Natalie was packing for the visit north alongside her mother and father for a royal visit to Ralton. She was dressed in red satin and lace dress that was cut along one side up to her hip. Revealing her long slender legs only made to look longer from her 6 inch red courtesan style heels. The top of the dress cut low revealing her cleavage and arms for all to see. Which was a common sight in her kingdom but she wouldn't be surprised if it caught a few disgusted stares from Tanloans. She finished painting her red nails and went on to do her red lipstick. Before finally getting around to doing her bright pink hair in a flowing somewhat wavy style that stopped just below her shoulder. Before heading down the hallways and down the stairs and outside the castle into a royal horse drawn carriage as the departed to Lalzen.
Isamu was hunting his next target. He was tracking a bandit caravan through the forests. The leader of this bandit clan have been pillaging the already weak towns and settlements of Kalmos, ever since the invasion. "Hey guys, I have to take a leak. Drake, take the lead." Said the leader. Isamu grinned. The bandit walked off the forest path. Isamu snuck up behind him, and put a chloroform cloth to his mouth. He picked up the unconscious body, and carried it into a forest clearing, where he had his horse. He tied up the bandit and removed his weapons, and threw him onto the back of the horse. He got on as well, and gave it a firm tap in the hind quarters with his both his feet. He started off to the capital of Kalmos, where the bandit would be held prisoner.
Romanus Varra, even for a Tanloan, was absolutely enormous. While the rest of his race sat comfterably at around 11ft tall, he was much bulker and stronger than many of his race. On his back was a special yet ancient weapon that looked like an oversized hammer, yet could kill a man with a single blow. Many years ago, he was a high ranking solider in Ralton’s military. But having only retired a decade ago to pursue his own interests, he has been living in peace for several years. To visitors, Tanloan culture seemed to emphasize that ‘bigger was better’. A great sword for a smaller race was a normal weapon for a Tanloan, a Tanloan great sword was almost double if not triple the size of a human greatsword. Romanus, often called Roman, joked that a dagger was nothing more to him than a fancy toothpick. Roman was currently in Lalzen, the capital of Ralton. While moderately smaller in comparison to other major cities with a population of only 75,000. It was still an enormous place to navigate. Currently in the markets to purchase food that would last him several days, Roman seemed to be at peace. From what he knew, foreign ships were sailing to the capital in search of something. News often spread around Lalzen like wildfire. Roman however, was not particularly fussed.
Novi was mad. While on her way to seek some sort of alignment, she knew someone was following her. This would not do. She turned, spotting a masked figure retreat hastily into the bushes. She summoned a ball of fire in her hands, feeling the energy flicker around. Her skin tone and hair began darkening, reflecting her fire aspect. "Be a dear and come out of the bushes." she called.
In the land of the Reclaimers, stood a mighty and strong kingdom, Everone. Guarding it, were twelve large outpost's, each one being home to troops in the Reclaimer military. A lone soldier traveled the gravel road. He was covered in armor and blood, the armor was dented and scratched and some parts were cut. The soldier carried a bag, but the guards at the gate leading to the outpost and Everone stood ready. "State your business stranger." One of the guards yelled. "I am with the Reclaimer military, and have come to give my commanding officer a present." The soldier replied as he held the bag up. It was made of brown stitched rags, but at the bottom dripped blood red. The guard nodded, as the other opened the gate tot he outpost, "Alright, you may pass through." The soldier did so, leaving a trail of blood behind. He entered the outpost where he was met by a slightly smaller man. "The quest?" The man asked. The soldier held up the bag, "Complete." The man took the bag, "Get rested, tomorrows a busy day."
After a trip by carriage. They arrived at Ters'an port, the trade hub of the nation, making it one of the biggest 3 cities in the nation behind the capital and a university town. The carriage rumbled across the cobbled streets as the ground switched from stone and cement to wood as the carriage gets pulled up it and taken below deck. The royal galleon was the most luxurious and spacious vessel in the country. Once the carriage was strapped in they set off towards Raltun. Natalie sat down in the padded blue silk and gold leafed wooden chair and grabbed a book from her quarters shelves. It was certainly old since it still had the faint markings of the early printing press from when she was still a child at 21 years old. Though now of course she was in her early adulthood and would be heading to university soon. She opened the book which seemed to be about love between a maid and her mistress, so she was expecting this to be one form of erotica or another. She then relaxed as the ship sailed across the sea. The boat stabilising system that was put on the ship worked wonders.
Roman sat on a hill underneath a tree, watching the moonlight bathe Lalzen in silver. It was peaceful, even on a Sunday night which usually resulted in drunken brawls or ordeals inside of the taverns. He laughed at the thought he looked to his right, his hammer known as 'Morning Star' placed onto the smooth grass beside him. The giant had only been across the sea several times in his lifetime, and almost all of the times he did was due to war or unrest. He was no longer in the Emperors army, meaning that he could now go where he pleased. He thought about leaving tomorrow morning, head to the docks with some supplies and explore the mainland. He could just see himself wandering deserts, mountains and the world while dressed as a traveler. It would have been a strange sight to see the behemoth up close. Once his mind was set, he would take the first boat out from Raltun. He spent the rest of the night watching the moon and it's mysterious beauty.
Isamu arrived in the capital of Kalros. He checked in at customs and walked to the prison. He got many stares as he was both Jōshian (They were not common in Kalros) and carrying a unconscious man on his back. As he approached the dungeons, some guards stopped him, and drew their swords. "Halt! What is your business here?" The captain asked. Isamu threw the bandit on the ground. "I have a prisoner. Do what you please with him. And for god's sake, send some soldiers down to those towns!" He walked off. A courier ran up to him with a letter. "Are you Isamu Fujimoto?" "Who's asking?" "I'm just a courier, sir. I have a letter for you." "From who?" "The sender would prefer you go somewhere private and read it." "Very well then." Isamu took the letter and walked away. An hour later, he was in the middle of the forest, where nobody would find him. He opened the letter. "To Isamu Fujimoto, There will be an assassination attempt on the King of Davinos during his diplomatic trip to Raltun. Inclosed are tickets to board the Fast Transport Vessel, "Seas Allure" to Raltun and an address to a tavern we will meet in after you arrive. They know you're coming. Be careful. -Anonymous" "No return address... An assassination attempt on the King of Davinos? I have a bad feeling about this..." He got on his horse and started off towards the port, thinking about the circumstances. Three hours later he was there. His boat would leave tomorrow and be in Raltun a day before the Diplomatic Party. He bought a room at the port inn and ordered some food up to his room. When he was done eating, he went to sleep. He would have a long day tomorrow.
Roman had spent all day packing up all of his supplies, or anything that he deemed necessary to start anew. A canteen of water, a small bag of fruit and the clothes and armor, or lack of, and a hood to shield him in desert enviroments. He even went as far as selling his house for a currency of $20k, so he had plenty of money if he was to ever run out. But that also made him a luxury jewel to thieves and bandits. He was nearby a tavern called 'The Steel Maiden', located a heartbeat away from the port of Lalzen. He was thinking of taking the first ship out, and the diplomatic visit he had heard about by the King of Davinos was due to arrive within an hour or so. He sat down and decided to watch the spectacle until a boat arrived that would take him to the mainland.
Raltun was in sight. Isamu read the address to tavern. A place named "The Steel Maiden" He wasn't looking forward to it. He had heard that the Tanloans had an infamous reputation for drunken bar brawls. He was sure it was just a stereotype, but he wasn't privy to fighting someone twice his size. The ship touched down, and he disembarked. Entering the bar, a hooded figure. "Are you the one who sent me the letter?" "Yes. We don't have much time. So here's the deal, In an hour, the King will arrive. The assassins will be hiding on the roofs with flaming arrows and flintlocks." "Wait, assassins? I thought there would only be one!" "Well, there was a change in their plans... They're going to kill the entire family, this would be impossible with one assassin. Their plan is to pin the blame on the Tanloans, causing the two countries to go to war. Our plan is to pick off the assassins one by one without the others noticing. If one of them notices, they'll switch to the back up plan." "Back-up plan?" "Detonating bombs planted under the street. Now. There's an access ladder to the roof in back. Get up there." Isamu nodded. "Hey, how do you know all this?" "That's not important now." Isamu understood the circumstances. He walked out back and climbed the ladder. He was too wait for the the king's family to touch down, when the assassins would appear.
The large (for Davinos'Pre standards) gold and wooden ship pulled into harbour. Once done a crew of people began pulling up the royal carriage via ropes, pulleys and sheer manpower. The ornate gold and wooden carriage was then attached to two horses as Natalie and the king and queen arrived on deck. They waved and stepped into the carriage apart from the king. Who then spoke to the gathering crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen of Raltun, I king Erin Vth of Davinos, propose to you all an offer. For a sum of 750k of your nations currency will lend yourself to be our body guards for the journey. If you so desire you will also be offered a space on our ship back to Davinos for a chance to explore. Finally, Natalie can you please step out." Annoyed and knowing what he was going to say she stepped out and joined him. Her sleeveless, cleavage and left leg bearing, flowing red satin and lace dress was certainly more provocative than those of the Tanloans. Her flowing pink hair, much different again. And the 6 inch strappy platform heels that in another nation like this one would belong on a courtesan or in simpler terms a ***** was also on display. Though despite this her race was considered the most beautiful of all races in the known world. Even her gee at great grandmother was said to have stopped a war from happening thanks to her beauty. King then spoke again "As I was saying, Any man or woman who proves herself to my wonderful daughter, will have her hand in marriage, so say I. If you wish to sign up please talk to the captain of this vessel." He and Natalie then stepped back into the carriage and it was taken down the gangway onto the Tanloan streets.
Roman’s ears picked up upon hearing the King of Davinos proclaim himself to the Tanloans and the exceedingly generous sum of money if one were to be their bodyguards. While the money alone sounded nice, it did not really matter to Roman. What mattered to him was a ticket to a new life. Roman approached the family on the boat and bowed respectfully at the King and his family. Even while on his knees, he still stood at around 6ft tall. “Romanus Vaara, former Paladin for the Emperor and solider of the 203rd Legion. Honour to be of assistance for your family, your highness.” He spoke with a deep handsome baritone voice, typical for his race. When it came to appearance, he was merely like any other Tanloan, except that he had no hair like the high majority of Tanloan males. While other guards wanted to act as bodyguards, Roman was special in build and composure. He looked like somebody with experience and strength, unlike many of the guards who simply stood nearby the waters edge.
"Consider yourself hired." He gestured towards a man who proceeded to pull out a bag of coins "425k now and you'll get the rest later." Natalie extended her hand in thanks holding her sceptre in the other. She unscrewed the top and proceeded to eat the white powder in the used vial before replacing it with a radiating red one.
"Pardon me if this sounds rude, your highness." Roman said, trying to be formal as possible in the presence of the leader. "But I'm afraid that I must escort you directly to the Citadel. Sometimes our taverns, as famous as they might be for it's wine and mead, can attract the unsavory type. And from experience, the conditions today seem ripe for an assassination attempt onto your life. I suggest we head directly to the Citadel." If an assassination attempt were to occur, Roman could easily take down a dozen assassins with his hammer like it was nothing. But he had to look after the king and his princess, and it made the job far harder. He had a bad feeling about the situation when the cart was half-way to it's destination. Before he could speak, disaster struck.
The first assassin climbed up to a roof a couple of buildings away. And another. And another. He has his work cut out for him. He ran as fast as he could, and unsheathed his katana. The assassin noticed him, but it was too late. Isamu's blade was already plunged through his chest. Isamu took the blade out, and gawked at the blood. He got over it quickly though. He ran for the next one, and cut diagonally, causing a large gash. As the assassin fell over, He plunged the blade into the stomach to make sure the assassin was dead. He has a problem. The next bunch was on the other side of the road, and another was tracking the carriage and their Tanloan guard to the citadel. He would ignore the group heading to the Citadel for now. As fast as he could, he ran and jumped down to the street, and ran towards the other side of the road, and looked for a ladder or something of the sort. He was in luck. He climbed another access ladder. Three of the assassins were in a group. "Hey, it feels like this job should've been finished by now." "I'm sure there's just a problem on the other groups end. They had flaming arrows pointed right at the king's carriage. Their bow strings were drawn. He would have to act fast. At that moment, everything seemed to slow down for him. He rushed towards them, and cut their bow strings. They all took out knifes to fight back, but using his swordsmanship, he disarmed them, and cut them down. Now all that was left was the group heading for the citadel.
The carriage stopped for a brief moment when three assassins appeared out of nowhere, two on the rooftops and one of them on the ground. The one on the ground used a bow and arrow to attack Roman to seemingly no effect, Roman easily sidestepping all the arrows being targeted at him. The assassin switched to her blade as she charged Roman, seemingly forgetting the reason why thr Tanloans were considered the best warriors on the planet and the perfect warrior race. Roman, annoyed, took out his Gravity Sledgehammer with one arm. “Sorry about this, your highness. You might want to look away from this” he said quietly to the king. Just as the assassin ran up several boxes and decided to attack downwards, Roman used his hammer and swung it upwards with one arm that killed the assassin instantly as the hammer made contact with her jaw, causing her head and parts of her shoulders and upper body to explode into a bloody mess. The next assassins came downwards from the building, one with a large two handed axe strapped to his back while the other was a simple sword. As they both came down, the one with the sword ran towards Roman. The giant tanloan responded by using two hands to grasp onto his hammer, take a giant step forward and swing himself around with all of his power at the right moment to send the hammer crashing into the assassins ribs, sending him flying across the street until crashing a building and killing him. While it was not as violent as the first assassins demise, the hammer would have broken all of the assassins bones and caused several organs to explode within. The last assassin took his axe out with two hands and tried to attack with a downward strike, only to be rejected when Roman swung up once more and caused the feeble axe to shatter like glass before Roman kicked him directly in the face, sending him down the street. The assassin, stunned yet still terrified, tried to take a dagger from his belt until Roman placed a boot onto his torso that caused him to scream. Roman then took his right foot and raised it high before slamming it down onto the assassins head, killing him instantly and turning his face into a red pancake with humanoid features. With the threat exterminated, Roman returned back to the carriage. “Threats have been eliminated, but I would still not look at them. It's for the best.” Roman joked. “Alright, let’s get you to the Citadel."
The carriage trundled on, all three people in the carriage took Romans advice and sat quietly as they continued on the journey. Once there the three people stepped out and looked onwards "Lead the way." The king said unaware that his sleeve brushed past a still burning fire arrow in the side of the carriage door. The fire carried on and even when Natalie noticed it it was too late. The king was now but a burnt clothes less corpse. Tears ran down Natalie's face and quickly rushed into the Citadel. Trying to forget the sight she saw.
Isamu saw the King set ablaze. "Damnit! That bodyguard was careless!" He sighed and looked the group of assassins heading for the Citadel. They pulled up a mound of earth, which was actually fake lawn, and snuck in undetected. There was no doubt that they blocked off the entrance. The guards most likely wouldn't let him in either. However, he saw an opened window on one of the higher floors. He looked in his bag for something he could use to get up there. He conviently had a grappling hook. He swung he end of the role in a circular fashion, and threw it to the window. It landed, and he climbed up it. He appeared to be in the Attic of the Citadel. He slowly stepped around, and found a trapdoor, he opened it, and peeked through for a second. He saw a Tanloan sitting on a throne. He could easily jump down there, but not without being mistaken for an assassin. He would have to sneak down to the lower floor and walk in.
