The world was a large place filled with dangers and destruction beyond anyone's imagination. Ancient creatures lurked in the dark shadows of caves and forests and prayed on the weak and helpless citizens of The Empire. The Young Emperor Maxim on his thrones does what he can to elevate the suffering of the people but his efforts are hindered by corrupted officials who either block or even modified the words of the Emperor himself. The Empire itself contending with these beasts has increased the need for an army which have only helped further corrupted and or sociopathic generals who feed on war. Though the Empire had many good men and women in it there is no escaping the fear in the hearts of those who do of those with the need to murder, maim, torture, exploit, and dominate them. The Empire needed a savior...or group of saviors...

Night Raid...They seek to help the masses...they seek to kill those in power...overthrow the Empire...install a new order that caters to the people, made for the people, and for the people. And it will be GOVERNED by the people. It's the assassinations that feed their growing rebellion. Many flock to their righteous banner in need and seek their help and call them heroes. The Empire calls them traitors and beasts who would kill any innocent man or woman to fit their own needs. And in reality they are a group of misfits who seek to simply change things. For their own reasons they will cause a revolution they will save the people...and they will be heroes. But can a government run by the people itself truly thrive? Can Night Raid truly say they are able to change everything and wipe away the hatred?

Salvation...Salvation is what the people need. They don't need a new government they need one that works. One that doesn't thrive on benevolent hog wash and or continue on people who seek to live in their own decadence. Formed twenty some years ago in secret by a group of intellectuals and experienced generals. Their goals are different their end games varied their but one thing was for certain. These men didn't want to kill the Empire...they wanted to reform it with a new hierarchy. Leadership was needed. Solid, unwavering, and temperant leadership devoid of corruption and selfish intentions. These men wanted a home for the citizens. One of these men were one of the most dangerous men in the entire Empire. Xerxes. Xerxes promised his comrades he'd get rid of the belligerents of chaos and pave a way for the others to fix the Empire. Be it with rebels or with the people inside of the government. He formed a group initially consisting of just him. Then came two more people then more and more until it grew into what it is today. The group took the name of their end goal...Salvation...

===

Today is a bright shining day in the middle of the mountains where Salvation calls home. An ancient monastery rebuilt by Xerxes now serves as the home of operations for Salvation as they go about their lives. From all walks of lives and from various groups and organizations comes the members of Salvation. From the Empire to the Rebellion come many different and highly talented people. Some have Imperial Arms some are simply extremely deadly warriors and poets. The Temple itself consists of a large courtyard in front and a meditation garden with a small alter in the back. A three story high tower in the middle and four other smaller one story towers to the left and right corners of the square compound. It has underground highways and prisons made by Xerxes and more than enough room for a small army.

Heavily fortified and protected by heavy iron walls and gates the temple stands as a monument to the willpower of the Salvation group. Xerxes is planning a small time assassination plan on two individuals today but he needs to finalize the information before sending out his men so he has given them free time to spend as they will.

====

In the back towards the meditation garden sits Natsuo Phoenix. He sits underneath a tree his silvery hair blowing in the wind as his emerald eyes gaze through the pages of a book. It is a book about a family who travels all around the world doing all sorts of things and in the current chapter they are going around a fair talking and having an overall amazing time with their friends. Natsuo wished he could have had that life but in the end he knew he never could and probably never would. And that was fine with him. How many people had he killed in his life so far? Tens, hundreds possibly? It didn't matter to him especially he liked a good challenge.

He flipped through the pages gently as he hummed a sweet little tune to himself; a smile graced his lips. He couldn't help but wonder...what were the others up to? There were quite the number of people here but there were others in Salvation...The Lone Spirit, Hardin, Shinto to name a few. They were probably off doing their duties or gathering allies or info. It didn't really matter to Natsuo but still he couldn't help but wonder.

====

Other than Natsuo there were at least two others doing their usual routines. Nako Homura was in front of the pond dancing around practicing her absolutely gorgeous moves by herself. Her pink dressed flowing in the wind as she twirled and spun on her heels and did all various movements each as elaborate as the last. Some were simple but each were practiced and each had their own dedicated part in Nako's movements. She moved with the grace of someone who had practiced for days and nights on the moves to perfect them. Though she was beautiful and graceful she still carried herself with dignity and pride as her plain dress flowed in the wind as she spun around.

Kotaro meanwhile sat by himself in front of the main gate whiddling away at a wooden box with a knife. He had been making wooden dolls, and other mundane objects in his alone time. He found it boring but it gave him something to do and that was all that mattered to him. Not enjoying the company of others was one thing but he found talking to the crazed people Xerxes and others had recruited to their cause to be even harder to get along with. In a compound full of the crazed he found it more comforting to talk and sit alone by himself just him and his thoughts. His brown coat was covered in wood shavings and dirt. His dark brown eyes focused on the wood he was cutting intensely not letting anything else around him bother him particularly. He was a man of few words and he didn't care for the company of others. However that wasn't too say he was shy or just socially inept. He could speak well and he had no problem talking to others he just found it too be annoying. Especially when it came to Natsuo and some of the others.

Solanne listened carefully to the sounds of the wind, eye arching in plain interest. She stood in the back of their merry training field of grass, willows, and trees, resting in a corner with her arms crossed. The people around these parts who she had come to call her comrades would know her as the infamous Crimson Hound; though depending on who you were, she was either a hero or a thief. Not that the labels ever mattered to her.

The pursuit of adventure and maybe a little cash had drawn her out of bed on this day and out into fresh air. Of course, she figured that adventuring could wait on a nice day like this. Besides, the rooms in their fun little base were much too dank for her tastes. Not to mention cramped. The next time someone “breathed” on her, she wouldn’t hesitate to punch their lights out.

“No need to go around causing trouble,” she told herself.

Odds were, the only ones that would talk to her at the moment would be Natsuo and Nako. And that was usually it, considering the lack of action going on right now. That’s generally how these things tended to go, at least in her experience. Who knew? Maybe she’d actually find some excitement from this day after all.

So the redhead waited, closing her eyes and taking the time to crack her knuckles. Her mind wandered off to the old days with her old partner before they parted paths. The Crimson Hound and the Black Assassin. Now those were some fun times.

Still, one never knew what fate had in store for them all. With the rise of this Night Raid, simple thievery became the least of any village’s worries. In a sense, Solanne supposed she was here on some grand journey for justice and self-fulfillment. To bring light and hope back into an ever fading world….

Solanne snorted at her own thoughts.

“Yeah right! I just want a free meal and some cash!”

The sound of footsteps echoed on the corridors of the old monastery as Apophis once more made her way through them. Her heels clacked against the stone pavement in a quasi-rhythmic way as she looked around with her uncovered eye, while she liked her fingertips idly.

Eventually, she spotted the garden from one of the windows and noticed that some of her... companions were already gathered there. "I might as well go there too..." Apophis said to herself, just before she noticed a duo of guards commenting about her from behind a nearby corner.

"Do you... want to have some fun, mister? It might be your last, but I'll make it good." Apophis said as she closed her lips in a near kiss, after pinning one of the guards to the wall. The poor soul was almost relieving himself off in his armor, while his friend could do very little other than stare at Apophis is a catatonic daze, when she moved away from him, after getting so close to deliver her deadly kiss that he could feel the warmth of her breath on his mouth. "You shouldn't desire things that you can't touch, mister. That is, if you want survive on this world..." Apophis said as she licked her index and ran it through his torso and face, stopping just before reaching his mouth, just before letting him fall to the floor, unable to sustain his weight, since his knees were feeling like jelly.



A few minutes later, Apophis would arrive at the garden and, after looking around, she decided to sneak behind Natsuo. "Hmm..., what's is that you're doing?" Apophis asked as she coiled around the tree and tried to peek at his book, while bringing their faces as close as it was safe to.

As she waited for a reply, Apophis looked around the people in the courtyard and commented "Certainly, this place is more lively than usual... I wonder what is going to happen?" while licking her fingers slowly.

"Oh hey there Miss Apophis." Natsuo said with a kind smile though he wasn't really happy to see the woman he supposed it was about that time of day when he had to converse with his 'family'. "Nice weather huh? This book here is about a orphan who finds a new family only to have it stripped away from him by an evil duke. I'm reading it to get an idea on how an orphan who has been wronged may act. You know planning ahead for roles really helps with the process of tricking people." Natsuo said happily as he turned his head upward to look at the woman and put his hands behind his head. "As for the guys and gals around here? Well we got missions planned up. Xerxes is a bit interested in getting rid of some names while Esdeath's death squad is in shambles. Who else gives more of a damn about what we could do? Hell I bet the minister thinks those murders last week were Night Raid's doings...heh they never suspected that I wasn't a cadet. That guard captain hassling our contacts won't be a problem anymore. Too bad he didn't last too long...poor guy and his men...eh not really they were whoring bastards anyway." Natsuo said indifferently as he giggled. "Oh by the way you look pretty today. New lipstick or hair style or something?" Natsuo said as he giggled to himself childishly. He didn't really care what she looked like but that's what women liked to hear right? He was in a good mood. And why wouldn't he be? He was safe, he had a job coming up, and life kept on keeping on during a beautifully shiny day.

"Ahh... so that is it. Sometimes, I wonder how it must feel to even have a family, in first place?" Apophis commented once she got a grasp on the book's contents. Indeed, the concept of family was completely alien to Apophis, to the point that couldn't understand why people got so attached to others just because of something like blood relations.

"Anyway, thank you, actually I got a new nail polish. I'm glad you think that my fingers are pretty..." The snake-like girl said as she bent down to stare at her, now laid down, companion. Truth be told, she could feel that he was lying by listening to his heartbeats. Even if the deviation was small, it was still there, but there was no reason for Apophis to turn down the free flattering, after all, just like Natsu said, girls enjoy this kind of thing, even if it's a lie.

"I hope the old man finishes what he's doing. I'm getting tired of having nothing to do but stare at these walls." Apophis said as she shuffled around and found a spot on the sun, right next to Solanne, to take a nap with her body coiled up like a rattlesnake.

"Huh? What aren't we family? Salvation has to stick together we're all we got until we finish our mission. Even if you don't I consider you all kin just as much as blood. Even if you're all creepy or grumpy except for Solanne, The Boss, and Nako." Natsuo said as he spoke truthfully to his senior member. It may seem childish but if you didn't trust you team how could you get anywhere? Sure it was nice to have caution but if all you held in your mind was distrust then you're doomed from the start. The world didn't look kindly on the paranoid.

"Anyways though you're welcome and I'm sorry that you're getting impatient. Just give The Boss credit: He never gives us a half assed mission." Natsuo said and when Apophis went away he turned backed to his book. He wondered if the woman actually even liked him at all or felt him to be a pain. No matter what though he was glad he still had friends in Nako and The Boss. The Boss liked his work ethic even if he found him in need of a lesson on how to kill people quicker. Natsuo liked to hurt people to make them understand what being hurt really was. The weak who hurt the weaker deserved to know pain. It was only natural they suffered in their last moment like they made the others suffer. And Nako....Nako was the closest thing he had to a aunt here. She was sweet, gentle, kind...and she had been with him since day one here in Salvation. A constant that he'd never forget. "So Augustus...let's see how you deal with the duke's visit..." Natsuo said as he turned the page in his book.

Solanne raised an eye as she felt something soft rest near her side. She was about to verbally complain when she caught sight of just who decided to nap beside her. Her eyes twitched, the desire to reprimand the culprit slowly dying in resolve. How fun. The resident psycho with the snake and poison fetish had decided she was the best person to nap with.

“Er, Apophis? You know we’re gonna get our mission soon, y’know? And I know it’s a really, really nice day and all, but do you have to use me as a practical pillow?” Solanne asked, trying to shift away from the creepy girl. Honestly, the Crimson Hound had dealt with more than her share of people who weren’t quite right in the head.

With a sigh, she crossed her arms behind her head and leaned back. Glancing at the sky, she said, “Speaking of which, shouldn’t we be getting our missions soon anyway? Honestly, old Word Weaver sure likes to give us time to think to ourselves, y’know,” using her nickname for the Boss.

Yosuke Walked around the bass enjoying the weather while waiting for a mission. Anyone that saw him would see he looked like he was ready for a trip to the beach not a mission. Plain white T-shirt, messy hair, and blue pants with bare feet was what he had on right now. He walked up and stopped a few feet from Solanne and Apophis. He then used his hand to block the light from his eyes. "Awwwwwww, how cute. I didn't know you two were a couple. He stood there with a silly look on his face hopping for a priceless reaction from one of them

"I like resting on Sol's side it's warm and nice" Apophis said softly, before shifting a little bit until she actually had her head resting on Solanne's lap, almost not resisting the urge to fall back into a peaceful slumber, even though she had just got out of her bed. Then again, considering Apophis' reptilian behavior, it was no surprise that she was very lazy in the morning, just like a snake needs to bask in the Sun's heat, before feeling alive every morning.

Once Yosuke came and commented upon her relationship with Solanne, Apophis turned her gazer to him, while getting more comfy on Solanne's thigh "Sol likes to keep it private, but we've been like this for a long time... anyway, I'm really getting tired of waiting" Apophis said before closing her eye and drifting to the land of dreams again.

If one looked at her innocent breathing as she hugged Solanne, while sleeping on her lap, they would never be able to guess that that innocent looking girl was a literal cold-blooded killer. But, then again, given the quasi-childish way that Apophis behaved and the pure, almost naive, way that she tears her opponents apart with her bare hands, it's not hard to think that Apophis is really an innocent monster.

Such is the irony of fate for those whose lives have been died in the color of blood, right?

---

@Trevor1001@TheWindel

Sayuri yawned as she walked down the hallway through their base. She'd just woken up after a late night outing the day before. Looking out the window she noticed several others out in the garden. She recognized one of them as Natsuo. She knew the others but tended to stay by herself as she felt that she didn't belong. She didn't care much whether Salvation or the Revolutionary Army won as long as the current regime fell. Deciding to go down she took her time stretching her arms and back as she did nodding to those she passed. As she arrived she heard someone saying something about two being together and a confirmation from someone else. She waved at the others and smiled, "Hello everyone! how are you guys? Ready for the mission?" she created a knife and started spinning it in her hand. She had a hard time keeping her hands idle for long. Especially when she had a mission coming up. One of the reasons she liked cooking and sewing as they both kept her hands busy and her mind off the past. She turned to look at the sky, "Hopefully we all come back this time."

"It would seem I'm finished..." Xerxes muttered to him as he walked over to the bell the hung outside of his window. The dark skinned man reached his scarred arm out and grabbed the rough made string attached to the bell and jerked it hard. Soon enough the sound reverberated through the iron and stone sanctuary of Salvation. Natsuo groaned to himself as he spied Nako walking over to him and he smiled up at her. "Ah there you are Nako!" Natsuo said with glee as he grinned with his teeth showing at her. Nako giggled and nodded at Natsuo her crimson hair flowing behind her as she and Natsuo took to themselves side by side as they walked towards the middle part of the sanctuary. Xerxes used the middle building as a way to make sure no one got lost when taking the corridors that spanned the rest of the monastery. Nako was getting a bit older than she'd like but that was simply a part of life. She was in her mid thirties now but still had a lot of life left in her. Natsuo respected her as much as anyone else here. She was one of the best tactical fighters here and no one could match her with a kusarigama. Natsuo loved his sword but he liked weapons that had more than one use. "Ah yes Natsuo so how's things going with you? Boring day but hopefully the big boss has contracts ready for us all. One more step towards the future and one more step to a better nation. Even if it is leaving a blood trail in it's wake. It's for the best." Nako said to Natsuo as usual she was perky and kind but blunt in letting her feelings on the matter stick out.

"I wouldn't worry about it Nako, Xerxes probably has plenty of missions that need to be done. But for the moment we need to prepare for the big fish. So in keeping with that we can take out smaller fry and the like. But that's not to be saying it'll be a cake walk. One man can turn the tide of a battle. Just look at Night Raid or Esdeath. Those people and the general are all bonified badasses. No telling how many people like them are out there. Still can't say I really care. We're all too strong for them. Intel says Esdeath lost her entire god damn death squad. Poor woman...she'll take time to recuperate her losses." Natsuo exposited to Nako who nodded listening to Natsuo's words as the two of them entered the large pillar in the middle of the compound.

It was made of wood inside but the floor was stone and so were the stair ways. They were wood originally but Xerxes took on the pain staking job of making them into stone as to prevent a fire from burning down the whole damn thing. Nako was the first to go up the steps but was followed by Kotaro who eyes Natsuo with disinterest as Natsuo acknowledged him with a nod as the trio made their way upstairs. The first floor was storage and general purpose items. Along with a few spare guest rooms. On the second floor was an armory and some spare bedrooms to either side of the stair case. On the third was a planning room which was full of tables, and navigational equipment to plan out future big events. And finally they came to the big iron bolted doors that led to the top of the pillar and where Xerxes's office was. Natsuo couldn't tell you what was in there but he knew it was important if Xerxes kept it locked. Of course however the door was open as Xerxes was expecting his followers to come in. Nako entered and was followed by Kotaro and finally Natsuo. "Hello Xerxes you look well today sir." Nako said as the other two bowed to him by putting their right hand in a fist and putting their left hand on top of it then bending forward. It was an ancient greeting but it still was effective without showing submissive qualities to it. It was simply a show of respect. "Indeed it is Nako thank you for coming. Now we wait for the others though I believe the assignments today should hold even their bloody appetites. I've got assassinations and danger beasts that need to be dealt with as soon as possible." Xerxes saying as he sat down at his desk made of willow wood and adjusted his black cloak to fit behind him. He was wearing his cloak, his gauntlets made of flexible metal from a foreign land and a plain brown shirt and baggy pants. He looked like a hobo in Natsuo's opinion but Xerxes had explained to him in the past he wore it to show that even at the top looks did not mean everything and one should detach themselves from vanity. Hell he had even shaved his head bald but that was another personal choice.

Hearing Yosuke’s outright calling of the two girls, a sly grin crept up onto Solanne’s face. She waited for Apophis to say her part before boldly proclaiming, “Aw, do you want some affection too Swordslicker? You know, you could have just asked. I’m sure I have room for you too,” she teased, clenching onto Apophis for dramatic effect.

Of course, if she was actually in a relationship with the snake-like girl was to be pondered for another day but she did enjoy fanning the flames of rumors. At that moment though, their fun and games came to a quick end as the Boss finally made himself known to all of Salvation’s tiny band of assassins. Solanne shifted away from Apophis to stand up and lean on the tree with arms crossed.

“Eh? Sounds like Word Weaver’s finally got some missions for us, y’know,” she said with a knowing chuckle, the prospect of fresh victims exciting to bear. Waving at both Apophis and Yosuke, the Crimson Hound made her way to the Boss’ location in the middle building. She then noticed Nako and Natsuo walking ahead of her and chose to take her time.

So when she finally arrived inside of the compound and into Xerxes’ office, the other two were already settled, along with Kotaru. Finding a convenient wall to lean on, Solanne crossed her arms and waited for the others. Then it was off to listening to what the big Boss had to say to them all. She made the effort of bowing to him first before letting him proceed onward.

"Ah so Solanne graces us with her presence. Tell me my dear girl how are you doing today?" Xerxes inquires simply as Natsuo looked over to her and then back to Xerxes. The boss was a kind and respectful man but he wondered if being so casual around people like them was appropriate. Then against that's what separated him from the Imperial trash that clouded the Imperial Capital. The power of Xerxes was something foreign to him but just by looking at the way he carried himself told him that Xerxes knew a thing or two about how to hurt someone really really bad. "Where's the others...I got here from the gate in less time than it's taking them to walk up the stairs." Kotaro mumbled indignantly as Nako smiled at her compatriot and patted his shoulders. "Don't be so tense Kotaro my friend. They'll be here soon I'm sure enough. Besides you may be sent out with them so you really shouldn't bad talk them." Nako said as Kotaro grunted. "Fair enough." Kotaro said not feeling like dealing with Nako's nonsense. Natsuo simply giggled at two of them. His seniors were so talented...yet they were like a couple of cousins or old friends complaining about work.

Yosuke smiled at the two girls as they gave a response. "Not this time. Maybe I'll join next time if you ask or if any of you two want to spend some time with just me I'm okay with that too." He gave a wink at the girls before he went to go see what kind of jobs Xerxes had for them. As Yosuke approached the others they would hear his bare feet padding right before he entered. "Hello everyone. Did I miss anything?" He leaned up against the wall and waited for Xerxes to start talking about the jobs available.

Apophis was shook of her slumber when Solanne got up and moved to the briefing meeting with the boss. She noticed that Yosuke was still there, but didn't paid him much mind until she finished stretching her whole body, finally feeling alive for the first time in the morning.

"If Sol said so, I would not complain about playing with you some day" Apophis said, before languidly scaling the stone steps of the stairway that led to Xerxes' sanctum.

When she arrived there, pretty much everyone was already reunited which wasn't exactly a problem in Apophis' view. "Hi, old man, and the others too..." Apophis said, trying to be polite, just before finding her own cozy bit of wall to lurch around in her usual coiled posture, licking her fingertips idly as she waited for Xerxes to go on.

"You should should respect to your commanding officer you two." Kotaro said flatly to all of his recently entered companions as Xerxes moved his hand into the air and stopped him from saying anything else. He needed no infighting between his subordinates. "Do I really look that old too you? I'm only forty one you know that's hardly anything worth calling old. All the same I do not expect yo1b1464u to call me master or my lord and I am not any of those things nobles like to cling too. Refer to me as you wish as long as it doesn't cross the line." Xerxes said calmly as he reached out to a scroll on his desk and pulled it out to it's full length. "I suppose I should not go to pleasantries to extend our time together. After all between all of you Nako is the only one I suspect would even bother with those. We've got a collection of missions we need to get done. As of now Esdeath's Death Squad is in fact dead. Sources inside the Imperial Court also inform me the Imperial Army is getting ready to attack Night Raid. Our contacts inside of the Revolutionary Army have no news for us regarding their current state at the moment. So we're going to need to get clever." Xerxes said as he got up and walked over to a map that was put up on the wall of The Empire and it's border states.

"Really we should be striking out as much as possible eliminating as many enemies without drawing suspicion to the idea of there being another group besides Night Raid. Of course Night Raid has declared that some assassinations were not theirs but the idiot minister doesn't believe them. There are some who suspect us still so caution but bold caution is required. Or am I wrong?" Natsuo asked as he looked at the map. Xerxes was putting up flags on the map a couple were around the capital. Another was up a bit further north. Some where nearby. And others were spread around seemingly at random. "We need to get the job done as efficiently as possible if we draw notice to us so be it. But people or animals need to die for us to move forward or our allies. Once the revolution starts it won't be for the people and it won't be glorious. It will be something brutal and something nasty. So while we should proceed with caution as Natsuo says I believe we should be bolder and get rid of our bigger enemies while still keeping up the shroud of working for Night Raid." Kotaro said as Xerxes finally spoke up.

"Take either approach we can afford to lose some of our secrecy but we can't afford to be too ambitious. Kotaro has the jest of it but for the moment let me explain what I'm sending you out too do today. I will allow you to pick the missions you desire today as I have our secondary outpost taking on another series of missions of their own. The first mission I must inform you of is one at the capital." Xerxes said as he tapped the Imperial Capital with his middle finger. "First off though I'd like to say before starting you can volunteer to join any of these missions. If you don't volunteer I will assign you one. So one of our targets is a whoring bastard named Daiki Asuka. He is a financial and political supporter of the minister. He is in the way of one of our supporters and he erodes our support at court. Once he is out of the way one of our friends will be able to advance further in the ranks hopefully. He is the son of former minister of internal affairs as well so he will be well guarded. He is hosting a decadent party that will host some other targets as well though they're optional. I will inform the people who are going there of the other targets. Daiki is a lover of women, drink, and he loves too draw art. He will be easy to take out once you get his attention. Getting into the party should be easy once you get to the capital. Our women should be easily able to get in one they catch his eye or one of his staff's. The males here could either hire themselves off as a body guard by applying as a mercenary at their front door though that'd probably won't work. Another option is to sneak in but that's dangerous. It may be possible to hire yourself on as the guard of a guest but that could be problematic. Above all you SHOULD NOT reveal your identity and hide yourself as much as possible. I don't need your faces on wanted posters." Xerxes said as he moved onto the one in the mountains.

"Reports say that a group of men supporting the Revolution have gathered in this old abandoned fort here. They will be threats for numerous reasons though their goal is to attack one of the empire's bases. The problem about that being it is commanded by one of our supporters. We will need to eliminate them and make it look like a bandit attack. Simple: Kill everyone. Leave no one alive. There's about forty of them there and they are commanded by a rather experienced ex-imperial officer named Kai. He was known as The Man of One Thousand Axes. He has no imperial arms though he has been known to be able to match some of the empire's finest in combat. There's a back entrance to the fort. A back entrance that leads into an escape tunnel leading into the fort. Or you could go through the gates and do it that way. Just be efficient. I have no other advice on the matter." Xerxes said as he moved onto the one nearby.

"Danger Beasts are making the roads unsafe for our caravans and merchants. We need to secure supply to our fort and keep the road safe. The Empire has turned a blind eye to it and we need to deal with it as soon as possible. I'd say it's probably a clan of A/B Class danger beasts. Dangerous but any of you should be able to handle it. Kotaro will be going on this mission by default. I doubt anyone of you has his tracking skills. What else do I need to say on the matter? Just get rid of them and if you find anything useful bring it back otherwise just come back alive." Xerxes said as he looked back to his group now and then breathed in slowly.

"I have other missions but I will wait to see if you can get these done first. The ones who will probably get done first is the danger beast group. Once they're done, if they get done, I will send them on another mission. Depending on how the others fair in their jobs then I will send them off on other missions as well. Any questions? I'm sure I left something out that at least one of you is worried about."

"If this irritated you, old man, I can stop... but then, what would I call you?" Apophis said, when Xerxes seemed to get enervated by her way of calling, even though she has done so for as much time as she has been with Salvation.

However, she remained quiet, as Xerxes explained the tasks that he needed to be taken care off. Only after he was done with with his speech, that Apophis raised her left hand, pointing to the mark over the Imperial Capital "I want to go to the capital, but I have never been there on my own, so I was thinking if Sol or Sayu would like to come with me? The old man said that it'll be easier if we go on this one, after all."

After expressing her interest, Apophis fell silent again, waiting for her... companions' answer while licking her fingertips as usual.

"You call me boss, sir, or Xerxes. That is what most people call me Apophis. I am not a man who is prone to anger or disdain over a simple name though so you do as you will." Xerxes simply answered as he considered the prospect of the three of them heading off together to the ball and then looked back at Apophis. "You and Solanne work together well enough though I feel Sayuri is ill prepared for the life in the capital. She would find it hard to get involved with the rituals and various things that revolve the place. I would feel Yosuke would be better off going there with you though that is up to the two of them."

Solanne raised an eye at Apophis’ statement, keeping her place across the wall’s side. While she appreciated the other girl’s enthusiasm, she couldn’t help but feel she was being somewhat possessive of her. The snake-like girl did know Solanne was only joking, right?

“Hmm. Personally, I liked the mission with this so called Man of One Thousand Axes. Stealth and espionage just isn’t my thing, y’know? Besides, I get to crack of few skulls without holding back. That’s enough to get me excited,” she said, pounding her fists together and grinning darkly.

"I'd probably be more helpful with the fort as well but I may be needed to take on the danger beasts. Not to insult Kotaro but I don't think anyone should take on danger beasts by themselves. Because who the hell knows what happens with them." Natsuo said simply not really all too much caring about the situation as long as he got a mission to do he was happy. But there was a difference between going to a fort and hiking in the mountains to kill monsters. Imperial HQ needed to get their crap together if they couldn't go out and hunt down danger beasts. Natsuo was itching to put on his armor, his cloak, and his mask. It was not everyday he got to get in full battle gear. Even if his mask was uncomfortable it still did the job of shielding his face.