[color=firebrick]"Hmm."[/color] Ntaj set the mace head on the ground and rested against the pommel. [color=firebrick]"You don't look like a hunter or a soldier. Far too clean to be a mere merchant. Those weapons... Silver and shiny. Clean even. Brand new? So you're no knight. Theyir equipment would have shown sign of use."[/color] Ntaj would have stepped closer until he heard a voice call out to the girl. The voice called out for an Alison... Princess Alison. This got Ntaj's interest. While warrior princesses weren't unusual back at Keratia (Ntaj remembers his older sister fighting along his side many times), he didn't think other nations had the same practice. They were warriors out of necessity. 

The girl said something under her voice, but she was muttering. Made it a bit hard for Ntaj to hear her. [color=firebrick]"Ah? You're going to have to speak up. If you killed these men, then so be it. Brigands deserve no less. But for gods sake don't be shy about it. You just took a life. Unless you're an assassin, that's not something you speak of with a hush tone."[/color] Ntaj said gruffly. It didn't matter to him if this Alison was a princess; right now she wielded her bow and had just shed blood. She was armed and dangerous, and thus Ntaj would speak to her as a fellow warrior. Wasn't long before her bodyguard arrived, who was rightfully worried at the sight. When asked if there was anything the rider coudl do for Ntaj, he just raised his hand to dismiss him.

[color=firebrick]"Nothing you need to worry about. I was simply attacked by a few brigands in the forest, and chased them here. Seems like this young warrior managed to get to them before I could. Still this won't do, not at all. Today is suppose to be a celebration. What's bandits doing trying to ply their crafts in the shade? If they want to fight then they should attend the tourney instead."[/color] There was nothing more for Ntaj here so he would soon turn to leave. Mordekai wasn't too far away, but unlike Ntaj he was much too big to be shouldering his way through bramble and brush. But before he left Ntaj did had one thing to say to the princess. [color=firebrick]"Princess... Alison, correct? I hope you'll be at today's tournament."[/color] And with that, Ntaj left. It was rather unnerving how quickly he disappeared into the forest, despite wearing such heavy plate armor. Barely a minute pasted and you couldn't even hear him anymore.

Ntaj soon made it back to Mordekai who had tied up the last surviving bandit. The brigand looked more bruised and beaten then before, and from Mordekai's fist the two had a conversation. [color=firebrick]"Enjoy yourself, old friend?"[/color] The orc scoffed as he rested the brigand on the back of his horse. [color=forestgreen]"Scrappy one here. But it only took one blow to put him back in line. Apparently there's a clan of these scum hidden in the forests. We should do the kingdom a service and look into it."[/color] Mounting his horse Ntaj smiled and nodded his head. [color=firebrick]"I agree. Maybe we'll show these Soiries how to protect their lands."[/color] The two men laughed as they continued their trek back to the tournament, dropping the brigand off with some guardsmen. Neither Ntaj nor Mordekai told them about the bandit clan and thought to deal with them themselves. But first, the tournament.