The narrow Imperial Mountain Pass rested just ahead of the Blackstone Legion's camp. Looking down the muddy road, the young Peacekeeper sighed. She still couldn't understand her Legion's motives. Nonetheless, she pressed on into the night. Holden Cross, the one who had been put in charge of this mission against the Imperial City, had sent Thorn ahead of the trail to scout if there were any Samurai outposts, camps, or stragglers. Apollyon's right hand had always over thought things. He was always cautionary—perhaps too much so.

Not wanting to expose herself by being in the middle of the path, she made her way through the thick forest that rested beside the dirty way. Her boots splashing up the dirty water as she ran, Thorn rushed through the maze of trees and bushes. She made sure to stop every few yards to crouch behind a bush or rock. This made sure that she could take a longer time to make sure that she hadn't missed anything. The worst thing that could happen would be to be taken hostage by the Samurai and have her information be forced out of her. And as the Peacekeeper trekked through the Myre, the moon sat high in the sky, not giving in to the light of day yet.

Stopping behind a bush in the dead of night, Thorn let herself rest for a few moments, making sure to listen for any footsteps in the forest. Hearing nothing but the stridulating of the crickets, she pressed on through the night. The darkness almost consuming, the Peacekeeper's only light was that of the moon. Moving through the cover of night, it was unlikely that she would have been spotted by any rogue Samurais. And from the darkness, a peculiar sound emerged, forcing Thorn to stop where she was and crouch behind a bush. Her heart beating quickly, the Knight listened for a sound. Peeking over the bush, she saw a large flame in the distance. The noise sounded like laughter in the distance. Determining that it must have come from the fire's surrounding area, she made her way towards it.

Making her way toward the burning sight, the Peacekeeper made sure to keep low to the ground, hiding in tall grass and behind bushes when available. She continued her way until it led to a small clearing where the trees, shrubs, and grass had given way to rocky grounds. A large circle of stones rested in the middle of the clearing. And inside that circle of stones, one of the largest fires Thorn had ever seen rose high into the sky. Moving from the cover of the trees, she cautiously approached the fire. Looking into the blinding light, she rose an eyebrow beneath her metallic helmet. Out of the surrounding darkness, the crunching of leaves, rustle of branches, and the scraping of metal emerged. Turning her back swiftly to the fire, the Peacekeeper scanned the forest. Cursing at herself for abandoning the cover of trees, she quickly retrieved her dagger from its scabbard.

In an instant, an armored Japanese warrior jumped from the darkness. His heavy body collided with Thorn's smaller, sending them tumbling to ground beside the fire. Raising herself from the ground, the Peacekeeper quickly positioned herself in a defensive stance as the heavy man pushed himself off the dirt. The man was large and dressed in thick plating. A red mask clung to his face beneath a golden helmet. The amount of gold on this man's armor made her believe that he was experienced, causing Thorn to be hesitant. Taking a step away from the Kensei, her grip on her dagger tightened as she let out a breath. The man's brown eyes narrowing at the Peacekeeper, she put one foot behind her and prepared to leap at the Kensei. Pushing from the ground, she leapt into the air. At the peak of the jump, she threw her dagger at the Kensei, piercing the man's light armor on his shoulder. Stumbling back, the Kensei cursed and pulled the dagger from his shoulder, throwing it to the side.

Growling, the warrior rushed at Thorn, unleashing a volley of attacks. Rolling back from the advance, the Peacekeeper was wary from the powerful strikes, taking extra care to dodge the powerful swings. The Samurai's blade tore through the air just shy of her, missing the lightly armored Knight. Retreating backward until there was a good distance between the two warriors, Thorn clutched her second weapon tightly. Breathing heavily, the Knight and Samurai glared at each other, their eyes resting on each other for a second or two. Edging forward, the Peacekeeper swiftly pushed herself against Kensei's large body, sending him back in a short stun. In this minuscule amount of time, the Peacekeeper fell to the floor and swept the man's feet from under him, sending the Kensei to the ground. Grunting as the Peacekeeper jumped back to her feet, the Kensei swung his sword at Thorn's feet. Easily jumping over the sharp blade, she quickly delivered a swift kick to the Japanese man's face, knocking him unconscious.

"Knight!" A commanding voice grabbed the Peacekeeper's attention. Turning on her heel, Thorn took a step back as she looked at a small group of Samurai warriors. The group consisted of a Nobushi, two Orochi, and a Shinobi. The Nobushi was of average height and dressed in the same black and gold color as the Kensei that Thorn had just fought. Weapon pointed to the Peacekeeper, the Nobushi's wooden mask staring emotionless at the Peacekeeper. Both of the Orochi were wearing the black and gold of the Nobushi and Kensei, except that one of them had an extra crest atop their helmet, making Thorn believe that this was the leader. The golden, ornate crest was that of a dragon that expanded the length of the top of the Orochi's helm. The Shinobi, like the others, was dressed in the black and gold. However, he cautiously approached the Kensei's body, making sure to keep his hands on his kusarigama.

"Surrender." The Orochi's voice commanded Thorn's attention. The grip on his katana tightened. Two brown eyes looked the young Knight up and down. Not quite what I had expected, for I was expecting another woman from the Myre. The man thought. But she will do. Noticing that Thorn still gripped her dagger and sword, the man took a step closer. "Surrender! Do this or you will surely die!"

The Shinobi, who was now kneeling at the body of the Kensei, stood and turned to the Peacekeeper. Looking her over, the Shinobi then turned his attention to the crested Orochi. Saying something in Japanese to the man, they had an exchange. After having the Shinobi say something to him, the Orochi thought of something and turned to Thorn. "You are Blackstone?"

"Yes." She quickly responded, trying not to upset the Samurai. Her mentality immediately went straight from confidence in her abilities to trying not to create any further altercations. Perhaps this mental shift was a good thing, for she was drastically outnumbered and she was recovering from the fight with the Kensei. Her hands tightened on her blades' handles as she scanned her possible opponents. Trying to avoid any kind of confrontation, she put the blades back in their respective scabbards. "We don't have to be enemies."

"Of course not!" The Orochi grinned and sheathed his sword. Approaching the Peacekeeper, he threw his arms around her shoulder. What's happening? Thorn wondered. This must be some kind of trick, but… it might not be. Cautiously allowing the man to do this, she gazed over the rest of the Samurai. They relaxed from their offensive stances and watched the Knight. "Come. We have food and drink for you."

"I shouldn't. My group is waiting for my report." The Peacekeeper weakly protested. As soon as she said that the Orochi's face hardened. Raising an eyebrow, the Orochi removed his arms from around Thorn's shoulders. Crossing his arms, the grin on his face was replaced with a frown. Looking down at the Knight, he sighed.

"I'm sure that they wouldn't mind you to be a little late, would they?" He said, trying to persuade the woman. Resting his hand on his katana, he looked at Thorn and raised an eye. It was a subtle yet effective threat. Perhaps Thorn didn't notice it or maybe she did, but she sighed and shrugged. "Trust me."

Sighing, the Peacekeeper went along with the Samurai simply to avoid any confrontations. In all honesty, she would have most likely done anything to avoid a fight. She didn't believe in killing people; instead, she would try to go for weak points to incapacitate her enemies. Even though she hated the Samurai more than any other faction, she still refused to kill them if possible. Maybe it was her compassion speaking, but perhaps not all the Samurai were heartless murderers. Maybe she'd find out soon.


Nakasone stood in the remnants of the former Renjiro clan. Dead bodies were scattered across the wet ground in an unorganized mess of blood and mud. If only she had come immediately to the Renjiro clan to warn them of the Blackstone Legion's plans instead of fighting with that Orochi against the Warden, the clan might still exist. Even though that might have been a possibility, it didn't happen, so she'd have to keep moving forward, regardless of the possibilities. Clenching her hands into fists, she cursed under her breath.

She knew that she couldn't fight against the Blackstone Legion alone. She needed allies. Although she didn't have any allies in particular, she decided that she couldn't let the Blackstone Legion continue their rampage throughout the Myre with no opposition. Turning on her heel away from the Imperial City, Nakasone ran back to the area where she had fought with that Orochi. Perhaps he had contacts that could help her.

After running a few miles, the Shinobi encountered the area where she had fought the Warden with the man. Nakasone cursed as she looked around the area, not seeing the man. Observing the grounds, she noticed a pair of footprints with a long line between as if someone had been dragging something… or someone. Smirking, the Japanese woman started running that direction, hoping to stumble upon the man and his prisoner.

As she approached the base of a hill, she heard talking coming from the cavern. Confused, the Shinobi cautiously approached the cavern's mouth. Peering inside, the cave was dimly lit, as the only source of light was that a single lantern standing atop a flat rock. Thick wooden poles supported the heavy weight of the cave's rock roof. Wooden boards were nailed to two boards along the back wall. These prevented any travelers or scavengers from entering the depths of the caves. Sitting atop two rocks, an Orochi and a Warden talked to each other. Observing that these people were the man and woman that she had fought with and against respectively, Nakasone rolled her eyes and entered the cave, coughing as she did so, for she wanted their attention.

"What are you doing?" Nakasone questioned as she entered the cave. Goeman turned from a map that was spread across a flattened rock. Looking to the Shinobi, he looked somewhat surprised that she was here. Walking to Nakasone, he raised an eyebrow.

"Strategizing. What are you doing here?" Goeman answered. "I thought you were with the Renjiro clan?"

"They've been terminated. The Blackstone Legion pushed through the Myre and decimated the camp. I'm not sure if there are any others or if I'm the only one left." The Shinobi admitted. It was true. She wasn't sure if there were any more Renjiro clan members left throughout the lands. In her mind, she was the last one left.

"I see. I'm sorry." Goeman said, trying to comfort the Shinobi, even though she didn't seem distraught. To the Orochi, the fall of the Renjiro clan seemed like something that would have never happened. Even though it, to an extent, furthered his goal of uniting the Samurai people, he could help but feel sad for the Shinobi. It was almost the only family that she had ever known, so losing it must have been hard on her.

"Nevermind that. What are you doing with this Warden?" Nakasone questioned, still trying to push back tears from the previous conversation.

"We're forming a plan. I'm going to take her to the Imperial Mountain Pass to show her the true side of the Blackstone Legion." Goeman explained. As Nakasone thought of the words that the Orochi had just said, she was shocked.

"Are you fucking crazy? She's a Blackstone!" Nakasone argued just low enough that the Warden, who was still looking upon the map, couldn't hear her. She was angry at the idiocy of the Orochi. How could this man be so fucking stupid?! She thought to herself.

"I know what I'm doing, Nakasone." He sounded confident, but that wasn't enough to ease the woman's anger.

"I sure do fucking hope so." She said angrily, "You do realize that this is probably a trap, right?"

"I don't believe it is." Goeman responded quickly. Hopefully, he's right. She thought. If not, the entire Samurai people are going be at the mercy of the most violent warlord across the factions. "If she is against us, then I will take full blame, but I think that she's coming around to the true reality of the Blackstone Legion."

"Fine." Nakasone said, crossing her arms. "I still don't trust her, so I'm coming along. If she does anything that could jeopardize this, I'm killing her."

"You're going?" He asked as he raised an eyebrow. "I never took you as a team player, but I suppose that's fine."

"So what's the plan?" Nakasone finally spoke loud enough that the Warden could hear. At the sound of the Shinobi's voice, the Knight looked up and rose from the map. Crossing her arms, the Japanese woman waited for an answer from the woman.

"Uh… we have a plan, yes." The Warden motioned Nakasone over and pointed to a forested spot on the map. "The Blackstone Legion have frequent scouts entering the Myre ahead of them. It will be difficult to deal with these scouts, as they are usually some of the best trained men or women. If we can find a scout team that has ventured too far from their pack, we can take them out with a lessened chance of reinforcements. This may allow us to find a way around the main force of the Blackstone Legion. Once we're close enough, we can do some reconnaissance and gather information to bring back to whomever we want."

"I see." Nakasone said. She had to admit that this plan was probably better than anything that she could do. This Warden knew a lot more about the Blackstone Legion than the Shinobi, for she had been in it almost her entire life. She had even served directly under Apollyon at one point, so she was well-versed with the brutal legion. "However, if we hope to defeat the Blackstone Legion, we're going to need more than just three people."

"I think I can help with that." The Warden said confidently with a grin.


Her form moved with a perfect rhythm and time with his. His hardened body pushed against her soft, velvet-like one. She felt incredibly good to the Centurion. He had no romantic interests in her; rather, he had sexual desires for her body. It finally felt good to give into these feelings. There she was, sitting atop him. Providing him with a perfect image of her body, he moved his hands up and down her waist, finally resting them on her hips as she grinding against him.

Her soft moans made him feel better than before without them. He couldn't hold it back anymore. Groaning as he released inside of her, he looked upon her one more time. Grinning at her as she rested her against his chest, he rested there for a few minutes. Breaking the peaceful silence, a hesitant knock occurred against the door. Sighing, he moved the girl from atop of him with some struggle from the woman. Pulling back on his garb, he walked to the door. Opening it, he was greeted with a young man.

"May I help you?" Rera addressed the young servant. Crossing his arms, he waited for the response from the man. The servant was a young man who Rera hadn't seen all that much from around the land that he owned. The servant was maybe thirteen or fourteen years old. He seemed much like a pauper or a lowly, poor boy from the outskirts.

"There's someone here to see you." The young man said immediately. From his voice, the boy sounded somewhat afraid. Raising his eyebrow, Rera sighed and nodded. Pushing past the servant, he walked down the stone and golden-engraved walls. Entering a large meeting room, he took in the sight of a single figure standing, back towards Rera. Turning around to face the Centurion, the figure was immediately recognizable. Black armor reflected the light that arose from numerous candles scattering the room. Dark hair rose from the top of an even darker helmet that screamed menace. This could only be a single person: Apollyon.

"May I help you?" Some of the confidence left the Centurion's voice as he stepped closer to the figure. His voice betrayed his well-kept demeanor. Watching the figure as she walked around the wooden table, he couldn't help but be terrified by her simple presence.

"Yes." Her voice was menacing and controlling. It spewed hatred and cunning. Turning on her heel to look at a painting that hung on the wall, she hummed. "Your lands will become our lands, Rera."

"What do you mean, Apollyon?" Rera said, trying to be the one in command in this conversation. Receiving nothing but a chuckle from the warlord, he felt a shiver make its way down his spine.

"I mean exactly what I said." Apollyon said, still keeping her back to the Centurion. "I'm taking control of this piece of land. Many Vikings and Samurai bring their trade in through the House of Rera, as it is one of leading powers in the trading industry. This means that the House of Rera could be a very valuable asset to the Blackstone Legion cause."

"I'm not going to simply give up my wealth and power simply because you want it!" The Centurion protested. Receiving another laugh from the warlord, the man thought of his words and cursed himself for possibly angering the woman. Turning from the painting she walked over to the man and put her hand on his shoulder. Her helmet's "eyes" peering into his own, Rera suddenly felt a sharp object push against his unarmored stomach. Looking down, he saw that Apollyon had pressed a knife against him. Stuttering, the man rethought of his words. "Something could probably be worked out…"

"Good. I knew you'd understand." Apollyon said with a laugh. Returning the knife to its scabbard, she walked past the man and out of the room, leaving Rera alone. Thinking about this encounter, he needed to do something about Apollyon. He couldn't just give his wealth and power away. He needed to take down the Blackstone Legion from their power.


Author's Note: So… sorry for making you wait about a month for this chapter, but my life got really hectic. I had to stop writing for a few weeks, but I should be back. I can't promise that chapter will be more regular. I think that they're going to be more sporadic and non-frequent. Nonetheless, I'll try to get them out as soon as possible. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!