Welcome to Gaia! ::

Simo strode into the garrison. Her request to be made captain of the guard had been granted twenty minutes ago, and she wanted to make a good first impression on the guards. Simo would have been a beautiful women had she not spent her life training. Her hands had the callouses that come from constant sword-play, her muscles were too hard and edged missing taking away the smooth curves. She was built to be a warrior and she knew it. Even her face was covered in long jagged scars that she refused to have healed. Where she not so battle-hardened she would meet the beauty of a noble-born, but alas she was molded to be a warrior not a court beauty.

She wore her battle-attire: Leather armor under plates of metal where her vitals where. This attire gave her mobility as well as protection. Her Hand-and-half blade sat loosely at her hip, showing it was meant for battle rather then aesthetics's. Slung over her back was a plain metal buckler that was dented almost to nothing. Her long red hair was tied in a loose ponytail that was tucked under her armor. Her emerald eyes had a hardness to them that could make even the most battle-hardened warrior squirm under the gaze.

As she entered she almost gasped at the mess. 'This place must have been sacked! Or a skirmish of some kind!' She sped her step up to find what was happening. Then she heard laughter. 'That does not belong here.' she thought shaking her head. When she came upon the entire watch playing cards she almost shrieked in anger. She headed directly for the one with the highest rank, shown on the shoulder of his messy guards uniform.

"Oh, hey baby. Wanna come give me some lu-" The man she approached began but was cut off as she kicked his chair out from under him. "What the he-" he was cut off again as she broke his nose with another swift kick. The man shouted in surprise and pain. Had she not pulled the kick her metal-plated boots would have killed the man.

"Stand up soldier!" She ordered, not looking at him but rather the others that had stood and had their hands on their swords. "I said: STAND UP!" The order came again, louder and more stern. There was an edge in her voice that demanded compliance. The man began to stand, one hand to his nose the other grabbing the table. With a quick movement she slammed the pommel of a large knife smashed his finger's breaking the middle two.

The man fell back shouting in pain. "what the fu-!" again he was cut off by another booted kick to the stomach. The wind knocked out of him he began to cough.

"I said... Stand up and salute!" She ordered, this time it was not a shout but a loud barking order. The man didn't move, just lay there clutching his chest trying to suck in air. She waited patiently.

When the man could speak again he quickly shouted: "Kill her, you cowards!" Still on the ground he tried to crawl away from her, blood pooling around where he lay and being spread. The front of his Garrison tunic was now soaked in blood that was still flowing from the broken nose. Upon command the other guards drew their swords. The nearest guard went for a wide horizontal strike, the blow would cleave Simo in half.

Simo didn't move until the mans arm was in reach, her arm snapped out took hold of the soldiers wrist. With a twist of her body she sent the man sprawling behind her, sword clattering away. She eyed the rest of the guards. "Stand up soldiers," she ordered once again. This time both soldiers stood. The one that had a broken nose took hold of his sword, the one that lost his sword scrambled over to grab it before he stood. "What is the meaning of this. Who's shift is it?" she asked, addressing the man with a broken nose. In return the man glared at her, not answering. He took a step forward, his sword arm drawing back. In another swift movement she drew her sword and slammed its pommel into the mans jaw. His head whipped back with an audible crack. As the man hit the ground a few shattered bloody teeth fell from his mouth.

The sudden movement sent all of the guards into a frenzy. Out of the 8 total, 2 went to help the man who was now laying unconcious on the floor. The other 5 went for Simo.

Simo reached back and pulled her shield to her right hand, sword in left she took a low stance waiting. The first to approach her attempted to simply overpower her with a two handed overhead strike. Simo responded by slamming her shield into the mans raised elbows, sending him sprawling, his sword slamming into the wooden floor and sticking. The second tried to charge her, and she stepped out of the way slamming her shield into his side as he passed, sending the man sprawling and cracking a few ribs. The third and fourth soldiers attempted to circle her while the fifth ran. She tossed her sword, it slammed into the mans ankle and then into the wooden floor. The poor b*****d was ham-stringed and held to the ground.

Before either 3 or 4 could attack she had her war-dagger in hand, waiting. They attack together, three came from her left and four from her right. Four got a dagger in his leg, causing him to fall short of her. Three swung his flamberg horizontally, knocking her shield from her arm. As soon as the shield was gone she pounced on him. They hit the ground hard, her knees in his diagram knocked the wind out of him, and her left-hook finished the job by knocking him out. She was on her feet half a second after three went down. The man with shattered teeth had been carried away by seven and eight.

"well that was fun." She said emotionlessly, retrieving her weapons. "You two, go to the medic. Tell them that your new commander sent you for disobedience." She said as she left, heading out to check on the castle-wall's defenses. Every few minutes there was the sound of a man shouting, followed by a thump as the poor b*****d hit the ground.

Sye awoke with a start, grimacing in pain as he sat up, some of his muscles still not ready to accept any form of movement. But he decided that he wasn't going to let them tell him what to to do. He swung his legs off the side of the bed and attempted to stand up. He promptly smashed his face into the floor, despite his attempt to catch himself. His arms weren't ready to catch himself either. It was at that time that he realized just how extensive his injuries had been, and it was all the more pitying to think that they were self inflicted. A tear leaked out of the corner of one eye. "I am broken." No more tears came out, and he wouldn't allow himself to cry. The single statement was the entire extent of how much pain he would allow himself to show. He grabbed the cane and used it to help himself up. His arms would at least help him up and hold him up. He examined the cane in his hand. It was beautifully made with a hard oak finish. Along the length of it were carvings that, while beautiful, held no real significance. It was topped with a large amber ball that fit his hand magnificently. A lovely cane, for a cripple who looked whole. He placed his weight on the can, and it held it well. Sye was almost of the opinion that it would have held Draco had the dragon decided to put his weight on it. Sye took a step, using the cane to help him. It became immediately obvious that he had never used a cane before, as the cane slipped out from under him, and he fell over.

Sye hadn't the strength to fight her. "The fall from the infirmary was nothing." He sat upright in the chair. That fall hadn't even hurt him. It was the fall from grace that hurt him the most. His pride that he had been down so long. The fact that he couldn't walk without the aid of his cane. It was true that he would eventually recover, but now he was on the brink of being all but helpless. "I must continue moving." He struggled out of the over comfortable chair and back onto his feet, the same muscles that had protested before protesting again. This time his step with the cane didn't slide out from under him, and he was able to keep his footing. "The only road to recovery... Is to not stop trying." He took another few steps and came to the door then turned around. "You did not fail me, but I have failed you." He bowed his head, even the muscles in his neck were protesting. "It was my duty to be up before now and I have not been." He straightened himself up. He tried to look on the bright side of this. At least now he would be able to practice his magic. He had neglected it for so long. He turned and opened the door, holding it for his queen, as he still viewed her.