The first crack of dawn peered through the clouds and onto the lands below, bringing light to one side of the world, as it dimmed out on another. People were rising to find sunlight beaming through their windows and over the golden crops across the continent, but not in Darkwood.

 In Darkwood the light barely managed to make it through the looming trees which cracked with age and the millennia old fog that drifted as it had been since before the birth of life. Thus it was cold, and tremendously wet from the rain that battered the forest, collecting on the leaves, the mud, and giving already fast flowing rivers a tremendous rush. Wolves lurked, as did other beasts, some unheard of. But their paw prints were quickly washed away by the rain, leaving no trace as to their existence. 

 And somewhere in the midst of all this was a man and his horse, with two large dogs on either side. All four individuals were armored, with the white horns that curled off the horse’s helmet giving it a deathly look with its sleek black fur and white, wavy mane. It was as though it was the mount of the Grim Reaper himself. The dogs were huge, silent, covered in metal and layered cloth alike. Focused, like [I]hell hounds[/I].

	And then there was the man. He wore no hood, or cloak. A black pelt hung from his armored body as a cape, a cross bow at his right hip and plenty of bolts present too. His face was emotionless and he was just as quiet as the beasts that kept him company.

	When they had reached a river that was necessary to cross, the rush had died down. Not enough to make the trip easy, but enough to make it do-able. It took the horse some persuasion, but eventually the man got it to enter the icy cold river, filled with stones, and begin to cross over. The dogs followed suit without any sign of hesitation. Still, all four beings were quiet.

	Having made it across safely, the group continued their journey at the same pace; slowly, silently, dauntingly.

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	[I]”Oi! Who that be? State’cher business then lad!”[/I]

	They had reached the gates of Blackwater, the sun had risen some, the rain was easier, and the guards were certainly not slacking off. The dogs were eyeing them atop their wall, their eyes piercing into them from behind their helmets. The horse snorted, the man looked up.

	“My name is Eksile! I just want some rest.”

	[I]”Eksile eh? Never heard a name like that ‘round ‘ere. Where are you from, lad?”[/I]

	He said something under his breath, and then “From a place far, far away. You wouldn’t know it!”

	[I]”And what with the horse? All the armor? The dogs?”[/I]

	“Don’t worry, they won’t cause any harm,” Eksile said. Then he looked at all the armor and weapons he was sporting. “Some of these are to sell!” he called back.

	[I]”I suggest you bring the horse to stables quick as ya can! Don’t wanna risk getting beat up for looking like a show off, or get the beaut stolen eh?”[/I]

	“Will do!”

 The guard turned back to the others, “I don’t like the feelin’ of this guy. Been gettin’ alotta strange visitors lately. What with the dark girl? Never seen someone with that complexion before.”

	“I think it’s rather attractive,” another one said in reply.

	“Open the gates.”

	The gates opened, and Eksile started on his horse, the dogs keeping pace. He looked up at the guards before he crossed under, and they returned the gaze.

	Upon reaching the inside of the town, the first thing he noticed was the shady character of almost everybody else around him. He felt glances and stares from under the hoods of others, and being the only one on horseback didn’t help. He parted the crowd like a knife through butter, and they didn’t close in immediately after, because there were two armored beasts behind him. He was smirking on the inside, and he caught an unpleasant look from a muscular man who seemed to know.

	Suddenly he heard tremendous barking and snarling behind him, and he whipped his head back to find the dogs facing the crowd, letting out huge, terrifying sounds. Everybody in their direction was backing up, save for a figure in a hood, whom they seemed to be singling out for reasons unknown.

	“Keep your dogs under control!” someone shouted.

	“Yeah, before I do it for ya!”

	[I]Alright, I’d like to see you try,[/I] Eksile mused to himself. [I]”Blood! Steel!"[/I] he shouted. The two dogs abruptly stopped their barking and fell back in line, behind the horse. He continued on his way, wondering why that one individual had caught their attention. He thought about it, looking back to see that the hooded being was gone.

	Eksile eventually caught sight of a building, bigger than the rest and sitting atop a stream; it must have been an inn. He strode up to the side of it, by a small pine, and tethered his horse to the plant. “Blood, Steel,” the two dogs immediately looked at him. ‘’Watch Aesos,” he patted the horse. “I’ll be back with something to eat.” The canines wagged their tails as he patted their helmets and left to enter the inn.

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	The door closed behind Eksile as he rubbed his hands together in the new warmth of the building, which he know knew for sure was an inn. Droplets of water still clung to his hair, occasionally falling off. He surveyed the area, taking in all the individuals, such as the waitress, the drunk young boy, what appeared to be a midget, the darker female sitting alone, and a whole list of other people. Like the black caped man in the booth. Whatever the case, he made his way over to an empty table and sat down, taking out his crossbow to examine it until someone came to see what he wanted.