Forum of the Seven Churches, Yleran.

The sound of her hard-soled shoes reverberated through the opulent halls of the monastery. On one side, gaudy windows cast intricate patterns of golden sunlight on the marble floor, while dark wooden doors on the other led to ostentatiously-decorated rooms and offices. Despite being a monastery, this place was more like a palace; of course, that was all only possible thanks to people like her. Whilst the clergy prided themselves on being noble and learnt, on holding a book in their hands and preaching, others had to get their hands dirty and function as hounds for the Forum. As she walked through the large corridor, curates and apprentices whispered between each other with a spark in their eyes; a noblewoman who chose the life of a mercenary, a sword-wielding monster with the face of an angel, and many other tales could be heard.

"Miss Executioner," a young man addressed her, a mix of awe and admiration in his voice, "it's an honor to finally meet you! My name is...."

Her mind drifted to something else. If she bothered to remember every introduction she heard during a day, her head would explode. This was the norm for her; after all, she was one who was 'blessed by God'. Besides the Pope and one Bishop, she was probably the most famous person across the Seven Churches. This was the life the woman called 'Leyva Wseyendeta' chose for herself, and it was one she could live without regrets.

"It's great meeting you," with a pleasant smile and practiced manners, Leyva responded, "but I have important matters to attend to. I'm sure I'll see you around."

Finally freed, she continued on her way before arriving in front of a certain white-gold door. After a hefty knock, it shook and swiftly opened, revealing a balding man who looked to be in his sixties behind it. He was dressed in a long, white clerical robe that stopped just shy of the floor with purple lining on its hem. Few traces of hair were left on the sides of his head and he carried a kind smile and mature demeanor with him, akin to one's grandfather. With an apologetic cough, he welcomed Leyva into his office.

"You've arrived earlier than expected. Wasn't your carriage supposed to arrive tomorrow at the earliest?", he asked with a shaky tone, to which she retorted: "You know I don't like those things, old man. I'm faster on my feet- don't tell me you don't have my pay?"

Leyva stared him down with a piercing gaze whilst ignoring all decorum, causing the senior Bishop to take a step back and brace himself against the large desk behind him. Bowing his head and waving his left hand dismissively, he spoke. "Y-you were supposed to arrive tomorrow, so will your pay. Please, mind your manners." The old man corrected his posture and cleared his throat, regaining the gravitas befitting his station. "Since you've nothing important to do, what about taking another mission? I have a simple one in mind."

Really, I've barely arrived and they're already sending me out again? I'm really being treated like a dog here, she thought. Leyva sighed with a mix of frustration and acceptance, already understanding the situation; there was no way for her to reject it. It was an order thinly veiled as an offer out of the kindness of his heart. "What do I have to do? We'll discuss payment later."

"A group of bandits has settled down outside the Selection Gates. This wouldn't usually be an issue, but they're hindering the opening of the entrance."

"Any specific way you want me to deal with them?"

"No. I trust in your judgment."

A toothed grin spread on Leyva's face, "That's great. This'll be easy."

...

Selection Gates, outside Yleran.

Despite having the highest life expectancy of all great cities in the world, Yleran's surroundings were completely uninhabitable. A deathly fog suffocated everything around its borders, making it impossible for enemy armies to march through. Unfortunately, this also made it fatal for merchants, wagons and immigrants to enter Yleran outside of the specific time slots where a tunnel was opened into the kingdom. Despite that, some troublemakers still attempted to stir up chaos within the Beacon; executioners like Leyva were responsible for these cases.

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"You can stop here." The executioner told her carriage driver as soon as he reached the gates, not even stepping foot out of the city. He nodded his head in understanding, even some gratefulness, and left immediately after she jumped out. Not only would the carriage take longer, but it'd also put its driver into unnecessary danger. Leyva couldn't wait until the next tunnel opened - she wanted to get done with this as soon as possible and hop into bed. First the Marauder, now this...what an eventful day. Gathering force in her legs like a spring, Leyva leapt over the high walls of Yleran and used the outer ramparts as a platform to propel herself forward. Her Gift of Sight allowed her to easily survey the entire landscape marking the city's border.

They should be somewhere around the gates. There's no point in loitering around here otherwise. Her moving eyes quickly locked onto a certain point, then her body turned into a blur.

Arriving before them like a lightning bolt, she drew the dagger on her left hip, turned around and got to work. She could loosely make out the bandits uttering a shout of surprise, but they immediately bit their own tongues- it was clear who she was. The very presence of 'Miss Executioner' crushed their fighting spirit, but they still wielded their weapons with their lives on the line. The four of them were insufficient - even a hundred-on-one wasn't a guaranteed victory.

"One." The first was caught off guard and could only watch as the dagger sunk into his flesh, ripping open a cross-shaped gash across his upper torso. Leyva's gloved left hand moved forward and gripped the stunned man by the face, using him as a meat shield for the approaching arrow fired off by a second, female bandit. The executioner threw his corpse at the bandit and fixed her tie before speaking with a bemused tone to the quivering outlaw, "Girl, you really shouldn't get attached to guys like these. They'll just leave you alone in the end."

"Y-you..!", was all the bandit could force out before falling limp onto the floor, captured within a nice illusion woven by her adversary. Leyva looked over with a smile. Running was useless, since they'd just be caught by her or perish in the badlands. The soundest option would be to beg for their lives, but she was an executioner- their deaths were guaranteed. With a desperate roar, the two men charged her with sharp weapons - the first attempted an improper downward slash, meanwhile the other tried to bisect her with his oversized axe. Immediately moving away from the disadvantageous position between the two men, their weapons collided and caused them to rebound, giving Leyva an opening. She immediately moved in towards the axe-wielding bandit, throwing a forward thrust at his face. He managed to step back just in time to dodge it, but couldn't defend against her follow-up; after hooking her arm, she delivered an elbow to the man's face and staggered him, then reversed the grip on her dagger and pushed it into the side of his head.

"Four," predicting his death, Miss Executioner pulled out her weapon and stopped the incoming sword strike. She gathered a mechanical advantage by forcing her dagger closer to his hilt, precisely pushed his sword out of the way, then thrust forward to pierce his throat. With a grunt and a cough from the bandit, she pulled it out and delivered three more strikes to his chest, piercing his heart, severing his diaphragm and cutting open his stomach while moving forward. Then, she swept him off his legs and reversed the grip on her dagger once more, thrusting it into his face before he could even fall completely and slamming him into the ground. Leyva's messy, brown hair hung down as she softly gasped for air. Nine seconds was all it took.

"Finally...it's time for a break," she announced. After quickly finishing off the female bandit by slitting her throat, she made her way back to Yleran.

This was the life the executioneress, Leyva Wseyendeta chose for herself, and it was one she could live without regrets.