Castle Shadowthorn

[Syx LaRexhei]

Prince Syx Markoth
Violet Fox of Nabradia

Syx felt her shift into his embrace, accepting it and smiling a little to himself. The barriers that had long isolated him from all humanity seemed to be lowered for the moment, more than he could have asked for in the past. It was unprofessional the way the two were consorting, but nobody was here to watch them or criticize them. It was just the two of them, alone in the room with nothing but the lingering wisps of smoke from the ashes. The ashes seemed to fly up and spiral around them as they swept into the embrace, fluttering to rest below on the ground. He listened to her continuation of her venting for a second longer and thought about it, he was unaware that Layla had a sister. He would arrange tomorrow with the servants to designate one of the empty guest rooms for the girl. If all went well, she could even become a ward of the king, lifting the responsibilities off Layla's shoulders. Of course, he would speak to her first, but now was not the time. He allowed her to slip into his hold and break in his arms. The moment was broken when the girl went rigid and spoke again of professionalism. He allowed her to take her distance though he felt like he could keep in the hold forever, but that would be senseless. When she asked if there was anything she could do, he thought about it for a moment. He would not tax her anymore with duties but...

She looked utterly desperate past her facade, as though she was still hoping for something. Hope, that was something he once knew so well. The years of hoping to an end of his torturous thoughts had done him no service, he only felt more hopeless. Her hope here was genuine here, and he believed he could still do one thing. He wanted her company longer, just the sheer comfort of having someone there that wasn't some sort of social upstart was a relieving notion. It was a feeling he hadn't known since... His mind blacked out again, as it usually did when he put too much thought to it. It was no matter, he sought the comfort of another person, and another person was here. He smiled at her, "You speak nonsense, Lady Layla. I would prefer the casual nature of your company. There was no intrusion. I don't need anything tonight, go get some sleep and I will see you tomorrow morning." He walked over to her and held her hand lightly on top of his and kissed it, as was proper. "Good night, Lady Layla." Her presence was almost...endearing to him. He shook the thought away, figuring she was maybe right in her constitution of professionalism. Tomorrow the two of them would be on a mission and it would be back to formalities. He shuffled over to his bed and laid himself down in it, looking one last second at Layla. He shut his eyes and feigned sleep, like he had for his entire life. Even without sleep, he would have dreams at night. Tonight they would be about Sara. The two could meet more often when dreaming.  

[Weak Executioner]

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✘✔✘x Fate changes faster than the

x ∂ є ค т нx ofx ℓ ι ɢ н т...
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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx••.¸¸.•ஐxxx You supply the envy... and I'll supply the sριтє

ஐ•.¸¸.•´´¯`xxxℓ ค ч ℓ ค x ∂ є ℓ ค ¢ я σ ι x

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xx✘ ✔✘º• Layla blinked, the desire to rest and lay down somewhere becoming increasingly over-powering. She stifled a yawn, straining to focus on what Syx was saying. Something about nonsense? She hadn't been this tired in a long time, but she supposed two weeks of roughly three to four hours sleep had finally caught up with her. It was either kill everyone, or simply sleep. She caught the last part of his sentence, and as he reached to kiss her hand she simply bowed her head, a natural instinct. He moved over to his bed and lay down, which is the incentive Layla took to get the hell out of there. Pushing aside a cloud of fuzzy and delirious confusion, she spoke. "Of course. Good night, Sir Syx." She left the room, and closed the door silently behind her. The hallway was colder, which snapped at her as soon as she left his warm, cosy room. No matter. She walked into her own room, closed the door, and the next thing she knew she was on top of the velvet blankets, hair sprawled wildly around her. Immediately she sifted and melted into luxurious comfort. Her eyes, unable to keep them open, got wearier and wearier, until sleep's dark embrace finally claimed her and brought her to it's world of shadows.

She didn't dream. Everything was black, dark and smoldering. She was constantly shielded by the darkness, it clouded her mind and sometimes influenced her actions. She was reborn to the shadows. Taught to kill in the shadows. Loved from the shadows. A sharp, hollow scream resounded through her brain, shattering the empty vision with a crack of lightning. Her body writhed uncomfortably. She could almost taste the humidity before she seen it, and was brought back to a scene she knew all too well. A crack of white lightning flashed against the sky, rumbling tempestuously among the dark grey and white thunderclouds. It was dark and cold, but there was no wind. Heavy rain spilled from the heavens, splashing against the cold terrain as many feet wadded clumsily through small puddles, shattering the momentary serenity within the pools of water. Shadows lingered along side buildings, along side cracks and fences. Nowhere was safe from the evil that lurked within. The dim light of a candle flickered through screen doors, anyone with any sense was indoors in this treacherous weather. Except for one female clad in black. She scaled a top a low rooftop, making not one sound as she rushed against the billowing rain and roaring clouds, almost demanding her to go back. Across from her was a watch tower, a guard with a musket stood overlooking the feeble village, his eyes sharp for any movement in the darkness. He glanced over and saw a dark shadow moving through the dark, and with another crack of lightning all shadows were shattered and the girl was simply gone. He blinked, but never the less ignored what he just seen. A small well, almost overflowing with rainwater lay on the ground under her, and she could see her own tainted reflection as she stared down. She leaped from the building, twisted in midair, and landed on the ridge of the well, consumed by the darkness of the tattered walls. She scaled the wall silently, and once the guard turned for the slightest of seconds it was over. He was dispatched in a matter of seconds, a sharp kunai lodged in his throat. The assailant was nowhere in sight. A horse whinnied loudly as two older men grunted loading cargo upon it, fighting the harsh weather conditions with naive eyes sharpened with age. She leaped from the well and leaned against the watch tower connecting it, and peered around the corner as she had done so many times. Once the coast was clear, the two older men with backs to her, she ran forward through a small side door brought by the flickering of a single candle.

Her eyes opened. A small flood of light blared through her window, faint splashes of golden light spawning new life into the room donned in perpetual shadows. Sleep hung heavily over her, it had her under it's spell. She groaned irritably and pulled the covers back over her head, wishing for sleep to take her once more. She could barely move. Whatever sleep she had was clearly not deep enough to refresh her in anyway possible. She hoped no one else was awake, for certainly it could have been no later than seven am. Too early. •º✘✔✘

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My armor- here

 

[Syx LaRexhei]

Queen Narcisa Markoth
Silver Vixen of Nabradia

Narcisa walked down the long corridor, head held up with a slight sense of dignity and confidence intermingled with a taste of anxiety. Her son and his small vanguard of knights were going to clear out some of the Silent Wood. She had heard tales of the place from her father, and given the stories about large snakes below and bandits above, she had no desire to see it at all. She walked into her son's room, whose eyes were wide open, as they usually were. He didn't sleep, but he damn near came close, he was inattentive at best. She strode over to him, dress sweeping behind her and she waved her hand in front of his face. His eyes darted up at her and he sat up immediately. She handed a shiny black blade over to him, one he knew well. Thorn. It was her husband's sword, the sword that killed Cyr the Dragonmind, her father. He knew what it meant and nodded her out of the room. She walked over to the next room, not entirely used to it being occupied, but she would have the courtesy to greet its new owner. She walked in, minding quiet steps so as not to disturb the knight sleeping in the bed. She spoke gently with a voice clear as crystal, "Sir knight, it is time for your mission."

Prince Syx Markoth
Violet Fox of Nabradia

Syx rose up from his bed, changing into another set of clothes. Instead of finery it was a plain black shirt and a pair of shorts. He wore a belt of what might have been twelve small stiletto knives no longer than his wrist to his finger tips and no wider than two of his fingers pressed together. He sheathed Thorn and strapped on two long dark gray armbands with one stiletto on each. After finishing those accessories, he slipped on a pair of fingerless gloves and a half-mask that would cover the bottom half of his face. He threw on a patchy cloak that would work well for a disguise in the rabble areas of the commons. He would only be passing through, but from what he understood, they had a different version of Syx's story about the night of his vengeance. He exited his room, equipped like a vagabond assassin and spun right to stand outside of Layla's door.  

[Weak Executioner]

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✘✔✘x Fate changes faster than the

x ∂ є ค т нx ofx ℓ ι ɢ н т...
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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx••.¸¸.•ஐxxx You supply the envy... and I'll supply the sριтє

ஐ•.¸¸.•´´¯`xxxℓ ค ч ℓ ค x ∂ є ℓ ค ¢ я σ ι x

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xx✘ ✔✘º• Since the girl was already awake, she was on alert when she heard her door open, but realised it couldn't have been any possible danger. Hearing a silver voice speak, and the use of the word "sir", she stirred under her covers and rose slowly in the inky shadows, and blinked up at the Queen herself with bright blue eyes as she adjusted to the light that spilled in from the hallway. "Madam Narcisa, my Queen," she spoke softly in a low mumble, it was evident the girl had barely gotten over her broken night of slumber. However she found it odd she was not informed that she was, infact the knight who had taken the post. She watched as she leaved her room, and waited for a moment until the door was closed to kick off the blankets anf get up.

After a moment of getting dressed, tousled and weary, she flung open her bedroom door and saw Syx standing there. "Prince Syx," she spoke wearily with a monotonous voice, she just wanted to sleep the whole day but clearly that wasn't an option. She waited quietly for orders, she wasn't sure exactly what they were doing but knew it was important.•º✘✔✘

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My armor- here

 

[Syx LaRexhei]

Prince Syx Markoth
Violet Fox of Nabradia

Syx greeted Layla as she walked out the door. It was clear to him that she was still tired, but when after tonight's events there would be few obligations for him to attend to. With her being his new personal guard, it would mean the same thing for her. Essentially she was free from all the patrolling duties that she was assigned in the past, and now she was signed on for what Syx believed to be a more interesting career. There would be plenty of days like this and others like yesterday, so in the end perhaps it was more stressful. He could not really tell how she would perceive her assignments, but based off a good look at her, he could tell there was something in her that had longed for adventure. It seemed like she had been a protector all her life, much like him. She had protected her sister and patrolled the castle, and he had protected his sister on rare occasion and the interests of the kingdom. Perhaps it was about time that the both of them got out, especially now that his father was unafraid to send him out on missions. He turned his head to Layla and offered her another patched cloak, "If we want to make it through the rougher common areas, it would be best to go in disguise. Your usual armor is too flashy and would give us away. I have left mine behind to sport something lighter." He had briefed her on the details of the mission.

Two months ago, women traveling on the southern road of the Vale were disappearing day by day. Their men would take up arms on the southern road, close to the Silent Wood of Parnesia, but it would not stop the women from being abducted. Their escorts were found killed and eventually people had stopped traveling the southern road. The job was given to the local soldiers to take care of, and for awhile there were no more incidents. A week ago, one of the soldiers, beaten and bloodied said that all the houses on the southern road were sacked. Children were taken, women were taken, men were killed and soldiers heads were left on pikes along the side of the road. It would seem that the bandits of the wood were growing more audacious against northern authority. It was then left to the king himself to decide what should be done about the needless slaughter, and he had made his decision in the moment. He would send his son, the most adept fighter he had known.

Syx nodded towards the armory, which was conveniently located outside of the courtyard and not too far from their rooms. Inside it were countless different weapons (obviously a personal armory) and pieces of armor of various materials and makes. Inside were a few men of different sizes wearing different light sets of armor. It was clear that whatever job that Syx's group would be doing would need some kind of basic acrobatic talent for everyone to forsake their usual choice of armor. There was Sir Reymond, the fast. He usually used a wooden quarter-staff tipped with a small steel blade and his blows were difficult to parry and he was quick to disarm. Sir Markus, the strong, was a brute who was known for his ability to carry two large chain maces and hurl them above his head, and the only stop the maces knew was the crack of their opponent's shield and skull. He introduced Layla to all of his knights in order, who greeted her as he called their name. Sir Dameon, the swordsman, any sword that entered his grip was easily put to its correct use, he knew many techniques that could either disarm his opponent or kill them. There was Sir Kade, the archer, who was well known for being able to shoot a bird through a thick patch of trees out of sight, because he could rely on the sound of its wings to guide him in the right direction. Finally, there was Sir Fremont, the wise, and nobody would best him at precision of a lance or spear, let alone a game of strategy like chess. He would allow none of them to serve under him until he had bested each of them at their sport, and for that reason, he removed the brace from Sir Fremont's hand. The old knight immediately understood and nodded, walking out of the room and giving a bearded smile of greeting to Layla.

Today's mission with Layla was his father's choice, not his. He had no doubt of her ability, for he had heard rumors , but he felt like he was unworthy for her to serve under him if he had not bested her at her trade yet, whatever that was. He would bring that up another time. He gestured at the equipment for Layla to choose, trusting that as far as weapons went, she would stick with her usual sai blades. As far as her usual armor...that would not work whee they were going. Each of the knights shrugged on their patchwork cloaks and left the room so that Layla could change in peace. Syx left last, shooting her a smile of appreciation before leaving the room, "Anything you need?"  

[Demon Mistress Rena]

Lady Nikita Blackwood

Kikita walked up to the gates of the castle with a bored expression on her pale face from the result of lack of sleep. She was returning from a short mission in the workers field that involved some idiotic bandits that thought it would be clever to steal the product from the farmers of the kingdom. Her mind began to reminiscences about the events that occurred in the fields.
Kikita rode on her horse towards the fields with a slight grin on her lips. This was her first mission alone since she knew in the back of her mind that the other knights didn't completely trust her to be left alone after hearing some of the rumors that had spread. She was no idiot and quickly caught on to the rumors that technically weren't just rumors that involved her tragic past of underground fighting. Everyone aside from her new family shot her dirty looks of resentment, disgust and consternation for her past actions even though she did them to survive. Snapping out of her thoughts, she glanced up to see a group of farmers already buzzing around about the bandits and the knight that was sent to help them solve this problem. She halted her horse a few feet away from the group then quickly got down from the tall creature and did a small curtsy to show some respect towards them even if she was a knight. Clearing her throat she spoke with a monotone voice. "Greeting, My name is Lady Kikita. I am here to assist in the burglary of your product and apprehend the culprits behind this childish behavior." The farmers exchanged glances before nodding synonymous as they turned to look at Kikita but they all had light smiles on their faces. The quickly began to question if she was the girl that was adopted by Lady Edeline who was adored by the commoners and were even more happy when Kikita simply answered with a nod. Not wasting time, one of the farmers who was the leader of the group pointed out towards the locations that the thieves stole the most and explained everything to Nikita in great detail. When the elder man finished speaking, the young female Knight walked into the field with a serious expression as a dark figure began to dash around into the woods nearby. 'So they want to play cat and mouse eh? Game on tweets.' Kikita thought to herself as she whistled for her horse and rode off into the woods, leaving the farmers behind with dazed looks on their faces. She was quickly catching up the the shady figure considering that he was up against a stallion that was build for speed, Kikita jumped off her equine and landed on the figures back causing them to crash down onto the ground. She rolled a few feet away but quickly jumped to her feet and drew her sword on the man. He tried to get up to run off again but she cut him off by pinning her sword to his clothing and swung her fist at his face, knocking him unconscious. Checking his belongs, it was obvious that he was stealing but there was no way that he was the only one behind it all. Almost on cue, a small group of four shady men appeared from the shadows of the tree's and began to chuckle darkly at their new found prey. "Ha the kingdom is sending out women now?! How pathetic!" The group started to laugh even more at the poorly made joke which only seemed to piss off Kikita since she always hated men who looked down on the abilities of females. She stood up straight as she pulled her sword out of the ground and pointed towards the man that spoke up as she had a cocky grin on her lips. "Care to come and challenge me fool?" The men surrounding her stopped laughing when she decided to challenge all of them even though she was alone but they glad accepted and charged towards her.
The farmers were getting worried that the knight was in danger or worse, could be dead after she had run off into the woods without a word as to why. They were getting ready to go look for her when suddenly, she emerged from the shades of the tree's on her stallion completely unharmed and had the culprits tied up together and had them attached to the horse. The farmers were completely dumbfounded by the fact that a women was capable of beating and subduing five grown men without breaking a sweat. Nikita waved at the farmers uncharmingly as she pointed back towards the woods and explained to them the small camp the bandits had with some of their belongs but was sure that they were selling the product they stole to outsiders for money. After a few thanks and hand shakes, She was off towards the castle with the five bandits still tied to the horse with swollen faces and sore limbs.
Nikita looked back at the men that were now dead tired from the long walk and smirked at the foolish men but returned her gaze at the castle as she stopped once a few guards came up to her. "This bandits are the ones who were stealing and selling the product that the farmers were braking their backs for. Take them to the dungeon till judgement from his majesty." The guards saluted understanding and took the culprits away to the dungeon causing Nikita to release a short sigh of relief that she no longer had to baby sit them. Noticing that her horse was also tired from their long journey, she took her to the stables, took off the straddle and left the stallion to rest for the day. Since her mission was complete she decided to inform the king of the success assignment that was given to her and then she would go home to visit her mother and little sister.  

[Weak Executioner]

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✘✔✘x Fate changes faster than the

x ∂ є ค т нx ofx ℓ ι ɢ н т...
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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx••.¸¸.•ஐxxx You supply the envy... and I'll supply the sριтє

ஐ•.¸¸.•´´¯`xxxℓ ค ч ℓ ค x ∂ є ℓ ค ¢ я σ ι x

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xx✘ ✔✘º• Layla only half listened to him speak about disguising herself, she understood those things all too well. Hell, it was was she was trained for. Still, it was a little disappointing she wasn't given more credit than that... She did know these things. She didn't expect him to know that she did, however. They didn't know much about each other, in all honesty. Flashy? She never considered her armor flashy. It had been designed specifically for her line of work, for it made things much easier for her believe it or not. Most of the time she didn't even like armor, but the job made it necessary. Of course, she knew what was required of her and always came prepared. "Mhmm," she muttered unconsciously, as he handed her the cloak. She stared at it for a moment, smiled and threw it over her shoulder as he began debriefing her on the details of the mission. She listened silently, intently, nodding along every now and then at the situation. She had heard of such atrocities occurring around the kingdom, but it was good now something could be done about it... No one else was reliable, clearly. No one seemed to care about it enough to set an iron foot down on the situation and stomp it out. She was allowed to accompany on the mission, and justice would be served, she'd make sure of it. For everyone.

She never considered herself a saint, but she'd sinned way more than she'd done good. Now was a chance to get herself back on track, to leave behind her moribund life and start a new. She followed Syx instinctively down towards the armory, eyes scanning the darkness that lay ahead. Once they reached the large room, with large weapons of every shape and size upon the walls and tables, was she introduced to her fellow knights. Since she was the youngest, she was barely acquainted with them. Still, she didn't feel completely out of place, she knew she had skill worthy of attention. She bowed in response to each Knight that introduced themselves, taking note of their name and keeping it locked firmly in her mind. They all had a particular skill set, something they did best. Despite differences in every other aspect, she fit into the anomalous trend rather spiffingly. Her enigma often played very well into that, and the certain skill set she excelled in very well would definitely be useful in this situation. Only the King and a few others knew what she used to do. Perhaps the profession itself, not that uncommon. But her reasons? Oh yes. That'd certainly make her questionable. She was just glad the King trusted her, hell if he didn't god knows where she'd be - probably dead. Her sister, if not also dead, would be left to a life of hell and suffering. It was better for them both.

She had smiled at all the knights, introducing herself and being as amiable as was naturally possible. It wasn't that hard, though. She quite liked them, they weren't that different from Layla herself. Syx needn't not show her to the weapons - she was already looking. Her eye, tasteful and unnerved scanned over the various sharp weapons, but her gaze was empty, thoughtless. It was clear it was merely a polite scan of curiosity, she stuck to her guns like glue. She and her blades were inseparable. She had been wearing a dark green halter neck and a darker shade of harem pants, her midriff exposed. She watched them all as they left, clearly to let Layla change in peace. She smiled, and turned to change, and already had the halter neck's strap off her neck and draping down her chest. Syx was still in the room, but it was obvious she didn't care. "Yeah," she spoke, her back to him. It was clear she was not shy about her body, she was used to it. In certain situations it didn't matter who was in front of you, you needed to change. Fast. She fixed at something around her neck for a moment, turned and threw at him a small, silver necklace with a black diamond. "Hold that for me, will you?" She smiled, reached forward, and closed the door with a playful wave. She emerged a few moments later, clad in a black body suit - tight at the waist and slightly baggy around the legs. She had on dark metal gloves, a rather simple outfit, easy to move in for such a mission. She had no other armor on her body. She took the cloak and threw it over her body, her hair pinned up in a messy bun. Her sai blades were concealed among the black, in two strapped holsters not visible from the front."I'm ready, let's go."

•º✘✔✘

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My armor- here

 

[Syx LaRexhei]

Prince Syx Markoth
Violet Fox of Nabradia

Syx took the necklace, smiling in admiration. It would seem as though the girl had made a sudden turnaround in behavior, a shift in comfort with him after the events of last night. He fingered the necklace after the door had closed, tracing the design of the necklace in his palm, wondering what it might mean to her. He tucked it carefully into his tightest pocket, taking care not to tangle it and waited for her emergence from the armory. She had dressed well for the job. He could tell she was a little more comfortable in her standard armor, as he was with his, but the less clothes on this mission the better. Anything that could be removed for the sake of dexterity couldn't be of any real value. Otherwise he would simply wear his armor under the cloak. He figured she would understand and turned around, signaling the troop to follow. When they had trodden through the throne room, his father was taking his place on the throne, ready to start the day. He called out the blessing of the gods and waved Syx, Layla, Reymond, Markus, Dameon, and Kade out until the doors were shut behind them.

The first development they had passed through in the Vale was the City of Markoth in the upper district. He did not necessarily like all the nobles in this area due to their political nature, but he respected their service to his father. They were far better than the nobles in place during the reign of the Dragonmind, from what he understood. He passed by countless fragrant bakeries, busy marketplaces, multiple jewelry stores and other places of a fine nature. The people passed the troop by, smiling and waving, fluttering their fans and calling out Syx's name. Some of the more dedicated fans of the royal troop called out for Sir Dameon the Swordsman and Sir Kade the Archer. The two were brothers and of the same age as Syx, both handsome and charismatic. Dameon called back to some of the ladies, promising love and companionship while his brother Kade played the silent, bashful type, accepting some of the thrown flowers and pocketing them. Syx just continued to move on, appreciating the comments and calls, but paying them little heed. None of these people even know what it is I do, they just know I am a prince. Most of them have heard some variation of my story, but they continue to cheer anyway. He had warned Layla before they had left that she would get similar treatment from the young men of the crowd. He did not take her for one who would enjoy flattery from a stranger, but he knew she probably wouldnt make a move to stop them unless they had made some sort of advance. The boys behaved though in the crowd, boldly proclaiming their love for the unknown heroine and some even walked up, saying nothing and offering small flowers. It was boys like those that he admired, audacious enough to approach, but respectful enough to keep their mouths shut. He wondered how she was reacting to them, but continued to walk forward without looking back. A prince and leader never looked back.

Sir Reymond and Sir Markus were acting in their usual character, showing off some of their skills to the young boys in the crowd. Reymond would dart his hands to their sides and pick their pockets, revealing the token to the boys and handing it back with a compliment. Markus would pick up some of the younger boys and spin them around in the air before gently placing them back down to the ground. He liked his troop and their personalities, their way with people, even if they all did like to feed into the crowd. Syx was guilty of it on occasion when he was in a less professional mood, but today was not one of those days. Despite his attachment to his troop, he noted some character flaws early on. Reymond was arrogant and loud, his audacity had lost him many friends in the past. Sir Markus was hot-headed and easily angered, leading him many times into unnecessary tavern brawls. Dameon was infamous for his time spent in the brothels and his brother was a frequent gambler. Beyond all these fallacies, however, they were leading examples in all other aspects.

When they had approached the lesser districts of Markoth on the south end, they had put on the cloaks that were saddled on their horses and sent the horses away before reaching the seedier areas. The facade began there. They passed many closed down kitchens and marketplaces that were selling undesirable goods. The people were shifty and rotten to the core, drinking openly and fornicating in the alleyways like animals. He passed by the people without giving much thought. They smelled of rotted food and wood and looked diseased and infected with viruses. To the people, the troop looked like holy men on a pilgrimage, and the people were too superstitious to attack holy men. It was a good thing that the cloak he gave Layla was extra baggy, her petite figure would give her away otherwise. He did not fear these people as much as pity them for their indecency and lack of education, but the many attempts at restructure in the past always ended with murder of the renovators. Many of the people lived in misery under the dictatorship of criminality, but that was something to be taken care of another time. Right now, even the criminals feared the bandits.

Once they had made their way clear of Lowtown, they took their hoods off and looked upon the villages on the outskirts of the Silent Wood. The troop stopped in at one of the villages after the hours of walking and sat in one of the parks. People trickled out of their houses to greet the inbound heroes. Syx turned to Layla to see her expression.

King Monroe Markoth
Black Fox of Nabradia

Monroe waited in his castle for the arrival of Lady Nikita. She was due for her return from her little mission in the Merythian Wood. He sent one of his guards down to fetch the gypsy woman he had heard rumors of from the night before, taking note of his wife Narcisa approaching him from the corridors. She shot him a warming smile and hurried back to whatever it was she was doing. He had loved her for his entire life, but lately it seemed like their connection was fading. His trials as king had taxed on their time together, and usually his job wasn't done until she was fast asleep. He bent forward and ushered a servant closer to him, whispered something in his ear and the servant smiled and scampered off for a carpenter. Narcisa was going to sit beside him.  

[Demon Mistress Rena]

Lady Kikita Blackwood

Kikita walked towards the castle after placing her horse in the stable and noticed that the prince was going out on a mission with the fellow knights. She wondered to herself what the assignment could have been but put it off to the side she had other things to think about. Her attentions returned to the king as she walked though the enormous hallways with incredible paintings of the royal family along with some landscape ones as well. Reaching the large doors of the court room where the king would most likely be, she took a deep breath since this would be the first time she would come face to face with the king without her mother doing all the talking. Once relaxed, she opened the doors and stepped into the court with a expressionless face as she bowed down on one knee respectfully at King Monroe. "Your Majesty, I have successfully returned from the mission in the Merythian woods and captured the bandits responsible for the chaos in the fields." Her voice was soft yet had a stiff tone to it since she wasn't quite comfortable yet with the presences of others outside her circle. Her dark blue eyes darted around the room slightly impressed with the beautiful design of the court but returned her gaze towards the king as she awaited for any orders or comments.

((sorry its not very long...kinda had a really bad day...))  

[Syx LaRexhei]

King Monroe Markoth
Black Fox of Nabradia

Monroe looked at the girl sitting before him, he had more often seen her with her mother in the court, so it was unusual for her to be here on her own accord. This was a good thing, however, the girl had steeled into a knight and was learning the ropes of independence as she once had before. He looked at her as she knelt before him, voice wavering and monotonous, as if someone had programmed the words of courtesy into her brain and she had not felt them herself. This usually disappeared after a year or two of service when they learned that the king was not a scary presence of oppression, like many commoners often believed. He made it a priority for himself to make it known that there was nothing to fear from a servant of the realm, for truly that was his identity as king. He was a leader, and a good leader is a servant to those that follow. He called for the girl to rise and fingered the ornate design of the throne of thorns, thinking of what he could have her do.

Truth be told, there was little happening in the city outside of the mission his son was on, but he wouldn't have this girl do patrol work. Given her background, he figured she wouldn't do well watching one area intently where nothing was likely to happen. He would not trust her with more delicate missions until she had acquired more of a taste for the jobs, so he fabricated a small quest for her to take on, much like the last. It would have to be a job requiring independence before he could have her work with other knights, but he wasn't going to waste a strong-hearted girl on a mission with no relevance to his kingdom. He smiled as he came up with the perfect mission, "There is a man on the southern end of the Vale in the lesser district of Markoth. He is a noble by the name of Sir Wight, and he has been neglecting my orders for some time in the cleansing of the criminality in his district. I would like you to coerce the man into making a change for the better and see to it that the lower end gets fixed up. I give you charge over him, but he will deny it. I trust that you can best him at the sword."  

[Weak Executioner]

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✘✔✘x Fate changes faster than the

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xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx••.¸¸.•ஐxxx You supply the envy... and I'll supply the sριтє

ஐ•.¸¸.•´´¯`xxxℓ ค ч ℓ ค x ∂ є ℓ ค ¢ я σ ι x

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xx✘ ✔✘º• Layla prepared herself, then left along with the prince and the other knights. They got their blessing from the King, then left for the long and arduous journey to get rid of the bandits. She wasn't excited, she wasn't nervous. It was merely a habit of nature, not necessarily a good one. However, none of that was important at the present moment. She pulled her hood over her head, and followed silently behind, large black cloak sweeping behind her. Safe to say it was a little too big, but it didn't really matter. It would make her more... Manly.

As they moved out to the kingdom, they were immediately swarmed with people that were flooded through the streets. They all reacted differently, the knights were courteous and interacted with the different faces-mainly females in the group. She frowned, confused by the concept, why were people so... Curious? When Syx warned her about men who may approach her, she scoffed and continued to walk. She focused on herself, moving her way through the crowd cautiously. She wasn't an anti-social as people made her out to be, nor was she was cruel. She simply... Had a hard time expressing herself in a way that wasn't offensive or belligerent. Caught up in her own thoughts, she almost ran into a man holding flowers up for her, staring at her longingly with his large brown eyes. Another man crashed beside him, a bigger bouquet of red and pink roses. She looked around to Syx and the other Knights. Clearly they were used to it, and they enjoyed it by the looks of things... It was something she would never get used to. Several others had rushed up on one-knee, claiming to love her and wishing she was theirs. She stared at them, eye-brow raised, but politely declined and excused herself moving away from the several males now groaning somewhat over-dramatically. People were much too enthusiastic, but they'd probably get over it quickly. She sighed, and pinched the bridge of her nose. He wouldn't approve. This isn't who I am. She stopped dead in her tracks, inconspicuous among the hustling and bustling of the loud crowds. Jesus Layla, forget about that. He's the one who said you weren't who you thought you were. Still, the girl looked uncertain about her own reassurance, something she didn't even reserve for other people. She stared over in the direction of Syx, he had her necklace. She sighed, and clutched where it would usually be. She did not miss it at all. Unfortunately, she'd have to get it back, it was a love-hate relationship with the necklace.

She was now bored with the antics of the crowd, and simply shoved through, waiting for the rest of the knights. She was restless, and irritated. They began making their way to the lesser districts, dark shadows hung over her eyes from the black hood. She cared not for how the people acted, a few people stared at her as she walked but she said nothing, she did nothing. She continued walking, aware that it was important they not get caught out. It was dangerous in this certain situation, and drawing attention was the last thing they needed. The area was run down, pungent and dirty in every way possible. Once they made it past the area, they were approaching the outskirts of the silent woods. They rested for a short while in the parks, in one of the villages. She was tired, but not that bad. She could take alot more, so she wasn't even close to her limit. As people began to spill from their homes and stare at them, she turned to Syx, who was staring back at her. She gazed at him for a moment, blue eyes locked on his violet ones, but simply muttered something indiscernible, put up her hood and walked off to the side. She stared over-looking the silent yet brooding serenity of the forest, it was clear she wasn't in the more for socializing.

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My armor- here

 

[Demon Mistress Rena]

Syx LaRexhei

Lady Nikita Blackwood

Kikita rose when his majesty merely pointed at her signalling that she could now stand which made her a bit happy inside since she honestly wasn't fond with staying on her knee(s) for anyone. Many of the fight runners(owners) made the 'winners' get on their knee's whenever they came around since they believed themselves to be royalty. Of course being the strong spirited one of the group, she never bowed to any of the willingly and was always forced down by their muscle head 'guards'. She remained quiet as the king seemed to be thinking for something she could do around the kingdom, most likely pleased with her work in the woods and short on man power with the prince out on a mission with their other knights. 'Guess I won't be visiting mother any time soon.' She thought to herself as she had a strong desire to not only see her mother but to be able to play with her younger sister since she had been busy with they small missions shes been on. Nikita snapped out of her private thoughts when she heard the king speak with a smile on his face and paid very close attention to his assignment.
Quickly her desire to see her family vanished to the back of her mind as the corner of her straight lip began to curl into a small grin. "Your majesty, I could easily best him with my fist if it means getting him to do his job. I shall set out at once and promise that when I'm done with that district, the criminals well think twice before causing any mayhem and that goes for the Noble too." Even though she wasn't blood related to her mother Edeline, she had the same passion of completing one's responsibilities to the people and became upset when ever a noble would fail at his job since the ones that suffered the most would be the people. Nikita had learned a lot from watching her mother work and knew very well how to deal with this problem and of course it helped that she knew how to break a man with one hand moreover a noble man who would most likely cry by the slightest discomfort.  

[Syx LaRexhei]

King Monroe Markoth
Black Fox of Nabradia

Monroe watched as the girl set out to do her duty, and frankly he was distantly proud to see another female knight with a lot of zeal. She was different from Layla, no doubt, other than the overwhelming sense of pride, but he packaged that concept in with the side effects of having female knights. They were constantly misconceived because of their smaller figures to be of no use on a mission, but he knew that was what gave them an edge in combat. Some would refuse to kill a girl, others would underestimate the girl, and those who saw no difference could STILL be bested based off the girls' training alone. This was why he held Layla in such high regard and why he trusted that Kikita would do well in Lowtown for some time. He watched as she left and anticipated when the gypsy woman would return from her cell.

Prince Syx Markoth
Violet Fox of Nabradia

Syx rose from the ground and stepped out towards the wood. It would probably be best for people to split up into smaller groups to avoid detection, it was often said that the bandits could spot a threat from a quarter of a mile away at night. He would take no chances. The group was well practiced in stealth, for in truth, that was Monroe's best department outside of combat. There were, at times, assassination jobs that he had wished to be a part of, but his father thought that work too shady for his son to be a part of, so he lacked the proper training. Sure, he may have been faster than any of the knights on ground and while climbing and quieter than a fox at full speed, and without a doubt he could best anyone at combat, but he failed to have a specific technique, relying on intuition alone to get him from place to place.

He gave the order to split into smaller groups, Markus with Reymond, the two would benefit each other with speed and strength. Dameon and Kade, a bow would complement the work of a sword. He sided with Layla, she was his personal guard after all and he was curious to see her technique. There were rumors lingering about the girl, but he feared none of them, having bored the memory of his retaliation into the back of his head. People did what they needed to do and that was that. He ushered her to follow him into the woods, running at a fair pace and shedding the patchy cloak behind him. It was a hot day, but he never sweat. In fact, he was always cold. No matter how much heat was on the outside, if someone had set him on fire, he believed that the inside of him would still be icy as ever. A day like this was uncomfortable due to his surface heat contrasting his body heat, but he worked past it, wondering how Layla was doing in the heavy heat. He knew Markus would be complaining about the heat already...

When they finally got into the wood, it had seemed like the day shifted to night, but he knew this was the usual feeling anymore in the Silent Wood of Parnesia...
*exit to Silent Wood of Parnesia*  

[Demon Mistress Rena]

Lady Nikita Blackwood

Nikita did a final bow of respect before heading out of the court towards the stables yet again. She walked down the hall with a fast pace in her walk, she was excited to have a mission that actually involved more then just capturing some bandits. Suddenly she remembered about her mother and frowned slightly not enough for someone in the distances to see but enough that she knew. Nikita would have to send a letter explaining to her mother why she wouldn't be home for awhile since she would be busy on the assignment the king had given her. Once she arrived at the stables, she noticed that her horse was anxiety waiting for her like if the equine knew about their mission in the Vale. Nikita petted the head gently remembering that she never gave her horse a name and felt like she deserved it just like when her mother found her and gave her a name. Thinking carefully she decided to name the female equine Star, from her beauty, white hair that sparkled, and her incredible speed. The horse seemed to like the name that Nikita picked out for her seeing that Star began to trot around happily. Not wasting anymore time, Nikita got on Star's back and rode away towards the southern end of the Vale excited to place that noble Wight in check while cleansing the criminal activities in that district.
(exits to the Vale)