[CENTER][IMG]https://i.imgur.com/O58E6of.jpg[/IMG]
[COLOR=FF7F50]"...they're coming."[/COLOR][/CENTER]

T'was on a barrier island barely thirty kilometers off of the coast of the Blessed Isle. Warm summer air and a pleasantly salty breeze belied the terror the inhabitants were going through. Lintha pirates, horrible rogues with a penchant for demon worship and wanton slaughter, were laying siege to the small community. Despite it all, one young woman walked toward the sea shore. Her eyes transfixed to the horizon, she muttered only two words. Though her words were nearly silent to all but the most keen of ears, one of the nearby Lintha was able to read her lips. The pirate grumbled, then briskly walked over and cuffed her upside the head with the haft of his broad-axe.

[COLOR=B0C4DE][B]"Oi, you daft cunt! We's already 'ere!"[/B][/COLOR] growled the pirate as he ran his knife up the back of the woman's dress. However, something stopped the man dead in his tracks as he leaned in to grope her and run his tongue along her cheek. What came next was not what the pirate expected. [COLOR=FF7F50][B]"Mmm, yeah... come on, you mutated Lintha bastard. Come on! Take me like the whore you want me to be!"[/B][/COLOR] As she finished, the woman grabbed hold of her top and tore it off, only to throw it in the pirate's face. Surprised, the pirate stepped back momentarily... only to be run through with a large sword.

The girl before him tilted her head, smiled, and waved goodbye to her would-be rapist before bursting into tiny ribbons of crimson and black. As the Lintha turned his head to see who had stabbed him from behind, he saw a [URL=https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/4f5574f0-39f9-4320-adb8-2999b9a5e286/dbd1klv-208974b8-387a-47fc-9770-d08fe5b19fde.jpg/v1/fill/w_378,h_250,q_70,strp/jeanne_alter_by_notprimula_dbd1klv-250t.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9ODQ2IiwicGF0aCI6IlwvZlwvNGY1NTc0ZjAtMzlmOS00MzIwLWFkYjgtMjk5OWI5YTVlMjg2XC9kYmQxa2x2LTIwODk3NGI4LTM4N2EtNDdmYy05NzcwLWQwOGZlNWIxOWZkZS5qcGciLCJ3aWR0aCI6Ijw9MTI4MCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.U2I-nmTi4EZaHjGK6sHP4brbM9IFFLch7MZOo-aIKus]woman clad in dark armor[/URL] for the briefest of moments before she tore her sword out sideways through his ribcage and followed it up with a decapitation.

Flicking the blood from her blade, the woman was clearly irritated. [COLOR=FF7F50][B]"I sent the signal to those blighters in Thorns nearly six weeks ago. You'd think crossing the inland sea on th..."[/B][/COLOR]

[CENTER]==================================================[/CENTER]
It was a day like any other in the Imperial Ruins. The night had brought light rain, the morning was cool and pleasant, and most folks were just trying to get through another day. As he sat across from one of the various churches in the Ruins, Fergus chuckled and said [COLOR=FF8C00][B]"I suppose I should go deliver the news to them."[/B][/COLOR] before popping a handful of Bloodberry Trail Mix into his mouth. What news? Well, it was not likely good news for the folks using the building. The local magistrate had been informed by the owner of the land that he wished the current "tenants" to vacate. Why? He wanted to build a home there for his extended family, as doing so in the Imperial Ruins was far cheaper than buying a new plot of land elsewhere. 

For a moment, Fergus thought to himself if he REALLY wanted to enforce this writ. From everything he'd heard, the monk who headed this little conclave was not only a veteran of the war but also a pillar of the local community. That only lasted a moment, however. Fergus was, after all, a child of House Mnemon. Not only did he have to live up to that, but his reputation as a barrister would take a huge hit if he refused to present writs to defendants. If THAT happened, he wouldn't make near as much jade. If he didn't make as much jade, well... he could kiss moving back home goodbye. When it all boiled down, he didn't have much choice in the matter.

Another handful of his favorite snack went down the hatch as he sat there thinking, but he couldn't really delay any longer. He had four other writs to hand out before the end of the day. Given the size of this district of the city and the fact he was on foot, that alone would take up most of his afternoon. Not to mention the walk home afterward. Thankfully he would be in the courtroom all day tomorrow and his poor legs would get a break from all the walking. Still, a job was a job. It was time to be the bearer of bad news. It sucked, but someone had to do it. And so Fergus put on his best face and headed over to the rather quaint-looking house of worship. 

[COLOR=FF8C00][B]"Dragons, please forgive me for this one. I'm just doing my job."[/B][/COLOR]