"The Duke WILL want to see us," Mateo advised, "You fellows would do well to stand down, and let us pass. We have credentials if you want to see them, but frankly no one in their right mind would go around claiming to work for the Bloodknight himself and lie about it, not for long at least. You know what they say about him and his habits." He grinned. "Now let us in, there's a good man."

The guards listened and went aside to deliberate amongst themselves what should be done. They came to a conclusion quickly. One stepped aside while the other hammered on the gate and shouted for it to be opened.

The portcullis was raised with much grinding and creaking, just high enough for mounted Chosen to enter. It slammed shut behind them like the jaws of some beast.

The castle was curiously empty - there few servants, pages, and courtiers and even fewer guards - the only ones in sight were the two standing in front of the portcullis and one who had winched the portcullis up.

Even stranger still was the aura of disrepair that hung over everything and everyone present - like a malignant cloud. Breastplates were tarnished, wall mounted sconces for torches were clogged with soot and covered in dust, dirt covered the ground and had littered it long enough for multiple sets of footprints to form.

It was customary for a Duke, a member of his family, or his seneschal to great emissaries from the Ruler. After some minutes of waiting, however, none seemed forthcoming.

The courtyard was empty except for a single guard who, after having raised the portcullis, now stood leaning against a wall, and two servants - both dressed as handmaidens, idly chatting near a boarded up and sealed well.

Leonid was off his horse as soon as Mateo was, and he expected a fight. The trio was cut off from all exits and they were right in the open, ripe for an ambush.

He gathered the energy present in the air, weakened since they were in a city and away from the pits of magic which his shamanistic magic drew upon,(which is why his magic was so strong the further he was in nature)but still able to draw power from the air around him, gathering it up in one of his hands, so if any of these guards tried anything he could blast the air at them and hopefully knock them off their feet, and if they were really unarmored, possibly crush their bones from the impact.

"What big battle? Make sense, soldier!" He shouted at the remaining guardsman, constantly looking side to side, expecting a torrent of arrows to be let loose on them or some other terrible fate. The city seemed to be completely fine until they reached the castle, so the situation at the castle must've only involved the Duke, at least in his mind.

Orison was unhappy about having to relinquish the height her horse offered her, but she dismounted, and went to stand by Leo. "You must calm down," she whispered, putting a hand gently on his arm. "You do not have to yell everything."

"Leo, listen to our dear friend!" Mateo called, as her ascertained that the maid servants probably weren't carrying weapons and there was no one in the doorway waiting to pounce. No archers on the walls either, as far as he could see. "Where's the Duke?"

The guards response made Leo look even more ridiculous, so he dispelled the casting, watching as the spell spiraled to the ground, kicking dust onto his boots.

After getting himself together, he nodded towards the guard, realizing there really was no threat posed from a drunkard in an empty castle. "Hmph. Thank you soldier, I'll leave you to your post now," he said to the guard, already off towards the castle entrance. The servant would probably lead them shortly anyway.