Yaro would look towards her, placing the sword on his shoulder, as he leaned against a tree. "<b>Being a mercenary means image is everything about us- We can't chose our clients, so on the chance we got a contract, we had to play nice, even if the person was a total prick- we couldn't exactly waste our time and insult our sponsor and expect to be paid. Civil Conduct is a major tenet in the Scarlet Edge. There is little difference between us and hired thugs, so we must act accordingly. Civility, Professionalism, and Tact are necessities when dealing with clients, Tegrin taught me that.....it helps we're also good at our job, but Guilds live and die by their reputation. If we act like assholes, people will think we're assholes." </b>Yaro said. It was a crude and simplistic way to put it, but that was how the mercenary world operated in a nutshell.<b>"We're not like our cousins in the Scorching Sun- We have codes."</b><br/><br/>People wanted Professional Soldiers, not bandits who try to act all legitimate.<br/><br/><a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fih0.redbubble.net%2Fimage.80384736.2485%2Fraf%2C750x1000%2C075%2Ct%2Cheather_grey.jpg&amp;hash=357a416ba65f86cb944ce7d7645a057c" href="https://ih0.redbubble.net/image.80384736.2485/raf,750x1000,075,t,heather_grey.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">The Scorching Sun's</a>were another Mercenary outfit, similar to the Scarlet Edge in structure, but they had a reputation as brutal killers- Jhoira typically hired them out to deal with the Alethera's forces and destroy key targets. An example was the Massacre of Xiltyn- It was a trade hub on the western approach. A Jhoiran General hired the Scorching Sun to send a message to the Kingdom of Alethera by sacking the city, and the Scorching Sun took it one step further- They butchered the town guard, executed the nobles present, then killed all the civilians they could find, women and children both. Two Noble Families who had line's had lasted for generations ended that day, and countless lives were pointlessly cut down. The Scorching Sun's were butchers to the core.<br/><br/>The Scorching Sun's and the Scarlet Edge had a long history of hostility, due to the actions caused by the Scorching Sun's. Because of their brutality and similar structure, many nobles fail to call the difference between the two factions, and thus the Scarlet Edge are continuously clashing with nobles who see them as little more than thugs. Besides them, the only other Mrecenary Companies of similar structure were the Silver Crescent's to the South and the Eternal Night in the North.<br/><br/>Past the mountains, in icy lands and rocky slopes, the Kingdom of Lithlad stood ageless, outside of the modern age, a relic of the power of the Eternal Empire of Valkyr. Though the Old Empire was long since history, Lithlad retained much from it's splendor and power from the Eternal Empire. Technology beyond comprehension, Magic of Great Power, but isolated in the Frozen North to research without restriction, ruled by an Oligarchy of Mage-Kings, though Grand Enchanter<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2F736x%2F76%2Fee%2Fcc%2F76eecc930b806bce8141634a53e2aa92--fantasy-queen-fantasy-art-women.jpg&amp;hash=e602ec173411034a9e468e6db8f43806" href="https://i.pinimg.com/736x/76/ee/cc/76eecc930b806bce8141634a53e2aa92--fantasy-queen-fantasy-art-women.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Anira Sellzen</a>was often the first to encourage diplomacy. Eternal Night, officially the<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pinimg.com%2Foriginals%2Fa9%2Fb5%2Fed%2Fa9b5edc8a2ffe11c3b85b7e1e1959309.jpg&amp;hash=62b508322469ffcb48e81df9869cbc5c" href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a9/b5/ed/a9b5edc8a2ffe11c3b85b7e1e1959309.jpg" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Order of Eternal Night</a>, was the oldest Mercenary Guild on the Continent, maybe in the world. Founded by the former Legionnaires of the Empire, It has since become an Order dedicated to preserving the knowledge and culture of the Empire and protecting what remained of it's citizens.<br/><br/>Officially speaking, Lithlad was Neutral in the conflict between Jhoira and Alethera, but Lithlad often traded with Alethera for it's food and crops, resources they could not claim in the North, in exchange for their skills in magic and their learning. The Court Magician,<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fdb4sgowjqfwig.cloudfront.net%2Fcampaigns%2F94871%2Fassets%2F405724%2Fwallpaper_Portrait_4.jpg%3F1419917948&amp;hash=fb96a3a121386866577fb56dcee9d795" href="https://db4sgowjqfwig.cloudfront.net/campaigns/94871/assets/405724/wallpaper_Portrait_4.jpg?1419917948" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Tal Afaya</a>, was a native Lithladian and their Diplomatic Representative, and though his pride could be taxing, it was well earned by his power- He had worked hard for his strength.<br/><br/>In the South, where the forests became thick, the air muggy, and strange creatures roamed the land, the Kingdom of Ang Gijak-Ishi dominated from the tall trees to the beaches of the south. Beastfolk, creatures outside of myth and stories told to children, roam there after the Wood Elves Kingdom was conquered by the Eternal Empire. The Beastfolk were to be used as Slave Labor, to build the Empire farther out, but upon it's collapse the newly freed slaves established their dominance in the land they now called home. Alethera had attempted to conquer Ang Gijak-Ishi in the past, when the Kingdom was still young, and the Clan Lords called to their allies in Jhoira, who were reliant upon the resources of the woods from their Southern Kin.<br/><br/>The Beastfolk respected Strength. if you could survive the creatures of the forest, and the perils of the desert, then you were respected in their eyes. Jhoira and Ang gijak-Ishi's friendship had lasted to this day. When Jhoira declared war upon Alethera, the Beastfolk were quick to mobilize their forces in the South. The West and South were dangerous to the large Kingdom of Alethera, likely explaining why the North hadn't been properly settled. The<a class="link link--external" data-proxy-href="/proxy.php?link=https%3A%2F%2Fvignette.wikia.nocookie.net%2Fjvs%2Fimages%2Fa%2Fac%2FGaijin_Crest.jpg%2Frevision%2Flatest%3Fcb%3D20100115184304&amp;hash=f5061fcd88c8db01ba9e68815881aaf9" href="https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/jvs/images/a/ac/Gaijin_Crest.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100115184304" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" target="_blank">Silver Crescent's</a>were the clanless and the outcasts of their society, making coin in outer lands for their beastial strength and natural abilities, but often were betrayed due to their heritage from the South, so they were highly distrustful of their patron's. One of their policies was getting half the pay up front- If they refused to pay, they weren't worth the time.<br/><br/>None of them could back out of a contract though- Ang Gijak-Ishi's society placed a lot of honor on the sworn oath, their word was their bond. Presently, the Silver Crescents were hired by Alethera to do hit and run skirmishes in their native land, to keep their forces at bay, and though the relationship between the Company was cold, their Leader owed the former Husband to the Queen his life- A lifedebt, to Summarize, is if a person's life was saved by another, the saved person was obligated to pledge their life to protecting and looking after their savior, even to the point of sacrificing their own life, if necessary. The last thing the King asked was for the Silver Crescent's to protect his home, and though grudges were long, The beastfolk would never betray a vow.<br/><br/>Four Groups, all holding different values, and all symbolizing the Heavens- Scarlet Edge-Solar Eclipse, Eternal Night-Lunar Eclipse, Scorching Sun's-The Sun, and Silver Crescent's-The Moon. Their values, Devotion to the Future, Respect for the Past, Glory in Battle, and Honorable Living were bound to clash one day, these four groups going at it would become a blood bath. Being a Mercenary had become a lot more dangerous in the days since the Red Sparrow of the Night's Watch became Lady Eliona Fortuna, Hand of the Queen. Many Mercenaries in respectable companies, that did not know her personally, had felt she turned her back on her own people, though Yaro suspected that wasn't true- Not with the way she was.<br/><br/>Yaro would watch as she pulled her armor off, his eyes scanning her body with fervor as he took in the delicious shape and skin. Pulling his sword out of the ground, he watched the barrier fall around them, before letting out a sigh of relief. Untying his armor, he let it fall to the ground, but would place....gloves on his hand? These gloves appeared to be smithing gloves, but hand-made, and only the underhand was braced, which was odd. The grin on his face said all that was needed- He was waiting for a chance to fight her. When he saw the barrier, he would smirk, before looking towards her at her promise of his lips on hers and more, if he could disarm and pin her. Yaro would let out a laugh, before speaking up once sentence.<br/><br/>"<b>Don't make promises you won't keep."<br/>
</b><br/>Then? He struck.<br/><br/>Yaro struck her blade once with his, counting down in his head as the impact was felt. '<i>59, 58, 57, 56....' </i>Before he would switch his handle of the blade so that an incoming strike would slide off. Yaro's strike was meant to test her strength, and despite being a noble blood, her impact had the feeling of her training- She was strong. Yaro would need to pull out all the stops on this one. Eliona would watch as he would change into a.....fencing stance? But then, he would do something unexpected- He changed his grip so that one hand had the hilt, but the other? It wrapped around the middle of the blade, before he began striking savagely at her. This was called '<i>Half-Swording</i>'- a fighting technique used to better control the pace of a longsword and deliver more savage strikes.'<i>34, 33, 32, 31....'</i><br/><br/>There was just one problem- This style was restricted to being taught to the Kingsguard, and that had been disbanded since the King died, where had he picked it up?<br/><br/>Yaro and her would continue trading blows, until he saw her lunging, but instead of blocking,  he lowered his arm and allowed the blade to strike. It would sink into his arm, but Yaro just had a victorious grin on his face. '<i>21, 20, 19...'.</i>He would then maneuver his grip, and would use the hilt to wrench the blade away, tossing it out of her reach and into a shrub some steps away. Yaro would point his sword towards her and grin. "<b>Because, Eliona- When something is promised to me that I want, I won't hold any stops- If I play, I play to win, no reason to back off." </b>He said, the blood from his bleeding arm dripping down.  Yaro had a fire in his eye, a sign he was truly enjoying the fight between them, but it had only just started.<br/><br/>He was playing with her- Enjoying watching he fine body at work, in the midst of battle, before claiming his reward.<br/><br/><a class="username" data-user-id="680" data-username="@Archduchess" data-xf-init="member-tooltip" href="https://blackdahliaroleplaying.com/members/680/">@Archduchess</a>