Steel cuts through flesh, and the strings of a pouch were loosened.

“Weak... the lot of them,” a man said in disappointment as he stood over a bearman’s freshly hunted body. “I thought Solum said these demi-folk were causing problems for the empire, but here we are...” The streets behind him were lined with the dead: men, women, children, and elderly -- each of them missing an ear.

“My dear Falxis, you couldn’t possibly expect these cretins to have been a challenge for you.” The voice came from a flamboyant young man. Though his face was painted with extravagant makeup that gave the impression of a court jester, he was dressed in a three-piece suit, with a top hat resting upon his head. The red lipstick he wore ran off the edges of his mouth and curled into a clown-like smile at his cheeks. Under both of his eyes were three teardrop paintings of a blue tint.

Turning his back from his prey, he closed his pouch and tied it to his belt. “Even so, those words don’t remedy the displeasure of having a hunt with no joy. You understand well, don’t you, Histrio?” Falxis spoke in a deep tone of voice; it came from the mouth of a burly man hidden under a bear’s pelt.

Proclaiming with Shakespearean theatrics, “You’re quite right. There can be no tragedy without comedy! Everything we do must be for the sake of entertainment, whether for the gods or for man!” Ending his speech, Histrio bowed his head with one arm against his chest and the other in the air.

His dramatic performance received a slow clap, but it was not from the hands of Falxis. “Bravo. Bravo.” The man was cheering in a monotonous manner.

Both Falxis and Histrio turned their attention to this unexpected visitor of theirs. They saw a man wearing a chainmail shirt, draped over was a tabard bearing the Sigil of Light.

“You two are relieved here. The King’s orders.” Pulling a piece of parchment out from between his belt and displaying it, “Falxis and Histrio, you have received a summons. His Majesty, King Solum is holding a conference of urgent matters and it requires your participation. The conference will be held on the 18th hour of the new moon.”

“Ah! What wonderful news, Falxis! Thank you, courier.”

Falxis, looking slightly irritated at the news, rebutted, “Who will be overseeing this region in our absence?”

“Knight-Marshal Boland is already marching his regiment to this position.” The courier explained, “Come tomorrow, there will be one thousand fighting men and women stationed here at the edge of the Beast Kingdom.”

“I see. It seems we will be taking our leave then, Histrio.”

“Yes, let us be on our way.”

Falxis and Histrio split off toward the capital city of Aurora, while the imperial courier made his way further east, where Knight-Marshal Boland and his regiment were marching from.

“We’ve got about two weeks before we need to convene there; that’s quite a bit of time, considering how close the Beast Kingdom’s border is to Aurora.” Falxis thought of many reasons for the sudden change in orders, but no matter how many scenarios he thought of, there was almost no strategic value in any of them. “I wonder what this is all about anyway.”

Histrio ran his hands up Falxis’ broad shoulders and began to massage them. “Well, we will find that out soon enough. For now, I believe we should take some time to relax.”

“You’re right. Let us do that.” Continuing down their current path, a fleeting thought crossed Falxis’ mind. “I hope we don’t run into that salacious woman the King keeps by his side...”