Ragnar had finally finished his journey to the North, as he had a feeling that he would be needed here for something, though what that was at this moment wasn't fully clear to him. He knew at some point, something in his area would require his attention to make sure that it is done. Someone needed to die here that his Lord required of him, but he didn't know where yet or when, but soon he would know. As Ragnar walked through Rush Valley, what appeared to be a shit town that exported mass amounts of raw ore from the mountains around them along with refined goods such as weapons, armor, and other objects like that. Though from what he could gather this place had a very large amount of freedom, or at least it appeared that way though he could not be sure of that.

The guild known as the Sentinel Syndicate apparently ran this area of the north, which didn't surprise him but what did was the fact that he had never heard of the guild before this. He only knew of one man, the guild master, Kon. Even then, he heard many conflicting reports about the man, one saying that he used some kind of fire magic and another that said he now uses ice magic. Clearly that isn't possible for someone to suddenly gain a different kind of magic than before but Ragnar had no idea, but he did know that the man was ruthless, cunning, and most likely a man that would murder anyone who got in his way. He did only assume this because normally only those kinds of people can hold land this far up north for long, the people up here were cutthroats or at least could be.

Ragnar had allowed his mount to leave his side outside the gates of his city by several miles, at which point it ran off into the forest and vanished. He knew that if he needed the mount it would come to him, but it was still interesting to see it run off and vanish. As Ragnar looked around, he looked over some of the wears that were offered and most of them were completely shit but there was some quality hidden in some of the works as he walked around.

That was when Ragnar felt something cross his neck, the same thing he felt when he first found his mount, and every time he placed a skull at the throne of his lord. He was here, somewhere, or at least he was leading him somewhere. He turned downs the feeling and followed it freely. He knew this would lead him to what his Lord wanted, and he kept going moving through the streets at a fast pace. He wasn't looking where he was going, it was only until he ran into another man, shorter than he was and had a head of snow-white hair, Ragnar was about to push him aside when something came over him.

He was reminded of the times during the summers of his home, occasionally there was an animal called a viper that would show up during the warm seasons to hunt food before leaving and going south when it got cold. This animal didn't really move until you were right on top of it and that is when it would strike, and the bite was deadly to most people. Ragnar could not escape the fact that he might have just stepped on the viper, and how he reacted next would determine if the viper would let him leave or if it would bite and kill him.

Conflict rattled through the frost tipped nephilim’s mind as he walked through the streets of Rush Valley. The responses from the people around him was largely negative with many averting their gaze out of fear while others looked at him in contempt. He had become accustomed to such and merely went about his task. He had heard rumors of a colossus approaching the land riding a monstrous being. What it wanted was unclear but nonetheless Kon had set himself to protect the people within Sieghart Mountain. Only he had the right to decide who would live and who would die with many thanks to the gleeful ice spirit within him. The manipulation of life and death had always been something Kon had dabbled in first through his gifts with necromancy before being ripped away by the Holy Knights transforming him to nothing more than a weapon for their goals. Perhaps now with this cheeky creature within him, he could regain such abilities, at least that’s what he hoped, being able to raise the dead was beneficial.

Rising his head into the gray sky, Kon felt a single drop fall upon his cheek followed by another then another, each freezing as they ran down him. Rain drifted from the sky landing unadulterated, wind being completely absent. The otherwise stone walkway soon became slick and reflective, behind him a mist built as water splashed around him. “Beautiful.” He muttered under his breath, unscathing the mask previously resting on the back of his head. Today he wouldn’t hide himself or nor what he was. Spilling the concealing mask into his jacket, he returned with a shiny golden orb matching his eye and hand. Wings shoot out from the ball before lifting off Kon’s outreached hand. This golden orb lazily hovered briefly before clinging to kon’s shoulder both physically and through some mysterious magic.

Attention drawn away from his surroundings Kon didn’t even notice that he had walked into the merchant corner, only being revealed with a sudden thump. A monstrous man before him, undoubtedly the one that the rumors had spoken of. Much to say Kon was disappointed having hoped for a challenge, relishing a true fight after the hollow conflict between him and Joshua. “Such a foolish man.” Kon thought as he shook his head at the man in front of him. “So tell me who you are and why are you here? Do you prefer ice or gold?, if you don’t tell me the truth you’ll be turning into one of those very quickly.”

As the man turned towards him, he did get a look at him now and Ragnar did realize he did step on the viper. What surprised him is that the viper did not instantly strike out at him, and simply hissed at him for now but he knew that if he didn't respond correctly the Guildmaster would make good on his promise. As Ragnar thought as he listened to the man, he listened to the first question and he realized he didn't really have a good reason to be in his city. He couldn't tell him that he was sent here by his Lord, but he didn't wish to lie to this man because he could most likely end his existence if he chooses to.

Ragnar said calmly " My name is Ragnar Asgeir, I came here from Marigold because I felt that this place would remind me more of my childhood home then the south. As for why I am here in Rush Valley, it is because I am looking for new equipment. " And this was not a lie, he did feel like this place would remind him more of Icebergian rather than the south and he did need new equipment, as he recently came into enough money to buy some new and better stuff. Ragnar took a step back, though for him that was nearly three feet of distance between them now as he gave a nod to the man as if to relay the fact that he knew who he was and would try to treat him with the respect he deserved for someone of his station. " I am sorry for bumping into you, I was not paying attention to my surroundings. "

Ragnar could still feel like he was way to close to the Guildmaster to be even remotely safe, he had a feeling that if the man wanted to kill him, he could most likely do it before he could react. At least that is what he assumed, he had never seen an S rank Mage in action before but from what he was told from his homeland, they could kill entire tribes by themselves in a single night and walk out unharmed to do it again. It normally took the greatest warriors and mages of the Clans to go and fight someone who is a known S rank mage. Ragnar knew enough to know that Kon was one of these men, and Ragnar was not nearly strong enough to fight him one on one without some unreasonable luck on his side and even that would only allow him to make a single strike before the guild master killed him.

The giant amongst men, spoke in a foreign yet distinctly icebergian accent, thick enough to tell that he had not assimilated into Fiorian society. Even now after spending almost a decade in Fiore, Kon’s own native tongue of Boscoi was prominent, twisting words in an awkward manner particularly names and places. He revealed himself as Ragnar, Ragnar Asgeir, a name he was not familiar with and likely for good reason, the man outside of his offensive appearance and abnormal height showed minimal amounts of magicka, growing strength but it was hard to tell. To Kon, he was just another human who was on the edge of being turned to gold. Going on to reveal his hopes for goods and services, Kon grew a sly half-smile before shifting back into a deadpan stare in an instant. “You came all the way to Rush Valley of all places known to be under the control of the Syndicate to buy “new equipment”?” Tired of being fed only half-truths, Kon reinforced his accusations as the man tried to retreat from the guild master, stepping forward as Ragnar begged his forgiveness.

The difference between their pace was staggering, with him opting for a more diplomatic backstep, Kon meanwhile rushed towards him drawing even closer to him than before. In spite of the height difference he knew he was in control at the flick of his wrist dozens of outcomes could bring this man’s demise. “Now tell me why did you truly come here to Sieghart Mountain?, You certainly don’t look like a spy, hmmm.” Looking at the man even this close, little could be drawn from him, so far he could tell that while his appearance was unusual, he had been at least civil. That was something Kon rarely had the luxury of giving, only amongst his peers in power could he meet people eye-to-eye. Perhaps that’s what had caused the disappearance of the guild members, or just his sheer hostility towards most people.

This was not going as planned for Ragnar, so he had to come up with another plan and quickly. He realized this when the man took a step forward to follow him, not allowing him to get out of range, this was both for intimidation and to not allow Ragnar to swing his ax at the man, which was still held on his back. Ragnar listened to the man before he realized that he didn't really have a choice in the matter before he leaned down so the guild master could look him in his eyes, seeing a pair of brown bloodshot eyes staring back at him, and said simply "I am here to get new equipment because I am here to hunt someone, I don't know who it is yet but I do know that he is here, somewhere in the North. He should not be hard to locate, and once I hear the name I will know who my target is. As for being a spy, no. I would not make a very good spy, for many reasons. So, if you are going to kill me, do it now otherwise I have a hunt to continue and a skull to collect. "

Ragnar then stood up to his full height and took a step to walk past the man, to Ragnar's left and Kon's right. Ragnar had no fear of death, and clearly, this man wasn't going to accept any other answer and might only respect a show of strength. He had to take a gamble and he wasn't afraid of what happened after this, his skull would end up on the throne at some point no matter what he did.

“Curious.” The Nephilim responded as the man revealed his plot to assassinate someone in the North. Who was significant enough in the area to warrant hiring a hitman?, Few names came to mind, His own and Caius, any important figures were still a mystery to the man. And yet Kon in spite of the potential risk of helping a future enemy felt inclined to help offer his aid instead of striking him down right here and now. As if to end the conversation, Ragnar attempted to walk away from Kon, hoping to continue their conversation and have him enter the syndicate, Kon reached for the striking armour that he wore with his golden gauntlet. Immediately the flimsy iron would fall from the colossus turning into a dust of gold.

“You seek new equipment to kill someone and the need for it is certainly clear, but you also need to become more powerful depending on who your target is.” Hoping he wouldn’t be making a mistake, Kon removed his grasp around the man’s arm. “If you are interested I can offer services that will aid you in the hard times to come.” A smile almost grew upon his face, he could easily be inviting his own would-be assassin into his ranks. Whether he could actually defeat the ice-clad mage was questionable at best, with Ragnar needing to rely on items to offer the great gaps between the two. Shifting the pace of the conversation knowing that a looming threat would hasten any decision, kon threw up his right arm attracting electricity to it like a lightning rod, before returning it into the sky causing it to cascade and darken it further. “The time to decide is now, Ragnar…”

As Ragnar walked by the man, he didn't react fast enough to even try and dodge the attack that went for his armor though he could tell it was not full strength or even going to hit him hard more than likely but what happened next surprised Ragnar completely. His armor, rusty and red, had started to turn gold, going from the point of contact with Kon to the entire part of his armor. This wasn't something he had heard about this man, but he just turned his armor into gold before falling into dust at his feet. This showed Ragnar's form under the armor and the first thing that was apparent was the sheer amount of scars across his body, crisscrossing across his body in various sizes shapes and forms.

Kon could see arrow wounds, stab and slash wounds that covered this man's entire torso, arms, shoulder, and neck. With all the damage that looks like this man has taken, he either lived a life filled with violence and death or he was very good at makeup. The next thing that was noticed as just how much more massive he seemed to look outside of the armor as if the armor was holding back some of the bulk of the muscles. The veins in his arms and his neck were clearly visible, looking like tight ropes against the solid stone of the muscle mass. Another odd thing stood out, due to the fact that he was looking at Ragnar's back now. It was completely empty of the amount of scarring that could be seen over most of his body, outside of a couple of exit holes from arrows or stab wounds. Ragnar's hand instantly went to his back, where his ax handle was, preventing the ax from falling to the ground as the armor that was holding it fades away. The only thing Ragnar had left on him was his armored legs, his waist pouch, his helmet, and his ax.

Ragnar stopped at this moment as he tried to process what just happened, but before he could really think he heard Kon speak and he had to listen. Was he just offered a place in a guild? Ragnar thought about this for a moment as he never thought about joining a guild, much less a guild that is known for subtlety and control but Ragnar listened. He thought about what this offer meant and what it would mean for his future as he heard the words " Time to decide is now, Ragnar... " Ragnar thought for a moment about this, thinking about telling him no when a faint smell of blood came off the wind. It was very light and almost not detected by Ragnar but he could smell it coming off of Kon. Maybe this is what the Lord wants...

Ragnar reached up with his free hand and removed his helmet, showing a face that is just as scarred and battered as the body that holds it. Placing his ax into the ground next to him, handle up, he placed the helmet on top of the handle balancing it there as he faced Kon. Putting his right hand into a fist and placing it over his heart with his elbow down he gave a small bow as he said simply and clearly " Your will be done, sir. " The intention could not be made more clear, Ragnar was accepting the terms laid out by Kon to join his organization.

A body sculpted by the ravages of war, mimicking his own revealed itself as the gold dust cleared. Who had he fought? How did he recover from seemingly life-threatening injuries? These were all questions that lingered in Kon’s mind. What was revealed however was that this man had endured a lot for someone or something, he would find out in time either willingly or through force. However that time would not be today.  Instead perhaps recognising the precarious position he had been placed in, Ragnar submitted, bowing and offering his services. Encouraging the man to raise from his bow, Kon flicked up two of his fingers. “Come, come there’s no need for that.” Looking further at the man a scowl grew upon Kon’s face. “But first.” Binding the union that would be created, Kon drew upon his ever-increasing magicka chilling his arm then his golden gauntlet before reaching over and touching the chest of this muscle-bound man, ‘searing’ the guild tattoo upon his scarred and damaged skin as if to add insult to injury.

Pulling back his chilled arm, Kon breathed in heavily absorbing the mana before releasing it out in a plume of ice as he exhaled. “I have marked you with the syndicate’s seal, it can be concealed with the click of the fingers if needed.” Almost expecting some form of retaliation, Kon left himself open as if to encourage the man, he welcomed it, but he assumed that Ragnar knew where his position lay. Enlisting a man such as Ragnar within his ranks had its advantages, one whose values and focus seemed driven but by what he didn’t know. He could glean from his old equipment that he was a warrior of sorts, perfect for what was to come. “My will be done?” Kon queried, rubbing his chin. “There is a task I would like dealt with and is perfect to show your resolve.” Nodding to himself, he continued. “The rest of North Fiore has been resistant to the syndicate’s advances, I need someone to flush out the troublemakers, someone like yourself, I’d like you to head to Worth Woodsea, enforce the will of the syndicate however you see fit, purge anyone that opposes you.”

[Exit]