As the dust began to settle in the arena, the crowd slowly began to see the aftermath of the explosion. Faye was laid on the ground, dazed from the blast. Korius managed to escape the blast with minimal injuries, using his weapon to block both short swords used by the surprise assailant dressed in black. Korius knew immediately that it was Mirage, the woman who had attacked him the previous night. ‘She must have planned this in case her first attack didn’t work’
“Damn it, I’m not going to let you escape this time” Korius said as he managed to beat her back. Mirage, feeling that Korius had superior strength, backflipped away from him, and she landed on her feet with both short swords ready. “I will get you this time! I always get my target!” she shouted at him. As she sped forward towards Korius, Faye shoved him out of the way, taking the blow herself, one of the swords penetrating her leg. She screamed as her facial expression twisted in pain. Mirage realised what had happened, and that she had been spotted by all the arena spectators. She could hear the guards assembling, getting ready to capture her. “You win this time, thanks to your friend, but I will get you” She stated. Before Korius could stop her, Mirage leapt from column to column up onto the arena roof, not knowing that a man in the stands had been watching her. ‘Heh! So Mirage Dawn of the Furami clan is here, and in full view of all these spectators. This could work in our favour’ he considered what he could do with what he had just witnessed, and then retired from the arena. After watching Mirage escape, Korius cursed his inability to catch her, and then walked over to Faye…

“Hey!” Faye felt herself being shaken by a man, trying to rouse her from her unconscious state. As she opened her eyes, her sight was met with strong, almost blinding, sunlight. She raised her hand in front of her eyes to help her eyes focus and readjust to the strong light. She was laid on a soft surface with cold water brushing up against her left side. “Good, you’re awake” the man said. Upon hearing this, Faye stood up and turned to the man. He had black hair, dark skin and he was wearing work clothes. “I was worried about you, I just found you here while walking.” He continued. “What’s your name?”
“……Faye……” she said slowly
“Nice to meet you Faye, My names Edward.” He greeted her, then noticed her swords
“Is sumthin’ wrong?” she asked
“Oh, I was just looking at your swords. It looks like they’ve rusted pretty badly because of the seawater.” Faye unsheathed her swords, and sure enough, they had rusted pretty badly.
‘Damn, ah won be able t’ use these in like this’ She thought to herself.
“I could make you some new ones if you want” offered Edward. “You seem to be a fighter and it’s obvious that you won’t be able to use those in that state.”
Faye pondered for a moment “ah don have any loot though, ain’t there a way ah can repay ya fer this?” she felt awkward asking this, as though she wasn’t used to it.
“Well, there’s to be a fighting tournament in a couple of weeks time, our smithery doesn’t have an entrant yet, which would help with our sales. If its ok we’d like you to enter” he replied “of course, we’ll let you keep any prize money that you manage to acquire during your advance in the tournament.” Faye thought about this proposition for a moment then accepted his offer.
“Great!” he said “I’ll start restoring your swords immediately, please follow me”
As they walked through a forest teeming with wildlife, back to the blacksmiths, Faye tried to figure out where she was. There were no outstanding landmarks that she could use to distinguish her location and nothing that seemed familiar at all as though she had appeared in a different world. After a while, she noticed them approaching a building made from stone with a thatch roof. Thick smoke was pouring out of the chimney, so it was fairly obvious that someone else was already at work there. “Is tha’ where ya work?” she pointed to the structure. “Yes it is” he replied “Come on, the sooner I get your cutlasses done, the sooner you can get used to them”. When they reached the structure, the man opened the door. “Hey! We got a visitor!” he shouted as a bright, blinding light burst from the centre of the room.

She opened her eyes to see a blank ceiling. “About time you got up.” A man’s voice spoke to her. She began to sit up, and while doing so, felt a flash of pain come from her leg, causing her to wince. After the pain started to subside for a bit she looked up to see Korius sat next to her. He threw a pouch onto the bed. “The tournament is over and we’ve both been given first place” he said to her. She sat there, gazing at the pouch dumbfounded, until she suddenly remembered what happened during the fight. “There’s your half of the prize money, seeing as we’re both first we had to split the prize money.” He continued, looking at the injury she got from the fight. “Why did you get in her way? You wanted to kill me too right? Then why did you save me?” he questioned her about why she intentionally saved him from Mirage. It should have been him, not her, that Mirage's sword struck. “Yeah….ya remind me o’ someone who betrayed me some time ago, yet ah know tha’ ya ain’t him.” She replied. “The man ya look like lead a mutiny on me ship, the Noble Lady, and took me ship. I was fought by me own shipmates, an’ those loyal to me, died in the ensuing fight. Ah was finally thrown into the sea an’ washed up ashore near here.” Her expression changed to show how painful the experience had been. Korius sat there in silence for a moment, before speaking again. “He looks like me? Not many people do, he must have been quite a noticeable figure, not something I thought would be sought after in that line of work” he gazed over to Faye. She looked like she wanted to say something yet couldn’t have the words come out. “I don’t really know what you were doing here and I’m not sure what you will do, it’s not really any of my concern…” he rose from his seat and walked to the door. He stopped and turned back around to speak again. “…but if I ever find him, I won’t hesitate to strike him down.” Korius left the room, leaving Faye to her thoughts.

Tyrone was waiting outside the infirmary for his brother. As Korius came out he greeted him. “Is that it brother? Is she alright?” he asked concerned. Korius looked at him. “She’ll be fine, the wound will heal soon” he replied calmly before looking round. “Where is Reina?”
“She’s going round shopping again…with Mileena this time.” He answered while smiling. Korius wondered why his brother had such a smirk on his face. “Apparently Mileena wants to say thank you.” Tyrone started laughing, which irked Korius no end.
“…and just who are you laughing at?” he asked with and clear display of irritation on his face. “Oh nothing… just that you might finally have a girl after you.” He chuckled to himself as he walked away. Korius just looked at his brother. ‘Prat, how the hell did I end up with him as a brother again?’ he thought to himself. He looked at the pale blue sky and wondered about Mileena. ‘She wants to say thanks huh? I can’t think of a reason why’

“Hey! Mileena! Over here!” Reina shouted to Mileena, trying to get her attention. Mileena walked over to her. “What has you so excited?” she asked with a smile. Reina pointed to a ring that she had spotted.
“I know you’re looking for something for Korius and I happened to spot this.”
Mileena looked at it closely. “It looks good, do you think he’ll like it?” she asked.
“I reckon so, I can’t see any reason for him not liking it” Reina smiled. Mileena gazed at it for a bit more. It had a blue sapphire. Mileena had a thing for the colour red, but that wasn’t to say that she wouldn’t choose other colours. ‘This ring does look good, and I reckon it’d make for a good present for him’ she pondered before deciding to finally buy it. Reina just watched as Mileena bought it, until suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Enjoying yourself honey?” the male voice said. She turned to face Tyrone who was stood there with a smile on his face. “Yeah, I’m watching Mileena buy something” she replied. “Where’s Wolf?”
“He’s on his way, apparently the King meets with the winner, but in this case, he has made a decision to postpone the meeting for a couple of days until Faye gets better. I think it is so that he can talk to both at the same time about something” Tyrone then wondered about what the King could possibly talk to the winner of a tournament about. “What do you think that they’d want to talk to Korius and Faye about? Being winners of the tournament and all?” he continued with a curious expression on his face.
“Perhaps it’s just a formality? The only other explanation would be if the King wished for the winners to do something for him” She answered. Tyrone knew that might be the answer she’d give him, but he wondered what sort of job a fighting tournament champion would be asked to carry out, especially in this land. Despite the odd gang of thieves or bandits, it’s generally a peaceful country. His thoughts were cut short by Reina grasping hold of his arm. “Come on this way, hurry!” she whispered to him while dragging him behind some boxes. As both Reina and Tyrone peeked out from behind them, they could see Korius was heading up the road and that Mileena had just finished buying the ring for him.

Korius had decided to wander through the market before he went back to the inn. He had been thinking to himself about the events of the past few days. As he walked through the market, he saw Mileena stood waiting for him. She waved with a smile on her face. Korius waved back as he approached her. “You been here long?” he asked.
“Not really, I just finished looking at a few things in the market.” She answered, happy that she had encountered him. She grabbed hold of his hand and placed the ring in it. “I wanted to say thank you” she spoke softly and then waited for his reaction. As Korius looked at it, he smiled. He immediately put it on his right hand’s index finger. “Thanks, though I’m not quite sure why I’m being thanked and in such a generous way” his speech was softer than it normally was. He knew it was, and it’s always the same case with Mileena, he would speak differently to her than he would Reina and even his brother. ‘It could just be me’ he thought to himself. Mileena looked at him. “So what will you do now?” she inquired.
“Me? Well I’m staying here for another couple of days. The king has requested that I see him once Faye is fit enough for the audience.” Korius stopped for a second and looked at Mileena. Her face showed a slightly confused expression. “What’s wrong?”
“Well… it’s just that I’ve also been invited to an audience in a couple of day’s time.”  Both of them paused for a minute. Korius decided to break the silence.
“I guess its something to do with Faye and me… oh well, we won’t know until we have the audience.” Mileena nodded her head in agreement.
“Want to go get a bite to eat then?” Mileena asked
“Sure, it’s not like I’m doing anything anyways” Mileena walked side by side with Korius towards the tavern they went to before. Shortly after they left Tyrone and Reina came away from their hiding place
“It seems there is a softer side to Wolf after all” Tyrone laughed at Reina’s statement. “Yeah I can’t think of another time he’s been like that, It’ll do him some good and hopefully help him not to be so serious” Tyrone grinned at Reina. “Well…and I can also joke around with him about it”
“Well don’t do it too much ok?”
“Ok I won’t. Let’s go have a look around shall we?” Reina smiled at Tyrone’s suggestion and linked her arm with his as they began to look round the market again.

Later that night several miles away…

The night sky was filled with stars. The moonlight shone on a forest with a clearing in the middle. The clearing was illuminated by campfires and torches, revealing a camp. A messenger began to run through, past the guards clothed in robes and hoods that concealed their faces, towards the biggest tent in the middle of the camp.

“My lord!” the messenger immediately kneeled before his master, a young, grey haired man, his hair concealed one of his thin red eyes, holding a katana beside him as he was sat in a chair, resembling a throne. He kept slightly unsheathing the katana using his thumb and then sheathing it again, as though it was an unusual habit. Of course, none of his clan or his “students” mentioned this now after an ex-student mentioned it promptly became headless as a result. This fear also instils fierce loyalty and devotion in those that follow him, as they know that failure can mean death, even if they return, as is also the case with the messenger kneeling before him. “I bring dire news from the Kingdom of Paldor!” the messenger continued, nervously. “It appears that a recent attack has been made at Nerisca’s fighting tournament and that one of their moles has managed to catch sight of the perpetrator. They say that the person who instigated the attack was Mirage Dawn.” The messenger paused as he could feel his lord’s anger already, fearing that he may be on the receiving end. After a few moments silence, he began to reveal the rest of the information he had brought with him. “My lord! They say that unless we assassinate someone of their choosing that they will reveal this information!” The messenger stopped for a moment as the man rose from his seat, turned his back on him and pondered the next course of action. He then turned to the messenger with his katana by his side and a serious look on his face as he finally spoke in a low voice. “Assassinate one of their generals, show them not to mess with us” He dismissed the messenger after giving his orders.

As the messenger ran out of ear shot, the man sat back in his chair and clicked his fingers, summoning 2 assassins, one male and one female. Both kneeled before their leader as he spoke. “Miki, I want you to go to Nerisca, find Mirage and kill her. Be swift, time is not on our side” he dismissed her.
As Miki ran out, he turned to the other assassin. “Rau, you are most gifted disciple, the mission I’m asking you to carry out could only ever be entrusted to you. I want you to tail our messenger friend back to Paldor and kill him once he has killed one of their generals and make sure no one sees the body.” He paused for a second, pondering his next move. “Next I want you to hunt Mirage along with Miki. If what happens is as I have predicted, you can terminate all who get in your way.”
“I will not fail you master!” Rau said before quickly departing for Nerisca.

2 days later…..

Faye was looking out of the window at the sky. It was like a sea of grey clouds almost completely blocking the sun’s rays. ‘What a horrible day….’ She thought to herself. She was about to start thinking about her flashbacks when she heard a knock at the door. “Come in!” she answered. A nurse let herself into the room. “Its time for your check-up!” she said with a smile. Faye uncovered her wounded leg. The bandage around it had hardly any blood on it now, indicating that the wound was healing nicely. The nurse unwrapped the bandage to find the wound had fully healed. “So the spell finally worked then” the nurse stated gladly “If it weren’t for that suppressant that was in your wound, it would have healed even earlier.”
“Suppressant?” Faye said curiously. “Whassat?”
“Hmmm let me see…” The nurse tried to think of how to explain it. “Its kind of an effect that certain weapons have. Assassins use those kinds of weapons often. I don’t know much more about them save to say that it prevents healing spells taking effect for at least a day.” Faye had a slightly confused expression on her face as she listened to the nurse’s explanation. “Sorry I can’t be clearer about it but really should ask a Blacksmith about that, they usually know about all kinds of things that can be used with weapons”.
“Ah think ah will, cheers” Faye replied.
“Does your leg still hurt from time to time?” the nurse queried in a gentle tone of voice.
“Yeah, but its not going to stop me walking, ah’m fine.” Faye smiled and began to get dressed.
“Well then it looks like you’re fit to go. Don’t go getting yourself hurt now ok?” the nurse left the room as Faye was almost ready. ‘ah wonder if that guy’s still ‘ere.’ As she left the room she was greeted by a guard. “Ms.Hargreaves? Are you fit enough to attend an audience with His Majesty?” he asked.
“Ah suppose so”
“Good I shall inform His Royal Highness immediately, we come for you when he is ready.” The guard then began to run towards the castle.
‘Well ah guess ah have some time ‘fore the audience, so ah suppose ah’ll ‘ave a look ‘round.” She thought to herself and exited the infirmary.

“She’s up and about?” Korius said to the guard. He was with Mileena in the tavern having a meal when the guard came in bringing the news of Faye’s recovery.
“Yes, His Majesty would like to see you as soon as possible” the guard reported and then excused himself. Mileena looked at Korius while he watched the guard walk away. “Well I guess there goes the rest of our meal” Mileena sighed as she said it.
“Not really, he didn’t say now so chances are they’ll have to find Faye again first, but we probably should head there once we are finished here.” Korius reassured Mileena it was okay and went back to finishing his meal. After both of them were finished, they paid the bill and began to walk towards the castle when a man’s voice caught Korius’ attention.

“YO! Bro!” Tyrone shouted when he saw his brothers blue hair. Thanks to Korius’ appearance being less than normal, Tyrone could find him in a group of thousands. Korius turned round and waved at his brother to get over to him quickly. Tyrone whispered something to Reina and then both ran up to him. “What’s up bro? Why the rush?” he asked.
“Faye’s up and about, the guard just visited us asking to go see the king as soon as.” Korius replied “We don’t want to make him wait much longer” Both Tyrone and Reina nodded in agreement. With that all of them progressed towards the castle.

As the group entered the castle, they could see Faye waiting there patiently. ‘Hmm guess she must have come straight here’ Korius thought to himself. “What business do you have in the castle?” the guard at the reception area said with a no nonsense tone.
“We’re here for an audience with his Majesty” Korius answered.
“You must be Mr Sorian, King Lars has also requested your companions to attend” At this, Korius looked at the others. He pondered about why the rest were being invited to the audience but then decided to get on with it.

As the group entered the throne room, they were met by the King and his Chief Advisor, a man that goes by the name Maubern. Korius and his friends began to walk towards the King, with Tyrone and Reina looking at the surround room in awe. Stained glass windows adorned the walls along with cylindrical stone pillars, with a red carpet on the floor. When the group approached the throne they all knelt in respect for the king. “Please, rise. It is very difficult talking to the tops of heads like this” the king beckoned that they stand. Following His Majesty’s wishes, the group stood up with Korius and Faye on the front row with Mileena in the middle and Tyrone and Reina at the back. “I am sure that all of you would like to know why I have called you here today.” The king began to speak. “As the King of our great country, I must oversee our civilian population and ensure their safety, welfare and happiness. As of late, an event that has been raging for a few years now has me….unsettled about what may happen soon.” The king paused for a moment before continuing. “The situation between the Kingdom of Paldor and the Serisan Republic has become a serious matter of consideration. Our relationship with the Kingdom of Paldor is under strain as it appears that someone has had the audacity to claim that we are supporting the Serisan Republic’s war effort. We are not sure who has claimed this to be the case but it is unnerving nevertheless as it has put us in an awkward position with the Kingdom of Paldor. They have sent a message saying that should they find any evidence of our participation to help the Serisan people, we will be at war. To avoid this, we have decided to send two ambassadors to both of these countries, one to Paldor and one to Serisan.” Korius’ figured that this was why the others had been called. Seeing Korius’ face change, the king assumed that he had a question. “Korius, you seem to have a question, I would most glad to answer it for you to the best of my ability.” The king awaited his answer.
“I presume this is not just a normal official visit. When an ambassador is sent to another country, it is usually under protection of the armed forces. Obviously the fact that one of us will be going to Serisan means that this is not possible, as it would be just the proof needed for Paldor to go to war with our nation. My question is, why are we sending an ambassador to the Serisan Republic?” Korius waited patiently for the king’s reply. After a moment, the chief adviser coughed, getting the king’s attention. “Sire, May I?” he asked in a calm tone. The king nodded, thinking that it would be better for his advisor to say about the welfare of the kingdom. “Thank you sire” he said, bowing before his majesty. He straightened his posture and look at Korius straight in the eye. “As you say, doing this sort of action is exactly the proof Paldor would need to invade us, however, the Serisan Republic have claimed that they have stolen plans from Paldor, clearly outlining their intent to start a war against us once Serisan is dealt with.” A silence fell upon the room for a few moments before the advisor resumed his explanation. “You see, while we can’t discount this possibility, we obviously can’t confirm it using normal means. Thus our need for the both of you…and your friends.” Reina looked shocked at the advisor’s comments.
“US!?” she yelped “Why us!?”
“My Dear, we wish for two groups to go to two different places. One group to meet with His Highness, King Paldor the XXIII, and the other to Rax, the leader of the Serisan Republic.”
“Rax? Sounds more like a resistance leader than a leader of a country” Korius’ muttered to himself quietly.
The advisor looked at the group as a whole before continuing. “I believe that one of you is from Paldor originally…” Korius looked squarely at the Advisor as he remained silent for a moment. “Isn’t that right…Ms Korai?” Mileena jumped at the advisor’s comments.
“How did you…?!” she blurted out before blushing and covering her mouth with her hand.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Korius almost demanded an answer from the king’s advisor “Do you suspect Mileena of something?”
“Nothing of the sort, however we do know of Ms Korai’s past, and that she used to be in the employ of Paldor. I shall say no more other than it is obvious that she be a part of the mission alongside the rest of you.” The advisor looked at Mileena coldly. She couldn’t stand the man, especially when he had blurted out the fact she used to work for Paldor.
“…So who’s going where and when?” Tyrone asked
“We would like Korius and Mileena to move to the Serisan Republic. In order to do so, they will be the only people allowed in that group, so that Paldor doesn’t become suspicious. There are other reasons but I won’t go into them now. I wish for the second group to consist of Ms Hargreaves and the rest of you.”
“…Wha’s in it for us?” As per usual, Faye went straight to the point after learning her part of this plan. “Ah ain’t risking mah neck fer nothing buddy.”
“For you Ms Hargreaves, a pardon for your crimes” the advisor was equally blunt. A chill ran up Faye’s spine.
‘Man this guys a piece of work alright’ Tyrone thought. “Just how much do you know about us?” he asked.
“Oh…just enough” came the reply.
‘Basterd! Now I know he’s just toying with us!’ Tyrone wasn’t best pleased with officials most of the time, but this one was another story.
“The group going to meet his majesty will be going under some protection from a few members from our armed forces. Tyrone Sorian… I am aware you are a trainee, so instead of looking like you are part of the armed forces, we wish for you to be a personal bodyguard of our ambassador.”
“Alright! Tyrone’s mah bodyguard! Treat me well ok?” Faye chuckled to herself after her statement.
“Ms Hargreaves, as much as it pains me to crush peoples dreams…” the advisor began to speak with a sarcastic tone. “…you are not the ambassador. Rather, you are also a bodyguard. I would ask that Ms Scarlet be the ambassador”
“WHA!?” Faye screamed
“Me!?” Reina shrieked at a similar pitch.
“Yes, I believe that you will present yourself in a respectable manner and act accordingly not like this…scoundrel.” Faye was furious and wanted to slap him, but she held back, knowing that had she done so, she surely would be under arrest. “What are we to do?” Reina questioned.
“Reina, your task is simple, you are to meet with His Highness and simply take with you a goodwill gesture, It has already been loaded onto the carriage that you shall ride in. You are to go to a specific location that I have outlined on this piece of paper. There you will be given acceptable wear in front of his majesty, along with your two compatriots” he stopped talking and gave Reina the piece of paper detailing the location. As he did so, he whispered into her ear. “You are not to come out of the carriage until that point and when you are due to meet his highness.” Reina nodded to acknowledge it. He stepped away from Reina to face Korius and Mileena. “As for you both, you will also enter the Kingdom of Paldor any way you can, then you shall proceed south, past the checkpoint at the Raul bridge, and into the forests on the other side of the Raul river, once inside the forest, you should come to a small village known as Shelt. Go to the Barkeeper in the Troja Tavern and give him this parcel. He will understand, and will tell you how to proceed.” The advisor gave Korius a small parcel, hardly bigger than his hand.
“Ok…so when do we set off?” Korius asked.
“Immediately. We also know that both Korius and Tyrone have commitments to attend to, so we shall speak to your Captains to…explain your absence in the near future.” Maubern smiled.
‘Well I suppose that’s one thing to look forward to’ Tyrone thought
‘If he’s thinking what I think he’s thinking, he’s going to wish he didn’t’ Korius knew what his brother though of the training at the barracks. As Korius glanced at his brother the King stepped forward. “I wish all of you luck, I’m sure that you know this is a difficult assignment, and I also believe you understand our reasons for choosing you.”
‘In other words we’re expendable’ Mileena thought to herself. The group bowed to the king and left. Once in outside of the audience chamber a guard immediately approached Reina. “Ms Scarlet, the preparations for your departure have been completed, we await you in the courtyard.” He reported.
“Thank you very much” Reina said with a smile. “We’ll be along in a minute” The guard saluted and ran off towards the courtyard.
“I don’t like this” Korius spoke of his displeasure of the situation bluntly. “It’s obvious this whole thing stinks, especially the revelation about Mileena and their research into our pasts so quickly”
‘Somehow I doubt they needed much research to come up with Faye’s past’ Tyrone stifled a laugh to himself with no avail. Faye seemingly read his mind and slapped him across the back of the head. “I see what you mean” Reina also voiced her concerns about what they had been practically forced into doing.
“We should try to come up with something in case it all goes wrong” Tyrone said, rubbing the back of his head.
“We should meet up in Nare, the capital of the Serisan republic, that way we seem to be in some kind of neutral ground and it should give us time to think about what to do next” Mileena suggested. Though some of the group now had their doubts about her, Korius trusted her. He was perhaps the person most likely to be suspicious of others out of the entire group, yet he trusted her for some reason. “That sounds like a good plan, lets meet up at the capital if anything happens” Korius agreed. The rest also agreed on the plan of action. Korius and Mileena left the others to get ready at the castle. As they approached the gates of the capital, two guards were stood waiting for them with horses. One of the guards recognised them and waved them over.

“Mr Sorian and Ms Korai I presume” the guard said with a refined tone. Both nodded to confirm who they were. “These horses are for your use, by order of His Majesty” the guard stated, smiling. Korius and Mileena got onto the horses and set off slowly outside the gates. As they got outside they began to ride northeast towards the Kingdom of Paldor’s most northern territory, unaware that someone was watching them from the bushes nearby. ‘Heh, you were lucky last time, but this time I will kill you!’ Mirage thought to herself and proceeded to follow them from a safe distance.