With the activation of Koa and the transportation of Antiel out of my now dormant realm, my story in Revaliir came to a close. There were plenty of loose ends to be tied up later, sure, but, for now, we switch to the tale of a less sensible person. Though she goes by the nickname Enforcer thanks to The Handler, Ms. Night, the new focus of our tale, is hardly interested in the search for truth and responsibility. 'Inconvenient and irrelevant terms,' she always says to me and my lectures on the subjects; and why would she listen to old Natsumi? I was only the Goddess of Secrets: one of the wisest women on the planet. So it comes as no surprise that our heroine – or rather anti-heroine – had already managed to land herself in line for the gallows by the time I handed off my reigns to her.
 

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At the exact moment that Antiel reappeared on the road leading into Adeluna, a patrol of guardsmen led a shackled and blindfolded woman past her. Skadi was that woman, recently arrested in Virens Forest under charges of rape and murder. At first look, you'd think she was being transferred to the castle dungeons from some backwoods jail, but that's where you'd be wrong. The so-called charges were brought by a woman close to the royal family, so close, in fact, that the entire trial was skipped on her word alone. No, rather than receive a proper trip through the legal system, which Skadi was most accustomed to, she found herself on the chopping block as an example of what happens to vagrants who offend the crown. She was moved under heavy guard all the way from Virens and into the crown city itself, just so the officials there could make a public example of her; even if, for once, she wasn't responsible for the crimes listed.
 
Several days prior to that arrest, Skadi had been about to have consensual relations with the same woman who now stood as her accuser. Lady Fiona was that woman's name, and she had willingly invited Ms. Night into her home on the day of the murder. The two were just about to begin their night of passion when, suddenly, Fiona interrupted the activity to go somewhere else. She never returned, and Skadi went looking for her only to find Duke Edward, Fiona's father, brutally murdered with the culprit dagger still in his chest. Fiona came in with a detachment of guards once the pirate was standing over her father's body, and took the opportunity to scream rape whilst garbed in a ripped bodice that she had created herself. The reality of the situation was a darker truth: Fiona had killed the Duke and then framed the Pirate Queen for the deed along with one that didn't even happen. Skadi was, as a result, forced to flee in the face of imminent skewering.
 
She was eventually captured in Virens later on, as I mentioned, and through no small fault of my own. The incident with Nami distracted Skadi unexpectedly, allowing the imperial scouts to intercept her with ease. She could have fought them off and escaped once more, but, being the theatrical person that she was, decided to do otherwise. Skadi went along willingly with the patrol, having had enough of her "black swan's chase," and smiled constantly all the way till she was placed squarely on the gallows in front of a public gathering. The executioner removed her blindfold at that point, but left the shackles on as a nearby judge announced her "crimes," – or attempted to, at least. As was her custom, Skadi got the first word in before her accusers could even speak.
 
"Well, well, well," she proclaimed in a cheery, but clearly sarcastic voice in the noon sun. "Seems you're bringing out all the bells and whistles for me! I'm touched! Truly, I am."
 
Annoyed at her sudden outburst, the judge was hard pressed to maintain his temper in Skadi's presence. He cleared his throat and attempted to move on as if the cheeky woman wasn't getting to him, even though he had a personal grudge against her for the actions she was accused of doing. He was one of the duke's closest friends, after all, and his son was engaged to Lady Fiona. In other words, he was the perfect man to use in a loaded trial, if you could even call the current event that.
 
"Ahem," the fall man judge began with veiled anger once he regained control of his emotions. "Vagrant Skadi Night, you stand convicted for the murder of the late Duke Edward and the attempted rape of his daughter. The punishment for these crimes is to be hung by the neck until death." Looking up from the scroll he was reading, the elderly man poignantly stared at the blonde woman in front of him.  "Do you have any last words?"
 
Perhaps the worst question you could have asked Skadi, it gave her the perfect opportunity to mouth off. And mouth off, she did, taking the chance to besmirch Lady Fiona's reputation and also insult Adeluna as a whole.
 
"Yeah, bite me, because you need a trial for a conviction and there was no such thing. Not to mention your city is drab as shit. I haven't heard a single brothel since we entered! What is this? Abed during a religious ceremony of celibacy?! If so, I want out now before I end up like grim and frumpy over here." She was referring to the judge himself, and fully expected an enraged response. Technically, she could escape at any time, having picked her shackles ages ago; but she was waiting to get a rise out of the crowd first. Skadi did love her theatrics, after all: perhaps too much.

Paradox stood out among the crowd of people, a good head or so higher than even the tallest man there. Normally, she didn't attend trials or executions, she didn't see what interested all the people around her in watching a criminal's life being cut short. But for an unknown reason, she felt draw to listen to the crimes accused of this one in particular fiend. Rape and Murder. Interesting and pretty severe charges to be placed on anyone.

She looked up at the woman, standing in front of the hanging ropes with a strange smile on her face. She didn't seemed fazed at all by being put to death in front of a crowd of people. She wondered if she was crazy. Probably, the longer she traveled in the world of men, the more she realized that most people held within themselves a touch of madness. It kept the world from becoming boring, at least to her anyway. The woman was also very pretty with a well made body with ample curves around her bust, hips, and waist. Her clothes were eloquent and distinctly masculine, while also emphasizing her femininity. It was a rather intriguing look.

Paradox listened to her convictions against the crown and found them, personally, quite impressive. And because of her high regard for the crimes, she was surprised not to have heard at least a rumor of the woman's trial in the courts. Perhaps she didn't have a trial? That was a crime in itself in her case. The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that she had never heard word of the woman's trials before today and the more she was convinced she hadn't been fairly tried in any of the courts. She glanced around her and slowly made her way forward through the crowd. 

The people around her parted willingly to avoid being trampled or stepped on by her large hooves as she made her way toward the gallows. She paid no mind as the woman prominently mouthed off to the judge and the rest of the people standing below. She was careful to position herself near the main structural support beam for the stand, while still acting like she was fully engaged in what was going on. She found the main support joint and saw that it was easily within reach of a kick of either her front or back legs. When they dropped the hangman's door, she would kick the support, breaking the pole and causing it to fall to the street. The noose would fall with it and she was quick to have her dagger out to cut the ropes. Once the woman was free, she would assist her in escaping the city. 

But her theatrics paid off in this case. Many among the crowd laughed jollily at Skadi's words, particularly those who were poorer with less attachment to the crown. Their laughter incensed the presiding official, and he snapped at them out of ire.
 
"Order," he cried! "I will have order!" His gaze drifted back to the prisoner afterward, now more contemptuous than ever before. He was about to give the word to hang her, until he noticed a peculiar addition to the platform's proximity. A centaur had moved to the front of the gathering now, and was within striking distance of a support beam.  Her presence was difficult to miss, given the conspicuous nature of her height as compared to her other observers, and also unwelcome by the judge.
 
"Back away from the platform, centaur, or you'll be joining the accused!" The adjudicator's warning was harsh, but the guardsmen surrounding the platform voiced no opposition to his complete lack of protocol. They moved in front of Paradox with pike and shield, forming a half-circumference around the gallows to force her and other onlookers back. It was a rather asinine development, but not entirely unexpected. The presiding official was treating Skadi's execution like it was his own personal affair, and anyone with a grudge that strong was bound to be paranoid. There was no proof that Paradox was about to assist the pirate in any way, but that didn't halt the judge's delusions of betrayal.
 
Unluckily for him, however, he was watching the wrong person if his goal was to ensure an uninterrupted execution. Skadi was already well underway planning her own escape, regardless of Paradox's potential interference. She was only waiting for enough chaos to occur at this point: the primary reason she kept stirring the pot whenever possible.
 
"At least she'd be in good company," was her next prod, and she said with a smug grin while looking down at her would-be rescuer. She winked at the centaur, never missing a moment to flirt even if equine hybrids weren't really her thing. The judge took notice, and thereby declared the last straw. He lost his temper, stood up, and shouted at the top of his lungs.
 
"Silence," he cried! You've had your last word, now take your punishment with…" As you can probably guess, he was about to say 'dignity,' but he couldn't finish before having to pause. He saw Skadi put her hands behind her head, but didn't quite connect the dots on what happened until she was stretching and leaning back freely as if she were out on a stroll. "Wait a minute," he muttered just before Skadi looked at him with the biggest smile yet. She held the picked shackles out in front of her at this point, and pointed to her bare wrists as if to mock his authority.
 
She had escaped.
 
"Guards, seize her! The prisoner is escaping!" The gallows broke out into excited chatter once Skadi's freedom became clear. The executioner charged at her first, believing that his burly form would be sufficient to subdue the smaller woman; but Skadi's nimbleness saw her through his defenses. She took the same shackles that had been used on her and then clapped the executioner himself in irons. She then kicked the officer off his platform and into his fellow guardsmen below. The impact knocked a pocket of them over, clearing a path between the pirate and the centaur. Skadi spoke quickly after that, wasting no time in gloating before her inevitable retreat.
 
"Gentlemen," she shouted! "You will always remember this as the day that you almost caught Captain Skadi Night!" The pirate queen hastily moonwalked toward the edge of the gallows then, using a brief spot of magic to create a smoke explosion. She changed directions inside that smog cParadoxd once it was fully developed as a ploy to throw off her pursuers, and then brushed past the centaur before the winds could disperse her smokescreen. Hiding amongst the scattering crowd, she bought herself some time. Even if it wasn't much, she was able to disappear before the guards could get organized; duck into an alleyway away from prying eyes.
 

She lost them, or at least the humans among them. Anyone with a sufficiently keen nose could still find Ms. Night amidst the chaos. If they wanted to find the queen of pirates, after all, all they needed was to follow the smell of sea air that constantly hung around her.

Paradox watched the crowd around her start to laugh at the criminal's words. This only seemed to anger the judge in charge of the proceedings as he began to yell and glared intently at his captive. He cast his eyes momentarily down to her and saw her steady approach toward the platform. He sent down a set of guards to protect the platform. The guards surrounded her front and pressed their shields out to force her backwards. She crow hopped forward, causing the three closest her chest to be bowled back instead. They reminded her large beetles after having been flipped onto their shells.

The pirate called down to her and gave her a look, with a flirty wink. She couldn't help but give her a sideways look and stare at her in confusion. She had never had a woman interact with her in this way, among humans or her own kind. She pinned her ears down and looked up at the judge when he screamed down a final time. He was really starting to aggravate her, not just with his words but with his demeanor in general. She would like to assist in the criminal's escape now, if not just to anger him more so. He was an awful man.

She smiled as she saw the captive had escaped her bonds and chaos break out on the platform. She clapped the judge in her shackles and then thew him into the crowd. She reared up, her squeal of delight more equine than human. She settled down as she saw the woman speak and walk backwards across the stage in mockery. She snorted and watched as a smoke screen was created instantly with a touch of magic from the pirate. She was slightly impressed, it was not often that a pirate had the skills or knowledge of magic of any sort, at least not beyond the sea.

She heard her running towards her and turned on her hindquarters to run next to her. She caught her scent and was able to run astride her, easily keeping up the pace. She looked down at the running woman and thought about her next course of action. "You run too slow for me, miss," she said down to her. She bent down and grabbed the pirate by the waist and an arm, then throwing her delicately onto her back. She extended herself and went forward at a faster gallop down the street before ducking into an alley, several blocks down from the gallows. She stopped and panted for a time, looking at the woman sitting astride her. "Where is your ship, lass?" She asked her quietly. "We do not have much time if we are to get you to your ship, so that you may escape your fate at the gallows."

Follow the scent was exactly what Paradox did, but not before marking herself as yet another criminal in the moonlit city. Assaulting an officer and disrupting an execution were hardly civil crimes, though it remained to be seen how much the crown would come down on her offenses. Either way, the centaur was marked the moment she bucked the shield wall backward, and especially so when she coincidentally disappeared from the crowd alongside the convicted after the woman had escaped execution.
 
Paradox and Skadi met down the primary street following their relatively tiny rebellion. The former criticized the latter's athleticism at that point, and scooped her up onto her back so that the duo's retreat could be sped up. Skadi was hardly complaining about the forced offer of hospitality, but she also didn't waste a chance in offering her retort.
 
"Says the lady who has the power of a horse in her strut and more sleep in her system from the last 72 hours." The first fact in that response was obvious, because a centaur would always be faster than your average human. Even if Skadi wasn't exactly average, she had also been dealing with lack of sleep – no thanks to her guards. All male units in Canelux, as had been her escort, were notoriously known across the continent for less than savory tactics with their female prisoners. There was little concrete evidence to corroborate the rumors associated with them, unfortunately, especially since the proclaimed rape victims were summarily executed weeks before accusations even came to light.
 
Skadi experienced attempts first hand, however, and had kept herself awake through various means to ward off the guard's attempts. They never did get the chance to commit the deed, but Skadi was still weary from her ordeal. She actually briefly napped on Paradox's back because of this, least until they were in the relative safety of the alleyway.
 
The pirate queen startled awake once her centaur friend started talking to her again. She ran her fingers through her hair to control the minor amount of bed head she had received during the journey, and then propped herself up close to Paradox's head. "So are you saying you want to turn pirate yourself, then, mademoiselle," she asked quietly? "Sorry to inform you that my ship is at the bottom of the sea right now. We won't be getting her back anytime soon. Besides, I need to pick up my effects first, and my hat." By effects, she meant the supplies I had left for her in the city of Adeluna. While she was powerful in her own right at the time of the execution, she didn't yet have my divinity to help her out. Everything was still in a transition period with me handing off the reigns, and Skadi's powers wouldn't be fully manifested till she got in contact with SAI. Of course, despite my clear instructions on how she should go about that, the blonde imbecile still managed to screw a simple handoff up.
 
See, after my betrayal of the conclave, I had to lay low. I couldn't readily use any power or even show my face. I had given a map to Skadi because of this, so she'd know exactly where to look for the supplies I was granting her. She lost that map: set it down in the manor of the noblewoman she was attempting to bed, never bothering to pick it back up. This noblewoman was Lady Fiona herself, the same one that had framed the pirate for the murder of Duke Edward. Skadi wasn't even aware of the map's loss, yet; so oblivious was she! It took a swarming garrison to jog her memory that she had once possessed such a thing; but that was too little too late.
 
"Send out their likeness to all garrisons around the city!" A squad of guardsmen ran down the street just outside the alleyway that Paradox and Skadi were hiding in. Their arrival came shortly after Skadi announced the fate of Levi, her ship, but they somehow didn't take notice either of the two women whilst passing them by. They were all preoccupied with scrambling attack plans, enough that their squad leader was shouting in broad daylight. "Lock down the docks! Alert the walls! Don't let them escape even if you have to turn them into pincushions!"
 

"Well, looks like the hornet's nest is stirred," Skadi remarked once the coast was clear, "and now your head is marked too. I doubt we'll be getting out of the city anytime soon, but I do know a place we can lay low until the opportune moment. It should be right where my things are stored." This was the first time Skadi even thought of my map since her time in the duke's estate, but it was, of course, gone. She had to pat her entire body down before realizing just how much she had screwed up…again. With a sheepish smile, she could only turn to the centaur and hope the woman was as gracious a host as she seemed. "Uh…you wouldn't happen to know where to find The White Pearl, would you? Seems I lost my map, and I'm ashamed to say I don't know the taverns in this place by heart."

Paradox pinned her ears at the woman's retort as they galloped through the city. She stayed quiet, she'd have an opportune moment to give her a curt remark in return. At one moment she glanced behind her and saw that her rider was dozing lightly on her back. She slowed down so that the woman would not go flying off her back. She thought the action itself was rather foolish. She walked into an alley and then stopped to turn around and speak with her. Her voice shocked her awake and she inched closer to her human half so that she may talk to her in a more hushed setting.

She chuckled dryly at the woman's proposition. "Lady, I am half horse, not half fish," she said pointedly. "I prefer to keep my feet on dry level ground instead of a boat." She snorted when the pirate said that her boat was at the bottom of the sea. "Not much of a pirate, are you? Can't even keep your ship afloat." She walked slowly through the alley, a few children looked at her through the windows of the buildings. It was still a rare sight to see a centaur in these parts, or in any heavily populated area for that matter. She could hear the captain of the guards yelling to secure the city and all viable means of escape. 

She was slightly irritated at the pirate's speaking of the obvious. The more she talked, the less interesting and intelligent she became. Paradox was starting to second guess her decision to help her. She glanced back as she felt the woman move around on her back frantically and saw her feeling all her pockets in turn. She pinned her ears back as the woman smiled at her, she wanted something, she could tell. She asked about the White Pearl, a small, shady little place out by the docks. And probably swarming with guards out looking for them, as they knew the pirate was bound to leave the city by sea. 

"I have a better idea," she said, turning back around. She squeezed between two buildings before slipping down another set of alleys in a rather confusing pattern before stopping at the back of a small house. She knocked on the back door and waited patiently for a response. A female voice asked who was there and she replied, "It's Paradox. I need some help." The door opened and she dropped one of her hips, sliding her rider off. She ducked under the low door frame and stepped inside. The house itself was enchanted, the outward appearance betraying the actual size of the massive interior. 

"Come on miss," she said over her shoulder. "This is a safe house, we can not be prosecuted in here and may speak freely." She assumed the lady would follow her and she led the way up the stairs. She found an unlocked room and slipped inside, closing the door after the woman if she decided to accompany her. Once she was inside, she had several questions she wanted the pirate to answer before she assisted her any further. 

Paradox's reaction toward Skadi was not unique. Many, myself included, despised her, though my reasons were different than theirs. The centaur judged the pirate queen for her foolishness, reckless abandon and statements of the obvious. I, on the other hand, despised her for the fact that all of these behaviors were the result of an act. While the everyday stranger might see a foolish vagabond when looking at Skadi as she slept atop her equine friend, I saw a mob boss's daughter still refusing to grow up eons after her childhood had ended. Comedy was her mask, even if the madness that accompanied it was very much real.
 
Still, I have to give Skadi credit. She at least knew how to break the mask when it mattered most. She could also read people decently, so she knew that Paradox was slightly agitated with her even early on in the trip to the safe house. Her mask cracked open slightly in response, but only just. It was very hard to stir the killer from her mania, after all; even harder to provoke her anger.
 
"There's always time to learn, love. Horse or not, I'm sure you'd make a great swimmer given enough time." Her words came in response to Paradox's fishy remark, as did her accompanying wide smile. Insults and sharp remarks, as the centaur was partial to giving in the immediate situation, rarely had any effect on the blonde haired goddess in the first place, especially since she had likely used them all herself at one time or another. The current tongue lashings were no different. Not even the ship remark merited the slightest bit of anger in response, and only served to elicit a chuckle."Now I didn't say my Levi was sunk: just where she's currently located. It's difficult to explain when everyone you meet expects the natural state of your boat to be floating."
 
Now at this point, Paradox decided to take matters into her own hands. Skadi had asked to be directed to the White Pearl, as planned, but the centaur quietly refused this request. The Pirate Queen didn't just want her effects, however: she needed them, for they were not just simple items. Explaining that would have been giving away too much information, though, so Skadi was left as a silent captive in the face of her directives. Luckily for her, however, I had a plan B, and had bribed a certain harpy eagle to deliver the package in case of any screw-ups.
 
Rauru had been skirting about the city on the day of the planned execution, lurking in the skies and picking off the occasional morsel. His eyes had been watching Skadi and Paradox intermittently, and he only took a break from his hunt when he noticed the pair heading in a direction completely opposite of the required tavern. It was at that point that the harpy eagle sprung into action. He navigated to the roof of the White Pearl; picked up a small, blanket covered sack in his beak; and then flew over to the moron who had lost her map.
 
"Ah, leave it to my arch-nemesis to always have a plan B for my misadventures," Skadi said when she spotted Rauru just before reaching Paradox's safe house. The eagle dropped the sack into Skadi's hands mid flight, and then perched on a nearby rooftop to berate her in his characteristically cheeky way.
 

"Our mutual friend thought you might screw up again, so she informed me of where to pick up the necessary item. She also said to call you a moron, but mapless gimp sound better." Rauru chuckled, and then flew off before Skadi's retort could reach him.
 
"There's no need to be rude," she said while gently unpacking what Rauru had brought her in front of Paradox's shelter.  Inside this unassuming package lay an ethereal gem: an orb surrounded by a nimbus of light and smoke. "Good to see you again, SAI," the pirate proclaimed upon seeing this item! She placed the gem directly on her cheek, causing her body to surge with magical energy. The gem submerged into her skin like water, disappearing completely.
 
SAI and Skadi fused in that moment, causing a multitude of changes to take place. For starters, her clothing, which had been damaged during the trip to the execution platform, was completely repaired and now joined by a white fedora. The dirt stains on her skin gradually disappeared, as well, as did the body odor from a lack of showering over the past few days. It was like she had just taken a bath and gone to a tailor in a split second.
 
'Logging you in, Mistress Night,' SAI said in Skadi's head after these external changes took place. 'Transferring all items and currently stored knowledge to you now.' Thus, Skadi became divine, but not in the eyes of onlookers. She still followed Paradox into the house, but like a talented, mortal mage rather than a god. She played along - as was her prerogative - and sat down on a couch in the room she was directed to.
 

"Ooo, nice place," she said at regular volume, now assuming there was no need to stay quiet! "Is this where the interrogation is going to take place? Are you going to shackle me to the bed? Tickle me into submission? Shine a lantern in my eyes and ask where I was on the night of the 15th? A game of strip Q&A, perhaps?"