A Tale of Two Warriors

Dungard was a quiet town in the Free Lands, too small to attract attention from either the Conclave or the Alliance. That was what Kairi Thorne liked about it. She used it as base of operations in the Free Lands, both because of its anonymity and its relatively central location. Kairi sat at a table in the Purple Wyrm Inn, a small and dimly lit tavern in the center of town. Kairi stayed at this inn when in town, and also used it to meet with contacts in order to share news and plan schemes. It was the second reason that brought her here tonight. Kairi was meeting with Shran, an Eldross agent, to discuss some information that he had uncovered. Shran was recruited by the Order of the Sun to monitor things in the Free Lands, and alert them of any opportunity to do some good in the troubled region. As an Eldross, one of the few left after the dragon Onyxus devastated Harodiel, Shran's skills and expertise were highly sought after, both as an information gatherer and scout.

The Eldross' green eyes glinted in the light from the fire in the hearth across the room as he passed a parchment to Kairi. It was a message from a Dying Suns camp to a superior. Kairi read the message as Shran explained. "I intercepted this message as it left the Khudan Forest. In quite a hurry, too." Kairi's eyes widened when she saw who it was intended for. "It is addressed to Thassa?" Shran nodded stoically. "Indeed. I spared the messenger when he told me his destination." Thassa was a high-ranking leader of the Dying Suns, a mercenary organisation that had ties to the Red Fang. Kairi had been searching for Thassa for some time now, and it appeared she finally had a lead. Kairi pulled out a map of the Free Lands and Shran made a mark on it. Kairi stared in confusion. "But there's nothing there?" Shran shook his head. "So we thought. I decided to take a look before reporting in, just in case it was a dead lead. But there is a Dying Suns installation there. It doesn't look that large, but there were several passages that led underground. If I had to guess, I would say most of it is underground." Kairi studied her soup as she pondered the information Shran had provided.

"Then that is the target. I will move tomorrow." Shran put his hand on Kairi's arm in warning. "Kairi. I know you are a mighty warrior, but for a mission of this scale, even you will need help." Kairi sighed. The Eldross was right. "What did you have in mind?" Shran's animal companion, a lynx called Raffi, purred gently at his feet as he produced another small parchment and presented it. "I have been recalled for another mission, but I have organised a meeting for you to meet with some potential allies. It seems the messenger was in a hurry because his camp had been attacked. I believe you are familiar with the granddaughters of Dalrodir Shor and Ren the Hornless?" Kairi nodded and smiled. "I should have known." Shran nodded with a smirk. "It seems they are also tracking Thassa, and they are travelling with an Asentari who seems to have a stake in all of this as well." Kairi showed interest at that. "An Asentari?" Shran nodded. "Yes. Rex von Broven. He seems an adept fighter, and as Dalrodir Shor once said, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend". You are to meet them at the Eldritch Moon Inn in Zendar at noon tomorrow." Kairi nodded as Shran stood, wrapping his cloak around him. "I wish you good luck, Kairi. I believe you will see this out." Kairi stood and bowed politely. "Thank you for everything Shran. Safe travels to you and Raffi." Raffi wandered over and brushed off Kairi's leg before leaping into Shran's hand as a staff. The Eldross bowed in return and left. Kairi returned to her soup.

After the eldross left a suave, weasely looking man seated in a booth next to the bar stood up and approached Kairi. He sat down across from her and flashed her a winning smile. "The name's Kraf. I've seen you here before, right?" He said to her. "Can I buy you something to drink, lady?" He asked her. He watched her intently. "You know, your quite beautiful. I have an artist freind who would be interested in capturing your likeness if you happen to be looking for work." when the door to the Tavern burst open and a young looking girl with dark skin and red eyes stalked in. She had two swords strapped to her left side, and long black hair that was brushed back from her face. There was blood splattered across clothes, hands and face. Her face was fury, her eyes burned with fire. Kraf spotted her as she approached, and tried to keep his smile, but it wavered. "Mercy, your alive." He said meekly.

Bethany grabbed Kraf from the booth, not paying any mind to Kairi, and dragged him away. She tosed him back in next to his two freinds who had tried to stand, but she pushed the closest one back down. She kept her voice low as she spoke. "No shit you little fucking rat. Where in Na'Kora's Forge are those girls?!" She said fiercely. "What do you mean? They're free. We let them go as planned. Listen Harold betrayed us. I thought-" She slapped the table to shut him up. "Do I look fucking stupid to you Kraf? You hire me to 'Save' those girls form Red Fang slavers, then while i'm fighting, half your men disappear with them and the others turn on me. You took them! Where are they!" She shouted. "I swear-"

She grabbed him by the collar, pulled him from the booth and flung him onto the ground. One of his freinds tried to stand up, but Bethany pulled her gladius straight up and drove the pommel into his teeth. He fell back into the booth and landed on the second man, blocking him from advancing. She spun the blade and rested the razor sharp tip against Kraf's chest as he tried to sit up. "You will tell me where those slaves are or I will start hacking off bits! Do you think anyone here can stop me?" She shouted. "Harold and the others certainly tried, but if that wasn't enough do you really think a few old drunks can save you?!" He started to cower, but opened his mouth to speak. If it wasn't something worth hearing, she was going to start cutting.

Kairi eyed the stranger suspiciously as he sat down in the seat Shran had just vacated. He put on his winning-est smile and layered on all the charm. Kairi sighed in exasperation. She was never one to tout her own beauty, but she was forced to acknowledge that her appearance tended to attract attention, often the wrong attention. She glared at the man and was just about to respond, when a young woman in bloodstained attire stormed in and yanked the man away. Kairi shook her head and continued her soup, keeping an ear out for trouble.

The new girl, apparently named Mercy, began to forcefully interrogate the man, quietly at first, then loudly. She mentioned something about slave girls. Kairi wondered if this Bethany was some sort of dealer, or if she was trying to rescue them. Kairi decided to investigate when Bethany threatened the man with severe harm. She rose from her table and walked over to the commotion, hand ready on the weapon hilt.

"Excuse me? I'm not sure exactly what's going on, but your noise level means I can't help help but overhear you mention slave girls. Unless you intend to inform me the location of these girls, I'm going to have to make a disturbance of my own." She glared at the two miscreants. "So what will it be?"

Bethany was about to take a peice of finger off of Kraf, when the woman who he'd been talking to stood up and began to get involved. "Oh sweet lady, please help me! This one is insane! Sh-" Bethany's foot collided with his face and blood splashed across the floor from his split lip. "Shut your mouth you lying snake" She snapped impatiently. She looked at the woman who'd stood up and intervened. She was tall, with brown hair, blue eyes and an attractive face that made her pause. The woman carried and ornate sword at her side, and she dressed in a way that suggested nobility. Considering they were in alliance lands, that made Bethany cautious. She kept her sword pointed at Kraf's chest, almost dismissed the woman. Almost. For all she knew, this woman was a Red fang leader, or someone with ties to them who wouldn't be happy about slaves being reclaimed.

Bethany's free hand moved to rest on Asi's hilt. "What is it to you? Actually nevermind. I suggest you turn around, sit your pretty ass down and go back to your soup." She said quietly. "Overheard or not you've no idea whats going on so keep out of it because I would rather not have to hurt anyone else besides this moron." She said forcefully. With that she dismissed the woman and turned her gaze back to Kraf. "Now, where the hell are those Girl's Kraf? I wont ask you again." She said, lowering her sword to one of his fingers. She started to press down on it, blood welled, and he began to scream.

Kairi looked at the man as he pleaded with her for safety, but he was cut off by a boot to the face. The girl paused for a moment, before seemingly dismissing Kairi as a threat. Kairi squared her shoulders and fixed an icy stare on Mercy. "Believe me, I'd love for no-one to get hurt and to just return to my soup, but I don't take orders from random shouting people in taverns." Kairi gestured to the man on the floor. "Now I would just let you and him kick the face off each other. But you mentioned captured slave girls, and that was enough to make it my business. I will find them and free them. No matter who gets in my way. Now, are you going to tell me what this is about? Or are you going to force me to get nasty?" While Kairi wasn't sure of Mercy's exact capabilities, she did look like she could look after herself. But Kairi's path was chosen, and she would not falter.

Bethany stopped when she realised the woman was still there. She seemed far to interested in the slaves for Bethany's liking, and because of Kraf's betrayal, and the disappearance of the slaves she wasn't in a particulary trusting mood. She didn't take the woman's words at face value and assumed she meant retake them when she said free. The woman certainly was willing to fight for the information. Bethany narrowed her eyes. "You can't be serious human. Force you to get nasty? I'll knock you on your ass if you keep fucking annoying me." She said, taking a step forward. Her attention was fully on Kairi, and the thugs in the booth besides her sensed that. The closest one lunged at her and tried to stab her in the side.

The cheap steel hit her skin but failed to pierce it. It slipped and scrapped against it, before his wrist twisted. If he'd had a better understanding of his weapon he might have actually gotten through. However all it achieved was to tear a hole in her clothing and piss her off. She let out a snarl as the thug pulled back and tried to stab her again. She caught his wrist and held his hand there, then drove her gladius into his gut. He let out a cry of pain and she dropped him to the floor. His friend took a run at her, slashing at her with a knife. He caught her across the arm, ripping the bandages away and revealing the red scales there. The knife skittered off them harmlessly, and her sword cut across his throat before he could attack again. She pushed his gurgling, shocked form back into the booth and turned back to Kraf, who had escaped in the chaos. The door slammed shut behind him.

Furious red eyes turned to regard the woman. "You just had to get involved." She snapped and tried to push her way past the woman. If she blocked Bethany she would curse at her and step back before drawing Asi. If she didn't, she took off running. But catching Kraf would be difficult in a town she wasn't familiar with. And the delay might mean she'd lose those girls to what ever sick plan Kraf had for them. Something she didn't think she could live with.

Mercy once again dismissed the threat Kairi posed. The Human was rapidly beginning to lose patience with the whole situation. She set her stance and gripped her sword tightly as Mercy took a step towards her, her attention fully on Kairi now."You may try, Asentari." Then it kicked off, one of the men in the booth lunging at Mercy. The man's weapon was ineffective, bouncing off what Kairi assumed was the famous Asentari Dragon Skin. Mercy ran the man through, and another charged her. This time her arm was hit, but the result was the same, the knife simply tearing the Asentari's clothing. She cut the man's throat in a flash, the hapless wretch dropping to the floor gurgling. The door slammed shut, indicating the one called Kraf had bolted.

Mercy turned on Kairi, scorning her for her involvement. Kairi drew her own sword and stood firm when Mercy attempted to shoulder her way past. "I'm going to go after him, and find out where these girls are. I'd wager that I know this town far better than he does. Maybe you too. You're free to follow, but if you get in my way, you will not be forgiven." Kairi turned swiftly and opened the door. She gave a quick glance to Mercy. "If there are girls being kept as slaves, I will rescue them, whatever the cost, and I will eliminate whoever interferes. Those are my terms." Kairi stepped outside, recognizing the path of chaos Kraf had left in his wake. There were two ways to escape Dungard, and escape was the only plan, as there wasn't really anywhere to hide without causing a commotion, and Kraf didn't really seem like the clever type. Kairi decided to chance the stables, banking on desperation driving Kraf to take the most obvious route. She took a few shortcuts through the blacksmith and the tailor shop, arriving at the stables as swiftly as she could.

The woman drew her sword and stood her ground. She again claimed she intended to save the girls. Bethany seen the conviction in her eyes and lowered her sword slightly. "Your the one in the way! But we dont have time for this. Fine, if you say you want to help, then help. But if your lying, I will kill you." She said. "Anything happens to those girls, and I'm holding you responsible. Now move before he escapes." She said. The woman did, and seemed to have an idea of where he might be going. She followed behind.

They arrived outside the stables just as Kraf emerged dragging a horse who was less than entusiastic to follow him. He mounted up and took off out of the stables at desperate speeds. Bethany was across at the stables and spotted two saddled horses. She slashed the ties free and handed the reigns to the woman. "Don't make me regret this." She said as she threw herself into the saddle and kicked the horse into a gallop. Thankfully the horse obedient, and fast for that matter.

Travelling at breakneck speeds, Bethany soon began to gain on Kraf. She didn't look back to see if the woman was still following. She didn't care eitherway, as long as they found the girls and she got to put a sword through that fucking liar. Bethany spurred the horse on faster and faster, and slowly began to pull up beside Kraf. She stood up in the saddle, and lept from the back of the horse. Time slowed, and she had a chance to reflect on her current situation. Then she hit Kraf and the two of them flew off the back of his horse. She hit the ground with a thump, taking the brunt of the impact as kraf landed on top of her, and her weapons were torn loose. The breath knocked out of her, and she tumbled across the road. Kraf bounced in the opposite direction, landing somewhere nearby.

Dazed, she tried to regain her focus. And stand. But then Kraf was above her, Vadjra in his hand. "I'm going to make you beg for mercy, Mercy." He said with a wicked laugh.

Kairi took the reigns of the horse she was given, and climbed on immediately. She was an experienced horse-rider, so she had a feeling she would catch up to Kraf before long, given that his horse hadn't seemed particularly cooperative. She was unconcerned by Mercy's subtle threat, though she vowed to keep an eye on her would-be ally for now. Soon she was was speeding out of the gate and on Kraf's trail. Kairi was a good deal bigger than Mercy was, so she couldn't quite match the speed the Asentari was able to reach. The road rounded a corner, and Mercy caught up to Kraf as they rounded it. Kairi rounded the corner herself just in time to see Kraf knocked off his horse by an airborne Mercy. He recovered first and held Mercy's weapon to her neck while she lay prone.

Kairi made her decision instantly. Drawing Starlight and shifting it into its spear form, Kairi rushed the two. Kraf was too preoccupied with Mercy, muttering some pun on her name, that he didn't notice Kairi until it was too late. She smacked him in the chest with the handle of her spear, knocking him backwards and winding him. Kairi deftly dropped to the ground and kicked the weapon from his hand. She held the tip of her spear to his throat. "My patience is short. Tell me where these girls are being kept, and I'll consider not ending your miserable life here. I don't care for excuses or stories, I just want to here a location." She glanced quickly at Mercy to make sure she was still with it, before staring back down at her quarry.

Bethany seen Kairi comming and smiled at Kraf. He looked cofused, and then the realisation dawned on him. He took a whack to the chest and was sent flying. Kairi stopped her horse and was on him before he could move. Bethany stood up and grabbed the sword he'd taken. Then she found Asi, and watched Kairi interogate the man. "I tried to tell you, I don't know-" Bethany drew Asi and the blade caught alight. With a quick swing, she severed the hand from Kraf's arm. Asi burned so hot the wound was cauterised as she cut. Kraf began to scream. "Answer the question. The next swing will take your manhood." She said calmly. He spluttered and began to cry. "No, no you'll kill me if I tell you!" He wailed. She crouched beside him, Asi close enough to his skin that it would begin to burn soon.

"Kraf I swear on my honor, I won't kill you. Just tell us, before it gets worse. Because it will get worse. I can cut parts off of you all day, and you will break before you die. Trust me, I've done it before." She said. "You swear?" He asked. She looked at Kairi, then back at Kraf.  "I swear." She said again, and pulled Asi away from his face. The flames flickered out, and she sheathed the weapon. He let out a breath. "Alright. I'll tell you. There's a bandit camp in the forest west of Dungard. They like to steal from the Red Fang and sell the slaves on directly to Karcenak. I hire mercenaries to help rescue the girls, then we wisk them away and kill the hired help." Kraf explained. "That way we don't need to pay them."

"Well, that's lovely Kraf. I figured as much when your men tried to run me through. So, where in this forest?" She asked. "Its near a bridge, the main road crosses a small river. Its not hard to miss.." he explained. He looked at Kairi, and then back to Bethany and smiled. "I told you everything, can I go now?" Bethany began to nod, and then she drew Vadjra and drove the sword down into his chest. She ripped it free, and stabbed a second and third time, for good measure. Kraf thrashed and gurgled, then fell still. She stood up and cleaned the blade on the cloak.

Sheathing the blade, she looked at Kairi. "Well, thanks for the help. But I think its about time you told me who you are. I might as well know your name if your going to come with me to this camp, and I assume you are." She said. She didn't make a move until the woman introduced herself, but she was far less hostile. Not that she trusted her quite yet, but saving her from Kraf, even if she could have easily torched him, was a start. "I'm Mercy. I know, bit of a silly nickname but it stuck so thats what I go by."

Kraf decided to be unhelpful initially, which worked to his detriment. Mercy came over to them and cut his hand off with a flaming blade. The man screamed, but when Mercy threatened his lower extremities. He began to cooperate fully when Mercy promised not to harm him if he told them what they wanted to know. Kraf explained about a bandit camp in the forest west of Dungard. The bandits there raided Red Fang caravans and took the slaves they transported straight to Karcenak, for a tidy profit. Kraf sent mercs to steal a few, and then planned to take care of the hired help instead of paying them.

Kraf finished his debrief, and asked if he was allowed to go, but Mercy put paid to that by ventilating him with her sword. Kairi shook her head in exasperation. "Was that really necessary?" Mercy introduced herself, and asked about Kairi's identity. Kairi transformed Starlight back into its normal form and sheathed it. "So I gathered as that poor wretch was yelling it in between pleading for his life. My name is Kairi Thorne. I was in Dungard on behalf of the Order of the Sun. I was discussing my next mission with a contact just before you and your friend there turned up. I don't know you, and I'm not here to be your enemy. Let's just say, I have a personal reason for wanting to make sure those slaves get freed." Kairi turned to her horse and ushered it homeward. The horse took off back towards Dungard swiftly. Kairi looked expectantly at Mercy. "Well then, Mercy. Shall we get started?"

Bethany looked at Kairi and shrugged. "Necessary? You think he was going to go home, put his life of crime behind him and what, take up farming? Death is the only way to deal with people like him. And If thats a problem, you might want to reconsider coming with me." She said. Kairi introduced herself and explained why she'd been there. "Order Of The Sun? I know of it. I met Order soldiers protecting Edaria's trade routes from the Red Fang." She said. She'd encountered them on the way to Edia. It was possible she'd also had a run in with them when she'd been raiding Karcenak trade lines. But that was a while ago. Kairi mentioned she had personal reasons for wanting to free the slaves. Personal, not duty bound. She chewed on that for a moment before responding. "Yeah, you and me both." She said solemly, but she didn't ask for more detail on the reason. Truth was, she'd taken the contract to help, not because she needed the money. She didn't foresee the betrayal because of that.

"We probably don't have much time to waste. Besides, there was very few female bandits in the group that took the slaves. I doubt those men will keep their hands to themselves for too long." She said and started to plot a course to the place Kraf had described. It wasn't far, considering Kraf decided the best course of action to escape them, was to run straight for the camp. They reached the bridge soon enough, and Bethany traced the river into the forest with her eyes. She looked at Kairi. "I'm going to go out on a limb and say you're not much for stealth.." Bethany said. "Do you want me to scout ahead, or shall we throw ourselves into the deep end and worry about numbers later?" Bethany asked her. She was probably capable of reaching the camp without being spotted.

Mercy retorted that death was sometimes necessary for people like Kraf. Kairi didn't respond, instead as the Asentari mentioned the Order of the Sun and their protection of the trade routes leading in and out of Edaria, the largest and most protected city in the Free Lands. Edaria was one of the few bastions of fair and honest trade left in the Free Lands, so the Order of the Sun made it their business to make sure it stayed that way. Mercy mentioned she also had a personal stake in rescuing the slaves, to which Kairi nodded solemnly. At least they had that in common.

Kairi and Mercy followed Kraf's directions, an easier task than it could have been as Kraf had been heading there when they caught up to him. They reached the bridge and both studied the river as it disappeared into the forest. Mercy commented on Kairi's lack of stealth ability, to which the Human nodded glumly. Kairi did see the benefit of being skilled in stealth, but she decided to leave that to others, preferring instead to fight in the open. Kairi pondered Mercy's suggestion. "Perhaps that is a good idea. I would like this to be as quick and clean as possible. I'll follow you as far as the tree line, than you can scout ahead and come back to me." When they reached the cover of the trees, Kairi drew her sword and glanced at Mercy. "Alright then, I'll wait here. Don't take any stupid risks. The mercs might kill the slaves if they think someone's trying to steal them for themselves. If you're not back in fifteen minutes, or if I hear a trouble, I'm going in."

"It'll be quick. Clean, I can't promise." She said. They moved to the treeline and Bethany nodded. "I don't plan on doing anything stupid, I didn't go out of my way to find out where they are only to fuck it up now." she spoke before she disapeared into the forest. Stealth was not her best skill, but she had learned to step lightly when she was younger. Attracting the attention of her father had always been something she tried very hard to avoid.

Bethany reached the camp without incident, and spotted a single man keeping watch. She could hear the sounds of laughing and merriment, probably the thugs relishing in the score they were about to make. She skirted around the camp to get a count, and possibly eyes on the girls. She spotted them in the middle of the camp, tied to a few posts by rope around the wrists. A woman and a man stood guard around them. Not far from them, several bandits sat around a fire pit, and others moved about between tents. She didn't see any sign that the girls had been touched, but the terror on their faces sparked a rage in her soul.

The desire to begin roasting those bastards alive was so strong she took an involuntary step forward, but she caught herself before she could do it. She needed the other woman's help, wether she liked it or not. Bethany returned to Kairi. "They're there alright. I counted ten, so no one's missing yet. There was atleast fifteen bandits, which makes things slightly complicated if they do go after the girls. I have a plan though." She said. She sat down next to a tree as she gave a quick description of the camp. "You walk right up to the guard and draw the bandit's attention. While you do that I'll sneak in the back and get myself between the girls and anyone trying to hurt them. Once they're secure, we pincer the bandits between us and I'll roast them alive. Then we can clean up the stragglers and get the hell out of here before whoever they're meeting shows up. How does that sound?"

Kairi nodded in slight resignation. Quick was the best she could hope for. She quickly put herself in the mindset that these men were bad, and they were. The impact of their potential deaths would be minimal. "Fair enough. I'll see you when you get back." Kairi hid from view as best she could while Mercy skirted off into the woods. She had never bothered with stealth, always preferring to take her battles head on. However, Kairi was not so foolish as to deny the value of a little well placed subterfuge, but she left it to those better suited for such endeavors.

Mercy returned soon after, and informed Kairi of her findings, sitting down while she explained the layout of the camp. Kairi stroked her chin, trying to think of a way to minimize the potential risk to the prisoners. Mercy offered her own plan, and Kairi nodded in approval. "That's a good plan. Getting attention is no problem for me. These bandits are probably not very well trained, just ruthless.They shouldn't be a problem once aggravated. Alright, ready when you are."

Kairi approached the camp entrance, drawing the gaze of the two sentries that stood watch. She left her weapon sheathed as she approached, waiting for her moment. One of the men approached her and held up a hand to halt her. "Hold it there wench. Unless-" His words were cut off as Kairi suddenly unsheathed her sword and used the motion to smash the guy in the nose, breaking it. He fell back as his comrade charged forward, wielding a mace. Kairi switched Starlight to its spear mode and used the man's swing against him, knocking him off-balance, and spun her spear around and decapitated him. The first man managed to stagger to his feet, and ran for a bell by the gate, ringing it furiously. Kairi waited for him to turn around again before knocking him out cold with the butt of her spear. She strolled into the camp and spun her spear above her head, settling into a combat stance. Time to get some attention.

Bethany moved into position silently ahead of Kairi, and listened for the coming chaos. Soon enough she heard shouting, and sprang into action. As most of the bandits moved towards the fighting, a few moved towards the girls. "Kill the prisoners! If we can't sell em we wont let anyone else have em!" She heard one of the men shouting as he raised an axe. Bethany lept from her hiding spot and tossed a ball of fire that collided with the speaker's face as he raised his axe. He reeled back screaming in pain, and she kicked him into the man behind him as she closed the distance.

Drawing Vadjra she thrust the sword trough the burning man and into the man behind him, then spun and lopped off the hand of a bandit who'd tried to sneak up on her. She followed up with a slash across the chest, before lunging at another bandit who tried to slide past. Her sword peirced his gut like a hot knife through butter, and she ripped it to the side as she pulled it out. A final bandit slammed into her, trying to wrestle her to the ground. She pushed him back and bashed him across the mouth with her pommel, then brough the blade back across his throat.

With all the bandits around her dead, she cut one of the girls free and handed her Vadjra. "Cut your freinds free. If anyone besides me comes near you, stick them with the pointy end right in the gut." She said. She drew Asi and started pushing towards Kairi. A bandit rushed from the tent and tried to impale her with a spear, but bethany turned the weapon up with Asi, and drove a ball of fire into his face. She threw him aside as the flesh burned from his skin, and came up to where Kairi was fighting. The majority of the camp was amassed before the warrior. "Heads up Kairi!" A few spotted Bethany as she spoke, but before anymore could turn around, she drew in a breath.

Her throat began to glow like burnished bronze, and when she released her breath, a raging blast of fire engulfed the area in front of her. Some turned and tried to rush at her, but were engulfed. Any it didn't kill were driven towards Kairi possibly burning. Bethany watched the flames, and waited to see who survived, and prepared to kill any who tried to get past.

Kairi watched the camps contingent amassing in front of her. She drew her shield and awaited the challenge. One man who was noticeably larger than the others stepped forward and spat on the ground at Kairi's feet. "You got some nerve bitch. Time to die!" Kairi noticed that the brute was the only one to move forward, with everyone else content with simply impeding her path forward. She studied him through narrow eyes. "You must be the tough guy of the group."She stepped forward until she was directly in front of the big man. "Bitch, huh? That's the best you've got? Trust me, I've been called a lot worse, by a lot tougher." The man simply roared and he began tthe motion of swinging his hammer down onto Kairi's head. Unfortunately for him, he left himself wide-open, and Kairi smashed her shield into his gut, driving the wind out of him. He doubled over, allowing Kairi to bring the shield back upside the man's chin, knocking him flat on his back.

The rest of the men prepared to attack, and Kairi knew that although she was far more skilled than any of them, their sheer numbers would be a problem. She activated her Total Defense ability, and entered the fray. The first guy attempted to go low, and Kairi rolled over the blade. The second tried to catch her as she stood up, but she raised her shield and parry the blow, following through with a thrust of her sword to dispatch that foe. It all went to hell after that. She heard a call from Mercy, and turned to see the Asentari charging towards the fight, her throat glowing. Kairi couldn't escape the blast zone in time, so she simply activated her Shield of Faith, and stood her ground. The foes around her were either killed or ignited, but Kairi's barrier managed to protect her from the blast. She began to quickly dispatch any survivors, ending their suffering as quickly as she could. She turned to Mercy. "Not bad. Status report?"

When the two girls came back in, they'd find eight people. Seven of which had hostages. One was a woman holding one of the slaves by the hair, mace drawn, the others had swords. Except one. Standing in front of them, with Bethany's blade in his right hand and a large oval shield in his left hand, was a young man with blazing red hair and slitted, amber eyes. Clearly Asentari. The uniforms were similar as well. That of the Dying Suns.

Kronos spoke. "You know...if you're gonna give someone a good blade like this to defend themselves with...make sure they know how to use it." The man tossed Bethany's sword at her feet, deducing it was her's based on the fact that otherwise all she had was a short sword. Normally, those types of fighters wielded two blades. Kronos spoke again. "Now, if only you had kept at least a couple for us to torture to death, that would've been nice. But you did do us a small favor. Let's go."

The men behind him released the women. But the girl did a sideways glance. "You sure? That one is a Sunlight Covenant bitch. If she's all the way out here, she might be here to cause trouble for us. And there's these ladies too..."

"If she becomes a thorn in our side, we'll kill her. Or she'll kill us. Either way, it won't be our concern in the end. The bastards killed the slaves before we got there for reasons unknown." He stared at her, challenging her. She just gave a shrug and let her hostage go, putting her mace away.

"If you say so. I don't like loose ends...and again, I have a thing against the Covenant..." She gave a small glare at Kairi. Kronos grinned a little bit. "And I have a thing against slavers. This was a shitty job to begin with. Besides, if we were to fight, you still wouldn't last that long against her. You're still a little ways to being of my caliber. Even with help...if she survived an Asentari elemental breath, I think she can handle the rest of you. Come, we better get going before Rexy and his harem catches wind we were here and pay us a visit..."

With that, they left as silently as they came.

"Not bad yourself.." Bethany said. The woman had weathered the flames rather than avoid them, which left her impressed. "The girls are safe. Lets get them the hell out of here before anyone else shows up." She said, but would end up eating those words. As she returned to the other side of the camp she found an Asentari and seven humans holding the girls hostage.

The leader, the redhead asentari she instantly pegged as Kronos, the traitor Rex had told her about chastised her decision to hand over the blade to someone who couldn't use it. He threw the weapon at her feet. "You know, you really shouldn't hand back your enemies weapon unless your want to find it stuck through your gut." She said. She nudged a toe under the blade and flipped it up into her hand. "I had to much fun killing them." She said.

The woman didn't want to leave, and instead wanted to take them on. "You do see what the two of us did to this entire camp right, or are you just thick as shit? the only one of you worth their salt is the Asentari. The rest of you would be dead in a heartbeat. So don't threaten my friend." Bethany said as the woman challenged her leader, and he told her no. They decided to let the girls go, and went to leave after deciding not to kill Kairi. However Bethany had something to say to that. As did Asi, who had burst into flames as he turned away.

"Kronos, thats your name, right?" She said as she stalked forward. "Rex told me about you, said you were an honorless dog who betrayed Edia. I don't know about any of that, but I did promise to cut your head off, should we ever cross paths." She glanced at the girls. "I'd challenge you right now, but I've got other business to attend to, and you deserve a warning, fireblood and all that. We meet again, and I'll kill you. Now run along kid."

Kairi nodded at Mercy's suggestion, and accompanied her to the slave area. The game changed then as they found the prisoners being accosted by a group of people in Dying Suns attire. Kairi immediately braced her spear on her shield and pointed it at the red-haired man who appeared to be the leader. She glared at him as he spoke, mentioning that the two women had done them a favor by dispatching the occupants of the camp. He ordered the group to leave, which drew a frustrated response from a female subordinate. She recognised Kairi, and expressed a desire to kill her. The redhead simply stated that they would kill her if she intervened. Kairi finally lost patience. "Unfortunately for you, I'm a Thorne by name and a Thorne by nature. You better be prepared to make good on your threats, because I'm going to be less of a thorn and more of a spear in your side. That's a promise." The female made another muttered protest, to which Kairi shook her head. "I'd listen to your leader if I were you. His order to not fight me is a wise one."

Mercy then addressed the redhead, whom she identified as an Asentari by the name of Kronos. Kairi could see from the man's expression that Mercy was on the mark. Mercy concluded with a warning as she stepped forward and ignited her sword. Kairi sheathed her sword, opting to let the group leave rather than endangering the prisoners. She simply narrowed her eyes at Kronos. "I'm sure we'll meet again. Sooner or later."

When the group left and the two girls checked the prisoners to make sure they weren't harmed, Kairi turned to Mercy. "So you know that guy? I wonder what the Dying Suns were doing here, and why they just released the prisoners and left. Makes no sense." Kairi shrugged. "So, we should get these girls out of here. What's your plan afterwards?"

Kronos was a little amused that the other Asentari decided to repeat what he said. As did the other one, which warranted a response. "Maybe, maybe not. We're mercenaries. We were allies this time, maybe the next too, or not. Only time will tell." Then as they were leaving, the Asentari again spoke, this time to him personally. Kronos stopped and turned on his heel. "Now that is interesting. And not really surprising...except I doubt he used those exact words. A traitor, certainly, but not 'honorless dog.' I would advise you not to put words in my rival's mouth. We hold each other in too high regard to use that filth. We'll see next time who kills who. Until then, fireblood."

He gave a respectful half-bow and then went out on his way...

"If he holds you in such high regard, why ask someone else to kill you? You must be delusional. If I had a rival I held in such high regard, I would want to kill them myself. Seems like maybe your not as important to him as you think." She said. She let them leave and looked at Kairi. "I know of him, but I've never met him before now. He's just a young jumped up asentari who think's he's hot shit because he's a traitor and a small time merc." She sheathed her swords. "As far as I know, the dying suns are in a long time contract with the red fang. If someone was stealing slaves from me, I'd send a mercenary group to 'Buy' them back, and then slaughter the thieves. I'd guess Kronos was supposed to return with the slaves, but he decided not to. Asentari have never been big on slavery."

They prepared to leave, and Kairi asked her what she planned to do next. She looked at the slaves. "I don't know. I need a drink and a bath, so I'll probably go back to town. But before we go, I think we should deal with this mess. If Kronos goes back and tells his higher ups all the slaves were dead, the red fang might come to make sure. We should burn these corpses, and make it look like no one other than Kronos left this camp." Bethany said. She began to drag the corpses. She worked as fast as possible to get the bodies piled. When the work was done she had a look around for something to keep it burning. She found a bucket of pitch. "What were they using this for?" She wondered. She poured the contents over the pile of bodies and threw in two orbs of flame that exploded and ignited it.

The corpses burning, she turned back to Kairi. "Right lets go before someone comes along. Again." She said. "Will these girls be safe in Dungard? I didn't think I would have to figure out what to do with them once we saved them. Kraf said he had a contact who would help them but that was bullshit." She looked at the slaves. "Do you have homes to go back to?" She asked. No one seemed in any condition to answer. They were all silent from shock, huddled together. "We'll figure it out. Come on."

Kronos and his minions left, and Mercy explained what she knew of the Asentari mercenary. Kairi shook her head in disappointment. "Yeah. I've learned that no matter how many people like him we take down, there's always another one waiting to take his place." Mercy hypothesized about Kronos' reasons for being at the camp, and Kairi agreed. "That does make sense. If that is what happened, then maybe there's hope yet. Your people are wise not to embrace slavery. After all, building an empire on the backs of slaves only makes that empire's fall a certainty."

Mercy looked around when Kairi asked her what her plan was now. She stated her need for a bath and a drink, but they both realized that they couldn't just leave the camp the way it was. It would leave too many trails to follow. "You're right. The less chance they have of discovering what really happened to the prisoners, the better. I will assist." The two warriors made quick work of piling the carcasses up, and Mercy managed to find a bucket of pitch, though seemed unsure as to its purpose in the camp. Kairi shrugged. "Maybe for the campfires? Maybe for burning houses when they raid villages for slaves? Who knows?"

When the they finished burning the bodies, Kairi and Mercy turned their attention to the reason for they came here. The prisoners were still cowering together, though they were not as afraid as they were when Kronos and his crew had them. Mercy asked if they would be safe in Dungard as they prepared to leave. Kairi nodded. "Safer than they are here. If we can get them there, I can get them transport to Sunshield Hold. They will be safe there." Kairi gently ushered the girls out after Mercy, and after covering their tracks they returned to Dungard.


Kairi sat opposite Mercy at a table in the Purple Wyrm Inn. The Human sipped her soup happily, finally getting to enjoy after having been disturbed last time. She glanced at Mercy. "So the girls will rest here tonight, then they will be brought to the Hold in the morning. From there they can rest some more, and then they will be brought wherever they want to go." Kairi studied the Asentari across from her for a moment. "If you don't mind me asking, how exactly did you get mixed up in this? Someone of your ability could surely find better work than this?"

While Kairi opted for soup, Bethany got herself a tankard of mead and drank thirstily. After a brief silence, Kairi explained what she had planned for the girls. Bethany listened silently. She appreciated that someone had a good plan for them. She had no trouble saving people but what came after was never her problem. Atleast she tried not to make it her problem. Kairi was quite for a moment before continuing. She asked Bethany how she'd gotten dragged into this situation.

Bethany shrugged. "Well, as I said before, asentari don't like slavery. But I really don't like it. I'm not about to go out of my way to tear down Karcenak, but I seen a chance to help some one out of a bad life, and get paid, so I took it. Not that I'm getting paid now, but I think my coinpurse can survive without the extra gold." She said, before falling silent again. "Better work usually comes with being tied down to a single place. I've found over the years sitting still in one place is very hard for me. If it wasn't, I'd probably be in Edaria."

She looked Kairi over, before speaking herself. "So, how did you end up in the sunlight covenant? Let me guess, your a Noble born lady who doesn't want to end up a trophy wife or a bargaining chip for some political deal, so you left home to join the covenant?" This was mostly a wild guess, but Kairi struck her as noblewomen. Not that she could talk, she'd done almost that exact thing. Except with the addition of patricide.

Kairi listened intently as Mercy explained why she had come to be in the area and why she had been trying to rescue the slave girls. "I believe I understand. I would have done the same in your position." Kairi took another sip of soup as Mercy stopped for a moment before going on to explain that it was an inability to stay in one place for an extended time that led her to take some more unsavory jobs. Kairi nodded in comprehension. "I see. I also find it difficult to sit in a place while I can still make a difference out there. I'm lucky because my role in the Sunlight Covenant means I am relatively free to travel to whichever location I am needed at."

Mercy then asked Kairi the question she knew was coming. She wanted to know why Kairi was out here too. It was a fair question, given that Kairi had asked her the same thing. She chuckled when Mercy hypothesized about Kairi's potential nobility. "Well, not exactly. My parents were actually just farmers. I possess no noble blood that I am aware of, though I understand why you would think that." Kairi glanced at her white cloak that was draped over the chair beside her and smiled sheepishly. "I suppose white isn't exactly a common color to see on clothing out here."

Kairi paused for a moment, debating how far to continue. She decided to tell Mercy everything. In truth, Kairi didn't realistically think there was much Mercy could do with the information anyway. It could actually be a benefit perhaps. Mercy seemed like she hid something behind the tough exterior, much like Kairi herself. They had something in common at least. "You remember I mentioned I had a personal reason for freeing the slaves? That as because I walked in their footsteps once. I was captured when I was eight years old when a Red Fang group attacked my parents' farm. My parents were killed in the fighting. I was taken and kept as a Red Fang slave for sixteen years, before I was rescued by the Sunlight Covenant." Kairi's gaze turned introspective. "What I went through, I wish on no one else. That is why when you came in here and mentioned slaves, I was compelled to act. I am sorry if my involvement caused you trouble, but I could not let those girls reach their destination. I just couldn't." Kairi spoon dropped out of her hand onto the table suddenly. She glanced down to see her hand shaking as if with rage or fear. She grabbed it with her other hand and steadied it, before picking her spoon back up and continuing with her soup.

"I'm sorry about that. So, what are you going to do now?" Kairi thought for a second, and an idea struck her. "If you don't have any immediate plans, why don't you come to Zendar with me in the morning? I am meeting with some potential allies in the Eldritch Moon Inn there at noon. I have been tracking a Dying Suns commander named Thassa for a while now. I believe I have located her, but the base is too big and too well-guarded for me to assault alone. The allies in question are warriors of some renown, and they are also tracking Thassa. The granddaughters of the two great heroes Dalrodir Shor and Ren the Hornless, as well as one of your people, someone named Rex von Broven. What do you think?"