. "He…he can be found in the ceremonial chamber. If you keep going down, you'll get there eventually." Yun nodded in thanks, disposed of the northerner, lest he warned someone of her coming, and went on her way.

She moved slowly, at all times keeping an eye on her surroundings. She silently contemplated whether she should curse her odds, or grin at them, choosing the latter. Her bravado could only keep her mind off her rather compromising situation for so long, however.

She knew that she was numerically inferior, by far, and that her enemies were at home turf, more than probably knowing the dark caves by heart. Her only advantage was the element of surprise, and that, by some gods-given blessing; no other northerners had heard the first guard's scream. Footsteps from up ahead had her instinctively ducking to the side, before she realized the futility of such an act, and instead snuck towards the sound.

Yun peered out from around a corner, and spotted three of the slim northerners standing together at a junction of several passageways. They were talking, but they were too far away for her to hear. Curious, the Canthan pressed herself to the wall and snuck even closer, praying vehemently that none of them glanced in her direction; she would like to hear what they said.

"The signs are clear then?" one of them wondered as she got near, crouching low to hide from their gaze. "Very clear," another one answered. "The Dödsmester has spoken. A great darkness has covered the southlands, and soon, the hated light in the sky shall snuff out, when that time comes, we shall spill forth and finally have the victory and power our ancestors were promised by The Nameless One!" "Hail The Nameless One," the two others chorused. "May It swallow the unworthy and cloak the world in darkness."

Yun decided that she had heard enough, stood and moved into the junction. She broke off into a run towards the, and the head of one was lopped off before they could get their bearings about them. The other two reacted instantly and weapons were drawn. Steel clashed as the jagged scimitar of one collided with the mercenary's sword.

Yun blocked her second foe's mace with her shield and kicked forward. Her boot slammed into the swordsman's gut and he doubled over, his head flying from his shoulders next. She turned to face the third one, and he stood his ground, for two seconds before leaping back and screaming at the top of his lungs. His cry became a sickly gurgling as his throat was slit open, and he collapsed just as shouting and running feet thundered down a hallway nearby.

The Canthan threw her sword in the air and caught it by the blade itself, flinging it like a javelin once the first Dödsskrömt rounded the corner and came into view. The weapon pierced the dark northerner's chest, and he was dead before he hit the ground. Yun dashed forward and leapt as the next one came around the corner. The mercenary's shield's edge tore through the tribesman's forehead and separated the top of his skull from the rest.

She retrieved her sword and stood for a minute before moving on, checking all the tunnels, until eventually, she found one that sloped downwards. "These people aren't all that tough," she thought to herself as she descended into further blackness. "I wonder why the other northerners fear them so." The next moment, she was lying on the ground with one of the tribesmen on top of her.

"The blood calls to us…" the northerner hissed and raised a dagger above his head, his other hand clamping over the Canthan's mouth. Yun kicked hard into the floor, and managed to catapult the tribesman off her. He landed with a grunt, but did not rise again, as the warrior's blade sheathed itself in his back.

"What in Balthazar's name was-?" She didn't have time to finish her sentence, as six more of the Dödsskrömt detached themselves from the wall and came at her, howling hauntingly. Her instincts overrode her urge to panic, and she slashed out at the dark figures, who deftly avoided the attack. Again and again, she struck out against the tribesmen, and time after time, they dodged away, making no move to attack her, and jeered, laughed and howled like forlorn; wicked spirits.

A snarl from above made Yun hop back and bring her sword upwards, splitting a dark figure in two as he fell to the floor. Immediately, long sinuous fingers closed around her legs, her arms, and her throat. Despite their wiry builds, the dark northerners were strong, something Yun realized as they began to tear her apart, limb from limb.

She bit her lip, not willing to let the twisted folk of the mountain revel in her pain, and with as much strength as she could muster, the warrior curled herself together, smashing several of the tribesmen against each other. She leapt to her feet as the groaning figures fell and swiftly dispatched them while they were still down.

A pair of arms caged her from behind, and a near-inhuman growl sounded by her ear just before the northerner sank his teeth into her neck. The mercenary screamed in pain and rage, and slammed her head back into the man. He grunted, but did not let go, and she slammed him twice more before he fell. One of the beasts, so she suddenly though of them, was suddenly in front of her, a curved dagger in his hand.

Yun bent back to avoid the slash of the weapon, but another scar was added on her body nonetheless, on her exposed chest above her breastplate. Before she could retaliate, the dark northerner seized her by her shoulders, pulled her close, bent his head down and licked the blood from her wound.

Her scream was one of rage and disgust this time, and she planted both of her fists in the man's gut. He keeled over with a rasping groan and the Canthan snapped his neck as he went. She looked around herself, panting as much from the exercise itself as the shocking opposition she had faced.

Hissing from the walls had her turning and retrieving her weapons. She looked up, and saw them, barely visible in the darkness. The dark northerners clung to the ceiling and the walls, using their long fingers and toes to hang onto the rock. They leered at her from the shadows, their large eyes filled with hate and hunger.

"The Nameless One will swallow you…" one of them hissed. "Blood and flesh, ripe and warm…" another one licked his lips. "So young, so juicy…" a third moaned. "Your soul is forfeit…" "It comes for you…" "You cannot escape…" "Run little girl…run for your life." "Shut up!" Yun roared. The Dödsskrömt-warriors' chattering died out, the silence that followed nearly as unnerving as the chatter itself.

"Either get down here and fight me, or get out of my way!" she snarled. "Such strength…" one of the dark ones chuckled. "Such resolve… Let us see if you have the skill to survive." His fellows joined him in his leering. "The Dödsmester will hear of your coming," the dark northerner said. "Our finest will hunt you. If you are strong enough, and brave enough to make it to him, then maybe he will deign to grant you an audience."

"Good, tell him to sharpen his blade and pray I don't stuff it up his backside," the mercenary growled. The cackling of the northerners stopped, and turned into hisses. "Blasphemy!" one of them snarled and dropped down, twisting in the air to land on his misshapen feet. "You shall pay for this insult!" He drew a jagged scimitar from his back and rushed at her.

Yun blocked his swing with her shield, feeling noticeably calmer than a few seconds ago, and then took the thing's arm off. He fell to his knees, and his head joined his arm on the ground. The Canthan looked back up at the Dödsskrömt hanging in the cavern-ceiling, her eyes alight with challenge. All was silent as they regarded each other. "The Nameless One will determine your fate," one of them scoffed, and they took off, scuttling across the ceiling like monstrous spiders.

The mercenary shivered, "There goes my element of surprise," she muttered, and began to walk, still heading downwards. She stayed away from the walls whenever she could, and tried to keep her attention on both them and the ceiling at the same time, even though she knew that her enemies could be standing right in front of her without being seen.

The mercenary had no clue as to how long she had been walking since her encounter with the dark northerners, to her mind, it could've been anything from a minute or two, to over an hour. She hadn't seen anyone, but she had heard them, scuttling and cackling, taunting and whispering. She didn't lash out against the creatures, knowing that if she threw her sword and impaled one, the rest of his gibbering companions would be upon her before she could draw new breath.

She stopped slightly, the cackling overhead had slowed down to a hushed mumbling, which was nearly as disturbing. If the warrior squinted, she could make out something up ahead, some sort of archway. She raised her shield, kept her sword in front of her and stepped closer. A sudden howl from above had her diving forward and rolling onto her feet, just as something heavy landed behind her.

Yun whipped around and managed to deflect the first attack with her shield. Then a second, and a third, and a fourth. The unrelenting strikes were delivered with such force that the Canthan was driven backwards, towards the archway. She managed to keep her defense strong, until her shield was torn out of the way and revealed her foe. The first she saw were the weapons of the enemy. In one hand, a long and cruel hook was gripped by his long fingers, he had used that hook to tear her shield away. The other hand clutched an equally cruel-looking axe.

The warrior didn't have much time to observe the foe, as he kicked forward and sent her flying out the archway. She landed hard on her back, groaning as she tried to sit up. "Blood!" the northerner screamed as he emerged from the cavern. "Blood! Blood!" Yun rolled back and onto her feet, narrowly avoiding the dark one's axe.

The two of them were standing on a large stone-bridge spanning a massive drop. The mercenary finally had a chance to see what it was she was up against, and shuddered. The thing that stood before her might once have been human, but whatever it had been, it was human no longer.

The thing was well above three meters tall, its arms long enough to reach past its knees. Its fingers were as long as an average person's hands and tipped with claws. The skin was tattooed with the bone motifs of its lesser tribe-fellows, but unlike the human ones, who had probably painted the black parts to make their paleness stand out, this thing's skin was black and leathery, tattooed in white in certain places to appear as a human skeleton of massive proportions.

The thing screeched and rushed at the Canthan, swinging its weapons in wide arcs. Yun blocked the axe, parried the hook and swung out against the dark creature. The monster hopped back, crouched low and swung again, its long arms allowing for an impossibly long reach. Yun leapt forward, over the swung axe, and slammed her boot in the monstrosity's face.

The dark beast recoiled and stood to its feet. "Blood!" it screamed and rushed forward again. Yun dropped to the floor as it drew close and swept its legs out from underneath it. The monster fell to its back; the mercenary stood and raised her blade to finish it off. Snarling savagely, the creature kicked forward again and sent the woman sailing through the air.

Yun got up from her rough landing with another groan, to find the beast leering above her, with its axe held high. She swiftly brought up her shield, and avoided taking the axe to her chest. Again, the hook hooked itself under the edge of the mercenary's shield and tore it away.

The warrior swung out with her blade, and the beast recoiled with a shriek. A thick, black fluid she could only assume to be the thing's blood ran from the cut on its chest. The beast looked down at the cut and then back to her, giving her time to see that its head was more alike that of a bestial, hound-like bat than anything else, before it howled and made for her again.

Yun had gotten to her feet, and stood her ground. "Blood!" the abomination cried, it seemed to be the only word it knew. The beast swung its hook again, and found it caught by its enemy's sword. Yun had brought her weapon low, and then thrust it upwards, getting her blade into the hook. She grinned and tore it back, swiping the weapon from the bat-like monster's hand and sending it off the bridge.

The creature seemed awestruck for a second, before howling and lashing out with its remaining weapon. Yun sidestepped it and dug her sword into the thing's side. The beast screamed in pain, and it kept doing so as the Canthan raised her leg and kicked it over the edge, its cries fading as it plummeted into the blackness.

Yun breathed out and sat down, all too aware of the Dödsskrömt observing her from the walls. "Come on, then!" she snarled after a while of silence, and stood. "Come and try yourselves!" "It is not done," one of the dark shapes cackled. "It hungers," another cackled with him. "It hungers for your-." "Blood!" The creature's unholy scream echoed through the cavern. The beast erupted from the blackness below, borne on large bat-like wings that had previously been folded along its arms.

"Blood!" Before Yun could even collect herself, the monstrous thing swept in and closed its feet around her shoulders. The next thing she knew, the mercenary founded herself hanging above the complete blackness below the bridge, the beast's toes the only thing keeping her aloft. She hastily reached up and grabbed the bat-demon's ankles to keep it that way.

Suddenly, she realized that her sword was no longer in her hand. She whipped her head around, and almost moaned with relief as she spotted it lying on the bridge. She looked up at her fiendish carrier, and swung herself towards the bridge, bringing the bat-demon off its balance.

The thing quickly regained its altitude and, discovering that it could not simply let go of its prey, smashed her against the wall of the cavern. Yun grunted, but held on until the third smash, when a small outcrop in the rock struck her wrists.

She fell with a cry, but managed to hang herself onto some sort of shelf in the rock. She hauled herself up with a groan, and saw some sort of cave in front of her, she threw a glance around to see if she could spot the flying fiend, and discovered that the walls were lined with such caves.

"Blood!" the demon's scream sounded from above. Yun dove into the cave and narrowly avoided the beast as is swept by. The creature turned in the air and latched onto the wall, its head entering the cave and its jaws snapping. A solid dwarf-steel boot smashed into the thing's face and sent it spiraling out into the blackness again.

Yun paused in the cave and breathed in and out for a few seconds. Then, she began to think. "I've got to get my sword back before any of those freaks up there get any bright ideas," she muttered and looked out to see the beast swoop by the cave-mouth again.

As the monster made another strafe, the mercenary spotted an opportunity. A dangerous, reckless opportunity that would almost certainly be the death of her. "Just another day on the job," she muttered, surged forward and leapt from the cave.

The bat-demon sank several feet as the warrior slammed into its back. Yun's aim had been dead on, and she swiftly seized the creature by its large bat-like ears before tugging them backwards. The thing shrieked and flew upwards, then down as the Canthan pushed its head down.

Yun grinned and steered the thing upwards again, barely able to hang onto it due to its constant tossing and wriggling. The demonic creature and its rider were just above the bridge, when Yun reached down and snapped the thing's slender neck. The beast plummeted from the air and smashed in to the bridge, the warrior leaping off just before impact. She landed, rolled back and retrieved her sword before standing.

The warrior's slanted eyes widened. Despite its broken neck, the beat-like fiend was still trying to claw its way to its feet. She sighed and walked over to it, holding her blade in front of its face as she stopped before the thing. The fiend eyed the sword, then eyed her and weakly raised its claw against her, just as she raised her blade over her head.

"Blood…" it rasped. Yun swung down, and the monster's head was cut from its body. The mercenary kicked the severed head and sent it into the chasm beneath the bridge, before grabbing the thing's arm and flinging the rest of the corpse off as well.

She breathed out, gritted her teeth and turned towards the dark northerners, who still hung on the walls. "Who's next?" she snarled at them. "Come on! Who's next to die?" The Dödsskrömt tribesmen snarled and leapt from the walls to assault her.

The first fell with a gash over his throat, the second was kicked off the bridge, and such it kept going, until only a few remained. Those who were still alive retreated and scuttled up the walls and out of range. Yun cocked her head to the side. "Are you sure you are the same tribe that every northerner outside of this mountain is deathly afraid of?" she asked. "Because you don't seem like much to me."

The tribesmen narrowed their eyes and hissed at her. The Canthan shook her head. "Your ancestors struck terror into the hearts and minds of the northern people a long time ago," she said. "The strength of your tribe has withered in the time you have spent in this gods-forsaken mountain, crawling around in the dark, like rats."

She spat in their direction before turning and getting on her way, muttering, "Cowards and weaklings, that is what you are," under her breath. The northerners behind her exchanged glances, some worried, some questioning and some were even doubtful. "Do not be foolish," one of them hissed. "If she survives, the Dödsmester will bring The Nameless One's wrath upon her. Then we shall see who the true coward is." His fellows nodded, and they scuttled after the intruder to keep an eye on her.

As they passed over their slain comrades, he stopped, looked down at them and replayed the demise of the Blodvinge in his head. No one had slain one of The Nameless One's children in many ages. He shuddered and scuttled after his comrades, intent on keeping a close eye on the outsider.

Yun didn't look back as she heard the mumbling of the dark northerners above her, knowing that they would think twice about assaulting her after witnessing her battle against the demonic bat-creature and the subsequent slaughter of their braver kin.

She carried on downward, stopping at random intervals to drive off the tribesmen who appeared in her path, often missing the chance to kill all of them, as they fled once enough of them had fallen. "These cowards are too used to frightened and superstitious northerners," she thought to herself, well aware that those who fled before her gathered behind her and could strike at any given moment. Therefore, she kept her shield on her back whenever she could, in case one of them tried to plant a dagger in her from afar.

"They have no experience with foes that stand and fight them on their own turf." The mercenary hopped over a smallish ravine, and entered a hallway that, while narrow, was impressively tall. She whistled, and caught eye of movement further ahead. She sighed and brought her shield to her side as the figure hanging upside-down in the ceiling spread its wings.

"Blood…" the fiend hissed, its voice carrying though the silent hallway. "Blood!" Yun threw herself to the floor, narrowly avoiding the claws snapping at her as another one of the creatures swept in from behind. The beast flew upwards and latched itself to a wall. The first one screeched and flew at her, nearly losing a foot as it came too close.

The second beast dropped to the floor and brandished its claws, howling madly, it dashed for the Canthan, who was still busy fending off the airborne demon. The mercenary whirled out of the way, and slashed at the fiend as it thundered past her, tearing a rift in its wing. The beast growled and turned to her again.

Yun stood against it and charged with her shield first, and her sword held to strike. The first beast slammed into her from above and sent the warrior to the ground. She rolled back and up on her feet, cursing loudly as she saw the fiend fly off with her weapon clutched in its talon-like feet. The flightless monster made some sort of noise, almost like clucking, and if the Canthan didn't know better, she would've sworn the thing was laughing at her.

"Blood!" it howled, its laugh-like sound ceasing in a heartbeat. It loped forward on all four and charged at her, it mouth opening wide enough to swallow a head whole, lined with dagger-sized fangs. Yun leapt forward as it drew close and slammed her fist into its forehead. The monstrosity went down, and the mercenary soared over it and landed on its lower back.

Intent on causing as much damage as she could, the warrior seized the beast's leg and twisted it around. The fiend howled deafeningly, twisted its upper body around and smashed its arm into the Canthan. The force of the blow sent Yun flying off the thing's back and crashing into the wall.

The mercenary grunted as she hit the mountain-wall and groaned as she got up, the beast with the broken leg shambled onto its three functioning limbs and hastily retreated up the wall, hissing and screeching as it went. The thieving bat-creature dropped from its perch in the ceiling and swept towards her, her sword clutched in its jaws.

"You are not drooling on my blade!" she snarled, she found the notion of her blade covered in spit more revolting than having it covered in blood and other bodily fluids, oddly enough. The thing landed some way off, and drew the sword from its mouth. Holding it in its claw, the beast surged forward and swung it down at the Canthan.

Yun blocked and retaliated with a swift punch to the fiend's stomach, causing it to double over and receive a knee to its chin and another fist to its face. Its claws closed around the warrior's legs and tossed her away from the beast. Bleeding from its nose, the creature stood, licked it off with a long tongue and howled, "Blood!" before rushing at her again.

Yun moaned at the pain throbbing in her back as she rose to a sitting position, hastily dropping back and rolling out of the way as her weapon lodged itself in the ground where her chest had been but a moment before. The monster abandoned the weapon where it stood and made to pierce the Canthan with its claws instead.

The mercenary swiftly curled behind her shield again, and the sound of bone snapping echoed through the hallway as the creature's fingers smashed against the metal. Yun got to her feet and dashed forward, lowered her head and smashed it into the beast's chest, sending it onto its back. Turning the warrior seized the hilt of her sword and started pulling.

Gritting her teeth together so harshly that her jaw ached, the mercenary put all her muscle into her task, the sword barely budging at all. "Come on!" she snarled at herself. "You carry bears on your back, this is nothing!" Finally, her weapon was drawn free of the stone, and she turned to see the beast sitting up, looking rather groggy.

She snarled loudly and thrust her sword through the demon's throat. "Blood…" it gurgled as it fell. "Blood!" the second beast answered from above. "Blood!" Yun whirled around and held her blade up against the leaping monstrosity. "Blood!" it called as the sword tore through its chest and out its back, before falling upon the Canthan with all its weight, covering her completely.

The dark northerners crawled down the walls and approached the carcasses. One of them reached out and closed his hand around the blade protruding from the back of the Blodvinge, giving it a few tugs, before it was tugged back. The beast was tossed aside and the warrior stood from the carnage, splitting open six northerners before the rest scurried back up the walls.

"Cowards!" she bellowed. "Stand and face me!" Dead silence was all the response she received. She snarled and, feeling like breaking something, stomped down hard on the bat-creature's skull and shattered it under her boot. The mercenary spat at the northerners again, and went on her way.

Yun had found, that her sense of time went awry when she spent time underground, and this time was no different. She had a stinking suspicion that she had spent, at the very least, three days or so trudging toward the chamber at the bottom of the mountain.

The path she walked had been sloping downwards at a steadily increasing rate since her encounter with the bat-demons in the narrow hallway. Since that encounter, she had faced the things on three separate occasions, each encounter pitting more and more of the devils against her. At the most, she had fought six of the flying beasts at the same time and sometimes, the dark northerners accompanied them.

While the battles had been hard fought, and hard won, she found herself disposing of the winged fiends easier and easier for every one she felled. "The only way to truly learn something, is to do it," her father had told her when she was young, and it seemed that he had spoken true. "Balthazar bless you father," she smiled and closed her hand around the pendant she carried in her pouch. "Once again your words lead me on my path."

Her father had given her the pendant she carried when she still laid in her crib, after having it blessed by a priest of Balthazar, claiming that he had seen a warrior's spark in her eyes already then. More often than not, it rested in one of her saddlebags, but she carried it with her whenever she felt like having Balthazar watch over her a bit more than usual.

She stopped. In her moments of fondly remembering her father, and briefly wondering if he was well, she had failed to notice that the walls had changed. They were no longer roughly beaten passageways, but hewn into grotesque, yet intricate, designs, many of them depicting the bat-like fiends she had faced. The ceiling was supported by pillars that flanked a stairway spiraling down into the dark.

"I guess I'm drawing close," she muttered. "Very close." Yun bit back a cry and spun around with her sword pointing forward. The tribesmen had been so silent in her presence that she had nearly forgotten about them. One of the dark northerners had crawled down from the ceiling and stood behind the Canthan, wisely keeping out of range of her sword.

"The Ritual Chamber lies beneath, there, the Dödsmester awaits you." Yun didn't lower her sword, and the two stood in silence for some time. "What?" she finally asked. "No threats? No mad cackling about my impending doom? No, "Turn back or die,"?" The northerner shook his head. "You are a warrior," he said. "One whose like we have not seen for many ages. I believe that your coming is an omen of change, for better or for worse."

"Go," he said and retreated back up the wall. "Go, and face The Nameless One in flesh." The warrior nodded. "I will," she muttered and descended into the blackness. Chanting sounded from the deep. Chanting and drums. As Yun drew close to the chamber at the bottom, she saw her first light in several days shining out of a doorway.

She stretched and approached the opening, breathing heavily. The mercenary drew a deep breath, and kicked the door open. A deep chamber, circular and lined with carved-out benches, stretched downwards. The benches were filled with chanting Dödsskrömt-tribesmen, and at the very bottom, there was a circle where some sort of ritual was taking place.

She snorted and resumed her descent, drawing the eyes of the northerners she passed on the way. As she neared the bottom, she caught eye of what was going on.

The circle at the bottom was lit up by the glowing eyes of a statue, resembling the bat-demons, with its arms and wings spread out in front of itself, as if reaching out and trying to grasp or claw at something. Beneath the near-complete circle formed by the statue's outstretched limbs, there was a hole in the floor, almost like a well of sorts, from which there glowed an eerie dark red light.

Two figures stood before the well and the statue. One of them was a regular Dödsskrömt-tribesman, the other was somewhat more distinguishable. Whereas the rest of the tribe were shaven completely bald, this one possessed long, grey hair that covered most of his back, and most of his head and face was obscured by the skull of some horned beast worn like a helmet.

His torso was, like those of his brethren, bare, but his lower half was concealed by a robe's lower half. He too, was tall and thin, with an air of sinuousness to him. His large, long-fingered hand was placed on the shoulder of the second northerner, and he was guiding him towards the well.

Yun kept on going, even as the pair below her stopped at the well's edge. The skull-headed one bowed his head and stepped back, before unsheathing a jagged scimitar from his belt and thrusting it through the other northerner. The mercenary stopped, swallowing a surprised gasp.

"What in Balthazar's name…?" she wondered. "Why would-? Dwayna, preserve me!" The mercenary took a step back. The tribesman had turned towards the crowd of spectators, a blissful smile etched onto his face that, given the circumstances, struck the Canthan as unsettling.

The other northerner laid his hand on his fellow's wound, coating it in the blood streaming out from it, before pushing the Dödsskrömt-tribesman into the well behind him. As the warrior plummeted out of sight, the skull-faced northerner stepped over to the statue and touched it with his blood-covered hand.

Yun's grip on her sword tightened until her knuckled were surely bone-white under her gauntlets. She took another step back as the statue seemed to absorb the blood smeared onto it into itself, its lifeless eyes blazing alight with a red glow.

The statue's hands curled together, and two orbs of black energy materialized in them, before they were released and dropped down into the well. A beam of red and black energy erupted from the pit, its roar mixing with the northerner's scream. The warrior's hand closed tightly around her pendant, and her eyes involuntarily widened in alarm.

Almost as quickly as the beam had appeared, it dissipated, and a single sound rose from the well. "Blood…" Yun felt her heart skip a few beats. "Blood!" A cacophony of screeching and howling sounded from above, as if answering the newborn bat-demon. The mercenary's head whipped up, and she swallowed a groan at the sight.

The ceiling was alive with the fiends, each and every one of them flapping its wings and screeching loudly, the sound nearly deafening. The newly born monster clawed its way out of the pit and took wing, joining its brethren in the ceiling after snarling menacingly at the Canthan, who stood as if turned to stone.

The Dödsskrömt had erupted into cheers the moment the abomination crawled out of its "womb", as it were. Their fervor shook the shocked mercenary out of her stunned state. Yun shook her head, stretched out, gritted her teeth, and resumed her descent.

The skull-clad northerner raised his arms as the mercenary stepped into the circle at the bottom of the stands, his fellow tribesmen and even the bat-like demons falling silent at the gesture. "Who comes into this house of life?" he hissed, his voice rasping and low, sounding more like the beasts hanging above them than anything else.

"Who profanes this holy place with their blasphemous presence?" "I am Beastbane," the warrior answered. "Beastbane Yun Dao, of the Hezokio Clan. I come seeking the one called Dödsmester, I come to take his head, as proof of my valor." "You have found him," the dark northerner said, his uncovered mouth curling into a skull-like grin.

"So," he began. "You seek to prove yourself." It was a statement, not a question. "I would say that you have proved yourself sufficiently. None has stood up to us and lived for many centuries." He nodded, seeming impressed, before chuckling. "You have bested our warriors, and slain many of The Nameless One's children, and it seems only fair that your blood and soul should compensate for that which you have spilled."

The northerner drew his blade and spoke a single word, "Die." Yun barely had time to bring up her shield before the scimitar smashed into it with a force that belied his wiry frame. She hopped backwards as he raised his blade again, and slashed at him.

The priest-like figure threw himself backwards and parried the warrior's blow as she rushed after him. The two fenced with one another for a while, before the northerner slid back and, fast as a viper, sidestepped the Canthan and let his sword bite her skin.

The mercenary gritted her teeth and swung after him again. She caught him in the chest, and a trickle of blood slid down his torso. He caught it on his claw-like finger and licked it off, not missing the southerner's shudder. "This displeases you," he stated, his chuckle enough to chill the mercenary to her bones.

Yun scowled at him, then smiled defiantly. "Don't worry," she said. "You'll be tasting a lot more of your own blood before I'm through with you." Her bravery seemed to throw the northerner off. He scowled slightly and came at her again. Their blades clashed again and again as they drove each other back and forward, neither one able to secure the upper hand.

The Dödsmester dropped to the floor, ducking under a swipe of the mercenary's weapon, and kicked her legs out from underneath her. Yun went down with a grunt and rolled to the side. The northerner-leader's blade slashed across the stone, and the Canthan rolled backwards, bringing her shield up in front of herself as she stood.

She rushed him, batting his blade aside with her shield and dancing around him, leaving a long scar on his back in her wake. He snarled and spun on her with blinding speed. Yun felt warm blood flow into her mouth as the fist of the northerner collided with her face and sent her to the floor.

She groaned and tried to push herself up, but was brought down again by the bare foot of the skull-clad tribesman planting itself on her back, his long toes felt extremely disgusting to the bare upper part of it. Yun reached for her sword, but a quick look proved it out of range, having been tossed out of her hand as she went down.

The Warrior silently cursed the fact that her armor left the upper part of her back bare, as her the tip of her enemy's sword was pressed against her skin. "Just scream when the pain really sets in," the northerner chuckled, his voice sounding hungry for something, not to mention insane. "I'll make sure to go slower when you do."

The blade began to dig into her back, and Yun gritted her teeth against the pain. Her mind raced, and found one option. Hoping desperately that she wouldn't impale herself on the long, curved steel pointed at her, the mercenary swung her arms back.

The blade dug deeper into her back as her torso lifter itself off the floor, but she managed to grab hold of the northerner's robes, and firmly pulled him off her. The Dödsmester toppled over with a snarl and went down himself. Ignoring the pain pounding in her back, the mercenary picked herself up from the floor and discovered the northerner's blade beside her.

The Dödsskrömt-chieftain rolled over onto his back to find the outsider standing over him, with his blade poised to cleave his ribcage in halves. The Canthan yelled and brought the steel down on the tribesman. The sword sliced deep into the northerner's palms as he seized it with his hands in mid-swing.

Blood poured from the hands of the Dödsmester and down his arms. Yun's eyes widened again as an abnormally long tongue snaked its way out of the man's mouth and licked the blood from his arms. He grinned maniacally and pulled the blade from the warrior's hands, before smashing the pommel into her exposed stomach.

Yun stumbled backwards, but stayed on her feet, bringing her shield up as the northerner jumped back to his feet. The scimitar clashed against the shield several times, the rapidness of the strikes, combined with their forcefulness, driving the Canthan back.

As he raised his blade again, Yun took a chance and charged him. She dodged his attack, raised her arm, and smashed the shield into his face, sending him flying a few feet to the left. The mercenary ignored him and dashed for her weapon, her heartbeat quickening as she heard him rise with a haunting laughter and take off after her.

She reached down, retrieved her sword and turned to face the northerner, their blades clashing. The laughter of the Dödsmester didn't cease, in fact, it increased in volume as the fight dragged on. "Balthazar, strengthen me," she thought as she hopped away from an attack, swinging her blade in retaliation and having it parried before blocking the counterattack. "If the Dödsskrömt of old were anything like this one, I understand why they were feared."

The northerner's hand suddenly shot forward and closed around her throat, the movement too quick for her to avoid. He pulled her close and his laughter slowed to a chuckle. "I wonder…" he rasped. "How you taste." His tongue shot out from his mouth and left a trail of his spit along her throat. "Ahh…" he moaned, his voice almost ecstatic. "I can taste the blood pumping underneath your skin… Delicious."

Raged overcame stunned terror, and the northerner keeled over with a boot in his groin. Yun didn't give him time to recover as her fist smashed into his cheek, the sound of bones snapping was almost satisfying to her. The Dödsmester swiftly shattered her satisfaction with his wheezing laughter. "Shut up," she growled, his laughter grew louder. "Shut up!" The Canthan's snarl only seemed to provoke even more laughter. "Shut up!" Her fist slammed into his face again.

He fell, still laughing, and stopped only to cough when Yun's boot smashed into his ribs. "Such a great warrior," he chuckled. "Kicking an opponent while he is down, truly you are a noble fighter." He spat out a glob of blood and laughed again.

Yun's leg halted in mid-swing, her face stricken with terror and realization. "Balthazar…" she thought, knowing her warlike deity's views on cowardly and dishonorable combat. "Forgive me, My Lord." She lowered her gaze, her arms hanging limply by her sides.

The northerner grinned wickedly at the broken warrior before him as he got up, despite the pain in his face, ribs and groin. He had seen her type before, during his travels in the world outside, he had killed her type before. "Drive an "honorable" warrior to fight dirty," he thought with a chuckle. "And then break them with their own "nobility"." He chuckled again and raised his scimitar over his head, intent on finishing the fight.

"Now…you die," he hissed with a grin. "Your spilled blood shall herald the era of my rule." He swung down, and was parried. Yun led his blade away from her, and slammed her shield into his chest, sending him stumbling back. "I shall pay my penance with your head!" the mercenary snarled, her eyes blazing with rage.

"That doesn't usually happen…" the dark northerner murmured, a hint of worry evident in his voice. "Balthazar!" the southern warrior roared and attacked anew. "Balthazar, Cantha and the Emperor!" The Dödsmester parried most of the attack thrown at him, but many of them evaded his defense nonetheless.

The Canthan's frenzied assault drove the northerner back, until a particularly vicious blow shattered his blade and knocked him to the ground. The tip of the mercenary's sword against his chest had him freezing completely. He looked up, and saw her eyes, they were burning with what looked like both triumph and mercilessness. "Your reign is at an end, Dödsmester," she stated. "And the gods will judge your soul."

"Do not count on it, southerner," he snarled, defiant to the very end. "This is not the end." Yun didn't answer. She raised her blade, and swung it sideways. The dark northerner's head flew off his shoulder and landed a few feet to the right. The warrior breathed out and went over to fetch it, pausing as she registered the terrified expressions of the tribesmen surrounding her, their eyes fixed on the spot where their leader had been slain.

She turned and froze. The headless corpse was staggering its way back onto its feet. Blood pumping from its throat, it stumbled toward the well and the statue. It was almost there when Yun got her act back together. "Grenth take your soul and lock it in the Underworld! Die, you cursed thing!"

She dashed at the corpse, leaving its head on the ground, but failed to reach it before it stood before the statue. The body swayed back and forth for a moment, before tipping over the edge and into the pit, the blood shooting from its throat-stump spraying across the statue as it went down.

Yun cursed and halted in her dash as the statue's eyes blazed back to life. The blood covering it was sucked into it, as if it was some hideous sponge. The black light flared up in its hands, but where the light she had seen before had been two orbs, this time, it appeared as black lightning.

The lightning blasted down into the well, and Yun took a step back as the red and black beam blasted out of the well and struck the ceiling. A rumble echoed through the mountain, almost knocking the warrior off her feet. The screeching of the bat-demons and the screams of the tribesmen was drowned out by the second rumble.

"Blood…" The Canthan could barely make out the word, as it was spoken in a sickening gurgle. A massive claw latched itself onto the edge of the well, quickly followed by another one. The pit's opening cracked and shattered as a massive beast pulled itself out of it. "Blood…" it gurgled, its throat ending in no head, but a round, gaping maw lined with scores of needle-like teeth.

"Blood…" Yun shuddered but stood her ground. The gurgling fiend pulled itself all the way out of the well, splitting open cracks in the floor in the process, and stood on all fours, its misshapen body too large to stand upright in the room. The beast was blacker than midnight, with blood spilling from its maw. Clouds of steam were expelled from the beast every time it breathed, and its massive legs ended in enormous talons.

"Blood…" it gurgled again, seemingly unable to raise its voice beyond the half-choked sound. Unlike its smaller brethren, the wings weren't folded along the arms, but sprang from its back. The abomination let loose a gurgling howl, and opened its maw by wringing its teeth outward, making it appear almost like a grotesque blossom.

Yun quickly raised her shield in front of herself, and just in time. A bright-red tentacle that could only be the monster's tongue, shot out of its maw and collided with the round shield, knocking the mercenary off her feet. "Kai sang!" the Canthan cursed and rolled out of the way, barely avoiding certain death as the beast's fist slammed a crater in the ground.

Yun sprang to her feet and hacked at the limb, leaving a gash on its hand before being swept away by it. The abomination gurgled another howl and slammed the warrior against the wall. She managed to retain her grip on her sword, and with a cry, she sank it hilt-deep into the creature's hand.

Rock cracked as the monster's pained scream, dark blood spewed from its wound and showered the warrior as she was dropped to the floor. Sitting herself up against the wall, Yun rolled to the side as the beast's tongue whipped out at her again. The monstrosity's unharmed fist surged towards her, and Yun reacted by, once again, dodging out of the way and slashing at the arm.

The limb swiftly retreated, before sweeping at her again. She dashed for the creature's body and skidded underneath the arm on the way, slashing at the exposed limb as she went. Even more blood splashed over her, and she hastily wiped it away from her eyes.

"Come on!" she shouted as she stood, her sword pointed at the blood-drooling maw before her. "Strike me if you dare, beast!" "Blood…" the thing gurgled in response and shot out its tongue again. Yun jumped back as the arm-thick appendage made for her, the, as it made contact with the ground, she jumped forward again, pinned it to the floor with her boot and severed it.

The monster snapped back on its hind legs with a deafening howl, before surging forward. Yun threw herself forward and grinned as the beast flew over her and smashed into the opposite wall. She rolled over onto her back and stabbed upwards, opening a wound in the thing's gut.

Something curled around her waist, and suddenly she was flying through the air again. The mercenary smashed into the stone-benches, groaning as she got up again. The beast's back was still turned, allowing a view of its tail, which it had used to fling the warrior around.

The abomination turned and leapt for her, its fist slamming into the benches and missing the Canthan by an arm's length. Yun didn't have time to swipe at the arm again, and had to jump up to the bench above herself to avoid the former northerner's maw swallowing her whole. She swung down and managed to leave a scar on its upper maw.

Screeching, the thing pulled back its leech-like head and swiped at her with its right hand. Waiting until it was just close enough, she leapt out and landed on its arm, raised her blade, and drove it through the beast's wrist. Another gurgling howl shook the mountain, and the thing smacked her off its arm. By some gods-given luck, she hung on to her sword, ripping it loose as she flew off with an alarmed scream.

Yun landed and skidded along another bench, her shield thankfully preventing her skin from being torn off. The thing leapt after her with another gurgle of, "Blood…", its needle-like teeth poised into a piercing position. She rolled back, and narrowly avoided getting run through by the creature. She stood, and found herself caged. The beast's teeth had been driven into the ground and it was steadily pushing downward in an attempt to swallow the warrior.

Yun snarled and hacked away at the closest tooth. After six or seven rapid strikes, she kicked out and shattered it. The beast screeched, and snapped at the mercenary with what remained of its tongue. Turning, the woman caught the blood-slicked appendage with her shield-arm's hand and pulled it down before cutting it off.

The monster pulled its head back with another roar, and swiftly put some distance between itself and the warrior. "We're not finished!" she snarled and made for the beast. "Stand and face me!" The thing gurgled another howl and dashed to meet her again.

Just before they met, the beast leapt over her and latched onto the wall, before beginning to climb upwards. Yun snarled again and charged after it, managing to grab onto its tail before it breached the ceiling. The warrior gritted her teeth together and began pull herself up along the monster's tail, while it clawed its way up through the mountain.

The Canthan had reached the demon's lower back just as it erupted from the top of the mountain with a sickening, gurgling howl. "Blood…" the fiend gurgled and took to the skies, its massive wings propelling it through the air. Yun kept going, infinitely thankful for the spines covering the beast's back and up its neck, which gave her something to hang on to.

Closing her fist around one of them, the mercenary whirled her sword around and jammed it into the abomination's neck. The monster roared in pain and shook violently, throwing the warrior off of itself and up into the air. The thing opened its maw and Yun fell into it on her way down.

The demon aimed its maw at the heavens and let loose a howl of victory, which quickly turned into a wail of pain as Murakai's Blade tore through its chest and split it open before being dragged towards the guts. The entirety of the beast's underside was torn open, and it immediately plummeted towards the mountain again.

Yun slipped out of the wound, falling just above the carcass of her enemy. "So," she thought, struggling to keep hold of her weapon. "This is how it ends." She felt tired, more tired than ever before. She just wanted to close her eyes and sleep, sleep and maybe not wake up.

"There are worse ways to die," she reasoned, the free-fall to the Underworld stretching out. "And at least, I took this thing with me." A tear blinked in her eye, she didn't bother to wipe it away, knowing that there was no plausible way for her to save herself. Her hand went up the pendant hanging around her neck and clenched it.

"Marion…I'm sorry," she thought, turning her head to the south, towards Björnaborg. "I have failed you, and leave this world with an oath unfulfilled." She frowned at the thought, but turned her gaze back upwards, intent on making her last glimpse of true sunlight last as long as she could make it. "Father…" she whispered. "I wish the goodbye I gave you when we parted weren't the last words we spoke to one another. I'm sorry."

Her tears ran freely as she fell down through the mountain. "Balthazar…" she choked out. "Lord of War and Fire, take me to You, let me serve in Your armies and cast me not away for my weaknesses." The mercenary smiled despite her sorrow. "I am Your soldier, Balthazar, I have always been. Let me be Your servant…forevermore."

Blackness colored her vision just before she smashed into the ground, and something seized her by her shoulders. Acting purely on instinct, the Canthan slashed upwards, cutting into something that reacted with a pained shriek. The bat-demon, she guessed it had been one of those, released her and sent her flying sideways.

She landed with a grunt. The beast had broken her fall. "I'm alive," she realized. "Dwayna be praised, I'm alive!" She rose to her knees, supporting herself on her sword to get up on her feet, and spotted scores of the bat-like beasts surrounding her, along with even more of the human tribesmen. Her blade was instantly raised and trained at the enemy's direction. "Back!" she snarled, turning in an attempt to ward off those behind her.

Fatigue smashed into her like a boulder thrown by one of the giants of The Southern Shiverpeaks. Her adrenaline seeped out of her, and she once again felt deathly tired, the numerous wounds, some of them bleeding quite a lot, didn't help at all. "Get…back…" she groaned as she fell to one knee. Her strength, for the first time in a long time, failed her, and she fell completely over, a hand with long, sinuous fingers reaching for her being the last thing she saw before the blackness took her.

Shetani stood with her gaze turned northward. The tracks that had been found were indeed those of Yun's drake, Ryûng if she recalled its name correctly. Further investigation had uncovered the tracks of a pair of horses, both heading in the same direction.

She nodded, and a contingent of various undead surged forward, with a ghoul up front sniffing along the ground. One of the corpses present remained behind, though whether it actually was a corpse or a living man encased in black armor, one could not tell until one stood close to it and caught whiff of its rotting aroma.

The black armor was jagged and wicked-looking, the gauntlets, boots, upper part of the cuirass and the helmet hammered into the shape of fanged skulls, horned as well in the helmet's case, with a sickly green glow emanating from their eye-pits. The undead creature's shield bore the image of a bestial skull, meant to picture the face of Grenth, and fell enchantments had been cast upon it. The sword strapped to the corpse's hip had no scabbard, as it was physically impossible to make one that fit the curved and jagged steel.

The blade looked every bit as wicked and lethal as the rest of the figure, it was made for the sole reason of tearing flesh, rending bone and spilling blood. The steel was ice-cold to the touch and inscribed with dark runes.

Shetani turned to the dark warrior. "I trust you know what to do," she said. "And I trust you not to fail me." "I shall not fail, my queen," the death-knight stated, kneeling before its mistress. "I know you will do your best." The necromancer extended her hand to the side and was given the reins of an undead steed before giving them on to the undead warrior. "Be swift, our time grows short," she stated. "I shall return within a fortnight, my queen," the corpse rasped and mounted, taking off after the rest of the undead.

"I certainly hope so," Shetani muttered. "We do not have all the time in the world." "He is a fine creation, my queen," Hashek spoke as he went to stand beside her. "He is, isn't he?" she nodded. "One of my finer works as of late, you should be proud of your son." The last part was directed at Elin, who appeared to be in a conflicted state of emotions.

"Do not fear, Elin," the Elonian necromancer-queen said as she turned and headed back towards Tyrleôn. "Once my business here is concluded, I shall give you control of him, and turn his mind back to a son's love for his mother if you so wish." The Tyrlachian woman bowed. "Thank you, my queen," she murmured, having become increasingly more timid ever since their last meeting.

Shetani rolled her eyes and waved the woman off. "How is Calec?" she asked her consort, largely ignoring the people around the two of them. "Improving," Hashek answered. "He is able to read from the tomes for more than ten minutes at a time without breaking into tears, or throwing up." The Dread Queen smiled. "He is making great progress then. Does he sleep well?" The male shook his head.

"He still has nightmares, my queen, I think he might be seeing the face of Grenth in his dreams." "Poor soul," Shetani muttered. "The road to Grenth's favor is a long and painful one." "The temple is nearly finished, my queen," Hashek said after a while, causing his lover to smile again.

"Changing the subject, are we?" she grinned at him. The other necromancer coughed and looked away. Shetani's smile grew even wider. "You wouldn't happen to be getting…jealous, would you?" Hashek fell silent. She sighed and shook her head at her consort's behavior. "Don't be stupid, Hashek," she said with mild annoyance driving her amusement away. "Have I ever given you reason to doubt me before?" "No, my queen," the male mumbled in response. "Trust me, my friend," she reassured him. "My feelings towards Calec are equal to the love I have for all those who are steadfast, loyal and firm in their faith."

Her consort visibly relaxed, and the two stepped into the castle. The face of the heathen-god, Athalan, had been clawed open long since by dutiful ghouls. The tattered visage brought a new smile to The Dread Queen's face, and she didn't notice the two figures in front of her before one of them cleared his throat to make himself known.

The Elonian looked down from the ceiling, and discovered two Tyrlachians standing in front of her, hastily kneeling as her soulless gaze rested upon them. "Speak," she said after some time. "What ails you this day?" The two men bit their lips to keep themselves from screaming. Hashek repressed a chuckle, mindless terror was a common symptom for those unused to his queen's voice when they heard it.

"We…well, my queen," one of them began, shaking noticeably. "This man has a…history of trying to undermine me through unfair means to drive me out of-." "Do not listen to a word he says, your most esteemed majesty," the second man butted in. "Quite the contrary, he is employing rebels and insurrectionists to undermine your rule in the hopes of being given a prestigious position once his accomplices-." "What? How dare you? I am an upstanding merchant in this community's-!" "Upstanding? You? Now there's a laugh! My grandmother is more upstanding than you! And she's dead!" "You're dead!"

The two merchants' shouted conversation rapidly descended into name-calling, and they looked like they were about to physically assault each other before Shetani cleared her throat, smiling in mild amusement. The merchants halted as if frozen and dropped to their knees again. "Grenth shall settle this matter," she informed them and snapped her fingers. Two nearby skeletons, clad in remnants of what had once been armor, shambled over to their mistress and presented their swords to her.

She took them and held them out to the merchants. "Take these," she said. "The one who lives once you are through with each other shall have the other's business." The men were dumbstruck for some time, before rising, clearing their throats, excusing themselves and retreating hastily, very hastily. "Another worry less to deal with," the necromancer chuckled. Hashek was still sulking.

The Dread Queen turned to her consort and jabbed a finger in his chest. "Go!" she ordered with a snarl. "Go, crawl back into the catacombs or some such until you have dealt with this petty, nonsensical jealousy of yours!" "Nonsensical? Petty?" Hashek snarled back at her, his usually even temper flaring. "It is such an affront to you, my queen, that I worry when you seem to care for this young man so much? Some see jealousy as a sign of a healthy relationship!"

Shetani didn't have to say anything, her eyes were snarling at the male before her. "I see it as an annoyance! You," she hissed. "Are in no position to determine who I care for and not. Calec is important to maintain my rule here once we depart for Elona, and must be prepared accordingly. If you would pause and think clearly, you would remember that his elevation to his current position was your idea to begin with!" Hashek bit back a reply, turned with a snarl and stalked away from her.

Gritting her teeth together, the female necromancer turned her gaze from her retreating acolyte's back and continued towards her tower at a brisk pace. She didn't even stop to acknowledge or bless her followers and underlings along the way, though most gave her a wide berth, sensing their queen's stormy mood. Upon reaching her tower-chamber, she ordered the pair of Dreadknights guarding her door to admit no one until further notice and hurried inside, plopping down in her throne and letting her head fall into her hands, muffling her tired groan.

"Of all the times for that insufferable male ego to take hold of him, it had to be now: at the threshold of my greatest triumph!" She sighed and sat back, resorting to dealing with her lover another time. "Grenth take all males' prides and their jealousies." Her throne lifted itself from the floor and carried her to one of the balconies she had gotten installed on the tower, the one facing northward.

She could still feel her "children", they had not yet gotten far, and the tracks were over a week old, following them would not be easy and time was running out. The Dread Queen, Grenth's Chosen One, crossed her legs and folded her hands together, her eyes narrowing against the horizon. According to several of her newer acolytes, the people of the north were strong, courageous and unflinching in battle. "They might've been a problem," she mused. "Were they not so divided as they are." Her thoughts landed on Yun. Her characteristics were mightily similar to those northerners.

"I hope she is well," the necromancer thought to herself. "Or someone…is going to pay for her spilt blood, with their own."

The first thing she did, was move her finger, which pleasantly surprised her, as it proved that she could move at all. The first thing she felt was pain, which was good, pain meant that you were still alive.

Her eyes blinked open, and saw darkness, but it didn't bother her much as her eyes had gotten used to it in her time in the mountain. She sat up, her mind registering that her many wounds were closed, some of the deeper cuts had left scars along her arms and on her chest.

She looked around, and noticed her sword and shield resting against the bed she was sitting in, a bed carved from the mountain. "Like everything else in here," she thought, groaning as her headache struck her. She sat with her head in her hands for awhile, thankful for the fact that she was still wearing her armor, until the sound of a breath that wasn't her own reached her ears.

She looked up and into the eyes of one of the bat-demons. Yun shrieked in surprise and backpedaled with a kick to the beast's face. The creature screeched, pulled back and scuttled away. "Hey!" she shouted. "Get back here!" She rose, snatched her weapons and gave pursuit.

"I said get back he-whoa!" the Canthan stopped and managed to not tumble over the gap that laid before her, catching eye of the fiend flapping off in the dark. She looked around, and discovered that hers was the only cave nearby. The mercenary scowled, not at all willing to wait where she was until the northerners came for her.

"Why am I alive?" she wondered while searching for any possible way out. "How long have I been out? Why didn't they kill me while they had the chance? And why did they heal me?" She strapped her scabbard onto her back, sheathed her blade and strapped her shield over it. "I'm not sticking around here to find out."

Venturing back to the edge of the cave they had put her in, she looked around for any sort of escape-route. Failing to spot any to the sides, or beneath her, she turned her attention upwards, and caught eye of a few cracks in the wall. Yun observed them for some time, before leaping up and grabbing hold of the cave's upper ledge.

The mercenary pulled herself up, slowly but surely making her way upwards. "So far," she breathed out after an hour or so. "So good." She was being watched, she could occasionally hear the sound of clawed feet skittering across rock, not far from herself. She decided to not worry about them until they became a problem, and kept on going.

After several hours, and many near-falls, the mercenary pulled herself over a ledged and stood face to face with a silent tunnel. She dropped, panting, to her knees and remained where she was for some time before moving on. "All this, and I have no proof but my own word," she thought with a growl, surmising that her captors had already done away with the head she had planned to bring back to Björnaborg.

She stopped and tightened her grip on her sword. Five figures, draped in robes stood before her, thin and tall like their brethren Dödsskrömt. The middle one carried a sack in his hands, and he stepped forward while the four others remained behind.

Yun raised her shield and readied her blade as the robed one approached her. He stopped short of her, untied the sack, fished the head of the Dödsmester out of it, laid it on the ground before her, stepped back and knelt, his companions also kneeling. "Command us; Dödsmester," the foremost figure whispered. "Your word is our law."

Yun blinked, then blinked again and stood for a while before blurting out a confused, "What?" "You slew the previous one," the figure whispered. "The law dictates you as our new leader." "Hold up now," the Canthan said, quickly taking a few steps back. "I didn't come down here to become anyone's leader. I just came to prove myself in The Rite of Valor." "Be that as it may," the northerner whispered. "You are our leader now. Come," he rose and gestured down the tunnel, his comrades parting to allow her passage. "The tribe awaits your word."

Her sword flashed against the Dödsskrömt. "I'm not going anywhere with you until you tell me who you are, what, exactly, is going on and why I should trust you!" she snarled. Silence reigned across the tunnel for some time. "We are The Whisperers," the robed one whispered after a while. "Until recently, we were the mystics of The Nameless One, but no longer." Yun kept her sword up. "And why is that?" "You slew it," the Whisperer answered. "The former Dödsmester transformed into a living avatar of The Nameless One, when he was slain, the statue shattered. We know this to be a sign of change for the better of our people and you have shown us the strength of a warrior from the world outside the mountain. Lead, Dödsmester, and we shall follow."

Yun studied the robed northerner for some time, not seeing any signs of deceit in his posture, or way of speaking. "Eyes tell truths," she said. "Show me your face, and I will decide whether or not to come with you." The Whisperers seemed taken aback, but quickly regained their composure and bowed before pulling their hoods back.

The Canthan swallowed a gasp, briefly wondering how anything that thin could live and breathe. Their skin was stretched so tightly across their frames that she could see every bone there was to see. Their eyes were large and dark, almost insect-like, and full of mixed sincerity and loyalty, along with the tiniest glimmer of admiration.

"Balthazar's blazing sword…" she whispered and laid a hand on the northerner's snow-white cheek. "How long is it since you have eaten?" The Whisperer looked even more taken aback, and stuttered a bit before answering. "We…are not allowed to partake in the feastings, where the tribe consumes the bodies of the fallen." Yun swallowed her disgust at the prospect of cannibalism. "Why not?" she asked. "It's not like there is much else to eat around here."

"Precisely," the robed one nodded. "We Whisperers are taught from a young age, that our bodies cannot contain the remains of other tribesmen, lest we lose our powers due to their uncleanness." The Canthan felt sympathy grab hold of her, and sorrow. "I have to lead," she realized. "I have got to lead these people to a better life."

"There are going to be changes," she warned them. "If you take me as your leader, things are going to change." The Whisperers bowed. "As is expected of a new Dödsmester, especially one so…unusual as yourself." "Very well," Yun sighed. "Take me to the tribe."

"This way, Dödsmester," the northerner whispered and gestured down the tunnel, covering his face with his hood again. His comrades did the same as she passed, whispering their respects to her presence. "Don't do that…" she muttered, her eyes training themselves on the ground. "I'm just a mercenary." "As you wish, Dödsmester," came the reply. "What does that even mean?" the warrior inquired. "Well…my knowledge of the common tongue used outside of the mountain is a bit rustier than one would think," the closest Whisperer said. "But I am almost certain that it means something along the lines of; Deathmaster."

Yun's face scrunched up at the name. "I think I'll have to make myself a new title. One that sounds less, er…necromantic." "As you wish," the Whisperer replied. "Please, don't do that," the warrior pleaded. "I am a mercenary, not some tyrant you have to agree with. If you think it's too stupid an idea, let me know." The Whisperers fell silent again. "You know what," Yun said after some time. "Just call me Beastbane. Everyone else does." "Beastbane…Beistbane, if you will permit us to translate it," one of them whispered.

The Canthan nodded at them, and returned to her own thoughts. "I have to be strong, strong and firm," she mused. "Strong and firm, but not tyrannous." She groaned slightly, "This is going to be hard."

The five Whisperers led the mercenary through tunnels, over gaps and ravines, and down narrow hallways. Eventually, the dull mumbling of many people talking to each other was heard. "It is time," the Whisperer behind her spoke. "Are you prepared, Beistbane?" Yun drew a deep breath, steeled herself, and nodded. The head of the Dödsmester was handed to her, and she stepped through a doorway and out onto a cliff, in the middle of a drop. The walls were teeming with tribesmen, and all as one went silent once the Canthan showed herself.

Yun raised the severed head into the air, and spoke with an unwavering voice. "This was the Dödsmester! I am his slayer!" A booming cheer rose from the tribe. "But I am not the new Dödsmester!" Confused silence settled across the tribesmen. The mercenary looked across her tribe, getting used to the thought was going to take some time. "Do you know how many of you I killed on my way in here?" she asked, and received no answer. "Neither do I."

"Were you…keeping count?" a silent voice asked from the walls. "No," Yun answered. "No, I didn't. But if I had, I would probably have lost count somewhere along the way. Do you know why?" Silence. The warrior raised her hand and pointed at the tribe. "Because you have become weak!" A mutter rose from the crowd, and she raised her hands above her head. "Hear me out," she spoke, and the muttering died down.

"How long have you been holed up in this mountain?" the Canthan asked. "For many hundreds of years," came the whispered answer from behind her, and Yun had to repress a shudder. The Whisperers were unquestionably loyal, of that there was little doubt in her heart, but their presence, method of speech and general way of being was unsettling, in the least. "And how many times in those hundreds of years have you been outside of the mountain?" "Five times, the last of which was less than a decade ago," the Whisperer replied.

"And what have you fought? On whom have you honed your abilities? Frightened tribesmen, and the weak and old of your own tribe!" The silence that now held sway over the Dödsskrömt was one of realization. "You have wasted away!" she shouted. "You aren't even the shadows of the terror I have heard of!" She stopped to catch her breath and calm herself. "But that's going to change," she said after some time. "This tribe shall no longer be remembered with fear and dread, but by its courage, its honor and its loyalty to Tyrlach!"

Cheers erupted from the walls, nearly well deafening the mercenary. After her head stopped ringing, Yun spoke again. "Darkness gathers to the south! And I'm going to fight it! I ask only of you that you would aid Tyrlach in her time of need! I am Beistbane, and I am Blodstaal, leader of this tribe!" More cheers greeted her, though these were on a somewhat lesser scale.

"Henceforth!" she continued. "This tribe shall have a new name, and abandon the darkness of old!" The room went silent again. The whisperer behind her leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "You can unite them," he assured her. "Give them a worthy name." "I will," Yun answered in a whisper of her own. "Give me a moment."

After a few seconds, she snapped her fingers. "How do you say "dragonfire" in the northern tongue?" she wondered. The Whisperer looked confused, then nodded and whispered the answer in her ear. "How much do you know about the outside world?" she asked the crowd. "Not much," someone replied. "We saw some of it during the wars, when last we emerged, but we were busy at the time, as I am sure you can imagine."

A few chuckles sounded from the gathered tribesmen, and the warrior turned her head to look at the one who had answered her. "Tell me then, do you know of the creature called the dragon?" More silence, "I thought not," Yun smiled. "A dragon, can grow to massive sizes, big enough so that its wings block out the heavens. They come in many shapes, but for the most part, they resemble enormous lizard-like creatures with wings, and horns that can grow to become the length of three men."

The tribesmen were listening intently at that point, and though most of them probably had no idea of what a "lizard" was, they didn't pursue the matter. "The oldest dragons," the Canthan continued. "Can be as old as the world itself! Their scales are nearly impenetrable, they possess enormous magical powers and their breath is fire, lightning, frost and ice or something different altogether! Only the mightiest or most cunning of combatants stand a chance against these creatures!" The mercenary stopped to let the information sink in.

"This is the beast I am naming you after!" she shouted. "From now on, you are no longer Dödsskrömt! You are Dragonfire, Drageild!" Again, the tribe was silent. "Now, I'm going to aid my allies in retaking Tyrlach, and you have three choices! You can come with me and establish yourselves as a strong and noble tribe, you can stay here and waste away some more or you can try to stop me, and perish in doing so!"

All was silent for a while. Yun clenched her fists together, not even daring to breathe. "War!" someone shouted. "War!" another one replied, and soon enough, the entire tribe was chanting the word. "Alright!" Yun shouted. "Then the first challenge you must overcome, is your fear! Get your behinds out into the sun!" Silence once more.

The Canthan sighed and shook her head. "Sun is good for you, you know," she stated. "My god, Balthazar, is Lord of War and Fire. The sun is a giant ball of flames. What else could such a thing be, if not the power of Balthazar shining down upon us?" A mumble of agreement rose from the crowd. "When Balthazar's eyes are upon us, His strength, His bravery and His honor flows through our bodies," Yun said. "My father used to tell me this when I was young, and I have kept it in my heart ever since. Balthazar aided me when I struck down The Nameless One, and He will aid you as well, if you accept him!"

"We have been taught that the sun is-," "Never mind what you were taught then! This is now!" the warrior snarled. "Get out into the sunlight before I chase you out into it! And should you against all odds begin to burn, then you can run along inside again, and I'll help my employer myself!" No one said anything. "No one speaks against our leader?" the closest Whisperer said, the silence making his whispering loud enough to be heard. "Then we are in agreement."

The cloaked northerner turned and raised his bony finger towards the exit. "Conceal yourselves with hoods and the like if you must, but we shall venture into the sun for the first time in a long time." He turned to the mercenary. "Come," he whispered. "We will guide you out of the mountain." Yun nodded and went after him, her tribe dispersing behind them.

The Whisperers led the woman downwards, deep into the mountain, explaining that there were exits closer to its foot than others were. "You have done well," one of them whispered. "We Whisperers have long felt that this tribe needed the change you have brought." "Then how come you didn't do anything about it? What exactly is it you do around here anyway?" Yun asked.

"We were mystics gifted by The Nameless One… until recently," one of them replied. "Each of us was born with powers beyond our kin. Powers invoked by incantations we simply knew by heart. The power grows when the incantations are spoken louder, and a simple shout of one of them could tear this mountain and the ground it stands on to shreds. Therefore, we speak only in whispers, hence our title, The Whisperers."

The Canthan raised a confused eyebrow. "If you have all that power, why aren't you in control?" she asked. "We are…different in more ways than one," the Whisperer answered. "We are not as bloodthirsty as our brethren, and sometimes we see things in our dreams. Things that are, things that have been and things that have not yet come to pass." "Did you see anything interesting lately then?" Yun wondered. "Coincidentally, we did," he said.

"We saw water, more specifically, a stream that flowed off a cliff in a great waterfall into a dark hole in the ground, from whence it never returned. Then from the south, a great creature came flying though the air, borne on grand wings similar to those of the Blodvinge, breathing smoke and fire. The creature that you called a dragon landed in the water some way upstream and diverted the flow of the river, joining it with a larger river that flowed southward and kept a great plain green and grassy, as well as a grand tree in the middle of the plain."

The warrior and The Whisperers halted in front of a dead end. "You are the dragon from the south, Beistbane, destined to unite the northern tribes against the darkness that has swallowed Tyrlach." Yun blinked. "I'm only a mercenary…" she muttered. "That's the kind of stuff that crusaders or great generals or kings do, anything that's more heroic than a mercenary." She sighed, and turned to the wall they were standing in front of.

The Whisperers placed their hands on the wall and whispered something unintelligible before stepping back. The mountain seemed to groan and shake as the large wall retreated into the ground. Yun squinted against the sunlight as it broke through the darkness, while her robe-clad companions hissed and pulled their hoods further down. "Sun's good for you," she reminded them and stepped outside, filling her lungs with fresh air. The only Whisperer who had said anything at all, presumably some sort of leader, swallowed and slowly edged his way out and into the open.

Once he stood beside the Canthan, the other four carefully followed. "How quickly can we make it to Björnaborg?" Yun asked, turning towards the Whisperer. "We move swiftly," he answered. "If we go now, we can be there within two nights' time." "Then gather the tribe!" she ordered. "We're leaving as soon as everyone is present." The Whisperers bowed and moved off. "We shall try to coax them out." "Tell them to move before I come back in and drag them out by their nostrils," Yun growled.

Some time later, Yun stood on a large rock at the foot of the mountain and gazed across her tribe. Hundreds of pale northerners were present in front of her, most of which had covered their heads with hoods and the like, only a few brave souls dared expose their faces to direct sunlight.

"Drageild, get in line and pay attention!" she called. Any and all movements in the ranks of tribesmen ceased and everyone went silent. "Changes!" the warrior began. "Have you understood what that means? That means no looting, pillaging, marauding, kidnapping, sacking, ransacking, murdering, sacrificing, cannibalizing, bloodshed unless I say so or your lives depend on it, picking fights with other tribesmen, unless it's a question of honor or…you know what, just don't do any of that and don't act in any way that may cause people to think of you as blood-hungering, savage, demon-worshipping cannibals that live in a mountain, alright?"

Again, all was silent, until someone cleared their throat. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention to what you said, could you repeat that?" If looks could kill, the entire tribe would have been erased from existence by the glare the Canthan laid on them. "I'll just ask someone later…" the voice muttered. "Anyone else who hasn't been paying attention when I told them to?" Yun snarled, her hand closing around her sword's hilt.

Dead silence, once again. "Not a very talkative bunch these ones," Yun thought to herself. Aloud she said, while drawing her blade and pointing it southward, "Then we go, to Björnaborg!" As one, the tribe turned and loped forward on all four, quickly speeding off. "Wow, that was fast," she muttered. "Blood…" something hissed beside her. Yun turned to find one of the bat-demons crouching down low beside her. She blinked. "The Blodvinge wishes for you to ride it," the only vocal Whisperer informed her. "It is afraid that you are not as…swift on your feet as the rest of us." Yun blinked again, and looked at the beast, then at The Whisperers.

"What about you five?" she asked. "You don't look like types to run on all fours." A hint of a smile crossed the Whisperer's features. "We shall see you at Björnaborg, Beistbane." With that, The Whisperers moved, crossing ground in long leaps the length of four men. "Blood…blood," the Blodvinge hissed. "Guess I'm riding with you," Yun muttered, sheathed her weapon and climbed onto the monster's back. She sat herself up with her legs on both sides of the creature's head and held on to its ears.

"Uhm…go?" she muttered and tugged the ears. The bat-like demon took a few steps back and kicked a little dust of the ground, before lunging forward with a shriek of, "Blood!" and taking to the skies. "Blood!" The cry greeted the two as they joined the beast's brethren, their large frames and wide wingspans darkening the heavens. Yun couldn't repress her shudder at their cries for blood as they headed southwards, but she knew what had to be done. "Time to unify!" she thought and nodded to herself.

Björnaborg had been silent for many a day, as most were still affected by the somber mood of the princess and her two remaining bodyguards. The tribe felt for them, and had already held a feast in honor of the slain mercenary's honor. The princess had been defiant, of course, claiming that the older woman was alive and well somewhere, and she had kept that defiance going for a whole week after the fortress received the news of the warrior's departure.

"Damned shame…" a watchman muttered to himself as he stood vigil against the night. "What, the mercenary?" another watchman asked. "Yep," the first answered. "Mhm," the second one nodded. "She was quite the looker from the glimpses I caught at the princess's arrival." The first one chuckled. "Yeah," he grinned. "Wouldn't mind taking that wild horse for a ride." The two shared lecherous sneers, while a third watcher, a female one, sighed and shook her head.

"Just shut up and do your jobs," she muttered, just loud enough to be heard, muttering a barely audible, "Swine," under her breath and turning her gaze northward. "Are you still worried about that thingy you thought you saw?" one of her colleagues asked her. "I know what I saw!" she snarled at him. "What was it then?" the other watchman wondered.

The woman fell silent. "I don't know what it was," she murmured. "But it was something! A great shadow erupted from the peak of Svartbeinfjell and fell again only seconds later!" The two other watchers sniggered, and erupted into laughter as the woman snarled again and stomped off, ignoring their jeers and cries of, "Boo! Watch out for the monsters!" as she went.

She sighed as she leant against the wall someplace else, still keeping her gaze northward. Footsteps made known the presence of yet another watcher. He was an elderly one, but vigilant as a hunting eagle nonetheless. "Don't let them get you down," he muttered and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You've got the sharpest eyes in the tribe. They couldn't tell a badger from a wolverine in broad daylight." She smiled at him and stood straight again.

"It's quiet tonight," he muttered. "It is," she agreed. "It's been quiet ever since I saw that shadow, and that was four days ago." "Aye," he nodded. "Not a single bird makes a sound. Not a single wolf howls at the moon. Not one single, damnedest-." He was cut off by the unexpected sound of a bird. The unmistakable cry of a raven. "Figures," he scoffed. "The first bird we hear in days, and it has to be that accursed corpse-eater!"

"Ooh, sounds like someone's being all grumpy and superstitious again," one of the two watchers from earlier sing-sang as they approached the older man and the woman. "It's a bad omen," the elderly tribesman muttered. "And I'll wager every last coin I own that it has something to do with that shadow." The younger men rolled their eyes and shrugged at each other, something the older didn't miss.

"You boys are laughing now," he said. "But everyone else in the fortress knows that there's something wrong brewing. Ask anyone! Ask the Björnbröl if that's what it takes to convince you!" One of the youths expelled a harsh breath and waved dismissively. "Björnbröl," he said in a high tone. "The Björnbröl has been acting like he was the mother of a baby ever since that girl and her folks came here."

"She's your queen," the woman growled. "You should show some respect!" "If I manage to slip her a few ales, I'll really show her something that demands respect! Heh, heh, he-whoa!" A spear had lined itself against his throat, and the woman holding it was glaring daggers at him. "If you so much as look at that girl in a way I don't find agreeable, I'll put you through a hell so painful you'll wish the Dödsskrömt would come and drag you back to Svartbeinfjell!"

A hand laid itself on her shoulder, and the older man pulled her slightly back, while the younger man's companion did the same to the boy she was glaring at. "You shouldn't speak of such things," the elderly man muttered. "We don't need to make the night any blacker than it already is." "Psh," the younger watcher scoffed. "I'm not afraid of the Dödsskrömt. Why, if they came here, I'd show them something they'd really fear!"

"The same thing you were going to show the princess?" the second youth sniggered, earning a slap to his shoulder. "Shut up!" the first boy growled. "You haven't seen them," the older man muttered, his hand rubbing a spot on his arm marked with several wounds. "I have. You three weren't even done clinging to the breasts of your mothers when they last came down from the hills." He shuddered. "They are not like men, not anymore. They run on all fours, like ravening wolves, their teeth are sharp, their fingers and even their toes are made to squeeze the life out of anything they can catch. They move fast enough to catch a deer in full gallop and their eyes…their eyes hunger, always hunger for flesh, pain and-!" "Blood!"

Four dozen arrows were let loose from four dozen watchers' bows along the wall. "Blood!" "What in the hills was that?" the youth cried. The older man didn't answer. He had paled considerably, and his hand clenched around the wounds on his arm. He could still feel them, the teeth of a maddened killer tearing into him, piercing his flesh and lapping at his blood. "Dödsskrömt!" he roared. "To arms! To arms! The Dödsskrömt are upon us!" Now he knew why the stars did not shine. The Blodvinge obscured the heavens.

The fortress was awake in a heartbeat. Weapons were drawn, and every light that could be lit was lit. He whipped around just in time to see a hand, with fingers as long as his own hand, pulling the rest of the dread thing up after itself. "Get behind me!" the elderly watcher snarled and pushed the youths behind himself before drawing his blade.

The beast shrieked and leapt at him, sending them both tumbling from the wall and down to the ground below. In the midst of his struggle, he saw the fell demons swoop down and carry off the three young ones. The Dödsskrömt pinned his arms above his head and snapped for his throat, just as a mace smashed into the side of its head and catapulted it off of him.

Kheyrn quickly helped the northerner to his feet before rushing up to the walls to try and fend the attackers off. His mace made quick work of several invaders, sending them leaping off in other directions, but the Tordenbjörn were of little help, as most of them were already panicking.

"Blood!" The scream hit him a moment before claw-like feet closed around his shoulders and carried him up into the air. He swung upwards and smashed his mace into the beast's chest. The fiend shrieked and dropped him. The soldier smashed into the wall again and hastily sat up, only to be forced down again by a jagged dagger to his throat. The Dödsskrömt above him breathed heavily through his sharp, gritted teeth, and was about to plunge the dagger into his throat, when a yell caught his attention.

"What in Balthazar's name are you doing?" The tribesman above the Tyrlachian froze, then leapt off him and crawled across the wall. Kheyrn blinked. "No…" he told himself. "No…it…cannot be…" "Every single one of you get your asses down on this side of the wall this instant, or I'll tear the loincloths off the lot of you and give each and every one a spanking with the broad side of my sword!" "By Athalan's mane, it is her!"

Kheyrn pulled himself up, discovering that the invaders were retreating over the walls. "What did I tell you people before we left?" "They started! They fired first, and you said we could defend ourselves!" "Of course they fired! People have a tendency to fire at giant, blood-hungry monsters!" A whimper arose from one of the feuding parts. "Beastbane?" Kheyrn called into the darkness. "Beastbane, is that you?"

"Kheyrn! Balthazar take me, am I glad to hear a familiar voice! Stay where you are, I'll be there in a second!" A heartbeat later, a bat-winged beast dropped down on the wall with a "thud" and snarled at him, before receiving a light blow to its head. The demon growled, lower this time, and knelt down on all fours, allowing the Canthan to climb off its back.

Yun embraced the soldier with a laugh and a pound on the back. "How long have I been gone?" she wondered as she pulled away. "A week…" he answered slowly. "And a half…" "Not more?" she said. "Never mind. I have to talk to the Björnbröl, I'll explain once we're there." She pulled back and stepped over to the wall's edge. "Stay nearby!" she called into the night. "I'll be back soon! Whisperers, with me!"

Five, tall, robed figures leapt over the wall and landed beside the mercenary. "Come on," she said. "We have many things to discuss, and much to plan."

"-and then, we made haste here as fast as we could," Yun finished. Halkarr blinked, as did Marion, Gorn and Kheyrn. The Björnbröl cleared his throat. "This tale," he began. "Will be told among the northerners for centuries to come, as soon as the battle-scribes hear of your return, they will flock to you to hear the story from your own mouth." "I, for one, think, if you agree, Björnbröl," Gorn said as he rose. "That The Rite of Valor has been passed." Halkarr nodded. "Most definitely," he said.

"Although it shames me to say so" the northerner-leader continued. "I haven't thought of a title for you, as we thought you wouldn't return alive." A snort from Marion had most heads turning to her. "You thought she wouldn't come back," she said, smirking impishly. "I knew she would come back, so I took the liberty of thinking up a title for you." Yun smiled at her. "Well, let's hear it, and pray it's not something too ridiculous," she laughed.

Marion shook her head. "I think you'll like it, Skrömtklöyver." The northerners in the room nodded. "What's that mean?" Yun asked the Whisperer behind herself. "Hey!" Marion exclaimed. "You could ask me, you know!" The Canthan shrugged. "I think I'm going to value his word more than yours on this matter, princess." "Queen," the girl corrected her. Yun raised an eyebrow. "Father is dead, that makes me queen." The mercenary nodded in understanding. "Wraithcleaver," the Whisperer said. "That is the title she has given you, fittingly enough."

"I like it," the Canthan smiled. "Thanks for believing in me." Marion smiled back and changed position on the throne Halkarr had insisted that she should occupy during her stay. "Now," Yun said and rose from her seat. "We must talk about what we're going to do about the necromancers." "What can we do?" Gorn wondered. "We cannot fight against such sorcery."

"Then are we to wait here for their queen to find us?" Kheyrn scoffed from his position at Marion's side. "If she finds out where we went, she will stop at nothing to retrieve the queen for whatever nefarious purpose she has in mind for her!" Halkarr grunted. "If she comes here, we will hold her off," he assured them. "The Tordenbjörn have never been conquered, and shall never be."

"Tyrleôn had never been conquered either," the soldier countered. "In three thousand years, no enemy set foot inside its walls, and we all know how that went once the necromancers arrived." The two warriors narrowed their eyes and glared at each other. "I will not be remembered as the queen who abandoned her throne to a madwoman," Marion stated, once again drawing the gazes of everyone in the room. "If anyone's got any ideas…I'd be thrilled to hear them."

The silence that followed stretched out until it became almost awkward, until Yun cleared her throat. "I have an idea," she said. "But it's a crazy one, and it's almost certain to not work." "Sounds like most ideas I've heard since we met," the girl smirked, crossing her arms under her bust, earning a grin from the mercenary. "Let's hear it."

The older woman cleared her throat again and drew a deep breath. "We must unite the tribes, form an army, and retake Tyrleôn by force." "Impossible," Gorn shook his head. "The tribes have not seen an alliance since the war against the Dödsskrömt. Not even the war against Tyrlach could make us set our differences aside." "If you want to live," Kheyrn muttered. " If we all are to survive, I see no other options."

"It all falls to the queen," Halkarr announced. "Whatever she decrees, the Tordenbjörn will abide by her command, even if that means allying ourselves with the likes of the Fjellorm." Gorn growled low in his throat at the mention of the rivaling tribe. "How would we gather the tribes together?" Marion asked after a pause. "Would they all come together in one place? Or must we begin another war before we can retake my realm?"

Halkarr shook his head. "There is one way to gather the tribes in hopes of uniting them," he said. "The Storting." Gorn furrowed his brow. "There hasn't been a calling of the Storting since the war against Tyrlach, when it was decided whether or not we should accept the treaty put forth by the Tyrlachians." Halkarr nodded and turned his eyes back to the girl on his throne.

Marion stroked her chin thoughtfully. "Send for the gathering at this Storting, Björnbröl," she ordered. "We shall attend and see what comes of it." Halkarr thumped a fist to his chest. "It shall be done, my queen. I will send the messengers off, but we must depart for the Storting tomorrow." Marion nodded. "Then let it be so" she announced. "I shall accompany you to see the messengers off." "As will I," Gorn stated.

Yun turned to The Whisperers. "Go back to the tribe," she said to them. "Tell them of our plans." The robed northerners bowed and went off after Marion, Halkarr and Gorn. Kheyrn stepped outside, and Yun followed him up on the walls.

She leant against the wall beside him and gazed southward, towards Tyrleôn. Thanks," she smiled at him after some time. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Thanks for backing me up, on the whole retaking Tyrlach issue." He smiled back at her and waved his hand in a manner that said, "Don't mention it." They stood in silence for a while before Yun yawned and stretched.

"It's late," she stated. "Better get some sleep before leaving tomorrow, good night Kheyrn." She waved to the soldier and went off. "What's your connection with her?" Kheyrn asked before she was far away. The mercenary froze. "Who?" she asked, turning around and plastering the most innocent smile she could muster on her face. "The necromancer," he informed her and walked over to her, managing to make her feel uncomfortable despite being a head shorter than she was.

"She used your first name," he said. "And the two of you seemed very familiar with each other." Yun's smile died. "We…have history with each other," she muttered, turning her head away from him. "Don't ask. It doesn't matter anyway." Kheyrn narrowed his eyes at her. "If it doesn't matter, why will you not talk about it?" he questioned her. She didn't answer. "Do you trust me?" she asked after some time. He didn't answer either, but sighed and nodded after a while. "I do," he said. "Then trust me on this, alright? I promise to tell you everything when this dealt with."

"I'll hold you to that promise," he said and smirked, which she countered with a smirk of her own. "I bet you will," she said and punched him lightly in the shoulder before turning and walking away. "Good night Kheyrn!" she called back. "See you in the morning!" "Sleep well Beastbane!" he called after her in response. "Don't sleep in!"

As the Canthan disappeared from eyesight, the captain turned back towards the south, clenching his fist tightly with determination before wandering off to find his bed.

The sun had not yet showed itself in the north, and the early morning was damp, foggy and grey. The silence that reigned across Björnaborg was suddenly broken by a tremendous roar splitting the air somewhere near the fortress. "Drageild, up!" Yun shouted. "Get on your feet! Move it! Let's go! Get up!" Before long, the tribe was ready to move, and Halkarr and the Tordenbjörn took what they needed for the journey and departed with Yun and her tribesmen.

"Our trek will not take long," Halkarr assured Marion when she asked. "If we keep good speed, we can be there before night falls." The queen nodded, and cast a glance at the Drageild-tribesmen who were scuttling around the main bulk of Halkarr's tribe on all fours. "Are you sure that they are under control?" she asked the mercenary in front of her.

Yun glanced back at the younger woman, and then at the dark northerners before smiling. "Don't worry, Marion," she said. "The Whisperers are loyal to the end, and they'll keep the rest of the tribe in line if difficulties arise. Won't you Shaghal?" The Whisperer who did the talking nodded. He had given Yun his name while the tribe had been taking a short break during their exodus from the mountain.

Satisfied enough, Marion settled down in the drake's saddle, keeping her arms around the mercenary for support. They rode through dense forests, so devoid of sunlight that Yun and The Whisperers had to herd their tribesmen out of them, through foggy valleys, beneath snow-capped peaks and across frozen rivers. Many hours after they had set out from Björnaborg, the two tribes stood before a great pass.

"The Storting is held just beyond this pass, Queen Marion," Halkarr informed her. "Onward, then?" the young woman asked. "I don't know…" Yun muttered. "Shouldn't we send in a scouting force first? See if anyone's waiting to put an arrow in our throats?" "The tribes are forbidden from shedding each other's blood without challenge this close to The Gathering-stone," Gorn rumbled. "We should be alright."

The Canthan frowned and waved a score of Drageild-tribesmen over to her, sending them scaling up the pass. She sat back in the saddle, raising her hands in defense against the looks she received from Gorn and Halkarr. "What? Better safe than sorry, I say. Surely some of the tribes wouldn't mind breaking the laws?" "Fjellorm," the two northerners snorted. "Really?" Kheyrn asked, his first words during the entire trip. "They didn't strike me as the types to go against tradition."

Gorn shook his head and pointed. Following the direction of his finger with their eyes, the three southerners present spotted another host of northerners closing on them. As they got closer, Yun could make out their tribal tattoo. Their chests were emblazoned with the image of a mountain, with a giant worm-like being erupting from it and slithering down their right arms. "Halkarr!" one of them yelled from the front, and rode out with a few warriors by his side. "Come and speak to my face if you dare!"

The Björnbröl snarled and turned his horse. Gorn, Kheyrn, Yun and, by extension, Marion, turned and followed him. "Halkarr!" the Fjellorm snarled as the Tordenbjörn drew close. "You brain-rotted, milk-muscled spawn of a lovesick giant and a legless mammoth! What are you planning with this calling?" "Hröyn!" Halkarr snarled in response. "You belly-crawling, moose-kissing son of a drunken troll and a dead rat! If you want to know, you'll have to wait for the Storting to begin!"

"Now I remember who you are!" one of the Fjellorm-warriors exclaimed and pointed at Kheyrn. "You are the one called Ormdreper!" "So it would seem," Kheyrn answered. "Kheyrn Randeel," he introduced himself with a bow of his head. "Captain, and presently the only known member, of The Queen's Guard. Though you may call me Ormdreper if you so wish."

"And who are these maggots?" Hröyn scoffed. "I knew that your tribe was weak, Björnbröl, but not so weak that it needs southerners to fight its battles for it." Yun scowled at the northerner and drove Ryûng a bit forward. "You should not talk about the weakness of others, Fjellorm," she growled. "For two of the southerners here have made their names by slaying your tribesmen." The northerner turned his eyes to her.

"I am Beistbane, leader of the Drageild," she said before he could speak. "I am Skrömtklöyver, I am Blodstaal." "I know the name Blodstaal," Hröyn growled. "And I curse it, for it is stained with the blood of my people." Yun narrowed her eyes further. "Then you may count my tribe as your enemy, Hröyn of the Fjellorm, for we swear fealty to Tyrlach." "I assume that you refer to the Dödsskrömt," the Fjellorm snorted. "Don't call them that," she growled.

"They are Drageild now!" Hröyn gave another snort. "A snake is a snake, no matter what name it is given, and some beasts cannot be tamed." The Canthan gritted her teeth together. "Stand aside," Hröyn snorted. "We shall pass through the pass first." "Not if I get there before you!" Halkarr snarled. The two glanced to the side, towards the pass, and took off.

"I'll teach you to call my people snakes!" Yun shouted and galloped after them. As he drew close to the horses, Ryûng snapped after the Fjellorm-chieftain's animal. The horse whinnied and bolted faster, just as the drake became lighter. Yun paid it little heed and snapped her reins again.

Swiftly catching up to Hröyn, the Canthan and the northerner were neck to neck. The mercenary shot a look at her opponent, and barely managed to duck as his battleaxe swung over her head. "Hey!" she yelled. "You're forbidden from spilling blood!" "Northerner blood, yes!" he yelled back. "You are no northerner!"

His axe came at her again, and she drew her blade, clashing with the Fjellorm-forged weapon in mid-air. The two warriors kept fencing as they drew closer to the pass. Out of the corner of her eye, Yun spotted Halkarr thundering past them, and she smirked. Hröyn turned, and spotted the Björnbröl dashing past him. His face split open with a nasty scowl, before a, even nastier, grin overtook his features.

Lifting his axe again, he swung it, avoided the mercenary completely and struck Ryûng's leg instead, leaving a deep wound. The drake roared and fell, tossing the woman off his back and sending her face-first into the dirt. "You sniveling, cowardly scumbag!" she hollered after him, white-hot rage burning in her eyes as she stumbled onto her feet. The jolly laughter of the northerner only served to intensify her rage, and she found herself lividly wishing to drape Ryûng's neck with his innards.

At that thought, she gasped and dashed back to her mount. The dragon-like beast was spilled out on the ground and bled heavily from his leg. Cursing the Fjellorm-leader's name as venomously as she could, the mercenary knelt beside her beast and retrieved a sack from his saddle, pulling out some healing-salve and bandages. A hand laid itself on her shoulder, a hand with long, bony fingers. Shaghal gently pushed his leader away, and laid his hand on the monster's wound. Ryûng growled, but calmed himself as Yun placed a hand on his head and rubbed it.

Whispering inaudibly, the Whisperer's hand, and a small area around it, was encased in an aura of red light. After a second or three, he stood and moved back, leaving only a scar where the deep gash had been. Yun knelt by the drake again and ran her hand over the scar, before standing turning to the Whisperer and bowing deeply to him.

"Thank you," she smiled, and hugged him tightly. She let go, and the confused northerner bowed deeply to her. "I wish only to serve, Beistbane." "Skrömtklöyver!" Halkarr called as he halted and dismounted. "Are you unharmed?" "I'm alright," Yun assured him. "Ryûng took a hit, but Shaghal patched him up again." Halkarr smiled. "Then I am glad, though it pains me to surrender passage through the pass before us to Hröyn because of his underhanded methods."

Marion caught up with them, Gorn and Kheyrn were with her, and her appearance was noticeably disheveled. Yun raised an eyebrow. "What happened to you?" "I fell off the animal I was sitting on," the young woman snarled. "When someone decided to race off without any sort of warning!" The Canthan slammed her fist into her own forehead. She had forgotten that her employer had been sitting just behind her.

"Blood…" a nearby Blodvinge hissed, throwing a nasty glare in Hröyn's direction. "Do you wish to send a few after him, Beistbane?" Shaghal asked. "No animal on land that I know of can outrun an airborne Blodvinge." Yun stroked her chin. "Tempting…but no, I'll pay him back another day." The Fjellorm began to move, and Halkarr, Yun and their respective tribes had to stay put and watch.

"Then it is true!" a female voice exclaimed from behind them. The group's heads turned, spotting a woman approaching them, flanked by several other women, all on foot. Gorn and Halkarr relaxed, Kheyrn remained slightly on guard, and Yun and Marion relaxed after glancing at their northern allies. "The Dödsskrömt have been tamed! I thought your messenger merely possessed a peculiar sense of humor, Halkarr!" The woman jogged up to them, smirking. "Then I remembered that neither you, or the rest of your tribe, have one, old bear!"

Halkarr let a booming laughter fly from his mouth. "That was the best joke you have ever told," he said, with the slightest hint of a growl. "Skyrra, this is Yun Dao Skrömtklöyver, also known as Blodstaal and Beistbane, leader of the Drageild tribe," he said and pushed Yun in front of himself. "Skrömtklöyver, this is Skyrra Vindjager, Spydlöper of the Sletterev tribe."

Halkarr moved off to stand somewhere else, and Yun quickly regained her wits and bowed to the northerner. "The spear-wielding northerner bowed back. "Then you were the one who tamed the Dödsskrömt, yes?" she said. "You could say that," the mercenary shrugged. "It's an honor to meet you." Skyrra smirked. "Before I return the compliment, I'd like to see what you're made of."

The Canthan smirked back. "What did you have in mind?" "Just a little something to pass the time while they pass us by," Skyrra said and motioned to the Fjellorm, before pointing to a nearby stump. "Arm-wrestling, you and me, on that stump!" "You're on!" The two women hurried over to the piece of wood and began their contest.

They struggled with each other for a minute or so, before the northerner's hand was smacked into the stump. "Ha!" Yun cried and leapt to her feet. "Whooo! I win! In your face! In your fa-!" The mercenary stopped promptly as her eyes land on Marion. The queen was visibly not amused. "If you are quite done showing off," she said dryly.

"Sorry," Yun muttered and nodded to Skyrra. "Thanks for the game." The northerner nodded back, and turned to Marion. "Care to back up that attitude, little lady?" she grinned, causing everyone else present to freeze, except for Kheyrn who stood some distance away and rolled his eyes. "Athalan's horns," he moaned. "Show some respect, Skyrra, you are in the presence of the queen of Tyrlach." The woman looked at Marion. "She doesn't look like any queen I've ever seen," she stated. "She looks like a warrior."

"I am both," Marion insisted and crossed her arms, bringing a smile to both Skyrra and Yun's faces. "Ormdreper!" the Sletterev smirked sultrily. "Nobody told me you would be coming along." All heads turned to Kheyrn, who turned his own gaze to the heavens. Skyrra laughed, and turned to Yun again. "You may have tamed the tribe everyone has feared for centuries, Skrömtklöyver, but Kheyrn here tamed me, every night for an entire week, and that is no easy feat."

Yun burst into laughter, mostly at Marion's mortified expression. "Seems like someone has been living the wild life up here," she grinned. "Looks like the Fjellorm have passed," the captain mumbled and went over to his horse. "We should get going."

The tribe mounted up, and Yun discovered that all the warriors of the Sletterev were actually women. The men of the tribe carried tents, supplies and other necessities for travel, and every one was on foot. Marion rode with Kheyrn, stating that she felt less in danger of being thrown off of his mount, and Skyrra decided to walk next to the drake.

"Just so you know," the northerner woman said after a while. "It's an honor to meet you as well. Yun smiled, then turned her gaze upwards. "This sure is a long pass," she sighed, it was dark too, as the sun had long since hidden itself behind the mountains. The Drageild had taken to the walls and scouted ahead, mostly because Yun didn't trust Hröyn. If the rest of his tribe was anything like the man himself, caution was needed. "I guess we're just lucky that no one introduced Marion to him," the mercenary thought.

She must've spoken aloud, as Skyrra nodded and said, "I assume you're talking about Hröyn?" "Yeah…" the Canthan nodded. "I ran into his tribe when I first came to this land, they tried to murder me, and he tried to murder me. So I find myself assuming that he'd try to murder Marion as well." "It would have gotten bloody," Skyrra agreed. "It usually does whenever Hröyn is involved. He enjoys talking with his axe."

"Sounds like a hands-on leader if you ask me," the Canthan shrugged. "Oh, he is," Skyrra nodded. "The Fjellorm have flourished under his rule. Some might say that they are the mightiest tribe in the north." The mercenary frowned. "He could be trouble, given the reason for this calling." "So you know the reason! The messenger simply called us, but didn't say why." Yun nodded. "Can't say anything though, you'll have to wait like everyone else."

The older woman pouted, causing the younger one to chuckle, but dropped the issue. The three tribes eventually saw the end of the pass, emerging from its darkness into a massive plain, the size of which dwarfed Athalan's Back by many times. The plain was surrounded by steep cliffs, decorated with tribal motifs, and in the middle, an enormous rock pointed towards the heavens.

"That is the Gathering-stone," Skyrra explained. "As chieftain of a tribe, you are expected to swear by it come morning." Several other tribes were already in place, and moved to spots under the cliffs that seemed to be determined by the number of tribal motifs present. Many worms and other serpentine creatures were carved into the rock near where the Fjellorm had made camp, Halkarr steered his people towards the bear-carvings, Skyrra hers towards the foxes and so forth.

There was one section of the cliffs where something might've been carved at some point, but it had been worn by time, and what looked like hammer-blows. "I guess that's where we're heading," Yun said and bade Skyrra farewell before settling her tribe down in their place. After a while, Kheyrn and Marion moved over to them. "I shall be accompanying you to the gathering tomorrow," the younger woman declared, her voice and posture even more regal now than before. "How nice of you," Yun smirked. "Grabbing the bull by the horns, Your Highness?" "That was the general idea, yes," the girl smiled and sat down beside the mercenary leaning against her drake. Kheyrn plopped down on the other side of the queen, putting the two women between himself and Ryûng's head.

The captain promptly held up his hand to stave off the questions forming in his colleague's mind. "I don't…want to talk about it," he said flatly. Yun defensively put her hands up, muttering something along the lines of, "Wasn't even going to ask." Marion snorted. "Forgive me if this insults your honor, Beastbane, but that was a lie if I ever heard one."

The mercenary chuckled. "I'm not that rigid in regards to my honor," she smiled. The moon shone down upon them from where it peered out above the mountains, bathing the plain in pale moonlight. "We had better get ourselves some rest," Kheyrn stated. "From what I know of politics in this land, tomorrow's discussion will be a brutal one, and may turn violent before this matter is settled."

"Now I wish Lavarain was here," Yun muttered. Marion and Kheyrn raised an eyebrow each at her. "Who?" "Hezokio "Lavarain" Sundara Vatazaaki," the mercenary explained. "She's a cousin of mine who is a minister of high standing within The Celestial Ministry back home. You've never seen a scarier politician, I can assure you of that. For three reasons mostly." Marion edged closer. "And what reasons are those?"

"For one," Yun began, holding up a finger for emphasis. "She's the most beautiful woman in the empire, and she knows it. Two," another finger joined the first. "She's clever and cunning as few I know, and third," a third finger showed itself. "She knows how to set your clothes on fire with her mind. Heck, she knows how to call liquid fire raining from the sky, hence her title!" Kheyrn shuddered. "Doesn't sound like a woman I'd get into an argument with."

"I think she'd like you," Yun smirked. "She's got quite the libido." The captain turned red and directed his eyes upwards. "Sleeping now," he muttered and turned over onto his side. Marion was already drooping against the mercenary, and Yun smiled and laid an arm around her, before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

"She's not here?" the undead spoke, seeking confirmation. "No one else is there either?" The skeleton archer shook its cranium, and though it lacked the bodily and mental capacities to actually speak, the message was quite clear. The walking bone-heap had taken a position of a de facto second-in-command somewhere along the prowl, it had proven itself a capable scout, despite its lack of eyes, and was more subtle in its methods of approach that the ghoul who trailed their prey.

"Ghoul…search…sniff…around…" another member of the group stated. Unlike the skeleton archer, who was clad in the remains of a deep green hunter's tunic that reached past its knees and had a hood drawn over the top-half of its skull, the zombie was draped in a tattered soldier's uniform, complete with steel plates strapped around its rotting flesh, and a tabard, ironically bearing the royal seal of Tyrlach.

The half-rotted creature possessed an inhuman strength, and carried a shield in one hand, and a warhammer, usually meant to be swung with both arms, in the other. The thing spoke, that much of it was still intact, but only rudimentarily. Trying to make it form a complete, or grammatically correct, sentence was a lost cause, and when it did speak, the words were often gurgled and slurred.

"Very well," the death-knight sighed. "Go." The ghoul, who had been gnawing on something between its toes on a nearby rock, leapt forward in a frog-like motion, and scurried towards Björnaborg. Their trek had been a long one, and oftentimes slower than preferable. Two major obstacles in their path had been a river that had washed out the scent, and a wide gorge that had taken them half a day to find a way across, and the remaining half they had spent in tracking down the tracks again.

Overall, however, their progress had been good, and the tracks had led them straight to the Tordenbjörn-stronghold. They had been cautious in their approach, until they discovered that the place was deserted. After that, they had scoured the area around the fortress for a day, finding nothing but an odd scent some way north of it, heading southward.

Shortly afterwards, the ghoul's howl let them know that it had found something, and the fact that it hadn't come back to them indicated that it wanted them to come after it. The death-knight mounted and took off, its cohorts following as swiftly as they could, which was surprisingly fast for their kind.

When they reached the ghoul, they found it standing in the middle of a myriad of hoof-prints, all leading in the same general direction. The stunted abomination was already itching to get underway, and immediately leapt forward as its leader mounted again. Time was running rather short, but Grenth would see that their task was completed before it was too late.

Tension. It hung in the air, so thick, that Yun had doubts as to whether she would be able to cut through it with her sword or not if she tried. The gathering had begun the moment the sun peeked over the cliffs, and Balthazar's gaze was now upon them from straight above. The discussion, if one could call the bellowing, snarling and threats that was flying between the two parts a discussion at all, had been going on for many hours.

Two sides had quickly, and simply, been established; those who supported Tyrlach, and those who'd rather see the southern realm burn. They were about evenly matched, with four major tribes on each side and a number of minor tribes supporting them, the supporters of Tyrlach, however, had gained a fifth large tribe when Yun declared the Drageild to stand by Tyrlach.

A majority on one side had immediately proved itself a rather minor advantage, however, as the finer aspects of Canthan bureaucracy was obviously a moot point. The mercenary wanted it no other way, as she had never been one much for politics. She herself had participated in the shouting, showering her adversaries with the most scathing insults she knew, drawing cheers and laughter from her allies and scowls from her opponents.

Now and then, the insults would give way for what could be interpreted as rational discussion, if one had never in one's life borne witness to a real rational discussion, and at the moment, such a discussion was underway. "You mule-brained knuckle-draggers aren't listening to what we are saying!" one of the chieftains on Tyrlach's side growled.

His name was Trell, and he was leader, or Hoggtann, of the Blodulv tribe. "We are not demanding that you submit to Tyrlach's rule! Or even like the southerners! We are telling you that we must ally against the darkness to the south, or it will swallow us all!" "And what proof do you have that this…darkness of yours is real at all?" the tribe leader standing opposite of Trell questioned.

His name was Fneün, and had introduced himself as the Hornskalle of the Steinokse tribe. "All we can rely on are the words of southerners, which I find is hardly a truthful source." Kheyrn narrowed his eyes, and if Yun hadn't known him like she did, she would've thought he was about to draw his mace and break a few faces.

"And even if we ally with you," Fneün continued. "What assurance can we have that Tyrlach will not attempt to force us under its sway after this "darkness" is dealt with?" "Tyrlach has been conquered," Trell snarled. "Something you would have known if you had listened to what has been said here, and even if we manage to retake it, it will not have the strength to move against anyone at all for quite some time."

"Why should we aid Tyrlach?" another voice spoke, a female one, belonging to a woman named Askra, Haukklo of the Stormhauk tribe. "It has caused us naught but troubles. What interest do we have in its liberation? Let the invaders have it, I say." The statement was met with cheers from her allies. "Do you really think that she will be sated with Tyrlach alone?"

Yun stepped forward. "I know the woman who leads the undead," she confessed, drawing gasps and other shocked sounds from both sides. "In my company, is a person that she wishes for some nefarious purpose. She will stop at next-to-nothing to get her claws at this person, and once she learns that the person she seeks is here, she will strike against you." She paused to let her words sink in before speaking again.

"The Dread Queen Shetani Adin will sink her claws into these lands and rip them from the earth if necessary. Her armies of corpses will descend upon you like ravens to a lone carcass, and she will drown the land in the blood of its defenders. Your souls will be consumed, and your bodies made her slaves, while those still alive will be sacrificed to her Dark Lord. Your only hope, is to unite, form an army and drive the necromancers from Tyrlach."

All was silent for a while, before the question Yun had hoped she could avoid came from her allies. "How are you so familiar with the invaders' queen?" "Does it matter?" she asked them. "You need only to know that I am not her servant, ally or slave, and will never willingly leave anyone I call my comrade in her claws."

"We cannot trust this one," a chieftain from the opposition's side snarled, a rather short man named Korg, who led the Aasgaupe tribe as its Hisöker. "She said it herself! She knows their leader personally! We cannot trust anything she says, I say we skewer her before she calls her allies upon us!" "I would recommend that you do not," Yun said. "The woman cares for me more than I care for her, and will have every last one of you tortured and executed if I am killed."

"Surely the warnings of someone who knows what we are dealing with is enough to convince you!" the fourth chieftain on Tyrlach's side said. His name was Dularn, a giant of a man, even among the northerners, and he was Staalneve of the Jernmammut tribe. "We must unite, or perish!"

"Or," Askra said. "We could give the new queen of the southlands what she wants." Silence. "Deliver the mercenary, and the person she speaks of, to the invaders. She is happy, and we will not be forced into any foolish alliances." "You don't know her!" Yun snarled. "If she gets hold of the person I am protecting, she will not be content to let you sit up here and stare! At one point or another, she will turn her attention northward, and we should all pray that that hasn't happened already! Giving us to her will only hasten her decision!"

"You are all fools! Talking about gifts, or alliances!" Hröyn growled. "Let the southerners come! Their armies could not break us during the wars, and they will not break us now!" "Says the man whose tribe was driven back from a numerically inferior garrison by the skill and bravery of onesoutherner alone!" Halkarr snarled at his rival. "And yet, here we stand!" Hröyn laughed. "Free men and women! Free because the weakling king of the south didn't have the strength or cunning worthy of our respect, and resorted to a coward's way of battle!"

"Enough!" someone shouted, just as Yun was about to reach for her blade. The allies of Tyrlach parted, and Marion stepped forth and pulled her hood back, sending her long, wavy, autumn-red tresses tumbling down her back and her chest. "That is enough!" she snarled. "I am Marion, by Athalan's Blood I am queen of Tyrlach, and I will not stand by and hear my father be accused of cowardice!"

Stunned silence was the answer she received from the people that would certainly wish her dead. Yun held her breath, recognizing the silence that ensued when one wrong word or movement would result in bloodshed, and slowly reached for the hilt of her sword. "Treason!" Hröyn bellowed and drew his battleaxe. "Treason! You have called us here to subdue us!"

Weapons were drawn on both sides, even Marion had unfastened her cape and pulled her scimitars. "I have seen enough here today to know that reason is a resource wasted on you stubborn oafs!" the young woman snarled. "Force is all you understand, and thus, I challenge my opponents to single-combat for control of their tribes!"

The silence that reigned put every other silence in the world to shame, and it stretched out for what seemed like hours. "Am I to understand that the prospect of facing a girl who has not yet seen her eighteenth day of birth frightens you?" Marion asked after a while. Outraged yelling greeted her, and Yun reached forward and seized the girl's arm, pulling her behind herself and drawing her sword, just as the opposing chieftains moved towards her.

"Hold, all of you!" another voice shouted. The eldest of the present battle-scribes stepped forward. "A challenge has been issued, accept, or be shamed as cowards!" "The rules do not apply to her!" Hröyn snarled. "She is not-!" "The rules apply to all that are present, Fjellorm," the scribe stated with a cold stare at the chieftain. "Does anyone here wish to decline the challenge, and hand the prize over to the challenger?" Again, silence reigned.

"Very well," the scribe said. "The first duel will commence in half an hour. The combatants may prepare accordingly during that time." The crowd dispersed, each of the two sides retreating to one half of the plain each. "I don't know whether that was the bravest or most foolish thing to do I have ever seen in my life," Halkarr muttered as he settled down.

"I'd say it was a little bit of both," Skyrra chuckled as she helped fasten Marion's cuirass. Yun smiled at her young employer after the preparations were through, before reaching into her pouch and retrieving her pendant. She hung it around the queen's neck and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Balthazar will be with you," the mercenary assured her. "You have the strength, cunning and mind of a true warrior, and His favor, and your own skill, will see you to victory." Marion smiled back at her bodyguard. "If I am slain," she said. "You are free to go as you please, all I ask of you is that if I fall I want you to keep my story alive."

"You will not fall," Yun said, her expression hard. "You will not fail. I have invested too much effort in you to see you be slain by some blindly oafish northerner." "Very well," the younger woman answered with a smile. "Should I fall in any case, I'll be sure to pin the blame on lack of expertise on my teacher's part." The Canthan laughed out loud and pushed the queen ahead of herself and back towards the Gathering-stone.

Marion's bodyguards flanked her as she strode through the myriad of northerners present. They three had agreed to stand guard, and step in to defend their employer at the first sign of suspicious activity. Askra stood at the other end of the ring, clenching and unclenching her fists around a halberd driven into the ground before her.

"The sun watches," the battle-scribe proclaimed. "The battle may begin. No one outside of the ring may interfere, or the challenge will be forfeited." Marion bowed deeply to her opponent. "Athalan be with you," she said and rose. "Pray not for me, southerner," the Haukklo spat. "Pray for yourself." Nevertheless, the northerner bowed back, and the two women brought up their weapons.

Askra struck first, leaping forward with a cry and swinging her weapon low. Marion hopped back and spun to the side to avoid the halberd's blunt end as the northerner-woman struck out after her. Snarling, Askra swung at the queen again, raising the halberd above her head as her opponent dropped to her back to avoid the weapon. The Tyrlachian rolled back onto her feet and managed to dodge the overhead swing, before pinning the halberd to the ground with her boot and leaping off it, her foot slamming into the chieftain's chest and sending her stumbling back.

Cheers rose from the queen's supporters. Askra coughed twice and managed to retrieve her weapon, as Marion had put distance between herself and her foe, and stood waiting. The northerner stabbed forward and spun her weapon around as Marion dodged to the side, slamming the wood of the halberd into the young queen's side.

Marion grunted and was thrown onto her side by the blow's force. She rolled forward, towards her foe, avoiding another attack on the way, and spun her body around, her boot slamming into Askra's leg. The Haukklo went down, but quickly rolled to her feet again and attacked anew. Marion had swiftly gotten to her feet again, and met the overhead swing with one of her blades, the second one hacking at the weapon's handle with such force that it was cut clean in half.

A boot to her gut sent Askra to her back, and as she went down, Marion dropped down onto her and crossed her blades over her throat. "Yield!" the southern woman snarled. Askra looked at the steel pressing into her, and nodded. Marion removed them and stepped back, allowing the northerner to get on her feet and kneel before the much sorter woman. "I yield," she spoke and lowered her head. "The Stormhauk tribe is yours, my queen."

Marion nodded and gave her defeated opponent her hand. Blinking, the chieftain took it and was helped to her feet, before smiling at her new sovereign. Wild cheering erupted from the queen's allies, the newest ones included, as the Stormhauk and their leader joined them. The battle had lasted for less than five minutes. Yun smiled at her employer as she came close to them. "See," she said. "I told you, you would make it." "That you did," Marion smiled back. "But there are still three left."

"This is a great victory, Lady Marion," Gorn said. "And there is no doubt among us that more will follow."

Another half of an hour passed, which Marion used to stretch out and prepare herself, aided by her bodyguards, until it was time to step back into the ring. Korg was her opponent and he was armed similarly to her, with two shortswords strapped to his back. The queen and the short northerner regarded each other for a while before drawing their swords, bowing and rushing each other.

Their blades clashed with a ring of steel, and they retreated, bringing their swords with them, and struck again. The two were faster that snapping vipers in their assaults, and they drove each other back and forward across the ring, neither seeming to be able to gain the upper hand. The next few minutes consisted of rapid fencing, until Marion made a particularly brutal swing from the side with her right blade. The northerner blocked the blow, but his arms were forced to the side by the attack. As his defense fell away, Marion stepped back and kicked high, smashing her heel into the chieftain's cheek and sending him spinning around, and then to his knees when she planted her own knee in his spine and her blades to his throat.

"I yield," he said after a while. "The Aasgaupe are yours, my queen." "As are the Steinokse," Fneün spoke and strode forward, kneeling before the queen. Marion blinked, as did the rest of the gathered masses. "I see the strength and bravery of a true warrior in you, Marion of Tyrlach. You are worthy to lead, in my eyes, and we shall stand by your side."

"Well…thank you, master Fneün," Marion stuttered. "I must say I didn't see that decision coming." The Hornskalle bowed his head, and he, Korg, and their tribes joined the rest of their allies. "You stand alone now, Ormkjeft," Halkarr said. "Yield now, and we can get underway." Hröyn snarled savagely. "Had I known my former allies to be such weaklings and cowards, I would have asked you to take them off my hands!" he growled. "I shall not yield to you, southerner, not now, not ever!"

Marion drew her blades again, and pointed one at her enemy. "We shall see if cold steel against your throat changes your mind, Fjellorm," she replied. Yun didn't miss the slight tug the younger woman gave the pendant around her neck as the massive northerner hefted his battleaxe and charged at her with a roar of raging bloodthirst.

Knowing perfectly that she had no chance at blocking the enormous man's attacks, Marion leapt back to avoid the first swing and ducked under the second, swinging her scimitars at her foe's legs. Two wounds were cut open on the limbs, one for each, but the Fjellorm-chieftain seemed not to notice as he kicked forward and missed the queen by a hair's breadth as she rolled to the side.

He turned after her, and she dove forward and between his legs, standing, turning and slashing open a gash on the northerner's lower back in one swift motion. Roaring wordlessly, Hröyn whirled around and smashed a fist the size of a smaller man's head into Marion's cheek.

Yun clenched her hands around her biceps as the northerner seized her employer by the neck and hoisted her up into the air. Every instinct she had as a mercenary, and a companion, screamed at her to step in and protect her friend, but she restrained herself, knowing that Marion wouldn't want it. Beside her, Kheyrn was visibly restraining himself. The captain was tense, and he was biting his lip, while his left eye twitched every now and then. Gorn clenched and unclenched his fists, clearly aching to bury his axe in the other northerner's back.

Suddenly, Hröyn gave a cry of pain and dropped his foe. Marion swiftly stumbled onto her feet, revealing that she had managed to hold on to her blades all along, as evidenced by the two new wounds on the northerner's chest. The queen spat out a glob of her own blood and renewed her attack. The Fjellorm snarled and went at her despite his numerous wounds.

Marion dodged swing after swing from the battleaxe, swiping at her foe whenever she could. The butt of the northerner's weapon smashed into her chest after a surprisingly swift attack. If not for the Tyrlachian's cuirass, her ribs would've shattered.

She keeled over, and rushed forward, her head colliding with the large man's gut, the attack managing to throw him off balance. Marion rose swiftly and slashed out to the right. The northerner howled in pain and sank to his knees as his hand went flying off his arm. Clutching the stump, he suddenly felt the southerner's cold steel at his throat. "Yield," Marion ordered. "Yield now and we'll see what can be done about your arm."

The Fjellorm bit his lip for a minute, before muttering, "I yield…" Cheers unlike anything Yun could remember hearing before broke out from the northerners as Marion turned to them and raised her blood-slicked weapons to the sky, almost drowning out Hröyn's next words. "I yield the day the sky rains bullshit!"

"Marion! Look out!" Yun cried as the defeated chieftain lunged at his conqueror, brandishing a dagger in his remaining hand. The queen whirled around, causing the dagger to miss her back and drive itself into her right arm instead, just as her sword took the Fjellorm-chieftain's head off.

The young woman turned to the northerners amassed around her, her summer-grass green eyes scanning her subjects. "Does anyone else here dispute my claim, or my rule?" she shouted with a snarl. All was silent for a while, before Halkarr raised his voice. "Hail Marion, Foreneren, The Unifier! Queen of Tyrlach, and High Chieftain of The Northlands!" "All hail Marion Foreneren!" the tribes echoed, and knelt, all as one in the area bowing to their knees in respect.

"Yes!" Marion called after getting her wits about herself. "I am queen of Tyrlach, and now also your queen! Hence, you shall have all the rights and responsibilities of any citizen of my realm, and your queen calls you to war! Will you stand with me, and aid me in taking back what is mine by birthright?"

A resounding boom of a single, massive, "Aye!" rose from the northerners. Marion nodded, visibly pleased with herself, and then she remembered the dagger lodged in her arm and collapsed into Yun's arm as the Canthan rushed forward and caught her.

"Shaghal!" the mercenary called. "Balthazar take you man, get over here and help me out!" The Whisperer broke from the crowd and knelt beside the queen as the warrior pulled the dagger from her limb, and closed his hand around the wound. Again, he whispered something in a strange tongue, his hand glowing red and closing the wound.

Kheyrn jogged up beside the mercenary and helped her lift the unconscious queen and carry her away. After laying their employer against Ryûng, the two warriors turned back to the rest of their allies. "History has been written here today," Kheyrn said as if suddenly realizing the fact. Gorn nodded as he came to meet them. "It has Ormdreper. The tribes have not seen unity for many a century, and now it has happened."

"And now," Yun said. "It is time to reclaim Tyrleôn and end all this madness." "Plans must be made," Kheyrn stated. "We stand little chance of victory without a strategy. Siege weapons will be needed if we are to break the walls, every and all must bring their very best weapons and arms. Not to mention…" The captain's planning trailed off as he and Gorn went off to discuss the assault with the chieftains.

Yun let them go off, she was not a strategist, and went back to watch over Marion instead. She frowned at the sleeping royalty and fetched a rag from one of her saddlebags, busying herself with wiping sweat and blood away from her employer's face and arms. Reasoning that her dirty gauntlets wouldn't help the matter, she took them off and laid them on the ground.

Just as she passed the rag over Marion's brow, it furrowed and her eyes opened. "Welcome back boss," Yun smiled at her. "I knew you had it in you." "I had a good teacher," the younger woman smiled back at the mercenary and ran her finger along the pendant. "He was there," she whispered. "I could feel Him, strengthening me and giving me courage, just when I thought it was all over." Yun smiled even wider. "Balthazar didn't give you your courage," she said and placed a finger against the queen's chest. "Your courage lies in your heart, and your own resolve is what made Him fight by your side. For Balthazar rewards the strong, yet humble, and lies in the blade of all who war for a righteous cause. He helps those who help themselves, and we who are blessed with His strength must protect those who are weaker than us."

"He was with me today in any case," Marion said. "And I shall keep Him in my heart." She made to remove the pendant, but Yun held her hands up to stop her. "Keep it on," she said. "You will probably need Balthazar to watch over you when we assault Tyrleôn." Marion nodded and her eyes suddenly drew themselves to a, dark, rune-like patch on the mercenary's right hand, and took it in her own.

"What's this?" she wondered and ran her thumb across it. "Oh. It's just a birthmark," Yun explained. "Everyone in my clan has one on their right hand, though many of us normally cover it somehow. It's a traditional thing, like our titles." Marion nodded in understanding, before yawning and looking at the sky. "Is it that late already?" she wondered. "It felt like it was midday just a few minutes ago." The sun was already hanging low over the mountains. "So it did," Yun chuckled and fastened her gauntlets again. "Time flies when one is having fun."

"So it does," Marion answered with a chuckle of her own, before yawning deeply again. "Sleep now," Yun smiled and placed another kiss on her forehead. "There are still some things that must be attended to before we move against Tyrlach." Marion managed to nod once before sleep took her. Yun went and fetched her cape and draped it across her before settling down next to her employer and closing her eyes, too tired to take heed of the unease brewing in her gut.

The wind blew across the north, bringing with it a chill that most would find decidedly uncomfortable. He didn't. It was difficult to feel uncomfortable when one didn't, couldn't, feel anything. Almost anything. The group had been tracking the scent of the Canthan's dragon-like beast for the better part of the day, and as the sun hid its face for the night, the ghoul leading ahead became increasingly more erratic, signifying their proximity to their target.

Just when they had decide to leash the abomination to keep it from giving them away, they happened upon a large, narrow pass, and the skeleton archer had been sent in to investigate. It came back a good hour later, reporting, through charades, oddly enough, that a massive encampment of northerners lay beyond the pass, and that their prey was in the middle of them all. Furthermore, the walls were teeming with dark shapes, making a descent through them much impossible.

The death-knight sat down on a nearby stump, and started thinking. An hour or so later, he decided to use one of the tools he had been given by The Dread Queen prior to his departure from Tyrleôn. He rose from his seat and strode over to his undead steed, retrieving a scroll from its saddle. Turning, he waved a member of his group over to him. A wraith hovered over and was handed the scroll, before taking flight and disappearing over the wall of the pass.

A few moments later, thick fog seeped out of the pass-mouth, and the undead went to work, slipping into the fog and towards their prey.

"Beistbane…" A hand, large and long-fingered, shook the mercenary's shoulder. Yun grunted and blinked, expecting to see Shaghal's gaunt features before her. Instead, she saw only a cloud of pale white, almost greenish in its color. She blinked again and rubbed her eyes, opening them again to the same green-white she had closed out. "Shaghal?" she asked. "What's going on?" "I know not Beistbane," the Whisperer answered, he sounded worried. "The watchers say that this fog came out of nowhere, and the Blodvinge are uneasy."

The Canthan shambled onto her feet and fumbled for her blade, all the while peering into the fog shrouding the Storting, but she couldn't even see the robe-clad northerner in front of herself. "There is dark craft at work here, Beistbane," Shaghal informed her. "My brothers and I have tried to banish the fog, with no success." "Have you woken anyone else?" Yun wondered.

If the Whisperer shook his head or nodded, she couldn't tell. "We have asked around," he said after a while. "None of the watchers can see a thing, and a foul stench has put the Blodvinge out of commission, their noses will be useless because of it." Yun sniffed the air, and instantly slapped a hand over her nose, the air smelled even worse than the underbelly of Kaineng, as unlikely as that seemed.

She reached down beside herself, and breathed out a sigh of relief. Marion was still there, and she quickly shook the younger woman awake before waking up Kheyrn. The captain and his queen were quickly informed of the circumstances and advised to stay together. A growl informed Yun that Ryûng was awake as well, and she went to calm him down.

An inhuman shriek tore through the silent night and Yun heard her employer scream before something, a hand of sorts if she was to guess, muffled the sound while Kheyrn let out an, "Oomph!" as he was pushed to the ground. The fog seemed to be lifting somewhat, and the Canthan could make out a stunted and gaunt creature dragging a struggling Marion after itself.

"To arms! To arms! The queen is in peril!" someone bellowed from somewhere in the fog as Yun threw herself forward and grabbed hold of the younger woman's legs. The wiry abomination was deceptively strong, for it did not stop dragging, but pulled both women off with it. The mercenary snarled and managed to twist around and dig her heels into the ground. A tug-of-war ensued, slowly leaning in the warrior's favor. As she was about to wrest the queen from the ghoul's arms, a whinnying that had chills crawling down her spine echoed from somewhere in front of her.

A horse, blacker than the tunnels of Svartbeinfjell, its eyes glowing a sickly green, charged at her from the mist. The rider on top of it was clad in armor even darker than the color of his steed, hammered into the shape of skulls and bones, all eye-pits glowing like the eyes of his mount. The death-knight lifted a jagged and curved blade, inscribed with runes that hurt to look at, and swung it at the Canthan.

Yun cursed and dropped leapt back to avoid having her head cleaved from her shoulders, letting go of Marion in the process. The horse passed her narrowly, and a boot from its rider sent her to the ground. As she got back to her feet, she saw the ghoul load its captive onto the fell steed, and it took off towards the pass-mouth.

She finally found her voice again. "Stop that horse!" she hollered, just as the ghoul turned and leapt at her with another shriek. She caught its arms with her fists, and barely managed to keep its jaws from snapping around her throat. A battleaxe slammed into the abomination's side and tore its waist from its legs. Gorn helped the mercenary to her feet. "The rider!" she shouted. "Kill the rider!"

"Blood!" The Blodvinge swooped down at the horseman, and fell with an arrow in its throat. Four more suffered the same fate before the beasts directed their attention at the shooter. The horse has stopped, and its rider was busy hacking his way through several northerners in his path.

A warhammer smashed against Gorn's back, and he fell with a cry of pain. "By Athalan," Kheyrn said from behind. "Captain Arean!" The zombie gurgled and stepped over Gorn, pushing the northerner down as he tried to rise. Yun drew her blade, now recognizing some of the mangled features of the captain that had guarded herself and her allies, if briefly, back in Tyrleôn.

"Go!" Kheyrn said and stepped in front of her. "Go after the queen! I'll fend him…it off!" The soldier moved in to attack the shambling corpse, and Yun whistled twice. Ryûng roared in answer and skidded up beside her. She swung into the saddle and snapped her reins, bringing her shield out as well as she closed with the death-knight.

Marion wasn't struggling anymore, in fact, she seemed as though she was in some sort of trance. The last of the northerners fell just as Yun caught up to the horseman. Their blades clashed back and forth, as the rider urged his steed into a gallop toward the pass-mouth once more.

The mercenary and the death-knight's swords clashed again, and it soon became apparent that they were evenly matched. Batting away the mercenary's blade, the undead rider managed to ride up next to her beast's head. He wasn't about to strike the mount, his honor hadn't died with him, but he lowered his cursed shield in front of its face, and let the fell enchantments placed upon it do the rest.

Ryûng roared in sudden terror and dashed to the side, and it took all of Yun's strength to hold him and turn him back to pursue the death-knight. She was too late. The mounted corpse was already disappearing down the pass. "Drageild!" she called. "After the horse! Retrieve the queen! To the mouth of the pass!" Hundreds of dark northerners took off after the horseman, and the Blodvinge took to the skies, their shrill shrieks of, "Blood!" echoing through the night.

Yun gave pursuit, and with her followed all the men and women of the north, mounted or on feet as swift as any horse. Gorn and Kheyrn were beside her as the tribes thundered out of the pass. The Blodvinge sought from the sky, and reported that the rider had disappeared southward swifter than they could follow. As one, the army of northerners routed south, knowing exactly where the dark knight was heading.

The earth shook and trembled as thousands of war-hungry tribesmen-and-women surged towards Tyrlach. For a full week they rode, and as they drew closer, the sky darkened above their heads and the land became rotten, plagued and barren around them. The dead rose in their graves to oppose them, and were ridden down, trampled under the hooves and feet of an army the likes of which had not been seen for many centuries.

Before the second week after Yun's battle in the hollows of Svartbeinfjell had come to pass, she stood at the edge of Athalan's Back once more, pausing and beholding the hellish scenery before her. "Athalan hide me in His mane…" Kheyrn said, sounding broken. "What have they done to Tyrleôn?"

Yun couldn't answer. No answer she could give would give the soldier any rest of mind, but in her heart, she cursed The Dread Queen and all who served her. Tyrleôn had been a white city. A shining bastion of justice and righteousness, and a wonder to behold. Now, its walls ran dark with dried blood and grotesque faces were carved into them. Red lightning flashed through the deathly black clouds, illuminating the blood-slicked towers of the castle, and beyond, a massive statue of Grenth loomed across the city, even taller than the castle's highest point, its hard gaze surveying the lands that had been claimed in His name.

"Gods have mercy…" she whispered as her gaze fell to the mire that had once been the grassy plain of Athalan's Back. Crossing it would be difficult, and the roads across were too narrow for her liking. "Today," Gorn sighed. "Today would be Lady Marion's eighteenth birthday. What a way to spend such a day."

Halkarr rode up beside them, and the other chieftains followed him. "All men die, someday," he said. "Today is as good as any day." Yun unsheathed her blade, and her companions drew their weapon. "Gods will that I see another sunrise," the Canthan thought and kissed her sword. "For The Northlands!" Gorn roared. "For The Northlands!" thousands of voices boomed behind him. "For Tyrlach!" Kheyrn bellowed. "For Tyrlach!" the northerners echoed. "For the queen!" Yun hollered. "For the queen!" the army answered. "And indeed," the mercenary thought as she lowered her sword towards the walls. "For all the world."

"Charge!" someone roared, and the greatest army seen in Tyrlach for millennia stormed down the hills, towards victory, or death and slavery. As they drew ever closer to the mire, they spotted a single figure in black, billowing, robes standing in the middle of their path. The figure raised a hand, and green light shot from his palm and into waters that ran with blood. Across the gigantic swamp, thousands of corpses dragged themselves to the surface, surging forward to meet the living army.

The two armies clashed on the mire's border, and chaos reigned on the battlefield. The necromancer had made one mistake that might've cost him the battle. If he had waited with raising the army of cadavers until they had been on the mire, they would have had no way to defend themselves. The thought slipped from Yun's mind as she parried the axe of a skeleton and sent it back to its Grim Master without its head.

She had fought enough necromancers to know one thing, if the master was slain, the minions would be useless, with that in mind, she pressed forward as hard as she could. The sky was thick with arrows and flying beasts, Blodvinge clashed with winged abominations even more hideous than themselves. "Kheyrn!" she called. "The necromancer! Kill the necromancer!" At her words, several of her own tribesmen loped forward against the black-robed magic-wielder.

They slammed into a pack of ghouls on the way, and the two sides fell together in flails of slashing claws and snapping teeth. A northerner with his stomach torn open swung at her, and she blocked him with her shield, praying for his soul as she buried her sword in his neck.

Kheyrn and Gorn rode up beside her. "We shall fight together to the end, Beastbane of The Hezokio," Kheyrn told her. "Aye," Gorn agreed. "Too many battles have we seen as a group to face the last one by ourselves." Yun smiled at them, her brothers-in-arms. "I would rather have the two of you by my side than Balthazar Himself." "Forward then!" Kheyrn shouted. "Death to the necromancer!" "And to all her evils!" Gorn roared as the three surged forward.

The three companions were a storm of death as they chopped, slashed and crushed their way towards the enemy's heart. Suddenly, the earth next to them swallowed a horde of shambling zombies, and the ground shook and groaned as it tore itself open under their enemies. "The Whisperers!" Yun shouted. "The Whisperers have joined battle! To me, men and women of the north! Death to the necromancers!"

"Fools!" the necromancer laughed. "You cannot even comprehend the power I wield!" A new legion of carrion joined the battle, and more crawled and clawed from the earth with every moment. "Yun! Look out!" Gorn called. The mercenary raised her shield, and the ghoul smashed into it and knocked her from the saddle. She dispatched of the hungering corpse and rose to slice the arm of another enemy nearby.

Her comrades were already turning to rejoin her, when a pair of skeletal horses and their rotting riders moved in to engage them. A northerner fell near her and got up again to attack her, she thrust her blade though his chest and blocked the sword of a nearby skeleton before taking its torso off its legs.

A spear impaled a nearby zombie, and Skyrra and Halkarr joined the Canthan. "I cannot think of a time in my life when I was so elated and so frightened at the same time!" Halkarr laughed and smashed his bear's head hammer into a ghoul. "Then that makes two of us, old bear," Skyrra smirked. "The necromancer," Yun said hurriedly. "If he falls, their army will crumble!" The two chieftains turned their heads towards the robed man. "Then I shall pick my teeth with his finger-bones after our victory feast!" Halkarr snorted. "Not if I beat you to the dead ones' master first old bear!" Skyrra grinned and dashed off, Halkarr following with a snarl.

Yun whistled twice, and saw her beastly companion thunder through a troop of skeletons as he rushed towards her, smashing them under his claws. She turned at a hoarse screech and leant back to avoid the swing of a scythe aimed for her throat, repaying the attack by shattering the ribcage of her assailant with her shield.

Ryûng was by her side swiftly, after she had felled five more attackers, and she swung onto her saddle with practiced ease. When she was atop her beast again, she discovered that thankfully, there were more living allies than dead ones on the field of the battle. Her head whirled around at the sound of a familiar roar, and she turned her drake and made for the smith, smiling despite the situation as she witnessed the limbs of their enemies flying in every direction.

She pulled hard on the reins, and the dragon-like monster halted, allowing her to take the head off a zombie shambling for Gorn's back. "Where's Kheyrn?" she asked in slight alarm. "I don't know," the smith answered. "Ormdreper and I were pulled from our horses and separated. When last I saw him, he was busy cracking the skull of some grave-spawned beast."

Yun leapt from her mount and sent him off with a whistle. "Come on," she said. "We have to find him." Gorn nodded, and the two of them moved, hacking down any corpse that shambled in their way. The pair picked up several lone northerners along the way, and soon enough, a sizable force moved through the mire, Halkarr, Skyrra and Fneün among them. "I see him!" Skyrra cried. "Ho, Ormdreper, how goes the fight?" Kheyrn met them, having gathered quite a lot of northerners himself. "Worse than one would expect when the enemy is already dead," the soldier answered, much to the amusement of his companions.

The sky flashed red again, and Kheyrn spoke after the laughter had subsided. "We have pushed far, but I fear that our rear flank is too open, if enough of them come at us from behind, we may all be butchered without knowing our enemies were behind us." "The archers and The Whisperers still hold the bank of the mire," Yun informed him. "Do you think they will be enough to hold off any attackers?"

"Perhaps," the captain shrugged. "There is no way to be certain. Though I should imagine that sending a force to round up stragglers and hold the mire behind us would be wise." "They seek to separate us," Gorn said, offering his view on the situation. "And when we have no allies around us, they cut us down. Someone must hold what we have taken." Fneün spoke up. "I shall hold the mire, and guard our approach from the rear, I ask for half of the warriors assembled here, so that I may begin rounding up our allies."

Halkarr looked ahead of the group. "There are allies in front of us as well, we will gather them. Go Hornskalle, we will press ahead." Fneün saluted and departed with half of the warriors present. "Onward!" Skyrra called. "Rally our friends and shatter our foes!" The group moved again, and mowed the enemy down before them.

Suddenly, something came at them from the darkness of the city-walls, riding on great black steeds. "Dreadknights!" Yun yelled. "Down!" The group threw itself to the mire-floor, and those who were too slow, or remained standing, were beheaded where they stood, and swiftly put down as they swung out at their former comrades.

As the black-covered undead swept past again, swinging their halberds at their foes, Halkarr swung out and shattered the kneecap of one of their steeds. The Dreadknight flew off and skidded along the ground, just as Gorn gave the same treatment to the second steed. The two abominations stood, towering well a head above any northerner in the group.

The group was on their feet again swifter than a heartbeat, and several northerners roared and went at the enemy. One of Skyrra's many spears was first to the fight, lodging itself in the chest of one of the two. Unfazed, the undead pulled the weapon from its chest and smashed the butt end into the first northerner who came within range before tossing it away.

Another tribesman engaged the second Dreadknight with a mace in hand. The creature caught the weapon with its free hand and slashed the attacking northerner open with its halberd, slashing again and again until the pieces that were left weren't even enough to use as a new minion.

After massacring four more attackers, the tribesmen slowed their charge. The Dreadknights moved to the sides to slay anyone who tried to pass them by a berth, but didn't move from their spots otherwise. "They're holding us back!" Halkarr snarled. "We need fire," Yun remembered. Heads turned to her. "Fire!" she said again. "It's the only thing that can-." "Look lively!" Kheyrn shouted. "Here they come!"

Two tribesmen were sheared open, and two more batted aside, as if they were flies, before the Dreadknights reached their prey. One of them reached a rotting hand for Yun and had it, along with the rest of its arm, hacked off. The beast stumbled back with a groan, and screamed terrifyingly as a new arm, dripping with blood and green slime, erupted from its shoulder.

The mercenary shuddered, but swiftly kicked forward, her boot smashing through the creature's leg. Its head came off as it went down, and Yun turned to see the second one wading towards her, its back and chest littered with weapons. An inhuman shriek tore through the air as a Blodvinge sank its claws into the Dreadknight and carried it off, ripping its head from its body and dropping them at separate locations as it went.

The first one was already getting to its feet again, and a horde of reeking corpses had risen from somewhere on the festering battleground and assaulted the group. Thinking quickly, Yun bolted and the Dreadknight followed, as she had hoped it would. Once she was certain that her allies were out of harm's reach, she turned to face the towering abomination.

She was busy fending the beast off, when something caught her attention. A Drageild tribesman was busy pulling his scythe-like weapon from a slain enemy nearby. "You there!" she yelled just as she took the Dreadknight's head off again. He perked up and she knew she had his attention. "Run back to Shaghal and The Whisperers, tell him we need fire!" The tribesman saluted and leapt off toward the mire's bank.

The fiend shambled to its legs again and its weapon clashed with that of the Canthan. After another vicious melee had been fought, the mercenary managed to push her enemy back. It raised its halberd, and did no more as the ground beneath its feet erupted in roaring flame, searing the abomination from existence. Yun turned and raised her blade in thanks to the robed northerners, before bringing it down on a zombie and cleaving its skull open.

Turning, she discovered several Blodvinge and northerners lying dead before the necromancer they were trying to reach, with another one of the bat-demons plummeting from the skies from a green lightning to its chest. She saw her friends and allies occupied with the corpses that came spewing from the ground, and she turned towards the dark magic-wielder. Snarling and swearing, the Canthan gripped her blade and dashed towards the necromancer, slashing her way through ghouls, zombies, skeletons and recently slain tribesmen alike.

"Cantha!" she roared as she drew close. "Cantha and the Emperor!" The necromancer whirled and sent a sickly green orb, shaped like a screaming head, flying at the warrior. She ducked behind her shield and was flung back and to the ground by the dark magic's impact. The necromancer's laughter echoed across the battlefield.

"I know you!" Yun realized as she stumbled back to her feet. "You're that servant who was spying on us!" The ex-servant smirked at her. "Indeed," he said, and chuckled. "You pissed yourself!" the mercenary laughed. "I held you above the ground, and you pissed yourself!" She was rewarded for her moment of mirthful remembrance with a deathly green lightning to her chest.

"I remember that, yes," the necromancer snarled. "I remember it all too well!" Another lightning surged through the Canthan as she tried to rise. "And I think it is time I paid you back in turn!" Yun spat a glob of blood from her mouth and shambled back onto her feet. "I think it high time that you piss yourself, and plead for mercy!" Yet another bolt sent the mercenary to her knees and hands.

"And maybe, just maybe, I shall be merciful and let you live long enough to see me rise to power unlike anything your feeble mind could ever hope to grasp, before I strip you of soul and life and leave you to be fodder for the flies!" "You haven't got the balls for it!" Yun snarled. "You're just another one of Shetani's worms! And she'll have you flayed alive if I come to too great a harm!"

"Shetani," the necromancer scoffed. "What does she know of power? She sits on her ass, proclaiming herself the "Chosen of Grenth" and yet she does nothing but wait and dawdle!" The ex-servant grinned nastily. "Her magic tricks are no match for my might! And once I've done away with you and your mismatched band of savages, I'll turn my grand army on her and her witless followers! Then shall she behold, the true and only favored one, and she will live! She will live to see the world bend knee to my power! And when all, living and dead, pledges fealty to me, then shall she kneel too! She will kneel before me, praise me, and the grey-skinned bitch will bend down and suck my co-!"

Whatever the Tyrlachian had in mind for his former mistress to suck on was lost as a black halberd skewered him from behind. The remaining Dreadknight lifted the necromancer up into the air, and flung him down to the ground again before raising its weapon and taking his head off. The abomination raised its head, its green-glowing eyes blazing under the dark of its helmet.

Just as it was about to leap forward and seize her, something lodged itself in its chest. An arrow, coated in flame. The beast screamed as its dark cloak caught fire and seared its undead flesh. Limbs flailing, the abomination dropped its halberd and stormed off, its haunting howls trailing after it until it was out of earshot.

"The necromancer has fallen!" someone yelled. "The mire is ours!" Just as the answering roar of victory died down, a new legion of corpses pulled itself to the surface. Yun hacked the head of a ghoul leaping for her and spotted dark shapes on the wall separating them from Tyrleôn proper. "The walls!" she hollered. "Aim for the walls!"

Almost instantly, a rain of arrows flew through the dark sky and against the walls of the city. Many fell short, most splintered against the rock, but some found their target and several necromancers went down, only to be replaced by new ones. The Blodvinge swept from the skies, their bloodcurdling cries for blood echoing as they carried off those enemies they could sink their claws into, still, the spots left by the fallen were swiftly filled by new necromancers.

"Skrömtklöyver!" someone said from behind. Yun turned, and had to bend her neck backward to look Dularn in the eyes. The larger-than-average northerner fought only with a pair of spiked steel-gauntlets, and his arms and chest was smeared with blood. "The necromancers are too plentiful! While they hold the wall, we cannot take the mire!" "Then we must break through and cut them off!" Yun said back to him.

The Staalneve nodded and drew a breath. "EVERYONE TO THE GATES!" he bellowed, his voice like thunder across the sky. "TO THE GATES, ALL OF YOU! WE SHALL BREACH THE CITY THIS HOUR!" Yun's ears were ringing loudly, but the message had been clear. She took off towards the wall with the giant chieftain in tow, discovering that all their forces were doing the same.

Yun arrived to find Shaghal and his brethren with their hands pressed to the massive doors, whispering intensely. After a minute, they broke off, and the foremost Whisperer turned to her. "Our sorceries cannot breach this gate, Beistbane," he whispered and bowed in greeting. "Fell enchantments, far stronger than our own power, have been cast upon it." "Shetani," the mercenary growled. "She's always taken care with precautions." "Can you try anything else?" Kheyrn inquired as he went to stand beside his colleague. Behind them, the rest of the northerners, still thousands strong, were busy defending their position from the attacking undead.

Shaghal shook his head. "We cannot," he whispered. "But our kinsmen can." Yun slammed a fist in her own forehead for not thinking of that before. "Right," she said. "The Drageild-tribesmen will climb across the walls and open the gates from the inside. With any luck, they'll-." A dead necromancer smacked into the ground before them, cutting off the Canthan's planning. Everyone present blinked, before a voice from inside the gates sounded. "Quickly!" it called. "Open the gates before more of them arrive!"

The rattling of chains and the creaking of giant doors greeted the flabbergasted northerner-army as the gates swung open, revealing a few Tyrlachians in dark uniforms carrying bloodied blades. The man up front wrenched his helmet off and saluted at Kheyrn. "Athalan's graces captain," he greeted. "Gatekeeper-lieutenant Drennhar, at your service." "Bless you!" Kheyrn said and saluted back. Yun went and led Ryûng through by his reins.

"Seize the wall!" Halkarr shouted, taking point up the stairs. "Slay any necromancer you can find, and get that gate closed again!" All the horses that were still alive were brought into the city, and the gate was closed and sealed shut by The Whisperers' flames. "No retreat," Yun said as she turned from the entry. "No surrender," Gorn agreed. "Victory, or death," Kheyrn finished.

Yun climbed onto Ryûng and settled herself in her saddle, throwing a glance up toward the statue of Grenth glaring down at the mortals squabbling about His feet. In that moment, the Canthan was certain that she saw The Dread Queen herself, standing in the right eye of Grenth, her soulless gaze resting on the invading force. She shuddered as the necromancer's eyes fell on her, and she could almost imagine the older woman's lips curling into an unsettling, yet affectionate, smile.

"She's in the temple," Yun muttered. "Up in the statue's eye." "We are already halfway there," Skyrra grinned, tugging at a cloth she had tied around her upper arm somewhere along the fighting. "Shaghal," Yun said, and was answered with a bow from the Whisperer. "You and the other Whisperers should begin healing the wounds that can be healed." Shaghal bowed again and moved to do as he was bid.

"Be quick!" Yun called after him. "We don't know how much time we have before they attack again!" Halkarr and the men who had followed him returned from the wall. "Only a few were left," he growled, wiping fresh blood off his hammer. "The rest of the cowards must've fled when we breached the gate." "They are most likely regrouping somewhere in the city," Kheyrn muttered, his own eyes resting on the statue. "If their queen is in that temple, that's probably where we will find our own queen as well." "And the place that is like to be most heavily defended," Halkarr grinned and beat his hammer against his shield. "It'll be quite a feat getting inside."

"We'll start up as soon as Shaghal and his brothers are done patching up our troops," Yun said, earning nods from her assembled allies, before raising her voice. "Those who are fit to ride, mount up!" she called. "If Balthazar is with us, we'll be able to smash through their frontlines with a cavalry charge! Drageild, to the rooftops! Scout ahead and see if the enemy has any nasty tricks up their sleeves!" The beastly northerners set about to their task, and the rest of the army waited with varying degrees of patience.

Eventually, the scouts returned, reporting a massive host of necromancers and their servants gathering in the square at the temple's foot. They also spoke of several squads of Tyrlachian soldiers and guardsmen moving towards the gathered northmen. Yun furrowed her brow. "To slow us down or join us?" she asked, but the tribesmen couldn't say, as they had merely watched and not made any contact.

The mercenary nodded, and turned as Shaghal cleared his throat for her attention. "All the wounded have been tended to, Beistbane," he whispered and bowed. Yun blinked. "So quickly?" The Whisperer nodded and bowed again. "We thought it best to encircle ourselves in an aura of healing power and let the wounded pass through, rather than tend to each and every one at a time. We thought it would spare precious hours." The Canthan smiled. "Well done, Whisperer," she said, and turned to see that Kheyrn had ridden ahead, and was just coming back with the soldiers who had opened the gates for them.

"The Tyrlachians approaching us are allies, according to lieutenant Drennhar," he said. "He says that the guardsmen and soldiers in the city are still loyal to Queen Marion, and have been conspiring against the necromancers." "A few extra blades never harmed a good cause," Yun nodded. "We'll have need of them before this is over." She paused to think. "When did I become leader of this army?" she wondered to herself.

She must've wondered aloud, as Kheyrn shrugged. "The chieftains respect you for taming the most feared tribe in the north," he offered. "I know of your prowess, and if I follow you, so will the soldiers of this city. It all just happened. And your closeness with the queen helps as well. They know that you trained her."

The Canthan looked down at her saddle. "I'm just a mercenary trying to earn her living," she muttered. "Then a mercenary of many skills and talents you are," Gorn rumbled as he too rode up beside her. "You speak well enough for yourself, and you are strong and steadfast," The smith smiled. "I knew you were a good sort the moment you and Lady Marion stepped into my smithy." Despite herself, Yun blushed. "I guess I can owe my talents to my parents," she said with a small smile. "In Cantha they say that I inherited my father's strength and courage, and my mother's temper." She sighed. "Would that I had gotten my father's patience and my mother's cunning as well."

She shook her head. "My apologies, I didn't mean to dawdle in my own memories." "No apologies are necessary, my friend," Kheyrn smiled. "Perhaps you will tell us more of your family once the battle is won." Yun smiled back at him. "It would be me an honor." Gorn snorted. "Then we have best hurry and win the battle!" he said and hefted his battleaxe.

Yun nodded and drew her blade, leveling it at the temple's feet. "Forward!" she roared. "Death to the necromancers!" With the roar of thousands of northerners in her back, she spurred Ryûng forward, her heart praying as it had for the past week, for victory and for her young employer and friend.

Shetani sighed and leant back as a familiar pair of arms embraced her from behind, and a familiar pair of lips laid themselves, ever so softly, against her cheek. "I'm glad you came to your senses," she muttered. Hashek chuckled. "It's hard to be jealous of a man who was skewered at your order," he said and disentangled himself from his queen as she turned to him.

"The moment of my greatest triumph is at hand," she smiled and ran a hand down his cheek. "And I want you here beside me when it comes." He leant down and kissed her. "Always," he promised as he broke off. "I shall always remain by your side, my queen, as The Lord wills it." "As The Lord wills it," she repeated with a smile and brushed past him. He followed her into a great chamber with a large, round, hole in the ceiling. Its wall was not one consistent row of stone, but rather a hedge of pillars, leaving the city below the statue's head open to view in all directions. In the center of the chamber, just below the hole, there stood an altar, with the young queen of Tyrlach laid upon it.

The girl looked as peaceful as though she was asleep. She had been stripped of her cuirass and clothes, and draped in a robe of blood red. A circle, lined with foul and fell runes on both the inside and the outside, had been drawn in blood around the altar, and chanting necromancers stood outside of it, their eyes turned upwards, towards the hole, where black clouds loomed across the city that had once been Tyrleôn, and where The Master of Death's red lightning painted the chamber the color of blood when it flashed across the skies.

The Dread Queen's underlings parted as she passed them and stepped up to the altar. "Sweet child," she cooed and ran her claw-like hand across Marion's cheek. "My sweet child. You shall be the key to my glorious reign." She leant down and kissed the girl's forehead. "My queen?" a timid voice spoke from one of the doors. Shetani stood and turned her head toward the speaker.

Elin fell to her knees as the Elonian's eyes came to rest upon her. "My queen, the northerner army has breached the northern gate, they were let in by traitorous soldiers, and more have joined them. They are in the city now, and they are several thousands strong!" "I know," Shetani stated and turned back to her prize. "Grenth's eye was very literal this time around." The Dread Queen chuckled.

"We have sufficient forces to keep the bulk of them outside the temple until the ritual is complete," Hashek spoke from his spot outside the circle. "After that, it will not matter how many of them there are. Any one of the invaders that manage to breach the temple will be dealt with, though I believe simply closing the gates will deal with that problem." Elin bowed her head. "How long then, until the ritual starts?" she asked.

"Not long," Shetani replied and turned her eyes upwards, seeing a slit in the black clouds above. "Once the moon shines onto the sacrifice, her life's blood shall be spilt. And the power she holds will pass on… to me." The Dread Queen's smile grew maniacal. "All that I've done, everything I've toiled for now leads to this moment. The moment where I finally transcend this plane of being…and earn my godhood at last."

"Incoming on the eastern flank!" someone roared. Yun suspected Dularn, only his voice was loud enough to deafen the roar of battle. She turned Ryûng around and raised her shield, sending several arrows bouncing off it. The drake roared and crushed a snapping ghoul between his jaws. The battlefield was a festival of mayhem and death, where northerners, necromancers, guardsmen and undead alike were felled in scores, she could only thank Balthazar and Dwayna that a single Canthan had not been added to the piles of corpses strewn about the square that Kheyrn had named as Athalan's Justice.

"Athalan's Justice, indeed!" she snarled and took the head off a passing zombie, before delivering the same treatment to an axe-bearing skeleton. As she had hoped and prayed for, their first charge had crushed the enemy's frontline under a storm of hooves and steel, and bowmen on the roofs along with clouds of shrieking Blodvinge and the spells flung by The Whisperers granted the invading army dominion of the skies.

As the frontline had shattered, more undead had spilled out of various manholes and surrounded the mounted northerners and Tyrlachians, only to be taken in the back by the rest of the army who had remained behind in anticipation of a maneuver just like that.

Once battle had been joined, all pretense of strategy or orderly battle disappeared like night before morning, and chaos reigned, enforcing its will through steel, bloodshed and death. Yun had seen enough wars, battles and skirmishes to know one thing; strategies were only any good until the fighting began in earnest, once the enemy fought back, the only way to win was with a strong arm, a sharp mind and an even sharper weapon.

"Though a blunt weapon works just as well, if swung by the right person," the mercenary thought as she saw a northerner pulverize a ghoul with her warhammer, before splitting a zombie open as it made for her.

Slowly but surely, the northerners and their allies pushed the necromancers back toward the statue. The mindless assault of the undead hordes could not stand against the unflinching courage and skill of the invaders, or reclaimers as Yun liked to think of herself and the others, and every time a necromancer was slain, their army diminished.

Something wet, and warm, landed on the Canthan's cheek. She wiped it off with her thumb, and her eyes widened as a drop of blood trickled down her gauntlet. "Gods above…" she whispered. "The sky rains blood…" And then, it poured over them. The Blodvinge shrieked and screeched in what could easily be taken as joy, while the ghouls on the field below were driven into a frenzy and threw themselves at their living enemies with increasing savagery.

The army was driven back, ever so briefly, and pushed back, their own savagery mounting. Before long, they were a stone's throw from the temple doors, which were beginning to close shut before them. A look at the doors was all Yun needed. If they closed fully, they would spend the next three days and nights outside of them trying to hack their way through.

As the tribesmen fell upon the enemy's lines, the mercenary spotted an opening towards the temple. "Kheyrn, Gorn, with me!" she shouted and drove her drake forward, her companions galloping after her. As she drew close, mowing down several undead and necromancer along the way, she realized that she would not make it inside with her mount. The opening was already too narrow for Ryûng to pass through in any case.

She stood in her saddle and leapt forward, managing to roll through the closing doors. She already knew that trying to keep the doors from slamming shut was a lost cause, and rose to keep her sword in front of herself. Gorn and Kheyrn joined her a moment later, the doors closed with a loud clap of stone against stone, and all was black.

The three of them stood in silence for a while, listening for anything that moved and letting their eyes get used to the darkness. After a good half of an hour of silent vigilance, they moved. The silence was unnerving, especially so because they knew that a war was being fought not all too far away from them. They didn't speak, preferring to remain incognito for as long as could be managed.

A stairway led upwards along a narrow passage, lined with gruesome and bloody carvings, so grotesque that any sane man would have retched where he stood. Yun had often been accused of an insane devotion to her work, so she paid them no heed, neither did her comrades, as all three were too busy listening for enemies.

Up they went until the stair eventually flattened out and became more of a corridor, narrow, dark and foreboding. Yun stopped, and the two men behind her stopped as well. She motioned upwards with her blade. Low walkways ran alongside the walls, too low under the roof for men, but not for ghouls.

The Canthan looked behind herself, and received two nods from her colleagues. She breathed in and out a few times and stepped into the corridor. A swarm of hisses greeted the three bodyguards as they brought up their weapons, and at the first sighting of the gaunt, stunted and twisted corpses, the hissing turned to bone-chilling screams.

"I suppose you already know," Hashek stated from his spot near the doors. "You would have told me at once if you really thought that I didn't," Shetani observed and graced her lover with a smile. "Yes," she said and turned her head back to the girl. "I knew of Yun and her little friends the moment they came into the temple." She reached out and stroked a finger along the young queen's cheek again. "You'd think she was your own, the way you caress that child," the male chuckled as he went to stand beside her.

"Divinity is not a gift to be taken lightly," Shetani said. "I should believe that she deserves a measure of love for her sacrifice." Hashek smirked wickedly, he was quite good at that. "I knew you would go soft-hearted one day," he chuckled. "Perhaps I should've taken you as my jester instead of my consort," she said dryly and raised an eyebrow at him. "Perchance I will, once we are done here." "You wound me, my queen," the necromancer said and kissed her neck. "But I apologize if I have slighted you."

The Dread Queen pushed her lover away. "Instead of jesting and lusting, I propose that you stand guard outside, and deal accordingly with Yun and her cohorts should they find themselves before you." Hashek knelt briefly and departed, a shadow detaching itself from the darkness of one of the pillars and following him.

As the door closed after them, Shetani turned back to her prize, barely listening to her chanting acolytes at all.

Gorn made a disgusted sound and wiped the green slime staining his axe's double-head off with a fallen necromancer's robe. Kheyrn let out a breath and sank against the wall nearby, surrounded by broken and beaten corpses. "Well, that could've been worse," he panted. "Did anyone get a count on their numbers?" "Don't take my word for it," Yun grunted as she heaved her sword out of the ribs of a particularly massive corpse, easily dwarfing even Gorn with its height. "But I think there were, at least, twenty of them and three of us."

"I call those unfair odds," Gorn said, then added, "For them!" and boomed with laughter. Yun gave Kheyrn her hand. He took it, and she pulled him to his feet. "Not bad for the fourth chamber I'd say," the Canthan grinned. The first two chambers had been swarming with ghouls, the third had forced Gorn to crawl behind his shield-toting comrades as skeletons with bows kept firing volley after volley at them, and the fourth had faced them with armored skeletons, a few necromancers and a massive brute of a zombie.

The necromancers had fallen quickly, but the corpses had kept attacking until they were slain anew. "Any ideas on why that was?" Kheyrn asked, turning his gaze to the mercenary, who was cleaning her sword. Yun shrugged. "I'm not an expert on these things," she said. "But I'd say a more powerful necromancer holds them in his or her sway, and takes control if the lower acolytes are slain."

"Not an expert, she says," Gorn smirked as he pulled a pouch off one of the slain necromancers' belt. He shook it and grinned wider as he heard the sound of coin against coin, quickly slipping the pouch in his own belt. "Well then, your non-expert-ness," he said, causing the woman to scowl at him. "Answer me this, if you can. How can we be sure that this…carrion," he lodged his axe in the massive zombie's back. "Won't come up after us?"

"They won't," Yun assured him. "It's another of Shetani's rules. She believes that if Grenth claims the walking dead that He has granted to His servants, He wants them to stay dead." "Do you…?" Kheyrn began, clearing his throat as the Canthan turned her gaze to him. "Do you worship this…Grenth as well? You seem quite familiar with his mortal servants."

Yun nodded, almost immediately. "Balthazar is my Lord, and He lives forever in my heart and soul. But it would be foolish to scorn the other five because of it. I revere all of the Six Gods, but Balthazar most of all." "Very well," Kheyrn said with a satisfied smile. "We had better move on, lest the queen suffers for our dawdling."

"Let us be off then," Gorn agreed, and the three companions swiftly moved, happening upon a door that was tightly locked and sealed shut before them some corridors off. "Doesn't seem like there are any other paths to take," Yun noticed. "Best stand back, Beastbane," Kheyrn advised her. "Swords are not the weapon of choice for tearing down doors." The woman nodded and stepped back as the smith and the captain raised mace and axe and slammed them into the door.

Seven times the two men let their weapon rise and fall, and on the eighth swing the hinges gave after. They seized the falling door and held it in front of themselves. Yun thanked the gods for that as a score of arrows, from the sound of it, lodged themselves in the wood. The Canthan raised her shield and dashed out to the side, her blade meeting the spear of a skeleton on the way.

She batted the spear away and took its wielder's head off, just in time to raise her shield and block the blow of a new adversary. The corpse assailing her bore tattered black armor, only the elbow-guards, gauntlets and breastplate remained. Its head was crowned with an open-faced helmet, and a calf-length skirt of chainmail protected the lower body. In each hand, the fiendish corpse wielded a curved blade, bearing more of a resemblance to scythes than actual swords, and its fingers were tipped with claws that could easily tear through skin and bone, that jutted out from the fingers of the beast's gauntlets. Its skin was a pale white, stretched thin across gaunt, yet powerful, arms and showing the muscles still present. The mouth was lined with needle-like teeth, and an unholy blue glow burned in its empty eye-pits.

The wight, Yun knew it had to be one, shrieked wordlessly, spittle flying from its jaws as it struck again. She blocked its attack, parried the next and pushed the undead swordsman back before swinging her weapon at it. the wight was nimble as few other corpses, however, and hopped back before crouching down, well out of the mercenary's reach.

She was reminded, quite abruptly, that the wight growling at her from its crouch was only one of her problems when three arrows bounced off her shield. The Canthan cursed, but the words were swallowed by the wight's scream as it leapt forward from its crouch and swung its blades at her. She met the creature's lunge with a downward swing, and was blocked as the beast crossed its blades over its head. The longsword sang as it clashed with the curved swords, and screeched as the two blades slid down its length and collided with its crossguard.

Hissing venomously, the wight began to push the blade towards its wielder, snapping its teeth at her along the way. Yun reared her arm back and smashed her shield into the corpse's side and sent it flying. A few arrows more were deflected, and then the Canthan was upon the rising wight. She swung down to take its head off, but the fiend managed to duck away and tried to parry the blow, losing a hand in the process.

The beast rolled back and leapt at her again, slashing with its remaining sword while stabbing at her with the bone jutting out of the stump of its arm. She parried the blade, blocked the stump, kicked her foe back and took its head off with a single stroke, and then severed its torso from its legs for good measure.

The wight fell with a fading hiss, and Yun looked up to see that her companions had dealt with the archers. They made to move on, when the walls slid open and unleashed a pack of ghouls on them, herded along by armored skeletons. The first of the stunted abominations that leapt for the mercenary fell to the ground again a head short, and its kin fared no better. The rabble was dealt with quickly enough, and the three companions moved on shortly afterwards.

Several chambers were passed, each and every one a challenge to traverse. As the three broke down the fifteenth door, they stood face to face with a challenge of a different sort. A wide gap stood before them, spanned by a narrow walkway of stone. In the middle of the walkway, there crouched another wight, a polearm clutched tightly in one hand and a round shield gripped in the other.

The fiendish undead raised its head and looked at them with its blue-burning eyes, before rising, snarling and beating the broad blade of its weapon against its shield twice. "Is that thing challenging us?" Gorn asked with a raised eyebrow. "So it would seem," Kheyrn answered. Yun snorted and stepped forward. "I'll take care of this raven's meal," she said.

Before the woman had even set foot onto the walkway, a wall of cold, blue flames erupted from the ground. She stumbled back with a cry of surprise, and then swore loudly as she caught eye of the leering wight beyond the flames. Once she had backed up far enough, the flames died down.

"That's odd," Kheyrn muttered. "Quite odd." "Any bright ideas?" Yun asked, still scowling at the leering corpse. The two others shook their heads. After a while, Kheyrn tightened his jaw and strode forward. Nothing happened until he was on the walkway itself, and the flames blazed to life behind him, as well as behind the wight on the other end.

The beast rose from its crouch and leveled its polearm with the soldier, before screaming and charging forward. The captain met the creature halfway across the stone bridge and swung his mace at it after blocking its attack with his shield. The thing dropped under the blow and kicked the Tyrlachian's legs from underneath him.

Gorn and Yun held their breath as Kheyrn struggled to get to his feet, and cried out in warning when the wight made to hack at the captain's exposed neck. In a daring maneuver, Kheyrn spun himself around using his arms, and knocked the wight off its feet, allowing him to get onto his own and step back. The beast rolled back and lunged forward again, its polearm held low.

Kheyrn crouched to deflect the fiend, and it stopped, slammed its weapon in the ground and pole-vaulted over the soldier. He whirled around and parried the polearm with his mace before swinging his shield at the corpse, who blocked it with its own shield. The beast shrieked and hopped back, sending Kheyrn tumbling forward, which ironically saved his hide, as the wight had slashed for his throat while retreating.

The leer that had been plastered on the wight's face was gone, replaced by a snarling scowl, and it howled as it charged forward again. Again, Kheyrn stood his ground, he did lower his shield, however. As the screaming abomination reached him, he brought the shield up and slammed it into the polearm, routing both weapon and wielder. The wight stumbled and teetered on the edge, and Kheyrn's mace smashing into the back of its helmet sent it screaming into the abyss below.

The flames on one side died down and the captain moved to stand there, cheered by his comrades. The flames blazed up again behind him, and the ones on Gorn and Yun's side extinguished themselves. The Canthan bowed gracefully. "After you, master blacksmith," she said with a smirk. The Tordenbjörn-tribesman snorted at her and went first. As soon as he was on the bridge, the flames came alive behind him.

A hiss sounded from the abyss, and a hand the size of a man's torso, tipped with claws the length of shortswords, appeared from the darkness beneath the walkway. A massive, ghoulish, figure followed, resembling other ghouls in all but its size and natural weapons. Where other ghouls had claws and sharp teeth as well, the ghasts', as she knew the ghoul's larger kin were called, were much larger and far deadlier due to the beast's uncanny cunning, a cunning its smaller cousins lacked. "Cunning, yes," Yun thought as the ghast sat on all fours and studied its foe. "But no less savage and feral."

As if reading her mind, the abomination roared and sprang forward, all its claws poised to slash and tear. Gorn charged it with a roar of his own, simultaneously cursing all narrow walkways to over the hills and far away. The northerner and the ghast met, claw to axe, hopping back and swinging weapons at each other as they parted before meeting again.

The blacksmith was at a definite disadvantage, wielding only a two-handed battleaxe and his own fists against an enemy with five sword-like claws on each hand, and the feet's claws were curved things, more suited for stabbing and piercing than slashing, tearing and maiming, not to mention the teeth.

Gorn Skulfeson had something the ghast didn't have, his courage and good sense, and a weapon that Yun had forgotten. The anvil smashed into the thing's side, but didn't knock it off the walkway, largely because it had dug its foot-claws into the rock. The blacksmith had been joyous to have his anvil back, once Yun had remembered that it was in one of her saddlebags still. He had later fastened a chain to it, one end of which was wrapped around his hand, and turned his life's bread into a lethal flail.

That flail caused the ghast grief, as the northerner whipped it out at it whenever it came close, but the ghast was not one of its stupidly aggressive lesser kin, it sat and watched and waited.

Suddenly, the beast vaulted off the side of the walkway and disappeared, surely scuttling along under it, a spider far more monstrous than any of Yun's tribesmen. Gorn slung his chain-and-anvil around his neck. He rarely used it, so the mercenary had forgotten it, instead, he hefted his battleaxe and listened. He suddenly struck out to the side and deflected a slash from the ghast's clawed hand. The thing scuttled along and appeared just behind its foe.

The northerner heard and whirled around, his axe arcing down as he swung it. The undead leapt away from the weapon, leaving four gashes on its foe's chest, but taking a hit to its right shoulder in the process. It crouched down some way off and hissed at the tribesman, who answered with a roar and a new charge, just barely missing the beast as it disappeared beneath the bridge again.

The force behind the missed blow sent Gorn spinning, and he cursed lividly before getting a hold of himself. Quickly, the northerner unwrapped the chain-and-anvil from around his neck and swung it down, grinning widely as a cry of pain sounded from the darkness.

The ghast appeared again, leaping at its foe with the swiftness of a snapping viper. Gorn whirled and blocked with his chain, and man and ghast tumbled to the floor. The chain pressing against its throat was the only thing keeping the undead's teeth from ripping the northerner's own throat out, and the reach of his arms kept the beast's flailing claws at bay.

Unexpectedly, the smith let go of the chain and managed to close a fist around the abomination's slender throat, his other hand smashing into its gut. Spittle washed the northerner's beard as the beast cried out, and he heaved it over himself and tossed it onto its side.

The ghast grunted as it tried to rise, and its eyes went to Gorn where he stood before it with his axe raised high. Gorn's roar drowned the ghoulish creature's scream of fury as he swung downward, the ghast's furious yells turning into pained yelps. Three swings of the massive weapon saw the beast's upper body separated from the lower one, which was kicked off the edge.

Gorn hoisted the torso above his head and roared. "Tordenbjörn!" he bellowed, and flung the torso after the rest of its body. The flames on Kheyrn's end died out, and the northerner went to stand beside him. The two men clasped each other's forearm and turned towards the woman on the other side.

"After you, lady mercenary!" Gorn called across and laughed. Yun stuck her tongue out at him in a childish gesture, before drawing her sword and stepping forward. The flames blazed up behind her, and a figure dropped from the ceiling. "Kai sang," the Canthan cursed softly. "I thought she'd only brought two of those." The Dreadknight in front of her stood still as a statue, its black halberd clutched tightly in its rotting hand and its green eyes fastened on the mercenary from the black void of its helmet.

The two regarded each other for a time as Yun waited for the undead to strike first. The minutes grew long, and the warrior blinked. When she opened her eyes, the Dreadknight stood not an inch from herself, its halberd reared back to take her head off. She swore aloud, dropped onto her back, and rolled to her feet, slashing at the thing's legs as she went.

The thing hopped over her swing and slammed a boot in her face. She went to her back again and brought her shield up just in time to block the halberd as it came down upon her. She kicked out and managed to topple the beast and stand up before swinging down towards the shoulder of the arm bearing the halberd, meaning to render the Dreadknight weaponless.

The second hand shot up and seized the descending sword, wrenching it from its wielder's hand and tossing it behind itself. The force of the throw lodged the sword in the bridge, and Yun backed away as the Dreadknight lurched to its feet and swung its halberd anew. The Canthan ducked under the blow and dodged or blocked the ones that followed, steadily being driven back.

Only when she felt the cold sting of the icy flames behind her did the warrior stop, ducking behind her shield as the abomination before her hammered its weapon against it. Looking behind herself, she found that the distance between her and the fire was great enough for her next move to work.

As the Dreadknight raised its weapon and swung it downwards again, Yun rolled back and out of reach. The halberd lodged itself in the rock, and she ran up its handle and smashed her boot in the abomination's helmet, sending it down while she leapt over its head and dashed for her weapon.

As she drew close, she leapt and rolled, feeling the halberd pass over her not a hair's breadth from her back. She seized her sword by its hilt and heaved it loose just in time to turn and parry the Dreadknight's next swing, before charging into attack. The black-clad undead parried and blocked well, and even managed to press a few attacks into the relentless melee, and the two drove each other back and forth.

Yun was kept on her toes, forced to make more dodges and parries than standing blocks, as the narrowness of the walkway was no place for a strong, wide-footed stance, at least a sideways one. She stood firm now, letting the undead smash its weapon into her shield, and waited for an opportunity to strike.

A swing from the side instead of from above presented that opportunity. The mercenary ducked and surged forward, ramming her sword into the thing's chest and slamming her shield into its head as she pulled it out. The Dreadknight stumbled back, and Yun slashed up, and then down, severing both of its arms at their shoulders.

It stumbled back as its limbs disappeared into the abyss, and screamed as its new one sprang from the shoulders, dripping with blood and green slime. Yun shuddered, she had never liked that sight, but moved to finish the abomination off. The Dreadknight gave a great leap, somersaulting backwards just as Yun slashed for it, and landed in the middle of the walkway. It reached inside its cloak, and pulled out a pair of fellblades.

"Oh…" Yun said, swearing that she heard the exact same sound from her comrades. The Dreadknight charged her. The first blow drove the warrior back several feet, and all she could do; was thank the gods that she had raised her shield quickly enough. The second blow sent her to her knees. "Balthazar's helmet!" she thought. "Is that a fellblade or a warhammer?"

The third blow knocked her onto her side, and she yelped and ducked her head down as the two weapons sank into the rock where her skull had been a heartbeat ago. She slashed up and took the beast's hands off at the wrists, before rolling forward and between its legs, shearing through the cloak as she went. The Dreadknight screamed again as its new hands burst from the wrists, effortlessly pulled the fellblades from the walkway and swung at the mercenary, its cloak whirling around it as it turned to her.

Yun met the undead warrior's steel with her own, held both blades off with her shield and swung for the thing's head. The Dreadknight lifted one of its fellblades, and swung it down to block the Canthan's sword. The two swords clashed a few times, before the mercenary ducked down under a swipe and sliced off one of the Dreadknight's legs.

The new leg was out before the abomination even fell, but it served a purpose by distracting it. Murakai's Blade flashed in the pale light of the icy flames as it sheared through the thing's left shoulder and sent one arm, and its weapon, spiraling into the darkness beneath them.

She raised her blade again, trying her best to ignore yet another scream, and swung down once more. The new arm was split open down to the elbow by the mercenary's sword as the undead caught the blade with the newly grown limb and swung at it with the other.

Yun's sword flew from her hand, the blow forcing it out of her grip, and plummeted into the abyss below. The world slowed down. Yun watched as her sword, her most treasured possession, disappeared into darkness, knowing that she could not follow, and could not reclaim it.

"Bea…t…b..ne…!" Her name, or rather her title. It sounded like it came from far away, and the sound was off, as if it was called out through water. "Beast…bane!" The world was a fog, a blur of dull colors. The only thing she could see clearly, was her weapon as the blackness swallowed it. A tear appeared in the corner of her eye, and she closed them and gritted her teeth together. "BEASTBANE!"

Her eyes snapped open, and she threw herself out of the way. The Dreadknight's remaining fellblade was coated with blood, and Yun rose with a long gash on her arm. She blinked again and rubbed her tears from her eyes, standing tall with her shield in front of herself as the Dreadknight rushed at her again.

Holding its weapon with both hands, the undead swung at its foe, who blocked it with her shield before slamming her fist into its chest. The Dreadknight was unfazed, and struck again. She blocked again, and again as the beast swung anew, throwing a few punches and kicks whenever the Dreadknight reared it weapon back to strike. The undead attacked savagely, hammering its blade against the Canthan's shield with all it strength. But no matter how powerful, or how swift the strikes were, the mercenary blocked them all.

Yun leapt back to avoid a wide swing, and ducked behind her shield before charging at her foe and slamming it into the Dreadknight's chest, driving it back several feet before seizing its left leg and heaving it up. Holding the limb in one hand, she smashed the edge of her shield into, and halfway through, it and tore it loose. As the new leg tore out from the stump of the old one, accompanied by the all too familiar scream, the warrior seized the abomination by the front of its cloak and pulled it down, hopping back to avoid its falling form and then leaping over it.

As the Dreadknight rose again, it suddenly felt something land on its back, and a pair of hands closed around its head and started pulling. It shook and flailed wildly in a desperate attempt to disentangle the bothersome Canthan, but her legs were tightly locked around its torso, and she kept on pulling on its head.

The fellblade clattered to the ground as the Dreadknight dropped it and flung its arms backwards, its filthy, claw-like, nails sinking into the mercenary's back. Yun growled at the pain, too enraged to care about her wounds, and kept pulling, harder and harder, until she ripped the head from its body with a wrathful roar.

She dropped the head as the body fell and jumped back from the falling corpse, before grabbing one of the legs and tossing the body over the edge and into the pit, and then turned and kicked the head, sending it flying off the walkway and into the darkness.

Yun let out a breath and then began to pant loudly, groaning as she bent over and rested her hands on her knees. Her breath left her, however, as a fleshy, blood-and-gore-slicked, tentacle shot out of the darkness beneath her and wormed itself around her throat. She gagged and stumbled back, barely registering the shout of alarm from her comrades. Hooking her fists under the tentacle, she began pulling again.

The Dreadknight's head pulled itself up by the appendage it had wrapped around the Canthan's throat and as she dropped to her knees and gasped for air, it used the tentacle as a substitute neck and raised itself to look at her. Snarling wordlessly, Yun let go of the tentacle around her throat and seized the head with both hands.

She pulled the head to her and sank her teeth into the tentacle sprouting from its throat. Ignoring her urge to spit the appendage out and retch from the sheer distaste of her newest attack, Yun began to push the head away from herself while tearing at the tentacle in the opposite direction. After a few seconds, in the course of which breathing became increasingly more difficult, she tore the tentacle and the head apart.

The appendage around her throat fell limp, and she breathed in deep, before standing and tossing the head towards the closest of the blue walls of fire. If one had cared to look closely enough, one might've imagined seeing a gleam of fear in the undead head's blazing green eyes. A spine-chilling scream erupted from the head as it landed in the fires, a tangle of tentacles sprouting from its throat in a desperate attempt to escape.

The severed body-part shambled up onto its tentacles, looking like nothing but a particularly grotesque octopus, with flames licking up its legs. The screaming intensified as the fire latched onto the head itself, and it dragged itself a few steps towards the Canthan before falling silent and tumbling off the edge.

Yun was still greedily gasping for air as she fell back, Gorn and Kheyrn grabbed hold of her before she hit the ground and dragged her to the other side where they laid her down. "Beastbane!" the captain urgently said and lightly smacked her face. "How many fingers am I holding up?" The Canthan mercenary squinted. "Fo…four?" she groggily asked. "Close enough," the soldier shrugged, despite having held up only one digit. "Just breathe easily," he advised her.

After a while, the woman's breathing calmed down, and she sat up, looking rather forlorn. Gorn laid a hand on her shoulder. "Beastbane," he said. "We have to go." Wearily, she nodded and rose to her feet. "That sword was meant for me," she muttered. "It was the one weapon fated to be my companion…as much a part of me as my arm, or my head." She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force back her tears. "And now, it's gone."

Her companions were silent for a while, until Kheyrn spoke up again. "Beastbane…Yun. I'd console you if knew how, but I don't. All I know, is that Queen Marion needs our help, and that Gorn and I need your help in order to help her." He went to stand beside his comrade and reached out, laying a hand on her shoulder. "A warrior's weapon is an extension of their body and will," he said. "If I had any doubt of that before, it disappeared while I watched you train Queen Marion, but the warrior itself is a far deadlier weapon than any blade."

"After all," he continued. "You came at me, and three of my subordinates, exhausted and wounded, and managed to-." "Stop," Yun cut him off and sniffled, turning to her friend with a smile. "Stop," she repeated and gathered him in her arms for a hug. "You're going to make me cry and blush at the same time, you moron." Her tone took all harm out of the insult, and Kheyrn smiled and patted her back.

"You're right Kheyrn," Yun said as she drew back. "The sword is but a piece of metal without an arm to swing it and will behind that arm, and I can still fight without it." She hugged him tightly again, and whispered, "Thank you," into his ear. "Don't mention it," he smiled.

"If you two are done…" Gorn muttered from where he leaned against the wall. "Perhaps we could get going before we are too late." Kheyrn looked to the mercenary, and she nodded, pounding her fists together. "Let's go." They moved off, and Yun, who walked behind the others, cast one final look back at the pit her sword had disappeared into, and sighed, before following the two men in front of her.

The small group was moving up yet another stairway, a narrow upwards spiral that stretched out for a good fifteen minutes. The walls were carved into the likeness of skeletons, their hands linked as they moved in a macabre dance, the carvings disturbingly lifelike.

"There's an opening just up ahead," Kheyrn muttered, having taken point. Indeed there was. A dull light shone out of it, and the three companions steeled themselves before venturing through. They emerged into a large chamber, with two massive stairways leading up to a higher point about halfway across. The two stairways were separated by a wall rising up between them, standing as tall as the floor from which it protruded. Beyond the stairs, at the end of the chamber, a massive gate led further into the temple. The doors were decorated, as much everything else in the statue's bowels, and the left door depicted a kneeling skeleton, while the right one depicted a kneeling, living, man, both with their faces cast down and their arms raised in worship. In the center of the gates, with one half on each door, stood Grenth, His cold glare directed straight ahead, ignoring the kneeling figures with His gaze, but reaching His claw-like hands out to them. Dark energy poured from the god's hands and into the outstretched arms of His servants. Upon the floor beside the gate-doors, two statues of skeletons clad in robes held braziers in their upturned hands, burning with pale blue flames that brought no warmth.

The smith, the soldier and the mercenary stood and looked at the gates for some time, until Yun broke the silence with a whistle. "Quite magnificent, is it not?" a voice spoke. Three pairs of eyes snapped down to the Elonian necromancer standing at the precipice of the wall rising between the two wide stairways, his amethyst eyes shimmering in the dim light of the chamber.

The dark-skinned necromancer raised his hands, and the three bodyguards raised their weapons, Yun cursing loudly as she remembered that she no longer had a weapon to raise. A clap echoed through the silent chamber, then another. The Elonian was clapping steadily, beating the palms of his claw-like hands together. "Well done," he said after a minute or two. "Truly a spectacular feat. I had my doubts, but She was certain that you would pull through." He chuckled slightly. "This is why I am not a betting man."

"Where is Marion?" Yun snarled at him. "She is in yonder chamber with The Dread Queen," he answered with a toss of his head back towards the large gates. "She awaits you, Canthan. She so dearly hoped that you and your new friends could be here to bear witness to her ascension." He spread out his arms. "And here you are!" he exclaimed, almost merrily. "Truly, Grenth sees fit to bestow His favor upon us!"

"Enough talk from you, necromancer!" Gorn called. "Unlock the gates and stand aside, and we may consider letting you live!" "Maybe I shall and maybe I shan't," the Elonian shrugged. "If you plan on confronting The Dread Queen, however, you are going to need all the strength you can get, and it seems…that you are a sword short of a party." He chuckled again and snapped his fingers.

A ghoul scurried down one of the chamber's walls and across the floor, halting beside the necromancer, knelt down and offered forth something it carried with it. The necromancer reached down for his underling's offering, and Murakai's Blade shimmered in the light of the torches as he held it up in front of himself with both hands. "Looking for this, mercenary?"

Yun didn't answer. Her eyes were fixed on her weapon, only snapping out of her trance as the Elonian gave it a few swings and spoke again. "A finely crafted weapon, Yun Dao," he said with genuine admiration. "It is Ascalonian work, is it not? It is most certainly not a Canthan blade, or an Elonian one for that matter."

"Get your harpy-shit-stinking hands of my sword, or so help me, Balthazar, I'll come over there and run you through with it!" the Canthan bellowed. The Elonian smiled at her. "Naturally," he said and thrust the blade into the floor before himself. "If you want it," he stated as he stepped back. "Come and claim it…if you can."

He raised his arms and surrounded himself in dark energy, just as the mercenary roared in white-hot rage and stormed forward, not hearing Gorn's cry of, "Beastbane, wait!" and the sound of the floor breaking underneath them. She reared back her left arm and smashed her shield through the skull of a skeleton that rose in front of her. The bony minion fell, and more joined it as they came at the mercenary and were knocked down.

She was practically unstoppable, a raging bull plowing through a herd of sheep, and yet the necromancer stood, that infuriating smirk etched onto his face only serving to make her even angrier. She tore the head off another ghoul, and realized how close she was getting, she was already at the stairs. A zombie threw itself against her, and went flying as she caught it on her shield and tossed it backwards.

She reached the top of the stair quickly enough, leaving a trail of shattered bodies in her wake. The Canthan finished a skeleton off and whirled towards the necromancer, who leisurely turned to her, his smirk only growing as he beheld her enraged features. Yun snarled and charged at him, only stopping as something hit her in her neck and sent her to the ground.

"No…" she growled and crawled forward, her fist closing around the lower part of the necromancer's robe while he looked down at her with an amused glimmer in his eyes. The blow she had taken was a hard one, and the light was swiftly disappearing from the world. She barely registered seeing her comrades swallowed by a tide of unholy abominations, and a pair of black steel boots, fashioned into skulls with green-glowing eyes stepped into her vision.

"Take them to The Dread Queen," she heard the necromancer command, and felt something seize her and drag her towards the gate. She managed to see two things before her vision left her. She saw her comrades being dragged off by ghouls, unconscious and scratched up badly, but alive, and the necromancer pulling her sword from its rocky sheath and following her, and then. The darkness took her.

Chanting was the first thing she heard, followed by a voice that she was still trying to decide if she loved or hated. "Yun…" the voice called sweetly. "Wake up Yunnie. Wake up…" "Don't call me that!" she snapped and her eyes shot open, before narrowing in a glare directed at the Elonian woman in front of her.

Shetani smiled and reached out to lay a hand to Yun's face. "Forgive me," she said. "I forgot, since we haven't see each other in such a long time, that you grew out of that name. When you were eight, no?" "Six," the mercenary corrected the older woman with a growl. "The day I earned my title." "How forgetful of me," Shetani laughed. "You wore it like it was a new set of clothes that you loved. You wouldn't even come when your mother called you by your name."

The woman's laughter died down, and she leant up and pressed a kiss to each of Yun's cheeks. "And look at how you've grown," she smiled. "I'm so glad that you're here to witness the moment of my greatest triumph." "That is enough!" someone called from beside the mercenary. Yun and Shetani turned their heads towards Kheyrn, who was chained with his arms above his head to the pillar beside Yun's. A quick tug proved that she was restrained in the same fashion, and she spotted Gorn chained beside Kheyrn on his own pillar.

"That is quite enough!" the soldier snarled. "What is your connection to this woman? I demand an answer, now!" Shetani smiled slightly as she laid her gaze on the Tyrlachian and his eyes shifted away from her hers, before turning back to Yun, who was looking anywhere but at her companions. "Yun," the necromancer began, crossing her arms. "You haven't told your friends about me?" "What was I supposed to tell them?" Yun snarled in response, and turned to Kheyrn.

"Say Kheyrn," she began with a huge grin on her face. "You know that necromancer that invaded your homeland, painted the city you swore to protect with blood, defiled the remains of thousands of your countrymen, used the defiled remains to murder a few thousand more, enslaved the people of Tyrlach, sacrificed those who would not bend knee to her, drove you and your queen into exile, kidnapped the same queen later on to use her in some gods-forsaken ritual and forced you to go to war against your own city. Remember her? Grey skin, white hair and dead eyes? Yeah, her! She's my aunt."

She turned back to the Elonian. "You don't say that to people if you want them to trust you!" she snarled, and then realized what she had just said, largely due to Shetani's small smile. "She's your aunt?" Gorn and Kheyrn chorused. "But…but, but how?" the northerner said, his eyes flickering between the warrior and the necromancer. "You're Canthan! And she is…She is not Canthan!" "Elonian," Shetani helped him. "Istani, in fact."

She stepped away from her niece and towards her two other captives. "And as sorry as I am to turn my niece's truths to lies, I must confess, I am not her real aunt." The two men raised an eyebrow each. "We are a family with close ties to one another," the necromancer explained. "We are all divided into age groups, which decide whether we are aunts and uncles, mothers and fathers, sons, daughters, siblings, or cousins, depending entirely on whose offspring you are."

"We do have the same ancestors, however," she finished. "But listen to me, rambling on like an old crone with too much time on her hands and forgetting my manners." She bowed gracefully. "I am Shetani Adin "Dread Queen" Hezokio. A pleasure to make your acquaintances gentlemen. After all, all friends of Yun's may be considered friends to the clan, hence my friends as well."

"I am not so certain I wish to be her friend any longer, if this is the kind of company she keeps," Kheyrn muttered. "Marion!" Yun shouted, having only now caught eye of her employer where she lay on the altar in the center of the chamber. The Canthan gritted her teeth and pulled against her chains, snarling as she realized that her strength alone was insufficient.

"What have you done to her?" she growled at her aunt. "The girl is sleeping," Shetani assured her. "There is no reason for the child to suffer. A quick hack," she made a chopping motion with her hand. "And it will all be over." "What do you want with her anyway?" Yun asked, her eyes narrowing again. "She's just a girl."

Shetani didn't answer for a while. "Do you know how Tyrlach came to be, Yun?" she suddenly asked. The Canthan scoffed. "I'm a mercenary, not a scholar," she replied in answer. "Of course," the Elonian smiled. "What about you then, captain?" Kheyrn gritted his teeth together and glared at her with unveiled hostility.

The necromancer-queen was unfazed, and countered his glare with her own, cold, stare, until he shuddered and turned his head away. She smiled again. "Tyrlach," she began. "Was founded, it is said, when the heathen-god Athalan mated with a mortal woman and begot by her a daughter, before disappearing from the world of mortals. The child was named Tyrla, and became the first queen of Tyrlach."

"This all happened some three thousand years ago," she continued, stepping over to a space between two pillars to watch the war-torn city below them. "At the moment of Tyrla's birth, it is said that the crone who helped deliver her prophesied that in three thousand years, Athalan's divine power would awaken in the blood of his descendant, and that on the day of the descendant's eighteenth day of birth, that power could be harvested." "Marion," Yun stated, drawing a pleased smile from her aunt.

"Precisely," the Elonian said. "The prophesy further stated, that another queen would come, a queen of the dead, and that she would sow death in the earth and water it with the blood of Athalan, and that her power would be…absolute." Her smile had disappeared, her tone turning reverent with anticipation, her eyes gleaming almost maddeningly.

The moment passed, and she turned back to the mercenary. "How's that?" she smiled. "Your old auntie is mentioned in three thousand year-old prophesy." "What makes you so sure that it is you who is the queen of the dead mentioned in this prophesy?" Yun growled. Shetani raised an amused eyebrow and glanced around the chamber. "I see no other candidates for the title here at the moment," she smirked, before becoming serious again. "Grenth spoke to me, silly girl," she said. "He told me of this power, and that it was my destiny to claim it. He guided me in my conquest." She turned and stalked back to the altar in the center of the chamber.

"It is His will that this power be mine," the necromancer muttered and ran the back of her hand down the sleeping queen's face. "And I shall reign on this world, and all others in time, by His will and His word." "So, let me see if have understood this correctly," Gorn spoke up. "You are going to sacrifice Lady Marion and extract the divine power in her blood to make yourself a goddess."

"Correct," Shetani smiled anew as she turned to the three again. "I see that I have been wrongly informed about the dull-minded, unfocused and quarrelsome northerners." She turned her head to the left. "Were not those your exact words?" Someone whimpered from the direction the Elonian was looking in. "Oh, stop being such a crybaby!" Shetani snarled. "Come and say hello to our guests."

The figure swallowed audibly, but did as commanded and stepped before the three and bowed, muttering a hushed, "Welcome…" before turning again. "Hood down," Shetani said. The female figure swallowed again and lowered the hood of her cloak. "Lady Elin…?" Kheyrn gasped, and then his face twisted. "You deceitful witch!" he roared. "I will see you hanged for this treachery!"

Elin squeezed her eyes shut and looked like she actually wanted to cry, while Shetani let out a long, mocking, bout of laughter. Kheyrn thrashed and cursed and threatened, until The Dread Queen curtly commanded, "Gag him," and tossed a piece of cloth to her meek acolyte. "Away, you whore!" Kheyrn snarled as she approached him. "Don't touch me! I shall see you beheaded for this treason!" His enraged shouting was reduced to muffled enraged shouting as Elin fastened the cloth around his mouth.

"Now that you are all here, we may begin," Shetani said and went to stand by the altar again. "Mind you, I could've started a few hours ago, but I wanted you to be here, Yun." The mercenary answered her aunt with a glare and struggled against her chains again. "Now, I was going to claim my godhood with this," the necromancer stated and procured a dagger from her belt before tossing it away. "But I have recently gotten myself a weapon that has sent more souls to Grenth than this dagger ever has, so I thought it appropriate that I make use of that instead."

She snapped her fingers, and the amethyst-eyed necromancer handed her Murakai's Blade. "You are not sending my employer and friend to The Underworld with my sword! Do you hear me!" Yun snarled and tugged once again on her chains. Shetani graced her with a wicked smirk and held the sword up in front of herself.

"Grenth!" the necromancer began with a shout. "I stand here before Thee, as but a servant, a slave, your loyal hound! This, however, is the last time I stand before Thee as a mortal, unworthy of Thy attentions! For tonight, Thy will shall be done upon the world of the living!"

High above the temple, a red moon gleamed in the sky, its light shining through a rift in the thick clouds otherwise covering Tyrleôn. It shone down through the circular hole in the ceiling above the altar, and encased Marion and Shetani in a blood-red cone of light.

"Grenth, Thy gaze turns us, Thy lowly servants, and see!" Shetani laid a hand on Marion's forehead. "As Thou saith unto us, here lies Marion of Tyrlach, through whom flows the blood of the heathen-god Athalan! We give to Thee her soul, and in return we ask her blood, and the divinity that resides within! Blood is power! The power to make gods of men! All hail to you, Grenth, Lord of Ice, Master of Death and Ruler of All!"

The Dread Queen raised her stolen weapon high, bathing it in the red glow of the moon, the chanting of her acolytes rose in volume, and the circle of blood began to glow.

Gorn growled and struggled fiercely to free himself and beside him, Kheyrn was doing the same. Yun on the other hand, seemed to have given up. The mercenary hung limply from her bonds, her eyes were closed and her lips moved, but she was talking too quietly for the northerner to catch her words. "Beastbane!" he whispered. "Beastbane, this isn't the time to have a breakdown!" She didn't answer.

Yun had heard her friend, but she was busy. "Balthazar," she whispered. "Lord of War, Protector of The Weak, Master of Fire and Scourge of The Prideful. I implore You, I beg You, give me strength." She paused in her prayer, and drew a deep breath.

"I gave an oath, Balthazar, to protect her with my life, I swore it on my honor. Give me the strength to fulfill my oath, or die trying." The chanting of the acolytes intensified, though Shetani's own chanting overshadowed them all. The necromancer's eyes glowed, and she wept tears of blood, her gaze fixed on the heavens and her hands tight around the Canthan's weapon.

In the midst of the chanting and flowing blood, something happened that escaped the attention of everyone in the chamber. The pendant fastened around Marion's neck, Shetani had left it there for no particular reason, began to flicker and glow bright yellow.

"Balthazar," Yun whispered, the pendant lit up at the name's mention. "Balthazar, I beg You, do not forsake us, do not forsake me, in this darkest of hours. You have been my sword, You have been my shield, do not forsake us, this I beg of You. You are the flame that kindles my courage and fuels my strength. I beg you, do not let me leave this world with my oath unfulfilled."

A roar echoed through the chamber, yet only Gorn and Kheyrn seemed to pay it any heed. The two men exchanged glances. "It has been an honor to fight by your side, Ormdreper," the northerner said with a nod. The captain made a noise through his gag and nodded back at him. "Though, I must say," the smith sighed. "What really bothers me is that we shan't be playing more chess anytime soon."

Another roar split through the night, and this time, a blast of golden light from the pendant on Marion's chest accompanied it. The chanting stopped. Murakai's Blade clattered to the ground as Shetani screamed and brought her hands up to shield her eyes. "Balthazar!" Yun called. "I swore an oath, and I shall fulfill it!" Yet another roar shook the chamber, and the beam of light emanating from the pendant took shape.

The light spread out a pair of wings and roared, a serpentine dragon in place of where a single beam had been moments before. The fiery beast soared past the stunned necromancers and dove into the Canthan's chest. Yun gasped and threw her head back, floated off the ground and dropped down again, a monstrous growl issuing from her throat.

She opened her eyes with a snarl, revealing the savage flames that had taken place there. She took a strong stance, and with a dragon-like roar, tore the chains loose from the pillar, along with a block of the pillar itself. The chunk of stone fell to the floor in front of the mercenary and shattered, while the mercenary herself dropped to her knees.

The flaming dragon flew out of her back and dispersed, and somewhere in her heart, Yun heard someone say, "The rest…is up to you." Her eyes were normal once again, but still blazing with rage and determination, when she looked back up and snarled, decidedly less dragon-like but no less savage.

Before any of the necromancers could act, or even shake themselves out of their shock, Yun was on her feet and halfway across the chamber. "Stop her!" Shetani roared as she got her wits about herself, and her underlings surged forward to do her bidding.

The first opponent that met the Canthan fell with her face smashed in, the second had his ribcage shattered by a powerful kick, neither of them able to stall the enraged mercenary and she drew steadily closer to the altar. In three blinks of an eye, she was but a few feet away from her employer, and that was when the death-knight slammed into her from the side.

The Canthan and the undead warrior went tumbling to the floor, and Yun instantly grabbed up and seized its arm before it could swing its blade down at her. Her other hand close into a fist and smashed into the thing's cheek. The death-knight's head spun around with a sickening crack of its neck. Yun used the creature's momentary disorientation to draw her foot up underneath its stomach, and kicked it off of herself before twisting onto her feet and resuming her dash for the altar.

"Beastbane, watch out!" Gorn's warning hit the mercenary a mere moment before the amethyst-eyed necromancer's spell did. Green lightning blasted into her and sent her flying again. "You are becoming more troublesome by the minute!" he snarled as he approached her and blasted her as she attempted to stand. "I've half a mind to kill you and be done with this farce!"

Gorn struggled even more wildly against his chains than before, snarling in frustration as the necromancer sent Beastbane to her knees again. Suddenly, one of his flailing arms struck against his chest, something it had not been able to do before. The northerner ceased his thrashing and watched in confusion as the meek woman who he had seen sitting by the king's side before the invasion hurried to unlock the shackles on his other arm.

Once he was free, the woman moved to free Kheyrn, and he roared and charged into the battle ahead. The necromancer barely had time to turn his head before the massive northerner plowed into him and slammed him into the closest wall. Kheyrn moved to join the fray, shedding his calm, calculating, demeanor and rushing into combat cursing and swearing like only a battle-hardened soldier was capable of.

Yun had gotten onto her feet the minute Gorn had slammed into the necromancer, and rushed towards the altar where Shetani had raised the stolen weapon again and was chanting loudly. "Get away from her you bitch!" the mercenary snarled, diving forward and smashing into the older woman just as she made to take the queen's head off.

The two Hezokio-clanswomen went down, and Yun quickly overpowered her aunt, wrested the sword from her hands and held it to the older woman's throat. Shetani's eyes flashed dangerously and a blast of dark magic sent the larger woman flying off her and crashing against the altar. She growled and sat up, discovering her shield laid upside-down just short of Marion's head.

"What in all the gods' names…?" Her eyes widened as realization hit her. "You were going to use my shield as your drinking-cup?" Shetani looked decidedly displeased as she got up to her feet again. "Licking her blood off the floor seemed so…unceremonious," she snarled and surrounded her hand in dark energies.

Yun barely managed to seize her shield and throw it up in front of herself before four tendrils of night-black magic appeared in the older woman's hand and struck out against her. The Canthan blocked the tentacles, evaded a second attack and fastened her shield to her left forearm just as a faintly familiar snarl had her turning to parry an attack from the death-knight.

The undead warrior and the Canthan mercenary battled back and forth, blocking, parrying and evading, with neither able to best the other. The death-knight dodged away from a downwards swing and pinned the woman's weapon to the floor with its own before smashing its shield into her face.

Yun reeled to the side from the blow, snarled out a curse, and retaliated by whirling towards her foe and sending her blade shearing through its cuirass, slicing open a large gash in the death-knight's side. Predictably enough, the undead remained unfazed by its most recent injury, and pressed its attack.

The death-knight's shield blocked Yun's swing, and flashed as its wielder brought it up in front of itself. The bestial skull emblazoned on the shield bored its green-glowing eye-sockets into the Canthan's own eyes, and dread beyond reasoning filled her mind.

Biting down a scream of terror, the mercenary stumbled back and collided with the altar once more. "Flee!" her senses screamed at her. "Flee for your life!" Yun had never been one to argue with her senses, and quickly shambled onto her feet to flee as far away as she could. Then her gaze fell on Marion.

The young woman still looked like she was asleep, and her chest rose and fell evenly. "I can't go," the mercenary realized. "This isn't just me. It's about Marion, my friends," she raised her head and saw that her two comrades had reclaimed their weapons. "And the lives of everyone in the world." Yun knew Shetani, and thus she knew of her kinswoman's fanatical devotion and general views on Grenth's will upon the living.

"She means to kill us all," she muttered, and fished her pendant from around the younger woman's neck. "I cannot let that happen. I will not let that happen!" With her pendant secure around her neck, the mercenary turned and blocked a hammer-like blow from the death-knight's sword. Attacking viciously, Yun drove her undead adversary back with a frenzied flurry of swordplay.

The beast jumped back, managing to avoid having its head lopped off, and raised it shield again. Yun ducked behind her own shield to avoid looking at the bestial skull's eyes, and lashed out with a savage slash. The fell shield was ripped from the death-knight's arm and split asunder against the ground. Before the undead warrior could react, it foe's shield smashed into its helmet and tore more than half of it off its face.

"Balthazar strike me down," Yun gasped as Gaelm raised his half-rotted head to look at her, hatred burning in his blue eyes as he tore the rest of the broken helmet off and tossed it away. "Come now," Shetani spoke, unceremoniously dropping Elin's body to the floor. The dead Tyrlachian's throat has been slit, and the Elonian necromancer idly twirled a blood-slicked dagger in her hand. "Don't tell me that you didn't see this one coming."

Yun didn't grace the necromancer with a reply, instead opting to defend herself as Gaelm's corpse charged at her again. The former commander's attacks were even more furious than before, and while he didn't make a sound, his eyes were ablaze with hate, and his mouth was twisted into a snarl.

As the two battled across the chamber, Yun realized something. "She doesn't fully control you!" "Don't be foolish, girl," Shetani scoffed, and began to move back towards Marion with dagger in hand. "I control all my children, fully and completely." "Bullshit!" the mercenary snarled and sidestepped the death-knight. "I know living hatred when I see it!"

"Be that as it may," the Elonian shrugged. "Soon it will not matter." She raised her dagger, and reeled back as a mace slammed into her chest and knocked the breath out of her. Her hand shot forward and closed around Kheyrn's mouth and nose, but before she could begin pulling the life out of him as she had done to Agnar, Gorn slammed into her and sent her flying.

The purple-eyed necromancer appeared in front of his downed queen and drove the two men back with a wall of green flames, before turning and helping her up. "My queen, is there still time?" "There is sufficient time," Shetani assured him. "If I taste the girl's blood, all this will be over."

"Who are you?" Yun snarled and slammed her pommel into Gaelm's cheek. "Who are you? Say it!" "I…I do not remember…" the undead commander growled and tossed the warrior off itself. "Then who am I?" she pressed on, parrying a swing of her opponent's blade. "What is my name? Who am I?" Gaelm's revenant narrowed its eyes and blocked the mercenary's swing. "C…C…Canthan!" it snarled, recognition lighting up in its gaze.

"My name!" Yun snarled back at the death-knight, driving it backwards all the while. "Say my name!" "Bane…Bane of beasts…Beastbane!" Its eyes flashed again, and the undead howled as it attacked even more feverishly. The Canthan blocked as best she could, but the ferocity of the death-knight's assault drove her to her knees. As she ducked behind her shield, the undead commander smashed its boot into it and sent the warrior onto her back.

Breathing heavily, despite its undead status, the thing that had once been Gaelm raised it weapon and prepared to finish the Canthan warrior off. "Marion!" Yun blurted, hoping against all odds that the name would mean something to the former commander. The death-knight froze. "Marion? Marion…" It turned its head around to look at the queen, still lying peacefully on the altar.

"Marion…" Yun used the distraction to get back to her feet. "Gaelm…" the death-knight whispered and laid a hand to its face. "If we fight any longer, she won't make it," the mercenary stated. "And then, we're all going to die. All of us, including anyone and anything you have ever loved." "My mother…" the undead began. "Where is she?" Yun answered him with a downcast stare, a shake of her head and the muttered words, "I'm sorry."

"I was Gaelm…" the undead warrior spoke, then its eyes hardened. "I am Gaelm! And I bend my knee to no invader!" With a soul-haunting howl, the death-knight raised its sword and charged at its former mistress. Just as Gorn and Kheyrn were driven aside, the undead warrior came at the two Elonians.

The purple-eyed necromancer leapt in front of his queen, and promptly fell with a deep gash across his chest. Shetani whirled away from the death-knight's next blow, and pierced two of her claw-like fingers through its eyes. When she pulled them out again, the corpse collapsed, and her fingers were wrapped in a cold, blue aura. The Dread Queen knelt and laid the fingers on her acolyte's chest, closing the gash.

"Rest, my love," Shetani whispered as he opened his eyes. "I shall be with you in just a moment." The man with the purple eyes nodded weakly and lost consciousness. Shetani stood and turned to face Yun, who was standing in her way, with sword and shield held high.

"The commander was ever a man of strong will, defiant to the very end and beyond it would seem," the necromancer spoke. "Give up, Shetani," Yun growled, raising her sword so that its point was not a finger's length from her aunt's nose. "We outnumber you, both up here and down there. You have lost. Take your wormy little corpse-lovers with you and go back to Elona, or things are going to get ugly."

Shetani gave a small nod at her niece and took a few steps backwards, not entirely comfortable with the silver-coated steel nearly poking her in the face. Yun's scowl deepened, and she followed, keeping her sword trained on the older woman's head. "Gorn, Kheyrn," the mercenary began. "Take Marion and get her out of here."

Shetani's face darkened for a second before she leapt back and snapped her fingers. Dark-green flames shot out of the floor around the young woman, and Yun cursed as she gave chase after the necromancer. Before long, the two were standing at the chamber's edge, the Elonian's back to the open sky between two of the pillars supporting the ceiling.

"Give it up, Shetani," Yun urged her again. "The odds are stacked against you." The necromancer snorted, then smirked, and then she laughed, long and well. "Foolish child," the Elonian chuckled and shook her head. "I am The Chosen of Grenth, The Lord of Death, Ice and Darkness Himself watches over me, and you truly think that the three of you can defeat me? Look at yourselves!" She gestured towards her niece and her allies with her hand.

"A blacksmith without a smithy who fancies himself a warrior, a soldier past his prime and a incompetent girl who became a mercenary for the sole reason to spite those who thought better of her!" The Dread Queen snorted contemptuously, raised her hand and surrounded it in dark magic. "I could destroy each one of you with but a snap of my-!"

The rest of the necromancer-queen's sentence disappeared in a shuddering gasp, and she directed her attention down to find her niece's blade hilt-deep in her guts. She looked up again at the Canthan's face, and saw fury, determination, regret and a hint of sadness.

The Dread Queen's hand laid itself on the mercenary's cheek. "My," she choked out. "My, how you have grown." "I didn't want this to happen," Yun replied, leant forward and lightly kissed the older woman's forehead. "I'm sorry." The Canthan stepped back, pulling her weapon out of her aunt in the process, reared her leg up and slammed her boot into the necromancer's stomach.

Shetani tumbled off the temple's edge and disappeared, all without a sound. Yun turned, and discovered that the flames around her employer had dispersed, and that Marion herself was stirring slightly. She sheathed her weapons, jogged over to the altar and scooped the young queen up in her arms. "Gorn, bring the necromancer, we're leaving."

The northerner raised an eyebrow. "Why should we take him with us?" Yun paused to think. "Well, we could leave him and let him work things out when he wakes up…" she suggested. Kheyrn was silent for a time, before he blurted out, "I can't believe you just slew your own kin!" "Good, don't believe it," the woman said with a nod. "Because I promise you, she is still alive, and probably pissed off. So we had better leave, now, before she gets back up he-." A shout in some incomprehensible language sounded from beneath, and a massive tremor rocked through the temple.

"What in the hills is happening?" Gorn roared. The shout came again, and the massive structure shook. "The Whisperers…" Kheyrn whispered. "The Whisperers are shouting!" "We are not leaving him here to die!" Yun shouted. "Gorn, grab the necromancer and let's go!"

The smith unceremoniously swung the purple-eyed Elonian over one of his shoulders and raced after his comrades towards the exit. Another tremor made the temple rattle as the five exited the hall where the three of them that were on their own feet had been captured. Kheyrn took point across the narrow walkway, which was cracking ominously as yet another tremor shook the statue. A sizable chunk of the walkway disappeared into the abyss in front of the mercenary.

Yun bit back a cry of surprise, gritted her teeth together and leapt across. Gorn followed just after, but as he landed, the section he was standing on began to splinter off the walkway. Cursing loudly, the northerner tossed the necromancer from his shoulder to free his arms. The Elonian landed on the side of the bridge, and Gorn leapt off of it just before it collapsed.

The northerner fell just short of safety, but managed to cling onto the edge of the floor with his hands. Kheyrn swiftly helped him up, he scooped up the Elonian, and they were on their way again. The walls were cracking and rending around them, tremors shook the floor and tore open fissures beneath their feet. "Hurry!" Kheyrn called as they passed the room where they had fought their first wight. "It's not far now!"

Not long after, they stood before the gates, and that was when yet another problem presented itself. "How are we going to get through?" Yun wondered, voicing the thoughts of everyone in the room. "We don't," Gorn stated after a while. "This is likely to become our tomb, and all that we have strived for will be for naught." "Not entirely," Yun muttered and sat down, letting a hand stroke across the sleeping queen's face. "At the very least, Shetani will not have Marion's power." She leant down and pressed a soft kiss to the younger woman's forehead.

She pulled back, and noticed that her friend's eyes were open and looking at her. The two women said nothing, and silently embraced each other. When they pulled away from one another, Marion shook her head and stood. "Master Gorn, captain Kheyrn, Yun," she said, looking regal and reserved as usual. "Thank you. Thank you for your service, your teaching, and your friendship. In all my life, I have never been blessed with truer, more loyal or more courageous fellowship."

She paused to wipe a tear from her eye, and tucked a stray lock of autumn-red behind her ear. "It pains me now, to say that this…is the end. But rest assured, there are no others on this entire planet that I would rather face my own mortality with, than with all of you." She paused again to sniffle, and then broke into sobs, which prompted Yun to move up and embrace her.

"Shh…" she whispered and kissed the younger woman's forehead again, slowly stroking her hair. "The gods will look upon us with favor," she promised. "We are strong, and brave, but none of us more than you, Marion." The mercenary smiled and tightened her embrace. "You've grown so much that it's hard for me to think that you were such a brat when we first met." If the statement offended the younger woman, she hid her emotions well, save for clutching the mercenary tighter.

"And look at you now. Now you are a warrior, and I could not be more proud of you. It was my greatest honor to fight and live by your side, and it shall honor me as well to die by your side." "No," Marion murmured and pulled away from the Canthan warrior's embrace, looking up at her. "No, we shall not die, not today, not here." Yun didn't answer. She was too busy gawking at the younger woman's eyes.

The summer-grass-green pupils were fading, replaced by pupils that were pitch black, yet still shimmered with wisdom far beyond the age of everyone in the room combined, and though blacker than starless midnight, the queen's new eyes were not evil or harmful of intent, but wise and soothing in a way. Shining white suddenly swallowed the black pools, and Marion floated off the floor and turned towards the doors while in the air.

The queen raised her arms, and a blast of brilliant white energy shot out of her hands, smashed into the temple-doors and sent them flying across the city. The young woman's bodyguards could do nothing but gawk while their mutual employer drifted towards the floor again, stumbling slightly as she touched down.

Marion stumbled a bit, stood, stared at the hole left by the doors, and then turned back to her allies. Her eyes were back to their normal green, and wide as plates. "Did I do that…?" she asked, receiving three very slow nods in reply. Before anyone could say anything further, the temple roared as another tremor thundered through it. The walls cracked and groaned, and then the roof fell. "OUT!" Kheyrn bellowed.

Yun seized the younger woman by her hand and dragged her after herself as the four of them dashed outside, barely avoiding being crushed to death by the only intact piece of the temple, Grenth's head. Though hollow, the dark god's eyes were, as always, cold, hard and unforgiving.

"The queen!" someone shouted. "To the queen!" "To the queen!" The battlefield echoed with the cry, and Yun and her comrades were swiftly surrounded by northerners. Five of the nine chieftains broke from the crowd and knelt before Marion. Halkarr was the first to rise. "Milady, Trell and Korg have fallen, and great numbers of our people, but we have the necromancers overwhelmed. The day is most certainly ours!"

"What of the people of the city? How many have fallen?" Marion asked, once more assuming her royal and regal persona. "Not many, Forener," the Björnbröl answered. "We found most of them holed up inside the castle once we breached its gates." The young queen sighed in relief. "Then Tyrleôn is ours." Cheers broke out amongst the northerners, and Askra stood next, pounding the butt of her halberd into the ground twice before speaking. "We bring more good tidings, my queen." She snapped her fingers, and a large northerner came forward and knelt before the Tyrlachian monarch.

In his hands, the tribesman carried a limp form covered by a large white cloth. Askra stepped up next to him. "My queen," she said and grabbed hold of the cloth. "We give you the body of the invaders' leader." She pulled the cloth aside to reveal The Dread Queen's body.

Half the skin on Shetani's face had been shorn off, most likely she had collided with the temple's wall during her plummet down from its head. One of her shoulders looked like it had been crushed when she landed, along with most of her right side, and blood was still dripping from the wound where Yun's blade had come out of the older woman's back. "She is dead," Askra stated. "No breath passed through her lungs, her heart does not beat and she has no pulse."

Yun blinked at her kinswoman, and then came to her senses. "Toss her away!" she cried. "Hurry! Before she-!" The Elonian's left hand shot up into the air and smashed through the chest of the northerner holding her. The rest of the army could only watch, flabbergasted, as Shetani tore out the, still beating, heart of the northerner. And as he fell back, the necromancer shambled to her feet and held the heart up above herself, threw her head back, opened her mouth wide, stuck out her tongue and squeezed.

Blood flowed out of the organ above her, falling into her mouth like a red waterfall. The necromancer-queen moaned as new flesh and hair grew across her maimed features, and her bones snapped into place with sickening cracks, new ones growing where the old ones had splintered. The wound in her gut closed, and The Dread Queen Shetani Adin Hezokio stood tall, as if she had never taken a wound at all, her haunting eyes blazing with anger.

She brought the dried-out heart down to her lips, and bit into it, tearing off a large chunk and swallowing it without chewing, a few more chunks were devoured before the necromancer tossed the now-useless heart away, and turned her dead gaze to the Tyrlachian queen.

Yun finally found her wits again. "Back!" she yelled and pulled Marion behind herself, turned, pulled the younger woman into her arms and crouched down. Shetani screamed, the sound equal to the howling of a thousand damned souls, and lashed out with her dark magic, flinging every northerner and Tyrlachian in the square away from herself, all except Yun and Marion.

Red lightning flashed across the dark skies, and the Elonian raised her arms to the heavens, still screaming. A pair of lightning-bolts struck her outstretched arms, and was blasted into the earth as black and green beams when she wrenched her arms downwards, her scream only intensifying.

Yun decided that sticking around was not a very wise course of action and bolted, dragging Marion behind herself with one arm and sticking the second in her mouth, letting out two sharp whistles as she dashed towards the walls.

The groan of the earth beneath the Elonian necromancer nearly drowned out Ryûng's answering roar, and as the drake skidded to a halt beside its rider, a massive, skeletal, claw tore itself from the ground near The Dread Queen. The mercenary pushed her employer up into the beast's saddle and swung up behind her.

She snapped her reins and sent Ryûng into swift gallop just as a gargantuan lion's skull, crowned with equally gargantuan bullhorns, rose under her aunt's feet. "See now, fools, here is your god!" the queen of the dead called, the beams of dark energy shooting from her arms wrapped around the dead god's horns as though they were reins.

"He is but a slave to the power I have been given! His bones are mere playthings in Grenth's eyes!" The Dread Queen's own eyes were ablaze with madness, and she snapped her dark reins, sending the corpse-god after the drake and its cargo.

The earth shook under Athalan's bones as they gave chase, but the gods had been merciful enough to make the enormous abomination rather slow in its movement. Ryûng was already quite some distance away when the beast started to move, but it was slowly gaining on them.

Shetani's eyes flashed as she opened her mouth and screamed again, a bolt of green lightning flying from her maw and leaving a crater in the ground in front of the fleeing drake. Yun cursed loudly and steered her mount away and into an alley.

Another lightning followed a new scream, and it tore through the house just behind the two women. "Balthazar protect us!" the mercenary thought. "She's gone completely mad!" "The power shall be mine!" the necromancer roared from her perch, just before the street in front of Ryûng exploded. Still cursing, Yun drove the beast down yet another alleyway, backtracking with great haste when one of the massive claws of Athalan slammed down before her.

A mad dash down another alley saw the drake out onto a large road, several oxcarts wide, where Shetani waited, looming over them like a vulture circling a dying animal. The Canthan gritted her teeth together and took off again, towards the corpse-god this time. "Yun? What are you doing?" Marion asked, terror tingeing her voice. The mercenary didn't answer, she merely gritted her teeth so tightly that it hurt and sped up. "Yun?"

The fear in the younger woman's voice had been unveiled completely, and she screamed in tandem with her god's corpse when it roared and made to make them a bloody smear on the ground with its head. Whether it was fear, determination, pumping adrenaline or stubbornness inherited from its master that gave the drake its great speed was a moot point. It saved the three of them from Grenth's claws in any case. Ryûng sped as fast as he could, and barely avoided getting his tail caught under Athalan's skull as it collided with the ground.

Dodging the whip of the beast's tail, Yun steered her drake out between the left legs and down another street. A crater swallowed the brick-paved road ahead, but Yun pressed her drake on, and he leapt straight across the gap and landed safely on the other side.

The dragon-like beast struck out westward towards the walls, the bones of Athalan in close pursuit. For some reason, The Port Gate was open and unbarred, and it was from that gate Yun exited the city, Shetani and her mount tearing through the wall a few seconds later.

Craters swallowed the earth, and pillars of dark green flames erupted from the ground along the wide road towards Athalgar, and it seemed like the gods had decided to bless both Yun and her mount, as they managed to dodge all the lethal hindrances laid in their way.

After what seemed like hours of running from death itself, the road ended. The only thing that lay before the drake now, was the endless ocean. "Get behind me," Yun quietly ordered her employer. Marion hurried to what she was told, and clambered up behind the mercenary, who drew her steel and turned her mount around to face her aunt, who crushed several houses near the docks under the claws of her undead pet god as she drew close.

"There is nowhere left to run now, Yunnie," the Elonian stated, lowering her abomination's head so that she didn't have to shout to be heard. "Give me the girl!" she growled through her teeth, her eyes flashing in irritation. "Never!" Yun snarled back. "Never, do you hear me? I'll die before I hand Marion over to the likes of you!" Shetani bared her teeth in a scowl. "That," she growled. "Can be arranged!"

"Marion, unfasten my shield," the Canthan muttered, and again the Tyrlachian obeyed. "Are you really this mad, Shetani?" Yun called. "So mad that you would slay me to get this power you seek? Your own kin?" The tiniest shade of doubt flickered across the necromancer's features, and Yun continued. "And when you have all that power, and everyone must die, would you then kill the rest of us as well? Zhen, Parhal, Ethan, Vincent, my father, these are your brothers! Will you kill them too?"

Shetani gritted her teeth and furrowed her brow; her eyes stopped glowing and began to dart around, as if she was hoping to see the answer manifest itself in the air. Somewhere nearby, a bell tolled, signifying the beginning of the end of the day.

"And what of my cousins!" the mercenary pressed on. "What of Kage, Sundara and Setira! Your nieces and nephew! Will you send them to The Mists and become a kinslayer yourself? Accursed forever by all gods and mortals?" The Elonian swallowed, and for the first time in Yun's life, her aunt looked uncertain.

Shetani opened her mouth, then closed it, seemingly not noticing that the bell had just tolled its eighth toll. "I… I…" she stuttered, and then her head snapped up and turned around at the sound of another toll of the bell.

The necromancer turned back with a snarl, her eyes glowing with rage, and opened her mouth to scream again, when she spotted the Canthan's shield coming straight at her. "Oh my…" she had time to mutter, the light in her eyes dying, and then the shield smashed into her with such force that she was thrown off her undead mount. The magical bonds from the necromancer's arms around the horns of Athalan faded, and the dead god collapsed and shattered. The bell tolled again.

Shetani groaned and attempted to sit up, only to find her hands pinned to the ground by a pair of armored knees, and her head forced to the ground by silver-coated steel pressed to her throat. "Yield!" Yun snarled, lightning flashing above her. The bell tolled again, and the Elonian's eyes began to glow anew, which had the mercenary above her pressing her sword more tightly against the older woman's throat.

"Yield!" she repeated, desperation crawling into her voice. The bell tolled again, and the necromancer let go of the blast of energy she had been preparing to unleash. "I yield," she said and closed her eyes. "The battle is yours, Yun. As is my fate."

The mercenary sighed, stood, sheathed her blade and helped the older woman to her feet. "Wait! What are you doing?" Marion called aghast. "Why are you helping her?" "She has yielded," the Canthan said, pulling the defeated Elonian back to the drake by her hand. "She will not bother Tyrlach any longer."

"How can you be certain?" the queen snarled through her teeth as she swung herself off Ryûng's saddle and stalked up to the other two women. "How do you know that she will not strike at us when our backs are turned?" "Because you're not stupid enough to turn you're her while she's still here," Yun said and clambered up onto her drake, pulling The Dread Queen up behind herself, before helping her employer up in front of herself.

"Besides, she has proclaimed that the battle is mine, thus it is ours, and I trust her word once it has been given." "Do you now?" Marion muttered, sounding unconvinced. "She is my clan and kin," Yun stated, certain as could be. "Her word is as good as my own." Shetani allowed herself a hint of a smile, but didn't say anything, opting to not tread across any unspoken boundaries.

Marion sighed. "I guess I'm going to have to take your word for it." The Canthan bowed her head. "I am glad that my assurance is held in such high esteem," she smiled and snapped her reins, sending the drake trotting back towards Tyrleôn. "You have given me no reason to doubt your words thus far," Marion shrugged. "It would be foolish, I say, to mistrust you at this point, when you say that we have won."

Halfway across the road between Athalgar and Tyrleôn, Marion spoke up again. "It's over," she said, dawning realization evident in her voice. "We've won the war, and we're alive. It's over…and we won." "Looks like we did," Yun chuckled. "Unless of course, you've in mind to double-cross us, Shetani. But you wouldn't do that, would you?" The Elonian scoffed in response. "I am a woman of my word," she said. "Grenth loves not deceivers and oathbreakers, He leaves such trickeries to Lyssa and Her vain little puppets."

"See!" the mercenary smiled. "No worries. We're all for honesty and adherence to our given word in this family." "Except for your uncle Ethan," Shetani spoke from behind. "Oh yeah…" Yun nodded. "He's kind of a black sheep," she explained to her employer's arched eyebrow. "He's the black sheep? What do you call her then?"

Shetani narrowed her eyes slightly at being spoken about in such a manner, but held her tongue. "We call her…morally ambiguous…and unpredictable to a degree. Uncle Ethan on the other hand…he deserted from The Ascalonian Army, turned to banditry, and nearly lost his head for it, tried his hand as a corsair near Elona and barely avoided the gallows by leaping over the railing and swimming for his life."

"Oh my…" Marion said. "He sounds like a dreadful person." "Oh no," the Canthan shook her head. "He's alright, if you get to know him. Just don't expect him to risk his life for you, and he won't disappoint. He's a bit of a drunkard though, but mostly a nice fellow, and you'll hardly find a better hunter or tracker in Tyria."

"Except for Zhen that is," Shetani reminded her niece from her spot behind her. "My uncle Zhen, on my father's side," Yun explained. "He could've shot a bird through the eye from across this plain with no effort involved." Marion sighed quietly as the two older women began to talk about their kinsmen-and women, and by the time they reached the smashed Port Gate, she was fairly certain she knew everything there was to know about her bodyguard's family and their doings, shortcomings and relationships.

They entered Tyrleôn, carefully maneuvering their way past the debris left by Shetani's exit, and started towards Athalan's Justice, hoping to find their allies there. They found them, scattered around, only just now managing to peel themselves off the ground. "Northerners!" Marion called. "Tyrlachians! Victory is ours!"

Silence hung across the square, before a massive bout of cheering arose from the army, which lasted for several minutes until Marion held up her arms for silence. "Yes, we are victorious, and the queen of our enemies has yielded to us!" The next sound that came from the crowd had Yun reaching for her blade. "BURN HER!" thousands of voices boomed. "BURN THE NECROMANCER!"

"And him as well!" someone snarled and pushed the purple-eyed necromancer out towards the drake. The Canthan drew her sword, just as the remaining chieftains stepped forth from the crowd and knelt before Marion. "My Lady Forener," Halkarr began. "Your people cry out for blood, and I cannot say that I blame them, but we have taken many captives and locked them in the castle's dungeons. Their fate remains in your hands."

"Blood," Marion stated. "They cry for blood." "Indeed, Your Highness," the Tordenbjörn nodded. "Shall I sound the order for their execution?" "These people are not animals, Björnbröl," the young woman informed him. "And we are certainly not butchers. All of them will stand before The Queen's Court and receive the queen's justice."

"As you say, my queen," the northerner said and bowed. "Now then," Marion spoke up as she dismounted. "Yun, if you would escort your kinswoman, and her associate, to the dungeons, I would be grateful." "You're the boss," Yun shrugged. "Just point me in their direction and I'll be on my way."

The male Elonian's eyes were little more than slits, and his hands were poised to cast a spell. "Stand down, Hashek," Shetani spoke up, causing the other necromancer's head to snap up, only now realizing her presence. "My queen, I…" "Stand. Down. Hashek," Shetani repeated, carefully enunciating every word. "We are defeated. The least we can do is face what lies ahead of us with a certain amount of dignity."

Hashek closed his eyes and bowed. "As you command, Dread Queen." Yun scooted forward and motioned for the Elonian to get up on the saddle, something he did with muttered complaints. "Captain Kheyrn, please show Yun the way to the dungeons," Marion said, causing the soldier to salute, nod, and walk over to stand by the mercenary's side. "After you have secured them in a cell, I want both of you to come back here to me, there is still much to do."

The two warriors saluted, and went on their way. "Do you still trust me?" Yun wondered along the way. Kheyrn was silent for a while, before sighing and nodding. "I do trust you, Beastbane. One cannot choose one's family after all." "A wise choice," Shetani smiled. "She is a trustworthy one."

Yun turned to her aunt with a glare, and the necromancer smiled widely and made a show out of closing her mouth and locking it. "Thanks," the Canthan said. "Now let's get these ones locked up so we can devote ourselves to something more meaningful."

"Agreed," the Tyrlachian nodded. "There is much and more that needs to be rebuilt, people must be fed and clothed, the wall must be manned, in case of further threat, arrangement for the funerals must be made, the remaining necromancers must be rooted out…." He sighed. "So much to do, and so very little time to do it on."

The trip to the dungeons was soon over with, and once the pair of necromancers was behind bars, Yun reached out and took her aunt's hands in her own. "I'll come and visit you soon," she promised. "I am looking forward to it," Shetani smiled. Hashek retreated to a dark corner of his cell and sat down. The female necromancer rolled her eyes and went to sit next to him, while Yun and Kheyrn started on their way back to Marion.

There was indeed much to do, but the time spent on doing them was greatly lessened by the presence of the hardy northerners. Under guidance of the Tyrlachians, houses and such were rebuilt in record time, the wall was whole again after a month of toiling, and The Whisperers managed to rid them of the mire that had overtaken Athalan's Back after many hours of chanting. The rest of the dark magics and fell enchantments were also scourged, after the locations of their origins had been given, if somewhat reluctantly, by the captive necromancer-queen.

The black clouds above Tyrleôn had dissolved shortly after the last of the necromancers had given up or fled, and after many days of furious scrubbing, the victorious Tyrlachians and northerners managed to remove the bloodstains left by the invaders, while the grotesque heads carved into the walls were smashed and torn off. By far, the most unsavory job was to identify the dead, of which there were surprisingly few, and bury them. Yun was secretly glad that she wasn't assigned to that particular duty, and though she had never been accused of being the brainiest type, she knew better than to state her opinion aloud, instead settling for praying for the souls that had been lost.

When she wasn't busy helping out with the rebuilding and such, the mercenary could often be found in the dungeons, conversing with her aunt about their family and their doings since last Yun had seen them. Other times, she could be found giving profound thanks to Balthazar for their victory, and she often went hunting to help replenish the city's food-storages.

Marion had rather quickly decided that she wouldn't waste time on a formal coronation, since both the northerners and her own countrymen already saw her as their rightful queen. Furthermore, she seemed to have lost some of her faith, and often stopped herself before uttering Athalan's name, barely if ever even mentioning her god.

"Do gods leave bones?" the young queen had asked Yun one day while she was overseeing the restoration of The Temple of Athalan. Gorn, Yun and Kheyrn were still in her employ, and so took turns on watching over her. "You'd have to ask a priest, or some other holy person, about that," the mercenary answered with a shrug. "But what good are bones if you're immortal?" Marion pressed on. "How can something that cannot die leave remains behind?"

Again, Yun shrugged. "I can't tell you these things," she said. "You're better off asking my aunt about that." The younger woman's eyes widened for a second, and she thoughtfully stroked her chin as they narrowed again. "No!" the warrior stated. "No, no, no! You are not doing that! That's a very bad idea!"

"How so?" Marion asked, crossing her arms and raising her eyebrow. "I was under the impression that she was a woman of her word." "She is!" Yun huffed back. "She hasn't said a word about not enslaving you with some fancy magic and escaping!" The younger of the two women stroked her chin again. "Well, that's not going to happen," she grinned. "Not while you, Gorn and Kheyrn are there to keep an eye on her."

The mercenary covered her eyes with her palm and shook her head, sighing deeply. "This is a bad idea," she groaned. "Nonsense," Marion sniffed, her nose almost in the sky as she turned to leave. "Come now, we have to round up the rest of my bodyguards."

In the end, of course, the young queen got her way, much to the chagrin of her protectors, and sat down to talk with the necromancer-queen. It was only through vehement, unrelenting insistence that they managed to keep their employer from sitting down with the necromancer inside the cell itself.

"Bones?" Shetani asked, cocked her head to the side and raised a slender eyebrow. Slender was a good way to describe the woman in general. Yun stood just behind Marion, her blade out and placed with its tip on the floor, and she could see that her employer was struggling to keep eye-contact with the Elonian. "I don't blame her," the Canthan thought, repressing a shudder as her aunt's gaze swept across her and her companions. Kheyrn and Gorn, both of them positioned on one side each of the cell's door, turned their own eyes away from the pale orbs.

Marion was sitting on a small stool just outside of the bars, while Shetani sat on the floor of her cell, her gaze sweeping across the assembled bodyguards and their employer. Finally, The Dread Queen shook her head, sending her white hair rippling slightly around her. "Gods need no bones, for they alone cannot truly be slain. And while there are accounts of gods having their physical form shattered, there is nothing left of them afterwards."

"But what about the bones of Athalan? Is He not a god?" Marion asked. "I should suppose not," the necromancer shrugged. "Since there are remains of his mortal passing." Marion sighed and laid her head in her hands. "Why should we believe what you say?" Kheyrn butted in. "Don't listen to her, Your Majesty," Gorn snarled at the same time. Yun remained silent.

"This is merely a trick," Kheyrn insisted. "Some insidious plot to sow doubt in our hearts." "You didn't let me finish, captain," Shetani murmured softly, turning her eyes to the soldier once more. "And I believe I have already told you, if it is deception you seek, find a worshipper of Lyssa. I speak according to Grenth's will, and He wastes no time on foolish trickery." "Stand down captain," Marion ordered and sat straight again. "Continue."

"While the bones should by all accounts prove that Athalan was never a god in the first place, one can wonder…if Athalan was mortal, why does the blood of his descendants contain divine power?" Both parts were silent for some time. "Neither you, nor I, may answer," Shetani said and stood up. "For we are but mortals, and so long as we remain thus, we shall never understand the gods, their intents, their purposes or their way of being."

Marion rose as well. "Then we are done here," she said and took off, her bodyguards in tow. "Captain," Marion said, making Kheyrn run up to her and salute. "Once the work in the city is over and done with, the populace shall gather in the courtyard, where I will speak to them." Kheyrn saluted again. "I shall let this be known among the people," he said and sped off.

"What're you planning now?" Yun asked as she went to walk beside the younger woman. "Change," the queen replied. "Change that might as well see me dethroned if I am not cautious." The mercenary smacked her fists together. "I'd like to see them try," she growled. "Master Gorn," Marion spoke next. "I want you to find the best stonemasons in the area and send them to me." Gorn thumped his fist to his chest twice and took off to do as he was told. Yun raised an eyebrow. "Stonemasons," she stated, receiving a nod from the younger woman. "What in the world are you going to need stonemasons for, if not on the walls and in the temple?"

"You will see," Marion assured her. The mercenary chuckled. "The last time you said that, was just before I found myself in your employ," she smiled. The younger woman laughed a bit as well. "Which brings me to the fact that we haven't yet discussed the subject of my payment," Yun said, causing Marion to turn to her with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm still a mercenary, in case you forgot, and I can't go around doing exceptions. That's unprofessional." The queen smacked herself in the forehead. "I did forget," she groaned. "And now there is more for me to think about." "Sorry," Yun muttered after a minute. "No, no, it's alright," she replied. "After everything you've been through while under my employ, it's only right and just that you be appropriately compensated for your services."

The mercenary crossed her arms and shook her head. "You know that you don't have to use all those fancy words with me, right?" "A queen must be dignity itself," Marion insisted. "And if that means talking…elegantly, then I will." Yun shrugged. "You're the boss. A piece of advice though." The older woman leaned down so she could look her employer in the eye. "Don't use too big words too often, or your people may start to think you a snob. You don't want that."

"I'll keep that in mind," Marion smiled. "Tell me, have I played nicely enough yet?" This time, it was Yun who raised her eyebrow. "Pardon?" "Seems like I'm not the only forgetful of us two," the younger woman laughed, her smile turning smug. "Come on. You told me that if I played nice, you'd let me in on your past."

"Bits and pieces of it," Yun insisted, then she sighed and smiled at the same time. "There isn't all that much to say about me, I'll confess. I was born about twenty-two years ago, in the one-thousand-five-hundred-and-seventieth year of The Canthan Calendar, to my father Hezokio Beastslayer Long Dao and my mother Kirasagi Dao Shizuma."

The two women had begun to move again, heading upwards and out of the dungeons. "My parents were already highly esteemed by Emperor Kisu, largely because both of them had been two of the most prodigious students out of the Shing Jea Monastery, which was led by the emperor's half-brother Master Togo, The Six rest his soul, and therefore spoken warmly of in the emperor's presence."

"That sounds like a glorious family to grow up with," Marion said as they emerged from the dungeons, the soldiers at the entrance saluting as they passed by, receiving a nod from their queen in return. "It gets worse," Yun snorted. "When I was twelve, the spirit of a man named Shiro Tagachi, oftentimes called Shiro the Betrayer, returned to Cantha and unleashed a terrible plague upon the empire that turned those infected into horrible, murderous monsters called The Afflicted. My father was summoned to Shing Jea by Master Togo to discover what was going on, and put a stop to it."

The two had subconsciously taken the path into the gardens, which had been badly neglected during Shetani's short-lived reign, and were being tended to by three scores of gardeners. "My father, and allies summoned from the northern lands of Tyria by Master Togo, travelled all across Cantha, briefly united the warring Luxon and Kurzick peoples of the south, and confronted Shiro just as he regained physical form."

"Master Togo was slain, but my father and his remaining allies fought on, and eventually, he alone stood between Shiro's malevolence and the people of Cantha." "I can only guess that he was successful," Marion said, bowing her head to a pair of kneeling gardeners. "One of the finest moments of our clan," Yun smiled fondly, running a finger down the blade of her burning-sword pendant. "Yes, my father struck down The Betrayer and The Envoys, mystical spirits that carry the recently dead through The Mists, locked him in a desolate realm, from which he would not be able to escape."

The mercenary sighed. "This is where the downside of having the most famous hero in the empire as your father begins to shine through." The two women had reentered the castle itself, and were walking down a wide hallway where the sun shone in between arches that led out onto a balcony. "My father was made a lord, and a minister of war to boot. When I was sent off to be taught the way of the warrior at Shing Jea, the expectations they had for me were through the roof. Everyone thought that I would become a noble, or a minister, or both; like my father, something I had no wish to be."

She sighed again as they strode up the stairs leading towards Marion's quarters. "Worst of all, many people started to treat me differently based on my heritage. Some of my teachers thought I would be exactly like my father, just as patient and just as willing to learn, and just as willing to settle conflicts without violence. I wasn't, and my fellow students were certain that I had gotten into the monastery based on who my father was rather than my abilities."

Stepping into the young queen's chamber, the two relocated to the balcony. "I had just turned fourteen when I snapped. Two years of ridicule from my peers and teachers shaking their heads and going, "If only you were more like your father" finally got to me." Marion held up her hand, muttered, "Just a minute," rose and disappeared into the sitting-room. She emerged a few seconds later with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

She sat down, poured them a glass each and motioned for the older woman to continue. Yun nodded in thanks, seized the glass and downed it. Thankfully, the wine was neither as strong nor tasteful as most ale she had consumed, and she got back to her story rather quickly. "So one day, the tormenting I received from my fellow students was worse than usual, and the day before, three different teachers had let me know just how unlike my father's my time at the monastery was. So I snapped. Sent nine of my peers to the monks with broken bones, and decided that I wouldn't let them think that I was my father's clone anymore."

She poured herself another glass and chugged it down. "So I started to differentiate myself from my father in what ways I thought were appropriate, mainly by changing my fighting style from his "strike wisely and defend often" mindset, to more of a "defend when necessary and attack relentlessly otherwise" type of combat. A lot of teachers shook their heads more at this, and a few even went so far as to call me an "aggressive, violent girl who seems more suited to the life of an inhuman northern barbarian rather than a noblewoman of The Empire of The Dragon" in their reports of my behavior in the ring of battle."

The mercenary snorted and downed another glass, while Marion sipped some more out of her first one, caught between intrigue and amusement. "So the year after," Yun continued. "War breaks out up northward, between Istan and Kourna up in Elona, and I wanted to help out, but my parents and teachers said that I was not ready to leave the monastery just yet."

She snorted again and filled her glass anew before chugging that one as well. "During my next three years, I studied the fighting styles of the earliest humans of Cantha, from a more barbaric age of our history, and mixed their techniques with my father's teachings to create a hybrid style of anger-fuelled savagery and mindfulness. Additionally, I taught myself in the art of unarmed combat and found the disciplines of Xiàn Long, or Wrathful Dragon, to suit my view of battle."

As she drained her glass of its contents for the fifth time, the Canthan blinked a few times and massaged her brow. Marion had just finished half of her first glass. "When I turned eighteen, I finally got out of the monastery, with top marks in most of my warrior classes. Around that time, mysterious holes in the ground opened across Cantha, and me and my uncle Zhen, bless the man, he's always been there for me and supported my decisions, went down to investigate."

The sixth glass was downed in the same fashion as the other five, and Yun stopped again to compose herself. "Long story short, me and my uncle met a load of new friends and allies up to the far north of Tyria, and fought, and defeated, something called The Great Destroyer. Uncle Zhen is a ranger, so he's very nomadic, and left shortly after, bound for other places. I stayed in The Far Shiverpeaks for quite a while, and built myself a reputation amongst the inhabitants as a fearsome warrior of great strength and cunning, something that's harder than you'd expect, especially when you're human."

The mercenary smiled fondly at the memories, and also from beginning to get somewhat tipsy, and poured herself a new glass, which she downed effortlessly. "So I stayed up there for a while, a year, give or take a few months, when I heard of the civil war going on in Kryta and went southward to offer my sword in helping the rebellion. After the war was over with, I was rewarded for my help, and I found that I very much liked that arrangement."

The eighth glass's wine disappeared and Yun sat back to breathe in and out a few times before continuing. "So I spent a few months taking small jobs here and there, and pondering if this was what I wanted, before I went home to Cantha and told my parents, "I'm going to be a mercenary!"." She laughed bitterly. "The way my mother screamed, I might as well have told them I wanted to be a whore. My father looked like I had hit him in the face, and says, "If that is truly your wish," puts an arm around my mother, and walks away."

Another bitter laugh issued from the Canthan mercenary as she filled and drank her tenth glass. "I didn't see them again for about a week, until I was saddling up Ryûng with a few things I had remembered the last day before leaving. My father came to say goodbye and good luck, and gave me my mother's regards as well." She smiled again. "Then I gave him a hug, bade him farewell…and rode off. That was about three years ago, and I haven't been back home since."

Yun leant back and stretched out. "So there's my story, satisfied?" "Very," Marion replied and smiled at the older woman. "Though there is one thing I'm wondering about." The Canthan drained another glass of its contents before answering with a slightly slurred, "Shoot." "Ryûng," the young queen began. "You didn't mention him till the end. When did you and he meet?"

Yun attempted to smack herself in the forehead, but missed and hit herself on the mouth instead. She frowned and took a moment to collect herself. "How did I ever forget him…?" she muttered. "Must be stronger drink than I thought… My uncle gave him to me." "Your uncle Zhen?" Marion asked, slowly removing the empty bottle from the table. "Sure was!" the mercenary laughed, looking a bit more than tipsy at that point. "He gave me a drake-egg when I was nine, and it hatched about two years later. Mother was less than pleased." She paused to laugh again, though her younger companion had a difficult time in figuring out the cause of the warrior's momentous amusement.

"He even helped me smuggle the old lizard aboard the ship when I left for the monastery. Bless that man, may his arrows always strike true!" Yun filled her glass again, despite the absence of a bottle, and downed the non-existing wine. "Ryûng and I, we went all over Shing Jea. I can't even begin to count all the times he's carried me away from some hungry beast."

Standing, the mercenary raised her empty glass to the heavens and proclaimed, "Six bless them both! A toast for my brave mount and my beloved uncle!" before collapsing backwards and landing in her chair, her loud snoring already ringing across the balcony. Marion blinked a few times, not at all sure how to handle the situation, when the sound of a throat clearing had her turning towards her two other bodyguards.

"Thank the gods," the queen sighed. "Help me get her into my bed." The two men seized the Canthan's shoulders and knees and carried her to their sovereign's bedchamber before returning. "My queen," Gorn spoke as they returned to her. "I have done as you instructed, and gathered the beast stonemasons I could find, they await outside." "Excellent work, Gorn," Marion smiled and nodded at Kheyrn. "My queen, the people have been informed of the speech that you wished to hold after the city's completion," he informed her with a bow.

"Fantastic work, both of you!" she declared. "Send in the stonemasons. We have much to discuss and more to do."

Almost three months after Marion's eighteenth birthday, Tyrleôn stood as it had done before the invasion. Houses had been raised and repaired, rubble had been swept away and the wall had been rebuilt in an extraordinarily short amount of time. The combined hard work of the northerners and the Tyrlachians had paid off, and served to build bridges between the two peoples.

As the last hammer and chisel was laid down, and the last stone put in its place, all as one headed towards the castle, and were now standing in the courtyard, which was large enough to hold all present. The chattering of the crowd was loud enough to be heard across the city, and many, if not all, threw curious glances at a large object standing in front of the stairs, completely covered in a massive piece of cloth.

Just inside the castle doors, Marion and her three bodyguards stood, surrounded by a large force of tribesmen and soldiers. The young queen was breathing rather heavily, and her three comrades were busy trying to calm her down. "The people love you, Your Highness," Kheyrn assured her. "This will go just fine, and nothing will go wrong." "Kheyrn is right," Yun muttered, her hand clenched reassuringly on the younger woman's shoulder. The mercenary had decided that a semblance of formality was in order for the occasion, and had donned her old kimono.

"You are a liberator to the Tyrlachians, and a unifier to the northerners. There is no way they could reject you now. You've accomplished too much." "And they loved your parents before you, and their parents before them," Gorn added. "Know that we will protect you with our lives if necessary." "That's what we're here for," Kheyrn agreed and stood straight.

"Right," Marion expelled with a breath and nodded at the northerners up front, who began to push the massive doors open. The courtyard went deathly silent as the soldiers and tribesmen spread out and stood at attention, covering most of the stairway. Marion drew a deep breath to steady herself. "Break a leg," Shetani smirked from behind. "And I mean that in the most respectful way possible." Yun shot a glare at her aunt as the younger woman tensed again.

The necromancer smiled as innocently as she could manage, and Yun turned back towards the doors with a shudder. The Elonian, and her close companion, was flanked by several northerners and soldiers, all of which were carrying spears, halberds and the like, not risking getting too close to her if the need to subdue her arose. Their hands and legs were chained together, making conventional escape next to impossible. Even so, the two necromancers were being watched closely as they shuffled after Marion and her comrades out and onto the castle's stair.

All eyes were on Marion as she stepped forth from the castle, and all as one knelt to her. After a short while, Marion spoke. "Rise," she bade them. "Rise, my friends. My loyal people of near and far." The crowd did as they were told, and the young queen drew another deep breath.

"My friends. It is with the greatest joy that I can look upon our home again and say, "This city is beautiful," without any second thoughts. None of this would have been possible without all of you and all your hard work." The young woman knelt to her people. "I salute, and thank, you all for your valiant effort in retaking and restoring our home. But we have built more than just walls and houses."

She stood again and let her green eyes drift across the mixed crowd of northerners and Tyrlachians. "Five years ago, or so, my father, the late Agnar of Tyrlach, bless his memory, forged a treaty with half of the northern tribes. Not four months ago, I completed his work and united the tribes under the throne of Tyrlach. If not for the unrelenting courage of the northerners, Tyrleôn, and indeed the world itself, would be covered in darkness."

"We have built bridges of trust, respect and friendship where there was only fear and hate in times past," she declared. "I look upon you now, and I see one people, strong and brave, united under the banner of Tyrlach, and I heartily welcome our new landsmen to our city, on the day of its rebirth, a feat impossible without their assistance, and I ask, even beg, of you all to put old hatreds aside, and join me in forging a shining new era of prosperity for the realm."

She breathed out, and smiled with a relieved sigh as the people erupted into cheers. "Thank you," she smiled as they quieted down after a few minutes. "Thank you all so much, I am confident that we, together, shall see Tyrlach stronger, and brighter than ever before."

"Chieftains of the tribes, step forth," she commanded, and they did. Yun remained where she was, as she had handed the leadership of the tribe over to Shaghal and his brethren earlier. The chieftains knelt on the stairs, but were ushered onto their feet by the young queen, before she bowed to them. "Thank you," she said. "Thank you for everything you have done for me, and our people. I fear that I shall never be able to repay you." "No repayment is necessary, My Lady," Halkarr assured her. "It was only our duty and pleasure to assist you."

"In any case," Marion spoke again. "You have my eternal gratitude, all of you, and if you need anything, you've but to ask." She turned her attention back to the people again. "My people, long have I sat by my father's said, and I saw that the business of ruling the land was hard and heavy on his shoulders. Thus I have reached the conclusion that no single person can successfully reign all by themselves, and so, I hereby declare that a Council of The North and Tyrlach shall govern the kingdom in accordance with the wishes of its people."

More cheering arose from the crowd. "But such dreary appointments may wait until later," the queen smiled. "For first, I have three very special people I would like to reward." She turned to her bodyguards and waved them forward, a wall of cheers meeting them as they stepped in front of her and knelt. "Rise my friends, most faithful of companions," she laughed and helped them to their feet.

"Kheyrn," she smiled at the soldier. "You have been in my life for a long time, and you have never once failed me or let me down, therefore, I offer you the title of Commander, and command of Tyrlach's military resources." "It is my greatest wish to serve you, My Lady," Kheyrn answered with a bow. "I accept." "Then I hence dub you, Sir Kheyrn Randeel, knight-commander of Tyrlach."

The newly appointed commander knelt deeply. "I am honored." Marion nodded at him with a smile, and moved up in front of Gorn. "Master Gorn," she began. "When I first met you, you frightened me, for I had never laid eyes upon one of the northern tribesmen before. You showed me a new side to your people, and you have taught me so much about your ways. Besides, Kheyrn's troops are going to need the very best equipment. I offer you the position as royal blacksmith, and councilor on the northern ways as well." Gorn knelt. "I would wish for nothing else, My Lady," he replied. "Then, in accordance with your traditions and my own, I dub you, Sir Gorn Skulfeson, knight of Tyrlach and name you hence, Dronningskjold."

Gorn rose and bowed. Receiving a smile from his queen before she moved to her final defender. "Hezokio Beastbane Yun Dao," she smiled as the mercenary bowed to her. "I can only guess that you do not wish for any titles or positions at my court." "Afraid so," Yun answered as she stood again. "I'm not cut out for these kinds of things." "That saddens me," Marion sighed. "But as the mercenary you are, I expect that you will want due payment, hmmm?"

"That's why I'm here," the Canthan smirked. "Very well," Marion smiled back. "The treasury is yours. You may take as much as you think Ryûng can carry when you decide to leave." "You're going to regret that," Yun warned, her smirk growing. "The old lizard can carry a whole lot on him."

"In addition, I am going to give something else," the unfazed monarch continued. "If you would accept this personal token of my greatest thanks, for all that you have done for me, I would see you made and honorary knight of the realm, with no ties or responsibilities of course." Again, the mercenary knelt. "You honor me, Marion of Tyrlach, and I accept."

"Then I dub you, Dame Hezokio Beastbane Yun Dao, free knight by decree of the Tyrlachian throne." The three companions turned back to the crowd, and were met by massive cheering. They stepped to the side and let Marion through. The young queen waited until the applause had died down before speaking again.

"My people…my friends. Though it pains me to darken this bright day, those responsible for the suffering of our land must be judged." The crowd's mood changed faster than an eye could blink, and boos and insults rained over Shetani as she stepped forward, her head high and her posture regal. So regal in fact, that the chains around the older woman's wrists and ankles were the only indication that she was a captive at all.

Hashek was close on his queen's heels, but unlike her, he snarled like a caged lion, bared his filed-sharp teeth at the crowd and gave them his most venomous glare. Shetani and Marion simply stood and observed each other, and Yun was trying to decide which side to pick in the event that her aunt would face execution.

"Burn her!" the crowd screamed. "Burn the necromancer!" "Shetani Adin "Dread Queen Hezokio"," Marion began, holding up her hand to silence the masses. "You stand accused of crimes against the realm of Tyrlach and its people, the magnitude of which I cannot hope to describe if I so wished. How do you plead?" "From your point of view, guilty," Shetani answered, which made the crowd go berserk again and howl for the Elonian's pyre.

"But my actions were guided by divine will, and none here may judge before Grenth. His will was done as He instructed, and my victory, my reign and my defeat were all according to His commandments." The woman turned to the people gathered in the courtyard. "Who here dares claim that they can defy Grenth's will without fear?" she asked. The mass had fallen silent as she spoke, and were now shuffling about, some glancing fearfully at the skies, as if expecting to see Grenth's claws tear through the heavens and crush the city in His palm.

"Speak then, if you think that you have the right to judge me for doing as I was told! You know His power and His justice, for many of you have witnessed it first-hand, and I ask you then, do you think I have mistreated you?" The necromancer-queen scoffed. "Grenth is the final judge, and I am a conduit of His justice on this realm. None have been enslaved! None have been abused! And those who served Grenth's will were rewarded with His favor!" Again, she scoffed, and turned back to Marion.

"Grenth's will was my defeat, and now, you may judge me as you wish, but only you shall pass sentence over me. Not these ungrateful worms. For of all here, only you can claim divine heritage." Marion looked out to her people, and then to her bodyguards, letting her eyes rest on Yun for some time, before locking gazes with the, marginally, taller queen. "Dread Queen Shetani Adin of The Elonian Hezokio Clan," she began, and took a deep breath. "Henceforth, you and your servants, slaves, acolytes, followers and any descendants of the aforementioned are permanently banished from Tyrlach, under pain of death by dismemberment and burning should any of these ever set foot inside our borders ever again."

The cheers that came in response were a might less enthusiastic, but the people seemed pleased enough nonetheless. "In addition, any and all treaties, claims contracts or other arrangements made between the invading force and the people of Tyrlach are as of now void of any value whatsoever," Marion continued. "And all souls taken during the occupation are to be released, if still held."

"Your father and brother's souls shall be released from my power, Grenth has already taken the rest," Shetani informed, adding a, "And I understand your order and vow to abide by it," before closing her eyes. When she opened them again, they glowed an unnerving green. As everyone nearby hastily stepped back, the necromancer opened her mouth, allowing two shapes to crawl out.

Agnar's spirit looked across the courtyard and laid his gaze to rest at Marion. "Marion… my child," he smiled. "I am so proud of you, now we may rest in peace…" The young queen covered her mouth, her eyes watering. "Father…I couldn't save you, I'm sorry!" "There was nothing you could have done," Agnar reassured his daughter, gliding across the floor to stand in front of her. "Be strong, my child, for Tyrlach needs you, and one day we shall be together again." And with that, the ghostly monarch began to fade away, and with a final, "I love you, my dear child," he was gone.

Gaelm's ghost merely looked at his sister, and smiled. Marion herself was too choked up to manage anything but a small sob. The spirit then turned his head to Yun, and saluted, a gesture the mercenary returned, before dissipating and disappearing altogether.

Marion choked out another sob, her hand still covering her mouth. "My queen?" Kheyrn asked after a while. "Shall we delay the uncovering?" "No," the young queen choked out and shook her head before removing her hand, revealing that she had been smiling.

She stepped forward and turned to her people again. "My people," she began, and paused to wipe a tear from her eye. "I do not know if any of you bore witness to the battle's last hour, in which all hope seemed lost." The mass of people remained silent. "I saw Athalan." A gasp rose from the crowd. "I saw his bones, torn from the earth and enslaved under the will of Grenth's worshippers."

The next gasp was one of dread and disbelief, and Shetani grinned smugly. "But then, I saw another god's will upon the field of battle." The necromancer's grin faltered at the younger woman's words. "Athalan fell, as did the power that held him, by the might of another deity's follower, and I now know that great change is needed."

"No…" Yun whispered to herself. "No…she's not going to…" At that point, Marion nodded, and a group of soldiers pulled the cloth off the large object in front of the stairs. It fell away, revealing the statue of a tall figure dressed in heavy-looking armor. The statue's hands were covered in gauntlets fashioned like claws, and the right one was clutched around a massive sword, the tip of which was driven into the pedestal the statue stood on top of, while the left one was raised high, a bestial, horned, skull held in its grip.

The armor itself was ornately carved. The breastplate was in the image of a dragon spreading its wings to cover the chest, lions' heads covered the shoulders and the kneepads were snarling wolves, while the boots were simply fashioned into resembling the great, clawed feet of some beast. The statue's back was covered by a large cape, and the head helmet atop its head bore great resemblance to a crown, surround by several large horns that curved down and jutted forward. Despite the fact that the helmet-crown was open-faced, the face behind it was shrouded in darkness, except for the eyes, where two flames burned brightly. At the statue's feet, Athalan was lying down, his head raised and looking in the same direction as the warrior above him.

"Balthazar…" Yun muttered in an awestruck whisper. "Yes, Balthazar," Marion nodded, before turning to her people again. "I saw Balthazar's strength in the mercenary behind me, and felt His will guide me in my battle against those who are now my allies. I saw His fires burn through the darkness that had swallowed us, and it is only through Him that I now stand here today."

The crowd seemed to sense that she wasn't done, and remained silent. "I saw Athalan's bones undone by a might given by this god, and the one blessed by the dark god Grenth cast down. Therefore, I hereby proclaim that Balthazar, Lord of War and Fire shall be our god from henceforth."

"But," she continued. "Athalan, regardless of whether he was mortal or not, has lived in hearts and prayers for three millennia, and I shall not force anyone to forsake him, or any other gods you see fit to worship." The young queen drew a deep breath. The courtyard's silence put a catacomb to shame. "I, for one, choose to kneel before a god, whom I know to be strong and courageous." She descended the stairs and walked across the courtyard until she stood before the statue, where she knelt.

Yun, Kheyrn, Gorn, the chieftains and the rest of her protectors had also come along with her, and knelt by her side. One by one, the mass in the courtyard bent their knees, and knelt in reverence. After a few minutes, the queen rose and turned back to her people. "What say you?" she asked.

Again, all was silent, until a single voice rang out. "Praise Balthazar!" it shouted. "Aye! Praise Balthazar!" another voice from across the courtyard agreed loudly, and before long, the fiery deity's name was praised from one end to another, and the smile on Marion's face outshined the sun itself.

"I am glad," she smiled. "I am glad that you would share my newfound faith with me. In that regard, I have taken the liberty of arranging a new banner for our nation." She clapped thrice, and the banners hanging on the castle's walls were unfurled. They were dark red, emblazoned with a shield, in which an armored hand and a lion's paw both held the hilt of a sword turned downwards.

Again, cheers rose from the crowd, and Marion, seeming extremely pleased with herself, returned to the castle, announcing before she closed the door behind her, that a grand feast to commemorate both victory and rebirth was to be held before two weeks were through.

The cheering was muffled somewhat as the doors closed, and Marion sighed deeply with relief and fished handkerchief from one of her pockets, dabbing away beads of nervous sweat from her forehead. "I think that went about as well as it could have gone," Kheyrn said as they made their way back towards the throne-room. "Quite so," Marion smiled. "I was afraid my first day as queen of a rebuilt Tyrlach was going to be my last." "That would've been a shame," Shetani laughed. "You're already doing such a good job." Marion turned to her. "I want you and yours out of my kingdom and far away before the end of the week," she informed the necromancer. "Or I shall consider it a violation of our agreement and have you all burned."

"Of course," The Dread Queen answered with her usual calmness, and an elegant bow. Only then did the surrounding soldiers, northerners and Canthan notice that she was no longer chained. Weapons were drawn, and everyone present took a step back. "Worry not," Shetani smiled, a sight as reassuring as the sight of a giant snake looming above your face. "For I am a woman of my word. However, for future reference, I shall like to give you a small tip, Marion of Tyrlach."

The necromancer stepped forward, everyone drew further back. Everyone but Marion. The grey-skinned woman leant down and whispered something in the younger queen's ear, before straightening up again. "Come, Hashek," she spoke. "We must announce our departure to our friends in the dungeons." She walked off, the purple-eyed Elonian bowing and following her.

At a signal from Kheyrn, the escort of soldiers and tribesmen broke off and followed the necromancers. Only Marion and her bodyguards were left. The young queen looked noticeably pale, but before her three remaining protectors asked her what was wrong, she shook her head and made for the throne-room again.

As they entered, two men were already present. "Esteemed Majesty," one of them said and bowed so deeply that it was a wonder he didn't fall onto his face. "We were hoping you could settle a matter between us. This man before you, has, I have on good authority, publicly stated that the he would rather the necromancers ruled, than you, Esteemed High-." "Nonsense!" the second merchant protested. "He was conspiring with the invaders all along! I bet he even let them into the city!" "How dare you accuse me of an atrocity of that magnitude? Why, it was you who planned to-!" "Enough!" Marion snarled.

The two merchants snapped their mouths shut. "You two have been going on like this for years!" the queen continued, placing her hands on her hips and scowling at them. "Balthazar and Athalan, what would your mother think if she saw you two now?" The two seemed embarrassed, and looked at the floor while fidgeting noticeably.

Marion sighed. "I'm going to settle this once and for all," she said and strode past the merchants to sit on her throne. "You two are brothers," she stated as she sat and crossed her legs. "And the two most successful general merchants in the city. I suggest that you join your two businesses together, as a sort of family-business." The merchant-brothers looked at each other for some time, before smiling and shaking each other's hand. "I guess we have been fighting a lot," one of them muttered. "Agreed," the second one smiled. "Come, brother, I've already got some ideas I would like to try out." The brothers bowed, and retreated.

"That was easier than I thought it would be," Marion blinked. "Merely another example of fine leadership, My Lady," Gorn offered. "Perhaps so," the queen smiled and stood from her seat. "Come along now, we have much to plan before the feast begins."

The ship that rose from the sea looked like it should have remained at the bottom, and the two that followed were in no better condition. "You're going all the way back to Elona on those carcasses?" Yun blurted out. "Why, yes," Shetani replied, arching an amused eyebrow. "You've seen less probable things happen, I'm sure." "Well, yeah…but still. What if you sink, or a kraken eats you? What then?"

"Your concern touches me, dearest" the Elonian remarked dryly. "I seem to remember that my safety was of significantly less importance to you when you stabbed me through the gut and tossed me off my temple." "Because I knew you would survive!" Yun protested. Shetani smiled. "I know."

Hashek returned from overseeing the raising of the ships, and knelt before his queen. "The ships are raised and ready for the sea, Your Eminence. We may leave this place behind at once." "Are you certain you do not wish to come along, Yun?" the necromancer-queen asked for the fifth time since that morning.

"We could let you off near Kaineng." "No thanks," Yun answered as she had done four times earlier. "I don't think I'm ready to go home just yet." "Shame," Shetani shrugged, and turned to Marion. "I can't imagine that you are sad to see the back of me, Your Highness." "Neither can I," Marion answered, but shook the necromancer's hand nonetheless. "Gentlemen," the Elonian nodded at Kheyrn and Gorn, who only glared back at her with unveiled hatred.

"Now then, is there anything I have forgotten?" she wondered aloud. "There is…one small matter, my queen," Hashek stated, but the rest was obscured as he leant down and whispered it in the woman's ear. The necromancer-queen smiled. "Of course," she said. "How forgetful of me. Be a dear and fetch it for me, would you?" Hashek bowed and made back towards the ships.

He turned shortly after, carrying a long object with him, wrapped in a large cape to obscure it from view. He handed it to Shetani, who presented it to Yun. "It's yours," she said and gave it over to the younger woman. "Consider it a birthday present, since I haven't given you one for the last three years."

Yun blinked and unwrapped the object. It was a halberd, but not the kind the Dreadknights usually bore. The shaft was made of some sort of black wood, strangely cold to the touch, while the head was of gleaming silver, and made to appear like a dragon. The glaive-like blade was fashioned from the dragon's wings, the pike on top was the dragon's head, with a jet of flame erupting from its jaws, and the beast's claws and tail formed the spikes on the back.

Yun didn't say anything for quite a while. She simply stood there and gawked at the weapon. "I thought it would be a good idea to have a more appropriate weapon for mounted combat," Shetani smiled. The Canthan shook her head to clear it, and bowed. "It's beautiful, aunt, thank you," she whispered, before dropping the weapon and embracing the smaller woman.

"Be safe," Yun muttered. "And give my regards to everyone at home." Shetani looked stunned for a moment, but then she smiled again and returned the embrace. "Do not worry," she murmured back. "I have a certain someone who wishes me on this world." The Elonian reached up, and placed a kiss on each of the mercenary's cheeks. "May Grenth stay His hand from you," she whispered.

Disentangling, the two women bowed to each other one more time, before Shetani turned and headed for the ships, Hashek following close behind. "Oh, and one last thing!" she called from the stern as the three vessels set out from Athalgar. "Your parents divorced each other!"

"WHAT?" Yun dropped the halberd again and ran to the edge of the docks. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?" "Serious as always!" Shetani called. "I hear that it happened because you left too!" The mercenary didn't answer, she was busy gawking again.

Shetani waved goodbye one last time, and turned to retreat to her cabin. "It was because of her?" Hashek wondered as she passed. "I thought it was because of her father's affair." The woman's smile turned into a malicious grin. "You're evil," the purple-eyed male remarked, grinning himself. "She cost me my godhood," The Dread Queen shrugged. "Giving her a little hell is the least I can do." "I thought you were against lying," he countered. "I didn't lie," she smirked back. "I merely bent the truth a little." Chuckling, Hashek followed his queen and lover to her cabin, and closed and locked the door behind him.

Yun collapsed. She simply fell to her knees where she stood. "Balthazar have mercy," she muttered, and then she punched the ground. "First they act like I've killed someone, and now this!" A small hand laid itself on her shoulder, and she looked up at Marion. "I'm sorry," the younger woman whispered. "Don't be," the mercenary mumbled and stood. "Theirs was never the most harmonious of marriages, guess I should've seen it coming."

"We're here for you, if you need anything," Kheyrn said, and Gorn nodded in agreement, causing the Canthan to smile. "It's getting a bit late," the smith remarked. "We've best get back to the castle." The four mounted up and were soon on their way.

"Can I ask you a question?" Marion's voice roused the mercenary from her thoughts. "Ask ahead," she responded. "Whether you'll get an answer or not is what you should be wondering." "Your aunt," the young queen began. "Is she…dead?"

Yun raised an eyebrow. "What makes you wonder about that kind of thing?" "Do you remember the time when she whispered in my ear about three days ago?" the queen replied. The Canthan nodded slowly, keeping eye-contact. "She told me, that the chains of the living are poor tools when the dead are involved."

Yun remained silent for some time. "She's not dead," she finally spoke, and imagined a sigh of relief from her employer. "She's just not…quite alive," she continued. "Sort of…in between. More dead than alive, actually." "How is that even possible?" Gorn wondered aloud, a tinge of alarm in his voice. Yun sighed. "I only know what my uncles, aunts and cousins in Elona have told me," she began. "My uncle Parhal, who leads the Order of the Sunspears, told me once, that when Shetani was young, six or so, she was struck by some terrible disease." She sighed and looked up into the heavens. They were painted light purple by the setting sun. "Not one monk could heal her, and her parents' pleas to Dwayna fell on deaf ears. So, in a moment of desperation, they turned to Grenth, who agreed to save her."

"For a price," Kheyrn guessed. "Grenth gives nothing without getting anything in return," the Canthan nodded. "He agreed to save her, in return, half of her soul was to be given to Him." The four passed through The Port Gate, receiving salutes from the men stationed there. Returning the greetings quickly, Kheyrn turned back to the mercenary and asked her to go on.

"She got better, true," the Canthan carried on. "But her skin paled considerably, her hair turned white and her eyes turned red, and she became…different, shall I say, in her very way of being. My uncle said that she was a happy and lively girl before the disease, and became an aloof loner after it."

"Shortly after, she started having nightmares, in which she saw Grenth's face," Yun continued. "He spoke to my aunt in her dreams, and gave her instructions. She followed them as closely as she could, and by the time she turned eight, she had already raised more dead than you can count on both hands and feet."

"She joined a cult of Grenth later on, in her teen years, and when they heard of her dreams, and how Grenth had saved her, the cult's leaders ordered her killed to increase their own standing with Him." The mercenary and her allies passed through the gates of the inner wall and into the courtyard, and Yun kept talking as they dismounted and led their mounts to the stables.

"So she killed the leaders, and seized control of the cult. Then, she disappeared for a few years, before unexpectedly showing up on Istan to join the Sunspears. She stayed with them for a while, helped in the war against Kourna, and then she took off again. Turns out the cult she took control of had swelled quite a bit in size, and they found an old city of black, cold, stone on the west coast of Elona, beyond the mountains that make up Kourna's western border."

"Now they revere her as Grenth's will made manifest, and they grow in numbers every day," she murmured. "And shortly before I left, she found ways to remove the half of her soul still in her body, and removed half of that as well, which is why she looks so…special. Only a quarter of her living soul now remains, and only when that is gone will she transcend death itself and become truly undead."

"As of now, she's some sort of lich, only not quite as dead as other liches," Yun finished. The four of them had nearly reached Marion's chambers. "You have an…interesting family," the younger woman nodded. "I think dysfunctional is the word you're looking for," the mercenary countered with a scoff. "No!" Marion insisted and threw her hands up in defense. "No, no, of course not!"

The Canthan narrowed her naturally narrowed her eyes further and bent down to look the short queen in her eyes. "You're a terrible liar," she stated and went ahead into the chambers. "Am I a bad liar?" Marion asked as she turned to her other two companions. Gorn nodded solemnly, while Kheyrn cleared his throat and diverted his gaze to the ceiling.

The young queen huffed and stomped in after the mercenary. Gorn and Kheyrn were about to follow, but the commander was suddenly pulled backwards. The northerner snarled, hefted his battleaxe and whirled around, but relaxed and rolled his eyes when he saw what was going on. "You've been avoiding me for the past three months, Ormdreper," Skyrra purred in the soldier's ear, the shaft of her spear locking the smaller man to her.

"Now, it think it high time we have our very own victory-celebration." "Help," the commander mouthed. "Have fun, Ormdreper," the smith replied and went inside, deaf to the soldier's pleas as the northerner-woman dragged him along after herself.

After nearly two weeks, the feast was held at the castle, as promised. By the looks of it, everyone in the city were present at the festivities. Yun smiled, somewhat sadly, as she looked up at the lights shining from every window and heard the laughter, song and sheer happiness of the Tyrlachians and northerners inside.

It had only been a few days since she had gone to the treasury and filled four man-sized sacks with gold, before fastening them to Ryûng's saddle. It had all happened late at night, when the rest of the castle slept, as she didn't feel like exposing her nearby departure to her allies, her friends. The warrior scowled at nothing in particular, and roughly wiped a few tears from her cheeks.

"Keep it together, Yun," she told herself, leading her dragon-like companion out of the courtyard by his reins. "You're a mercenary. You finish your job, you get paid and then you move on. Getting sentimental about it is not going to make it easier." She lightly scratched her beastly mount behind one of his horns and sighed. "Guess it's back on the road for us two, old friend."

Ryûng turned his head to her and looked at the mercenary with his luminous golden eyes. "Don't look at me like that," she muttered. "You know I'm no good at saying farewell, and I left a note saying it in any case." The drake answered by licking her arm. She sighed again, gently stroked the beast's head a few times and climbed into the saddle.

Yun turned her head towards the castle one last time, almost expecting to see Marion behind her, hands on her hips and an annoyed, and annoying, expression plastered to her face, demanding to know where she was going. But the courtyard was empty, and the only sounds she heard, were those of the feast. Swallowing another sigh, she turned her head around and snapped her reins, sending Ryûng into a walk out of the courtyard and towards the outer walls.

As she slowly passed through the dark streets of Tyrleôn, she noticed how empty they were, and guessed that she had been right, and that everyone in the city had gone to the party. Soon enough, the sounds from the castle faded, and only the soft sighs of the wind and Ryûng's claws clacking against the paved street broke the night's silence.

The halberd Shetani had given her was fastened onto the side of the saddle, she had gotten a holster made for it, and from time to time, she reached down and rested her hand on the shaft. She found the cold wood comfortable, as it reminded her of her family, if only because a family-member had given it to her.

Being in no hurry, Yun had her mount walking slowly, as to not wear him out, and it took the better part of an hour before she came within eyesight of the eastern gate. She sped up a little, feeling like leaving the city behind herself as soon as she could manage. As the drake drew close to the gate, a single figure stepped out into the road and raised its arm.

"Halt!" he called, and the mercenary pulled the drake's reins to stop him. "What's this about?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. "By order of the queen, you are not permitted to leave the city, not without saying goodbye," the soldier stated and tossed his hood back. Yun sighed and dismounted.

"There's no fooling you people, is there?" she smiled. Kheyrn shook his head with a smile of his own. "As I told you when we met, she is used to getting her way." "As a queen should, in some cases," Marion spoke as she too stepped into the street, Gorn following close behind. The northerner shook his head at the Canthan, as if to say, "What were you thinking?"

The warrior and the queen looked at each other for what seemed like ages. Yun smiled widely and opened her arms, and Marion ran into them. The women embraced for an eternity, and when they disentangled, their cheeks were shining with tears.

"Do you have to leave?" the younger woman sniffled. "I…yes. I can't stay here. My life is that of a sword-for-hire. It wouldn't have worked out in the long run," Yun replied in a broke whisper. "Besides," she continued as she knelt down to look the queen in her eyes. "You don't need me anymore. No one has any reason to come after you anymore, and I've trained you as best I can. You'll be just fine on your own."

"I know," Marion murmured. "But I want you to know, that you have become dear to me, like an older sister I never had." "And you have become dear to me, Marion of Tyrlach," Yun smiled and pulled the younger woman into another embrace. "If I felt like I could stay, I would, but my place is on the road, to help those in need of help, just as I helped you."

"I know," Marion repeated. "I guess I'm just being selfish, and want to keep you here for myself." "Then it's a good kind of selfishness." The two women shared a laugh, and then Yun stood again. "I have to go," she said. "And I can only hope that you won't hate me for it." "I could never hate you," Marion promised, smiling through her tears. "I understand."

"Well, I'd better get going, before you change your mind a chain me up somewhere" Yun smirked, wiping Marion's tears from her cheeks with her thumbs. The queen snorted out a laugh and embraced the mercenary once more. Sighing, Yun pulled her to her again and muttered, "You're going to have to let go, sooner or later."

"Doesn't have to be now," the younger woman mumbled. A hand laid itself on her shoulder. Kheyrn gently pulled his queen away from the mercenary, before extending his own hand. The Canthan grabbed his wrist and pulled him into a hug, which he awkwardly returned after a few seconds. Gorn, on the other hand, lifted the mercenary off the ground in a hug that could've cracked a person's ribs. Yun's armor saved her from that fate.

"Be safe, you two," she grinned and hugged both of the men to her. "And keep her safe too." "Of course," Gorn answered. "We'll be watching her like hawks." The warrior walked back to her drake, who was in the process of receiving a goodbye from Marion, and bowed to her friends, who bowed back. As she rose again, she pressed a kiss to each of her former employer's cheeks, before mounting up.

"Now can I pass?" she inquired. "On one condition," Marion replied. "You have to promise to come and visit someday." "I swear it," Yun nodded. "On my honor, and the honor of my clan, I'll return someday. If I don't die before that time."

Again, the queen snorted. "Not likely," she smirked, earning a smirk from the mercenary in return. "Where will you go now?" Kheyrn wondered. "Well I came here from the south," the Canthan noted. "There's nothing but water to the west, and I've already been north." "East then," Gorn guessed. Yun nodded. "I'll go east and seek fortune. Farewell, my friends, may all the gods look upon you with favor."

"Farewell, Hezokio Beastbane Yun Dao," Marion replied. "May your strength never falter, and your sword never dull." "Goodbye," Kheyrn smiled. "I have a feeling we will meet again." "Stay safe, and return quickly," Gorn grinned at her. "It was a great honor to make your acquaintance." "And you, Gorn, all of you," Yun smiled and snapped her reins again.

And so, she rode from Tyrleôn, and from Tyrlach, the goodbyes from her friends persisting until she was out of earshot, and their waving until they were out of eyesight.

When she could no longer see her friends, Yun turned back towards the road and drove Ryûng into a trot. "Well now," she thought to herself. "Let's see what kind of trouble we can get into."

The evening rolled across the landscape, coating it in orange and yellow of the setting sun. A month had passed since Yun had left Tyrleôn behind, and she had just stopped her mount at a riverbank, thinking that crossing the river itself would be less perilous in daylight.

The forest behind her was green, verdant and quite dense, and as such could've hid many a creature of ill intent. Ryûng hadn't reacted to anything as of yet, so the mercenary relaxed. A gust of wind passed over the forest and river, and Yun decided that making a fire would make her stay more comfortable.

Soon enough, the small campfire burned brightly, and there was plenty of wood nearby if she needed more of it. The mercenary pulled out her sword, and began to clean it. Over the course of the month since she had left Tyrleôn, she had barely used more than half of one of the four sacks of gold. The three-and-a-half remaining were enough to draw bandits out after her, hence the blood she was cleaning off her weapon.

She had run into a group of them, not an hour before stopping for the night, lying in wait along the road. Like so many opponents before them, they underestimated her on grounds of her gender, and paid for it with their lives. "When are people going to learn?" she grumbled and scrubbed fiercely at a particularly persistent stain.

When she finally felt satisfied with her work, the sun had disappeared beyond the forest. Yun sighed happily, and threw another piece of wood onto her fire, before lying down on her back to watch the stars. Another gust of wind flew across the forest, and Ryûng suddenly raised his head, sniffed the air, and growled.

The Canthan rolled back onto her feet and brought her weapon out, the shield she had taken off for the night. She whirled towards the forest, and definitely registered movement just ahead of herself. Ryûng had already shambled onto his claws and stood ready to pounce on his rider's command. Yun motioned for him to remain where he was and slowly stepped forward. A bush rustled, and the mercenary leapt forward.

She landed just inside the forest's edge, and slashed out with her weapon. Leaves flew like insects, and a fox bolted from underneath a nearby bush. Yun groaned and put her sword in the ground. "You're too damn jumpy, Beastbane," she told herself and went back to calm Ryûng down.

After ensuring that the drake was resting easy again, the warrior looked around a bit more for good measure, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Not entirely satisfied, she went back to her campfire and sat down nonetheless. After a minute or two of sitting and looking at the flames, she scowled. The feeling of being watched by intelligent eyes was unmistakable.

Though there was no way to be certain, Yun guessed that somewhere in the woods, someone was waiting for her to fall asleep so that they could slit her throat. The thought made her scowl even deeper. "Coward," she spat at the unseen spectator.

"I can only assume that it is me you speak so warmly of," a calm male voice said with a hint of amusement. The warrior was on her feet in the blink of an eye, her sword up and pointed at the figure sitting across from her.

He was shorter than her, which wasn't a big surprise, clad in simple robes of slightly dark blue, like a cloudless sky in the afternoon, fit for travelling and he looked no older than she did. A long staff topped with a golden orb nestled into some sort of sheath rested in the crook of his elbow, and a oddly shaped blade, inscribed with runes, hung from his belt. The wizard's hood was up, but Yun knew what he looked like. His hair was a mess of deep brown, his skin was a tad lighter than anyone who spent as much time travelling as he did should have had, and as usual, a smoking-pipe was present between his lips. A leather satchel hung from a strap on his left shoulder.

All in all, the wizard in front of her was fairly unremarkable, except for his eyes. His eyes were unsettling and soothing at the same time, his irises a pair of pitch black voids of knowledge, age, wisdom and magic. He was old, far older than his youthful appearance would suggest, and his eyes were the only clues to his true nature.

"Gods curse you, Morphius the Eternal!" Yun snarled at him and slumped down. "You nearly well scared the life out of me!" "An unfitting end that would be, considering all that you've lived through recently," the wizard observed and pulled his hood back. "I guess you already know everything that has happened," she said. Morphius shook his head, "Only bits and pieces. I've been busy elsewhere."

"Of course," Yun muttered. "Come now. Why so hostile?" the wizard inquired. "It's not as though I dropped out from a tree just in front of you and yelled "boo!"." "I'll bet you considered it," the mercenary huffed. "What're you doing here anyway?"

"Finding you, of course," Morphius replied. "I've only been able to catch, as I said, bits and pieces of what went on in Tyrlach until recently." "But you were there, right?" Morphius nodded. "I was there at many points. You've run into me several times, in fact."

"And yet you never revealed yourself to me?" she tilted her head to the side. "Why not?" "First and foremost, because you were doing a fine job by yourself," the wizard replied and blew a cloud of smoke from his pipe. "I simply never felt that you were in a situation where you couldn't have handled yourself. Though I must admit that you scared me a tiny bit when you told me you were going after the, now former, Dödsskrömt."

"You were the battle-scribe?" she blurted out, receiving a nod. "I was also the assassin that led you to The Mistress, the soldier that warned you about the pouncing ghoul when Shetani attacked and the one who gave you guidance on your way north."

"First and foremost you said," the mercenary stated. "What's the other reason?" The wizard shrugged. "Your allies," he said. "One in particular, the good master Kheyrn would've been surprised, and less than pleased at seeing me alive and well. For all he knows, I was beheaded in Tyrleôn's courtyard, just over eighteen years ago."

"Were you?" she inquired, receiving another nod in reply. "Can you guess why?" he asked, turning his eyes to her. Yun thought long and well, and finally stated, "Marion is your daughter." Morphius turned his gaze to the stars, and waited a bit before speaking again. "About twenty years ago, I arrived in Tyrleôn, offering the queen my services as a counselor. We grew….close, despite her husband, but eventually my…affection for the queen was discovered, and I was beheaded."

Yun winced and stroked her throat. "It's not that bad, being beheaded," Morphius offered with a smile."It's one of the easiest things to recover from." "You're immortal," she reminded him. "It's kind of a big deal to lose your head when you're not." "It doesn't matter," the wizard waved his hand. "I managed to make it look like I had never done anything but admire Marion's mother from afar before being executed, and Agnar thought the child was his own."

"I had played my part, and the fulfillment of the prophesy was underway." "Was Athalan a god?" Yun suddenly asked. Morphius raised an eyebrow at her. "I thought you, of all people, would know," she explained. The wizard nodded. "He is a god. He resides in the Heavens these days. Or at least he did when last I was there, but that was long ago."

"But what about his bones? Shetani said that gods don't leave bones," Yun said. "Did she now?" the wizard muttered and chewed on his pipe for a minute. "Shetani knows many things," he said after a while. "But Grenth does not tell her everything. Athalan is a god, but his love for the mortal plane was so great that only his divine essence ascended to the Heavens. His mortal shell stayed behind."

He smiled. "He's one of my more lawful idols amongst my kind." "So the reason Athalan's power awoke in Marion's blood, is because your divine blood mixed with her divine heritage!" Yun realized. Morphius nodded at her. "Always perceptive are the Hezokio," he chuckled. "But yes, that is correct. With her heritage, and the things you have taught her, I suspect that Tyrlach's newest queen shall reign for quite some time."

"Morphius, can I ask you a question?" Yun wondered after a while. "I suppose guiding mortals is a burden my kin bears," the wizard replied. "Ask as you please." "I haven't asked Shetani about this, because I know I wouldn't get an unbiased answer," the mercenary began. "Is my aunt really Grenth's chosen?"

"Grenth speaks to her in her dreams," Morphius answered. "He wouldn't do that to just anyone. And the circumstances surrounding her descent, shall we say, into necromancy certainly point to that." "Why is that?" Yun asked, tilting her head to the side again. "Think," the wizard instructed her with a cool stare. "A disease struck her that Dwayna herself could not cure. The evidence suggests the Master of All Plague had a hand in it. Grenth personally demanded half of the child's soul to save her. The notion of Grenth saving anybody is in itself farfetched, but he gives nothing for nothing. Usually, he demands sacrifices of blood and souls, one life in return for another. But not when it came to your aunt."

The godling fell silent and busied himself with his pipe for a few minutes before continuing. "Half a soul he took, after arranging the circumstances under which he could make a deal for that half," he muttered and blew out a ring of smoke. "Grenth probably had plans for Shetani before she was even born. It seems as though he is far more of a schemer than his mortal servants give him credit for, no?"

"So it's true then…" Yun groaned and hid her face in her hands. "My aunt is Grenth's tool and plaything." "All of Grenth's worshippers are his tools," Morphius said. "I doubt that he would've gone through all that trouble just to get another one. I should say that she is more like his…favorite. A conduit of his will, and a means for him to get things done on this plane."

He sat for a minute and smoked in peace before speaking. "Is there anything else you'd like to know?" "Did you help me in Tyrleôn during the battle?" The wizard shook his head. "I wasn't able to get remotely close," he muttered in slight annoyance. "Shetani must've suspected my presence, or at least my involvement."

The wizard gave a snort of contempt. "In any case, the wards she put in place were no less than monumental. Believe me, I spent several hours trying to breach them."

"Oh," the mercenary mouthed. "Then Balthazar truly came to my aid in the temple…" Morphius raised an eyebrow, and stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Really? That is interesting." Yun nodded. "My eyes were closed at the time, I was praying, but my friends told me that something came out of my pendant."

"Very interesting…" the wizard muttered and removed his pipe from his mouth. "May I have a look?" The Canthan looked at him for awhile, before fishing the pendant from around her neck and handing it to him with a warning of; "Break it, and I'll break you." "Of course…" the godling mumbled absent-mindedly as he peered at the small necklace in his hand.

Yun held her breath as he raised one finger, encased it in a shimmering purple aura, and ran it up and down the pendant' blade a few times. The wizard furrowed his brow in silent thought as he removed his digit, the aura flickering out of existence. "Very interesting indeed…" "Can I have it back now?" she asked.

"Oh yes. Of course," he replied and handed it to her. "There's nothing," he informed her and began to smoke on his pipe again. "I do not doubt your story, but there isn't a drop of magic in that pendant that I can sense." "Doesn't really matter," Yun smiled and hung it around her neck again. "I'm just glad it's here with me."

The wizard smiled and put his pipe away after putting it out. "Why now?" the mercenary asked. He raised an eyebrow again. "I've been away from Tyrlach for a month. Why are you here now?" "I took off when I saw that the battle was won, as I had matters elsewhere I needed to attend to," he explained. "When I came back, you were already gone, and it took me some two weeks to track you down."

"Any other questions?" he smiled. "Would you like to know how many hairs an average troll has in its armpits? Or how many times a grown dragon needs to flap its wings in the course of an hour to remain airborne? Or how many demon races there are that have irrepressible urges to scratch themselves in their private parts every twenty-two-and-a-half's-half minutes?" Yun blinked a few times, before shaking her head. "No thank you…" she slowly spoke. "I think I can manage without knowing."

"Suit yourself," the wizard shrugged. "Then I believe it is time I asked my questions." "You have questions?" she asked with a laugh. "And here I thought gods were all-knowing and all-powerful!" "Heinous propaganda of mortal origin," Morphius assured her. "I can promise you that, without a shade of doubt, there is, nor has there ever been nor will there ever be, an all-powerful omnipotent being."

"I'll keep that in mind when I meet the gods," the mercenary promised. "So what do you want to know?"

"Everything," he said, pulling a quill and a book from his satchel. "Just start at the beginning." Yun nodded. "All right," she said. "I first met Marion about two weeks after rescuing a village from a goblin tribe that lived nearby…"

The End.