I'm gonna make you wish that you’d stayed gone

Each second that ticked by following his and Mercury's calls felt like an hour, time passing in an eternity as suspense built around the quiet, desolate forest. It was all Artorias could do to keep from pacing back and forth while they waited, keeping his eyes on the alert for any signs of movement. Would Sephiran show up or would he chicken out and stay hidden? The Aegis sincerely hoped the manchild would at least have the boldness to back up his bravado and come face him like a man, but maybe that was giving the bastard too much credit. No words were said by any of the Hallowed wolves while they waited for the confrontation. The waiting really was the worst part of an impending clash...

There was a sound of foliage giving way to weight from nearby, and then there he was, emerging from the tree line like he owned the whole damn forest. Sephiran Saxe. Artorias' eyes immediately lit up with hate when they fell upon the violet brute, his jaw clenching to keep from baring his own fangs as soon as he saw the wolf. Seeing him brought back a slew of volatile and revolted memories and emotions, but Artorias held himself in line for now. Sephiran, it seemed, did not have that degree of self control, as he immediately began to growl and advance towards them, making his intent for violence clear. Artorias could have thanked the gods that it was going to be this easy... the Saxe boy was going to just hand him an excuse to end his miserable existence. Artorias' eyes narrowed, leering at Sephiran as his head turned, reaching for his sword, ready to draw his weapon and strike his foe down.

That did not come to pass as another wolf emerged, this one an equally large all-black brute, who moved forward to stop Sephiran's advance—probably the wisest decision he'd seen any Saxe make—and speak on behalf of the veritable tyrant. Artorias held firm, a mere blink away from drawing his sword, not trusting any of the wolves on the opposite side of the border. Did he relent and relax or did he draw and let the chips fall where they may? The arrival of a third wolf, this one a smaller, dainty fae clad in violet and ash gray, made up his mind for him. He would not be the first to initiate violence. Artorias relaxed his posture, returning to standing upright as he leered at the three wolves, all who bore the same scent—the same pack, and maybe even the same family? Just how many fucking Saxes were there? The ebony brute greeted them, far too casual and trying to be charming. He was clearly the face of this group. He introduced them as the Syndicate, and now Artorias had a name for his enemies. The Syndicate. He would make sure they were well known by the rest of Ardent, but not for the reasons the group would hope for.

The nameless brute presumed correctly that they were not there to congratulate them, but Artorias did not respond to him right away. Instead, his fiery gaze turned to Sephiran once again, boring into the brute as he lingered behind this other wolf. "It seems you don't listen very well, Sephiran." Artorias shot at the usurper, not bothering to wait for a response before setting his gaze on the wolf that had done all the talking for them thus far. "There is nothing here to congratulate you for. You stole a home from a family, a pack from good wolves." Again Artorias' eyes turned to Sephiran, a judgmental and contemptuous glare smoldering in their amber depths. "But you didn't even have the balls to step up and challenge Beauregard for his pack like a real wolf. You hid away like a coward, you kidnapped a pup and threatened his life, you wormed your way around to steal what you wanted. How proud your group must be of their new alpha, the king who behaved like a snake instead of a wolf."

Artorias returned his focus back to the black brute. The fae had said and done nothing of consequence, so he felt no need to address her. "I take it you're Sephiran's diplomat since you're speaking on his behalf, so I'll see if you can understand your situation better than he can. Sephiran tried to rape my daughter and I warned him to leave these lands and never show his face again. I gave him this warning from the flat of his back in the dirt with my blade to his throat." He should have just killed Sephiran there and then and spared the world his continued existence. Artorias raised his head, tail coming up to align with his hips, not asserting dominance but showing he was not backing down nor treating the Syndicate as equals. "Norad was our friend—and you're lucky that's all they were. Had we been allies, then you'd all be dead right now. Unfortunately, natural law forbids me from delivering justice." It was only by that thin stroke of good luck for the Syndicate that they hadn't fucked around and found out. Had Norad been part of their alliance, Artorias would not have hesitated to march his wolves across the border and cut down every wolf they found with Sephiran. As it was, he had no grounds to initiate violence. The first stroke of war would not fall by his paw.

"I'm here to deliver a warning to you, the last one you're ever going to receive. Leave Ardent. Leave and never return. Your ilk are not wanted nor welcomed here. If you choose to stay, you will be hunted. Each and every Syndicate member will be marked as an enemy by the Ashen Empire, and the moment any of you step a paw out of line against any member of the alliance, you will all die." Artorias was making it crystal clear that he was not playing any games and he was no longer showing any mercy. Sephiran had wronged him and his family, wronged the Armada, and now had wronged their friends and neighbors. The Aegis would have no qualms putting an end to the Saxe bloodline to preserve peace. He would not permit another unchecked evil to fester in these lands so long as he lived. "Have I made myself clear?" Burning gaze once more locked to the ebony brute, waiting to see how he'd respond. He at least seemed the most rational of the three. How would he take to hearing his fearless leader had already been bested and spared by the Aegis once before? Artorias seriously doubted his warning would be heeded or well received, but that was the purpose of this confrontation: to see where the Syndicate stood. Would they learn their lesson or were they prepared to make enemies with half the world?

"Artorias Carpathius"