Worry was all that the Peacekeeper felt in this specific moment. A close friend of hers, a certain Warden, had gone missing a few weeks ago, not being heard from for weeks. She was worried that something may have happened to this Warden, who was commonly known as Esclair. This Peacekeeper, Liliana Marta, and Esclair were good friends. They were both inducted into the Blackstone Legion around the same time, they were both women in a fort of mostly men, and they both had an undying respect for all that Apollyon stood for.
They had met in a small fort that trained would-be knights from across Ashfeld in order for them to join the infamous Blackstone Legion. The small Fort Frivo was located deep in Ashfeld's, or more specifically the Blackstone Legion's, territory. It could house up to twenty men, except that fifteen of those were students. Though the fort was small, Fort Frivo's training program was very intensive, as it was known to have fatally injured at least three attending trainees. And without doubt, Apollyon was happy of that fact, as she saw it as weeding out the weak.
Liliana Marta and Avice Esclair met during this training program. Though they did not initially enjoy each other's presences, they soon grew on each other, for they were the only girls in the fort at the time, they naturally drew towards each other to get away from the louder, more rough, boisterous boys. Though they both didn't learn of each other's backstories until much, much later in their friendship, Esclair and Marta both felt comfortable in the other's presence strangely. After the rigorous training at Fort Frivo, they were both sent in different missions: Esclair received special assignments directly from Apollyon, and Marta was sent off to command small squadrons for scouting or infiltration against the other factions.
Regardless of this, the Peacekeeper and Warden were able to keep in touch through frequent messages being sent between the two. After about six years of faithful warfare for the Blackstone Legion, Esclair was sent to Vector Outpost under the command of Devo Forge, where she would send the last letter she would ever send to her stealthy ally and friend. Marta thought of this absence in the brightest light for as long as she could, thinking that it must've just been an extensive mission that left no time for writing.
Unlike some others that she knew, the Peacekeeper wasn't easy to get to emotionally, instead opting to see it through a more emotionless, logical point of view. Regardless of being less emotionally connected to people, Marta still was worried for a reason. Thoughts raced of the possibly situations that the Warden could be in at this moment. Most of those possibilities made her even more anxious for Esclair's safety.
As Marta paced back and forth inside the small tent that stood with the rest of tents along the Valkenheim-Ashfeld border, she couldn't get her mind off of her best friend. The sound of swords being drawn and the clanging of metal scraping against metal broke the Peacekeeper from her worry though. Looking through the tent's entrance flaps, she saw many knights running towards the outer perimeter of the camp. Donning her helmet and raising her hood, Marta exited her tent to find out what was going on.
Racing out of the tent, Marta looked to where the soldiers were rushing to—the western side of the small clearing that they were in. Looking to that side, horror crept onto her face, for she saw a hated enemy: the Vikings.
Walking through the elegantly decorated halls of the Kaiyo Fortress, Thorn immediately knew that something was happening within these golden walls. She could swear that she heard faint screams from something. This place seemed perfect with its ornate, gold-engraved walls, thick, clear-as-day glass ceilings, and large, spiraling towers… almost too perfect. What is this place? The Peacekeeper thought as she looked at the extravagant decor. There's something… off about it. This place, it's different than anywhere else that I've been.
The Samurai's escorted the young Knight through the halls and into the large, open throne hall. A gold- and diamond-plated throne sat on a raised platform of stone, looking over the rest of the large room. In that luxurious throne, a large man sat, consuming a large plate of bread and meat. The man eating the food was unarmored and grotesquely overweight, two things that weren't common in the Myre—especially in such large, expensive fortresses like the Kaiyo Fortress. After finishing the large platter of an assortment of bread and meats, the emperor moved sloppily in his throne to sit somewhat up.
"Who is this that you bring before me, my Hanta?" He said as he peered down at Thorn. Making her shift uncomfortably, the man's gaze was somewhat intrusive and sexual strangely. One of the men, the Orochi—who Thorn found out was called Ryoken by the others—that had taken control of the situation back in the forest where she first met these Samurai, stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"This is Miss Dahlia Thorn of South Ashfeld. We found her wandering the woods when she came in contact with Shoko. We thought that we'd offer her a drink and a place to stay as consolation." The way that Ryoken said that made Thorn hesitant to go along, but she brushed it off.
"Ah, I see. Carry on then!" The man said as he looked Thorn up and down one last time before slouching back into his chair. The Shinobi, Shizuka, rested his arm around Thorn's shoulder length and motioned her forward through a hall. The Kensei and one of the Orochi turned off from the group and entered a silver door across the room. After walking through the hall across from the Kensei, Thorn was told to wait in a large room just before two large doors. In the room, two rows of the traditional Japanese zaisu were arranged along the two opposite walls that were adjacent to the doors.
"Please, make yourself comfortable while I prepare the meal." Ryoken said as he entered the large doors, being followed by Shizuka and Nise—leaving Thorn alone in the empty room. Before sitting down, the Peacekeeper walked around the room, taking in the extravagant and exorbitant decor. Large tapestries—of what Thorn presumed to be former rulers of the Kaiyo Fortress or Rushai Clan—hung on the walls, pieces of pottery stood on gold-engraved tables, and sprawling stained glass windows, which allowed some colored light in, showed the sheer wealth of Rushai Clan. The question was: how did they get this wealth?
As Thorn walked by a certain walls underneath the tapestry of an older man, who looked somewhat like the other man in the throne except less heavy, she heard something from beyond the stone barrier. The sounds of screams from a person—presumably female—and the clanging of chains emanated from the wall. Pressing her ear against the cold surface, Thorn could hear the screams of multiple people, not one. She jumped back from the wall as the large doors were opened suddenly, revealing Nise motioning for the Peacekeeper to enter.
"The meal is ready, young Knight." Nise said, her emotionless mask still concealing her face. As the Nobushi motioned for her to enter the room, Thorn did as she was told, still trying to be hospitable regardless of whether or not she was uncomfortable. Entering the grand hall of the Kaiyo Fortress, different aromas filled the air, each one making Thorn hungrier and hungrier. Sitting down in one of the various zaisu that were arranged periodically along a long wooden table.
After Thorn took her seat, about four female servants came from a door that, presumably, led to the kitchen or servant's quarters. They brought a variety of vegetables, fruits, meats, alcohol, tea, and other drinks. Anything would have satisfied the Peacekeeper at that moment, as she hadn't eaten in almost a week or so since she was sent off from the main group. As one of the maids reached over to place a plate in front of Thorn, the Knight took notice of a large bruise along her arm. What happened? She thought. It looks as though someone forcefully took her by her arms. What is this place?
"Let's have a toast to our newest ally." Ryoken said with a smile as he raised a glass of fresh wine. Motioning for Thorn to raise her drink, the Orochi looked upon her expectantly. It would've been problematic had the Knight not taken the drink that was offered to her, as the Samurai were known for their important traditions. Because of the fact that she didn't want to offend them, Thorn took the drink and rose it in the air. As the other Samurai took drinks from their wine, she followed in suit, taking a small sip.
It was too late before she noticed the maid shaking her head with worry on her face. Thorn's eyes widen as she felt something was wrong. Trying to stand up, she stumbled onto the floor, knocking off a lot of dishes with her. Coughing, the Peacekeeper tried to regurgitate the drink, but it was too late. After a few minutes of a sharp pain, everything went completely black.
The blade pierced the man's heart as he clung to his last breath. His eyes widened and his mouth agape, the man's lifeless body slumped down, slowly sliding off the blade of the sword. Pushing the corpse off of her sword with her boot, Apollyon turned to her crowd. Motioning to the lifeless body, she smiled beneath the menacing helmet.
"Wolves." Apollyon said to the Blackstone Legion that gathered around a large marble podium in the courtyard of the Blackstone Fortress. "It's natural for there to be competition from within the wolfpack. The many wolves fight to be the alpha. It's completely natural. Who's to say that we're different? Why should we fight the natural process of weeding out the weak? I know that there are wolves among the human race. We are those wolves. With predators, however, there must be prey. The prey of sheep. The sheep are those who refuse change. Who refuse war. Who refuse us.
"We must be able to change. In order to do that, we must remove the sheep from our armies, from our homes, from our lives. We must do this for the good of all humanity. I fear that, if we refuse change any sooner, we will lose our rights for living. Ultimately, the universe decides whether we change. If we don't do so voluntarily, it will force us to do so, and I fear that the time has come that we are under that hand. It is now time to stop refusing this change. We must fight for our lives. Today, we fight for change! Today, we fight for life! Today, we fight for the Blackstone Legion!"
As Apollyon finished her speech and stepped from the podium, the Blackstone Legion cheered their great warlord. Approaching Apollyon as he clapped, Ademar congratulated the warlord for her rousing speech. Ademar walked with his superior through the halls of the Blackstone Fortress and into a large empty room, save for a large table in the center. On the table, a large map rested, sprawled out across the flat surface. As the two approached the table, Ademar pointed to a point on the map.
"Now that we have taken Imperial City, it's time to start taking the other major cities and fortresses in the Myre, such as Kaiyo Kabe, Tsuyoi Kabe, or Kage Kabe. These are the three major defenses from us and the Vikings. Tsuyoi Kabe is along the Ashfeld-Myre-Valkenheim border, the Kage Kabe is along the Ashfeld-Myre border, and the Kaiyo Kabe is along the Myre-Valkenheim border." Ademar said, informing his warlord about the three different major "walls" that the Samurai used as defense against the other factions. "However, the choice is up to you."
"It would be the most beneficial to break down the entire barrier between Ashfeld and the Myre. If we attack and conquer the Kage Kabe, we will open all routes into and out of the Myre, allowing us easier and safer travel between our lands. If we can do this, then that will allow us to bring in reinforcements to assist Cross against the Tsuyoi Kabe." Apollyon said, deciding that conquering the Kage Kabe would be the most beneficial to the Blackstone Legion at this moment. "It's done. We shall commence an attack against the Kage Kabe as soon as possible."
"Yes, my liege." Ademar said, straightening his back and standing at attention. "I will inform Cross of reinforcements immediately."
"Good." Apollyon said, smirking from within her helmet once again.
The first Blackstone Submission introduced is Liliana Marta, who is a worrying Peacekeeper, from MissGoldHeart.
