[center][b]Satrea, Ethean Empire[/b][/center]

The woman let out a long sigh as her eyes wandered lazily over the mural on the far wall. She knew she was making progress, but at times, such as currently, she felt like she would be more successful in scooping water out of a sinking ship with her bare hands. Even so she wouldn’t, couldn’t, give up so long as she drew breath. 

The sound of a door opening drew her gaze away from the mural. Odd. She had made it clear that she was not to be disturbed. The woman sat up slightly straighter in her seat, assuming a more regal appearance as she looked towards the door and the individual who slipped through it, almost like a shadow. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she caught sight of the individual’s outfit.

“I have been expecting you for some time” The woman said, doing her best to keep her voice steady. “I have longed to speak to you.”

“I’m sure you have.” It was unclear whether the gruff voice was responding to a particular statement or both. “But you will find your honeyed words will fall on deaf ears this time, temptress.” The man placed a hand on the hilt of his sword as he approached. His clothes, fashioned from the pelt of a great bear, gave him the appearance of some primordial god.

“Surely you could spare a moment to speak with me Kau Sheng” The woman said. The man, Kau Sheng, seemed to hesitate as he approached the woman.

“Very well Empress Euphemia” He said as he came to a stop a few strides away from where she sat on her throne. “I shall bear witness to your final words.”

“I seek peace” The empress said after a moment. “There need be no more bloodshed.”

“You tempt us to put down our arms,” Sheng looked at the empress with wary eyes, “so that you can enslave us once more.  You may fool some of my brothers, but I see you for what you are temptress.”

“My people have wronged yours, this I do not deny. You are angry and rightfully so, but do you really want our peoples to continue down their current path.” The empress paused. Even a blind man could see the anger in Sheng’s eyes, but she also caught a hint of hesitation. “What occurs right here and now will have resounding consequences for a millennium. Our children and grandchildren and our grandchildrens’ grandchildren will have to bear with these consequences. Would it not be better that we give them the gift of peace instead of the curse of war?” The empress slowly rose from her throne. “You and I together can bring this conflict to an end.” She took a step towards Sheng, reaching out to him. “Will you help me?” Sheng eyed the empress in silence. For a moment she allowed herself to believe that her words might reach him.

“No” Sheng finally replied. “I cannot risk trusting you for you are the lord of demons.” The empress allowed her arm to drop to her side, feeling as if someone had punched her in the gut.

“Why have you come to this place, alone, if not to seek peace.”

“Peace will be had, once you are gone.” Sheng’s reply caused the empress to raise an eyebrow.

“Ending wars is the job of armies and diplomats.” The empress commented. “The one who ends the life of the enemy’s leader is little more than an assassin.”

“Be that as it may” Sheng slowly drew his sword “I shall be heralded as the hero who brought you to an end, thus saving my people.”

“My Praetorian will not allow you to leave here alive” The empress said. She would not give this “hero” the satisfaction of seeing her shake in fear.”

“For some reason I knew you’d say that” Sheng said as he approached the “demon lord.”



[center][b]At the southern border of the Tribe of Long Night’s territory[/b][/center]

The wanderer had traveled a long and hard journey. Many comrades and friends had left Ethea with the wanderer, comrades and friends that the wanderer had lost. The journey had led them over hills and plains. They had weathered terrible thunderstorms with little more than blankets for cover. Wolves are large felines had at times hunted them. The worst had been the nomadic inhabitants of the land. The wanderer had left Ethea with twenty others, yet any who saw the wanderer from a distance would fail to see any other person; assuming one didn’t count a dog as a person.

From a distance the wanderer looked like any nomadic. A cloak made from the pelts of wolves certainly hinted towards being a nomadic, but a closer inspection would reveal the cloak to be of much higher quality than one would expect. The cloak itself also made it difficult to distinguish exactly how large the wanderer actually was.

“Soon we can rest” an impossibly small voice drifted from under the cloak’s hood. “We just have to go a bit further.” The wanderer looked down at the dog and patted it on the head with a gloved hand. The dog, a breed of mastiff, looked like it was little more than a ball of fluff. A ball of fluff with teeth. A ball of fluff that wouldn’t hesitate to attack anything that threatened its master, whether that threat be a human, wolf, or tiger.

“Shall we look for a place to ford this river?” The wanderer observed the massive river that marked the tribe of Long Night’s southern border for a moment before walking along its bank towards the east. East was where the wanderer would hopefully find the help the Ethean Empire so desperately needed.