FOREWARNING:

VERY SENSITIVE TOPICS ARE BROUGHT UP IN THIS CHAPTER!

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

The trio consisting of an Orochi, a Shinobi, and a Warden was perhaps the strangest thing that could've been seen in the Myre. It was an unlikely alliance: a Blackstone Legionnaire, a former Renjiro clan member, and a roaming Samurai. The three sought out a cause that could be considered honorable, but many saw it as a pointless effort. And even though this alliance was rocky to begin with, they kept at their goal, trying to make it come to fruition.

Looking through the thick swamp that was the Myre, Esclair sighed. They had about half a hundred miles before they would even be able to see Ashfeld. They had travelled for about three and a half hours from the ruined Imperial Mountain Pass. Esclair only hoped that Rera would be willing to help them. Otherwise, this journey would've been useless. A long way from home, the Warden was happy that she would finally be able to return to her homeland of Ashfeld.

Nakasone, on the other hand, still didn't trust the Warden that was leading them straight into the heart of the enemy. She wasn't one to trust others easily. It took lots of convincing to be not her enemy, much less her ally. Peering at Esclair, the Shinobi clenched her fists. I can't fucking believe that we're following a Blackstone. She thought. I'd never trust one of those dogs if the situation wasn't so dire.

"Do you know how much longer it is until we reach your contact?" The Shinobi said to the Blackstone Legionnaire. Crossing her arms, she stopped walking and waited for an answer.

"It should be by the next day if we keep moving." Esclair said, rolling her eyes at the Shinobi. The relationship between the Warden and the Shinobi weren't on the greatest of terms. Ever since they met, the two never had the best bond. "So let's go, Hanako."

"Is there a problem here, Blackstone?" Nakasone responded with an annoyed voice. She could sense the challenge in Esclair's voice. How dare she speak to me as such? Nakasone thought. She's lucky enough that I haven't killed her yet!

"No problem here unless you want to make one." Esclair said, challenging the Shinobi. Stopping in her tracks and turning to the Samurai, she could tell that there wasn't any synergy between the two. Resting her hand on the longsword that hung loosely from her belt inside its scabbard, Esclair was ready to get on the defensive or offensive.

"You should watch your tongue, dog." Nakasone barked, clenching her fists. She was ready to attack this disrespectful, arrogant Knight on the spot. Taking a step forward, she silently challenged the Warden to a duel.

"Don't worry, Samurai, I won't waste my time on your below par skills." Esclair taunted. The Warden knew how much honor, pride, and respect was valued within the Samurai culture. Because of this, she knew that spitting on that tradition was the best way to antagonize them. Noticing that Nakasone was becoming more angered, she smirked.

"Your arrogance will bite you in the future." The Shinobi said, wrapping her hands around the two kusarigama that swung freely from her belt. Sensing the obvious hatred in the air, Goeman took a step forward and extended his hands.

"Let us calm down." The Orochi said, preventing the impending duel from happening. Goeman wouldn't want a duel between the two for obvious reasons. Firstly, a fight between them would permanently put the mission on rocky grounds, as the loser of the duel would hold a strong resentment towards the winner. Secondly, a fight between Nakasone and Esclair would most likely result in an injury that would cause them to be set back at least a few days.

"I agree, Blackstone dog." Nakasone said aggressively before walking passed Esclair, heading straight forward towards Ashfeld. Watching the Samurai as she walked off, Esclair huffed before looking to a shrugging Goeman. Continuing forward, the three of them could tell that this was going to be a long trek.

The Kage Kabe rested on the Ashfeld-Myre border. Built along the ridge of the Kage Keikoku—or "Shadow Ravine"—this fortress sought to be the first defense against the Knights if they chose to attack. For decades, this was the case, as it repelled many, many warlords. After a long lifespan, however, the Kage Kabe was decommissioned by the emperor when the Imperial City, along with any and all of its properties, went into a deep debt. After the Samurai's Imperial family clawed their way out of debt, the Kage Kabe returned to service, but it never returned to its position of power like it had before.

The sprawling fortress's walls went down as far as the eye could see along the Myre-Ashfeld border. It ran along the Kage Keikoku, which acted as a natural moat. The ominous stone walls seemingly reached into the heavens. Among the hundreds of warlords that attempted to attack this fortress, none have been able to pass. This didn't repel the Blackstone Legion though, as the massive force stood outside the stone walls on the other side of the Kage Keikoku.

A large stone bridge crossed the massive gap, which normally allowed entrance to the Myre to those that gained allowance. Originally purposed as the easiest way into and through the Myre, the Kage Kabe was opened for all men and women without intent to attack the Samurai. Those who did have that intent were steered away by the robust defense systems. At this moment in time, however, no one was allowed through. In response to the oncoming raid on the Imperial city, the emperor's last orders to the Kage Kabe were to allow no one passage. However, the Blackstone Legion found a way around this first line of defense, and they were able to infiltrate the Myre and kill the emperor.

"Should we prepare the battering ram, my liege?" One of her men, a Conqueror, asked Apollyon. In his mind, they would roll the behemoth of a machine across the old stone bridge and destroy the wall's portcullis.

"Sure. Let's raise the white flag while we're at it." Apollyon said sarcastically, shaking her head. "Do you think that an eighty ton battering ram would be able to cross an old bridge that hasn't been repaired in decades? No, it won't. The bridge will collapse, sending our machine to the bottom of the ravine."

"Then what shall we do?" The Conqueror asked, sweat furrowing at his brow beneath bronze helmet. It was very, very common for anyone who talked to Apollyon to be nervous. If you said the wrong thing to her, chances are that you'd have lost your life.

"There were dungeons that ran throughout the cliff of the Kage Keikoku that kept a variety of prisoners and criminals. One year, these prisoners devised a plan that they'd start tunneling their way out of the prison and into the ravine with their hands. After years of digging, these prisoners were able to escape." Apollyon said, motioning towards a small hole inside the side of the cliff. "When the Kage Kabe was decommissioned, the repair of these tunnels were halted, leaving only a rudimentary wooden blockade. That is how we are going to get inside."

The sound of rain slamming itself against the stone walls of the Kaiyo fortress woke the Peacekeeper. She was cold. She felt disgusting. Holding her upper arms in a hug-like way, she shivered. Slowly opening her eyes, Thorn breathed in and out heavily. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Shivers ran up and down her spine as she slowly turned her head to look around the damp room. As she moved her body, sharp pains resonated up and down her body. It was hell to move.

Thorn slowly and painfully pushed herself into the corner and against the wall. Wincing from the pain as she sat up and breathed heavily, she looked around the room. The walls were stone and had moss growing out of them. Thick iron bars stood on the wall across from Thorn. She noticed the notable absence of a door though. A trapdoor hung from the ceiling around the center of it. A flat wooden cell bed hung from chains on the wall adjacent to the corner where the Peacekeeper hid.

Thorn didn't remember anything that happened the previous night. She didn't need to remember, as she could feel what happened. She didn't even need to look down to know that her garb had been torn and ripped. She was violated. That much was evident to all who looked upon her. Such a scarring event brought tears to Thorn's eyes, but she couldn't cry. She was shocked, not sad. She was scared, not solemn. She was broken, not angry.

Footsteps echoed through the halls of this damned place. Assuming that her violator—or violators—was approaching, Thorn tried to cover herself, but to no avail. The pain quickly overwhelmed her as she tried to move to veil her body. Giving up on it, she just slumped back against the wall. As the footsteps grew nearer and nearer, Thorn was on the verge of accepting the cruel fate that was bestowed upon her.

"Looks like our little pet woke up." The voice of Ryoken snapped the Peacekeeper from her self-induced trance of hurt. His voice was familiar yet strange. Something about it changed. It was as if he had stopped lying. His voice was more raspy and gruff than it was before when she met him in the Myre. "How was your nap?"

Thorn couldn't say anything. She was betrayed by one that she trusted. Perhaps that was the part that destroyed her morale the most. The Peacekeeper turned her head to look at the Orochi, her eyes teary. How. She thought. How could someone be so cruel as to do this? It's unimaginable. Why? Just why? And that was her question to the Orochi when she finally opened her lips and whispered the one word: "Why?"

"Because, Knight, we must earn money somehow. Do you think that we just stumbled upon this wealth? No, we made it ourselves." Ryoken said after a brief chuckle. His entire character had changed so much. Gone was the fake welcoming face, and here was the true wolf beneath the sheep's skin. "We know that a Blackstone like yourself will sell for a lot. And they never have to worry for the quality, as we always test the product."

Turning her head away from the Orochi, Thorn was horrified. The tears that clung to her eyes now streamed down her cheeks. Crying, she was appalled at the face of war. Thorn had grew up in a rich, sheltered home. She was spoiled as some would say. Since her earliest years, everything was simple and easy going, so the true horrors of war brought much distraught and stress down upon the Peacekeeper.

Hearing one last chuckle from the Orochi, echoey footsteps seemed to carry on down the hall, leaving the Peacekeeper alone in tears in the cell. After a few minutes of shedding tears, Thorn sniffled and forced herself through the pain to stand up. Walking to the bars, she wrapped her hands around the cold metal rods. Looking down the corridor, the lights grew dimmer and dimmer, soon becoming a full darkness. Sighing, Thorn looked across the hallway to the cell across from her. The darkened cell concealed that what it contained. Concentrating on the darkness, her eyes adjusted.

Jumping back and turning her head away from the cell across from hers, Thorn squealed. In that cell, a body hung lifeless from a makeshift noose. She couldn't bare to look upon the lifeless form of the woman. The horrors of the Kaiyo Fortress must've brought the woman to do such a horrible act. What heinous acts brought this women to do this? Thorn felt like she already knew and experienced some of it. In response to what had happened, the Peacekeeper couldn't do anything else but curl up in the corner and shed painful tears for herself and the suicide victim.

A/N: I just wanted to clarify that I do not want to glorify the heinous acts that were mentioned in this chapter. If anyone has experienced any sort of sexual harassment and/or assault, please talk to someone that you trust. And if anyone feels like suicide is the answer for whatever situation you're in, please do not take that path. Again, please talk to someone that you trust. I am also open to talk to you if you should need it. I beg of you, please do not commit suicide; it's never the answer.

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673