Mists of the Rising Sun

Foreword
''This is actually not the first story I have written on the Sandbox, but it is most definitely the first serious work I will attempt to write. I understand that most RPs and stories just aren't my thing because of the themes, so I wish to write something that examines the TES world in another light.''

''For a long time since I started writing, my inspiration has always been Chinese High Fantasy Martial Arts Novels (for those who know, Wuxia and Xianxia Novels, as they are called), so this project is somewhat a way to rewrite certain stories with the themes from said novels and elements of them, rather than the typical very standard high fantasy route taken in TES RPs and Stories. ''

''It is an alternate universe setting, so do not expect it to completely line up with what you expect to see if lore was followed 100% accurately and slavishly. That being said, I do not intend to warp the lore as much as I usually do when I write.''

''That being said, excessive amounts of move exchange may drag fights on, so there will be moves inspired from other media if necessary to end the battle. Anything that is meant to be in another language will be written using phonetic approximations for understanding purposes (romanji, hanyu pyinyin etc). It can be a bit confusing, but the whole story is written in English despite the presence of multiple languages.''

''Tsaesci Language is based on Japanese. Ka Po Tun Language will mostly be based on Mandarin Chinese.''

Prologue
"Long live the Emperor! A thousand years he shall endure!" chorused the entire court. Row after row of civil officials stood in their formal attire, each waiting for their turn to speak. The military generals, clad in their full dragonscale armor, waited at attention behind the civil officials, again in orderly rows. All of them had their heads lowered in a reverent bow, hands clasped together. Upon the throne, a lone figure sat. While this individual was no younger than the middle aged and elderly men greeting him, he had not aged a single day since his coronation as a young man. He was Ryunnosuke Itsuka, the Emperor of the Tsaesci.

"At ease" commanded Ryunnosuke as he raised his hand after standing up, causing those who had come to the imperial court to raise their heads and lower their hands. The crimson eyes of the Emperor swept across the court, examining and practically dissecting each and every person mentally as they visibly winced at the cold gaze that was shot their way. Without further words, Ryunnosuke sat back upon his throne carved of jade and constructed with gold.The various officials seemed to hesitate, some of them shuffling around but none daring to truly depart from the exact order that was imposed on them.

Of course, not all the officials were the same, with a single man stepping forward. Ryunnosuke rolled his eyes visibly. This was the noisiest of the three vice chancellors, the insufferable Arata Mikogami. A Guardian Clan member, carrying the same royal blood of the Ancestral Empress Nozomi. Which meant he didn't age either and had yakked away in front of the eternally youthful Ryunnosuke with his equally youthful voice for what appeared to be an eternity, even if it was actually just shy of twenty five years. An annoying man who had to talk about every small thing under the sun. Dismissing Arata was a problem, though, since that would anger the former Emperor, who was not actually dead yet, just retired. Ryunnosuke's brows creased in response, wrinkling up his normally smooth and beautiful visage. The Guardian Clans were sometimes a bane.

"You see, your Majesty, recently the number of foreign ships that are straying into our waters have increased in number. We have successfully turned away many with magic and destroyed those who have come too close for comfort, but this isn't a permanent solution. At this rate, we will eventually be discovered" began Arata, as he gestured somewhat dramatically with his hands to make his point known. It appeared that Arata's behavior was very much more in line with his apparent, biological age than his actual chronological one.

"Are you asking me to amass armies to cross the oceans and crush the origins of these foreign vessels? You all are given political power so you don't have to bother me with stupid decisions like that" replied Ryunnosuke, bored of all the talking as he placed his head on one of his hands, tilting towards the side to show his disinterest in the subject being discussed.

"That is not the main problem I am talking about. There has recently been a case where mercy was given and a ship was captured. We were going to bring the sailors in for questioning and then execute them, but they were sprung from jail and escaped with the daughter of a local magistrate. I am suggesting we send forces over to recapture the girl and try her for her crimes. The sailors appear to be of Tamrielic origin" said Arata, again reinforcing his claims with exaggerated waving of his hands.

"Your majesty, please reconsider! This is a golden opportunity for diplomacy with Tamriel rather than aggression. If we can show them we mean no harm, we can avoid any potential war that may come to be. I suggest we send someone of importance, so we can ensure the return of the girl and see to her punishment" said a wizened old man with a bad back. The other vice chancellor called Sato Okamoto. It was obvious he wasn't a Guardian Clan member or a Spirit Pressure practitioner, which meant he was simply waiting for his soon to be arriving death. Ryunnosuke exchanged the hand he was leaning on and switched his tilt over to the other side, still bored and annoyed that the officials had to make him think on their behalf.

"You make a good point. We cannot risk war on two fronts. The magic and weapons of Tamriel may be inferior to our own, but the Ka Po Tun have always remained a threat. They may not have moved since their crushing defeat, but if our position in this land is weakened by war, we will become vulnerable. I don't like the idea of sending Golden Snakemen over. You saw the mess they created across the seas when my ancestors ruled this country. Any better suggestions?" said Ryunnosuke, having already decided he was going to remain neutral on the matter until someone spoke. The officials were mostly all talk, with no actual solutions given.

The man known to all as Arata Mikogami obviously had no idea when it was appropriate to shut up, since he immediately raised his voice and said "aren't your children versed in Tamrielic language and of great importance? If we send second princess Kasumi to Tamriel, they will give us a favorable response. She is a person of great importance, beauty and intelligence..."

Ryunnosuke's face immediately changed, as he coughed and raised his hand to cut the man off before he prattled on further about diplomacy and sending the princesses to make peace with the barbarians. It wasn't the first time Arata had suggested such an idea, except the previous suggestions were regarding the Ka Po Tun and Kamal instead. As the officials began to murmur among themselves, Ryunnosuke's mind began to piece together the standard excuses to avoid sending his daughters away. A disaster scenario of Kasumi getting kidnapped in Tamriel popped up in his head. A more close to home scenario of his wife the Empress making a scene and blasting someone to death with magic soon followed up. Ryunnosuke was glad that the Empress never attended the morning court sessions.

The wheezing voice of Sato Okamoto destroyed Ryunnosuke's disaster projections, as the old man said "Your Majesty, if I may be so bold to suggest, Arata Mikogami has a son known as Ren Mikogami. If you do not mind, the young man can protect your daughter as her bodyguard in Tamriel. He is fluent in Tamrielic as well. Your daughter has a lot to gain from this. For one, she is the weakest Spirit Pressure user among your five children, so this will allow her to accrue merit and respect from the everyone. Also, this is a service to the country that is safe for her to undertake. Well, relatively, compared to fighting on the battlefield. There is no necessity to send her to Tamriel for a diplomatic wedding with any state actor."

"Did you just suggest that my son ... " Arata Mikogami's voice died in his throat when Ryunnosuke stared straight into his eyes and in fact raised a single palm to face him. As both of them were Spirit Pressure users, Arata was well aware that Ryunnosuke was much stronger than him in magical arts and the open palm was essentially a signal that he would be publicly executed as an example to all the others if he opposed the Emperor on this one. It appeared Ryunnosuke had made up his mind and got over his initial worries of Kasumi, since the girl couldn't inherit the throne anyway and indeed had the least achievements among the siblings. That, and Sato Okamoto's assertion destroyed any further talk on sending Kasumi for diplomatic marriage.

"Very well. I see the logic in that even if I personally do not agree. This concludes the matter. Let's move on to the next issue. I am sure you two old farts have talked enough" said Ryunnosuke, before anyone had a response to what they just witnessed.

Chapter 1
Kasumi Itsuka frowned as she scrunched up yet another piece of paper, before carelessly tossing it aside. She grumbled as she leaned forward, grinding the inkstone against the inkwell as she added more water. She had practiced writing in Tamrielic for the past hour or so, yet nothing was actually getting done. Somehow, she was simply bad at languages outside of her native Tsaesci word, like how she wasn't particularly talented at learning the arts of Spirit Pressure. As much as her tutors had taught her that a pen was mightier than a sword, Kasumi always felt that the sword was far easier to use and produced good results a lot faster.

It didn't take much for Kasumi to dip her fine tipped brush into the ink as she pulled a fresh sheet of paper from the stack beside her, having realized much to her consternation that by crushing up the previous sheet, she had essentially threw away all the hard work that went into it along with her mistakes. Seeing that her right sleeve was tainted when she was careless with the ink grinding earlier was the last straw. With a flick of her hand, Kasumi threw the brush very much like she was throwing a knife, having had enough of practicing. She was well aware she was a Spirit Pressure practitioner, which meant somebody would be buying a new brush for her when she was calmed down enough to resume practice.

The expected snap of the calligraphy brush that Kasumi expected never came, which surprised her enough to look up. Sure enough the brush didn't hit a wall because her younger brother Tetsuya had conveniently walked into the room and he had caught the brush in his hand. There wasn't much he could do about the ink that splattered on his face, painting irregular black splotches across what would have been considered fair and perfect to others. Kasumi pointed at her younger brother and started to laugh uncontrollably, even as thoughts on how to finish her assignment finally clicked in her mind. It was well known that this particular brother of hers was extremely intelligent and learned everything fast. Most importantly, he wrote perfect Tamrielic and never made a single mistake.

Standing up and walking over, Kasumi pulled what appeared to be a silk handkerchief from her robes and used it to clean her brother's face, before tossing the now blackened handkerchief into the same pile of crushed papers that contained her mistake ridden writings. She took the pen from her brother's hands and pulled on his cheeks with the other, saying "you are a good boy, right? Mind coming over to help your kind big sister do her writing task? I will owe you another favor after this and I will do anything you ask me to."

"You already owe me more than ten favors and we got caught by mother once. Have you forgotten what she made us do?" said Tetsuya in reply. He was already lacking in enthusiasm when he walked into his elder sister's room after he passed by the morning court session, having prepared only to say his goodbye and wish his sister a good journey. He figured no one else would see her off anyway, since their two elder siblings had much higher appointments than he did and their youngest sister was too lazy and self absorbed to notice what happened around her. Tetsuya almost started talking when Kasumi put the brush back into his hand, cutting him off.

"Just help me write! I will pay you money this time! I am off to practice against the snakemen again!" said Kasumi as she giggled and pulled open the door with a wide smile on her face. That was when she bumped into someone and felt a pair of claw like hands descend on her shoulders. A cold feeling ran down Kasumi's spine as she recognized the hands.

"Kasumi, where do you think you are going? You have not finished the assignment the royal tutor gave you, now you want to run away and play? You are coming with me. Tetsuya, you as well. Since you want to train with the snakemen and Tetsuya is abetting your misdeeds, both of you have to face the consequences" said a venomously sweet female voice that was similar to Kasumi's own in pitch and timbre. Kasumi herself began to sweat, as she recognized the voice of her own mother. Looking up, Kasumi's crimson eyes met her mother's black ones.

Empress Ayaka Itsuka of the Tsaesci stared into her own daughter's eyes without flinching like those with dark eyes usually did when staring at the descendants of Nozomi Itsuka. Despite her birth outside the Guardian Clans, she was unquestionably the most powerful magic user in the kingdom. She also happened to be the birth mother of both Kasumi and Tetsuya, which meant neither of them would actually go up against her, especially with their allowances and lifestyle at stake.

Tetsuya shook his head as he put down the brush that he never even used, sighing as he followed his mother out of the room on his own volition. He didn't want to be dragged along like Kasumi was. The princess herself wasn't kicking or screaming, since she did not want her mother to personally discipline her.

Thirty Minutes Later
Kasumi's arms shivered as she balanced on the tips of her fingers, the rest of her body held perpendicular to the ground against the inescapable pull of gravity. Beside her, Tetsuya was in the same position, except he seemed able to balance on just one of his fingers, his body still as he changed hands. Both of them stared at the single incense stick set on the table in front of them. Surrounding them were a ring of ten golden snakemen, which folded their arms and watched the pair silently. The familiars of the Tsaesci royalty, which carried out their bidding on command.

Kasumi angrily loosed a breath, knowing that despite the ease of killing the Golden Snakemen and escaping, she would alert her mother with such an action, get punished and the Golden Snakemen would simply be summoned again. Steadying herself as she spoke, Kasumi exclaimed angrily "it's so unfair! You are already a master of Spirit Pressure and doing this is no different from sitting normally! I am suffering over here and after this you are going to have to treat me to something!"

Tetsuya looked up and frowned, replying "you know, if you just focused on finishing your homework and didn't run off, neither of us would be doing this. I didn't even do anything to deserve this. Why do I always get punished when you get punished? It's not fair to me. I just came over to say goodbye and give you a small gift, then I get dragged into this nonsense."

"Saying goodbye? Are you going somewhere far away again? Who is going to do my homework if you are not at home? You know our elder brother and sister are too busy to help and little sister Mayuri is completely unhelpful" said Kasumi, her fingers shivering and causing her entire body to quake in fatigue once again.

"If I could go away I would. But no, it's you who is taking the trip this time. I overheard in the morning that father plans to send you to Tamriel for some mission. I didn't hear everything, but it appears that they are dissatisfied with your performance in Akavir and want to find something for you to do" said Tetsuya, as he changed the finger he was balancing on.

"Me? Anything to get out of this stupid palace, I guess. Once this punishment is over I will go and prepare myself for the trip. It's good that I can finally get some fresh air instead of practice what is asked of me again and again" said Kasumi.

With his free hand, Tetsuya drew what appeared to be a slim wooden box from within his robes and held it out for Kasumi with a smile. He said "I know you will have trouble with Tamrielic, so I hand copied a dictionary for you including the pronunciations if you need it. Also, I have gotten an enchanted hairpin that doubles as an unbreakable lockpick which you can use if you are locked up."

Kasumi nodded in anticipation, then realized that both her hands were needed to support her weight as she grimaced instead "can you wait till the punishment is over before handing it to me?"

Another 30 minutes later
Kasumi groaned as she leaned against the stone railings, sighing as the snakemen continued to stare unflinchingly at her. Her arms were trembling and her reserve of energy felt like it was bottoming out. While the incense stick had fully burned down, which meant the punishment was over, Kasumi's body was thoroughly wasted by the experience. Focusing, Kasumi exerted her remaining Spirit Pressure, creating a small cube of ice from the water in the air. She rubbed it against her arms to ease the soreness.

Looking at the box left behind by her brother, who had long ran off after deciding against getting caught with her again, Kasumi let out a sigh as she got up after having rested enough, pushing her way past the snakemen and taking a walk through the garden. The pain in her arms and shoulders from the exertion stubbornly refused to go away, although the intensity had reduced to a dull throb of heat every few seconds.

"Hey, your highness, slow down! Your father wants to see you!" called out a voice. Kasumi turned around to see who it was. It was simply a normal soldier, sent as a messenger to inform the princess of her commitment. Kasumi nodded and dropped the block of ice in her hand, allowing it fall into a pond as she crossed a small stone bridge. She waved her hand, motioning for the soldier to walk on first as she followed. Taking her time to admire the flowers in the garden, Kasumi sauntered over to main court, knowing that her father was holding the afternoon audience with the officials by now.

Casually making her entry, Kasumi walked towards her father the Emperor. The various officials immediately bowed to her reverently, acknowledging the presence of the princess. Ryunnosuke's face visibly changed as he saw his daughter. Kasumi's sleeves were wet from the melting ice she used earlier, her right sleeve was stained black with the ink and her hair was in a disarray from the punishment. Shaking his head, Ryunnosuke waved his hand to indicate to the officials to be at ease. A young Tsaesci officer was already present, kneeling in front of the Emperor with his hands clasped together.

"Kasumi, I don't know if you have already been informed, but you will be sent to Tamriel for diplomacy, regarding the recovery of an escaped criminal. As you have seen from history, we cannot entrust this to the mere snakemen, so I have to send someone I trust. I believe that you, as my daughter, can allow me to see good results?" said Ryunnosuke, placing his forehead in his palm. He was embarrassed that Kasumi easily knelt and clasped her hands together in agreement, even though her dressing was completely off. Kasumi's lack of self awareness was glaringly obvious and Ryunnosuke suppressed the urge to scold her in front of everyone.

"Father, I will do my very best to make the nation and people proud of me. I will bring honor to the Itsuka clan" said Kasumi confidently, even if her heart was anything but. She was well aware of the officials around her looking at her and the obvious discomfort in their faces as they held in their discussions of her dressing and urge to laugh. She was just pretending nothing happened.

"Ren Mikogami here will protect you in your journeys. Try not to leave him behind. As for you, Ren, please try your best to protect the princess. I do not wish for any harm to befall her. When the mission is complete, ensure that she comes back in one piece" continued Ryunnosuke. The young Tsaesci Officer lowered his head slightly again in acknowledgement of the Emperor's words.

"I will protect the princess with my life, Your Majesty. Rest assured, if anything happens to her, I will take full responsibility. She will be delivered home safely" replied Ren, actually uncertain if he could keep the promise. He heard many rather negative rumours of Kasumi Itsuka during his own research of her, so he definitely felt as if he was giving an empty promise. But there wasn't anything else Ren could say, since the Emperor already decided that it was his responsibility.

"Very well. Kasumi, Ren, you are dismissed. I await your good news" said Ryunnosuke, as he watched the two stand up and leave. Nobody noticed that a lone white bird flew out of the palace into the skies unknown, carrying a message that was not meant for the Emperor's eyes. At least not those of the Tsaesci Emperor.

Western Akavir
"Your Majesty, we received an urgent report that the Third Princess of the Tsaesci is leaving their capital and heading to Tamriel. I rushed here the moment the message arrived" said the Ka Po Tun messenger as he ran into the court of the Tosh Raka Emperor, Li Xuanwen. The Emperor raised his head as he coughed violently three times, his unkempt white hair sliding aside to reveal the dull grey irises that adorned his eyes. While he had ruled the Ka Po Tun for hundreds of years, Li Xuanwen's beautiful, perfect face had not aged a single day. Yet he coughed like an old man and gave off a repulsive aura from the seemingly unnatural eyes he had.

"Your Majesty, this is a golden opportunity to strike at the Tsaesci and pay them back for the humiliation we have went through. If we can recover their Third Princess and use her to bargain for land, I am sure what we took via conquest will be ours again. She will be guarded, but once she leaves the Tsaesci waters, we can intercept her ship and take her" said a middle aged man in his fifties, clad in full armor. He was an important general in the army.

"Are you doubting my ability to fight them once more? Remember, I am the Tosh Raka Emperor! The invincible ..." said Li Xuanwen in reply, the anger on his face evident as his pupils contracted to slits, another side effect of the methods he had used to become all powerful. A wave of pressure burst from around the Emperor, causing the ground to quake and the various generals and officials to stumble. That, and Li Xuanwen burst into another coughing fit. It brought up bitter memories of the bloody battle against the Tsaesci Emperor and Empress. Ryunnosuke Itsuka had struck him with the Tsaesci Heart Shattering palm.

That battle had damaged Li Xuanwen's lungs beyond repair and he lost his ability to dominate the battlefield with no opposition from that day. The dignified God Emperor of the Ka Po Tun was reduced very much to a sufferer of chronic illness, unable to die from his wounds thanks to his immortality. His glorious life was shattered by that single moment. Li Xuanwen was about to ask his guards to drag the general out for execution when he remembered the reason for his anger and started to calm down. The general had prostrated himself before the Emperor, his forehead pressed to the ground as he begged for his pitiful, insignificant life.

"I permit you to speak of your plan" said Li Xuanwen, coughing again as he tried to speak. Indeed, his revenge on Ryunnosuke was too important to have it be swayed by the personal desire to ruin his rival Emperor on the battlefield. A rematch wasn't important and honor was useless. The winner in any war was the one who survived and killed all the enemies.

"Thank you for your grace, your Majesty. I recommend that we send our best assassins after this Princess Kasumi Itsuka with their own ship. They will board her ship once it leaves the Tsaesci territorial waters and then overpower her. It will not be difficult to capture the Princess, as our assassins are also well trained in Spirit Pressure" said the general.

"Are you saying that your best assassins can take out a member of the Itsuka clan? Are you sure you wish to slight me with your careless word? You are talking of a demon spawn whose father managed to scratch my flawless body" said Li Xuanwen in reply, his knuckles whitening as he gripped his throne. The general seemed to realize his blunder in implying his Emperor was weak and immediately lowered his forehead to the ground once more, offering apologies endlessly.

"Your Majesty, if I may be so rude to intrude, allow me to suggest that I send my son Ryu Jin Woo to capture that Kasumi Itsuka as the leader of the operation. All reports state that this Princess of the Tsaesci is the weakest child of her father and a waste of space in the Tsaesci Court. Yet the parents of this useless girl love her very much. You have my word that we will succeed. If my son cannot capture the Tsaesci Princess, he will not return!" declared another armor clad general, as he knelt and clasped his hands together to present his viewpoint, earning him a series of dirty looks. It was obvious enough he wanted to accrue merit for his family and he did nothing to hide it.

"Good, good. General Ryu, inform your son to take the assassins and set of right away. If you can't capture the Princess, kill her and bring the head back. Even if we can't threaten that disgusting snake Ryunnosuke, I want to send it to him in a box" laughed Li Xuanwen, as he looked towards the decorated ceiling of his palace's court, his cough apparently righted for just long enough for him to calm down.

Northern coast of Akavir
Kasumi pouted as she kicked a pebble, watching it fly through the air and splash into the water. She had reached the the jetty where she would board the military vessel that would convey her to Tamriel. The entourage that came with her would not follow her on board, since the guards that would escort her in Tamriel had arrived the day before to prepare for her arrival. Ren walked to the side of his charge, alert for any possible interruptions. They were both ready to go.

The send off party for Kasumi was not exactly as grand as the princess hoped, but she was glad that her brother Tetsuya had came to personally see her off, despite all the trouble she had caused him. Kasumi was about to board the ship when Tetsuya stopped her, holding out what appeared to be a small silver mirror. When Kasumi noticed, Tetsuya threw the mirror through the air, watching it fly in a gentle arc as his sister caught it with a smile.

Kasumi laughed and said "you aren't giving this to me just for me to check my face, are you? That's quite an unnecessarily expensive gift."

Tetsuya coughed to clear his throat, shaking his head as he replied "it's not a normal mirror, Kasumi. Big sister Kurumi gave me a pair of magical mirrors that can be used to contact each other. She told me to hand it to you, in case you need to contact us from Tamriel. Try not to lose it, but I won't be surprised if you do. You couldn't even tell what it was when I showed it to you."

Kasumi puffed up her cheeks in annoyance, but didn't speak further as she carelessly stuffed the mirror into the bandolier that she brought with her. She ignored Tetsuya's words and walked across the plank bridge onto the ship, raising her hand in acknowledgement as her brother waved goodbye to her. Ren followed behind the princess, then the bridge was withdrawn and the anchor was raised. Tetsuya sighed as he watched the ship sail ever further from the coast, hoping all would be well.

Kasumi herself kicked off her shoes as she collapsed into a bed, somehow able to ignore the rocking of the ship as it made its way through the rough seas, riding over wave after wave. Making haste all the way from the capital on horseback was tiring for her and she got very little sleep, having arrived in the late afternoon. Yet, an uneasy feeling hung over Kasumi. She felt as if something very bad was going to happen soon. She knew Ren was standing outside the door, guarding her, but it did nothing to calm her nerves. Closing her eyes, Kasumi tried to sleep by ignoring her misgivings.

It didn't take long for the princess to drift off to sleep, her fatigue winning over her uneasiness and the still bright sun. Kasumi didn't dream, time passing in a blur to her. Even though it felt like an instant, the moment Kasumi crawled out of her bed, night had already fallen a long time ago. Kasumi was hungry and getting annoyed by the stuffiness of the cabin she stayed in, so she pulled on her shoes and left the room, motioning for Ren to get some food for her as she got up on the deck to get some fresh air.

Kasumi leaned on the railing, breathing in the salty air of the sea as she enjoyed the cool night air washing over her skin and face, blowing her hair in the winds so it was a million fine black threads. Then she noticed a change in the winds as what appeared to be hooks attached to iron chain flew through the air, landing on the ship she was on, digging into the decks. Kasumi's eyes narrowed as she flickered, reappearing on top of the deck superstructure as multiple spears of water blasted where she initially stood, splintering the deck by punching holes through the wood.

A lone man clad in black descended from the sky, his right hand outstretched with a short, curved cutlass like sword in it, his feet touching down silently on the deck as the chains behind him rattled ominously. Obviously, this was the leader of the assassins that would arrive by whatever method they chose. The malice in his eyes was clearly directed at Kasumi, despite the mask obscuring his expression. Kasumi didn't even need to raise the alarm, since soldiers began pouring in from below the deck, having been roused by the earlier attack. Assassins clad in black bloomed out of the night, running on the iron chains attached to the hooks, definitely from their own ship. The man with the curved blade pointed his weapon at Kasumi and waved it, as if challenging her.

Kasumi didn't hesitate to move once more, knowing the man wouldn't bother to see if she accepted the duel or not. Using her earlier movement technique, Kasumi again flickered the moment the man seemed to stretch into a black blur, narrowly making it away as she drew her sword, the man's wicked weapon drawing a silver arc through the air as it slammed into the roof of the deck superstructure, shattering the wood on contact. Kasumi leaped off the mast, just a fraction of a second early, as the man became a black blur once again, his curved blade cleanly cleaving through the mast, causing it to collapse.

The soldiers down below were not doing much better even as Kasumi landed on the deck with a roll. The assassins all seemed to be Spirit Pressure users, defeating the more mundane Tsaesci soldiers without making it look difficult, mostly by using powerful palm strikes to knock them off the ship so their armor became a death trap. Kasumi's first thought was to quickly locate Ren, but she realized getting through the chaos on the deck would not be easy. That, and the man from earlier quickly brought her back to reality, as Kasumi raised her weapon fast enough to parry an incoming diagonal strike with an upward sweep of her weapon, leading to a heated exchange of blows as both fighters repeatedly brought their swords inwards whenever they could, the blades deflecting off each other repeatedly as neither of them got the upper hand.

Kasumi's training in swordplay and Spirit Pressure paid off when she spotted an opening after managing to push her opponent's sword to her right when his attack came in from the left. Kasumi quickly gripped her sword's hilt with her other hand, rotating the other way to deliver a stab faster than humanly possible. The tip of her blade met the flat of her opponent's blade that was brought up in time, causing him to turn the blade and push upwards, deflecting Kasumi's strike skyward as he gathered magically conjured water in his left hand thrust it forward. Kasumi pushed off the blade as she jumped, allowing the water to pass harmlessly under her, only shearing off part of her clothing as she vaulted over her opponent.

Kasumi's opponent didn't let up, leaning back as Kasumi's sword tilted downwards and slid forward, the edge of the weapon cutting through just his mask as he rotated his body. Kasumi quickly contracted her arms and pushed off the blade, avoiding a Spirit Pressure enhanced grab for her leg which would have crushed the shin as the man released his sword, allowing it to fall and catching it with his left hand. With a backflip, Kasumi landed and quickly stretched out her left hand, causing her opponent to quickly flatten himself to the ground as Kasumi's multiple spirit needle attacks pierced the air where his head was. It gave Kasumi some breathing room to examine the situation. Most of her guard was dead, the Spirit Pressure using assassins having polished them off with little resistance, leaving bloody corpses on the deck or slowly sinking in the water. The assassins surrounded her, as her opponent pulled off the destroyed remains of his mask.

"Princess Kasumi Itsuka. If you would come quietly with us, I will ensure nobody will harm you. You see, no hard feelings here and we can all profit from this. Of course, if you resist, I have to kill you" said the man, as he pulled off the remains of his mask, revealing his pale face and flowing dark hair. He had casually flipped the curved sword in his hand back to a standard grip, wielding it with his outstretched left hand this time. He extended his right hand to Kasumi casually, as if he was asking her for a dance or for her hand in marriage.

"Why are you doing this? You are Ka Po Tun, right? We beat you fair and square, yet your Emperor wants war again?" said Kasumi, as she sheathed her sword, apparently in surrender, lowering her hands to her side. She took a step towards her opponent, watching a satisfied smirk form on his face. She had already made her choice on what to do next, the consequences be damned.

"Our Emperor does not wish to have any war with you again. He just feels that the Tsaesci have treated the Ka Po Tun rather unfairly, having driven us off land that rightfully belongs to us. Therefore, he is hoping that you can convince your father to give the lands back to him. You see, you are the price for taking Ka Po Tun ... " the Ka Po Tun man was cut off when he instinctively responded by moving his blade outwards and pushing it upwards, successfully deflecting the blow. Kasumi's blade, an Odachi as fair as the full moon, came in downwards in a diagonal and he parried again, exchanging a series of blows, sparks flying off the curved blade as it cracked under the stress of competing against a Spirit Sword. The Ka Po Tun assassin released the shattering weapon after it served its purpose blocking a few blows, Kasumi's weapon sweeping across where his head was as he ducked downwards.

Sliding backwards, the lead Ka Po Tun assassin grimaced as Kasumi brandished her Spirit Sword with both hands, the blade already turned to sweep inwards as she dashed forward. Without further ado, the man brought his right hand up and swept down, a dark grey broadsword like weapon forming in his hand from particles of light as he stepped back and used his other leg to stomp on Kasumi's blade to change the direction of it downwards and away from him. Kasumi flickered once again, reappearing out of reach just in time as the man brought his Spirit Sword down, a high pressure edge of superheated steam caving the deck in when the sword missed its intended mark.

Kasumi instinctively brought her hand up to cover her face as splintered wood and hot steam spread from the impact region of the sword strike, as she raised her sword just in time to block a powerful horizontal slash that released another blast of what looked like white mist, which Kasumi recognized as superheated steam. The pressure caused by the steam blew Kasumi back, sending her through a door as the mists dissipated to reveal the Ka Po Tun man sent to capture her, a grin across his face as he advanced on the princess he was to capture. Kasumi pulled herself back up, raising her sword. While the physical strength of her enemy was about the same as her own, his Spirit Sword's ability to release expanding hot mists magnified the power of his attacks, making it hard to compete.

The Ka Po Tun assassin raised his weapon and swung it down, the mists already spreading from the blade. Kasumi immediately sprung forward, locking the opponent's weapon, preventing him from completing the swing by slamming his sword backwards with her own. The Ka Po Tun assassin didn't lose his balance and pivoted, delivering a powerful kick to Kasumi's back to send her back out onto the deck, the attack strong enough to slam Kasumi into the front railings of the ship after she flew over the hole made from the earlier strike. If she wasn't a Spirit Pressure user and couldn't strengthen her body, Kasumi was sure her ribs would be crushed. Even so, the pain in her body made it hard to stand up.

"Your Highness, thank you for buying enough time. As for you, Ka Po Tun bastard, I was hoping it didn't have to come to this, but it looks like your Emperor doesn't want peace at all. The ship is going down and I hope you all die with it" said Ren Mikogami, as he suddenly appeared, standing on the deck superstructure with what looked like multiple ethereal slips of paper around him, floating in the air. While Kasumi and the soldiers fought, Ren had moved through the ship, conjuring and placing the ethereal slips of paper on anything required to hold the ship together. This was his Spirit Sword, which wasn't exactly a sword as it manifested as an unlimited supply of magic talismans.

The lead Ka Po Tun assassin looked up, before shrugging and turning, multiple spears of water forming from his left hand and flying straight at Ren to get rid of him. Ren flickered, reappearing beside Kasumi as multiple explosions erupted from below the feet of the various Ka Po Tun assassins, throwing them overboard and wounding them as the ship creaked in protest and started to take in water. Ren knew that it was probably not enough to kill Spirit Pressure users, but that was not his intent as he grabbed Kasumi in a hug and ten ethereal talismans formed around him, an aura of white forming around the both of them.

The Ka Po Tun assassin leader frowned and leaped into the air, bringing his sword over his head as white mist again burst from around the blade. With a powerful two handed swipe, a wave of white erupted from his weapon and flew for his intended targets. The attack never met its mark, though, as Ren vanished into skyward white particles and light, taking Kasumi along with him. The mist shattered the bow of the ship, continuing into the ocean and sending a massive spray of water into the air. Then the talismans that Ren set earlier all exploded, dooming the Tsaesci ship to a watery grave.

Standing on the air, the Ka Po Tun assassin frowned as his sword dissipated into particles of light. Another assassin appeared beside him, this one a female. The subordinate assassin bowed and clasped her hands together, saying "Jin Woo, they escaped. Do we go back and report this failure to father?"

The Ka Po Tun assassin called Ryu Jin Woo smiled as he turned to his sister and replied "we already promised father that we will not return unless we capture that Princess Kasumi alive or cut her head off as a gift. So, Min Yeon, what do you say about taking a short trip to Tamriel? I heard the princess is heading there, so that should be the place they teleported to using whatever magic they had. No harm checking, since we will eventually receive news should they turn up in Akavir."

Chapter 3
A flash of light, and Ren Mikogami materialized over a wooded area, holding an unconscious Kasumi as he fell through the air. Circulating his internal energy once again, a pair of ethereal white wings spread from his back, slowing his descent to the earth. Ren thanked whoever beat the Crane Wings technique into him at a young age, after dismissing flight as something slow and inefficient compared to the standard movement techniques he knew. Yet, he was not really flying, having not fully mastered the skill yet.

Crashing into the trees at a lower speed didn't seem as bad as falling through them and splattering into the ground, as Ren held on to Kasumi, tumbling through the branches until they eventually ended up on the ground. Ren had made sure he hit the ground and all the branches first, somehow, ensuring the princess was mostly unharmed. Knowing that it would not be safe for him to wander off if Kasumi was still unconscious, Ren decided to prop her up against a tree sideways and sat down behind Kasumi, moving his hands in a circular motion before pressing them to Kasumi's back.

Utilizing Spirit Pressure to heal another and revitalize them was what Ren was doing, slowly passing his energy to Kasumi so the Princess' own body would heal faster and cause her to wake up. Kasumi took a deep breath as her eyes shot open, before she rolled over and groaned, the soreness across her whole body making her feel like she was on fire. Ren leaned forward as Kasumi slumped over, keeping his hands on the back of the princess as he continued using Spirit Pressure to heal her wounds.

"I take it you are feeling better, your highness. We need to get moving. I don't know where we ended up, but the trees around us don't look like those we see in Akavir. If we dally here, it's likely we will have to fight off predators" said Ren, as he pulled his hands away from Kasumi's back and stood up, holding out his hand to pull the princess to a standing position. Kasumi obliged and got up as well, after taking the hand, looking around herself to see what exactly they were. Indeed, Ren was not lying.

"Maybe we are in Tamriel, not Akavir. We should get out of this place, perhaps find the closest town, even. We need to find out where we are" suggested Kasumi as she took a deep breath, immediately regretting it as the scents of the foreign forest assaulted her nose with the noxious odors that ensued just after rain. Ren seemed to notice something, pulling Kasumi behind a tree and pushing her down so they blended in with the understory vegetation. He placed a finger to his lips, as Kasumi nodded and kept silent.

Soon enough, a Senche-Tiger skulked out of the undergrowth, warily looking around as if it detected a disturbance. Kasumi seemed relieved and was about to attack the beast when Ren's hand tightened around her wrist and he shook his head. It was clear to Kasumi that Ren wasn't concerned with the animal at all. He must have detected something else that caused him enough concern to hide.

Multiple arrows sped through the forest, a few of them hitting home as they buried themselves in the flank of the Senche-Tiger, which roared in protest and attempted to flee. It didn't make it far when more arrows came flying, one of them lodging itself in the eye of the tiger, causing it to slump over, defeated. Kasumi easily calculated the trajectory of the arrows, her keen senses telling her that multiple people were fast approaching. Placing her hand on the hilt of her sword, she prepared for combat.

The patter of feet got ever louder, before a trio of hunters surrounded the dying Senche-Tiger, keeping their distance, still wary if the beast would lash out in its death throes. Certain that their prey was losing strength, the leader, a fellow of the wood elf race, drew a short, curved knife, moving closer to his prey. With a quick slash, relatively, the Senche-Tiger fell silent and the hunters congratulated each other, slowly removing the arrows for reuse as they decided to butcher the beast.

Kasumi's grip on her weapon loosened, as she looked at Ren, who nodded, having decided that asking the Tamrielic locals directly would be easier than trying to get a map from someone. Both of them stood up slowly and approached, causing the hunters to stop what they were doing and look at them warily. The leader from earlier didn't lower his blade, keeping it up, looking at the two Tsaesci with fascination. He had narrow, slanted eyes that were deepest and a thin, sharp face that was weathered and beaten, along with a close cropped beard. While the literature painted some Tamrielic races as large, Ren noticed he was taller than this man, while Kasumi was just slightly shorter. Ren concluded this must have been a wood elf, otherwise known as Bosmer, at least from what he gleaned from his studies when young.

Kasumi raised her hands and smiled, trying to make sure she didn't look threatening and confident that her radiant beauty would put the local at ease. It only caused the man to tense up, so Kasumi decided to try with conversation and said "I ... I trouble. Directions ... city. Sumimasen. Moyori no machi wa doko desuka? Chizu wo kudasai."

"What? This lady with red eyes is speaking some unknown tongue while wearing clothes made of some weird material. She cannot speak Tamrielic, so it's likely this is some new species Daedra. This man with her must be of the same kind, they look the same" said the hunters, as they visibly backed away, causing Kasumi's eyes to widen in confusion as she started to apologize in her own language while waving her hands in desperation, having taken it as a sign of hostility. Ren gripped her wrist to stop her from wildly gesticulating as he shook his head.

"My friend here is not a daedra, neither am I. She is just asking where is the nearest town and if she can have a map. We are not here to hurt you. If we were Daedra seeking to kill you or bandits, you would already be long dead before you even saw us. Can you help us, please?" said Ren, since he was able to understand both Tamrielic and Tsaesci language just fine. He didn't mention that Kasumi was a princess since he didn't trust the hunters. The hunters definitely wouldn't have used arrows if they were Spirit Pressure users, so Ren was quite confident they wouldn't be defeating either himself or Kasumi if they came to blows.

"Ok, but why are you in this part of Valenwood? Your skin is as pale as a Nord's, but your face is nothing like any kind of man, elf or beast. This is not a road either and many beasts roam this place, so you cannot be a common traveler. There are no towns around these parts" said the hunter with a chuckle, having decided to lower his knife. He had noticed that neither Ren nor Kasumi had drawn their swords, so he assumed that they were not going to attack him. Bandits wouldn't have been so well dressed or groomed either.

"It's a long story. She is my employer's daughter and I had to bring her to an important event. We were ambushed by assassins sent by a rival of her father's. I managed to escape with her and ended up in this forest, with no money or food left. I understand you are distrustful of us, but please, put away the blade" said Ren, a smile crossing his face as he omitted many important details. Kasumi was about to interject when Ren's grip on her wrist tightened, causing her to fall silent after she remembered her rather poor attempt at trying to speak Tamrielic.

The hunter sheathed his knife after a short moment of deliberation and nodded to his comrades. It appeared the three of them came to an agreement that the two Tsaesci were not a threat as they resumed skinning and butchering the Senche-Tiger, separating the meat from the bones and the skin from the meat. Kasumi looked on in disgust, having never seen an animal get cut open as she was a princess who spent her whole life in the palace. Ren looked in in disinterest, having personally killed and cooked a lot of animals out in the field.

The hunters were fast workers, as they had fully repurposed the Senche-Tiger, even packing up the now cleaned bones and storing the various innards in pouches. The leader motioned for the two Tsaesci to follow him as they walked through the forests, wary for potential predators. Kasumi created a block of ice in her hand, pressing it against her neck and forehead to quell the heat as she followed, while Ren walked comfortably with a hand behind his back, observing nature as he ignored the beads of sweat forming at his temples and neck.

It didn't take too long for them to get on a road, which meant that civilization would definitely be at one of the ends of said road. Ren looked relieved to have left the forest behind, while Kasumi tossed aside the ice block in her hand, now that the humidity and temperature had somewhat fallen since night was fast approaching after the long trek through the forest. The locals indeed knew the land well and they soon reached a village that was built inside the forest. Ren bowed slightly and said "thank you very much, mister..."

"Hah, I'm Alvandil, the best hunter in these parts. Here's the remains of the once proud city of Marbruk, now a pitiful village long past the glory days. May the remainder of your journey be safe, wanderer. Oh, and one final thing. You see those hooded elves? Steer clear of them. You don't want to get into trouble here" said the hunter, deciding to proffer his name after he saw his friends off. He pointed out what appeared to be a trio of much larger sized elves, who were patrolling the area. Kasumi noticed and instinctively scowled at them from afar, not liking their snobbish appearances.

"I am Ren, and this girl is known as Kasumi. Again, thank you for the pointers. I will keep them in mind" said Ren, as he again bowed, this time more deeply as he clasped his hands together. It was obvious the elf called Alvandil was older than him, so he decided to pay respects the traditional Tsaesci way. Kasumi hurriedly smiled and performed a curtsy as she practiced to do in Akavir, but she didn't say anything since she was unwilling to embarrass herself further. Alvandil gave a friendly wave and walked off, probably to retire for the night.

"Kasumi, we should find lodging for the night. I don't think you want to sleep in the open" said Ren, switching back to Tsaesci tongue as he looked around, noticing that the sun was already crossing the horizon. Kasumi also took a gander around, but she didn't notice anywhere that seemed to welcome travelers like her. It was indeed a small village that probably served only the locals. She also realized that she packed only Tsaesci money, which was printed on paper and given a stamp of approval by the district mint. It was essentially worthless in Tamriel and all the gold that she brought with her had sunk with the ship that went down.

"Ren, let's just find an overhang or something. I don't have any gold, only Tsaesci money" said Kasumi meekly. The color drained from Ren's face, as he shrugged. There wasn't an inn anyway, so it was pointless even if they had the coin to stay the night. Finding a wall, Ren sat down and leaned against it, Kasumi doing the same as the two of them huddled together and hoped it would not rain. It didn't take long for the exhausted princess to lean against Ren and fall asleep, as the Tsaesci officer sighed, looking at the stars in the sky, before he too fell unconscious for the night.

Kasumi's eyes snapped open, the bright glare of the rising sun blinding her as she realized she had slept an entire night sitting up, her body sore again. She noted someone was pulling at her clothing, which immediately caused her to check. Sure enough, a man, not unlike Alvandil from the previous day but younger and much more poorly dressed, was pulling at the sword which she hung at her hip. The elf noted Kasumi was awake and tried to release the blade to run, but he wasn't fast enough to deal with a user of Spirit Pressure. Before he knew it, the elf let out a scream of pain and clutched his shattered hand in horror, as Kasumi stood up, having brought her hand down hard to make the elf release her blade.

Ren got up as well, complaining about how noisy it was. He noticed the elf lying injured on the ground, along with Kasumi in a lowered, combat ready pose. It wasn't hard for him to figure out that someone had tried to rob them, as three more elves appeared, all dressed in rags. Beggars that probably wanted their swords to sell for gold, seeing how well constructed they were. Backing up against Kasumi, Ren nodded, indicating for the princess to be careful. Neither of them knew if their enemies were spirit pressure users as no one carried any weapons, so it was best not to take things too easy.

"Ren, you take the two on the right. I will take the one on the left" said Kasumi, as she moved, using her movement abilities, fading as a blur before appearing just in front of where her target was, her hand outstretched. The elf was launched backwards and clutched his stomach in pain, bending over since Kasumi had feinted, but it appeared her opponent could not block. Ren had moved the same way, already standing behind the other two elves, holding a single fading ethereal talisman in his right hand as both elves dropped to their knees, the tendons at the back of their legs severed by the sharp edge of the ghostly paper.

"Huh, these aren't spirit pressure users. That's strange, who would dare to steal from a Tsaesci Guardian Clan member, much less a Princess, if they can't use spirit pressure" said Kasumi in Tsaesci language, confused at how easy it was, as she watched the injured elves clutch their wounds. Ren himself was equally puzzled as to how the fight went so easily, but the three hooded elves were making their way over to see what was happening and he felt a chill run down his spine.

"Sir, that girl over there is a Talos worshiper and that man is her co-conspirator!" shouted one of the elves, the one that Kasumi had earlier maimed as he used his good hand to point. The three hooded elves immediately stopped the two Tsaesci from moving. Kasumi's first instinct was for her hand to go for her blade, but Ren caught her hand and pulled it down, preventing her from attacking. He definitely didn't want to get into trouble, and these elves looked like they had authority. Fighting them was not optimal for Kasumi or himself. The confusion on Kasumi's face was obvious, as she didn't know what "Talos" meant. Only the Mikogami clan women did any religious service for the Tsaesci, so of course Kasumi didn't have any idea what any form of religion was.

"We have to search your goods and your clothes. Put your swords down and put your hands behind your heads" said one of the hooded elves as he approached the pair. Neither of them had much on them as their ship was destroyed by the Ka Po Tun. Ren was given a rather careless pat down, the hooded elf not finding anything of note since he only carried a jade pendant tied to his belt and sword. However, when they got to Kasumi, one of the elves licked his lips as he got ready to do a rather more thorough search. It was impossible to deny that Kasumi was a beautiful woman that was not of Tamriel, since she was indeed not from Tamriel and possessed great beauty, even for the Tsaesci.

Before the elf could search, Ren pushed Kasumi behind him and moved in front of her, using his hand to casually flick the offending limb that the elf was extending towards Kasumi upwards. He lowered his hands back to his sides as Kasumi took cover behind him, but stared at the three hooded elves with his crimson eyes, as he said in Tamrielic "if you want to search her, please get a woman to do it. We will not run away as we have nothing to hide. What is all this Talos nonsense even and why must we be searched for it?"

"You commoner, how dare you impede the procedures of the Thalmor! Step aside, or else we will definitely throw you in prison for your disobedience!" said the elf whom had his hand deflected away, unhappy with the turn of events. It was on his mind to simply get this young, slightly girlish looking man out of the way with magic so he could ravish the fair maiden that far surpassed all he had seen, even if she was not of any Tamrielic race. Without hesitation, he gave the signal and electricity came to his hands. The other two Thalmor Justicars likewise brought their hands up to cast magic.

Ren immediately remembered the promise he made to his Emperor and didn't hesitate further, since these three elves seemed like they could use Spirit Pressure, with the lightning in their hands. Calling upon his Spirit Pressure, he waved a single hand across, a powerful burst of force erupting from him and blowing back the three elves who slammed into a wall and fell forward, unable to fight further as they collapsed in pain. Kasumi appeared taken aback by what just happened, mainly when she noticed that the elves seemed unable to even stand up.

The problems were not over, though, when another elf came with backup, this one clad in shiny golden armor that had a winged design as he led a troop of similarly clad elves. He seemed a fair amount older than the three who had tried to molest Kasumi and didn't look as stuck up, even when he sat astride a horse and stared down from his position. It was obvious that Ren's display had attracted a lot of attention since he had incapacitated three Thalmor Justicars with a single, casual wave of his hand. The thieves from earlier were in fact desperately trying to crawl away from the two Tsaesci now.

"I am Thalmor Officer Kyrial! Commoner, you have overstepped your bounds and injured three of my subordinates. I demand that you surrender at once!" said the elf clad in armor, drawing his sword as he slid off his horse and pointing it at the Tsaesci. Ren was about to summon his ethereal talismans when it was Kasumi who stopped him this time, as she walked forward and took a wooden scroll from inside her clothing, unrolling it. She pointed at one of the Thalmor officers, who was a woman.

"She ... woman. She search me please. These three men ... not women. They tried to ... violate. I don't know Talos" sighed Kasumi in broken Tamrielic as she took the position in front of Ren this time, spreading her hands out after she read from the wooden scroll to ensure that she couldn't easily go for her sword without anyone noticing. The elf commander seemed to understand and motioned for the female elf to search Kasumi. There was nothing remotely related to Talos on her. The elves only found the magical mirror on Kasumi and of course her now useless Tsaesci money.

"It looks like I was mistaken. These three agents have made the Thalmor lose face by trying to molest a commoner. Take them away for discipline" said the Thalmor commander Kyrial, as he waved his sword to indicate to his soldiers to move faster. The other elves rolled their eyes as they went over to drag the three away. Kyrial sheathed his sword and decided to mount his horse again.

"Thank you. This girl and I did not mean to cause any trouble for you" said Ren, as he bowed after clasping his hands together, which confused the Thalmor commander since he didn't know what it meant. Commander Kyrial scratched his beard and acknowledged, before he burst out laughing.

"I don't even know what parts of the world you come from, but I have to thank you as well. The men need some discipline around these parts nowadays. Just because we own the place doesn't mean we can go around pillaging rations or raping commoners. Where is our pride if we do such shameful things? You heard it, men! If I catch any of you following those three, you will be punished by military law" said the grizzled elf Kyrial, as he waved for his troop to follow, departing the scene. Ren loosed a sigh, glad that it was over. Kasumi smiled at him, happy that she could be the one protecting her fellow countryman and subject this time.

Their happiness was short lived when they saw Alvandil running through the street, desperation written across his aged face as he called for help to find his missing daughter...

Anvil, a few hours before, during night time
The Ka Po Tun ship docked at the harbor, the ladder coming down as the sailors were the first to disembark. A lone man dressed in black came down the ladder first, followed by a lady dressed similarly to him. They surveyed the area around them, before the man in black motioned for the rest of his team to descend. Multiple Ka Po Tun assassins simply leaped off the side of the ship, landing safely on the dock thanks to their ability to float down slowly.

The man in black was none other than the Ka Po Tun officer Ryu Jin Woo, and the lady behind him his sister Ryu Min Yeon. The pair noted that it was already late and that activity on the street was at a low, the only visible people being the homeless or those working late night shifts to pack the other ships. Jin Woo turned to address his men, saying "all of you, go find places to hole up and get local clothing. I will see what's the news around town and find a place so we can begin our search for the fugitive Kasumi Itsuka. If I give the signal, you all are to come, understood?"

The assassins all placed their hands across their chests and bowed to their leader, before they dispersed. Jin Woo gave a satisfied nod as he walked confidently along the jetty, his sister walking in perfectly synchronized step behind him. The pair seemed out of place, with their completely black robe like clothing, very different from what the typical Tamrielic man or woman would wear. Yet nobody paid them any mind, since Anvil was a place where foreigners came and went. Nobody wanted to tangle up with someone potentially dangerous.

Casually repeating the Tamrielic words to himself as he read them, Jin Woo walked along the street aimlessly, as if he was searching for something, until he came to a tavern. He casually pushed open the door, stepping into the dimly lit space as he held the door open, allowing his sister to enter before letting go, so the door swung shut. The tavern was mostly empty, with three ruffians lounging in the corner, sharing a drink. Neither Jin Woo nor Min Yeon paid them any mind, as they sat down at a table, although the three stared at them from the moment the entered to the moment they sat down.

"Give me your strongest alcohol. I don't care what is it. Two portions, one for myself, the other for the lady with me" shouted Jin Woo as he raised his hand. The tavern keeper ducked below the counter for a moment, before rushing out with two bottles of the infamous Sailor's Warning Festival Grog. Jin Woo took the bottles with glee, as he waved the rotund man who brought them out away. Uncorking one bottle with his teeth, he spat the cork aside as he downed everything by drinking straight from the bottle with no pause.

Min Yeon took the other bottle and pulled the cork out with her hand, before taking a sip, retching and spitting everything out on the floor. She coughed twice, before she said in her native Ka Po Tun tongue "you really think this rubbish is fit for human consumption? How can you drink such filth meant for pigs? You finish this and get me something better!"

"Fine, Min Yeon. I will get you another drink" said Jin Woo, unaffected by the alcohol, which caused quite a bit of surprise to the tavern keeper. The three louts from earlier walked over, having decided that they had stared long enough at the pair. Jin Woo had a rough idea why they had came over, given that the three were all burly, wide shouldered men with large beards and hard gazes. They were definitely looking for trouble, or more likely wanted to get to know Min Yeon, who was very much a beauty in her own right. Min Yeon wrinkled up her face as she saw the men, looking at them with disdain in her eyes. It was obvious to anyone that she saw them as common scum that was meant to be trodden on.

"I don't know what kind of weird language you spoke with that girl, but the hundred septims in this pouch says you will sell her to my boss for the night. I know you can speak Tamrielic, so don't try to act like you don't know what we are asking for. I don't take no for an answer and neither does my boss" said one of the men, as he pulled out a pouch of coin and jangled it in front of the two Ka Po Tun siblings. Min Yeon looked away, not in fear but rather out of anger, while Jin Woo looked up and cocked his head to the side with a lack of interest. He casually picked up the bottle of grog that Min Yeon took a sip out of and drank about half.

"That's a bit cheap, don't you think? My sister is still a virgin and is a well known beauty where I come from. Don't think that because I am not from these parts, I don't know how much a septim's worth. You should choose a more reasonable price. If not, we have nothing to talk" said Jin Woo, uninterested as he savored the shocked look that plastered itself on Min Yeon's face. Of course, he didn't intend to sell his sister and the three louts were getting on his nerves, but he wanted to test their resolve and finances first.

"What about this? Another hundred septims from me, and my boss' gold ring worth four hundred. That's six hundred for your sister" said another man, as he himself added a pouch of septims after discussing with the one who had not taken out a single septim, who was obviously the leader of the group. The leader pulled off his gold ring and placed it on the table as well. Min Yeon stared with consternation at her brother and moved her hand to the sword she carried on her back, but Jin Woo touched her other hand and shook his head with a smile, causing her to relax without releasing the grip of her sword's hilt.

"Six hundred? Don't you feel that is still too cheap? Tell you what. If you three can survive drinking from this bottle of alcohol when I serve it to you, I will give you my sister for free. You get the keep your coin and my sister. If not, I will keep nothing on the table and you can take your coin back, without my sister" said Jin Woo, as he moved the bottle of grog towards the men, although it was still in his arms reach. Min Yeon understood immediately what her brother intended to do and released her sword, her hand returning to her side as she sat quietly with a smile spreading across her face.

"That's easy, try me" said the leader, as he held out his hand for the bottle. Jin Woo smiled and stroked his hand along the side of the bottle, the grog flowing out of the neck and forming into three spheres that floated above the now empty bottle. The three men started to laugh, probably drunk and thinking Jin Woo was simply a mage who was going to serve them the drink in an interesting way. Then it fell silent when the three spheres of grog each became a fast flying knife of alcohol which severed the windpipes and spines of the three before they even registered what was happening. The louts fell to the floor, like puppets with severed strings.

"They failed to even drink the alcohol and I didn't say they get to keep their lives. You are a lucky girl and get to stay with me, Min Yeon. Also, barkeep! Clean up this mess. You can keep the ring, just remember to keep quiet" said Jin Woo as he laughed, switching from Ka Po Tun word to Tamrielic when he changed the person he was addressing. The tavern keeper nodded and decided to drag the bodies behind the counter and into the back room. It seemed as though he was relieved and the three deceased seemed to be unwelcome nuisances.

"You is think this tavern will be a safe place for me to use my ability? I cannot be interrupted or I will have to pay a price. You know what I intend to do, if we are to quickly find this Kasumi" said Min Yeon, as she watched the last corpse get dragged into the back room. Most likely the three dead would not be missed, so there was no worry of getting betrayed by the tavern keeper. It was the threat of sudden attack when she was focused. Jin Woo nodded, not bothered to assuage his sister's worries. Danger was everywhere and he would not make empty promises.

"I will try my best to keep you safe when you use it. We better make preparations now and try to finish up as soon as possible. These three men probably kept the patrons away when they walked in. Others will come the moment their disappearance gets out" said Jin Woo, walking over to the counter and taking a key the tavern keeper had left behind specially for him. He had did the man a service, so it was right that he was repaid in kind.

"I trust you with that, since you are my brother. Now, we have to find that annoying princess and catch her. I really want to kill her, though. Wait for my good news" remarked Min Yeon, as she walked up to the second floor, her brother staying on the first so he could keep an eye on who came in. This was a rare opportunity which would allow her to finally use the talent she had learnt and trained hard to master.

Min Yeon paid no mind to her surroundings, as she unlocked the room that the key allowed her to. Closing and locking the door, she unstrapped her three swords from her back and placed them on the floor, as she sat on the bed and crossed her legs. Moving her hands in circular motions as she exerted her Spirit Pressure, Min Yeon prepared her body to utilize the ability she had. If such measures to protect herself was not taken, it was likely the reflection from using her ability would harm her.

Moving her hands upwards as her Spirit Pressure intensified, Min Yeon placed them on her forehead before slowly spreading them apart, a blue portal of shining energy opening itself like a third eye. The God's Eye technique, which allowed her to look across vast distances to find anything that she decided to locate. Thinking of only Kasumi and purging all distractions from her mind, Min Yeon stared into the collective knowledge the world had to offer, seeing a village in a forest, Kasumi and Ren sleeping against a wall. The architecture matched with what literature spoke of those who called themselves the elves.

Moving her hands in a circle as she purged her mind of Kasumi, Min Yeon shut the God's Eye by sliding her hands in the opposite direction she did earlier, as she gasped, drawing in a few painful breaths. She immediately made for her baggage and drew the most updated copy of a book which recorded the towns and villages of Tamriel, flipping through the pages as her mind tried to understand where Kasumi was. Min Yeon was an intelligent girl, and she soon understood Kasumi was in Valenwood, although where exactly she wasn't sure.

This was news to bring to her brother and plan the next move.

Valenwood, Present Time
Kasumi was the first to intercept Alvandil, stopping him so she could find out what exactly was his problem other than his daughter going missing, knowing that the middle aged elf would recognize her from the previous day. She started by saying in her rather poor rendition of Tamrielic "calm, please. Daughter ... what happened? Talk with me ... about problem."

"What are you even saying? My daughter has been taken by Wood Orcs when she went hunting for rabbits. She hasn't come back for a day, and they sent me a note regarding ransom. In exchange for my daughter, they want our food, water and money" shouted Alvandil in reply, only roughly getting what Kasumi was saying because she mentioned problem and talking. He was hysterical over what happened and Kasumi's poor Tamrielic was doing very little to calm him down.

"What? These bandits are getting bolder now that we have stopped trying to exterminate them and attempted to live peacefully. Such filth has no place on this soil that belongs to the Thalmor. I will lead men to exterminate these animals, set and example and restore the order. You have no worries, civilian, I will ensure your daughter's return" said commander Kyrial, as he turned his horse around and rode over. It was obvious enough to both Ren and Kasumi that the Thalmor commander was quite full of himself, but his heart wasn't in the wrong place. A Thalmor soldier under Kyrial's command came over to pull Alvandil aside and get the full details.

"No ... I and Ren go. You stay. Enemy will attack if army leaves the village" said Kasumi as she read from the wooden scroll her brother had provided for her, trying to piece together a proper sentence. She sorely regretted not putting in more effort to speak and write Tamrielic when she was still in Akavir. Ren shot her a pointed look, shaking his head, expressing his disapproval of the plan. His promise to the Tsaesci Emperor was to protect the princess, not help her risk her life.

"Kasumi, do you have any idea what you are getting yourself into? I promised your father to send you back in one piece, your Highness. You are risking your royal life for those of commoners that aren't even your countrymen! Remember your duty to our country" said Ren, switching back to Tsaesci language so nobody could understand what he was saying.