In the Name of the Valsharess.

[Mage Hunter]

Closed to Silence Sei.

I should have known better.

Every single time I think back to that day, I should have known better. I had tempered myself greatly during the war in Raiaera and it was a boon to do so, however fate had a wonderful way of teaching me that I still had much more maturity to go. In the end, I would go to Raiaera and take on the Forgotten Ones once more; where before I had fought as a free woman, ready to do so for glory and fame, this time was different. There are those that talk of Sei Orlouge as some kind of demigod, of a saint beyond compare. I know the truth, as much as any Child of Alerar could.

Sei Orlouge was a chosen of the Valsharess, because he knew when to make things happen.

I had stupidly forgotten he was a Chosen. I had, in my pride, believed even he could not best a trained Kyorl. I had forgotten many important facts in my arrogance. I believed in my own superiority, but thought myself wise and tempered from my fighting in the Corpse war. Sei Orlouge, freed me of my misconceptions by replacing them with cold irrefutable fact. I had forgotten he had been instrumental in creating the Kyorl, and knew full well their capabilities. I believed myself above the petty laws of the nations, a wanted woman who none could touch.

No, I was a fool. When I returned to Raiaera to fight the Red Witch Pode, I did so not as a free person…

…I did so a slave.

-Memoirs of a Mage Hunter

~*~

Her swords were sheathed comfortable. One was on hip, the other across back opposite her bow. She felt comfortable in the weight, knowing her favored sword, the one that held her nullstone was at the ready. Moving through her gear she checked for everything, she had dallied in Ixian Castle too long, and she needed to get going. The letter that had found her from Captain Verranya was urging her return to begin the war against Pode. It seemed only fitting that a Dawnbringer return to tackle the new threat they all fought against.

Drusilia could only agree. When she had fought Xem’zund, she had purpose and drive. She had tested and bettered herself. Instead she felt that her skills were waning in this place. There was no challenge, no glory to be had here anymore. She had been overcome in the Cell, and while she had made it to the second chamber, the final chamber still eluded her. Next time she would go the whole road, until then there was work to be done. Her holiday in Corone was over and she needed to return to Raiaera and recommence the hunt. The Red Witch would in many ways prove deadlier than Xem’zund, if half the stories of the Red Forest were at all true.

Shouldering her pack, she marched towards the gates of Ixian Castle, ready to head for the port in Akashima and go back to the theater of war.

[Silence Sei]

He stood with a letter in his hand, his body a single form in the shade of the large wooden gates. The azure blues of Sei Orlouge went over each individual line of text. A messenger from Raiaera delivered a call to arms, and request for aid fRom the Ixian Knights in order to purify the Red Forest. The wind blew through the gateway of the prestegious establishment and danced with the robes of the strategist. He could hear footsteps approach with purpose, and he redirected his eyes towards the form of Drusilia Liadon, the Mage Hunter.

During the Cell, Drusilia suffered several different injuries thanks in no small part to the Ixian Knights. Sei felt bad about the magics of the Cell and how they had such a determental effect on the warrior woman. In his mind, had it not been for the handicap he inadvertantly placed on her, Drusilia Liadon would be able to tout herself as Champion of the Cell. His form shifted, postured upright as he looked towards the recovered witch killer. He gave her a small smile and slight bow, a show of respect for hwer and her accomplishments.

"I thank you for your participation in Cell, and apologize once again for the limitations I set upon you," Sei righted himself as he looked at the stoic amethyst eyes of Drusilia.

"...I must go," Dursilia Liadon was to-the-point, something Sei admired about the girl.

"That is...complicated," Sei's lips pursed as the gates closed behind him, a surge of wind blew past him as the door slammed shut and a cloud of dust kicked up from the ground. "I am afraid I can not allow you to leave just yet, at least not before we talk..."

[Mage Hunter]

An eyebrow rose. The formal and pleasant tone of the Mystic was underlined by the fact that he was refusing her leave. She narrowed her eyes carefully as a hand rested on the hilt of her long sword at her hip. It wasn't time to draw the sword, that would come later, if at all. She tilted her head to one side before she spoke, “No.”

No?

“You are under the illusion that I am your subordinate. You believe me to be a trained monster kept in your stables for nothing more than your use as a veiled threat. Why else has Corone not evicted you from Castle Ixia? No, I don't need to talk to you, I know what you're going to say. I have no desire to join your little army, any more than I had a desire to join Raiaera's. I am a free woman, and that includes here in Corone,” Drusilia said spitefully.

You are a wanted woman by the Coronian crown. It is by my own grace that you have not yet been apprehended for the deaths of Duke Gallen Cormyr and his man servent Reeves.

“I never touched Gallen, the magi in his employ however, that is another story. As I recall there was no warrant for their murder. Now you know the truth, you can let me go and I will be on my way. You're already delaying my trip and I have important business to attend to,” Drusilia retorted a hint of mocking mirth in her tone.

That is for the Tribunal of Law to decide, not for me.

“Then you are committed to bringing me to justice? Why? So you can sycophancy to the Crown in the hopes they'll forgive you for attempting a coup of their nation?”

The words stung, she could see the verbal slap across his face as a tinge of stiffness entered his frame. It wasn't something immediately noticeable, only someone who was used to frustrating and pissing off people could have caught it. She had not truly pissed off the Alerian General, but she had hit him in a tender spot.

The sun beat down on the two of them, her eyes never leaving the Lord of Castle Ixia. His eyes seemed to be gauging her, almost gleaning useful information from the study. A crowd had begun to form in the courtyard, many members of the Ixian Knights watching their leader stand before the enigmatic warrior. She thought she could spy his family hiding off tot he side, surely readying themselves for any action he deemed appropriate.

She spread her arms before she spoke, “Lets not play games Lord Orlouge. You may have been a Chosen of the Valsharess, but you were not a true general. That title was left to General Rakarth, may the gods shine their blessings upon him. Gone he may be, he was by far your better. He would have known better to try and use politics when talking to a soldier. I can see clearly your tactic in this, you feel you can bully me around. For that to work I need to be intimidated, and considering your lack of battlefield experience, being bested by barflies and drunkards, I think I would be embarrassed to let you push me around without a fight.”

Dozens of hands reached for weapons as she drew the titanium blade at her hip and carefully rested its tip in the dirt. Her eyes studying the man before her and ignoring the horde of soldiers as she spoke, “Your move, I would advise you let me leave, before more blood is spilt on this ground. I think you had more than enough of that in one night.”

[Silence Sei]

"I assure you, Lady Liadon," Sei's eyes moved toward the various shoulders that prepared to draw their blades behind the mage hunter, "I do not wish to see blood spilled on Ixian ground any more than you do."

His hand raised up and the sound of metal as it slid back into sheath echoed throughout the courtyard. Feet were shuffled and each soldier now stood at attention. Drusilia's eyes never moved from the form of the stoic Sei Orlouge, and the mute's never off of his men. He could hear her growl a bit and thought he caught the sound of spit as it left her mouth. He ignored the insult and awaited the accusing tone that often followed such actions.

"You've yet to even conquer the capital and already you call Concordia Ixian ground? General Rakarth would have taken that city weeks ago." Sei smiled and looked to Drusilia, the compassionate gaze that often lead people into his employ.

"General Rakarth never moved unless I told him to do such," Sei 'spoke' calmly, "Every attack he lead, every ambush he was responsible for, every trap he lured the enemy into. All of it was with my guidance, and in return I asked to not be recognized for the feats. I did not ask for this Drusilia, this life of 'luxury' or burden as a commander. However, I shoulder that responsibility until the day I am laid in the ground. Do you know why?" He paused to give her a moment to answer.

Drusilia looked around as though she expected one of Sei's warriors to pop up like the ever loyal student they were. When nobody spoke out, she looked back to the Ixian leader, "Enlighten me."

"Because when Thoracis Rakarth decided to lay siege to a town on his own, he was sent packing with his tail between his legs. What is the quote they still use in Alerar that he said that day? 'One Sei Orlouge is worth a thousand soldiers'?" He sighed and leaned his left foot back, his form kneeled as though he were ready to strike at the woman. "Do not make me do this Drusilia Liadon. Stand. Down."

[Mage Hunter]

“The way I see this, the only person who is at fault is you. You are keeping a trained former Lieutenant of the Kyorl in your castle. If you truly wished to avoid bloodshed you'd open those gates and let me go. I have places to go an a new target to go after. Delaying me only hurts one person Lord Orlouge, yourself,” She gestured at the gate before she lifted up her blade in a ready stance. Once more men seemed eager to draw steel as they prepared to defend their leader.

I will not say it again. Stand down, this need not come to bloodshed. Sei's voice filtered into her head. She shook her head before she spoke.

“Who ordered the gates closed? Who refuses to let me leave? Who has to say their fucking piece? I see only one answer to these questions, you. You could let me go, and all would be well. You know what I'm capable of. I could wet these stones with their blood to the point you'd think it started red,” She returned.

They only grow on edge because you are threatening me. I grow on edge because you threaten them.

“Who threw the first threat out?” She knew it was childish, she knew she was being stubborn for the point of being stubborn. Part of her wanted to cave in, but she knew he would just brow beat her into his forces. She was not interested in the politics of the Ixian Knights, she was a Mage Hunter and had to remain free of ties and loyalties. The second she became a pet hunter, was the second she lost the ability to travel freely without hassles.

Lady Liadon-

“Would you stop calling me that? I'm sick and tired of people pretending to be nice to me just to get what they want. You think I didn't get enough of that with the Raiaerans? You think I didn't see enough of that when I traversed the ports and people recognized me? There is only one way this blade is leaving my hand, and its when you make me.”

[Silence Sei]

Why does this always seem to happen?

Sei sighed as Drusilia made her threat; no more menacing than a rat that was cornered by a dozen felines. A cornered animal could still be vicious, but was an animal nonetheless. "I am sorry then, Lady Drusilia."

"I told you to qui--"

Sei dived before she could finish, his Gemini Blades drawn and swung towards the legs of the mage hunter. Bot the s-shaped sword and it's longer brother were caught in a downward stroke by his opponent, who pushed the Mystic backwards from her sheer strength. Sei skidded across the courtyard, dust and grass danced around his form as his gentle demeanor disappeared. The mute's face now seemed stronger, as though he were finally ready to accept that this would be no easy task.

"I know that's not all you have, 'Lord' Orlouge." her voice carried a pint of venom with it, as though she expected the faux formality to hurt the youngest Orlouge brother in any way.

Sei nodded his head forward, though the motion seemed as though he was telling somebody to make their move rather than to acknowledge his anti-magic nemesis.

Drusilia looked behind her just in time to see a second Sei attempt the same attack as the original, only this time while standing behind the girl. She coaught the twin blades with her own yet again, but as she began to counter, the first Mystic charged once more, his elbow ready to find a home in her spinal cord. He would prove to the girl that she was not ready to leave, that she was too weak to venture on, even if he needed to sacrifice some of his own azure blood to do it.

[Mage Hunter]

The second attack shouldn't have caught her offguard. Really it was the fact there was two Sei's fighting her that was the true shocker, but she shelved the panic such a thought created and acted. The second Sei was charging looking to hit her in the back and she was fine with that. She took to steadying her breah as a silent count went off in her mind and she dropped to a knee using the Mystic's pressure on her sword as a springboard. Rolling back she came to a halt behind the charging mystic in time to catch the collision of the two sending them to the ground.

Drawing her second sword from the small of her back while the twins untangled themselves, the drow brought both blades forward in a cleave that caused steel upon steel once more. Her rhythm was deliberate and with strength. These were not testing blows but a hail of solid hits on the downed opponents, a rain of steel that pelted them from any angle she could manage. Her face had gone blank, so lost was she in the fight, there was no joy, no anger, no piy, and no remorse. Her objective was clear and before her. Defeat the leader of the Ixian Knights to gain her autonomy once more.

The crowd seemed to subtly shift, moving almost in support of their leader, and that was when she saw the glass barrier form between her and the Mute. Unable to pull the blow due to the force and speed she connected before a flash of white light went off and the glass merely shimmered before fading. The blade was caught on a curved blade as the two locked eyes and Sei blinked.

It wasn't much, Drusilia wasn't an expert on the man Silence Sei Orlouge, but she was fairly certain that blink wasn't because of dust, sweat, or the need to wet his eyes. He was keeping a stoic face as she brought another sword down at the mystic only to have the doppleganger block the blow meant or master, with his flesh. Another flash of white light erupted from the Drow before it vanished as she was forced back. A prayer of curses leaving her lips even as she took a ready position.

Sei had pulled both charges of anti-magic from her. She had none left in reserve, so now she had to fight fairly, lest Sei set up another glass barrier. She was no expert on Sei, but she had heard of his invaluable mystic protection, and getting a body full of glass was the last thing on her list of things to do.