A handsome youth sat atop a mountain of corpses, staring out into the endless horizon. His pale blue eyes contained a cold gaze and his elegant face displayed a solemn expression that deterred others from approaching. The harsh winter breeze brushed along his face causing his shoulder-length hair to dance like the wind. His rapier dyed red, lay on his lap. Along with his silver armor blemished with the blood of his foes. To other's he might seem to be a demon in the guise of a human. But to his knights and soldiers, he was a hero. He was the Duke of the Avernus Kingdom. He was the strongest swordsman in the kingdom, at the cusp of becoming a Sword Master. He was the sworn brother of the King. He was Sleph Ferrum.
Whilst Sleph was contemplating his victory, his men had begun to collect their spoils of war. A lone knight approached the 'mountain'.
"Your grace, we have suffered few casualties in this battle and we've begun to collect the enemy's weapons and armor. Your grace's carriage is also ready to take you back to the capital" spoke the Knight who was kneeling in front of the 'mountain'.
Sleph glanced at the knight and nodded at him. With a single leap he descended the mound and headed towards his tent where he changed into a fresh set of clothes. As he is one who care little about appearance the clothes were simple yet elegant and wouldn't hinder Sleph in combat. After washing up and changing he leisurely made his way to his carriage.
The carriage was pulled by two warhorses and the carriage itself was one of the most luxurious ones in the kingdom -trimmed with gold and adorned with an assortment of jewels-. Two knights manned the carriage and opened the door for Sleph all the while lowering their heads. The convoy that accompanied Sleph was comprised of thirty cavalrymen and an additional four knights that surrounded the carriage on horseback. After a brief moment, the convoy began their journey back to the Averran, the kingdom's capital.
Sitting alone in his carriage Sleph began to analyze his fight with the enemy swordsmen. In the battle that had concluded just a few hours ago, only three swordsmen had caught his eye. Albeit being weaker than him, when the three worked together even Sleph had to use his full power to win unscathed. He had gained enlightenment from the fight and progressed further in the ways of the sword although being very slight.
"If only there were more swordsmen like them, then maybe I could finally reach the peak" he sighed with regret.
The Avernus Kingdom's army led by Duke Ferrum had dealt a crushing blow to the neighboring kingdom of Nordalen. Sleph's mission was to slay the enemies' strongest combatants, what came after was left to the knights and soldiers.
After completing the mission given to him by the King, and growing even stronger, Sleph could finally loosen up a bit. In his carriage he began to loosen his tensed muscles and removed his sheathed rapier and placed it to the side. He peered out of the window of the carriage. As if to find something other than the ice and snow which covered the lands for as far as the eye could see...