《A Guide to Kingdom Building》


 Chapter 1: World Ender

    "Failure!" The god spatted. "You are a failure!" He shouted.


    Arellin stood before the presence of the godly council, accused of his great sin-- ending an entire world.


    "You have been reborn, 364 times. Throughout your lifetimes, you have managed to build kingdoms, kill demon lords and become the subject of legends!" The god stated, "Why would you fail this time? Why does it have to end like this for you?" He asked.


    Arellin bit his lip hard. He didn''t want to answer the question. He knew that his risky action would lead to summoning a world-eater.


    But he did it anyway, for love.


    "Speak, human!" The warrior god commanded, "We shall not waste this time with you if your actions wouldn''t have tipped the balance," he said.


    Arellin glared at all of them, the council of the heavenly deities, and uttered, "Balance?" Amused with the god''s statement, he jeered at the council.


    He then rhetorically spat, "You call this balance?" He pointed at the world being eaten by large cosmic tendrils. "You created us to do your bidding so we could wage war with one another!"


    "You created us because you''re too afraid to face them!" He spat, "Those cosmic entities, you are unable to beat them alone. That''s why you made us!"


    Dumbfounded with his answer, the council stood on their chairs shouting at him, jabbing words at him--cursing him for his audacity.


    "You know why demon lords exist?" He asked the buzzing room, "Because they challenged your rules. The same you made them play with! The same rules I, in my 364 incarnations have to abide and maintain!" He smashed his hands on the marbled table in frustration.


    "And for WHAT?! FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT!" He accused them all and spitted on the consecrated grounds of the godly realm, "You made us as your playthings because you are all weak without us praising you¡­" He maniacally laughed.


    "And that weakness, it''s what you''re afraid of," he declared, "Because one day, when those cosmic anomalies come for you without our aid, you will all be devoured!" He laughed.


    One of the gods approached the unhinged hero and smashed his head over the marbled table. The table broke into pieces but Arellin kept on laughing at them. He knows he can''t die. He has the mark of the Ouroboros, etched into his soul. He cannot be destroyed, the gods can only seal him away for all eternity.


    [ ''Ech amalaar, Mida Madeeram?!], "Is that the best you can do, Lord Madeeram?!" He spoke in the language of the people that worshipped the war god. [ Tayavaash, nrecemen arka fohlk!] "You are not worthy of your people''s praises." He taunted.


    The enraged god threw him across the hall where he landed and broke a pearl pillar. He coughed out blood, but he was still amused to see how petty these gods can go with a bit of insult.


    "I-is this all?" He taunted some more.


    Lord Madeeram leaped towards him, his hand flaming and about to cave his face in when the High Chancellor of the Council stopped him.


    "Enough!" We have seen a lot of bloodsheds in one day," he commanded the livid god to calm down, "Lord Madeeram, take a seat. You there! Lord Andalos, pick that despicable man up and bring him over to me." He ordered.


    "The poor Lord Andalos, guardian of the Celestial Gate¡­" he laughed, "Bark for me! Arf! Arf!" He mocked.


    Lord Andalos walked towards him with disgust. He picked him up and threw him against the wall which got the poor Arellin stuck.


    "Lord Andalos! Stop that at once!" The High Chancellor''s voice boomed and shook the entire hall.


    Lord Andalos bowed to pardon his act, "Pardon my audacity Lord High Chancellor, but this man''s insults towards us have appalled me."


    "You are correct to be appalled by this disgusting human''s action," the High Chancellor sighed, "But we must finish this judgment at once! We have worlds to protect!" He said.


    Lord Andalos bowed to him once more before setting his sights on the incapacitated hero. He held on Arellin by the shoulder and tried yanking him out of the wall, but he''s stuck. He pulled again but to no avail.


    "What is taking you so long, Lord Andalos?" Asked one of his peers, "Did guarding the Celestial Gate make you weak?" The jest elicited laughter from the other gods.


    "No, my Lords," he said, "He is indeed stuck. I must tug him good."


    He came closer to Arellin''s ear, "Are you alright?" Lord Andalos whispered.


    "What do you think?" Arellin asked, "You got me there hard, I was winded." He coughed.


    "Sorry, take this." Andalos subtly handed him a dagger, "A final gift my dear friend for your great service." He whispered.


    "Are you truly certain about this?" Arellin asked.


    "Yes," the god answered, "Do you have a knockback spell?"


    Arellin nodded.


    "What is taking you so long?" the High Chancellor inquired.


    "Truly High Chancellor, I hit him to the wall too much that he''s stuck,"Andalos admitted as he tried and acted to pull Arellin out again.


    "Could anyone of you help?" Lord Andalos asked the council.


    Some of the bystanding gods sighed at how pathetic the Guardian of the Celestial Gate has become. Some of them rose from their seats and tried to help him. They approached them both not knowing what is coming for them.


    "Okay, ready?" Andalos asked Arellin as the other gods approached them, "This is going to hurt, is it?" He asked.


    "Yes, clench your jaw!" Arellin warned.


    Lord Andalos took a deep breath and gave him the queue.


    [ Dhuul'' Lkut!] "Booming push" Arellin shouted.


    A surge of heavy energy lashed towards the unwary gods throwing them across the hall. Andalos'' distraction worked! Now, Arellin must get out of the council hall this instance. He needs to hastily reach the Celestial Gates where he can jump to a sealed gate that even the gods never dared to go.


    He dragged his battered body out from the wall and cast spells on the astounded gods.


    [ Leik ''Zhii] "speed boost"


    [ Sinag] "Blinding light"


    He ran out of the hall as the gods got distracted from his spell. He dashed his way into the whirling steps of Stars End and went hard left towards the Celestial Gates. He wasted no time in getting there and looked for the sealed gate of Calamatis.


    Not a few minutes later, he found the gate. He used Lord Andalos'' dagger to yank the lock and destroy the chains of the sealed gate. As the chains dropped, the gate slowly opened revealing the starry void beyond.


    He took a step towards his freedom when suddenly, something began to wrap around his neck. He looked around and saw the High Chancellor subduing him with his stole. The vestment wrapped itself tighter on his neck, pulling him away from the opened gate.


    "I knew you would come here!" The High Chancellor said as he tugged his vestment.


    Suddenly the stole began to heat up. He felt his powers were being absorbed by the stole.


    "You, Arellin Matrious!" The High Chancellor called out. "Shall be stripped of your powers and titles that you have gathered throughout your incarnations." He declared.


    As his powers and abilities waned, his grip on the door weakened. His fingers slowly lost its strength and he was finally dragged away from it. The High Chancellor forcefully dragged Arellin towards him. His vision started to fade as the fabric tightened around his neck.


    With the last of his abilities being leached from him, the arrogant High Chancellor called out to him once more.


    "Arelin Matrious, I will take that mark off your soul and I will end you right here!" He declared. He summoned his spear and pointed at the fallen hero.


    "You meet your last." The High Chancellor grinned as he attempted to impale Arellin.


    Unfortunately for the High Chancellor, Arellin anticipated his sloppy move and dodged the spear. He swirled his way towards the god''s foot and stabbed it with Lord Andalos'' dagger. The High Chancellor screamed in agony and lost his grip on the stole. Finally, Arellin was able to free himself from the draining cloth.


    He pulled the dagger out of the god''s impaled foot. The High Chancellor writhed in pain, stumbling to the ground.


    Arellin took this opening for him and ran back to the gate.


    "YOU SHALL NOT ESCAPE OUR WRATH!" exclaimed the High Chancellor as he charged a ball of light aiming for the renegade.


    But before he could release the deadly sphere, the dagger flew directly into his hand and pierced his palm. Arellin noticed it already and made sure to stop it before it struck him. The ball of energy exploded right in the god''s face. Destroying him and the room they fought on.


    The blast grew bigger and as for Arellin, he took the opportunity as he tried to ready and propelled himself out of the room.


    "It''s now or never."


    It was a leap of faith and there''s one thing he knew: starting his life in the new realm.

 Chapter 2: The Whole New World

    There has never been a different morning for him. It has been the same morning from the other day and days before that. He''d wake up before the first rooster crows and starts his toil by fetching buckets of water from the well, a good ildwyrm distance. He''d fetch the water back to his barracks until the first sight of the sun peeking in the horizon.


    Usually, before he goes back to the barracks, he would rest himself by an old Oker Tree facing towards the vast icy mountain ranges. The day was colder than usual. He rubbed his hands together and blew his warm breath in between them.


    He savored the majestic view of the landscape, envisioning himself to one day conquer the jagged stronghold that kissed the sky. The golden rays of the sun slowly kissed his skin with its warmth. On the far side of the sky, the crimson streaks are now overwhelmed with the glorious yellow light.


    He felt the soft grass he sat on and crumpled a handful to release its wonderful aroma. He climbed the Oker tree and took some fruit from it. The sweet delicious pome of the tree has always been his favorite. It''s been his source of energy throughout the day. As he climbed the branch, he saw an empty bird''s nest. From the looks of it, the nest has already been abandoned. The birds already flew towards the vast sky and to distant lands. He took it and put it inside his pouch.


    He envied them-- the birds for they can freely go to wherever they wish. He on the other has always been bound to the land. He can no longer fly, nor run fast. The land he lives, he owes and thus, he serves.


    The sun has already risen to a lower level of Obura. He hurried back home afraid of the consequence that awaits him for being tardy. He grabbed his bucket and meticulously brisked his way to the barracks without wasting a single drop of water.


    He poured the water into their primitive storage and quickly disposed of the pails. He quickly snuck inside the mess hall, hoping to get his ration for the day. His stealthiness paid off as he availed himself his portion.


    He happily left the mess hall with his meal on hand. Recently, the food rations had been scarce, and thus, being on time or being able to sneak in on time is very important to him. He gleefully grabbed the stale bread and starts to eat it.


    The dry bread parched his mouth as it absorbed most of the moisture. The flavor didn''t help either, since the stale bread tasted like salty mold which added to its horrendous taste. He looked around to see if someone was looking. When he realized no one was, he took out his pouch and got himself a pome.


    The juiciness of the pome masked the terrible taste of the bread while it moistens his mouth. The creamy consistency of the fruit, made him want to eat more of the bread-- or at least made it bearable for him to eat.


    After eating his fill, he went straight to the fields, toiling the land to harvest before the winter. He planted crops and vegetables then waters them. He diligently cleaned the area around the planted crops, removed weeds and insects that could risk the growth of their crops.


    Noon came fast, and now he turned his sights to his lunch. His food wasn''t that different from the breakfast he had. It was the stale bread and pome to fill-up his hungry stomach. Luckily, there were some meat jerky today!


    He joyfully nibbled on one of them, saving the other for later. The mid-day sun scorched his skin and so he decided to take shelter umder the shade of a tree. There, he sat and reflected on everything that he''s done in life and to what made him get there.


    A smile cracked his face as he tried to recall the adventures he had during his glory days. His feats of heroism and the songs written all about him echoed in his mind. People calling out his many names throughout the eras and ages made him wish to turn back time.


    But that''s not even possible. Not anymore. No god can hear him call especially after he destroyed the last world he sworn to protect. Here, he is all on his own.


    He tried to close his eyes for a while to rest but remembered the other errands he had to do. He took back his farming tools to the shed and started cleaning the barn. He washed all the manure out of the barn and cleaned the stables for the stallions.


    After that, he gathered some firewood from the nearby forest and stacked them up at the back of the barn.


    Later that evening, he boiled some water in his little clay pot and took out the nest he kept in his pouch. He cleaned it with the little water he had left, before putting it into the boiling water. He took out the remaining jerky and added it along with the nest. Lastly, he took out his remaining pome and squeezed its juices to the stew before adding the crushed contents of the fruit.


    When it was ready, he took out his remaining piece of stale bread and dipped it in his stew. The taste wasn''t phenomenal. In fact, it lacked salt and the sweetness of the fruit didn''t really compliment the flavor of the stew. As for the bird''s nest, it was also bland but at least it satiated his hunger.


    After cleaning his meal, he went back to the barracks where the caretaker waited for him. He greeted the caretaker and stretched out his arms forward. The caretaker nodded and cuffed him. Then, the caretaker skilfully placed a chain on top of the arm that ran below his feet before locking it with the shackles on his ankles.


    It was a standard routine that they do every night, to ensure that no slave would run away. He dragged his feet to his bed and then closed his eyes, hoping that the nightmare would end forever.


    "Arise! All of you arise!" the booming voice of their caretaker woke him up.


    Has it been morning already? He thought.


    He looked outside by their slitted window and saw the moon in all of its glory. It was still the mid- hour of Obscuros. But here they are, awakened by their caretaker.


    Not long after a gentleman in a Principalia''s uniform walked into their barracks. From his looks, he seemed to be a ranked officer. It was clear he was appalled by the stench and filth that he saw. He covered his nose with his white handkerchief before whispering to the caretaker.


    The caretaker nodded anxiously. The officer left in haste after that.


    "Starting tonight," the caretaker started, " You are now conscripted to the Principalia! You shall dig the mines in Arenfall, near the valley of the Wyrmins." He announced with a smile.


    "Consider this a great honor for you, slaves! You will help the Principalia to rise into glory."


    The caretaker walks out of the barracks and all of them were left there in somber.


    "The mines! We are going to die." whispered one of the slaves.


    He couldn''t agree more.

 Chapter 3: Servus 132-X

    It has been more than two thousand counts when they started squeezing themselves in the jagged spaces of the tunnel''s ceiling. Servus132-X ''s back was cramping in protest to the odd position he stuck himself into. His hands slowly slipped as he tried to hold on to the edges of a stalactite hanging above the caves.


    He held his breath as he tries not to slip further below, where a nest of monstrous centipedes await roaming the area. His hands and back now bleed as he pushed himself in between the stalactite and the jagged cave wall.


    "Hey!" A voice whispered from the darkness.


    Servus 132-X looked around but only saw the pitch black blanket that covered them.


    "Yes, you!" The voice confirmed.


    He squinted and saw silhouettes barely moving just adjacent to him.


    "Do you have a plan?" The voice whispered.


    "No. I don''t." He clicked his tongue.


    "Yeah, we''re fucked!"


    Suddenly they heard someone skidding down into the nest. He cried for help as he slowly fell into his doom. All the while, gibberish noises of people arguing were also audible.


    "HEEELLLLPPPP!" another man plummetted to his doom.


    The Giant Centipede raised its body and caught the man in mid-air. They could hear the sound of his bones--crushed in between the maws of the monster before being torn to pieces by its kin.


    Servus 132-X took the opportunity of the distraction and devised a plan.


    "Jump!" Servus 132-X took a deep breath and plunged himself into uncertainty.


    "It''s now or never!" He yelled.


    "He''s crazy!" The people from the canopy exclaimed.


    Soon, a few of them followed his lead. People started dropping from the canopies like rain from the heavens. Some landed safely like him on the heaps of skin and carapaces on the nest while the others were not so fortunate.


    However, he still took this as a sign for them to survive. As the Giant Centipedes feast on the flesh of their unfortunate comrades, the rest of them ran.


    "Quickly!" Servus 132-X led them towards the entry tunnel.


    From the other end of the dimly lit tunnel, they saw how the other slaves got decapitated, crushed, and eaten by the monstrosities. He was left with no choice but to collapse the entire tunnel and the cave along with it.


    "All of you! Run towards the surface, now!" he cries out.


    "What about you?" A woman''s voice echoed.


    "I''ll distract them." He smiled, " RUN!"


    The surviving slaves wasted no time and ran back quickly to the surface. As they did, the Giant Centipedes were done devouring their comrades and were looking for more.


    Using a pole he picked up from their nest, he lured them by smashing it on the ground--taunting them with blunt sounds that irritate them. Soon the Giant Centipedes rushed over to him.


    He ran fast towards the surface while dragging along the pole he had. Since these creatures resembled those of the one''s he''d slain before in his 200th incarnation, he figured that they would sense their target by ground vibrations.


    Dragging the pole to the ground will hopefully confuses them of his exact location and give him time to dodge their attacks. He felt the ground rumbling below him. One of the centipedes could''ve burrowed down to ambush him. He jumped to confuse the giant insect of his location then smashed the pole in front of him.


    The centipede emerged from the ground exactly where he hit his staff. It worked! But now, the monster was blocking his only exit. He glanced back and saw the other centipede stalking him from behind. Both monsters opened their maws revealing his impending fate as their food.


    As in any situation from before, Servus 132-X stood calmly between the two predators. He controlled his breathing to calm his heart. His stillness was comparable to a mountain during a storm, the winds may howl and destroy the trees, but the storm can never uproot a mountain.


    With that in mind, he made his move. He rushed to the Centipede baiting it to grab him by its pincers. The centipede lunged forward at him. Seeing this, he shifted his direction and swerved back to the other centipede. The centipede from behind tried to reach him with its sharp maw, but just before it could reach him, he jumped away to the side causing the two centipedes colliding to each other.


    The sharp pincers of the centipede from behind penetrated the carapace of the other centipede causing both of them to wrestle each other. Their violent waltz caused the narrow tunnel to shake as their bodies bash against the fragile posts.


    Soon rocks and debris began to fall above them. This is his perfect time to get out of the fighting giant insects'' space. Risking his fate, he moved quickly towards a narrow gap that the centipedes created during their wrestle. He went right through the small space in between the rocks and debris before finally reaching the surface.


    The sun was already sinking in the horizon by the time he got out. He was met with heavily armored men who seized him away after witnessing the cave opening crumbled.


    "Useless!" Lord Bieroff spat on his face, "You useless filth! Why did you let them destroy the pillars?" he slapped Servus 132-X.


    The lord''s slap stung, but he was fairly certain that even a woman can hit harder than he did. The slap never hurt him--his shrill voice did. He continued to curse at the slaves. Flailing his hands like a madman as he lividly attacked the slaves with his verbal ineptitude.


    "Is this funny to you?" He barked at Servus 132-X and slapped him again.


    "Forgive me, my Lord," he bows, "I didn''t laugh at all and I did not find it funny. However, it was a matter of life and death for everyone involved."


    "You! Y-you dare!" His nostrils flared.


    "You DARE--"


    Suddenly the ground shook violently. The confused Lord shrieked as the ground tremors. Men panicked and the horses kicked and neighed on their posts. It shook a little more longer, before finally halting in abrupt.


    Everyone froze in confusion but Servus 132-X didn''t-- because he knew what was coming.

 Chapter 4: From Below

    The ground stopped trembling, but the shrieks of the horrified Lord Bieroff filled the air with noise and annoyance. A knight even stepped in and calmed him down before anyone had their peace.


    "I AM CALM!" He said as he tried to salvage what little pride he had left. The poor knight got a mouthful from the pathetic man.


    Servus 132-X wanted to burst himself into laughter, but that might aggravate the lord more. He stood there wearing a stoic look as he watched the pathetic lord crumbled to anxiety.


    The lord squinted at him again. He marched towards him and looked at him straight in the eyes. Lord Bieroff wanted to intimidate him, but his frail stature made it difficult for him to intimidate anyone, especially Servus132-X.


    His nose flared as he saw that the slave was not even flinching at his glare. He called some knights to surround the slave, still trying to at least cough out even a wince from him-- it didn''t work. His frustration became more palpable as his face reddened in sheer irritation. Lord Bieroff kicked the slave''s shin with his spiked boots.


    The pain traveled from his ankle up to his spine, sending chills throughout his body. But still, he refused to flinch.


    "AAAGGGHHH!!!" The frustrated lord stomps his boots on Servus 132-X''s foot.


    This time, the pain became unbearable that it caused him to kneel as he tried to protect his foot. The spiked boots proved to be effective against him as his foot bled, even under the protection of wrapped linens.


    Delighted with the slave kneeling in pain, he then decided to kick him even more. The kicks only grazed his head since he was able to anticipate the incoming strike. The following hits landed on his arms and stomach. The poor slave curled into a ball trying to defend himself from the barrage of attacks.


    After a few more kicks, Lord Bieroff asked the knights to hoist him up. As they did, the frail lord was catching his breath.


    "H-how a-are you feeling?" Lord Bieroff panted, "You''re a slave! Know your place!" he slaps Servus 132-X for the third time.


    This time, the slave had enough. As Lord Bieroff continued to spat his incoherent insults, Servus 132-X, glared at him. Just like that, the lord''s knee trembled, and hid behind his knight.


    "Y-you bastard!" He pointed at him, "Y-you dare try and harm me?"


    "I AM THE LORD OF ARENFALL!" He unsheathed the sword from one of the knights and swung it towards the battered slave.


    Servus 132-X saw the clumsily swung blade towards him. But being bound by the knights made it difficult for him to dodge. Seeing his inevitable end, Servus 132-X smiled at his defeat. He will finally be laid to rest and will no longer reincarnate. In his heart, there was a bit of peace that he felt.


    "That''s enough, Lord Bieroff!" an armor-clad officer grabs his arm before he was able to reach his target.


    "LET GO OF ME!" he yanks his arm from the grip but was unable to, " Don''t you know, I am l-lo...ord? L-lord Prestonheim?" his mouth ajar.


    "Greetings, Lord Bieroff." He blandly said, " It looks like you are battering a Principalia''s property?" he asked.


    Lord Bieroff fumbled for words, stuttering at his delivery, "W-well y-you see¡­" He looked for an excuse, "Yes! He destroyed the Arenfall mines! The mines you commissioned my castle to protect."


    "Is it now?"


    "Y-yes, of course, Lord Pres--"


    "Was he alone?"


    "No, he had cohorts!"


    "How many?" he approaches Servus 132-X and examined his wounds.


    "Eight in all!" Lord Bieroff answered.


    "Line them up!" Lord Prestonheim ordered one of the knights bounding Servus 132-X.


    They took him to an open ground near Lord Bieroff''s tent. Alongside him, were the slaves whom he helped escape the hellhole they''ve been to. He noticed that the slaves he came along with were mostly, non-humans. There were also few surviving humans, although most of them were injured.


    He noted the ones who caught his attention the most.


    There was a stout, well-built man with a clean shaven look. He stood at around 4 footlings, a short statured man, but his arms looked like he could wrestle a bear with no problem. He wore the same tattered clothes as he did, but his upper clothing had some sort of print on it. More than just a branding, Servus 132-X had a hunch that the upper garment might be a form of a seal.


    The next person who stood next to him, had a beastly charm. His physique is not as impressive as the first one, but he stood at around 6 and a half footlings. He had tattoos patterned in swirls all over his body. He looked like a timid and scared man, as he always bows his head and interacted in that manner as well.


    Then there was a slave that was dressed in man''s clothing, although he wasn''t sure if he was actually a woman. These slave''s features were remarkable. Beautiful cat-like eyes, one was blue and the other a violet haze. His ears were pointed and long. He had a slender neck and a fit body that was clothed in tattered garments. Servus 132-X also noticed a burnt mark on his neck that looked like a branding.


    Lastly, there was a human smiling at him from the adjacent side. His hair, long and scruffy with a dashing color of amber. He had green eyes with a scar running from one side of his cheek, then across. He wore the same tattered clothes that he had, albeit it was newer than his.


    "Are these the one''s who ran out from the cave?" Lord Prestonheim inquired.


    "Y-yes that''s all of them, the cowards!" Bieroff spatted.


    Lord Prestonheim inspected them while his men gathered from behind.


    "Tell me, dwarf, why did you run away from the cave?" He asked the stout man.


    "''Tis becoz, inzyd wuzzabit scary, ah."


    "W-what did¡­" the confused inquisitor scratched his head, " Ugh, could you repeat that?"


    "''Tis becoz, of them big Senterpids,"


    One of the Lord''s knights approached him and whispered something to his ear, "Ah..yes. Centipedes," he nodded.


    "You!" He pointed at Servus 132-X. "Lord Bieroff accused you for destroying this mining cave, why did you do it?"


    "It was the only way I thought I could kill those Centipedes who were chasing me."


    "See! He admits it!" Lord Bieroff interjected.


    "Silence Lord Bieroff! I want to hear it from him!"


    "You see, we hadn''t mined anything since we arrived 5 days ago," Servus 132-X explains, "Most of the slaves who entered there never returned. When it was our turn to go inside, I overheard one of the guards saying that they should''ve waited for the Principalia''s army to clean it inside before the mining could begin."


    There was complete silence. Lord Prestonheim, pressed his fingers at the bridge of his nose, and turned to Lord Bieroff.


    "That was exactly what I wanted to hear." he glared at him.


    "L-lord Prestonheim, I-I can explain," Lord Bieroff tried to reason with him, "T-that man is lying!" He pointed at Servus 132-X.


    "Knights, Arrest Lord Bieroff for disobeying Order 357 of the Principalia''s Code!" Lord Prestonheim commanded


    "Knights, protect me! Your Lord!" Lord Bieroff also commanded his own knights to shield him from the Knights of the Principalia.


    "Anyone who wishes to defend this man, shall suffer a far worse fate than his!" Lord Prestonheim threatened Lord Bieroff''s knights.


    "No! No!No! Knights protect me--"


    Suddenly the cowardly lord and his men flew ten footlings high as the ground below him burst revealing a Giant Centipede with a head of an unfortunate weaker kind skewered in one of its pincers..


    "The Senterpids!"


    Everyone ran in disarray. But Lord Prestonheim and his men, stood their ground.


    "Call the fourth brigade, ready the weapons!" He commanded, "You, take our properties to safety!" he pointed at one of his knights.


    The knight immediately took the slave away from the area as possible as quickly as possible.


    "The rest of the enabled follow my lead!" He unsheathed his sword, revealing the pale blue blade that glistened in the moonlight, "Retrieve that worthless lord!" He pointed at Lord Bieroff.


    "March!"


    As they took a step forward to retrieve Lord Bieroff, the ground shook once again and another Centipede emerged from its lair.


    It took a glance at Lord Bieroff before impaling him with its sharp pincers and tore the unconscious lord apart.


    Lord Prestonheim and his men were dumbfounded by how fate played with the lord''s meager existence. They stood stunned as Lord Bieroff''s entrails scattered on the ground in a puddle of his own blood.


    "Disregard my first order!"


    "Men, spear formation!" He raised his left arm revealing a glowing bracer that turned into a shield, " Let''s go and kill these monsters!"

 Chapter 5: Slayers

    " Run!" the knight commanded, " Follow me into the --" the ground shakes again.


    " Climb into that pile of slabs, now!" Servus 132-X shouted.


    Disregarding the rest, Servus 132-X ran towards the pile of the stone. Some of the slaves join him.


    " W-what are you doing, slaves?" the knight tried to chase after them.


    " Now''s our chance!" one of the slaves shouted.


    Two of the began running away, out into the town. After seeing this, the confused knight put his attention to the two runaways and chase after them instead. The two renegades leapt to their freedom and crossed themselves out of the gate.


    " Sir Knight!" Servus 132-X desperately called for him, " Get back here and forget about them!"


    " Shut up, slave! You will be dealt with later!" he insisted to catch them.


    The two slaves smiled as they were now even closer to their freedom. Unfortunately for them, they forgot about their collars. As soon as the crossed the gate, their collars began to burn. The slaves struggled to take it off, but it tightened even more and the heat coming from the metallic ring proved to be too hot to hold.


    Within a few moments, their smiles turned into grimaces of agony. Their cheers became woeful cries of torment. As the collar tightens up their cries soon became horrible croaks. Blood spurting from their mouths and noses. As their eyes rolled back, came the final sound-- the sound of exploding heads.


    After seeing the slaves'' head explode, it dawned on him that what he did was a wasted effort. He rushed towards the stack of slabs where the other Servus 132-X and the others stood still while urging him to run as quickly as he can.


    The ground violently shook again. Servus 132-X and the others balanced themselves on top of the stone slabs only doing minimal movement as he instructed. He told them how the monster locates its prey.


    " Veebrazyun?!" the dumbfounded dwarf exclaimed, " Wuzzat?"


    The other slaves listened closely as Servus 132-X tries to explain to them what it is.


    " Vibration¡­" he paused as he tries to look for a simplified explanation, " ...It''s like trembling but--"


    " Ahh! So you''re saying, that when we move on the ground, it creates a tremble that bounces back to them?"


    "Y-yes." Servus 132-X was impressed by the intelligence of the red-haired slave.


    Just a few footlings away, the rushing knight lose his footing and stumbled to the ground. They watched in bated breath as the knight tried to recover from his fall. From the looks of it, his ankle got twisted in a bad way--not good.


    The ground trembled again. The knight cried out for help and tries to reach his hand towards the slave. Servus 132-X clenched his fist, he knows it could be too late for the knight. Suddenly, the tattooed slave tries to step in and help. He was blocked by the dwarf.


    " Whut are yah doin?"


    " I want to help him, move away!" he shrugged his hand.


    " Get back ''er!" the dwarf tightened his grip, " Yah squirt! Save yerself!"


    While both of them argued the knight suddenly launched into the air. The Giant Centipede had chosen its prey. It grabbed the knight by its pincers, trying to squeeze him. The knight was able to hold against it, to their surprise.


    The irritated insect flung him towards the piled slabs of rock. Seeing this, the slaves jumped out of the way. The knight fell into the slab of rocks before finally rammed by the angry monster. His blood spurted on the ground coloring the grass crimson and his screams of terror echoed in the cold night.


    The slaves huddled themselves as they watched in horror at the knight''s grim fate. The elf pointed the sword of the fallen knight lying on the ground. Servus 132-X knew what he meant by it, he had no choice but to fight.


    He dove and took the weapon on the ground and unsheathed the sword to reveal the pale blue glow of the blade.


    " Hey!" he called out the creature, " Over here!" he stomped his feet hard on the ground, ignoring the painful protest of his injured foot.


    The rest of them, stood in horror as the centipede crawls towards him.


    " Lez do somethin!" the dwarf said.


    " I''ll pass." replied the red hair as he watched Servus 132-X amusingly, " Fool." he cracked a grin.


    Servus 132-X has been dodging the aggressive creature''s attack. He would swerve away from the pincers as he looks for its weakness. He has found nothing so far. He regretted his decision taking up the sword, but what else can he do? His heroic impulse took the better of him and now he''s paying for it--possibly with his life.


    He stepped backward to gain some space between him and the monster. Alas, his foot got caught by debris and fell on his back. The raging centipede followed him down, imposing its mass on him.


    He gritted his teeth as the centipede rammed his pincers on him. He could feel the impact against the solid ground. His body screamed and protested in pain, but he didn''t want to die this. He doesn''t want to die the same way he did in his 3rd incarnation, eaten alive.


    The pincers proved to be a challenge, as the monster tried to squeeze him with it. He used the knight''s sword to prevent that from happening. But now all he can do is wait until the blade finally succumbs to the strength of the monster.


    The blade screeched against the pincers of the Giant Centipede. Soon cracks begin to appear in the blade. The monster''s weight proved unbearable even to the most sturdy of blades. Without warning, it hoisted him above the ground. It planned to kill him the same way as what it did with the knight.


    He hangs on for dear life as he got hoisted in the air for more than twenty footlings before the damned insect tried to drive him hard to the ground. Servus 132-X breaths in deep as he prepares for the worse.


    " It looks like it''s another number 3 for me," he mumbled.


    As the centipede drove him to the ground a force suddenly flips the centipede on its back mid-air. Servus 132-X was thrown away by the force but was luckily caught by the elven slave before both of them landed safely on the ground.


    " What happened?" Servus asked as he coughed some blood.


    The elf pointed at the other side of the ground. Servus squints he tries to see what''s on the other side. It was the dwarf and the tattooed man along with a make-shift trebuchet they made from some cloth and lumber.


    The fallen centipede twitched as if it just awakened from slumber and now tries to get back to its belly. Before that could happen, the duo of the dwarf and the tattooed man loaded the hand-held siege weapon and flung a slab of rock to the squirming centipede.


    " Yer have my regards, filth!" shouted the dwarf.


    The projectile struck the centipede in its head, lodging the big slab of rock in one side of its ugly head. After that, the centipede stopped moving altogether. Servus 132-X sighed in relief.


    Moments later, he was joined by the smiling dwarf and tattooed man. The four of them were relieved by the outcome of his gambit.


    " Yer a crazy basterd, you!" the dwarf chuckled, " I like yah, lad!"


    Servus 132-X can''t help but smile, even if he almost lost his life in the process. He coughed some more blood after that.


    " Is he going to be okay?" the tattooed man asked.


    " We can only hope but pray, lad!"


    The elf held him close in his arms before laying him on the ground.


    " Whoa! Whoa!" the red hair interrupted, " Y-you guys are all insa--"


    " Move aside, slave," the knight pushes him aside.


    Lord Prestonheim''s knights arrived at the scene along with their leader, bloody and battered, but victorious.


    " What has happened here?" Lord Prestonheim asked.


    " From the looks of it my lord, they killed that Centipede." one of his man pointed at the big carcass.


    " And what of Dalen?"


    " My Lord, Dalen didn''t make it."


    The lord rushed to Dalen corpse and saw the knights grisly end. He bowed to the knight thanking him for his service and bravery. After offering his prayers, Lord Prestonheim approached the slaves who were surrounded by his knights.


    " What did you do to him?" the knight inquired while holding his sword on the sheath.


    " Stand down!" Lord Preston commanded.


    He looked at the scared slaves and saw Servus 132 laying on the ground, breathing with effort. He knew the man is on his way to join the dead tonight. He looked at the other slaves as his mind tries to decide what to do with them for the damages they''ve caused.


    He knew that they didn''t kill his knight, but as the Principalia''s edict dictates, they must die.


    " Knights, kill the--"


    Before anyone could react, Servus 132-X suddenly arose and took Lord Prestonheim''s sword before pushing him aside.


    The centipede they thought they''ve killed suddenly rose up and tried to bit off Lord Prestonheim''s head off clean. But before the monster can, Servus 132-X greeted it with a blade and finally decapitates it--ending it for good.

 Chapter 6: Aftermath Pt. 1

    The centipede''s head fell-off cleanly to the ground. Its craggy exoskeleton was no match for the pale-glowing blue sword that Servus 132-X wielded. Green ooze began to spurt from the insect''s stump, it corroded the ground it flowed on.


    Servus 132-X stumbled back just before some of the corrosive blood got to him. His vision faded slowly as his body finally succumbed to the pain he endured up to that point. The world spinned around him before he finally fell to the ground, beathing heavily. The last thing he heard were incomprehensible screams and grunts.


    Servus 132-X''s consciousness floated in the flowing stream of memories he had for the past 364 incarnations. The chaotic pool of still-frame moments started grabbing him, plunging him down to the moment of his greatest failure--her death.


    The reason why he failed to save the world. The reason why he chose not to sacrifice her anymore. After 364 incarnations the reason became clearer to him, but even so, he was far too late.


    " Adlaw-on," a voice called him out by his name-- the only name that mattered most to him.


    The first name given to him before he reincarnated for 365 times. The name, that reminded him of the luscious mountains kissed by the shores of the sea. Where the sands were as white as the pearl they harvest. It reminded him of home.


    " Adlaw-on," it called once again.


    Servus 132-X, looked around for the person who called him, but there was only darkness. Suddenly, someone pats his back. He turned around and saw a woman standing in front of him. She wore vestments made from silk that sparkled and rippled light as if she wore the heavens.


    Her face is otherworldly, more beautiful than all the goddesses he saw in his lifetime. Her long silver hair complimented her sparkling cerulean eyes. The freckles on her face didn''t look like an imperfection, but rather emphasizes her unearthly allure.


    " Who are--" the celestial lady suddenly grabbed his face and kissed him.


    It was a kiss that felt so familiar to him. A kiss of longing--a kiss of an endless loneliness that finally broke.


    Light finally cracks the dark blanket that engulfed them and presented a cave full of glowing crystals. The translucent blue gemstones glowed brighter than the blade he used against the Giant Centipede. The light flowed inside them, rippling throught the gem like azul waters.


    The lady places something in his hand-- a piece of the mysterious crystal.


    " Take this," she smiled, " Show it to them. It will save you." her hands held his tightly before fading into pale light.


    He suddenly teleported to the destroyed camp. Confused, he looked around trying to understand the reason why he''s there. In the distance a pale blue glow of moonlight shines on one of the Centipede''s burrows.


    He went closer to the hole and as he peeked inside he heard the celestial woman''s voice once more.


    " In this darkness, you shall find your treasure," the moonlight slowly faded, " Find it and find me."


    He opened his eyes and gasped. He finally woke up form his slumber. It had a been a day since he fainted and during that time, he slept as if he was dead. His eyes couldn''t believe where he was. It wasn''t the same dirty barracks where he usually retires for the day.


    It didn''t stink of urine and sweat. The ceiling was high and well-covered by thick leather supported by sturdy beams of hardwood. Unlike the damp and warm slave barracks, this one is well-ventilated.


    A wave of pain hit his body when he tried getting up. He noticed clean bandages wrapped around his torso and arms. As far as he can recall, he fought a Giant Centipede and got pummeled to the ground be a creature so easy to kill--if only he had his abilities and skills with him.


    He stared at the ceiling endlessly as his mind tries to understand his dream. Who was that lady? What does she mean by finding her and the treasure? He sighed exasperated with everything that has happened.


    " If only I had my abilities!" he clicked his tongue.


    He felt something hard pressing his right flank. He tried ignoring it, but the object kept on poking his back to his discomfort. Reaching for the object proved to be a difficult task for him, as his body started to protest again from the pain.


    Beads of sweat rolled from his forehead until finally, he ended his struggle with the object finally in his hands. Before throwing off the bugger, he took a glimpse of it and got dumbfounded with what he saw. It was the same stone the lady gave him on his dream.


    " Ah! You are finally awake!" exclaimed Lord Prestonheim, who was at the opening of the tent.


    Servus 132-X hid away the precious stone as Lord Prestonheim approaches.


    " As you were," Lord Preston gestured his hand, implying him not to move, " Your injured, there''s no need for your to bow." he smiled.


    " My Lord, I don''t understand why am I here?"


    " Well, Servus...132-X" the Lord tried to read his tag from his collar, " You saved me! If it wasn''t for you, I would''ve been a corpse already."


    Servus 132-X lowers his head in respect to the Lord, " I would do the same for--"


    " Nonsense! You should take credit where credit is due!"


    " Y-you''re too kind my Lord."


    " You''re too humble. Mostly slaves would''ve bragged about this feat and stick themselves to their lords! But, you''re different." the Lord nodded in amazement.


    There was silence after that exchange. Lord Prestonheim paced back and forth as he drowned himself in his own thoughts. Servus 132-X on the other hand, felt uneasy. Could it be that Lord Prestonheim is thinking over what to reward him? Or could it be the other way around? After all, he is just as expendable as the next slave.


    Lord Prestonheim finally stopped his worrying pace and look straight at him, " Work for me!"


    "I-I''m sorry, My Lord?"


    " Did your battle of that monstrous insect damaged your hearing as well?"


    " Of course not, My Lord."


    "Hmm¡­" Lord Preston stared at him intently, " Good. Work for me instead!"


    Dumbfounded with the offer, Servus 132-X couldn''t find words to say. On one hand, he would be out of this hellhole where he''s at, but on the other hand, He might suffer a worse fate if his new master dies.


    It is possible that their traditions here might be the same as that of the Volarions from his 121st incarnation. They bury the slaves alive along with their dead master, so they can serve him in the afterlife.


    That would be a gory end to him, if their culture proved to be the same. But the fact that he would no longer work at the mines became very enticing.


    " Answer me, slave!" Lord Prestonheim commanded.


    " My Lord, I humbly accept your offer."


    " You chose well, slave." the Lord smiled.


    " It is by your generosity that I have chosen well."


    " Spare me those nonsense!" Lord Prestonheim chuckled.


    Servus 132-X cracked a smile.


    " Very well, slave. What''s your na--" Lord Prestonheim paused, " That''s right you don''t have any names."


    " We do not, indeed, my Lord."


    " Sometimes I forget!" scratching his head, annoyed by his forgetfulness.


    " Tell me then, what should I call you?"


    Servus thought about it and realized, he cannot suggest a name, that would be treason. Names in this culture had a heavy impact to a person''s ability. The reason why slaves are nameless is to suppressed their potential, thus easier to subdue.


    " If my Lord permits, call me by what''s on my tag."


    The Lord laughed in astonishment, " You''re not only good with the sword, but you also have the wit to go along with it."


    That''s when Servus 132-X realized, his new master is testing him. If he didn''t play it right, he coud''ve lose his head by now. It was a cruel joke and a deadly one at that.


    Lord Prestonheim wiped the tears running down his cheeks. He''s so amused by Servus 132-X that it took him awhile to stop laughing.


    " Very well, 132-X," the composed himself, " I am Lord Augustus Prestonheim of house Prestonheim. Commanding General of the 5th Batallion of the Principalia Prima, Lord of Castle Secunda and Head of House Prestonheim. You best remember that."


    " That I will my Lord," he knew deep down, it''s going to take a while for him to remember such long titles.


    "Very well, Servus 132-X I shall leave to rest, for now."


    " You are too kind my Lord."


    Lord Prestonheim glances at his new slave one last time before chuckling out of the camp.


    It was a delightful conversation, Lord Prestonheim is a reasonable man. Servus 132-X was happy to see how jovial his new master is.


    Before the tent''s flap closed itself, something caught his attention. It was the other slaves that helped him during his fight with the Giant Centipede tied to a post being whipped endlessly by some knights.


    His eyes opened wide in shock at the gory scene laid in front of him. The knights mercilessly flogged them in the middle of the boiling sun. He could hear their cries of pain and anguish. It echoed in to his ears.


    The flap finally closed, the scene left Servus 132-X dumbfounded.


    " What''s going on here?" he asked himself, " But...they helped--"


    " Men! Fifty whips more!" Servus heard.


    It might be muffled, be he knew from whom exactly the voice was--


    Lord Prestonheim''s.

 Chapter 7: Aftermath Pt.2

    There were harrowing cries of anguish booming outside the tent. Servus 132-X had to cover his ears as the continuous lashing echoed throughout the Andenoon. He was given food by one of the knights. It was a thick milky soup, fresh baked bread and a meat jerky. This was an upgrade from the stale ones he had. The soup is fresh and warm and the jerky wasn''t moldy.


    But even then, Servus 132-X did not feel hungry. He lost his appetite during the sounding cries and lashing whips, it reminded him of his 24th incarnation. During one of his previous'' world conquests he had to sit and watch as the king of the nation he served in whipped and flayed slaves during a banquet.


    He stood there, not able to do anything. He vividly recalled the king looking at him in delight, expressing how his actions were just. He''s trying to punish the people who who killed "their people". He remembered so well how the king tortured 25 slaves both women and children, flogged and flayed in front of a delighted audience.


    Those never-ending screams still echoed in his mind and at some nights it even awakens him. The screams echoed throughout the Andenoon. When it finally halted, his food was already cold and still untouched.


    Much later, one of Lord Prestonheim''s knight came in and checked on him. He gave him medicine to alleviate the pain and told him to rest some more. Servus 132-X noted how the knight talked to him with his eyes full of disgust towards him. He knew that in the knights mind, he would rather not be there with him serving a slave. But being bound to his Lord''s order, the knew he can never disobey.


    There was nothing much going on that Ifnen. Outside of the tent, he could hear men laughing out loud and spatting insults to the bound slaves. There were some words thrown that he could not understand, but even then, he knew they were insults.


    " Wyrkolak!"


    " Quamdares!"


    " Gnomius!"


    Everytime the knights shouted these, they would often end up with mocking laughter. All Servus 132-X can do is listen to them with pity as the knights mocked his saviors endlessly. His heart is filled with rage, towards himself and the knights. He''s angry towards himself because, it was the first time after 365 incarantions that he was so weak, he can''t do anything. He''s livid towards the knights because of how they treat the weaker classes.


    But what can he do? Without a single skill enhancement or passive ability, he''s worthless. He must do something, and he must do it right away.


    Outside, the knights became rowdier than ever before. Their voices were audible from within the tent.


    " Strip them!" one of the knights slurred the command.


    "Yeah! Yeah!"


    "What''s this? There''s a woman with them?"


    "It''s the Quamdares!" exclaimed another knight.


    " Well, Well, it has been a while for me¡­"


    " Me too¡­"


    " Lord Prestonheim is not around, is he?" another knight asked.


    "Nay, he''s currently at the Arenfall Castle, trying to sort out Lord Bierdoff''s death."


    " It''s Bieroff, you idiot!"


    " Fuck it! He doesn''t even care. That whiny piece of shit!"


    Laughter broke among them, then silence.


    The next thing Servus 132-X heard were clanking noises of armor as if falling down, one by one.


    " Oi! WHAT ARE YA DOIN TO THE GAL?" the dwarf''s voice broke.


    " STOP THAT! PLEASE HAVE MERCY, SER KNIGHTS!'' pleaded another voice.


    " YOU ALL FUCKEN SHUT UP! WE WILL DO AS WE PLEASE!" A slurring voice replied.


    " Unchain her and put her to the ground!"


    Servus 132-X heard a woman shrieking and screaming. He cannot take it any longer! Servus 132-X dragged his body out of the bed and with his sheer will, he stood up and limped his way outside of the tent.


    " AH! THE BITCH BIT ME!" a soldier exclaimed.


    Servus 132-X begged his body to move. Every inch of his body hurt as he struggled to finally reach outside. He gritted his teeth and breath in deep as he open the flap. He saw the inebriated knights holding the poor beaten woman to the ground while another knight trying to force himself into her.


    Enraged with what he saw, he leaped into action. Ignoring his body''s wiles, he kicked the mounting knight out cold. The other knights froze in astonishment as their comrade laid flat on the ground unconscious.


    The knights came to their senses and tried to surround the injured Servus 132-X. But, as they approached, the slave welcomed them with kicks and punches ultimately putting them all to the ground.


    One knight surprised him from behind and tried to tackle him, but he efficiently rolled around him and kicked him in his buttocks instead causing him to fall face first.


    The ruckus caused the other knights guarding the main entrance of the camp swoop into action. Using their spears, the tried attacking Servus 132-X, but to no avail. Their thrusts were easily parried by him.


    He swerved away, avoiding the spear before lunging at his attacker and swept him off his feet. Servus 132-X had been successful in defending himself from the knight, unfortunately, his luck didn''t last long. As Servus 132-X tried to dodge an incoming attack from one knight, he got blindsided by another and was knocked down to the ground with a pummel to the temple.


    Servus 132-X world began to spin. Blinking lights filled his vision, and everything went blurry. He suddenly felt a warm embrace around him. Everything was hazy even their voices were distorted and buzzing.


    He then felt someone dragging him away by his ankles. Stripped from the warm embrace, and saw blurry faces that started kicking him. He could hear screaming from where he was. Disgruntled voices arguing and more kicking in his face and body.


    Finally, his vision came back and the last thing he saw was a blade plummeting down towards him.


    "STOOOPP!" a voice broke the nauseating noise.


    The blade was a fingerling away from his neck.


    " What is the meaning of this?" Lord''s Prestonheim''s voice echoed.


    " Y-you see, M-my Lord¡­" a frantic knight tried to explain.


    " Enough! Men take this disgusting knights out of my sight!" He ordered his escort knights to take the wanton knights away.


    " How about them, My Lord?" one of his escorts asked.


    Lord Prestonheim looked at Servus 132-X with a disappointed look on his face, " Take all of them to one of the cells." he sighed, " We will execute them all tomorrow."

 Chapter 8: Lord Augustus Prestonheim of the 5th Batallion Pt.1

    By the window of the Solar Room of Arenfall, Lord Augustus Prestonheim of the 5th Batallion fixed his eyes beyond the fading bloody red horizon. He brought distraught news to House Bieroff, the death of their patriarch--Lord Trotar Bieroff.


    Earlier that day, the lord''s remains was put on a decorated casket filled with wildflowers and covered with the Principalia''s Insignia flag. The casket was paraded by a carriage from the mines to the castle. Lord Preston and his knights personally carried the casket to the cold halls of the castle, where the surprised and terrified family wailed and mourned.


    He was asked to stay by the grieving family to report what had happened. Now, he awaits for them at this room. He didn''t like the idea of staying there. If truth be told, he loathed the House Bieroff, Lord Trotar Bieroff in particular.


    He never liked how the cowardly lord, asserted his dominance on his subjects and that of the lower classes. He had known from Principalia Knights that Lord Bieroff has the habit of beating someone to the brink of death just because they weren''t able to greet him properly.


    He hated how the power-drunk family almost killed the people of Arenfall due to their lavish lifestyle and exorbitant taxes. During the famine of the Crescent Isle on year 122 A.P. , the House Bieroff closed their castle from the townspeople and let the rest of the populace starved.


    If not for the intervention of the Principalia, there could''ve been a massive uprising and that would have gotten their entire house killed. But even after that incident Lord Bieroff had the audacity to asked for more from the townspeople.


    Recently, the Principalia ordered the mines of Arenfall to be opened for the empire to dig adamantite for their upcoming conquest of the Southwestern front. Lord Bieroff was told to wait for the Principalia''s 5th battalion to explore the caves and subdue any creatures that might have lurked inside it. Instead he ordered the all the slaves from the barracks to excavate the mines.


    His ineptitude led to the destruction of the mines and his death. To Lord Prestonheim, it was a suiting death for such a pathetic man. As he lived as a monster that torn many lives, he died by a monster--a fitting end.


    He paced in front of the window, waiting for the bereaved to summon him--they did, a few moments later.


    " My Lord," bowed Lord Bieroff''s son, " My mother asks for your presence at the Stone Hall."


    " I shall be right there with you, Idram."


    " That''s Lord Bieroff now, Lord Prestonheim," the arrogant boy corrected.


    " Of course," he nodded as he gritted his teeth.


    This House never deserved any of the luxury they have now, if not for Senator Lucresia, whose sister was married to the deceased lord. Lady Adrena Lucresia was as ambitious and power hungry as his husband. The House of Lucresia wanted to expand their estate and saw it fit for their daughter to be in union with the House Bieroff.


    House Lucresia also loathed House Bieroff, but they have eyes on the mines. With one of them inside of that family, it''s easy for them to claim it. Lord Prestonheim didn''t waste his time and followed Idram to the Stone Hall.


    He was greeted by Lord Bieroff''s corpse laid in a stone table at the center of the hall basking in the light of the stars. Behind the Lord''s corpse was Lady Adrena, who adorned herself in a black veil and black velvet gown signifying her mourning. She''s accompanied by her other son Chirpas, also dressed in mourning clothes and Anadon Bieroff, the previous lord of the castle.


    Lord Prestonheim bowed and extended his sympathies to the grieving family.


    " My Lords and Lady, my deepest apologies again for your great loss--"


    " W-who is this guys? Why am I here?" interrupted Anadon, who''s confused with everything.


    " Father, this is Lord Prestonheim," Adrena explained, " We are here in front of your slain son."


    " Son? I-I have no--" the old man then began to wept and wailed. Lady Bieroff had to ask one of the servants to take the poor old man back to his room.


    " I am sorry if you have to see that Lord Pres--"


    " I want to know who did this to my father!" exclaimed Idram.


    " My Lord, your father, unfortunately died in the hands of a Giant Centip--"


    " Nonsense! I heard it was a slave that pushed him into his death," the boy spat again.


    " My Lord, I assure you that wasn''t the case. I was there when--"


    " You were there?" Idram scoffed, " You were there and you didn''t protect my father?"


    " Enough, Idram, that is an officer of the Principalia you are addressing to!" Lady Bieroff replied.


    Lord Prestonheim had always pitied the fate of Adrena Lucresia. Being used by her own family to gain more wealth, always tasted sour on his tongue. Now, he sees her as a weeping widow, with children that she couldn''t control. It looked like Idram never fell far from the tree.


    " My Lady, indeed I was there when--"


    " So, it''s true! You left him there to die!" Lady Bieroff tries to accuse him.


    He looked at Lady Bieroff, confused and speechless. His eyes met hers, and finally the visage of goodness he had for the poor widow went out of the window. She saw her crazed eyes, the same as his husband and son.


    Whatever insanity that had befallen to House Bieroff has poisoned Lady Adrena. She became more livid as Lord Prestonheim remained silent, unable to answer her question. Her face disgruntled in anger as she spat.


    " KILLER! YOU ARE HIS KILLER!"


    "KILLER! KILLER!" Idram and his brother started pointing at him.


    Their voices echoed inside Stone Hall. The piercing shrills and endless accusations that could put even the hardiest of knights to their breaking point.


    " ENOUGH!" Lord Preston finally broke his silence, " Your husband died a brutal death, but it wasn''t anyone''s fault."


    " LIAR!" Lady Bieroff shouted.


    " I am telling you the truth!"


    " The truth?" Idram spat, he approached his father''s corpse, " Tell that to my father, killer!"


    "Liar!" Chirpas shouted.


    " I am telling the--" Lord Prestonheim explained once more.


    " Lord Prestonheim, enough," Lady Bieroff calmed down. " Just bring us the killers'' heads."


    " I will bring you the centipede''s head."


    " No, I want the real killers'' heads," she approached the stunned Lord Prestonheim. " Either that or your head. Remember I can tell my father anything, and he will believe me," she whispered on his ear.


    That threat wasn''t to be ignored. He knows how powerful Senator Lucresia is and his lengths to advance himself or destroy others. He bowed to Lady Bieroff, sighing.


    " My Lady, there''s no one to blame for but¡­" suddenly the words came out from his mouth, "... Uhhmmm."


    " But who?", Lady Bieroff pried further, " Tell me, Lord Prestonheim." her eyes gazed into his soul, filled with bloodlust and insanity that even the seasoned knight was horrified.


    "Who?" she moved even closer.


    "The¡­" Lord Prestonheim became more uneasy as she longed for an answer.


    " ...slaves!" he bit his lip in guilt.


    He never expected it from him. The words just began to crawl out of his mouth, as if entranced to some magical power. His mind began to think about the slaves as if compelled to do so. His vision blurred for a moment and felt light-headed.


    " Lord Preston," Lady Bieroff whispered again. " Get me those slaves head!"


    "Of course, My Lady," he snapped out from the weird trance and stormed out of the damned castle.


    His escorts followed him out of Arenfall Castle in haste.


    " My Lord is something wrong?" One of his knight escorts asked.


    " Yes," he sighed. " Everything."


    He rode on his horse and hurried back to the mines, bothered by the whole ordeal he experienced in the Arenfall Castle.


    "The gods have totally left this place." he said to himself as he looked back at that damned castle.

 Chapter 9: Lord Augustus Prestonheim of the 5th Batallion Pt.2

    He rode into the cold unforgiving night during the lower level of Dunsupar. His men galloped away from the eerie castle of the Bieroffs, into the quiet town of Arenfall before crossing the bridge connecting the town.


    The flames from the torches danced in the cold caressing breeze, as they moved along the dark path. Lord Prestonheim rode with somber thoughts floating in his mind. Why did he agree on killing the slaves? What is inside that castle that compelled him to do it?


    Although a man of logic, Lord Augustus Prestonheim has always been a believer of the supernatural. As a child, he would indulge himself with books about the rich lore of the vast empire. From the gods and lores of the Prima Arteria, to the obscure tales of the 13 territories, Lord Prestonheim had read them all.


    He believed that the Arenfall Castle might be cursed with something. Back in the Capitol, the Crescent Isle has been considered a mystical land that only the brave dared to go. During the olden days, it has been said to be home of monsters so powerful that one of the moon goddesses have to descend from her celestial abode in order to control them.


    That is also one of the reasons why the isle is blessed with fertile soil and an endless supply of adamantite. But no matter how enticing the island''s resources might sound, the Principalia never took advantage of the mines. The reason? Monsters lurking inside it.


    It was only requested to be opened recently as the military continued to grow with each expansion of the territories. The supplies of adamantite from the mainland mines proved to be insufficient for the growing number of knights that the Principalia has employed.


    Another reason, is an emergence of a powerful kingdom from the far west which the previous campaign generals say was unconquerable. The growing power of this western kingdom had made the Principalia set their eyes eastwards, trying to ignore the losses they had for almost 30 years now.


    The new Imperatur believes that if they are left unchecked or if the Principalia will settle with the current weapons that they have now, it might cause the end of the biggest empire the world has ever seen--


    " My Lord!" one of his knight escorts called out. " There seems to trouble in the camp!" He pointed at the slave brawling with a group of knights.


    His thoughts left him as he saw it was urgent to stop the brawl as quickly as he can. He cannot allow an uprising on his watch! It''s a pride of every General to keep his people and Principalia properties in check.


    He kicked his steed hard, asking it to run faster. He overtook the lead and galloped his way back to the camp with speed that the other steeds cannot outrun. He got to the camp first, just in time for one of the drunken knights, lifted his blade and was ready to strike the slave down.


    " STOOPP!" Lord Prestonheim commanded as he tried to suppress his anger.


    The blade was a mere fingerling to the slave''s neck. On a closer look, it was the same slave he had a conversation with, earlier that day.


    " What is the meaning of this?" Lord Prestonheim wanted to get some answers from the knights who he presumed were inebriated.


    " W-well, you see my Lord¡­" the drunken knight tried to look for a reason.


    Lord Prestonheim scanned the scenario and saw an elf slave naked with her clothes torn into shreds. She approached the limped body of Servus 132-X, hugging him while she silently wept.


    What he saw didn''t need any explanation. The savagery of what the drunken knights did to the poor slaves tasted sour to him. Lord Prestonheim is not a stranger to this and other form of bloodlust, however, he made it to a point to train his men not to succumb into these indulgences as he considers it an insult to the Principalia.


    With his anger boiling, he ordered his men to arrest the inebriated knights until he can put them to trial for disobeying his direct order to all his men when they first entered his regimen-- to discipline themselves.


    " How about them, My Lord?" one of his escorts asked.


    The thought emerged back from the deep recesses of his mind. Like a ghost haunting him, the voices and shrills of the Bieroff family pestered him again.


    " Kill the slaves! Kill them or else¡­" the voices hissed from his mind.


    Lord Prestonheim looked at Servus 132-X, disappointed on what he''s about to say. " Take all of them to one of the cells." He sighed, " We will execute them all tomorrow."


    Before he left, Lord Prestonheim asked his most trusted guard, Tristam, to give the slave elf some new clothes to wear or at least something to cover the poor woman with. After that, he went straight to his tent and asked for the gods of a good night sleep.


    More came faster than his sleep ever could. Lord Prestonheim''s massages his temples as he woke up after getting a mere two hours of sleep. He looked at his dial and saw it was half-past the lower level of Obura. He immediately hurried and fixed himself, it''s almost time for the trial and here he is, still unprepared.


    When he went out of his tent, the previously inebriated knights along with the guards and 2 other Xedecimas had already lined up at the clearing. He walked towards the formed line, where he was greeted by Tristam.


    " My Lord, you have come early," he bowed. " I have already set-up the men, my Lord."


    Lord Prestonheim has always been impressed with Tristam''s promptness and commanding skills. He nodded to Tristam to acknowledge his effort.


    " And the slaves?" he asked.


    " They are still imprisoned," Tristam paused to glance at the other guards, " Should I get them here as well, my Lord?" he asked.


    " No!" Lord Prestonheim answered, " Let this trial be just for us. I cannot humiliate the Principalia more, with the slaves looking at us as while we punish our own." He glanced at Tristam before walking over to his seat.


    The knights made their salute as he sat in the chair provided to him. The wanton knights were then, brought to him for their trial.


    " Remember your duty men, Remember to honor your uniform and privilege!" Lord Prestonheim announced, " Remember that you are the face of Principalia. Whatever you do, it will reflect on our nation''s Imperatur and people. As such you are ordered to conduct with pride and honor."


    He looked at the men who''s faces looked remorseful for their actions, " Eferail, read the tenets of our order--"


    Lord Prestonheim was suddenly interrupted by a mumbling knight among the accused.


    " What did you say, knight?" He asked.


    " M-my Lord, the other battalions are not like these!" He shouted, " Lord Avedron made his men do as they please, it is our right as citizens--"


    " I am not Lord Avedron! Do not compare me to that man!" Lord Prestonheim stood up, " What is your name, knight?" he asked.


    " I am Vaius Asteem of the Asteem! My father is working for Senator Ordus--"


    " I asked for your name, knight. Not for your family!"


    Lord Prestonheim''s anger was palpable, but he remained calm, offering logic to mitigate the situation.


    " Knight Asteem, as a citizen of the Principalia, one must know the oath. Can you recite the oath?"


    " O-of course I can," the young arrogant knight answered. " I, the Citizen of the Prima Principalia, swears oath to my country and people to uphold the name of my beloved country with pride and dignity. I shall not make any action that can deter the name of the Principalia, through my work, my lifestyle and beliefs. I will uphold justice and truth and provide equal treatment to all men and women through different walks of life. For we are all born under the same sky and will die on the same ground," he smirked.


    " And have you treated all men and women equally?" Lord Prestonheim asked.


    "Yes, My Lord!" Asteem replied.


    " Have you treated men and women from all walks of life?" Lord Preston clarified.


    The knight stood there speechless.


    " Forget about the tenets, Eferail," Lord Prestonheim stood up from the chair, " I shall declare my verdict now."


    Everyone knew that the moment that knight had the audacity to speak out of turn, they knew it was going downhill for the knights in trial.


    " On the counts of lasciviousness and bad behavior, I found you guilty! On the counts of disobeying order, I found you guilty! And lastly, on the counts of defacing the knight''s order, I found you guilty." Lord Prestonheim declared.


    Tristam and the rest of the guards approached him and waited for the order to whip them. Lord Prestonheim took a glance at the barbed whips and ordered them to be taken away.


    " What now, My Lord?" the confused Tristam asked.


    Lord Prestonheim looked at him then took out 10 stones, which he then blew his breath to the stone, revealing one white stone out from the bunch.


    " To whoever gets the white stone, shall be it. I declare your punishment via decimation!"


    The knights remained still, but their faces twitched after hearing the punishment. After all, the punishment was so rare, they thought it never existed until now.


    Lord Prestonheim placed the ten stones inside a little pouch and asked Tristam to deliver it to the guilty knights. The convicted knights then picked up a stone from the bag.


    Tension began rising as the others tried to take their time in choosing a stone that would determine their fate.


    " Raise the stones!" Tristam commanded, after the last knight have picked.


    All eyes were on the knight who raised the white stone, it was the arrogant Vaius Asteem. All the blood from his face went away. He looked pale as he pleaded with Lord Prestonheim but to no avail.


    The ill-fated knight was stripped by all his weapons and armors, before binding both his hands and feet with Tristam''s binding magic.


    " Vaius Asteem, you are now to be bludgeoned by the remaining accused until I end it so."


    He ordered the rest of Asteem''s xedicima to put there swords to the ground, stabbing it into the dry dirt. He then commanded the men to take there batons and start the punishment.


    The sound of the knight''s agony was indeed harrowing, allowing with the sound of cracking bones and batons hitting the body. It sounded like a drum, a horrific-sounding drum.


    Lord Augustus Prestonheim of the 5th Batallion, Patriarch of the House Prestonheim and the Lion Knight of the Gorge is a just and well-mannered man, but he is infallible too.


    The knight''s scream echoed. He pleaded for his life as the other knights continue to beat him--


    Lord Prestonheim, never command the knights to stop.

 Chapter 10: Bargaining

    The screams of agony echoed from the clearing. The slaves who were imprisoned at the far end of the camp awaited their hour of demise, tending to their wounds and tending to a badly battered savior. Servus 132-X laid motionless in the lap of the elven slave, with only his breathing an indication of him living.


    " Any sign of him waking up?" the tattooed man asked.


    The elf shrugged her head.


    " The lad had it rough," the dwarf sighed. " He ought to fight for ya, lass. Even if the odds was against him." his eyes hoped for Servus 132-X''s recovery.


    The elf gestured her hands to communicate with the rest of them. She told them that, it really wasn''t necessary for him to save her. Being a slave, it was a fate she had to accept although, with resistance.


    " I understand ya, lass," the dwarf replied. " A hard pill to swallow. We are fated to end like this."


    "Look his gaining consciousness!" the tattooed man ecstatically exclaimed.


    Servus 132-X slowly begins to open his eyes, looking at the blurred faces and hearing the buzzing voices of strangers.


    " W-where am I?" He moved his battered body but got stopped by the terrible pain, " Aaagh!"


    " Don''t ya move, lad," the dwarf puts his hand on Servus 132-X''s chest, telling him to stay still. " Ya took quiet a beatin''."


    The elf gestured in agreement.


    " U-uhmm...we are currently in prison," the tattooed man timidly said.


    In the distance, the screams of a man still echoed, albeit horrible than ever. The screaming man''s voice had a low gurgling sound as it progressed, before fading out like a dog''s wile. Then, complete silence.


    " What''s going on?" Servus 132-X asked.


    The elf gestured her hands, trying to explain their current circumstance and eventual demise.


    " What is she saying?" Servus 132-X confusingly asked.


    " Here we are lad waiting for the blade," the dwarf answered. " We are to be trialed, but I doubt there would be such. We are just awaitin'' our deaths." he sighed.


    " Was this my fault?" Servus 132-X tried to ask.


    The rest of the slaves looked at one another and took a deep breath.


    " Well, lad the--" the dwarf tried to explain but was interrupted by the elf.


    She was adamant with the way she expressed herself. She knows more than anyone else that it was a matter of time before they die anyway. Thus, nobody had to be put at fault.


    " What is she saying?" he asked the dwarf.


    " No one is to be blamed," the dwarf said, " We were doomed the moment we became slaves."


    " I do not blame you for my fate, friend," the tattooed man smiled at him. " This is the fate, unfortunately, for us slave."


    " I won''t let them, no one of us will die!" Servus 132-X said with his effort breath.


    The slaves were stunned by his statement. They were left with open mouths, when a group of knights finally approached them.


    " It''s time now," one of the knight gently said. " Can he stand?" he pointed at Servus 132-X.


    They shrugged their heads in unison.


    " I can, Ser Knight!" Servus tried to compose stand in spite of the pain.


    His efforts proved to be futile, as his body protested due to the injuries he had.


    " His quiet a tough lad," the dwarf remarked as he helped Servus 132-X stand up. " But a stupidly stubborn, basterd." the dwarf joked.


    The gentle-spoken knight went inside the cell, despite the other knights'' protest. He helped the battered slave walk by giving him his shoulder for the slave to use as his support.


    " This is the best that I can do," the knight whispered. " I am sorry for your fates."


    The walk to the clearing was long and difficult for Servus 132-X, who had to every inch of pain he felt from his body. He''s running short of breath and had to stop every now and then to rest. His body trembled as it became obvious to him that he was having a fever.


    He focused himself to the plan. He knew that it will be a hard bargain, considering how reckless it is for him to even think of it. But there is no other way. He had to live and so should them. He must live, the mysterious lady told him so, while he was unconscious. He has to live if he wants to usher the great change.


    Breathing heavily and sweating profusely, Servus finally managed to arrive at the clearing. The sun blazed atop all of them. It was already noon. He dropped his knees in the sweltering heat of the sun.


    The knight offered him water from his own canteen. Servus 132-X looked at the knight with his fatigue-stricken eyes. He took his offer and drank from the canteen, drenching his parched mouth with some water.


    He nodded at the knight as he held himself up before the presence of Lord Prestonheim.


    " It is of my greatest sorrow, that it had to end this way for all of you," Lord Prestonheim sighed. " But, I must present your heads before House Bieroff or else, it could go worse for me," he stood up and looked at them in the eyes.


    Lord Prestonheim nodded at his knights signalling them to unsheath their blades, " Do you have any last words to say? I am willing to give you as much."


    " Aye!" the dwarf exclaimed, " M''Lord, me life had been doomed when the Principalia took our kingdom under its wing. I fought fer our independence at the war of the Gorge and thought me life will end there." he smiled as he accept his fate.


    " Well, at least, the I get to die by a blade." the dwarf breathes his last and bows his head to expose his short neck. " Make it clean, lad." he asked the knight.


    The knights hoisted their blade in the air. Lord Prestonheim looked at them one last time.


    " Is there anything else anyone of you wants to say? Do it now or forever rest in silence.


    " I do!" Servus 132-X exclaimed, " Sell us our freedom back!"


    " I beg your pardon?" the astounded Lord wanted to clarify what Servus 132-X just said.


    " Sell us our freedom, My Lord!" his voice trembled as his fever slowly rises.

 Chapter 11: Gambit

    " Sell us our freedom, My Lord!"


    There was silence in the camp. The knights stunned by such bold statement by a slave and began to whisper with one another. Lord Prestonheim astounded by Servus 132-X audacity can''t tell what to make of it.


    " You impertinent fool!" A knight exclaimed. " How dare you mock Lord Prestonheim with your delusions?!"


    The knight tried to walk over to where the slave stood, ready to strike him.


    " Settle down, Eferail," he gestured at his loyal knight. " I would like to hear from him. Speak up, Servus 132-X!"


    Lord Prestonheim didn''t expect anything from the slave. After all, what can he possible bargain? He just wants to see him try. It''s the least that he can do, provide the slave a few moments of freedom albeit brief.


    Servus 132-X reached for something in his pocket. The alarmed knights pointed their swords at him.


    " Relax, I am battered and badly injured," Servus 132-X faintly smiled. " What am I gonna do next? Spit at all of you to death?" He finally found what he was searching for in his pocket.


    " My Lord, I shall pay you an ocean of this." He presented the blue rippling gem to the astonished Lord and his knights.


    " I-impossible," Lord Prestonheim stood up from his seat and approached Servus 132-X. He hesitated touching the glowing rippling stone. " Is this what I think it is?"


    All of them laid eyes on the stone. The swirls inside the gem is beautiful to a point of being hypnotic. They cannot seem to get their eyes away from it.


    " By the gods! Oyue''s tears! The dwarf exclaimed.


    Lord Prestonheim could no longer contain his curiosity. He took the stone from Servus 132-X''s palm and examined it for himself. The ripple inside the crystal looked like water flowing from an endless stream. He puts it up against the sun and the ripples suddenly turned to swirling movement, as if the stone absorbed the sun''s rays.


    " Incredible!" Lord Prestonheim then tried to put some of his exousia into the gem.


    The gem''s water-like ripples, danced frantically with the energy given into it. It began to glow and pulsate the light in the gem like a beating heart. Lord Prestonheim tried cutting off his exousia, but the stone continued to drain him.


    It took Tristam and Eferail intervention before the stone was finally taken away from his hand. By then all three men were exhausted. The two knights have to use repelling energies to tip the stone out from their master''s hand. Even then, the stone remained afloat, refusing to land on the ground.


    " Amazing!" the exhausted Lord Prestonheim declared. " This is what the Alchemist of the Principalia had longed to duplicate! The Aetherius! The real Aetherius!" He laughed in glee of the discovery.


    Lord Prestonheim stood up with the help of his guards while both Tristam and Eferail had to be carried to the infirmary. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. His fatigue felt like he had fought an entire day without rest. He''s nearly out of breath but somehow still managed to continue the trial.


    " Y-you want to pay me with t-that."


    " Yes, an ocean of it!" although impressed with the stones capability, Servus 132-X''s fever was keeping him from having a joyful outburst.


    Lord Prestonheim had to catch his breath. He demanded water from one of his guards. The guard immediately fetch him his canteen. He gobbled up the contents of the canteen before resuming.


    " An ocean you say?" He asked. " How did you know that?"


    Servus 132-X had never thought of that! Their life now depends on the answer he provides to the Lord. If he makes on false move, his head will roll on that very spot. If he told the truth, would the Lord even believe.


    " The Senterpids," the dwarf answered. " Them giant senterpids don''t look strange to ya?"


    There was silence. No one can dared to answer it.


    " Well, in our lore," the dwarf explained while pointing at the floating stone, " that is called Oyue''s tears. The gem from the blessed tears of the celestial goddess fell into this land. It has been said to contain extreme amount of aether that when it reacts with any living and non-living object it changes them attributes."


    " And what does it have to do with those beasts?" Lord Prestonheim asked.


    " M''lord, with the aether changed, them also hast changed," the dwarf answered. " Usually a giant Senterpid would sized about 6 footlings but the one we just encountered, that was fucken big! 35 footlings I estimate."


    " So you mean to say, that there is a huge deposit of Aetherium here?" Lord Prestonheim asked.


    " We are standing on it right now." Servus 132-X answered.


    " Then, why were they not able to find it back then when the mine first opened overy a centuria ago?"


    " It was located at the deepest layers of the earth."


    " But why now?" The confused Lord asked. " How sure are you?"


    " Giant Senterpids burrow deep underground," the dwarf butted-in. " At some point they might have got in contact with the gem. It also means, they have burrow holes where we can enter!" he subtly winked at Servus 132-X.


    Lord Prestonheim remained in silence the entire time. He still cannot believe the fact that he finally saw with his very own eyes the gem that alchemists throughout their lifetime tried to emulate.


    Lord Prestonheim is already convinced with the stone, but still had to make sure about their claims.


    " Knight, get Servus 305- M." He ordered.


    Not long after, Servus 132-X saw a familiar face brought to them. It was the red-haired slave, whom he spoken to before.


    " My Lord you called--" Slave 305-M didn''t even bothered finishing his sentence. He saw the floating gem and immediately threw any form of decency to Lord Prestonheim out of the window.


    "This is Aetherium Naturale!" He exclaimed. " A legendary element that gave birth to life as we know it!"


    He examined it once more, trying to figure out its legitimacy by pushing it using his fingers. What he got was a jolt that threw him off the ground.


    " Who acquired this My Lord?" he dusted himself off.


    Lord Prestonheim pointed Servus 132-X.


    " Interesting! Very interesting indeed!" He approached Servus 132-X and asked, " Could you call it back to you?"


    " Pardon?"


    " Call it back. You know, say, yooohooo...come back! Something of that sort."


    " Ummm¡­." Servus 132-X find it strange but did it anyway, " Return to me!" He commanded.


    The stone immediately floated straight to him.


    "AHAHAHAHAHA!" The mad red-haired slave stomped the ground in glee. " Finally, an answer to Principalia''s currently exousia deficit!"


    Lord Prestonheim could no longer deny its legitimacy.


    " So what are your terms, Servus 132-X?"

 Chapter 12: Terms and Conditions

    " So what are your terms, Slave 132-X?" Lord Prestonheim eagerly asked.


    With everything in going as planned, Servus 132-X must make sure that the negotiations wouldn''t go crumbling down on them. He sorted it out first, mapping the possibilities of every crucial decision that he might deem necessary.


    It didn''t help that his fever is pestering him with headaches now, As the sun scorched even hotter as the day went.


    There were just too many variables, he needs to convene with the others, so he asked Lord Prestonheim for some time just enough for them to huddle.


    " My Lord, I asked you to give us a moment to convene and--"


    " Maybe I wasn''t making myself clear, but I asked YOU for the terms. No one else."


    The leader of the 5th battalion is getting impatient. If he takes another moment to decide, it might be too late for them. He must act fast, since they are as dispensable as the next slave. He let his mind carry out the variables and possible scenarios again. Finally, he made a decision and hopefully, he''ll not come to regret it.


    " My Lord, I have my conditions ready," he said as he steadily stood to assert a little bit of confidence.


    He clears his throat and began his list, " Firstly, my Lord, I would like you to hire us, but not treat us as slaves."


    " What do you mean by that?"


    "That means you will treat us the way you treat your knights, or like someone you have a contract with. That will include provisions and medications if needed."


    " My Lord, that is preposterous!" one of the knights exclaimed.


    " Why is it, Ser Knight?" He asked, " If we will guide you to this trove of crystals, wouldn''t it be right to have at least the same welfare as yours? Aren''t we risking our lives as well?"


    " But my Lord you can''t--"


    " Silence!" Lord Prestonheim commanded. " I am the one being offered here. I am not asking for your opinion."


    The knight silenced himself. Lord Prestonheim gestured Servus 132-X to continue.


    " Thank you, my Lord," Servus 132-X cleared his throat. " Secondly, we asked to be freed from slavery once we complete our task. Our payment will be the entire cavern full of Aetherium for the Principalia to mine. Aside from that, we need a year''s worth of a soldier''s salary once we''re free, so we can start our lives anew."


    Lord Prestonheim looked at him straight in the eye, " Why would I consider these terms?" He looked uninterested with the conditions at hand.


    " Let''s just say, we kill you now," he stood up, " You already told us about the location of Aetherium, don''t you think we won''t scower the place if you won''t tell us?"


    " You can! Without a doubt," Servus 132-X paused. " But for how long and how far? Or better yet, how without the others knowing?"


    The inquiring lord sat silently with his thoughts. Servus 132- X tried his very best to compose himself under the sweltering heat and the burning fever that''s consuming him by the moment. Lord Prestonheim shrugged his head.


    " I still don''t see the point why I should spare you and your cohorts, "


    " Very well," Servus 132-X is seeing speckles in his vision, but he pushed through. " Tell me, Lord Prestonheim, which one of your men can read and speak Daelitheid?" he asked just like what was instructed to him by the mysterious woman in his dream earlier.


    " Daelitheid?" Lord Prestonheim looked around, " Where is Mnemsiel? Call for him!" he instructed a knight who ran into the infirmary.


    A moment later, the knight brought an elf to the Lord. From the looks of it, this elf is part of the Principalia. He wore the same armor and colors as the rest of the knights. The only difference is, he is an elf, and he wore a weird band on his head that Servus later found out to be an insignia of his tribe.


    " Mnemsiel, do you speak Daelitheid, good ser?" Lord Prestonheim aksed.


    " I''m afraid, I don''t my Lord," he shrugged his shoulders, " That is an ancient forgotten language that even most of the Faerkind are unable to understand, let alone learn.


    " This slave claims that someone in their group can." He looked at the elven knight," Is that true?"


    Mnemsiel took a gaze at the dwarf and elf, he immediately knew the answer, " Yes."


    This stunned Lord Prestonheim. So, he asked for more details.


    " Tell me who?"


    " My Lord," the elven knight politely bowed. " That dwarf can speak it. Based from the seals on his clothing, he was once a smith. Dwarven smiths were taught of that language because they use it to engrave their runes into weapons for enchantment. That elf woman, on the other hand, could be part of a sect we had in our elven kingdom known as, the Indicens. It''s a sect that uses the Daelitheid language to communicate with the spirits of the old."


    Lord Prestonheim thanked the elven knight and dismissed him back to his chores. He then stood up from the chair and walked towards Servus 132-X.


    " One last thing, why should I need all of you?"


    " Well, my Lord¡­" Servus 132-X was getting dizzy already. " ... because, you need this to be done discretely. Without alarming too much that it might get into the attention of the Lord of this Isle. You don''t want them to pry and ask the Principalia for more because, as far as I know, they will have the advantage to ask for anything and that might include your properties and House."


    " You are a smart man!" Lord Prestonheim offered Servus 132-X his hand. " I might have to consider you as a threat."


    " Perhaps," he took his hand and shook it. " Or turn me into an ally, to do the dirty work for you."


    Lord Prestonheim cracked a smile, " I Lord Augustus Prestonheim, Commanding General of the 5th Batallion, Patriarch of the House Prestonheim, hereby accept your terms!"


    " It is our pleasure to serve you, Lord Prestonheim."


    " By the gods! You''re heating up!"


    " I know. So I would need those medicines right now, my Lord."


    The Lord chortled," You amuse me! Knights, get this man to the infirmary, also give them provisions to set-up a camp. I shall contact the Prince and ask for his help on this matter."


    .

 Chapter 13: Beyond the Crescent Isle Pt.1

    The sound of clanging bells is not the first anyone had in mind to wake-up early in the morning. The blunt clashing sound of brass metal is irritating to the ears, but not for Prince Arterius who wakes up enthusiastically to this earful assault.


    He stretched his body under the cozy, warm blanket that he could adjust temperatures with. It was a new invention he made along with his team at the Alchemical Research in Technology, Environment, Rediscoveries, Inventions and Usage of Systems or A.R.T.E.R.I.U. S in short.


    He was so proud he came up with that name, even if it caused an uproar in the Senate when he first proposed it. This prompted to a confrontation between him and one of his staunch critics.


    " Who names a facility with their own name?!" mocked Senator Ordus.


    " Think of it this way, Senator Ordus. Establishing this new facility is like making a new home or establishing a new House. If I were to follow your logic, I guess it''s absurd to name your villa Ordusville. I mean, it does sound narcissistic, isn''t it?" Prince Arterius sarcastically replied.


    He cannot forget that day, as the entire Senate howled in laughter at the expense of Senator Ordus, who sat down red-faced glaring at him. He also cannot forget that day because, it was the first time, his father, Imperatur Severus, laughed at this joke.


    It was the first and last time he saw his father delighted at what he did. Most of the time, he often gets a scowling face of disapproval or disgust from his old man. It could be because, he was never as strong and as good of a fighter like his brother, Veritus.


    That brute, of a man, could take down warriors twice his size. It was said during the subjugation of an uprising at the eastern Elven kingdom of Nohl''Reim, his brother took out an two-headed cyclops all on his own. His strength rivaled that of the monster and his affinity to exousia-based magic second to none.


    He disposed the monster with one swing of his sword, completely exploding the monster to bits and pieces. After that, the rebels surrendered. Prince Veritus came home, a victor and a hero, beloved by its people and welcomed by his father, who was never been prouder.


    Prince Arterius shook off those negative thoughts on his mind and started the day by turning off the aetherite-filled, clear glass bauble that he installed in his room. The weird spheres are attached to a synthetic form of insulator that helps in regulating the heat, preventing the glass in exploding. It''s then connected to a regulating knob that turns the machine on or off with a twist of the knob.


    He opened up his window and welcomed the sun peeking through the clouds at the Arterian sky. It was already at the highest level of Obura when he got out of his room after he finished preparing for the day.


    He always skipped breakfast as he finds himself too busy to be bothered by such. He mostly ate during lunch, and ate small meal portions throughout the day. But this time, his stomach grumbled too much that he bothered himself to eat breakfast first.


    He hesitantly went to the dining hall, hoping that his father or his brother is not around to see him. He started peeking at the side of the doorway when he was startled by a tap on his shoulder. It''s was his brother, Prince Veritus.


    " Big brother, why are you lurking there?"


    " Ah! Brother, what a...pleasant surprise!" He awkwardly smiled, " I was just trying looking for--" his stomach gurgled audibly.


    " Food? Why not join us?" Prince Veritus, wrapped his muscular arm on his shoulder and walked inside the dining hall, dragging him in the process.


    " Father! Such a pleasant morning today!" he exclaimed at the Imperatur who sat alone in the dining table.


    " How many times do I have to tell you never to--"


    " But father, we have a special guest today!" Veritus enthusiastically announced, " See, big brother is here! It''s been ages since we ate together for breakfast!" He grabbed a chair for himself and Aterius.


    The dining table was awkwardly silent, even with all the most delectable food and delicacies the Principalia can offer, the meal was bland and distasteful for Prince Arterius. His father silently scowling at him while eating his bread with butter, and his brother gobbling the meat and bread like there was no tomorrow, not giving a care about the awkwardness in the air.


    After barely touching his bread and some ham, Prince Arterius decided to excuse himself.


    " Where are you going, Arterius?" the emperor asked.


    " Father, I am going now to the research institute to finish my recent--"


    " Research, of what? Those glowing glasses of aetherite?"


    " Y-yes, It''s a breakthrough now! We somehow managed to control the light by means of--"


    " Look, Arterius," the emperor sighed. " The Senate and I funded your hobby because, of those promises, you told us. A new way to use Aetherite! We didn''t fund you to make light in the night just because you are scared of the dark! We want you to make it so that we can use it for our conquests!"


    Arterius, averted his father''s gaze and tried to calm himself down.


    " F-father, I-I made progress with it," he stammered as his anxiety slow rises. " You see that''s the first step to the second phase we are currently doing!" He bragged.


    " Of what? Blinding us all to death with it?" The Imperatur chortled, " The Senate had already doubted your project since day one. If it wasn''t for me, you could''ve followed your insane mentor out in the mines!"


    " I-I am truly grateful, but you the next phase you will never regret."


    " Oh? I hope so," the Emperor rose from his seat after wiping his mouth with the napkin. " Pfft. Arterius¡­ I should''ve given that name to your brother instead!" He walked out of the hall.


    It broke his heart hearing it. Prince Arterius bit his lip holding in the tears that welled in his eyes. He breathe in and looked at his brother, Veritus, who looked as stunned as he was.


    He stormed out of the dining hall and went straight to his facility located three ildwyrms away at the eastern gate of the palace grounds. The last words from his father might have hurt him, but at the same time, it was just the right push he needed to finally finish the weapon he designed.

 Chapter 14: Beyond the Crescent Isle Pt.2

    He walked out of the corridors of the Prima Palace, passing through the massive white-marbled pillars and life-like statues of the previous emperors that were lined with each pillar. He always loved the palace corridors, when he was younger. The shiny, well-polished floor was his favorite, as he would conveniently slide on them especially when his running away from his guards.


    The crystal chandeliers that hung above them also looked amazing although not necessary. If he were to decide, he would gladly dispose of them and put something more useful, like his illuminations for example. That should put some light into the dark hallways at night. Or maybe, fill the chandeliers with aetherite and make it into a glowing spectacle!


    That thought filled his mind until he reached his carriage, waiting for him by the front of the palace. He wants to ditch the carriages as well. He found it too inconvenient for him, especially if he wants to go on a hurry.


    He wanted to make an aetherite-powered carriage that he can drive along from the palace to his research facility. But that''s far into the future. Right now, he has to solve one of their biggest problems in their weapons research, how to use aetherite as a propelling agent for cannons.


    It had been giving him headaches since he proposed it over three months ago. He''s still trying to find a way to propel the cannonballs without the use of niter. He believes aetherite is an efficient way to use, so they can mobilize the cannons better even during naval battles and simply, bad weather.


    Who knew that useless aetherite has other uses aside from coating metal with gold? He did! His master believed in it. If only he wasn''t exiled to the Crescent Isle, he would have loved to see this progress.


    The carriage finally stopped, he has arrived at the facility. He joyfully hopped out of the carriage and made his way into the laboratory. Along the hallway, the pulsating glow of aetherite lit the path, making it easier for him to see.


    Arterius'' visual acuity had always been his problem. As a child he would often be criticized by his sword tutor because he would always get hit by the wooden sword. What his tutor don''t know and his father won''t believe is that, he had blurry vision. It was only thanks to his mentor, Parcelus, that his father was forced to understand the extent of his problem.


    Prior to that, his father would often just dismiss him as lazy or just weak to handle such "menial" task such as sword training and archery.


    The lights flickered as he was at the end of the hallway, right where he was about to open the door to the facility. Prince Arterius felt a cold shiver that ran through his spine. He hated the dark, he always did. It was made worse when he was forced to it when he was younger. He wants to forget that part of his past and up until now whenever the light flickers, or he''s in darkness, it would emerge.


    " Prince Arterius, how long have you been standing there?"


    " Waahhh!" The startled prince looked at the man standing in front of the door, " Stolas! Good gods! Don''t scare me like that," Arterius heart pounded violently out of his chest.


    " My apologies, Prince Arterius," Stolas bowed. " I was about to pick you up...I was startled by you as well, standing at the door like that!"


    The prince smiled and shrugged his head, " Well, let''s just put it out of the way."


    " As you wish, your Majesty."


    " I told you not to call me that!"


    Both men laugh as they entered the facility.


    This facility that he had was constructed under his watchful eyes. It was big enough for the researcher to move around and for their instruments not to tangle and bump around. He reinforced the walls to make sure that it could withstand any explosions, especially with substance reactions. The building is also well-ventilated as summers in the capital can be very hot and the substances they handle might react to the sweltering heat.


    " How''s our canon going?" Arterius asked.


    " Err... No progress for now, my Prince." Stolas shrugged his shoulders.


    " Let''s go back to the drawing board on that," Arterius eyebrows furrowed as he tried to recall the plan he had last night. " By the way, do we still have some red mercury?"


    " Of course, my Prince."


    " I''m going to have some of that for my research."


    " Are you still planning to emulate the color of the sunset using glowing aetherite?"


    " It''s just a side project¡­" Arterius trying to defend his guilty pleasure, " ...you know! To clear my mind."


    " Whatever you say," Stolas sighed. " We must make haste of the cannon, my Prince or else--"


    " The Senate and the Imperatur won''t shut us down!"


    Prince Arterius'' confidence overwhelmed Stolas. His assistant stayed silent the rest of the way until they reach Prince Arterius'' research room. Stolas excused himself to get the red mercury that he was, Arterius was looking for.


    Arterius went inside his research room brimmed with transparent glass baubles filled with glowing aetherite that perpetually lit the room. His desk had piles of papers ranging from requests from other researchers to the ignored letters from the Senate.


    He immediately donned his special insulating gear that he left at the chair of his desk. He went to his workstation a few steps behind his desk and worked on the solid aetherite that he placed inside a vacuum tube.


    He carefully took out the hard aetherite and place it on the table. He took a small clump of it and placed it on a small metal plate which he then heated until the aethrite melted into liquid. He then placed the liquified aetherite on another vacuum tube while putting back the solid one back to its container.


    He was supposed to heat up the liquid aetherite,but got distracted by Stolas who entered his chamber that he instead heated the solid one. After Stolas left him with the red mercury, Arterius went back to his work.


    He puts the solidified red mercury inside a condenser, heating it up to turn it into its gaseous state. He then connected a tube to an elongated glass bauble, before noticing that he heated the wrong aetherite.


    Afraid that the red mercury gas would lose its potency, Arterius, hastily took the liquified form and tried switching it with the solid one, carefully. Unfortunately, his clumsiness took over. Both of the funnels broke, releasing the red gas into the open. He immediately stepped back as the glass shards scattered everywhere and then that''s when he noticed it.


    The gaseous red mercury was absorbed inside the solidified aetherite, along with a lick of flame from the burner. Right before his very eyes the aetherite began to react with the substance and element inside the vacuum before glowing in a blinding blast of light.


    " Prince Arterius! Prince Arterius!" Stolas called him frantically as he was panicking.


    Arterius looked around there were speckles of light in his already blurred vision. There was also a loud ringing noise that made him very uncomfortable and dizzy. His body felt heavy and painful to move, but he managed to glance at the hole where his work station was situated before.


    That''s when it dawned on him. Amassing the little strength he had left, he called for Stolas.


    " Stolas! Stolas!"


    " I''m here, Prince Arterius!"


    Although there was still that loud ringing in his ear, he could vaguely hear the quiver in Stolas'' voice.


    " Bring me a pencil and paper!"


    " Prince Arterius? You''re in no condition to--"


    " PENCIL AND PAPER, NOW!"


    Stolas hurriedly told the other researchers to get him some writing materials. Arterius finally found the answer on how to propel the cannonballs! He cracked a faint smile in his face despite the torturing pain gripping his body.

 Chapter 15: Around the Fire Pt. 1

    The burnt wood hissed as fire slowly engulfed the timber that Servus 132-X fed it with. It''s been a while since he felt this warmth. It''s been too long since he remembered the warmth and coziness of the campfire. At the distance, he saw the other slaves, setting up the final strings and poles of the tent.


    His gamble worked after all, and now they wait for a reply from the capital. He took out the blanket provisioned to them by the 5th Batallion. After all, he technically brought their freedom from a single piece of rock and an elaborate plan to get more of it. He wrapped himself with the blanket, expressing his delight with a sigh of relief.


    There is still a lot of things he needs to plan ahead. This has been the third day since he brought themselves out from death, but they still hadn''t found a good strategy to enter the burrowed holes left by the Giant Centipedes.


    He recalled the meeting they have in Lord Prestonheim''s tent.


    There were arguments as to how to go about it. Servus 305-M had a heated debate with Lord Prestonheim. The red-haired slave wanted the knights to go and scout the deep levels of the hole to let them survey the area. On the other hand, Lord Prestonheim saw this move to be too risky, especially without the approval of the A.R.T.E.R.I.U.S.


    " I would rather let the slaves survey it first!" Lord Prestonheim''s eyebrows furrowed at the suggestion of the slave, " Remember this, the contract is still underworks, therefore, unofficial!"


    " You would rather get the slaves to go there and die?" Servus 305-M scoffed at Lord Prestonheim''s stubbornness, " You know, we slave cannot use magic, remember? This slave''s collar suppresses that! You should know any better!" the slave leans forward across the long table.


    " I cannot risk my men! I have already few numbers--"


    " Few numbers?! How about those slaves?" Servus 302-M pointed out Servus''s 132-X group " Tell me now, this could bring a new age into the emp--"


    " That''s what you said about those aetherite stones¡­" Lord Prestonheim massage the space inbetween his eyes by his thumb," ...and now, look! We have a prince in line for the throne, obsessed in making glowing rocks!" He spat at the slave.


    The mood suddenly changed. Lord Prestonheim looked like he said something that he shouldn''t have. His face became remorseful after throwing the spiteful words to Servus 302-M. The slave, on the other hand, became somber. He''s looking at the table as if there was something to find there-- there was none.


    " It looks like we are at an impasse." Lord Prestonheim sighed as he continued to massage the bridge of his nose.


    " Indeed, we are." Servus 302-M walked out from the Lord''s camp into the sweltering heat of the sun.


    That''s when Servus 132-X knew, that his gamble, might still end up in shambles. The logs cracked at the burning flames. He snapped out from the hopelessness his mind tried to play with him.


    "Sorry¡­" the tattooed slave came out from nowhere, " Can I sit here?"


    Servus 132-X looked at the man''s hair-covered face. " Be my guest," he offered the seat adjacent to him.


    As the tattooed slave sat by the fire, his features became more prominent. His unkempt hair that covered his face became a see-through veil of his face. He had a scruffy beard, a long-bridged nose with deep-seated eyes that is covered by his furry brow. He had the sharpest canine Servus 132-X had ever saw.


    His features gave him a feral appearance, but despite that, there was a warm aura surrounding him. He had a strong sense of humanity, at least that''s what Servus 132-X''s thought. His eyes gave him that idea. The slave''s deep green eyes looked delicate and innocent, giving him a shred of humanity despite his untamed appearance.


    " Ummm... They''re making supper," the tattooed slave pointed at their tent where the elf was stirring a pot. " I mean she...Where''s the dwarf?"


    " Right here, ya blind beastman!" The dwarf popped out from the shadows.


    " Oh there he is¡­" the tattooed slave awkwardly pointed at him. It was clear to Servus 132-X that, this slave wasn''t used to conversations. "W-where have you been?"


    " Ya still sound awkwerd there, lad," the dwarf crinkled his nose as he laughed. " I went to pee, there," he pointed at the dark area near the gate.


    " Why would you go there?" the baffled beastman scratched his head.


    " Lad, ya need to know about manners," the dwarf said as he sat next to Servus 132-X.


    The slave dwarf cozied himself by the flames, rubbing his hands together to get more heat.


    " Ya know, lad, we haf a lady with us." the dwarf blinked at the beastman.


    " Well she does seem to--"


    The beastman got interrupted by the elf who they never saw coming. She brought with her a tray with bowls filled with their supper and slices of bread.


    " Thank you, lass!" The dwarf hastily took one of the bowls and a pair of bread slices. " Wus so hungry just looking at the food. I had to get ''un," he smiled at the two.


    Servus 312-X took his share as well and thank the elf.


    That elf sat beside the beastman who looked stiffed and fidgety. She passed her his share of the soup and bread which he hesitantly took from the elf.


    The baffled elf took a glance at the dwarf and gestured to him the words she wants to convey to the beastman. Her hands moved gracefully, as each of her fingers danced to the rhythm of her unspoken emotions.


    " Oi! Beast lad! The lady wants to know if you are doing okay." the dwarf iterated the language.


    " O-of course I am!" There was a hint of nervousness in his voice. The beastman ate silently, trying to avoid the elf''s concerned glances.


    " He say''s his fine, lass."


    " I know that, I can hear you." she signed to him while pointing her long ears.


    The dwarf chuckled.


    The brief banter made Servus 132-X reminisced a memory from his past. It was during his 10th reincarnation, during a castle siege. He recalled his allies Gallofiel the elf and Umberius the dwarf doing the same thing.


    " I heard you the first time, Umberius. There''s no need to shout again."


    " Yah bettar heard me! Or what good are those long ears for!"


    Just remembering it made him laugh so hard that his soup ejected through his nose and mouth. He coughed violently while laughing at it--the fun times.

 Chapter 16: Around the Fire Pt.2

    He laughed so hard, that the soup ejected from his mouth and nose. Servus 132-X coughed harder as he struggled from the soup, irritating his throat and nose. The dwarf put down his bowl and bread and began patting his back loudly.


    " Oi, lad what''s wrong wit ya?"


    Servus wasn''t able to answer. His throat still felt like some residue of the soup had clogged its way there. He coughed violently until finally his throat was clear from the liquid. He glanced towards his comrades who were worried about him.


    " I am o-okay," he reassured them. His voice was raspy and there was a little bit of pain every time he swallowed, but he was alright nonetheless. " I am okay. I apologize you just reminded me of people from my past."


    " Past?" the dwarf translated the intricate hand signs the elf did.


    He looked at all of them and nodded.


    " The past, eh?" The dwarf relaxed himself in the stool that he sat and sighed. " The good''ol days." The dwarf caressed his chin, and began to reminisce.


    The beastman stares intently at the fire, looking as if hypnotized by the dancing flames on top of the burnt wood. While the elf gave them glances and just ate her meal happily.


    Servus 132-X broke the silence, " I want to thank you guys, for saving me--"


    " There''s no need to thank us¡­" the beastman interjected. " Y-you saved us at the cave, you know, and now this one," he awkwardly glanced at Servus 132-X before looking at the ground.


    " The lad is right," the dwarf placed his bulky hands on Servus 132-X''s shoulder. " Ya saved us more times than ya could ever count."


    Their statements only put a huge burden in Servus 132-X''s heart. It dawned on him, that what he did for them could have condemned them to a fate worse than death. They never signed up for this! It was only him who pushed it through because he was told by that mysterious girl from her dreams. After 365 incarnations, he still hadn''t learned his lesson-- never talk to dieties, especially the ones who show up in your dreams.


    By now, he should''ve understood already how this works. He gets reincarnated, a god or a goddess shows up, he becomes an anointed hero and then his off to save the world. That has been his cycle--365 times. Yet, every time he comes back, he really couldn''t resist it.


    " You don''t have to this one, you know," Servus 132-X looked at them with pity. " I mean... I just...you know--"


    " What are ya talking about, lad?" the dwarf firmly held on to his shoulder and slapped it hard.


    " OW!"


    " There''s yar awakening!" The dwarf smiled, " Lad, I would rather die fighting for me freedom than dying in chains. You gave us that opportunity and for that I will forever be grateful!"


    " M-me too!" The beastman spurted. " I would like to go back to home alive...to the Ordulla Forest."


    " I would like ta journey this world once I''m free," the dwarf read the elf''s hand gestures, " I am sick of being chained! I would rather die for my freedom than live a life like this!" The elf added.


    " So brighten up, lad! We shall seek this freedom together," the dwarf smiled. " Whether we make it or not, I shall forever be grateful to ya!"


    Servus 132-X''s somber mood began to fade as he looked at the smiles of his new-found friends. The elf, the dwarf and the beastman.


    " I, too, shall forever be grateful for your company." Servus shook hands with all of them, forming a new alliance that night, that would stand the test of time.


    " My name is Servus 132-X."


    " D-do you have another name?" the beastman awkwardly asked.


    " Another name?"


    The elf elbows the beastman on the side.


    " Ow!" The beastman squirmed. " Sorry!"


    The dwarf shrugged his head and sighed. " Yes, a name."


    Servus 132-X was born a slave in this lifetime. He doesn''t know who his parents are. What he remembered was being in a care of a slave woman that he thought to be his mother. When he was 6, he later found out that it wasn''t his real mother. The woman slave was a wet nurse that the barracks had. All the newborn children are sent to her group, so they can nurse them until they''re 6 years old. By then, the children would then be transferred to the other part of the barracks where they will be collared and branded.


    He remembered that the woman only called them by a common name, boy for the males and girl for the female children. It was only after he was given a brand and collar that he was called by the name he uses today--Servus 132-X.


    Since his memories from his past selves only emerged when he was around 10 years old, he wasn''t able to give himself a name. If he did it now, that could spell doom for him. He was warned that if you give yourself a name while having a collar, it will instantly kill you. It happened to one of his friends when they were around 11 years old-- his head exploded.


    Since then, the brand stuck to him as his name Servus 132-X although, he really hated it, he doesn''t have a choice.


    " Servus 132-X is my name. I know nothing else."


    " By the gods! Are ya one of those children born inside a slave farm?" the dwarf asked in distraught.


    " Yes." Servus 132-X nodded.


    " I-I thought it was just a story to scare us when we were young!" the beastman astounded with what he heard.


    " Clearly, it won''t matter what race you are. There will always be monsters!" the elf signed.


    " By the gods, lad!"


    Servus 132-X nodded again. " I was born there. I know nothing of my parents nor where they''re from. But I want my freedom as badly as you all do, because, this world¡­" he smiled at them again.


    " I gotcha, lad," the dwarf smiled back. " But you know, for a slave, you have a very good noggin!"


    " It''s a gift, I guess."


    " W-well, thank the gods for that g-gift!" the beastman stuttered.

 Chapter 17: Around the Fire Pt.3

    A few interactions later, and the dwarf was busting out jokes over the camp fire. It was the first time in such a long time that Servus 132-X laughed. The beastman tried his best not to laugh, but the story was too funny, that it would be a crime not to at least snicker.


    " ''Ere''s a better one!" the dwarf declared as he wiped the tears from his eyes, " An elf, a knight, and a dwarf went inside a tavern. The knight, flamboyant as he wus, asked for them finest wine. He wus given them the finest Redvyne from Etelport! The elf, prudent as he was asked for them cheap ale. He was given the cheapest one, made from the tavern. The dwarf, looked at them both, and asked for a glass of water."


    " W-water?" the beastman asked in disbelief.


    " Ya! Water, " the dwarf cleared his throat while also trying to stifle a laugh. " So the barkeep asked--"


    " You are being too loud, slave!" A knight spat as he approached them.


    " Good evenin'', ser knight!" Greeted the dwarf, trying to smile at him.


    " Shut your trap, slave!" The knight suddenly dropped his trousers and urinated on the campfire. " Remember this you pieces of shit! Once a slave, always a slave," he spat on the ground and laughed.


    Servus 132-X rose from his seat as the arrogant knight turned his back on them. It was the dwarf''s quick reflexes that was able to stop the angry Servus 132-X from getting into another fight.


    " Keep it down, lad," he gripped Servus 132-X arm tightly. " It''s not worth starting another--"


    Suddenly, the quenched flame began to light ablaze as another knight approached them. It was one of the guards shifted at the gate. His face was finally, revealed by the fire he casted.


    " I apologize for that knight''s bad behavior," Tristam emerged from the dark path. " Please do not see us knights as that." He pointed at the staggering knight.


    The slaves stared at him and nodded quietly.


    Tristam scratched his head as he tried to look for words to say. The knight wanted to defend their honorable order, but with the recent incident he knows it''s a tough sell. He looked defeated as he went back to his post, leaving a tired smile on his face.


    " I-I pity him," the beastman suspired. "H-he looked like a good man."


    " Ya! That lad seems to be," the dwarf nodded in agreement. " If this wus only a different time and place, we could''ve drank with them, but alas!


    There was silence once more. Unfortunately, the mood changed after the audacious knights ruined their fun moment and dampened the fire with his urine.


    The elf stood first and took their bowls away. " I will wash this now. It''s getting late, you should take a rest." The dwarf read her gestures.


    " Don''t worry, las! We shall sleep soon."


    " M-maybe I should h-help her," the beastman said. " O-or maybe not¡­"


    " Make up your mind, lad!"


    It took a few awkward moments before the hesitant beastman finally decided to leave them to help the elf.


    " Gee, that lad had doe-eyes on the elf lass," the dwarf smirked.


    Servus 132-X smiled in agreement.


    "Ahem," the dwarf cleared his throat. " So tell me, lad, what''s next?"


    " What do you mean?"


    " After ya buy yar freedom. What are ya to do next?"


    " I don''t know yet. Maybe, travel the world and find a place to call my very own."


    " Such a dream ya have there, lad," the dwarf smiled. " Travel the world, huh? Indeed, there are so much you need to see other than this barren mine."


    " Have you traveled the world?" Servus 132-X asked the dwarf.


    " Ya, I did. From the deepest of the forests of the East ''till the dunes of the Southeastern Front. I have fought many wars with the Principalia. But that is a story for another day! Right now, it''s all about travel!"


    Servus 132-X nodded. " Tell me, what''s the most beautiful place you have ever seen?"


    The dwarf stroked his chin while clicking his tongue, trying to choose the best one. " Tsk! Lad, Ya just gave me a hard time there. If I were to choose, it would be the Eastend mountains, my people''s kingdom."


    " Eastend Mountains¡­"


    " Yes, it''s a beautiful place! Trees big enough to challenge the sky, brooks with water so clear, that it rivals the looking glasses of the elven kingdoms," the dwarf paused as tears-welled in his eyes. " Then, there''s the castle of the dwarven kings, Sun-borne. The palace built inbetween the twin mountains Noraya and Fersaya. That marvelous structure glows as the sun rises in the mountains'' foot."


    " If ever we make it out here alive, can you take me there?" Servus 132-X.


    " Alas! Lad¡­" the dwarf bit his lip, " ...yeah, maybe someday!"


    " Yes, someday." Servus 132-X can only hope for it.


    The night grew deeper and the time of Obscuros has reached the Soaring. Servus 132-X, finally decided to go back to their newly constructed camp and rest.


    He cozied himself on the bed issued to them by Lord Prestonheim. It was still a hard bed made of wood with no cushion on it, but at least it wasn''t infested with fleas or stunk of pee and excrement.


    He tossed and turned in the bed for a while, until he finally succumbed to sleep.


    " Adlaw-on."


    Servus 132-X immediately opened his eyes. " It''s her again!" He said to himself.


    " Adlaw-on."


    The voice sounded near, and enticed him to go outside.


    " Adlaw-on."


    He wished he could have just ignored her call, but there was something about this deity that he sensed to be different from the others he encountered across his previous lifetimes.


    Dragging his body from the brink of sleep, he rose up from his bed and followed the sound of her voice. He went outside of his tent and saw the lady sitting on his seat by the campfire.


    He went to approach the mysterious lady, who hopelessly stared at the glowing embers of the burnt wood. She poked it with a stick as if looking she''s for something.


    Servus 132-X approached her cautiously, as he tried his best to stop himself from being too welcoming from what he suspected as a deity.


    " Ah! You finally came!" Her sweet voice could easily melt a mortal''s heart--but not this mortal! Not Servus 132-X.


    " What do you need of me this time?" the slave sternly asked.


    " Sit down beside me," the mysterious lady tapped on the stump beside her. " There are things we need to talk about."


    " Again?"


    The lady smiled to him, not offering an answer to the question he raised.

 Chapter 18: A Thin Line Pt. 1

    Another day has come and still no word from A.R.T.E.R.I.U.S. It has been almost a week now, when he instructed Eferail to bring the message to the Principalia. He sternly told him not to give it to anyone else but the First Prince, Arterius.


    Now, he worries if his letter would ever arrive there in time before House Bieroff finds out about the current hidden treasure their mine has. He feared that if they found out about it, they might consider taking it all for themselves and leave the Principalia to their knees.


    He wished it wasn''t the case, but with what he just witnessed in Arenfall Castle, his fears might not be far from fleshing into reality. Lady Adrena Bieroff is the younger sister of Senator Marcus Lucresia, one of the most influential senators of the Principalia. Their family held a lot of supporters from the Auxilliary states and with that influence, along with House Bieroff''s greed, it could turn ugly.


    They might stage a rebellion, House Bieroff and House Lucresia might join forces and over throw the Imperatur and usurp the throne. But the worst could go to a civil war, if these two houses couldn''t agree on who should ever be placed in the throne. They might end up ripping the Principalia into a long term power struggle and blood shed, which he doesn''t want to happen.


    He shook that thought off his mind and began the day with washing his face with cool water before taking a sip of that leaf concoction which Mnemsiel would prepare for him early in the morning. The concoction had an earthy aroma with a dash of mint. He took another sip of it as he went outside his tent, trying to welcome the morning sun and hopefully provide him with some luck today.


    " Good day M''lord!" A knight from the Bieroff house greeted him. " Lady Bieroff, sent this letter to you," the knight handed over the letter sealed in wax, with the House Bieroff''s sigil-- a crow perching a dead tree.


    " The lady said you read this and reply in haste," the knight demanded.


    Lord Prestonheim tried his best to hide his anger. The knight''s audacity was unwarranted, but then again, he can''t blame the messenger. He broke the seal and read the letter with one hand, while sipping his drink in the other.


    [ Lord Prestonheim,


    Greetings of peace to you!


    It has been a few days and you are yet to provide us with your promise. I don''t have to tell you again the consequence if you just ignore our request. We demand justice for my husband''s death, and we will get it either from you, or from the Principalia.


    I hope you chose well.


    Your friend,


    Lady Adrena Bieroff ]


    He wanted to tear the letter in front of the knight and ask him to depart. But, he knew how thin the ice his treading right now. He knew his next outburst might just end him and the rest of his house.


    He nodded to the knight, " I shall reply to her shortly. Can you deliver the letter back?"


    " I''m afraid I cannot my Lord," the knight shrugged his shoulders. " The Lady specifically wanted you to deliver the heads today."


    " What?!" Lord Prestonheim still tried his best to control his anger. His body shook in rage. He tried controlling it the best he can. But, his clenched jaw and dilated eyes gave it away.


    The knight stepped back, away from Lord Prestonheim''s palpable rage. Although the Lady told him to stand his ground against the Commander of the 5th Batallion, he was still afraid for his life. Lord Prestonheim is a battle-hardened man. The knight knows to well how fast his hands can draw a sword. He doesn''t want to be at the receiving end of it.


    Lord Prestonheim''s threw away the cup in a fit of rage and grabbed the knight by the collar of his armor.


    " Tell Lady Bieroff, that the heads will be delivered by tomorrow."


    " She wants it today, m''Lord. Not tomorrow."


    Lord Prestonheim really wanted to hit the knight''s smug face, but chose to calm himself down and simply talk to him with reason.


    " I will deliver it myself before this day ends." Lord Prestonheim sighed.


    " Good choice m''Lord!" The knight cracked an audacious smile. " I shall bare witness to it, as what my Lady demands."


    " Very well, now get out of my sight!" Lord Prestonheim''s voice trembled in anger.


    Lord Prestonheim nods at him and quickly entered his tent. His tightly clenched fist struck the wooden table so hard, it left a gaping hole where his punch landed. He sat at the foot of his bed and massaged his temples.


    Unfortunately, Mnemsiel''s tea, wasn''t good enough to save him from this day''s unwelcomed situation. Lord Prestonheim is in a quandary. The slaves that Lady Bieroff wanted dead are the same slaves that would lead him to Principalia''s complete domination of the world. He knew that if he won''t deliver his promise, the consequence is going to be worse than just him losing his head.


    His mind fought his urge to cower and let Lady Bieroff had her way. He won''t accept that! He can''t accept that! Lord Prestonheim is a man that wouldn''t let the injustice stand. The slaves are innocent, and he knows it.


    But what would he do to appease the grieving, crazed Lady Bieroff? He had to clear his head before making the decision. He draped on his armor and decided to ride his horse into the open, to help him with his thoughts.


    Just as soon as he got out of his tent, Tristam greeted him.


    " My Lord, the letter is not as burdensome as we might have hope." Tristam said feeling worried for his Commander.


    " It really doesn''t matter, Ser Tristam, whether we find it good or not, at some point it will become burdensome." Lord Prestonheim sighed.


    Tristam''s shoulders dropped in disappointment. Lord Prestonheim could sense that his men might have known already the contents of the letter just by his reaction earlier. He didn''t want his men to feel that way. The worrying should be done by the head-- the Commanding General.


    Lord Prestonheim tried his best to divert his knight''s attention to something else.


    " Good ser, why did you come for me?"


    " Ah, Yes! Lord Prestonheim, a wagon containing a decura of slaves is on its way. One of our surveymen had just reported it earlier."


    " How far are they?"


    " About three ildwyrms from here."


    Lord Prestonheim knew that it wouldn''t take that long for the wagon to arrive at the mines. Suddenly an idea sparked his mind.


    " Do you have a list of those inside the wagon?" He asked Tristam.


    " Yes, My Lord."


    " Good let me see it."


    Lord Prestonheim read the list and realized how desperate he had become. He closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose, to comfort his throbbing head.


    " Good. Tell me when they arrive," he instructed the young knight. " And bring these slaves to me." He pointed at the ones on the list.


    After their conversation, Lord Prestonheim changed his mind about riding to the great outdoors. Instead he decided to go back inside the tent, left with thoughts and the harrowing answer he had came up with.


    He stared intently at the Banner of the Principalia. Looking at the sigil of the Imperatur and his people, he tried to make sense of the decision he chose.


    He felt the bitter aftertaste of his plan, that his stomach began to turn just by the very thought of it. But he''s doing this for his beloved Principalia, and with that, no cost is too great for the glory of his motherland.


    He took the banner by his hand and spread it from its pole before kissing it, pledging his loyalty to his country.


    " Quia ad Principalia, non refert sumptus!"


    Lord Prestonheim, read the words in the banner before giving it a salute, offering his full heart and soul to his county--no matter the cost.

 Chapter 19: A Thin Line Pt. 2

    "My Lord, the wagon has arrived," Tristam announced in his tent.


    Lord Prestonheim has been waiting somberly, alone his tent staring at the Principalia''s banner. His mind is still trying to grasp the situation he has created for himself. At the back of his mind, there''s a little hint of regret as to why he kept Servus 132-X''s group alive. He could''ve just ended it right there, if only he hadn''t listened to one cunning slave.


    Or was it really about his cunningness that got him to listen? Was it not about that damned stone? His mind wanted to put reason to a decision he had already made. The decision which got him to this point. A crossroad between the Principalia''s progress or its demise.


    His brooding didn''t go unnoticed. Tristam, who stood by the opening of his tent, observed his Lord''s odd behavior. The young knight couldn''t resist but pry himself over his Lord current conundrum.


    " You seemed to be troubled, my Lord?" Tristam approached Lord Prestonheim to offer any help he can provide his distressed Commander.


    " This is nothing, Tristam," Lord Prestonheim sighed.


    Lord Prestonheim stood up from his seat and approached the banner once more. He grabbed it and spread it again.


    " Tristam, what makes an empire great?"


    " Sorry, my Lord?" the young knight completely baffled by his Commander''s unusual question.


    Lord Prestonheim glanced at him while still holding the banner. " What makes an empire great?"


    The young knight pondered on the question. " Its people, my Lord," Tristam answered with pride brimming from the knight.


    " And what makes the people of the empire great?" The aging commander asked the knight.


    " Uhmm¡­" Tristam stared at the ground trying to find an answer suitable of his rank and status. But before he can answer it, Lord Prestonheim answered it for him.


    " Listen, young knight. What makes the people of Principalia great, is their mindset to do whatever it takes for their nation." Lord Prestonheim kissed the banner and saluted to it.


    Moved by his commander''s answer, Tristam lifted his head and stood up properly like how a knight should stand in front of the Imperatur. After seeing Lord Prestonheim kiss the banner, the proud knight made his salute to the flag.


    " Quia ad Principalia, non refert sumptus!"


    The commander nodded to his young knight. Tristam went ahead outside and lined up the new slaves, while Lord Prestonheim glanced at the flag one last time, before donning his cape and leaving his tent.


    The sun shined brightly irritating Lord Prestonheim''s eyes. He squinted his eyes to adjust from the glare. In front of him were the slaves lined up by his knights. Lord Prestonheim walked in front of them, examining them from head to foot and gauging their sizes.


    The gods might have been listening to his ails! An elf with a lanky frame, and deep-seated blue eyes was the first one who caught his attention. A barrel-chested dwarf, with a patchy beard, breathes heavily to the point of being audible. A human male riddled with scars from the pox. Lastly, a young skinny beastman with one eye, blinded from a form of sickness, finally completed his selection.


    Lord Prestonheim felt the heaviness of his chest. He took a look at the line of slaves once more, but his eyes read nothing but emptiness. The stress from his polarizing decision took a toll on him. He comforted his pulsating head, massaging the bridge of his nose. He then approached Tristam, who looked worried at him.


    The instructions sounded out of Lord Prestonheim''s character. The details he whispered to Tristam made the young knight uncomfortable-- close to defiance. Tristam''s face said it all, but the knight followed without question.


    " You four, stay!" The rest of you, will be guided to your own barracks," Tristam pointed at the four selections, while also ordering the other knights to guide the slaves to their barracks.


    Lord Prestonheim''s heart pounded heavily inside his chest. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, before giving the order.


    "Drag them to the clearing," The Commander''s voice sounded flat and devoid with emotion. His eyes looking beyond the horizon, and his face blank--numbingly expressionless.


    The baffled knights dragged the slaves in to the clearing under the sweltering heat of the sun. Confused with the situation, slaves protested and tussled from the chains they were bounded by.


    " M''Lord! Good sers! What''s wrong?!" the elf asked as he tried to struggle away.


    His cries were left unanswered as the baffled knights took glances to Lord Prestonheim, looking for answers as well. But Lord Prestonheim never offered an answer.


    The confusion blew into chaos as the slaves refused to follow the knights to their destination. But no punch, kick or spit can stop the armored warriors from doing their job. The knights overwhelmed the slaves with their own punches, leaving them battered on the ground to the point of unconsciousness.


    "W-why, sers?" the bloodied dwarf asked as he was being hoisted back to his feet.


    "Good gods!" The young beastman sobbed as he was dragged along with the unconscious human slave and the concussed dwarf into the clearing.


    " Please, M''Lord!" The young beastman begged. He tried to reach out for Lord Prestoneim, who followed right behind them, "M-my Looorrrdd! I don''t want to die! PLEAASSEEE!" He begged.


    Lord Prestonheim pretended as if he never heard their cries. But his heart slowly broke with every wail and plea the slaves tried to ask. HIs father taught him that all men were created equal under the sun and the sky. It has always been the House Prestonheim''s words. A paradigm that he stood up for.


    During the last fifty-seven years of his life, this principle was something he had always upheld with great pride. He inculcated this teaching towards his knights, sternly inculcating into the hearts of the 5th Batallion. He championed for equality and became the beacon of hope for the masses. But all of it, came crushing down with his decision.


    He signalled to his men to make the slaves kneel before him as he will soon pass his judgment. Lord Prestonheim approached the struggling slaves, looking at their despaired faces for the last time.


    Lord Prestonheim clenched his fists as he hesitated on whether to continue his plan or not. There''s still time to change his mind, if he truly wants to stop it. But, would he? Clearly, he can''t and he won''t. He wants his plan to succeed-- the mining of Aetherium. The element to set the Principalia to a new age.


    "Mercy! Mercy! MY LORD!" the dwarf shouted his last.


    "Pppleasssee¡­" the elf begged once more.


    By the corner of his eye, he saw Servus 132-X and his group looking at them with bated breath. The horrified look on their faces, only shows how much they know to what was about to happen next.


    Lord Prestonheim, never said a word even after all the pleas the slaves did. He never broke his silence as the moment of end came closer. His world became eerily silent, no longer able to hear anyone around him. He''s conscience finally went numb at that very moment.


    He raised his right fist for everyone to see. The knights unsheathed their blades in response, and position themselves to the left-hand side of the slaves. Once the knights have been situated to their positions. Lord Prestonheim, drops his right fist.


    The blades descended into the poor slaves'' neck, slicing it off in one clean cut. Their heads rolled on the blood-drenched soil.


    " I''m so sorry." Lord Prestonheim uttered as he walked out from the clearing.

 Chapter 20: Contrasts Pt.1

    Servus 132-X watched in horror as the new slaves were brought to the clearing in the middle of the scorching heat. The knights beat the slaves into a pulp and their wails of agony, the slow mid-morning air.


    "Why, my Lord?!" The bloody beaten dwarf pleaded for an answer, but Lord Prestonheim stood there silently--emotionless.


    "Ahhhh!!!" The young beastman whimpered as a scabbard struck his back.


    Servus 132-X stood there unable to do anything about it. Their own beastman tried to step forward to help the pleading men, but was stopped by Servus 132-X and the dwarf. They have to drag him away from the scene.


    "What do you think your doing?!" Servus 132-X asked the beastman as he struggled to restrain the stronger being. He dragged him out of the scene and into a nearby shade away from the appalling view.


    "I will save--" the dwarf put his hand on the beastman''s mouth to avoid him from speaking anything that might upset their new employer.


    They both struggled to wear him down. The beastman became stronger by the moment as the wails grew louder. The three of them rolled and tussled in the grassy shade beneath a tree. The beastman was able to get up when the dwarf caught both of his knees. Both of them stumbled to the ground and then the struggle continued.


    "L-lad don''t do it," The dwarf clinged on the beastman''s knees, pinning him down. " I-I b-beg you lad, don''t--" the dwarf took a pummeling to the face.


    Dazed, the dwarf finally let go. The beastman rose up from the tussle only to be tackled back down again by Servus 132-X, knocking him back to the ground. Another struggle ensued, but this time, it was only a brief struggle.


    The raging beastman grabbed Servus 132-X by the next and flung him over to the tree, opening his wounds. Servus 132-X got winded and fainted in pain. It was only at the intervention of the elf that the beastman finally tamed down.


    The feral beastman, seeing what he has done, broke down in tears. The elf hugged him tight and tried to console him the best way she could, holding back her own tears as the wails finally stopped.


    Night time came. The wounded Servus 132-X and the dwarf hunched themselves by the heat of the campfire. Their faces were battered with bruises and scratches. It has been a crazy day for them. After being knocked around by their raging beastman, they have to help establish an opening for the collapsed cave.


    They have to drag their injured bodies to the collpased cave site, picking up rocks and debris while the being scrutinized by the prying eyes of the other slaves. Some of them would spit at the ground they would pass by. While others would spat curses at them when the knights aren''t looking.


    "Look! It''s the dogs of the Principalia!" one slave mocked. " Bark you fucken dogs! Woof! Woof!"


    "Look, it''s the killers!"


    "They fucken killed those other slaves to get merits!"


    It was a mess. A whole big mess, no thanks to what happened earlier during the day. Or is it really about it?


    Servus 132-X started to doubt his decisions. Even with the persuasion of that mysterious woman, it didn''t felt right at all. The mysterious woman''s promises of guidance seemed to be of naught. He felt his burden becoming heavier as other lives are increasingly becoming dispensable because of his gamble.


    But what can he do? He only wanted to live. Or should''ve he just kicked the bucket all along and be done with it? He''s grown weary of the decision every single day. Not to mention, that they hadn''t heard anything yet from Lord Prestonheim or the Principalia about approving their expedition to the burrow of abyss.


    The thought of it is slowly eating him up. Hopefully, that mysterious lady from his dreams, would be true to her promise and help them as she said. Now, here he is again praying for help from an unknown deity. A very frustrating thing, that he promised he won''t do again.


    "It looks like old habits never die." Servus 132-X mumbled.


    "Whut iz that ya say?" The dwarf overheard him and decided to break the silence.


    "Nothing. I am just¡­" Servus sighed. "..those people died because of--"


    "Us?" The dwarf interrupted. "Listen, lad. We all ''ave a part to play in this. I knew from the very start that something like this might occur. I just didn''t think it could be much sooner."


    "It was on me. I started this--" Servus wanted to place the blame to himself, when suddenly the dwarf grabbed his slave collar.


    "Listen ''ere, lad!" the angry dwarf bumped his head with Servus 132-X. "I don''t wanna hear another shet like that coming out of yer mouth!" He clenched his jaw in frustration.


    "I followed yah because of yer plan," the dwarf pushed him back. "I wanna believe, that we can make it. Or maybe it''s just me and my overly positive outlook to one day be free once more. But please, lad. Please, push through with yer plan and don''t leave us hanging like what--" the dwarf bit his lip and held himself from speaking any further.


    There was another air of cold and awkward silence. Servus 132-X felt the dwarf''s words.


    Not soon after, the elf made her way to them with a tray of boiled beans in tomato soup and some bread. She passed gave their portion and sat at the opposite side of the campfire. The warm food should''ve whetted their appetite, but no one was eating. Instead, the silence continued until Servus 132-X broke it.


    "Where is he?" Servus 132-X referring to the beastman.


    "He''s still under the tree, sitting there. I checked," the dwarf read the elf''s gestures. "There was really nothing we can do about what happened earlier. I told him that," she added.


    "We are slaves," the dwarf slowly sipped his soup. "But, maybe we can make that difference."


    Servus 132-X stared at his soup, trying to somehow get answers on the swirls from the delicious liquid. But who was he kidding? He can never find it there.


    He glanced at his new friends faces and saw their painful struggles and their dreams. He knew that only he can make it happen. If he would just stop sulking over things that he cannot control and focus on the things that he can change.


    Maybe, if he makes the first move, like what the mysterious lady told her to do, it might make the difference.


    Maybe, he shouldn''t rely too much on that deity, after all that became his downfall the last time.


    Maybe, he should rise up to the occasion, after all, he was a hero for 364 lifetimes.


    Servus 132-X has finally decided. He left his warm bowl by his seat and walked out of the campfire.


    " Where are ya goin?" the dwarf asked.


    " To do something," he walked out of their campfire and went to find the beastman.

 Chapter 21: Contrasts Pt.2

    From a distance, Servus 132-X could see the silhouette of a man sitting with his knees to his face. The pale glow of the moonlight lit the tree were the beastman sat since the afternoon. Servus 132-X is concerned for him, afterall, he''s part of his ragtag team.


    He approached the sobbing beastmean while trying to find words to say to the poor slave. As he walked closer, he noticed that the beast man had his own bowl and bread by his side untouched. He has no appetite, and understandably so.


    "Hey," Servus 132-X called him out. "It''s already near the time of Obscuros, comeback to the camp, let''s talk there."


    The beastman seemed to not hear him. He tried again, "It''s going late now, maybe we should--"


    "I heard you the first time," the beastman answered. "I want to get out of here. Can I run away?" He asked Servus 132-X.


    "You know, you can''t. You''ve seen what this collar can do, right?" Servus 132-X jiggled his collar.


    The beastman stood up and started banging his head on the tree. "Why?Why?Why?!"


    Servus 132-X tackled the beastman to the ground, trying to prevent him from harming himself further.


    "L-let me go!" The beastman pushed Servus 132-X away. "Why is this my fate? I never wanted this! I was born free and I ought to die as one. But, this--aagghh!" He projected his frustration on the tree. He punched it so hard, it shook the ground.


    "Enough!" Servus 132-X threw a punch at the beastman hitting him in the face. "What you''re doing won''t solve this!"


    The beastman stood there silently, absorbing the hit he took.


    "If you want change, you have to work for it!" Servus 132-X grabbed the beastman by his collar. "If you want to be free, you need to pay for it with your sweat and blood. Not with tears and brooding!"


    Servus 132-X pushed the beastman away. "If you want to live free, then follow my lead. I will take you all to your desired freedom."


    "H-how would you do that?"


    "Watch me." Servus 132-X left the dumbfounded beastman and headed straight to the knights''s camp.


    There was audible laughing from the knight''s camp. Servus 132-X bravely treaded towards them with his resolve in mind. He cannot wait for another day. He needed to act for their sake and for the other slaves as well.


    It dawned on him while at the campfire how truly powerless they are towards these people. He doesn''t want to live like that anymore. He''s tired of his helplessness. He knew he could''ve done it sooner. But he was afraid, as afraid as the time he went to war with the armored invaders who landed at their shores during his life as Adlaw-on.


    Now, he had to put some resolve to his actions. Not some half-hearted decision like what he did when he failed to save the world during his last incarnation. He''s a hero of many legends from different worlds, a king from different lifetimes, and a legend sung by a thousand bards over 363 lifetimes. He must conquer this fear!


    He took another step and suddenly his body froze. A looming sense of dread stopped him from his tracks.


    "This feeling again!" He said to himself.


    He took a deep breath and tried his best to overcome his greatest fear--failure.


    He commanded his stubborn petrified feet to take a step. It took him a while to convince himself, but somehow he managed to make it move. Little by little he made his way to the knights'' camp where everyone was taking their own supper.


    He emerged right at the unlit side of their campfire. His presence startled the knights sitting in front of him.


    "W-what do you want, slave?!" One of the startled knights asked while he tried to unsheathe his sword.


    "I came here to talk with the Lord Commander."


    "Y-you have no right to do that!" The knight pointed his blade on him. " Get lost before I struck you d--"


    "There is no need for that," Tristam interrupted. " Stand down, good Ser. There has been too much bloodshed on this bloody mine, we cannot afford another one."


    "Lieutenant!" The rest of the knights saluted him.


    The other knight lowered his sword and sheathed it back to its scabbard. "He says, he wants to speak with the Lord Commander," he pointed at Servus 132-X while still glaring at the slave.


    Servus 132-X could feel the knight''s loathing towards him. But he didn''t care about that, not anymore. This time, he has to assert his plan to Lord Prestonheim and make it work for the both of them.


    "I am here to--"


    "Talk to Lord Prestonheim, eh?" Lieutenant Tristam smiled. " Good timing! He''s looking for you. Come, I''ll escort you to his tent," the young knight offered.


    Servus 132-X walked, pass the other knights that stared at him intently, as if disgusted by his presence.


    Lord Prestonheim''s tent is located at the other side of the mines. Situated near the entrance of the outside world, and away from the caves. It was a brief walk going to his tent, but during that time, Tristam took the opportunity to speak to him.


    "I am sorry," the knight said.


    "Sorry for what?" Servus 132-X asked.


    "For everything that you people have to go through," the knight sighed. " For witnessing such brutality, for the--"


    "I have to stop you right there, good Ser." Servus 132-X interrupted the grieving knight. " You don''t have to apologize for those people!" He said bitterly.


    " You don''t have to apologize for our circumstances. You don''t have to apologize, for our birth in this world. You don''t have to apologize for the way this life is treating us. After all, your apologies are but words, words that will fade as time passes on. If you, really want to apologize, help us by giving us our freedom or abolish the slavery in your beloved Principalia."


    "I-I can''t do that. Even if I would, it takes a revolution to change it!"


    "Then, spare me your apologies. They won''t help us change the system."


    Servus 132-X silenced himself after that. He glanced at Tristam, who looked disappointed after his comment.


    A few moments later, they arrived at Lord Prestonheim''s tent.


    "Stay here for a while, I will let him know first." Tristam instructed as the knight entered the Lord Commander''s tent.


    Servus 132-X nodded. He knew this all too well--the protocol. At some point of his reincarnation he was at the receiving end of that greeting, or at times the one doing the knight''s work. It was a fun memory to recall.


    "He''s ready for you." Tristam nodded at him, still looking downhearted after their last interaction.


    Servus 132-X entered the Lord Commander''s room. The dimly-lit tent made for a sombering atmosphere. Lord Prestonheim was leaning on his table, looking at the old hand drawn map of the mines, he got from the House Bieroff.


    "Good, you came," Lord Prestonheim said, while still looking at the map. "What you saw earlier today was--"


    "Pardon my interjection, Lord Prestonheim," Servus 132-X cleared his throat. "There is nothing more to explain. Those slaves that you executed earlier were all on me."


    Lord Prestonheim was surprised with the slave''s answer. He took a glance at him and sighed. "I need to do that to save this secret deal we have. If only there''s another way."


    " Let me offer you one then." Servus 132-X approached the table. "Let me explore it tomorrow."


    "I cannot let you do that."


    "Why? Aren''t slaves dispensable to the Principalia?"


    Lord Prestonheim punched the table in a fit of annoyance. "You¡­" he pointed at Servus 132-X while laughing hard, "You''re funny and annoying too, now that I think about it. I am just awaiting orders from the Principalia I want to be well-equipped when we do the exploration."


    "And what if the Principalia won''t agree?"


    Lord Prestonheim did not answer the question. Instead, he stared at him intently.


    "My Lord, I know what you''re thinking," Servus 132-X leaned his arms to the table. "You would still want to do it either way," he whispered.


    Lord Prestonheim smirked. "I must admit you are smart for a slave. Maybe, too smart for your own good!" The Commander sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. He knew that this could become a very long night of planning.


    Servus 132-X looked at him in the eyes, "I am determined, my Lord. I can survey that abyss for you, while waiting for the Principalia''s reply."


    "And if you die in the process?"


    "Transfer the deal to the remaining slaves. They''ll gladly take it."


    "Hmmm¡­" the Commander paced by the table. " You will disappoint me if you die."


    "Then keep your hopes, my Lord. Because, I won''t die! Not when I''m still a slave."


    Lord Prestonheim laughed again. "You are always full of surprises! I hope the gods guide you."


    "In fact, they will as they see fit," the Commander smiled at him.

 Chapter 22: On the 7th day Pt.1

    Eferail saluted to the prince''s ward."Good day, good Ser! I would like to speak with Prince Arterius."


    "Ser Eferail, this has been the sixth time that you''re here," sighed the ward, obviously irritated with the knight''s tenacity. " You should know by now that the prince is currently unavailable."


    "Ser Stolas, I''m afraid I cannot go back to the Crescent Isle empty-handed," the knight insisted. "This is a matter of importance!"


    "Importance or nay, the prince is currently not available to entertaining audiences!"


    "Even if that''s coming from Lord Prestonheim? His godfather?"


    Stolas looked around and gestured the knight to come closer. " Nay means nay! If you''re not the Imperatur or his younger brother, then I won''t let you in."


    "But this is a matter of--"


    "Everything is a matter of great importance," Stolas said dryly. " Besides, you can give that letter to me, so I can hand it over to the prince." Stolas reached his hand for the letter.


    "I cannot, good Ser," Eferail shrugged his shoulders and sighed. "I have been tasked to deliver it straight to the prince''s hands. I think it meant, only he can take hold of it." He bowed to Stolas and left the Palace.


    As what Ser Stolas mentioned to him, he has been in the capital for the past six days. Six days of fruitless effort and wasted time. It has been 10 days since he left the Crescent Isles, and he can feel the pressure weighing on his shoulders. Lord Prestonheim is waiting for him to give the good news, and he has to deliver.


    He walked by the bustling streets of Arteria. Horse-drawn carriages filled with textiles, food, exotic armors and slaves congested the roads going to the city. It looked like there''s a huge bazaar going on at the center square.


    It has been half a month since their battalion left for the Crescent Isles, and he hoped he could stay a little longer there. Eferail hated the loud noises. The shouting men and clacking of horse hooves sounded irritating to him, like flies buzzing on his ear which comes a plenty here. He hated Arterius for that. It was too noisy for his liking, and yet here he is, on a mission at the city, that he loathed so much.


    Another carriage passed in front of him. It was filled with slaves fresh from the Eastern Forest. Elves and dwarves were delivered in swarms to the city center for auctioning. He scoffed at this idea.


    If all men are truly free as the Prinicpalia''s scholars claimed, then why is there slavery? He cannot wrap his head around it. He shrugged his head as he continued to think about the irony.


    Suddenly, he felt someone watching him. He looked around and saw people doing about their own things. But he cannot shake the feeling of someone spying on him from a distance. Eferail took the initiative, and tried to blend in with the crowd. Pulling up his hood, he squeezed himself into the sea of people walking towards the bazaar, hoping to shake off his feeling.


    The tightly-knitted crowd proved to be hard to navigate. Eferail tried pushing and shoving poor passersby as he tried his best to pace faster to shake off his looming sense of some prying eyes.


    Finally, he managed to find a narrow pathway between a pottery stall and a knife stall. He slid into the small alleyway at the back of the stalls and made his way into the dark, winding path. He paused and looked back to check whether his hunch was right--it was indeed.


    Two hooded men followed him into the claustrophobic walkways. The shorter man, held a small crossbow on his hand while the taller one, had a bronze-plated scythe with Western Inscriptions inscribed as runes into the crescent blade, running towards him. That''s when he realized who they were.


    "Mongrels," he murmured. He stretched out his right hand towards them and chanted. "He who rules the land of the cold I call thee to grant me power--Ice form number 3, Winter wall!"


    Suddenly, the air droplets began to solidify and formed a thick ice wall between him and his attacker. As his pursuers were at bay, Eferail decided to make a turn towards the city slums, ditching his gray hood for a tattered and dirtier one, hanging from one of the houses he passed by.


    He ran further down the street where the houses became sparse as he moved further. He ran another half ildwyrm distance before he was stopped in his tracks by a big cemented wall around 15 footlings high. It was the end of the road for him. He glanced back to check if his pursuers were still around, luckily they weren''t. But with a risk getting caught, Eferail has to do what he has to do--find a way out of there.


    Using his prowess with earth elemental magic, he drew a crack in the wall enough for him to slide into the other side. After making his way to the other side, a foul-stenching air immediately assaulted his nose. It smelled so bad, that it was enough to make him gag, but his pride of being a knight forced that urge back.


    Eferail, set his sights at the place he found himself in and had a grim realization of where he is. The desolate part of the city filled with disease-ridden people, the Sanatoria. This part of the city has been perpetually closed due to the fear of the diseases that might spread the healthy populace.


    It has been said, that whenever a state-sanctioned doctor diagnosed you with contagious maladies, such as leperosa or the black bulbous, you get thrown to rot in this part of the city. The Principalia believed that the high walls were enough to protect them from the spread of these diseases.


    There were even times when people, usually the common-folk, are thrown here by the elites just because they talked out of line or just because they didn''t like them. These highly influential people usual bribe the guards to do this dirty work.


    To blend in, Eferail used a glamor spell on himself to look exactly the same as the people living there--rotting with their facial features twisted by the disease. With his disguised in place, his next objective is to find a way out of that sickening hellhole.


    Luckily, he was well-versed with the city''s maps. As a member of a house dedicated to serve House Prestonheim, he emerged himself with the city''s information and maps, so that he could be useful to Lord Prestonheim when it comes to city patrols and navigation.


    He recalled the sewage system that spreads throughout Arteria. He remembered one waterway that flowed away from the city is located below the Sanatoria. He ought to take that route instead of either going back from where he came from or by risking himself opening another crack in the wall as it might alert the guards.


    All he had to do, is find the city''s drainage system. He had to walk across the foul-smelling streets riddled with rotten corpses and people close to becoming like one. The piles of dead bodies heaped like a huge building in the center square. Ashes and dust filled the ground and air.


    He recalled that the guards usually burn the mountain of corpses once a month by making a contained pyre. It was a harrowing and grisly place to be in. People living there can no longer be distinguished by their facial feature, because their nose or ears had fallen off their faces or because of the sheer amount of bulbous deforming their faces. Their hands usually lacked fingers and some had a mishappen appearance due to the growing number of warts in their joints.


    Eferail has to find his way out fast, or else he might end up along with rotten bodies of this cursed place.

 Chapter 23: On the 7th Day Pt.2

    The mid-day sweltering heat did not help the smell of the rotten flesh and oozing pus wafting in the air. Eferail managed to hide himself from the blistering heat in a empty shade on one of the alleyways of Sanatoria.


    He cannot wait to get out of the festering hellhole he had hid himself into. But, unfortunately, his only clear exit is still out of sight. He already surveyed 3 blocks of death-infested houses, but the illusive drainage entrance is still yet to be seen.


    The sickening miasma has completely overtaken the knight, along with the punishing heat that made his stomach to finally give up and hurl. It was at times like this he wished Tristam was with him since his Elemental Air Magic could prove useful during this situation. For now, he had to make do, and make do means sucking it all up until he finds his exit.


    He sat on the dusty ground, exhausted after the vomiting. Eferail, put his back against the wall while scouring the satchel he tied around his belt. He counted his coins--he had 2 pieces of gold coins and 7 silver ingots.


    It was still a huge amount all things considered. But that wasn''t the important thing he was looking for. He shook the satchel hard and let out three pieces of wooden runes. One for fire, one for air and the other for light.


    Every knight of the Principalia is given standard issue runes made by the Alchemists Society. The runes are basic elements sealed within a wood or a stone and is commonly used for either attacks or practical everyday use. Its convenient even for a knight like Eferail that has a high aptitude for elemental magic, because it saves them the use of their precious exousia.


    Eferail regretted not bringing more runes than he should''ve had. He cursed under his breathe looking at the ones he had left. The runes might''ve been helpful for him in this situation--his escape.


    In his desperation, he thought of going back to the same entrance he went in. It wasn''t the best idea, but he thought about it. The only thing stopping him is the fact that the Mongrels have a keen sense of smell, and is possibly waiting for him at the other side of the wall.


    Suddenly, he heard a ringing sound from the distance. People began going out of their houses, dragging along the bodies of people either dead or already dying. Curious, Eferail peeked out of the shade, and decided to watch from the distance, away from the crowd, to avoid getting their infection.


    Two men clad from head to foot in black laminated leather and donning a crow mask made of ivory can be seen walking down the desolate street to the center square. He saw one of them ringing a bell, while the other was shouting out on the top of his lungs.


    "Bring out your dead! Bring out your dead!"


    The people began dragging the bodies to the center square, and threw it along the heaping corpses. When everyone had finally placed the bodies into the heap, another group of men, wearing the same clothes as the last two, walked into the city square.


    They asked the people to stand back, as one of them draws a circle around the mount of bodies. When it was done, they began to douse the bodies with oil and alcohol. The six of them surrounded the mount taking a spot at the circle.


    "Is this all the dead?" One of the masked men asked.


    No one answered.


    "Very well, we shall now commence." the masked man nodded to his cohorts.


    The masked men drew some form of runes on the ground. All of a sudden, a huge kiln formed from the dusty ground containing all the bodies inside. Then, the leathered men began throwing fire runes in to the kiln, followed by one of them casting wind magic on the fire. After that they closed the kiln, leaving only smoke rising from its exhaust.


    Eferail wanted to look away from the scene, but his eyes couldn''t avert it. The smell of burning flesh and pus fouled the air. He had to cover his face to stop himself from inhaling the stench. The rest of the spectators, never reacted to it. They just stared at a kiln listening to the howling flames, while their dead burned inside.


    The cold facade of the residents horrified Eferail. It was as if they already knew their fate. Their hopes had been stripped out from them, leaving them with despair that they welcomed openly. Sooner or later, it will be them at the kiln and there will be nothing they can do about it.


    People started going back to their homes, as the fires went on until the Ifnen. Only the masked men were left at the center square, waiting patiently for the ordeal to end. When the smoke finally subsided, the kiln began to crumble back to the ground, only leaving a pile of ash.


    Using water magic, the masked men washed all the ash down. Eferail carefully watched as the ash slowly drained into a sewer hole located in the center square. It was already sunset when the men finished cleaning the square. After discussing something, they left.


    Eferail finally found his way out, all he needed to do now, is find a way to get out of there undetected. He tried crossing the adjacent street to see the view of the guard posts. He saw two from each side. Judging from the distance, it was about half and ildwyrm away from each other. That means, it would take time for the guards get to him if he attempted to get out.


    Relieved with what he saw, Eferail went back to the corner where he rested and waited for the right hour to initiate his plan. He found it fitting to do it during the highest level of the Hour of Obscuros.


    Now all he needed to do, is wait.

 Chapter 24: On the 7th day Pt.3

    The pungent scent lingered in the cold breeze of the night. Eferail stayed in the same alleyway from sundown. Now, the moon is up on high, and the night is around the highest level of the Time of Obscuros. He lurked long enough, and he couldn''t wait another moment more.


    He emerged from the dark alleyway and snuck his way to the center square. Sanatoria already looked deserted during the day, but during the night, it looked eerily haunted. From the small block houses you can hear wails of pain or sobbing cries from disembodied voices. The cold night could have affected their sores, making it more painful due to the low temperature biting the open wounds.


    There were no watchers on site and understandably so. The guards wouldn''t bother themselves doing rounds in this wretched place. Firstly, the people inside Sanatoria are obviously contagious. Secondly, their sores and bulbous punished them enough to the point of immobility. Lastly, The entire place is haunted. Eferail was worried about creatures lurking in the darkness more than those damned crow-masked guards.


    He made it to the center square and finally saw the drainage in all its gruesome glory. Ash and human grease formed a sludge sticking at the corners of the drain. Although disgusted, Eferail had to what he could to get out of there.


    The drain was around 4 footlings in diameter. Created from bronze steel, the huge drain weighs almost close to four decablocks. It also had runes engraved on it. Eferail read them, and understood what they were, draining runes. The one who built the drain knew that someone might have the audacity to use magic on it and thus made some countermeasures. Grabbing the slimy grates, he tried with his might to budge the drain--it didn''t work.


    He needed to use enhancement magic to move the heavy object, but he will risk draining his exousia. He thought of it for a second and realized, there''s no other way but that! Eferail breathe deep and began to enhance his strength by letting his exousia overflow into his muscles. Normally with the amount of exousia he had, this feat never posted any challenge. This one is different.


    Putting his hands back on the grate, he attempted to slowly yank the damned drain out of its place. It proved harder than expected due to the draining runes. With every pull he did, the draining runes took away double the amount of exousia.


    His arms trembled in fatigue as inch by inch the grate finally moved. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead as he moved the heavy drain to a decent, opening enough for him to fit in. He laid down on the ground for a moment trying to savor the obstacle he overcame.


    But, just as he wanted to savor the moment as much, a sharp whistling sound broke the silence of the night. The guards finally saw him and now trying to pursue him. He sprung up from the ground and hastily slid into the man-sized opening. He got swallowed by the darkness of the dark pit.


    According to standard Principalia measurements, a main sewer line should have to be eight footlings in width and at least around fourteen footlings in height. Apparently, this one is higher than the standard height.


    Eferail fell so far below the sewer that he had enough time to use his ice magic. He created a make-shift slide out from ice to aid him with his descent. He slid down while gliding gracefully on the ice.


    Trying to avoid contact with the disgusting fluids flowing in the sewer, Eferail opted to use another elemental magic trick he learned from his father. Using his water element magic, he placed enough exousia on his feet to repel the dirty water away from him, while at the same time, walking on its surface.


    Eferail took out the light rune from his satchel and activated it. The blinding glow of the rune took a few moments for him to adjust. When his eyes adjusted to the light, the first thing he saw was the grotesque looking Mandragora slime.


    This type of slime for the most part acts like a normal slime, it only attacks when provoked. But for the most part, its docile unless approached. Like any other slime, the Mandragora slimes loves wet environments, the sewers included.


    As what Eferail knew about this creature, this slime is a mutation from a regular slime. It''s primarily composed of human sinew and other human parts. Other variation of this grotesque slime is that some might have undeveloped human parts as well.


    The slime he saw in the sewer looked like a melted face. Its glossless eyes were twitched as it reacted to the light. Its mouth looked like two flaps of grayish skin sewn on top of each other moved randomly as if it was to speak. The grotesque creature was annoyed by the light that it floated away from Eferail.


    Disgusted with the harrowing appearance, Eferail moved quickly to get out of the waste tunnel. As he walked, he also tried to shine some light on the ceilings and walls, only to be surprised and disturbed by the number of melting faces and glossless eyes stuck on the damned walls.


    Eferail had already walked an estimated of one ildwyrm, but it seemed like the sewer tunnel is endless. Using his exousia to escape and walked along the disgusting liquefied human waste, had been exhausting for the knight. His body is on the brink of collapse and finally he submerged into the cold neck deep sewage.


    Unfortunately, his light rune submerged under the dirty waters. Eferail tried to retrieve the wooden rune but to no avail. What he caught instead was something else. It stuck into his arm. He could feel tooth-like things brushing against his. Suddenly, something is tugging his right foot. It was a frail tug, but it became stronger as it went on.


    Panicked and afraid Eferail struggled his way out of the damned sewer, dragging whatever thing latching on him into the open. He dragged himself further to the tunnel with only his determination as his strength. He definitely did not want to die there, being eaten by these wretched creatures that lurk in the sewers.


    Finally, a small ray of light peeped into the tunnel. He knew it was his way out of the hellhole. Moving faster and more desperate, he finally managed to see the opening of the sewer. He finally saw thing latching from his arm. In the pale moonlight, he saw the same monster that glided away from his light earlier--the Mandragora Slime.


    The monster slowly gnawed into his clothes and is close to getting his skin. He also felt it on his boots, the slow gnawing action of the slime. Seeing how close he was to the exit, Eferail ran his way to freedom and went straight into dry land.


    After seeing the anomalous slime slowly gnawing his clothes and skin, he finally decided to use one last magic. With the remaining exousias he had left, Eferail chanted a high-level magic that even he had not tested yet.


    "Of he the gods showed mercy, I convey my plea to thee. I ask for your benevolent light and purify thine body!" He paused in horror as the slime slowly devoured a chunk of his skin. Undettered, the brave knight screamed the last word of the chant.


    "PURIFICATION!"


    A blinding light suddenly enveloped Eferail. The warm and calming light erased the slime out of existence while, at the same time, healing his wounds. The extent of this powerful spell has drained the knight completely. He laid down on the ground unconscious after the spell.


    Eferail woke up later that day on the same spot where he collapsed on. The sun''s glare coupled with the stench of the sewage attacked the knight''s senses that it woke him up. He checked his body for missing parts, luckily there was none missing, except for a patch of skin where the damned slime bit.


    Other than that, he is fine. He looked around and saw the capital from a distance. He knew it''s going to be a long walk back to Arterius, but the knight was determined. Today is the 7th day since he attempted to give the letter to Prince Arterius, and he''s not giving up.


    He will deliver.

 Chapter 25: Preparation Pt.1

    It was still the Mid-level of Obura, but Lord Prestonheim''s tent had bustling knights enter and exit the tent all morning. This was after the conversation between Servus 132-X and Lord Prestonheim had the night prior. Servus 132-X convinced the Commander to let him scout the burrows first, while waiting for the reply from the one of the princes of the Principalia.


    Upon catching wind of his plan, the dwarf, the beastman and the elf cornered Servus 132-X and asked him questions.


    "Were ya out of yer mind?!" the dwarf slapped Servus 132-X''s shoulder hard. " Are ya planning tah die there?"


    Servus 132-X tried his best to explain, "Well, I--"


    But before he can finish his sentence, the gloomy beastman butted his way into the conversation. "W-was it because of me?" The beastman had tears welling in his eyes, "I-I made you do this! I am so sorry!" The tall beastman kneeled in front of Servus 132-X and grovelled to apologize.


    "W-what in the god''s balls are ya doin, lad?!" The troubled dwarf tugged the beastman by the arm, trying to make him stand, "You''re a beastman, try tah act like one! Don''t embarrass your beastkind. S-stop yer grovelling!" He tugged his arm again.


    Embarrassed the beastman hurriedly stood up and stayed silent for the rest of the conversation.


    Servus 132-X shrugged his head and sighed. "This would be our first step to freedom. I have to do this!" He stood up and tried to exit the tent, but was blocked by the elf.


    The elf pushed him back to his seat and signed to him so fast, that even the dwarf wasn''t able to catch most of it.


    "What was she saying?" Servus 132-X directed the question to the dwarf.


    "Err...I don''t know either," the dwarf scratching his head. "Look, lass yah have tah give us some consideration. Even I, only have the proficiency of a wee lad when it comes to the Amang-Indecens System." The dwarf sighed.


    The elf took a deep breath and conveyed her message slowly to the dwarf. Her gestures were forceful and emotion-filled. The voiceless elf shouted at Servus 132-X, the pent-up feelings she had with their current situation.


    "You don''t have to do this alone!" The dwarf interpreted. "Why can''t you lean on us?"


    The dwarf looked at Servus 132-X straight in the eyes. "The lass has a point."


    Servus 132-X has never been comfortable with these type of conversations. He simply cannot risk their lives because of his rash actions. He wanted them to be free from their bounded lives. Free from paying the price of the freedom they chose when they followed him. He made up his mind--he should be the only sacrifice to this cause.


    "This was a gamble I opted to do, out of my fear of death", Servus 132-X answered the elf. "The gamble you had no choice but to follow." He stood up from the chair and walked to the opening of the tent.


    Before stepping out of the tent, Servus 132-X looked back at them with their dumbfounded faces, "I led you here on this path with your lives and I shall carry it until we get our freedom." He stepped out of the tent, bearing their lives on his shoulders.


    Servus 132-X walked towards Lord Prestonheim''s tent. He passed along the knights who were preparing huge planks of lumber and knotting bundles of ropes for the upcoming descent. The knights took turns to glare at him, cursing him under their breathe.


    He never cared about that. He never cared about the knights nor Lord Prestonheim. He only cared about their freedom. The same freedom he''s trying to pay today with his sweat and blood.


    He was almost near the Commander''s tent, when Tristam met him by the entrance. The young knight gestured his hand, indicating Servus 132-X to stop. Inside the tent he could hear the audible sounds of the two men arguing. This wasn''t new to him, from the sound of the voices inside.


    " Lord Prestonheim and Servus 305-M?" He asked Tristam.


    Tristam tried his best to stifle a laugh. He nodded to Servus 132- X in agreement. " Wait here, let me break those two up before they start punching each other," he smiled.


    The young knight made his way inside, and within a few minutes, the tent became silent. Tristam walked out of the tent sighing. He glances to Servus 132-X and gestured him to follow.


    Servus 132-X felt the heavy air when he went inside the tent. He could feel the clashing energies of both men looming over the small space where the tent is. Lord Prestonheim stood silently at the table, staring at an empty parchment. On the other hand, the red-haired slave, slumped himself into a chair facing the Commander.


    Lord Prestonheim broke his silence, "Ah! Finally, Servus 132-X you came," the Commander tried his best to sound jovial despite the heavy atmosphere between him and Servus 305-M.


    The Commander gestured his hand to a seat and asked Servus 132-X to seat beside the other slave. Servus 132-X promptly followed and sat beside Servus 305-M. As he sat down, the other slave looked at him with a disappointed look on his face.


    "Bah! Is this him?" Servus 305-M scoffed. "No offense to you, but this is supposed to be a knight''s job!" the red-haired slave patted Servus 132-X''s back.


    Servus 132-X observed Lord Prestonheim massaging the bridge of his nose. He knew they have been at it for a while now. What surprised him, is how the other slave could talk liberally to the Lord Commander to the point of insulting him.


    It seemed like they knew each other for the longest time. Judging on how the Commander treated the red-haired slave, it seemed like at some point, Servus 305-M was once part of the higher class.


    He could be wrong, but from the way Servus 305-M sat and his manner of speaking, it was clear to him he might''ve been a citizen acquainted with Lord Prestonheim.


    Servus 305-M stared intently at Servus 132-X. "Lord Prestonheim claimed it was you who volunteered?" He tapped his finger at the arm rest.


    "Yes." Servus 132-X answered him confidently.


    "I had high hopes for you," Servus 305-M clicked his tongue. "But in the end you are but a fool."


    "Enough!" Lord Prestonheim commanded the slaves to keep quiet and punched the table hard.


    The Commander''s booming voice and his heavy-pressured exousia, filled the room that it caught the slaves'' attention. Now, they''re ready to listen.

 Chapter 26: Preparation Pt.2

    "Listen," Lord Prestonheim set his sights on Servus 305-M. "He is our best hope for this exploration," he pointed at Servus 132-X.


    Servus 305-M stroked his chin as his brows furled in disbelief. "The exploration should be a knight''s job!" He twitched his lips, "A knight is well-experienced with whatever magical monstrosities that might come their way. But, if you leave it to a slave? He''ll die there! He has no magical prowess!"


    The red-haired slave had a point. Compared to the knights, slaves are utterly weak. Firstly, their exousias are sealed by the heavy, metallic slave collars attached around their neck. Secondly, slaves weren''t trained for fighting and if ever they were, the slave collar made sure their abilities doesn''t activate.


    Servus 132-X knew about the risk of doing this expedition. He truly wished that his abilities weren''t erased by that damned god on his previous life, but what can he do at this point? He had to make do.


    Servus 132-X glanced at the Commander and the red- haired slave. He mustered up his confidence and spoke to Servus 305-M, "You are right about that!" Servus 132-X rode into his idea. "But rather than my lack of skill, I could see that this is more about you underestimating me."


    "Excuse me?" The baffled Servus 305-M raised his eyebrow from the egregious claim. "Well, that wasn''t what I meant to--"


    "Were you a freeman before, Servus 305-M?" Servus 132-X looked at the red-haired slave, straight in the eyes. "Because I can see that you were," he added.


    The red-haired slave made no reply.


    Servus 132-X glanced at Lord Prestonheim, who averted his gaze. "I am a slave. I was born on a slave barracks, not knowing my parents" he stood up and approached Servus 305-M who sat silently on his chair. Servus 132-X grabbed Servus 305-M''s chair, and leaned closely to him.


    He looked into the eyes of the red-haired slave and said, "I want to become a freeman. I want to free my friends as well, but it''s not going to happen if I am to wait idly for a miracle."


    He left Servus 305-M dumbfounded with an half-opened jaw, unable to find any words to say.


    Servus 132-X turned his attention to Lord Prestonheim. He approached him at his table and wanted to review the plan they made. There were some parts of the plan he wanted to clarify and change, but before they can begin, the red-haired slave bursts into laughter.


    Their attention went to the red-haired slave who guffawed over Servus 132-X statement. Both men had a puzzled and worried look over Servus 305-M''s reaction.


    "Freedom, huh?" Servus 305-M smiled at them and stood up from his chair.


    He patted Servus 132-X''s back, "You truly are an interesting slave!" Servus 305-M laughed some more. "Very well, August and I shall help you!"


    "August?" Servus 132-X scratched his head.


    "Servus 305-M you are speaking out of term!" Lord Prestonheim sternly scolded the red-head, "Make sure not to do that again."


    The red-haired slave smiled from ear to ear, "Ahem!" He mockingly cleared his throat. "I apologize my Lord, this entire master and slave thing, is very new to me." He glanced at the baffled Servus 132-X and winked at him.


    "Enough about that!" Lord Prestonheim commanded. "Let us go back to our strategem."


    Servus 132-X nodded, while Servus 305-M cracked another smile in response.


    The discussion started well, with all three of them agreeing on how to execute the plan. Firstly, Servus 132-X''s collar would need to adjusted with runes to let him use a portion of his exousia. This is at least to help him with activating some Prinicipalia-issued runes during his descent.


    They agreed to give Servus 132-X with three pieces of fire runes, three pieces of water runes, two pieces of air runes, three pieces of earth runes and seven pieces of light runes to help him see in the abyss below.


    Secondly, they need to use a long and sturdy rope enough to support him going down the burrow. Since the hole was dug by a Giant Centipede, all they could do is set an estimated depth of the hole.


    Lord Prestonheim told the slaves that the Crescent Isle garrisons of Aqueom and Unum will provide a rope of fifteen footlings each. The Commander estimated that the holes can as deep as twenty-five footlings.


    Servus 305-M, however, argued that the rope is still too short, and asked for the Commander to order for a longer rope. Lord Prestonheim had to decline the request. The Commander reasoned that it might put the garrisons at risk, in case there are invasions coming from the Moon Clan.


    It took them a while to figure out the length of the rope. A few bickering and curses later, they came up with forty footlings. Servus 305-M wanted to ask for more, but decided to compromise since he found it tiring to ask a bull-headed man like Lord Prestonheim.


    Lastly, and the most challenging one of all, their means of communication. Servus 305-M wanted Lord Prestonheim to grant Servus 132-X with the crystal ball.


    "A crystal ball?" Servus 132-X, baffled by the request. "What can a crystal ball do during my descent.?" He scratched his head in confusion.


    "Good thing you asked, pleb!" Servus 305-M spat at Servus 132-X. "It''s actually, a design that I, the great--" the cocky slave suddenly paused, as if he remembered something he''s not supposed to say.


    Blood drained from Servus 305-M''s face. Servus 132-X also observed how Lord Prestonheim held his breath in horror listening to the chaotic red-head.


    "Are you okay?" Servus 135-X asked the terrified Servus 305-M.


    "Y-yes, I am. Ahem," Servus 305-M cleared his throat. "As I was saying, this crystal ball is a new invention from the Principalia, which enables the bearer to receive messages from the other person who has another crystal ball." he explained proudly.


    Servus 132-X nodded in amazement. It looks like the Principalia had already a prototype to some sort of distant communication, like the ones they had in his previous incarnation.


    "The crystal ball can communicate with you wherever you are in a half-ildwyrm radius!" Servus 305-M patted Servus 132-X back again. " I should tell you how it--"


    "Servus 305-M, you don''t have to go into the details." Lord Prestonheim curbed his enthusiasm.


    This spark another bickering session between both men. Servus 132-X could only look and sigh at how these two grown men chewed on each other''s pride as it got more heated.


    A thought crossed Servus 132-X''s mind as he spectated the war of words between the silver-haired Commander and the red-haired slave. What was Servus 305-M trying to say earlier before he stopped and went pale?


    Then, it dawned on him.


    If Servus 305-M continued with the word Servus 132-X thought he was about to say, it''s likely he would die right in front of them.


    Servus 132-X recalled a slave he was acquainted to before whose head exploded just because he mentioned something he shouldn''t''t--his real name

 Chapter 27: A Blazing Heart

    Early Ifnen came, and finally their stratagem discussion was about to be done. There were a lot of contingency plans they had to plan about. Lord Prestonheim pointed out the possibility of encountering monsters at the descent. He was worried of the expedition ending prematurely because of a monster attack.


    Servus 305-M stifled a laugh, "I can just imagine you being eaten by some shitty monster there!" He patted Servus 132-X in delight.


    "Servus 305-M!" Lord Prestonheim shouted. "You do not jest with things like these!"


    "Well, was it too dark for your liking, m''Lord?" Servus 305-M mocked Lord Prestonheim with a bow.


    Servus 132-X saw the Commander clenched his fist, about to hit the disrespectful slave straight to the face. He had to stop it somehow from happening, regardless of his urge to hit the cocky red-haired himself.


    He stared at Servus 305-M and said, "I won''t die in that hellhole," Servus 132-X sighed and diverted his attention to Lord Prestonheim who stared blankly at the empty parchment. "I will get you the source of the stone, don''t worry."


    Lord Prestonheim massaged the bridge of his nose, "Don''t get me wrong Servus 132-X, I do not underestimate you. But what are your chances of dying there?" He paced across the table. "I thought of a plenty. It is like any war ever fought. One could come up with the best stratagem, only to foil because of a cruel fate."


    Servus 132-X understood Lord Prestonheim''s cautiousness, but there is no time for that¡ªat least for him. Being reincarnated repeatedly for 364 times either as a king, a general or a hero, taught him one most important thing.


    "Fortune favors the bold," he muttered.


    Servus 305-M looked at him with a startled look on his face. "Where did you learn that?"


    "Learn what?"


    "Fortune favors the bold?!" Servus 305-M grabbed Servus 132-X by the shoulders and slammed him on the table. "Fortune favors the bold?! Who told you that?! WHHOOOO?!" The crazed red-haired slave shook Servus 132-X violently against the table.


    Lord Prestonheim stepped in right away. He tried separating the crazed slave from Servus 132-X who was struggling to free himself. The Commander had no choice but to knock him out cold. With one punch, Lord Prestonheim struck him on his abdomen making him reel to the ground before finally going unconscious.


    The Commander called Tristam in. He instructed him to call in some men and carry the unconscious Servus 305-M to the infirmary. After that, he checked Servus 132-X and asked him if he needs some medical attention¡ªhe politely refused.


    Lord Prestoheim slumped back on his chair, massaging his pulsing temples with one hand. "I am sorry about him." The Commander sighed. "I should''ve not asked him for his expertise."


    "You seemed to know one another very well my Lord." Servus 132-X asked while he sat on the chair and gently massaged his neck.


    The silver-haired Commander shook his head, "You are too observant for your own good," he continued to massage his temples. "Yes, we knew each other but that would be a story for another day."


    Lord Prestonheim dragged his exhausted body to stand up. Servus 132-X opted to do the same, he stood up and approached the table.


    Both recapped the possible scenarios of the descent tomorrow. They covered all the possible outcomes of the expedition tomorrow. Some were good, while the others were bad, so bad that the Commander couldn''t help himself and said a little prayer under his breath.


    Servus 132-X has no gods or goddess to pray on. All he can do at the moment, is to have faith in the woman he saw in his dreams. She could be a demon or a deity, or something else entirely. Right now, he could only hold on to her promises. He knew he shouldn''t have done that, but he can''t resist it. This habit had always been his downfall.


    Lord Prestonheim paced back and forth at his side of the table while trying to massage his temples. Servus 132-X knew the Commander was speaking to him, but his mind went out to travel as far down as his dreams about that mysterious woman.


    "A sword! You would need a sword!" Lord Prestonheim exclaimed while pointing at him.


    The Commanders thunderous voice brought his drifting mind back to reality.


    "Pardon me, my Lord," he interrupted Lord Prestonheim who was immersed in his own thoughts. "Did you just say sword?"


    "Yes," Lord Prestonheim gestured him to come closer. " I know that slaves aren''t allowed to use a weapon without permission from a Principalia citizen. But you already did that when you saved me from that Giant Centipede."


    "I will make it official tomorrow and only for that time being, you shall don an armor and carry a sword into the burrows."


    "Aren''t going overboard, my Lord for a slave?" Servus 132-X asked.


    "I may have, but I am your employer, remember?" He smiled at him. "As a man of my word, I shall give you proper equipment for the task at hand. You best remember that since you asked for that yourself."


    Servus 132-X smiled and shook his head, "Of course, my Lord."


    Finally, the planning ended. Servus 132-X excused himself out of Lord Prestonheim''s tent and went back to his group''s camp at the other end of the mines.


    At the distance, he could see his fellow slaves enjoying the warmth of their campfire. He cracked a smile on his face as he could hear the dwarf''s booming laughter. Echoing in the cold night.


    The walk to their camp was dark. Most of the nights patrolling that area brought with them, torches just to avoid any rocks or accidentally falling into the burrow. Servus 132-X doesn''t have a torch, but he was lucky tonight. The moon is at its full glow, lighting up the path for him.


    He was a few footlings away from his camp, when he noticed the burrow, surrounded with the planks of wood from the Principalia''s camp. He decided to inspect it, but as he tried to change his direction, the dwarf''s booming voice echoed calling him.


    "Oi! Lad!" The dwarf called. "Where are ya goin''? Our camp''s right ''ere." The dwarf asked him to come back to the camp


    "Join us lad! The soup the lass, made tonight is different something else!" He chuckled in delight.


    Servus 132-X hesitated to heed the dwarf''s call but realized that this might be his last night with them. He took a glance at the burrow once more before heading to the camp.


    "Tomorrow I shall conquer the unknown!" He muttered in his breath.

 Chapter 28: The Night Before Pt.1

    Servus 132-X walked towards his group of misfits, huddled over the campfire. The dwarf was waving at him, with a bowl of food on his hand. Servus 132-X smiled and nodded back to greet him. The campfire provided a welcoming warmth after walking in the cold dark night.


    He rubbed his hands together, breathe some warmth into it and sat near the fire beside the beastman. The dwarf passed him a bowl filled with cobblers and carrots stewed in tomato paste with some jerky bits and wild mushroom.


    Servus 132-X''s stomach grumbled with glee just by looking at it. He took a sip of the soup and felt the warm comfort of the soup. The tangy taste from the tomato stimulated his palate, wanting him to eat some more.


    The cobbler was soft and delicate that it crumbled immediately with a few chews. The flavors from the soup and other vegetables exploded into his mouth. The saltiness of the jerky and the earthy flavor from the mushrooms coated his mouth with a blissful meaty aftertaste.


    The marriage of the subtle sourness of the tomato and salt reminded him of the time when he was reincarnated in a world where cooking was a superpower. It was his 299th incarnation when he was sent into a world where he needed to learn different cuisines from different continents to defeat an evil cooking society ruling that world.


    He wanted to tell that story to his new-found comrades, but they wouldn''t even believe it even if he told them.


    The timid beastman broke Servus 132-X bubble of food euphoria and asked, "How''s the food?"


    Servus 132-X went back into his senses and nodded, "It''s amazing! I haven''t eaten this before!" He lied. The food brought back a lot of memories. But he dared not to say that to them.


    His jovial presence receded as quickly as he made it appear. Servus 132-X blankly stared at the flames diving his mind into the dancing crimson. Tomorrow is the day, that he might not return back to this lovely and warm campfire.


    He might die at that wretched hole, despite what that mysterious lady claimed. What might happen to his comrades? Would Lord Prestonheim still credit the end of his deal? The question resonated in him, tearing him apart. His conscience cannot allow the deaths of his comrades when he''s gone. It just can''t.


    For the first time in such a long time, he came to fear the unknown more than death. The sense of dread pitted into his stomach, and suddenly the delectable food he enjoyed became nothing more than a tasteless warm soup.


    His brooding atmosphere caught his friends'' attention, especially the elf. She elbowed the dwarf beside her and asked him to speak for her.


    "Are you afraid for tomorrow?" she relayed to the dwarf.


    Servus 132-X broke away from his drifting thoughts and looked at the dwarf.


    "She asked it!" The dwarf responded and pointed at the elf.


    Servus 132-X sighed and shook his head, "If I am being honest, I don''t know."


    "You don''t know what you fear? Or you fear what you don''t know?" She signed once again.


    Servus 132-X was caught off guard by the question. He tried to look for an answer, looking at the sky and scratching his head¡ªit didn''t help him at all.


    The beastman suddenly grabbed his shoulder and hugged him in one arm. "It''s okay to be afraid." While patting his head.


    The awkward experience made Servus 132-X speechless. Unable to stand being hugged by the hulking beastman, stood up and muttered his lies.


    "I am not afraid." He said while trying to come up with a topic to diverge from the question. "I am okay! You know what¡ª"


    "You''re lying." The beastman looked at him straight in the eyes. "I know you''re lying. I can smell your fear from here," he proclaimed.


    That was another shocking moment for Servus 132-X. The timid beastman who was shy and always avoided eye contact is now staring him in the eyes. He took a deep breath and sat back on his seat, staring silently at the hissing fire¡ªlost for words.


    "Lad, the beastman is right," the dwarf''s rugged and boisterous voice, suddenly became warm and gentle. "You are doing too much for us. At the very least, we can hear you out." The dwarf pleaded with him.


    Servus 132-X cracked a tired smile and nodded, "I am afraid of what''s going to happen tomorrow." He sighed, "Would they truly keep their end of the bargain? What if I die in the burrow? Would they still keep that bargain with the remainder of you?"


    "It saddens me that you carried us around like a burden." The elf relayed to the dwarf. "Although, I am forever grateful to you for saving our lives, I cannot tolerate the thought of you risking yours to this extreme just to save us!" She signed, while tears welled her eyes.


    "There! There, lass," the dwarf tried his best to comfort the elf by his side. He patted her back then said to Servus 132-X, "Lad, y''ave done more than enough. Too much. Too many. Tah the point that yah cannot seem tah trust those around yah!"


    There was silence after that. The elf wiped away the welling tears in her eyes while the dwarf and beastman constantly comforted her. It took a few moments for everything to settle down. But on his mind, Servus 132-X took an eternity to battle his emotions on the poignant words his comrades voiced out.


    Has he been underestimating them? Is he truly trying to save them or just trying to relive the glory days of his past self? Is he trying to find a way somehow to be significant in this world? Could it be hero-reflex he dreaded to end that is working its way into the surface?


    Those questions played in his mind repeatedly, drowning himself with his thoughts.


    "Ave a lil'' faith in us, lad¡­" the dwarf toned down his voice, breaking the silence. "Yah do not ''ave tah worry about us. I trust y''all come back to us in one piece. The Lady Moon watches over us!"


    Servus 132-X broke free from the bondage of his own thoughts. He was relieved that the dwarf broke the silence and indulged it with a question.


    "Lady Moon?" Servus 132-X was baffled by the dwarf''s last statement. "Is that a goddess of this world?"


    "Hah! Not just any goddess, she''s a heroine!" The beastman proclaimed.


    Servus could tell the excitement in his eyes. He could also see the look of disbelief in the eyes of the elf and dwarf.


    "You haven''t heard of her?" The elf relayed to the dwarf again. "She''s the goddess who created this very isle."


    "I-I don''t know about her." Servus answered. "We weren''t taught of her."


    The dwarf stroked the growing stubbles on his chin, "Well, I supposed as much." He smiled at the rest of them. "Okay, lads and lass, gather around. I would like to tell you a story."


    The elf smiled in her amusement while the beastman''s eyes glimmered with nostalgia written all over his face. Servus 132-X on the other hand, wanted to distract himself from the thoughts and burdens he placed on himself. He moved closer to listen to the dwarf.


    "Okay," the dwarf cleared his throat. "I''m gonna tell yah a story. The story of the Lady Moon and her love for this world. The story of her greatest regret and ultimate sacrifice. The story of the forgotten goddess, Oyue."


    Servus 132-X leaned closer so he could hear the dwarf. More than just looking for a distraction from his thoughts. This story for some reason, sparked his curiosity. Now, he''s awaits the dwarf''s story.

 Chapter 29: The Night Before Pt.2

    "The Lady of the Moon. The real goddess of the sky. She the Selfless. Her name is as many as the stars that shone in the heavens." The dwarf cleared his throat as the rest of them listened intently to the tale. "Her beauty was unrivaled by the sky, the sea and the heavens where she ruled along with her younger sister, the pale glowing moon Chandara." He glanced at them and modulated his voice to made them feel as if they''re part of the story.


    "Now, listen as I tell you her story! The story of the forgotten goddess, the one who ruled the aether!" The dwarf stood up from his seat and raised his arms into the sky. "Lady Oyue! Our Great Mother!" He proudly proclaimed.


    The dwarf cracked a huge smile on his face. Absorbed by his joyous emotions of the forgotten tale. It was different for his comrades. Servus 132-X and the others looked dumbfounded and worried by the way he reacted to his own story.


    "A-are you well, S¡ª" the beastman tried to ask.


    "W-what?! Of course, I am!" The dwarf interrupted the flustered beastman. "I am trying tah intensify the mood ''ere!" He spat before looking at Servus 132-X


    Servus 132-X felt the awkwardness in the air. He tried his best to avert the dwarf''s gaze, but the dwarf''s persistence finally caught up to him. He forced himself to cough up a compliment.


    "I-it''s a¡­Yes! Well, i-it was uhm quiet enterta¡ª" He fumbled for words to say.


    The elf looked at him, annoyed by his unwanted acting. "Yeah! The acting is too much." She signed to him, "Just stick to the story-telling part." She added.


    The dwarf''s face went red. "B-but that''s part of our story-telling¡ª" he reasoned with the elf.


    The elf sighed to him, "I''ve seen how you dwarves tell those types of story during one of those Aedas of yours. Believe me, they''re spectacular compared to your attempt." She stung the jolly dwarf with her comment.


    In truth, his acting was incomparable to the Aedetic Poets from his kingdom, whose acting skills and gracefulness is known throughout the land. They were so popular, that the noble elves would hire them. The dwarf felt some sting on the elf''s comment, but at the same time, knew that he was as close to act like a dancing toddler than that of a Aedetic Poet.


    "Fine! Yah squirts! I will just tell the story. Yah uncultured gnomes!" The dwarf mumbled back to his seat. At the corner of his eye was a single tear he wasn''t willing to shed, but it was welling up already. He nonchalantly wiped it off with his forearm. It took him a moment to finally compose himself.


    "Ahem!" He cleared his throat, "Lady Oyue and her sister Lady Chandara ruled the heavens as the two moons that shone across the massive sky. Lady Oyue ruled the Eastern skies as her sister Lady Chandara ruled the West." The dwarf glanced at his audience who anticipated the next part of his story.


    "She was the brightest of the two moons. Her light overpowers that of her sister. It was said that during her reign, Lady Oyue''s moon would shine throughout the world as bright as the sunrise. The people of the olden days never feared the night because of Lady Oyue''s protection," The dwarf tried his best not to raise his arms and imitate the Aedetic poets of his land. It was hard for him, but he managed to spare himself from another embarrassment.


    "Wait!" Servus 132-X interrupted. "So, you mean this wor¡ªI mean our world has two moons?!" His tongue almost slipped.


    "Oh! You don''t that as well?" The beastman was surprised. "Yes. According to the olden times, there were two moons."


    "That''s right!" The dwarf seconded the beastman''s statement. "Now, let me tell you that part. The reason why we only see one moon in the sky."


    Servus 132-X nodded and smiled at them. He got interested with the lore the more he listened to it.


    "Very well!" The dwarf smiled and continued, "Oh yes, I almost forgot! Oyue''s moon is said to be made of a transparent stone. Me kin says ''twas like a looking glass. But I say it was a crystal."


    The elf and beastman nodded in agreement.


    The dwarf took a deep breath and modulated his voice to sound grim and terrifying. "Thus, she and her sister ruled the skies over the night. Nay, creatures can hide themselves in the dark. Nay darkness can lurk in the corners and crannies of the world. Her ever shining light made the night rival that of day! She became an envy among the deities because of her beauty and power," the dwarf''s expression suddenly turned somber. "That was until a threat emerged. The Crawling Darkness from the bowels of nothingness and reached out its dark tendrils into our plane."


    The dwarf shifted himself from his seat. "The Crawling Chaos along with its anomalies came along and into our world and devoured everything in sight."


    "Crawling Darkness? Tendrils?" Servus 132-X muttered. He just remembered something, although blurry. There was something about those tendrils that he can''t place his finger on it. It seemed like at some point he saw it, but he''s not certain.


    "Yes, lad!" The dwarf snapped his fingers in excitement. "The Crawling Darkness tried to devour the world. But Lady Oyue and Lady Chandara along with the sun god Apholak was not having it! Even as the other gods flee from fear into the parallel worlds, the three of them remained and fought the Dark Devourer with all of their might."


    Servus 132-X felt the hair stood all over his body. He was quite sure he had something like this before, but his memory blurred everytime he tried to reminisce it.


    The dwarf began climax of the story, "They''ve fought for endless days and endless nights, that time and space merged into a singular point¡ªthe infinitia. Finally, the pushed back the Crawling Darkness to its primordial void. But not before attempting to Lady Chandara along with it. Lady Oyue pleaded for Apholak''s help, but the sun god was already weakened from the fight. With her remaining powers, Oyue absorbed the world''s aether, it''s life force and use it to cut the vile tendrils of the monster."


    The dwarf paused and was about to conclude the story when Servus 132-X interrupted him again.


    "That was it?" the baffled man asked.


    The dwarf guffawed in amusement, "Lad, I wasn''t done! Quit running yer flaps and lemme finish!" He smiled.


    The elf and beastman snickered silently as Servus 132-X felt bashful about it, as if he shrunked to a size of an ant.


    "Where we? Ah Yes!" The dwarf cleared his throat and continued with his story. "Finally, the Crawling Darkness was defeated and was sent back to wherever it came from. But Lady Chandara was still bound with the remaining tendrils and tried to drill its way into her. In her last ditched effort, she bit the tendrils off her beloved sister and spat the darkness below the land."


    Servus 132-X observed the sadness in his comrade''s face, as the dwarf told the final part of the lore.


    "After spitting the darkness unto the land, it spread itself fast, defiling everything it touches. This also gave birth to Obscuros. The weakened deities watched in terror as their beloved world began to be blanketed by the remnants of the Crawling Darkness that they fought a few moments ago. In order to save the remainder of the living world, Oyue threw herself from the sky along with her moon." The dwarf looked up at the sky. His eyes seeking the fading glow of the single moon.


    "The impact was strong enough to destroy most of the monstrosities she accidentally created. The one single land split into islands and continents and her crystal moon scattered itself into both the land and sea, releasing the aether to the creatures that survived. That''s how the essence of exousia came into existence." The dwarf smiled at them, "In the end, Oyue was forgotten. The true mother of the living, whose sacrifice brought the world into the age of magic."


    "But, she did caused the world to divide in the first place." Servus 132-X commented, "Although, I think I could''ve done the same if I was her."


    "It was a cautionary tale for us." The elf relayed to the dwarf. "To never put your emotions over your objective."


    "To us, it was a story of sacrifice and love." The beastman said.


    "For use dwarven kind¡­" the dwarf trying to find the right words to say, "It was an epic story!"


    Servus 132-X looked at the dwarf intently while trying not to laugh for the solemn moment he spoiled.


    "What about you? W-what do you think about it.?" The beastman asked Servus 132-X.


    "I-I don''t know¡­" Servus 132-X sighed as he stared into the flames.


    The story ended and everyone stared at the fire, contemplating on the story and its hidden morals.

 Chapter 30: The Night Before Pt.3

    Servus 132-X could not shake off the feeling that the mysterious lady who often visited his dream could be the same goddess his comrades are worshipping. His curiosity got the better of him. He broke their contemplation by asking the aged-old question.


    "What does this Lady Oyue look like?"


    His comrade''s reaction was mixed. It was more of being perplexed at best and being insulted at worse. The question left his comrade''s mouth gaping in confusion. His question might have been offensive now that he thought about it. But it was already too late. The words were already out there in the open.


    The elf was the first one to answer. "The Lady of the Moon is the most beautiful among all of existence. She had hair as black as the night but glitters because of stardust. She has a long face with eyes as blue as the cerulean sky she lived in. She had an aquiline nose, and her lips are plump." She proudly relayed to the dwarf. "Her ears were long-tipped, and her skin was as bright as the light she emitted to the world."


    The elf smiled at Servus 132-X; she was very honored to give Lady Oyue''s appearance to her comrades. The dwarf interrupted her proud moment with his own interpretation of Lady Oyue.


    "Lass, I think you might have confused her for a different deity." He said, "The Lady is beautiful, yes! But she doesn''t look like what you say she is," The dwarf pointed out to the elf.


    She gave him a glare of disdain, "How dare you?!" annoyed by what she heard, she angrily signed to the dwarf. "Why? What do you think she looks like?" she challenged the stout man.


    "If yah truly want tah know¡­" he cleared his throat, "¡­listen well then."


    "The Lady has a hair made of golden stardust. Her complexion is that of shimmering crystal reflecting the stars in the night sky." He glanced at them, "She is a child of love and joy. No one knows her face but to those who saw, her unrivalled beauty is likened to a child. The Lady wears vestiges made from the woven seas of stars and her halo is that of the crystal moon." The dwarf scratched his stubble of a beard as he ended his description.


    "Eh? She is a beautiful maiden with rabbit ears and had nine fox tails!" The beastman joined the fray.


    The three of them cannot agree on how the moon goddess looked like. One kept on insisting that she looked exactly what their race''s progenitor saw. But the rest of them claimed the same thing. The talk became chaotic as ideas flew and crashed against each other.


    "Ahem". Servus 132-X just cleared his throat. He wanted their bickering to stop because it made everything, he knew about the goddess more confusing.


    "It''s getting late now¡­" he fumbled for words to say. "I-I should sleep now while you three try and figure this out."


    All three of them stopped for a moment and looked at themselves. Before bursting out into fits of laughter. The dwarf and beastman''s laugh echoed while the elf covered her mouth as she laboriously tried her best to hide her cracking smile.


    Servus 132-X can''t help but smile. At one point, the three bickered like children, flinging words around like it was a hurled in a catapult. The next moment, they laughed it out like nothing happened. His comrades are growing on him, and he loved it.


    It reminded him of those past lives he had where they would go on bickering during the campfires while waiting for the mission or a monster to appear. A bit of bickering and carousing around, those were the days that made his entire transmigrations entertaining and memorable.


    "Yah! We be''er sleep now yah bunch of jagalags!" The dwarf stifled his laughter.


    Everyone agreed. They stood up, drenched the flame with water and went back to their tent.


    The darkness of the night enveloped their camp but the moonlight gave its soft glow enough for them to see the silhouettes of where they were walking into. The elf and beastman walked in front of Servus 132-X and the dwarf.


    "Oi! Lad!" The dwarf did his best to whisper his words to Servus 132-X.


    Servus 132-X paused and directed his attention to the dwarf. "What is it?"


    "Don''t ya die tomorrow! Comeback to us in one piece!"


    "I told you, haven''t I? Servus 132-X smiled at him, "I still have this world to travel on. I will not let myself die there."


    "You be''er not. We shall wait for yah, and yah best fucking return." The dwarf held Servus 132-X''s arm tightly. "Lad, the campfire is less enjoyable if one of us is not around." He released his grip and went along his way.


    Servus 132-X knew what the dwarf meant by that. He came to like his comrade as well. The loud and witty dwarf. The mysterious elf that has an impeccable timing and good cooking skills. The beastman who''s superbly powerful with enough raw strength of five grown men but is timid to the point of stuttering his words out.


    More than his freedom, he valued theirs even more, and dying would be a betrayal to the trust they gave him. He doesn''t want that to happen. He''s been there before, and it''s the worse feeling one can ever have.


    He looked up at the sky and saw a smaller round object peeping behind the moon that shined brighter than the moon itself. He blinked just to see if he''s seeing it correctly, but by then it was gone. He thought his fatigue has caught up with him and now he''s seeing things from it.


    He hastily went to the tent and hit the sack as soon as he arrived. It didn''t take him long for him to doze off. He closed his eyes and momentarily forgets his descent the morning after. A few more deep breaths and he snoozed his way into the night.


    "Adlaw-on!" The lady is calling to him again.


    He opened his eyes and was greeted by a bright pale-blue light. Astonishingly, the light didn''t hurt his eyes at all. He took his time to process in his head what was going on.


    "Adlaw-on!" She called again.


    Servus 132-X tried waking his comrades but they were all fast asleep. Left with no choice, he went out to talk to her again. He really doesn''t want to at this point, but her calls were enchanting and is forcing his body to move.


    Without any struggle, he gave way to it. He went outside of the tent and was dumbfounded with what he saw. There were two moons in the sky! One had a faded glow like the regular moon, while the other glowed so bright that the night looked like a morning sunrise.


    All of his comrades'' stories began flashing into his head as he slowly approached the mysterious lady who sat on one of the seats at the campfire with blue flames burning the logs.


    The mysterious lady noticed him approaching her and gave him her sweet smile. He never smiled back. His face was brooding over what conversations they might have tonight. He still doesn''t want to talk with her. A few times should''ve been enough, but she was persistent.


    "Adlaw-on, come sit beside me!" She offered her a seat.


    Servus 132-X did not take the offer and insisted on sitting adjacent to her instead.


    The lady sighed but still wore a smile on her face, "You still won''t trust me, don''t you?"


    "I won''t ." He said dismissively. "I''m not into becoming another messenger of some deity! I am way past that."


    Her smiling face suddenly turned into a glum. "Why won''t you trust me? Weren''t my stories not enough for you to understand?"


    "I hate deities that changes their shapes it¡ª"


    "Reminded you of that time you encountered a pesky one during your 88th reincarnation?"


    "So, you knew about that too?" Servus 132-X sighed. "I-I can''t do this. I have to sleep now." He stood up from his seat.


    "You don''t have to risk yourself that much tomorrow." She smiled.


    "What do you mean by that?"


    "I can tell you everything you need to survive your ordeal."


    Servus 132-X scratched his head before laughing out loud. "Is this the part where you give me powers?"


    The mysterious lady pouted and crossed her arms together. "No, I can''t do that."


    His fit of laughter turned back into an annoyed, stone-faced man. "Then what?"


    "I can give you vital knowledge in order to survive there! Trust me, you will need it."


    He thought about it for a moment and went back to sat back on his seat. "What''s the price of this Lady Oyue?"


    The mysterious lady smiled. "Just hear me out."

 Chapter 31: The Night Before Pt.4

    He leaned forward and waited for the goddess to speak. He stared at her intently, looking for any signs that the goddess might lie to him. Servus 132-X had this notion that if you stare at people intensely, they''d get uncomfortable and most of the time, they would always tell the truth. It made wonders for him in the past but this time, it might become his undoing.


    Firstly, regardless how intense he stared at her, the fact that she is deity, his gaze would never intimidate her. Secondly, she has seen the evil and the void before, how would he thought she''ll fair with him? It was exactly a pointless effort for Servus 132-X but his pride is telling him otherwise.


    The tension in the air is palpable. The moon goddess, unfazed by his intimidation smiled at him and began speaking, "The burrow is full of monsters that this world had forgotten."


    "Like what? Ildwyrms and Chtonias?" He asked.


    "I wish it were, but it''s more than just that."


    "What do you mean?"


    "You will have to first exterminate ancient forms of Obscuros."


    "O-obscuros?" He scratched his head. "I thought it was just a part of telling time!"


    "There''s a reason why it was part of telling time," the goddess started to explain. "The Obscurii hated light in all forms, they only crawl within the darkness of the night. In the olden times, they were called with many names and had terrorized the different races of this world."


    "And why have you chosen me to exterminate them all?" Servus 132-X asked.


    "Why?" Oyue smiled at him, "Isn''t that your job for the past 364 lifetimes that you have?"


    Servus 132-X had always been skeptical with her. From the moment she appeared and introduced herself, he knew something was wrong. He knew this dialogue all too well and good. This is how he became a chosen hero for the past 364 incarnations.


    He became a savior for kingdoms, races and worlds. Other times, he died a martyr or a fool trying to bend the will of the living in accordance with his mission. He knew this so much, but it took him 364 incarnations before he realized all the deities'' blunders¡ªthis one included.


    The goddess'' answer was shallow at best and underwhelming, but at the same time, he got curious as to how this supposedly sealed goddess knew everything about him.


    "And where did you learn about that information?" He asked Oyue about how she knew about him. "And I want to know EXACTLY how you knew about me."


    "You really don''t trust me do you?" She shrugged her shoulders. "I don''t blame you. But, I am different from the ones you met."


    "Lady Oyue, you still hadn''t answered the question," he rudely interrupted the goddess.


    "Very well, since I also don''t have enough time left, let me be brief with you on that question." The goddess waved her hands up in the air and suddenly strange glowing lines began to appear around him.


    "W-what are these?" He asked while preparing himself for any form of attack this deity might do in an instant. Servus 132-X knew that he doesn''t stand a chance against her, not in his current state at least.


    If Oyue commanded the glowing lines to entangle him or attack him, he knew he will be destroyed immediately. He might dodge a few strikes, but he is quite sure the outcome won''t do any good for him.


    He waited patiently as the goddess made the glowing lines attached and detached itself. Its fluid-like movement made Servus 132-X crawl. It was taking the goddess too long, he decided to ask again but the goddess finally answered his question.


    "Ley lines." She pointed at the pulsating glowing lights. "These are the ley lines. This world''s veins where magic flows in and out. I primarily use them to detect everything in this world. It also connects the aether from the physical plane and metaphysical plane. That''s how I knew about you."


    "But my memories and names? How?"


    "When you first came into this world. It was your bursting energy that encountered one of the lines from the metaphysical realm. Along with that energy were your memories, dreams, hopes and emotions," she paused and took a glance at the baffled Servus 132-X. "When you opened up that portal, your energy got entangled with my ley lines and I even thought a new deity entered this world."


    Servus 132-X had all the answers he needed and began to show signs of disinterest. He stood up from his seat and rudely walked out of the campfire.


    "Wait! Where are you going?" Oyue asked as she stood up from her seat trying to stop Servus 132-X from leaving.


    Servus 132-X paused and turned around. His gaze dead set on the deity. "Like everyone else before you, I know you are just here to use me for your own gain." He clenched his fist as he reminded himself by the many times he was used and played by the so-called gods. "I am going back now, if you are looking for a hero, find someone else!" He angrily stormed back into his tent.


    As he tried to stride back to the camp, Oyue suddenly appeared in front of him. This time there was something different about her, she looked as if she was fading away as the objects behind her became visible.


    She stared at him right into his eyes. Her smile faded and her stern face surfaced. "Listen, this is not about you and I. This is about this very reality you are currently existing." She withdrew the vestige in her right arm and showed him a weird black emblem that looked as if it constantly moved.


    "I called you for this!" She showed it to him up close. "You were the only one other than I. who saw the Crawling Darkness. You were the only one who was able to repel its tendrils without being cursed out of existence. You¡ª"


    "I don''t understand." Servus 132-X interrupted her. "I-Is this how you convince heroes to work for you? Like the ones before me, did they go into this trap?" He sarcastically asked.


    The goddess was slowly fading away, she had no more time to answer his questions more so, entertain his sneering comments. With a blink of an eye, she went close to Servus 132-X without the slave noticing and touched his forehead with her right hand.


    Her touch emitted a bright pale blue light and threw away Servus 132-X a good seven footlings from the ground before landing on it.


    "I have ran out of time, but I will talk to you soon." The goddess slowly faded away along with the light. "I will talk to you¡­" then everything went to black.


    Servus 132-X woke up drenched in sweat with a pounding headache and still disturbed with how much information that goddess knew about him. He remembered clearly that the gods he knew weren''t as omniscient as the were portrayed to be. But she was different and just thinking about that made his skin crawl more than the fact that he has to go into the burrow that morning.

 Chapter 32: Down to the Void Pt.1

    He sat up from his bed massaging his temples as his head pounded violently. He tried to look around but had to close his eyes as everything seemed to dance around. He was alone in the tent; the rest of his comrades had already been out and preparing for his descent.


    Servus 132-X cursed under his breath as the pain became more intense. The pounding pain had become more like a squeezing torture now. It made him lay back on his bed. The damned headache felt like his eyes almost popping out from its socket due to the unbearable pressure. His eyes burned and watered as the pain intensified further.


    The grimace on his face said it all. He gnashed his teeth as he clenched the side of his bed, praying for the pain to end. The pain was at its crescendo when he saw a vision of a big glass ball rapidly descending from the sky towards a wasteland causing explosion and destruction in its wake.


    He opened his eyes in shock and miraculously, the pain disappeared. He gasped for his breath, as he filled his lungs which much needed air. He blinked his eyes and slowly massaged the bridge of his nose. As he laid himself on the bed drenched in his own cold sweat.


    Not a few moments passed, the beastman entered the tent to supposedly wake him up, obviously, he was already awake. The beastman noticed him drenched in sweat while massaging his temples.


    "A-are you alright?" The beastman knelt and tried to touch his forehead, but Servus 132-X caught the beastman''s hand midway.


    "I''m okay," Servus 132-X sighed. "I was just having a¡ª"


    "Nightmare?" The beastman interrupted as he reached out his hand for Servus 132-X to lift himself up. "I know, how difficult this is for you. You know¡ªyou don''t really have to do this."


    "It''s already set in stone, my friend." He smiled at the worried beastman and sat up on the bed with the help of the beastman''s hand. "You don''t need to worry about me. I will come back alive and in one piece."


    The beastman sighed as he realized that his worries were futile to the stubborn and determined Servus 132-X. He smiled at him and said, "I wish I could do something for you too. More than just¡ªwaiting."


    Servus patted the beastman''s shoulder and stood up. "Just be there." He smiled. "Come on, let''s eat some breakfast!" He walked out of the tent into the sunless gloom of a morning.


    The sun was shy above the clouds. It didn''t even care to peek its rays into the forsaken grey land. In the distance the thunder made a low growl signaling rain might struck at any moment.


    It made Servus 132-X worry. This rain might cause the delay of his descent and he didn''t want that to happen. He did not want to feel anymore anxiety than what he already had. It was already eating him inside and another delay might toll on him.


    He was worried that it might cause him to cower and change his mind all together. He didn''t want to burden his comrades more with worrying about him. He just wanted to get it over with.


    "I could sense rain any moment now." The beastman declared.


    "I hope it doesn''t," Servus 132-X mumbled. "I want to get this over with already." He added as he gave the beastman a nod.


    Both walked towards their usual meeting place. From a distance, Servus 132-X saw the dwarf looking at the sky with a somber look at his face. The elf was also looking at the sky, while stirring her cooked meal in a small pot she hanged over the campfire.


    The dwarf noticed them approached and suddenly his gloomy face, was now a smiling one. "Oi! Lads! C''mere!" He waved at them while holding a bottle of ale on his other hand.


    Servus recalled his meal rations before, they were worse to the point of unconsumable to humans, but as slaves they were forced to eat the bland porridge and stale bread. The food he''s eating right now is a luxury compared to the one he had before.


    After the meal, Tristam came around. "Good day, sers and lady." He slightly bowed his head as he greeted them.


    "We ain''t Sers and Lady, Lad," the dwarf replied. "And the morning is fairly gloom. But, yah, okay. Glum Morning to yah!" The dwarf bowed back sarcastically.


    Servus 132-X saw how Tristam''s face went red. The poor knight was again flustered by the dwarf''s sly reply. He knew how Tristam was trying his best to befriend them, even though everytime he started a conversation, it came across awkward and out of place. Servus 132-X knew that he meant well and decided to befriend the young knight once this madness is over.


    "Ser Tristam, why are you here?" Servus 132-X asked as he lowered his spoon into the bowl.


    "O-oh! Yes! Umm¡­" The poor knight tried to compose himself. "Commander Prestonheim asks for you."


    The slaves looked at one another and nodded to Servus 132-X.


    "Yes, I will be there with you." Servus 132-X stood up and placed his half-eaten meal on his seat and followed the young knight.


    Suddenly, rain started to fall as they went across the other side of the camp, where Lord Prestonheim''s tent is. At first it was a soft drizzle patting them on the head but after a few moments, the patting turned into an assault of heavy rain.


    They ran across the camp until they finally reached Lord Prestonheim''s tent.


    Inside, the Lord Commander paced in front of his table, looking at a parchment with the list of equipment that arrived at early dawn. These items were for Servus 132-X descent.


    Tristam interrupted his brooding with a salute, "Lord Prestonheim, Servus 132-X is here."


    Lord Prestonheim glanced at both of them soaked in rainwater, "Had it rai¡ª" before he can finish his question, the heavens answered it for him. Raindrops violently poured against his tent, sounding like a thousand galloping cavalry.


    "Good day, Lord Prestonheim," Servus 132-X greeted the general.


    "What did you say?" Lord Prestonheim asked.


    "I said good day, Lord Prestonheim!"


    "GOOD GRIEF! THIS RAIN! COME CLOSER HERE SERVUS 132-X, I CANNOT HEAR YOU!" The rain muffled their voices.


    After that was settled, both went back to their serious conversation.


    Lord Prestonheim started to pace on the table once more, "Servus 132-X." He began. "I called you here to present to you the items that you need for your descent." He pointed at a small wooden chest at the side of the table close to Servus 132-X.


    Servus 132-X opened up the chest and saw the items.


    "The item are as follows." Lord Prestonheim read the parchment on the table. "One boiled leather armor. one buckler. One standard-issue gladius. A pair of standard-issue leathered foot wraps. A small cloth-made satchel with the following runes, three pieces of fire runes, three pieces of water runes, two pieces of air runes, three pieces of earth runes and seven pieces of light runes. There is also a flint in there. Kindly, check the contents and be careful with the blade."


    Servus 132-X checked all the contents of the chest. Everything was exactly as it was listed. He unsheathed the weapon and tried the buckler as well. Both were light and easy to handle. The blade is well-balanced and is perfect for delivering swift blows in tight spaces. He was contented to see the items and nodded to the Commander.


    "Everything is here." He closed the chest and asked Lord Prestonheim, "Lord Prestonheim, would this rain inconvenience you?" Servus 132-X was still worried if the commander would delay the exploration because of the damned rain.


    Lord Prestonheim was surprised with the question but knew exactly what it meant. He cracked a huge smile on his face. "You utterly amaze me! Either you''re a fool or just courageous." The commander nodded, "We live to thrive even in this weather."


    "Shall we begin then?" Servus 132-X smiled back at him.


    Lord Prestonheim laughed. "Tristam, call the other knights and ready the pullies. We are about to begin."

 Chapter 33: Down to the Void Pt.2

    "Does it fit you well?" Lord Prestonheim asked Servus 132-X as he donned his armor and gears. The rain started to mellow outside, and it looked like both men cannot wait to get the expedition going.


    Servus 132-X felt the cold boiled leather of his skin. His tattered clothes made it difficult to wear the armor, so he had to remove his upper garments. It was a snug fit! He moved around with the armor, to see if there were any restrictions to his movement¡ªthere was none.


    He then wore the leather footwraps. It felt weird especially because he had been barefooted for the longest time. He moved it around as well. He tiptoed, jumped and squatted while wearing the foot wraps and it turned out fine.


    He strapped the buckler into his left arm. He shook it a bit to make sure it stayed in place. He strapped his gladius as well, placing it on his left hip so he can access it better when needed. He properly secured the satchel to make sure the runes do not fall out from it.


    Everything he did up to this point of donning the armor was just standard procedure. He knew this because he had done this during his past 364 lifetimes. Sure, each armor was uniquely different from each other. He wore the best of them which saved his life for more than one occasion. He also wore the worst of them, which cut his adventure short.


    If he were to rate the armor and gears; he was given, it would be mediocre to the ones he had worn before. Compared to an armor like Satabar Scales which he wore during his third incarnation, this was by far basic.


    The boiled leather armor wasn''t imbued with magic of any sort. It cannot reflect dragon fire, poison or any physical attacks back to the assailant. It cannot create or summon batwings for him to fly away from danger, nor enhance his strength. It was as basic as it could get.


    But he never cared for it as much. He was already contented with the fact that Lord Prestonheim cared to at least provide him some protection regardless of how meager it was. After all, in this lifetime he could only have a few choices and chances that he can get by and survive. Therefore, being grateful was the key. That''s a slave''s life¡ªa life he wanted to get out from.


    He turned around to Lord Prestonheim who looked puzzled, "My Lord, everything fits perfectly well! Thank you for generosity! He bowed at the Commander but still could not shake off the old man''s expression. "Is there anything on your mind my Lord?" He asked.


    Lord Prestonheim approached and walked around him with his thumb anchored on his chin. He inspected the armor closely, checking if the straps and belts were well buckled. When he was satisfied with it, he faced Servus 132-X grabbed his armor by the chest and started to yank it. When the armor held its place, the Commander smiled and patted the slave''s shoulder.


    "Are you sure you''re a slave?" Lord Prestonheim broke his silence. "I was supposed to instruct you on how to don the armor, but I was blown away by how quick and efficient you were to wear it! You even made a double lock on the strap at side! Only veterans knew how to do that!" He started pacing again.


    "So, how did you?" The baffled Commander asked Servus 132-X while pointing a finger at him.


    "I observed the men from the barracks my Lord," Servus 132-X lied.


    "Obs-observed?!" Lord Prestonheim guffawed. "I tell you what, son. If it wasn''t for your census registry, I could''ve sworn to have killed you already! The way you handled the sword and the way you wore your armor, that''s not a slave doing it. Where you a soldier in your past life?"


    The question made Servus 132-X heart dropped to his stomach. "Did the Commander knew? Does this world have a reincarnation system? Do they have a transmigrated hero here?" The thoughts flooded his mind.


    He began to feel uneasy, for a lot of reasons. There was a world he had been to before that strongly hated transmigrated people. It was at his 169th incarnation. He almost died saving that world because the people themselves were hunting transmigrators and had to do all sort of lies and tricks not to be caught.


    Lord Prestonheim placed his hand on his shoulder and stared at him intently. Servus 132-X''s cold sweat rolled from his forehead. He had no intention of sharing that information with the Commander. His hands felt cold and sweaty, and his throat started to parch.


    The old Commander patted his shoulder and said, "That is impossible! In this age of reason, that kind of magic doesn''t exist. You''re not a spy, are you?"


    "A-a spy?" There was an odd sense of relief when he heard it. But does it make it worse than it already was? Thinking about it, Servus 132-X realized being branded a spy will get him killed.


    Lord Prestonheim saw the poor slave on his batted breath, trying to digest everything he said. "Relax Servus 132-X, it was a just a jest. Again, I''ve seen your census record, you are just an odd man to become a slave with that intellect of yours."


    Servus 132-X sighed in relief and smiled awkwardly to Lord Prestonheim.


    The Commander let out another booming laughter before changing the mood into something more serious.


    "Servus 132-X," Lord Prestonheim began, "Come back in one piece and alive. Once you do, I will welcome you into my ranks."


    The slave went speechless. Servus 132-X was honored with the Commander''s generous offer. Of course, he should. If he pulled this off, they would become free men. But rather than get it over his head, Servus 132-X chose to part it for now.


    "That''s a generous offer, my Lord." He tried finding his words as to not to offend the Commander. "But, if it''s alright, can I answer that later once I return?"


    Lord Prestonheim paused for a moment and laughed. "Of course! Why am I putting too many things in your head right now? Alright¡­umm¡­ just focus on the task and come back alive, son." The Commander smiled.


    "S-son¡­" Servus 132-X whispered to himself.


    Tristam returned into the tent bearing a big smile on his face. "My Lord, the preparations are done, and the gods have indeed smiled at us, the rain has stopped."


    Lord Prestonheim smiled at the young knight and nodded. "Gods be praise!" He then looked at Servus 132-X who stood there focused to the task ahead. "Are you ready, Sevus 132-X?"


    Servus 132-X was afraid but calmed his nerves and focused on the future he will pave for his comrades. "My Lord, I am ready. But can I make a request?"


    Lord Prestonheim looked at him intently, "What is your request?"


    "I-I want my comrades to be the ones to operate the pullies. And I want them to be the ones to stand vigil for me alongside your men." Servus 132-X hesitantly said it. He hoped it wouldn''t come up as an insult to the Commander, but he had more confidence in his comrades assisting him than the knights who look down on them.


    The Commander nodded at him, "Granted. Tristam, gather his comrades at the burrow and instruct them on how to use the pullies."


    "You are too kind, my Lord." Servus 132-X bowed.


    "I know what you''re thinking, Servus 132-X and I understand how the other knights felt about this arrangement. So, I will grant you that!"


    After that short conversation, they started the grueling march towards the dreaded burrow.


    Servus 132-X noticed the knights'' faces as he walked past them. Some looked in disgust, others spat to the ground while the rest never seemed to care. In their mind, they might''ve been wishing he dies there in that dark void. It could be just him imagining things.


    The closer they were to the burrow, the heavier dread Servus 132-X started to feel. He focused himself to not feel the way he did. He focused on his goal, on his dreams and his comrades'' wishes and hopes.


    "We are here." Tristam announced.


    The burrow wasn''t that far from the camp, but it felt like an ildwyrm away. But when he arrived, it felt like a fleeting moment.


    Servus 132-X took a deep breath and bowed to Lord Prestonheim and Tristam. He walked forward towards his comrades who waited for him by the opening.


    "Servus 132-X, halt!" Lord Prestonheim commanded. "Stay where you are, I am still waiting for one more item."


    "Another item?" Servus 132-X asked as the sun finally showed its beautiful glow on them and the gray ground.

 Chapter 34: Down to the Void Pt.3

    "Yes! Let''s wait for him." Lord Prestonheim confirmed.


    "Him?" Servus 132-X whispered to himself.


    The sun''s heat felt like a mother''s warm embrace, in contrast to the cold breeze that prickled his skin earlier. Servus 132-X welcomed its rays of light like a glimmer of hope in the darkness of his despair. The warmth calmed his cold hands and shivering nerves and at the very least has put his mind at ease.


    "Servus 132-X, come forth." Lord Prestonheim commanded.


    He turned around and walked towards the commander.


    Lord Prestonheim sounded like a proper commander compared to that jovial old man that had a booming laugh inside the tent. Servus 132-X thought of it as his fa?ade towards his other men who still despised the idea of a slave doing their job for them.


    Servus 132-X would be more than happy to swap places with them. If some of these knights wanted it so bad for their own gain, they were more than welcome to oppose. However, they''re afraid to do so. It''s a combination of fear from entering the dark unknown and the wrath of their beloved commander that''s stopping them.


    The Commander might have the biggest smile one could possibly see from a general, but as every general goes, there was a hint of ferocity in his eyes¡ªsomething you don''t want to unleash no matter what.


    Servus 132-X knew about that. He''s met a lot of Lord Prestonheim''s in his lifetime. The battle-hardened old man who jests a lot but kills just as much while wearing the same grin on his face. He confirmed that when the old Commander just let out a crippling energy pressure the night prior. It was something else for Servus 132-X. It felt like the old commander could easily kill down a xedecima unit if he wanted to.


    Lord Prestonheim mumbled something from his breath while Tristam handed him a sharp dagger. Servus 132-X flinched at the sight of it. The surrounding men suddenly grabbed their swords in retaliation from the jittery slave.


    "STAND DOWN!" The Commander enraged by his men''s action. "Knights should be calm no matter the situation! CALM YOUR NERVES!" Lord Prestonheim scolded his men before drawing his attention back to Servus 132-X.


    "I didn''t know you were that jittery." Lord Prestonheim joked albeit wearing a stern face.


    "I''m sorry, my Lord." Servus 132-X bowed to show respect and to show the Commander''s knights that he was sorry for his ignorant action. "I-I was surprised by the blade in your hand."


    Lord Prestonheim smirked, trying to suppress a booming laughter. "I should have told you sooner." He pricked his finger with the sharp edge, letting a small droplet of blood out from the wound. "I need you to stay still while I adjust your collar." The commander dabbed his blood into the collar, writing something over the black cold metal.


    After writing something on the metal, the collar began to glow. Servus 132-X cannot see it from its position, but he could see light emanating from his neck where his collar is. Suddenly his body felt a surge of energy flowing inside him. The warm feeling felt uncomfortable at first, as it travelled all over his body to the tips of his fingers.


    His body pulsated, and his muscles twitched subtly as the energy began to settle down inside his body. The experience left him sweating and breathing heavily. He looked at Lord Prestonheim whose stoic face never batted an emotion throughout his entire ordeal.


    Servus 132-X confused and amazed at the same time asked the Commander what just happened. "What was that? Why do I feel lighter than I was moments earlier?"


    "I told you, I made adjustments with the collar." Lord Prestonheim answered monotonously, "That should release some of your exousia for you to utilize." He handed Servus 132-X a rune.


    Servus 132-X looked at the rune. He recognized it as fire rune, the same one he had on his satchel. He looked at Lord Prestonheim with a confused look on his face. "My Lord, what am I to do with this?"


    Lord Prestonheim looked at him and commanded, "Light it on fire using your exousia."


    "H-how would I do that?"


    Lord Prestonheim glanced at Tristam. The young knight understood this and proceeded to take one of his runes and show it to Servus 132-X.


    "So, you basically make the rune light up by using some of your exousia. You need to make the exousia travel towards your fingertips and out into the rune. Like so¡­" Tristam held the rune in between his forefinger and thumb before rubbing it slightly. All the sudden, the rune was ablaze.


    After putting out the fire, Tristam encouraged him to do it himself. "You try, Servus 132-X!"


    Servus 132-X focused himself into the rune. He closed his eyes and felt the exousia flowing all over his body. He felt heat coursing over his veins racing towards the tip of his fingers. As he opened his eyes the rune began to feel warmer, then it ignited into a violent burst of flame.


    The release surprised all the onlookers and even Servus 132-X who threw it into a puddle to extinguish it. He looked around him and saw all of them, including his comrades'' mouth ajar in awe with what they saw.


    "WHOA! THAT WAS¡ª" Tristam exclaimed as his excitement was uncontainable.


    "Amazing." Lord Prestonheim interrupted his knight as he regained his composure. "And all in one try. I commend you for that." The Commander nodded at Servus 132-X with the same stoic look on his face.


    The slave bowed to him as he met the Commander''s eyes. They were bursting with excitement and joy, but frustratingly unable to express it in front of his men.


    Moments past and the commotion had finally died down and still there was no sign of that final item they were waiting for. The sun was already setting high up in the sky. It''s already close to Midday and still no sign of it.


    Lord Prestonheim grew impatient as time went by. Servus 132-X stood there silently as he waited for this item to arrive. He prayed in his mind that whatever that thing was, it should have arrived already. He was itching to get this over with.


    The Commander finally lost his cool demeanor and ordered one of his men, "You there, good Ser! Check Servus 305-M and tell him to¡ª"


    "Sorry! Sorry!" Servus 305-M popped out from the crowd, pushing the soldiers out of his way. "Sorry I was late! I overslept."


    It was obvious how annoyed the Commander was at the slave but decided to turn a blind eye, skip what was potentially a long litany and get the expedition going.


    "Good that you''re here! Where is it? Oh! Is that it?" Lord Prestonheim asked the red-haired slave while pointing at a cloth-wrapped object the slave brought with him.


    Servus 305-M smirked and unwrapped it, revealing a pickaxe with a pale blue glow, like that of the Commander''s blade.


    "Here it is, my creation. This is no ordinary pickaxe." Servus 305-M bragged as he handed it over to Lord Prestonheim. "This pickaxe was made to mine adamantite, one of the hardest stones in the world. I tweaked it and put some aetherite on it to make¡ª"


    "Okay, that''s enough." Lord Prestonheim grabbed the pickaxe from his hand and gave it to Servus 132-X. "So, basically this should be enough to break an Aetherium for mining. Take some samples of it for proof." The Commander explained.


    Servus 132-X was about to reply to the Commander when the crazy red-haired slave interrupted him.


    "H-hey you inter¡ª" Servus 305-M tried to spat at Lord Prestonheim.


    The annoyed Commander laid his hand into Servus 305-M''s frail shoulder and glared at him, "You were late, and we will waste our precious time with your long bragging. We do not have time for that."


    "B-But¡ª"


    "I don''t want to hear your buts so move aside and do not interrupt!" Lord Prestonheim''s eyes penetrated directly into Servus 305-M''s soul. The red-haired slave slowly moved away back into the crowd; his shoulder slumped in disappointment.


    After that short interlude, Lord Prestonheim went back to conversing with Servus 132-X for his final instructions.


    "Servus 132-X, I, Lord Prestonheim of the 5th Batallion hereby order you to explore the burrow and obtain evidence of this rock you have spoke of! Do you have any objections?"


    "Nay, my Lord!" Servus 132-X replied while bowing. "I shall deliver you an evidence of Aetherium, for the Principalia." He added that battle-cry at the end to make it appealing to the onlooking knights.


    Servus 132-X reached out from his pocket and gave Lord Prestonheim the piece of Aetherium he had as a collateral. "My Lord, I offer you this, as my promise and collateral. I hope it serves you well."


    Lord Prestonheim nodded, "It shall."


    Servus 132-X approached the burrow where his comrades and some knights were waiting. The dwarf tied the rope securely to his waist. A knight checked it to make sure that it was firmly wrapped around him, to avoid unwarranted accidents. The knight nodded to Lord Prestonheim affirming its stability.


    Before he was hoisted down to the burrows. He made a quick huddle with his comrades; some knights went on and listen just in case they were planning something diabolical.


    "Lad, may the grace of the goddess give yah strength!" The dwarf patted his back.


    "May the goddess Oyue, show her mercy to you! C-comeback alive!" The beastman said.


    The elf handed him over a small bag. "It''s food!" she relayed to the dwarf, "I made it with the blessing from the goddess. Comeback to us in one piece!" she signed.


    Servus 132-X got overwhelmed by their kind words. He breath in deep, summoned his courage and said, "I will comeback, alive and well. I will comeback with your freedom on hand."


    "My Lord, I am ready." He declared to the Commander.


    "Hoist up!" Lord Prestonheim commanded.


    Slowly, Servus 132-X is lifted from the ground with the help of his comrades and some knights who held him at the other end of the rope.


    "Descend!" the Commander finally gave the order.


    As they lowered him down to the darkness of the burrow. His sense of dread slowly returned. As he went deeper into the unknown, his despair gradually swallowed him inch by inch. Servus 132-X''s fear surfaced and now, began to realize how foolish his plan was.


    Cold sweat slowly dripped down from his palm and he started to panic.


    "Have courage!" A familiar voice from his heard distracted him.


    "W-what was that?" He looked around to only see the darkness as he goes further down.


    "Oyue?!"

 Chapter 35: Down to the Void Pt.4

    "Oyue?!" He mumbled. "Oyue, is that¡ª" Servus 132-X stopped himself from sounding pathetic.


    The darkness could have played tricks with his mind. He looked above him and saw the small sliver of light atop of him. Servus 132-X descended further into the void, with the mouth of the grim darkness slowly engulfing him. Its cold ruthless breath welcomed him into the world of despair. The crack of light from the upper world finally succumbed to the nothingness of the burrow.


    Without the essence of light to even make silhouettes of his movement, Servus 132-X has now descended into the abyss as blind as a bat. The pitch-black hole was unforgiving, the silence of the burrow could make any sane man jump into the depths of insanity. Only his beating heart that resonated along with his breath has been his only companion.


    He felt the rope tightened around his waist. It was beginning to feel uncomfortable as the slow descend became unfathomable to his perception. He adjusted his arm that gripped along the rope, he tried to wriggle subtly to ease the throbbing pressure on his back. The warm tingling sensation of his stressed muscles made him wish that he should''ve just waited for the Principalia itself to take action.


    But this was his steppingstone. His crowning moment to achieve his freedom and his comrades. This is where his sacrifice could make it all the difference. The sound of his hand clapping his cheek echoed violently in the darkness. It was a much-needed slap to get his mind back to his goal. To take the fear out of his system. To make him remember his blood-tainted hands. He had to remember it all, for Freedom.


    As his descent continued, his feet dipped into something cold and wet. He retracted his feet in surprise. The sound of splashing water reverberated in the darkness.


    "Water?" He mumbled.


    Afraid of what lied beneath the water, Servus 132-X cautiously dipped his right foot in. He tried testing it by rapidly touching the bottom of water, splashing it all over the darkness. He felt something solid¡ªlike ground. He checked it once more, alternately kicked and stomped his foot forcefully to see if it moved, and gladly, it didn''t.


    After making sure that it was safe for him to put his feet on, he slowly dipped his left foot into the water. Now, both of his feet comfortably stood on the ground submerged in ankle-high water. He slowly moved his feet underneath the muddy ground, making sure that he doesn''t lose his footing if he untied himself from the rope.


    "Servus 132-X¡­" Lord Prestonheim''s voice broke from the darkness.


    The Commander''s voice rattled Servus 132-X. It was the first human voice he heard since he descended. He looked around and only saw darkness.


    "Servus 132-X, are you alive?" The Commander rang again.


    Servus 132-X remembered that crystal ball device issued to him. He patted himself trying to look for the satchel. It took him a moment to locate the satchel that was moved to the further right side of his hip. He carefully took it out from the satchel and immediately answered the Commander.


    "Y-yes, I am."


    Servus 132-X can hear a sigh of relief on the other end. He could just imagine the old Commander pacing in front of the crystal ball.


    "Thank the Gods! I thought when the rope shook, you were being attack by something!" Lord Prestonheim recalled. "What''s your status there?"


    "I am currently standing in what is seemed to be like water." Servus 132-X immediately realized how vague his answer was and tried to correct it as quickly as he can. "I meant, the ground seemed to be submerged in ankle-deep water."


    Servus 132-X bit his lip. He knew there was no time for blunder during this crucial moment. Communication is particularly important in this situation especially when you are their only source of information.


    It reminded him of the blunder his comrade made during his 44th incarnation. He was called Joryo, and he was tasked to locate an area of the forest where a squad of rebels hid from them. The order was to bombard the area once he have successfully located the enemies. After 4 days of tracking, he was able to track them down and mark the location. Unfortunately, he made a blunder. Instead of reporting the location of the rebels, he informed his location instead. The poor man died engulfed in flames as the mages casted ruthlessly on the location. It was already found out that it was his position that he gave, not the rebels.


    That comrade of his, burnt into crisp and ash. He didn''t want that to happen to him. That is why he became anxious after not being clear of his location.


    "Do you see anything else?" Lord Prestonheim asked.


    "I-I haven''t my Lord, it''s too dark. Wait!" Servus 132-X explained. "Let me use a rune."


    The darkness made it difficult for Servus 132-X to identify the different markings of the runes. The good thing about these runes was that they come in various shapes conveniently designed for this type of situation.


    He made a mental note of the runes earlier when he checked it at Lord Prestonheim''s tent. The triangle is for fire, the round is for water, the square is for the air, a six-sided one for earth, and lastly, a finger length rectangular shape for the light.


    He fumbled for the light rune in his satchel until he felt the rectangular wooden rune. Recalling the process taught to him by Ser Tristam, Servus 132-X closed his eyes and focused his exousia to his fingertips. He felt the energy coursing through his body, making its way to his fingers and then flowed directly to the rune.


    Servus 132-X has now put his exousia to the rune but still nothing happened. He opened his eyes and still it was dark, the rune did not activate. He flicked the rune but still it wouldn''t light up.


    His silence did not go unnoticed. After a few moments of silence, Lord Prestonheim''s voice echoed once again. "What''s wrong, Servus 132-X?"


    "I-I¡­I am unable to activate the light rune."


    "Have you followed the steps Tristam told you?"


    "Yes."


    "Have you touched the rune symbol?"


    Servus 132-X forgot about that. "Oh!" He immediately touched the rune symbol and light burst out from the rune.


    The light blinded him for a while. His disorientated state almost caused him to drop the crystal ball.


    "What''s going on down there?!" Lord Prestonheim shouted after hearing gasp.


    "I am alright. The light rune just activated and blinded me a bit." He squinted his eyes and tried to get a glimpse of the place. "There are no signs of life here."


    Servus 132-X looked up and saw how deep the hole was. He lowered down his hand holding the rune and tried to glide it across the water. It was murky but still visible enough for him to see what was on the ground.


    In front of him was another opening. Another gaping hole in the ground.


    "There''s another entrance in front of me." Servus 132-X took a step forward, "I''m going in to investigate."


    He carefully walked across the watery path while wiggling his foot forward. He wanted to see if there were any other holes that he might''ve not noticed. He glided his rune again, above the water and around his surroundings to make sure there were no lurking monsters around.


    When everything was clear, he started to move forward towards the opening which was a tight space, estimated to be around 4 footlings in length and 3 footlings in width.


    "The opening is enough for one man to fit." He reported. "I am going to try and put some light on it and see what''s on the other side." Servus 132-X placed his light on the small tunnel and saw something shimmering at the other side of the opening.


    "I think I found it!" He shouted with excitement. "But I would have to crawl across this small hole to get into the other side."


    "Affirmative! You best be careful!" Lord Prestonheim replied.


    Servus 132-X placed the crystal ball back to his satchel and readied himself.


    The light from the rune flickered as he went down on all fours. His hands felt the cold muddy waters. Surprisingly, the rune was still alit despite being partially submerged. He glanced at the small opening once more, took a deep breath and crawled his way in.

 Chapter 36: Down to the Void Pt.5

    Cold droplets of water splashed on Servus 132-X''s face as he moved along the dimly lit tunnel he discovered earlier. The tunnel was uncannily longer than of what he thought. His light flickered as again and was slowly losing its glow.


    Servus 132-X slowly lifted the water-drenched rune and tried to give it more of his exousia¡ªit didn''t work. He only has a few of these runes, so it would be best to use it wisely, otherwise he might end up walking this unknown cave blindly. It won''t help him at all, especially when this burrow was made by Giant Centipedes. Some hatchling or other hellish monster might be lurking in its darkness.


    He flicked the rune vigorously, attempting to take some excess water out from it before applying some of his exousia again. It still won''t work, and the lights continued to flicker as the light glowed weaker. He tried to do it a few more times until his frustration overcame him and smacked the rune to the tunnel''s wall.


    The light from the rune was fading. Servus 132-X was about to throw the rune when suddenly, light burst again, illuminating his way once more. He crawled forward into the deep recess of tunnel but this time, he made sure that the rune was far away from the water as possible.


    The shimmering blue light from the distance became clearer to him as he inched his way forward. In his mind, he hoped that this would be the treasure trove Oyue made him see in one of his dreams. He crawled faster as the beautiful blue glow started to grow brighter.


    He finally exited at the other end of the tunnel and was welcomed by another vast space in the cave. The stalactites hanged high above the canopy, that only its silhouettes protrude in the shadows. In front of him was a huge stone wall. It was pale and shiny with swirls and blue-colored veins that naturally glow across the pale canvass.


    He moved closer albeit cautious with his footing. This part of the cave is still flooded with water although still ankle-deep, Servus 132-X wanted to ensure his safety first above all else. Slowly wriggling his foot in the muddy way, he also glided his rune above its surface so he can get some visibility.


    After making sure that there was nothing on his way, Servus 132-X advanced and checked the mysterious markings on the wall. It was naturally made, or so it seemed. The colors were naturally embedded into the stone.


    Servus 132-X touched the cold slab. He put his hands into the veins and traced it with his fingers. Surprisingly, the veins felt warmer than the rest of the stone. He tried touching the swirl, but it was as cold as the stone.


    "There must be something in this stone, or rather within these veins." He muttered to himself.


    He took the crystal ball once again and reported one of his findings. "Lord Prestonheim¡­" Servus 132-X waited for someone to answer on the other line.


    "Yes, Servus 132-X."


    "My Lord I found something here. A huge wall made of white stone."


    "Should we be interested with that?" Lord Prestonheim asked.


    "I just need to take some¡ª" with a pickaxe on his other hand, Servus 132-X struck the stone, only to be blasted away by an invisible force. He fell to the muddy water throwing away the crystal ball and the pickaxe.


    "ZZZZztttt¡­W-what''s going on?" Lord Prestonheim''s voice scrambled.


    Servus 132-X immediately fumbled back to his feet. He hurriedly searched for the thrown crystal ball, luckily, he found it an arm''s length away from where he landed. He immediately checked the ball and felt a hairline cracks on its lower half.


    "Ser..zzzzzttt! Vus 132-X?! Servus 132-X!" Lord Prestonheim''s voice cracked.


    "I''m here my Lord." Servus 132-X answered while he looked around for his pickaxe.


    "I heard a thud earlier. What happened?" asked the concerned Commander.


    "T-the white stone seemed to have some sort of magic." He answered, "I tried to strike it, but I was repelled and thrown away by its energy." He scratched his head.


    "Hmm¡­Interesting. What about aetherium? Have you found any?" The Commander''s voice was now clear without any pesky interrupting noises.


    "I think the veins in the stone are, but I cannot take it out." Servus 132-X answered.


    "Just take note of that stone, but for now, find another proof of aetherium deposits." Lord Prestonheim tone sounded intrigued by this discovery but held himself back.


    Servus 132-X knew that Lord Prestonheim albeit curious of the stone doesn''t want to astray from their primary goal¡ªfinding aetherium deposits.


    He answered back to the Commander, "Yes, my Lord."


    He hid the crystal ball back to his satchel and finally noticed something. His light rune was no longer in his hands. The entire time when he fumbled and searched for the crystal ball, he had no light rune with him. But the place was bright enough for him to locate a transparent glass ball.


    He looked around trying to find the pickaxe, but the the light was too dim for him to check the murky ground. He took another light rune and lit it up. Unfortunately, due to the rune being drenched it water, he had to flick it a couple of times before activating it.


    Light bursts again from the rune but this time something strange was happening. The activated light was being absorbed by the wall. Surprised, Servus 132-X tried to let go of the rune he held in his hand. He was not able to let go. It was as if the wall commanded his hand to hold the light rune still as it slowly drains him of light and exousia.


    The veins on the wall glowed and pulsated as it got filled with exousia and light at the same time. The glow scattered throughout the vein and crawled into the ground and canopy. It lit up the canopy like stars in a moonless night sky.


    It was an exhausting yet awe-inspiring experience. For the past 364 lifetimes this was one of the moments wherein he was dumbfounded by how beautiful the view was. It looked like an entire galaxy sealed underneath the earth. A galaxy filled with deadly anomalies ready to eat you.


    His eyes followed the light as it travelled across the canopy like a shooting star illuminating anything it touched. The light suddenly took a turn to the right and revealed another tunnel opening.


    Servus 132-X could feel the strain of his body as his exousia was drained tremendously. He felt dizzy as his energy is slowly sapped by the white stone. After another few moments, he was finally able to lost his grip from that damned light rune.


    He was tired but at the same time, excited with what he saw. Servus 132-X wanted to explore the new cave that has appeared, but he needed to rest for a while first. Looking for a place to lean on, Servus 132-X leaned on the wall adjacent to the power absorbing wall and enjoyed the view for a little while.


    "Twinkle, twinkle litte star¡­" he sang. "How I wonder what you are?" He mumbled out in the open.


    He already what they are. But he just wanted to sing a song taught to him by one of his comrades before, during his 301st incarnation. It was a nursery rhyme if he recalled it correctly¡ªsomething that was perfect to this occasion.

 Chapter 37: Down to the Void Pt.6

    The light illuminated the whole cavern. It was bright enough for Servus 132-X to find the pale blue pickaxe thrown near the opening of the cave of which he entered. He picked up the sunken tool and secured it back to his hip. After that, he followed the path of the lit canopy.


    The aetherium-filled canopy twinkled like stars as he entered inside the opening he found. The ore deposits swirled and embedded itself to the hanging stalactites. Servus 132-X could only wish that the stalactites were placed a bit lower, he would''ve mined them already. But alas, just as beautiful as they twinkled like stars, so was their height. It was way too far for one to reach let alone climb.


    The good thing about this new entrance he discovered was the fact that he didn''t need to crawl again to enter another opening. He was relieved about that.


    The water reflected the shining star-like glow of the canopy, that mesmerized him even more as the water rippled. It reminded him of his homeland, way back when he was still Adlaw-on. He remembered how the moon and stars lit the heavens and painted the sea with freckles of light, contrasting its dark canvass.


    It was a different time back then. It was a time he wished he could get back but just can''t. Not anymore, no matter how he wished it. He was already told from the moment he transmigrated to the first world, that his real body would already rot and that going back to his real world would mean the demise of his soul.


    Remembering his homeland gave him a heavy feeling in his chest. He shook that off and focused on the now, his mission¡ªfinding aetherium deposits.


    As he moved forward towards the end of the vast tunnel, something caught his attention. There was a hint of foul air dawning on him. The stench started mild but as he came closer the smell of rotten flesh and entrails became more unbearable.


    It was at this point where his intuition would tell him to go back and discontinue with his journey. His self-preservation instinct screamed inside him urging him to consider his survival. But his thirst for their freedom was unquenchable, that even his fear was now at bay.


    The glowing blue light of a potentially great aetherium deposit allured him despite the dread looming over him. He unsheathed his sword on his right hand and activated a light run at the other. He hovered the light over the twinkling water and moved forward after declaring it safe.


    The smell became unbearable as the stench of rot harassed his nose. There was also a thin fog of yellow vapor coating the air near the entrance of the cave. It was irritating to his eyes, that it made it water. In his mind, he knew that this vapor could be flammable.


    He recalled having to deal with some during his 4th incarnation before he got eaten by a monster. He remembered utilizing the vapor as a catalyst to spark up a fire which he thought could kill that monster. To his dismay, it didn''t.


    Remembering that experience, Servus 132-X knew that something or someone was lurking there. Part of him wanted to turn tail and run away, but what was his other choice? There was none! This was the only place accessible for anyone to move and the only place where a possible aetherium ore deposit might be located.


    Before he moved further, Servus 132-X took out the crystal ball and messaged the people from the surface.


    "Lord Prestonheim," he uttered. "I have found another opening but this time, there is a huge possibility that aetherium deposits may be attainable here." He peeked from the cave opening and confirmed a head-sized aetherium ore lodged on the ground adjacent from the entrance.


    He heard nothing from the other end of the crystal ball. He called them again, but no one answered.


    "Lord Prestonheim? Anyone?" He called out, but no one seemed to answer.


    All the while, grating sounds could be heard from the crystal ball. Whether it was the crack from the crystal ball or just a case of interference from the cave, Servus 132-X cannot get any answer from the Commander on the surface.


    The poisonous gas might overwhelm him if he''s not careful and he doesn''t have the right protection for this environment. But his desperation and ambition fueled him even more. Servus 132-X will have to overcome his fear of death for their freedom, and he was willing to go that far.


    He tore a piece of cloth from the lower portion of his pants. He soaked it with water at the cleaner part of the path and used it as a make-shift mask to protect himself from the vapors. It was the same thing he did before, he just hoped that no lurking monster would try and ambush him there.


    The wet cloth made it hard for him to breathe. But it also protected him from the harsh vapor that lingered in the air. It made it hard for the stench to permeate mask. It also helped him with the vapors irritating his eyes as it served as a filter for the miasma.


    He entered the cave armed and ready for an encounter. He carefully stepped inside the viscous waters of the cave. Everything inside there looked foul and dangerous. There was a heap of human remains and chitin at the far corner of the cave. Some of the disembodied parts looked rotting and bubbling and some no longer have a single hint of flesh from the bone.


    Servus 132-X did not dare to move closer to the pile of decaying remains. Instead, he looked around searching for any lurking cretin or monster that might be hiding in the cervices. He looked up and focused the light to the canopy, but he found nothing.


    He hovered the rune just above the water to check if there was anything lurking below. Luckily, aside from some scattered bones, there was no threat at all. After making sure that everything was safe, he set his eyes on the lump of aetherium located just adjacent to the mouth of the cave.


    Servus 132-X sheathed back his sword and used the pickaxe he had instead. Swinging with one arm, he used the sharp part of the tool to bore holes in the soft, muddy ground. Then, using the flat side of pickaxe, he used it as a lever to pull out the lodged ore from the ground.


    It only took him a couple of tries when the ore successfully dislodge itself from its place. It rolled out to the foul and viscous water. He took it out immediately from the water. As his hand touched the surface of the water, he felt an itching burning sensation on his skin.


    The water there, was like acid albeit of a weaker concentration. He hurriedly put the head-sized ore of aetherium back to the ruck sack on his hip. He iscratched his right hand while he tried to walk out of the damned cave, when suddenly he heard something coming from the canopy.


    It sounded like sharp poles scratching the surface of a rock. It did it a few times, as if travel from one end of the cave to the other. Servus 132-X stood silently, trying to feel where it was coming from.


    He looked around and waved his light over but there was nothing. Fearing the worse, Servus 132-X not did hope to find anything if he ever tried to look up. He was about to do it, when suddenly, pebbles and bits of soil started dropping from his shoulders.


    He looked at it in horror, but he tried to calm himself. Just as the rock particles stopped dropping from his shoulders, Servus 132-X swiftly jumped out of his way. To his surprise, a centipede spawn dropped to that exact spot where he was and now covering his exit.


    He immediately raised his buckler as the water splashed all over the place. He slowly lowered his buckler to take a glimpse at the horrid monster in front of him. Shifting pickaxe for the gladius, Servus 132-X assumed his battle stance. Buckler forward while the blade raised at shoulder-level, pointing at the monster.


    He squinted his eyes to gauge the monster. It was around six footlings long, smaller than centipedes they encountered before. But regardless of the size, he knew that this one is as deadly as the last. He slowly encircled the insect, as he tried to find his exit while trying to defend himself for an inevitable fight.


    The centipede slowly raised its segmented body from the water and weaved its head, ready to attack. Before Servus 132-X could take a deep breath, the centipede lunged itself forward. He caught the attack with the buckler. The pincers squeezed the buckler hard, denting it.


    Servus 132-X struggled as he tried unbuckling his dented shield while the monster continued pushing him against the cold wall. At that moment, he felt the desire to slay the damned beast. There was no hint of doubt or fear in his mind. All the sudden, his memories of his previous lives flashed in his mind. Giving him a much-needed flow of strategy against the beast.


    He was finally able to release his shield just in time for the centipede to clumsily crash into the wall. For some reason, there was something off about the entire thing. The centipede seemed to be weakened and unable to lift itself from the wall.


    Servus 132-X took this an opportunity to attack. He stabbed the centipede''s belly a couple of times until it separated from the rest of its body. Relieved with its demise, he quickly picked up the shield just in time for his light to start flickering.


    As he was about to head for the exit, something passed from the corner of his eye. He saw something move from the heap of carcasses. It looked like smiling heads rolling about staring at him from their empty sockets.


    He thought the miasma was now messing with his mind but just to be sure, he hovered his light over the pile. He saw for a moment the heads hiding as the light struck them. Suddenly, his body froze as his fear started to take over him. As he tried to move his body to the exit, a shadowy figure appeared, blocking his exit once again.


    It looked at him and smiled as it gazed at him with his eyeless socket. The smile became more grotesque as it slowly walked towards him. Servus 132-X couldn''t move an inch. All he could do is watch, as the humanoid lifeform slowly revealed his sharp teeth underneath his grin.

 Chapter 38: Darkness Personified Pt.1

    Servus 132-X could hear his heart beating violently as if it was about to burst out from his chest. The light on his rune slowly flickered and dimmed as the ghastly figure slowly walked towards him. There was no light source from where the humanoid monster stood, but his bony face could be seen clearly.


    As it inched itself towards him, he noticed how it hovered over the foul waters of the cave. A strangely formed shadow covered the entirety of its body like a coat, only exposing its pale white head, its long bony hands and feet.


    The fear he felt as the humanoid approached was heavy and intoxicating. It was a kind of fear that both elicited awe and dread all at once. It was a feeling that he never thought he would feel again. It felt like meeting a Demon Lord for the first time.


    He knew it too well. As a man reincarnated 364 times before, Servus 132-X knew that a Demon Lord''s presence had always felt the same. It was dark, heavy, and fear-inspiring, but at the same time, his presence gave a hint of inspiring awe to those who felt it. Servus 132-X was truly certain about it¡ªhe might be in a presence of a Demon Lord.


    The figure stopped from approaching him mid-way. It looked at him, baffled. The figure stroked its chin with its long and bony fingers while tilting its head side to side. The creature looked like it has never seen a human before.


    It opened its mouth and started to talk, "Asss¡­saaa¡­kak¡­gi¡ªkan?" The creature asked as its grotesque face moved horrendously as it spoke.


    Servus 132-X had never heard a voice so shrill and coarse at the same time. It sounded like two metal blades scraping against each other. Aside from that, he could not understand the language. It sounded like the language he had on his homeland, but he might have misheard it.


    The monster raised its head and began to shake it violently, "AKKAAAAKAAAKKKAAKK!"


    The screeching sound echoed throughout the cave. Servus 132-X felt something warm flowing from his ears. It was sticky but at same time, runny enough to flow out from his ears. He moved his eyes to see what it was as his body was still frozen from the monster''s aura.


    His heart pounded faster. The monster looked pleased at him, as it slightly tilted its head and cupped its hand into its ear. The monster grinned happily as if it heard the beating of his heart. Servus 132- X still struggled to move, alas, he remained still like he was wrapped in shackles. He couldn''t even lift his finger. The only thing that he could move around was his eyes.


    He slowly looked down at his rune as the light slowly faded from it. It flickered more violently to the delight of the creature. As the light flickered the monster slowly waltz from where it stood. The grotesque creature danced gracefully while it hovered over the water. The fluidity of its movement as it raised its arms to the air as its hips slowly was hauntingly beautiful¡ªlike a slow dance of death.


    Suddenly, Servus 132-X could hear the heap of bones moving behind him. It sounded as if it there were things coming out from the heap. The clattering of bones became more audible. More creatures seemed to be coming out from everywhere, as he heard the tapping sounds from the dark canopy.


    A cold gust of air blew from his back. It sent shivers down his spine, a shiver that made the horrifying creature in front of him smile even wider. Cold hands began to touch him. Servus 132-X could only stand in terror as disembodied bony hands started gripping on his feet.


    His light flickered and faded even more, that he could no longer see the disembodied pale and bony hands gripping his feet and legs. He glanced back to the macabre anomaly in front of him, but it suddenly vanished just as he blinked.


    The light was now too weak that its glow only lit up a part of his hand. As it happened, the monster showed its grim-looking face just in front of him. It was so close to him that Servus 132-X could smell its foul rotting breath of death.


    The monster''s face was pale and white with bony prominences protruding on its forehead and cheeks. The closer it was, the more Servus 132-X realized how grotesque its features were. Aside from the bony prominences, it also had eyeless socket, gaping from its face.


    It also appeared to have suture linings on its face. As he looked at it closely, he saw the suture linings run from the base of his chin towards the lower part of its lip, then from the base of upper lip another suture ran until the space in between its eyes.


    The suture seemed to throb with every breath of the monster, as if it were flaps trying to conceal something. But was there anything more hideous than what he was seeing in front of him? He soon found out the hard way.


    The creature faded once more into the shadows and as it did, the cold hands slowly loosened its grip on him until it gradually faded. Servus 132-X was able to move again but his heart still violently pumped from his chest. His hands were cold and clammy. His body shivered from overwhelming aura of the monster.


    The rune started to flicker once more, but this time, it glowed a bit brighter just enough for him to see his way. Thoughts of his impending demise filled his mind as he tried to move his body. He tried shaking them off, but the feeling of death was too overpowering to push aside.


    Instead of just standing around waiting for the inevitable, Servus 132-X decided to move and get out of that hellhole. His body was numb in both fear and pain. He dragged his body out the cave, slightly limping towards the exit.


    As he came closer to it, he noticed his light flickered once more. He tried to throw away the rune, to use a new one, but something stopped him from doing so. His instincts dictated him to keep the same one for now. It was a weird feeling but instead of heeding it, he quickly changed his mind and took a new rune, lit it before throwing the other one.


    As he continued his way, he noticed the light flickered and the glow became weaker as he reached the mouth of the cave. He flicked the rune hard before infusing it with more or what was remaining of his exousia.


    As he took a turn to the exit, he suddenly froze in fear, right in front of him some paces away, were a horde of tall, pale and bony humanoids standing while others crawled maliciously towards him.


    His light flickered again, and the glow slowly faded¡ªbeing eaten by the darkness that would consume him as well. He felt a heavy feeling looming behind him. His heart was about to burst from his chest as the feeling lingered.


    Servus 132-X was currently at the crossroads of a grisly death. Suddenly, he felt a cold heavy hand resting on his left shoulder. He stood their petrified in fear. With the last ounce of courage, Servus 132-X slowly turned his head to his left.


    He saw the grinning menace once again. But this time there was something different about it. The sutures on his face seemed to be opening up. Servus 132-X cannot see anything around him as the light was slowly being snuffed out from his rune. However, the monster''s face was very clear to him, like he watched it at daylight.


    As the monster slowly unfolds its gruesome form. Black viscous fluid started to flow from its sutures. Slowly, the sutures moved individually as if it tried its best to prolong Servus 132-X''s agony of his death.


    After the sutures opened, the creature unveiled its gaping mouth by opening all four flaps of his sutured face. Like a flower from hell, the creature bloomed and revealed the rows of teeth on each flap with fangs big enough to puncture a centipede''s carapace. And to top it all off, strange tentacles started to emerge from its throat.


    Servus 132-X''s heart dropped as the rest of monsters surrounded him ready to devour him¡ªengulfing him with darkness.

 Chapter 39: Darkness Personified Pt.2

    The monster''s foul and icy breath petrified Servus 132-X. His heart sank as the creature''s grotesque tentacles caressed his face with its slimy and painful suctions. This wasn''t Servus 132-X''s first time to be in such dire situation. During his quests from all his past incarnations, there was a thing or two that put him into this kind of spot. But unlike those lifetimes before, in this one he was powerless.


    As a chosen one, the gods of the worlds he has been to, gave him blessings and gifts. Whether giving him the ability to learn fast, god-like strength or unlimited mana, there was always a cushion for him to fall if he ever fell into danger¡ªbut that was before.


    In this world, the world where he forcefully opened, he was left to his own devices. He arrived in this world, powerless. The previous deity, the High Chancellor took most of his acquired skills and abilities from his previous lifetimes.


    It took him a lot of getting used to, especially without his powers that could''ve easily free him from slavery. It could be an act of defiance or simply just arrogance, but he promised himself not to entertain any deities that would welcome him into this world.


    Up to this point, he knew he would be alright. He knew he might die as a slave, without the honor, titles, land or songs to remember him by. It was a death that he longed for at the same time dreaded. Servus 132-X knew death was inevitable to him. But if he were to die, he wanted to go out on his own terms¡ªfighting.


    Servus 132-X was slowly enveloped with his fear and despair. He wanted to scream and cry for help, but the overwhelming fear muted him.


    There was something about this entity that made its presence more terrifying than any Demon Lord he had ever faced. It manipulated his fear. The deepest and darkest of all his fears. The kind of fear that even the previous Demon Lords wouldn''t be able to reach¡ªhimself being powerless.


    As the slimy tentacles slowly wrapped itself on his face, he felt no surge of power in him to fight. There was no point of doing so. He was powerless, what''s even the point? This creature''s strength was in a whole other level than those of the previous monsters and Demon Lords he used to face. It was like those crawling tentacles that destroyed his previous world.


    The sharp suckers penetrated his skin injecting its vile venom on him. The poison travelled all over his body, defiling every cell of him. A surge of pain numbed his senses, making his head feel lighter to the point of euphoria.


    As the monster opened its other set of maws, Servus 132-X finally succumbed to the pleasure of his passing¡ªa wonderful gory end.


    "NO! WAKE UP!" Oyue''s voice suddenly flooded his mind. "THIS IS NOT THE END OF YOUR STORY!"


    Time began to slow. Everything felt like it. He could feel how the tentacles wriggle for only a fraction of its speed. His heart started to beat slowly as his body reacted to the vile venom of the monster.


    Servus 132-X''s wandering mind awakened to the horrifying sight of him being as close to the devilish maws. Suddenly another wave of panic emerged from him, in a whim he realized he wanted to live. But what can he do? How can he get out from the tentacles that''s wrapping his head?


    Oyue''s voice came back once more, "Follow my lead, Adlaw-on if you want to live!"


    There was still hesitation in Servus 132-X''s mind. He never wanted any help from a deity¡ªnot anymore. But he also wanted to live, something triggered inside him that made him hope that he could.


    "Why would I tru¡ª"


    "There is no time for this!" Oyue reprimanded him as her voice echoed in his mind. "These are immensely powerful monsters! You need to use head and exousia against these!" She said.


    He had no more options; he would get killed if he did not put his pride aside. With a sigh, he surrendered his fate to the whispering deity in his head.


    "I only have a little time left before everything goes back up to speed." Oyue warned, "Listen. I need you to fight them with all your might. This monsters mainly feed off from fear, that''s the reason why it was toying with you. Do not be afraid of it! It cannot harm you as much once you do."


    Suddenly, the tentacles came moving normal again. Oyue with her voice of urgency slowly faded but not before she uttered her final instruction, "These are Obscurii, they fear the light! Remember the li¡­"


    The tentacles slowly squeezed Servus 132-X''s head. He could feel his body going numb and his eyes were about to pop out of its socket.


    Instead of fearing his upcoming end, Servus 132-X decided to fight back. With all his might, he focused the flow of his exousia into his hand¡ªthe hand that still held the light rune. Remembering, the basic steps he surged it with his energy, and wriggled his thumb until it was able to touch the rune.


    The pressure from the squeeze strengthened. He could feel his teeth gnashing against each other, as they slowly cracked while his throat and neck began to merge from the pressure.


    The unbearable pain almost made him lose his grip on the rune. His eyes watered as the pressure continued. He knew his blood flow was already abysmal. He should''ve passed out a while back, but his will was keeping him alive.


    His mind began to flood with the faces of the people that cared for him. He began to envision images of the good times he had in the campfire with his new-found friends. The brash-talking dwarf, the quiet-elf and the timid beastman. Their smiles, their hopes and dreams suddenly became his fuel¡ªhis power to fight.


    Wriggling his thumb in his last desperate move, he was finally able to touch the tip of the marking on the rune. Light finally burst out of the rune gracing the darkness with its blinding glow, engulfing even the monster from the void that eagerly wanted to devour him.


    Suddenly, the pressure was gone. The tentacles finally lost its grip on him, and he dropped to the ground with his head intact. He gasped for air, and fumbled his way to find his weapon. As the blinding light distracted the Obscuros and its kin, Servus 132-X grabbed his sword and in one forceful swing and struck the reeling monster from its head downwards.

 Chapter 40: Darkness Personified Pt.3

    As the gladius struck the creature of darkness, Servus 132-X saw his blade shattered into fragments as it touched the creature. Some of the fragments grazed his cheek while the rest of it was scattered into the foul water.


    Servus 132-X''s heart sank seeing how his blade faired against the creature. His despair started to creep out again, but he remembered what Oyue said. He took a deep breath and with all his might, he swung his buckler right at the monster''s face.


    It proved to be effective as the buckler reflected the light from his rune before hitting the creature, burning its face in the process. The monster fell on the water writhing in pain, before dispersing into black smoke.


    That monster''s retreat did not improve his situation. It was only one from the hundreds that had surrounded him. His light flickered and suddenly, the incapacitated Obscurii began to move and put their sights on him.


    The first one, whom he thought was their leader was troublesome enough. But with a swarm of them, he knew he''s in bigger trouble. Without any hesitation, Servus 132-X surged his exousia to the rune once more. The rune blasted another pulse of blinding light. As this was happening, Servus 132-X lunged towards a stunned Obscuros and with his broken blade, he stabbed the creature with it.


    The blade slid without resistance, penetrating the monster''s neck. The anomaly didn''t bleed, it simply dropped to the foul waters, becoming black smoke. His gamble proved to be effective! With that in mind, Servus 132-X started slashing and stabbing the stunned monsters near him.


    Using the rune and buckler, he reflected pulses of light to the blinded monsters while he used his sword on the other. His gambit managed to get him through the stunned swarm of malevolent creatures before him, but it didn''t come with a cost.


    As he plowed his way through the swarm, his exousia was slowly drained out of him. His sword and buckler became heavier as he pushed through the monsters who were now fighting back. His arms went heavy, cramping and burning in pain with every slash and parry.


    His legs hurt as he seared his way through the resisting monsters. The Obscurii''s strength was waned after being struck by the pulses of light. However, it was still difficult for Servus 132-X to budge them. It felt like pushing a boulder to the top of a hill.


    The light started to flicker, and the monsters were becoming riled up as it slowly dimmed. Their faces glowed from the fading light. The Obscurii, surrounded him and fought back. The ones in front of him started pushing him back, overpowering his weakened body. While the rest held him by the arms and strangled him with their tentacular mouths.


    Servus 132-X fell into the foul water with the monsters clawing and biting chunks of him. The creatures had overpowered him with their brute strength and their fear-inducing aura. He knew it would be a gruesome end if he didn''t find a way out.


    As he struggled, he saw an Obscuros tear some of his flesh off his arm, exposing it to the foul waters. He struggled as the Obscuros from behind tightened its tentacles over his neck. He struggled to breathe as he tried to focus his exousia more to the rune. Again, he felt like his vision was fading, but Servus 132-X was never a quitter.


    Finally, it paid off as the light burst again, this time brighter than ever. The monsters were taken aback while some burned and turned into dust. Seizing this opportunity once more, he drew out his pickaxe and stabbed the monster from behind him with it. The sharp side of the tool travelled uncontested towards its throat pinning it down on the ground and transforming it to smoke.


    He then ran towards a small crack he noticed at the left side of the pile of bones while the monsters were still stunned. Servus 132-X had no time to pick up his weapons, it''s a do or die situation. He squeezed himself through the crack and used to the earth rune to create a barrier and conceal him from the monsters. He did this by placing the earth rune at the corner of slit and activated it.


    Then, there was his other gamble¡ªan explosive one. He recalled again the stench inside that cave. It smelled horrendously rotten and flammable. With that in mind, he took a fire rune and threw it on the foul waters on the other side. As his barrier slowly closed on him, he could see the flame start ablaze spreading itself all over the water.


    With not a breath to spare, Servus 132-X heard the loudest screeching cries he ever heard until that point¡ªthe sound of an explosion. Air and fire blasted all over the place. Luckily for Servus 132-X, there was enough space inside the crack that enabled him to go to a safe distance.


    The blast was deafening, Servus 132-X''s ear rang after everything was over. He stood inside the dark space of the slit trying to gain his balance back. With no more weapons and with only a few runes left, Servus 132-X must decide his fate.


    Some time later, after gaining back his normal hearing he decided to check the scene. He approached the cracked rock barrier that he made using the earth rune. It was still steaming and there were a few embers glowing from the cracks.


    The rock felt hot to touch, so he decided to kick it out of his way. He gathered the last ounce of strength he had to knock the barrier out. But as he lifted his leg, his body gave out crashing him into the brittle barrier. The rock crumbled as gravity pushed his body against the rock.


    He fell on the warm and steaming ground. The foul waters dried during the explosion. There was no hint of foul stench left in the air. He looked around to check for any Obscuros, but there was none. He stood up, dragging his weakened and injured body back to his feet.


    There were no more bones and carapaces lying around. It was replaced instead with a huge aetherium ore a sized of a carriage. The pale blue glow of the ore caught Servus 132-X''s eye. His sacrifice had finally paid off, he and his comrades can now be free!


    He limped towards the ore, touching it with his bare hands. It was cool, a stark contrast to the warm environment around it. Suddenly the ore glowed brighter. Servus 132-X averted his gaze on the ore and squinted his eyes to protect his sight, but as he turned away, the sack on his hip that contained the ore glowed along with it.


    The light burst into the cave, covering it with its pale blue glow. It ended as soon as it began, Servus 132-X adjusted his eyes to the sight of the glowing chamber. He looked around once again, saw the glowing crystals poking out from the ground. The cave suddenly turned into a treasure trove of aetherium. With ores poking out of the walls, ceiling, and ground.


    He turned his gaze back to the gigantic ore and noticed the hilt of his blade lodged into the ore. He pulled it out without any resistance. He was surprised when he saw what happened to the blade.


    His gladius was mended back to its original shape but with an oddity. The blade was now imbued with aetherium. The aetherium was patterned like veins spread across the blade, pulsating the pale blue glow. The energy rippled inside of it like water flowing from a stream. It was beautiful and mesmerizing to look at, but sadly, Servus 132-X had no time for such wonder.


    He tucked the sword on his left hip and exited the cave, limping his way to freedom. He came back the path he walked earlier. He passed the cosmos-like path, into the area where the huge stone wall was, and then crawled again into the small opening that he discovered.


    He lit another light rune and proceeded back to where the rope was. He smiled tiredly as he approached the rope. His mind filled with joy as he could finally experience a taste of freedom in this world. As he limped his way to the rope, something passed the corner of his eye.


    He took out his blade and hovered the light around. There was no one there but him. The thought of those monsters might have made a toll in his mind. After all, those horrible creatures had messed up his psyche. He only survived thanks to an unwelcomed support from Oyue and now, he is in her debt.


    He still didn''t trust the self-proclaimed deity. His heart didn''t want to trust her kind anymore. He was hurt by the likes of her before, what could possibly be the difference now.


    His eyesight began to blur. Servus 132-X shook his head to get his sight back to normal, gladly it worked. He became light-headed and his body felt heavy. It looked like his almost out of exousia, and it had finally taken a toll on his body.


    He strode faster to reach the rope. With only a few steps away from his freedom, Servus 132-X reached for the rope. But before he could grab it, a cold hand grabbed him by the shoulder. He turned around and to his surprise, it was an Obscuros


    It smiled at him before throwing him away from the rope. He landed on the murky ground splashing water all everywhere. The impact caused him to lose his light rune and before he can find it or pick one from his satchel, the grotesque creature dragged him back into the cave¡ªback into the darkness and into the void.

 Chapter 41: Dawn of New Beginnings Pt. 1

    [Principalia ,Arteria]


    It was another cold and painful morning for Prince Arterius, who laid on his bed in agony as his throbbing swollen left leg woke him up. He clenched his jaw and murmured some curses as he slowly lifted his body to sit.


    On the dark corner of his well-lit room, his ward, Stolas slept soundly on his working desk with papers scattered all over the place. Even from the blanket of darkness that covered his ward''s face, Prince Arterius was very certain that Stolas drooled over the writing materials that they had.


    He smiled even through the excruciating pain that he had. But for now, that wasn''t his intention for seeking his sleeping ward. He cupped his hands and tried calling his ward subtly.


    "Stolas¡­Stolas¡­" He tried to be as discrete as possible.


    Prince Arterius was a man who respected sleep as much as the next person. That''s why he always took extra care to people who are sleeping, making sure that they don''t get rattled as much as possible. It''s a reflection from his pet peeve of being startled while sleeping, a simple gesture to respect a peaceful sleep.


    He shifted his good leg slightly to the right to avoid numbing. But when he did, his left leg ached stronger than before. He gritted his teeth in pain and decided to break his ward''s peaceful sleep regardless of how loud it would be.


    "STOLAS! STOLAS!!!" The pain throbbed even more, "AH! SCREW THIS LEG!" Prince Arterius banged the headboard of his bed in pain.


    Stolas jumped from his peaceful slumber running towards his prince''s beckoning call, "Prince Arterius! What happened?!" The frantic ward knelt by the bed trying to calm his master down.


    Stolas came around the bed with a piece of paper sticking on his right cheek and with some ink smeared across his face. It would have been a funny sight to see if only Prince Arterius'' leg wasn''t bugging him.


    "Get me some water, and my medicine, now!" He commanded his ward.


    Stolas stumbled across the floor as he tripped over himself. Prince Arterius winced and hoped his ward wasn''t injured¡ªit would''ve been bad if it did.


    Prince Arterius trusted Stolas more than anyone else and he didn''t want some stranger tending to his needs. He just didn''t trust his father''s servants, since the day he overheard them badmouthing him.


    Stolas hurriedly stood up and finally grabbed his medicine, that was placed at the working table where he slept.


    After drinking the bitter syrup, the Imperial doctor gave him, Prince Arterius decided to close his eyes and doze off, as he let the drug''s potency to spread and take effect on him.


    Prince Arterius woke up to a loud crashing sound at his door. Startled, he looked around and saw his father, the Imperatur, approaching him with a furious face.


    "You fool!" The Imperatur slapped him by the back of his hand. "How dare you waste our funds over this useless garbage of a project!" His father grabbed him by his collar and berated him even more.


    "I knew, I should''ve not let you become my first in line!" His father threw him hard to the bed.


    Prince Arterius bounced on his cushion. Luckily, he drank his medicine earlier as he ended up rolling over his left leg.


    The Imperatur gave him a cold stare, "There are no weaklings in my family!" He spatted. "I order your so-called research division to be closed immediately!"


    "You can''t do that, father!" Prince Arterius answered back.


    His father raised an eyebrow on him, "You dare speak back to me?" The Imperatur''s nostrils flared at his audacity.


    "Yes. I do, Great Imperatur." Prince Arterius swallowed hard. "I want to bargain with y¡ª"


    His father walked away from his bed, ready to storm out of his room.


    He felt dejected by the one man he wanted to get approval. The Imperatur was a cruel man, only recognizing those who are strong. Prince Arterius was nothing of that, but he was smart. Smart enough to outwit him at that very moment.


    "YOU SAID RECOGNIZE STRENGTH AND YET YOU RAN AWAY FROM A BARGAIN?!" Prince Arterius spat without even thinking of what the consequences might be.


    "W-what did you¡ª" the livid Imperatur was interjected by his son before he can finish his question.


    "Two days, Father! Two days and I will show you my invention." He looked at the Imperatur straight in the eyes, "If I fail, you can disown me and give my inheritance and birthright to my brother."


    The Imperatur met his gaze and laughed, "By the gods! You do have a pair after all!" His smile turned into a grin. "I accept that. At least in two days, I will no longer be a laughingstock at the Senate for naming you heir."


    His father stormed out of his room cackling.


    Prince Arterius felt his heart broke. His own father still thought of him as a nuisance. A weakling that needs to be purged from the family bloodline. He will prove him wrong.


    After the big explosion that happened over 10 days ago, Prince Arterius was able to create the design before passing out. He also was able to instruct Stolas to run over to the smithy to commission the weapon.


    He was lucky to think of it in advance and was even luckier for the palace''s smithy to make it for him. The dwarves of the smithy were interested in his fascination with the art of weaponry-making that they wouldn''t mind making his intricate samples.


    Stolas hesitantly approached him, but he smiled at him and gestured to approach him.


    "My Prince¡­" Stolas tried to start a conversation. "I¡ª"


    "Stolas, how''s our research going?" He interrupted. "Have we solved already the air dynamic problem and explosivity of our design?" He asked.


    Stolas fumbled for words, "Well, last night we were redesigning the shape for its aerodynamics but¡ª"


    "Good. Let''s start from there." Prince Arterius smiled at Stolas with a glimmer of determination on his eyes.


    He wanted to prove to his father and the Senate wrong. He might never be as strong as his younger brother, but they shouldn''t cut them out from the count. Not yet.


    "They''re in for a surprise!" Prince Arterius smirked.

 Chapter 42: Dawn of New Beginnings Pt.2

    As soon as Prince Arterius composed himself, Stolas brought the piles of parchments lying on the desk where he slept over to his master''s bed.


    "Grab that table and small chair." Prince Arterius pointed at the corner of the room, while he leaned on the headboard. "Also, can you put pillows over this damned leg?" He commanded.


    Stolas nodded and began to drag the heavy wooden table from the corner of the room and then the chair. He placed it at the side of the bed facing the prince. After he was done with that, he then took some pillows and placed it under the prince''s swollen leg gently.


    Arterius winced as Stolas lifted his leg sending an uneasy feeling travelling down his spine. "Damn it!" He muttered.


    "You should''ve taken the doctor''s advice and got it casted." Stolas murmured sounding condescending to him.


    This sort of attitude could get any servant executed immediately, but Stolas was an exception. He was fond of him. He''s his confidant, friend and treated him like family more than he treated his real brother.


    "I would''ve, but I don''t trust Master Aescilus on this." Prince Arterius spat.


    He had always looked down on that physician for several reasons, one being was the death of his mother. It was Aescilus who tended to his sickly mother by his father''s orders. He gave her medications and alternative treatments often radical or never been heard of.


    Prince Arterius remembered how he begged for his father to get another physician, but instead, he was slapped and beaten by the Imperatur for questioning his decisions. The medications continued until her body gave in, during the spring festival some 10 years ago.


    His mother, Lady Orienne of House Horcula died, malnourished and bed-ridden after those failed treatments.


    Prince Arterius vividly remembered how Master Aescilus patted his shoulder and said, "The gods had taken her from us, my Prince. Be happy for her end was peaceful."


    Just the thought of it, made the prince''s blood boil. He knew how incompetent that physician was, masking his mistakes over his inability to use proper tools and medication.


    Stolas handed him the notes, interrupting his thoughts. On the first parchment, were several sketches of the cannon and its matching cannonball. Prince Arterius examined the designs once more. Tracing his fingers over the sketches while calculating in his mind the validity of the design concept.


    The cannon which he designed during the incident, was 12 footlings long, with the cylindrical muzzle of 2 and a half footlings around it. At the opposite end of the cannon was ring reinforcements. It had the same design as a regular cannon with the placements of reinforcement rings at the muzzle, the segmented chase and at the breach. However, that''s where all the similarities end.


    The cannon had 3 vents, different from a regular one that only had one. The one of the vents was located on top while the other two were located on each side of the cannon.


    This cannon did not have a vent opening for niter to be use as catalyst, instead he made it available for the breach open, so they could place aetherite and red mercury receptacles inside of it. Inside of the breach he designed fire runes for quick and easy activation of the cannon.


    In theory, the compressed space where both the aetherite and red mercury are place should create enough pressure to propel a cannon ball when it reacts with the fire rune. In Prince Arterius'' design, he wrote that the powerful the exousia output provided on the cannon should equal the propulsion and velocity of the cannonball¡ªagain, in theory.


    Prince Arterius still had his doubts if it would ever work on the real setting. It would certainly help if they have run some tests to see if it really works, but with the time constraint and pressure from his father, it''s proven impossible.


    He never wanted the throne. Prince Arterius never wanted the responsibility of taking care of a nation, let alone be in cohorts with officials that are so hell-bent in dethroning you the moment your resolve waned.


    Prince Arterius considered himself a man of knowledge¡ªa man of progress. He wanted his entire life to be dedicated into research. He wanted to help his people through researching technological advancements and discoveries to better their lives. His brainchild, A.R.T.E.R.I.U.S was just his first step towards that goal, but with its impending closure, his dreams might not come into fruition.


    But he won''t let that happen. Prince Arterius knew he was up to something world-changing, and he''s up to the task to get it done. Getting another parchment, Arterius picked up the quill soaked in the inkwell and began to write again.


    He started with designing a glass sturdy enough to withstand the blasting force of the aetherite and red mercury catalyst, but brittle enough to explode upon impact. He listed some of the possible metals and stones that can be used on this new projectile.


    "Stolas." He called as he continued to sketch the new weapon. "How is cannon going?" He glanced at Stolas who had a worried look on his face.


    "Uhm¡­" Stolas hesitated to answer the question.


    Prince Arterius sighed. He already knew what that meant, but he still wanted Stolas to provide the details of this setback.


    "Speak up, Stolas. Let me hear it." He commanded.


    Prince Arterius'' heartbeat raced as he wished that the setback wouldn''t be as catastrophic as his ward''s face would have illustrated.


    "They sidelined our project under your father''s request." Stolas blurted. "They only made the half end of the breach but the rest of the body was¡ª"


    "WHY HAVE YOU NOT TOLD ME YESTERDAY?!" Prince Arterius'' anger was palpable. In his frustration, he threw the inkwell into the floor, scattering the pitch-black ink on the floor.


    "I wasn''t able to Arterius." Stolas sighed, "You were already asleep when I returned."


    Prince Arterius massaged his temple and laid his back into the headboard. He stared emptily into the wall. His heart sank. He''s only hope ruined by his father''s suffocating grasp. He knew he was finished. He glanced at Stolas walked away and started cleaning the ink flooding the floor.


    His body trembled at the despair he will face in the next two days. At this point all he can do was wait for the moment of his demise. His demise as the son of the Imperatur. His demise as the brother of the Mighty Virtus and the end of his dream.


    Prince Arterius'' eyes began to water. Tears welled his eyes as he slowly descended into his impasse. His emotions overcame the prince and soon, his tears started to fall like raindrops. He was truly a worthless person as what his father would tell him.


    A failure of a prince, a failure of a man, and a failure of a son. His father''s words flooded his mind as his tears rolled into his cheeks. He looked down at his designed with a blurry vision, as he slowly crumpled the parchment.


    It was just then that some thing caught his eye. At the back of the parchment was quote he usually wrote on his research in a language that only he and his mother knew¡ªthe language they made out of fun.


    "Believe in your Strength and become the Magic to change the world."


    Suddenly, it brought him back to the deepest of his memories about his mother. Her glowing smile, her warm comforting hug, her tender touch as she messed his hair. The memories flooded back to him. His mother, who had always been his staunch defender, who he lost at such an early age.


    He remembered it all, her memory and her eyes. The eyes that never lose the glimmer of hope even in her darkest hour. His mother fought death to the very end, and left her hope rested in his heart.


    "Son," his mother said in her deathbed. "I could no longer be with¡­you. So, take care of yourself and your brother¡­never lose hope¡­ Ald indiira Mieron, et Magicus ter Pangea."


    "Believe in your Strength and become the magic to change the world." He muttered back.


    Prince Arterius wiped out the tears in his eyes and cleared his throat. His mother''s memory had given him the strength to fight back. No matter how hopeless his situation was, he knew he had to try his earnest.


    "Stolas." He called. "Prepare the carriage we are going to the Smithy."


    "But Arterius, your condition would make it¡ª" Stolas protested.


    "Impossible?" Prince Arterius interjected. "This is nothing. This injury is nothing! My father''s words are nothing! If I am to change this world, I would have to do the impossible!" He looked at his ward''s face filled with confusion and bewilderment at the same time.


    "Are you sure, you want to pull this off?" Stolas asked.


    Arterius looked at him in the eyes and nodded.


    Stolas understood his master''s conviction. Knowing Prince Arterius of so long, he knew that he had always been the fighter, no matter what others said about him.


    "I was worried you''d give up so easily." Stolas smiled. "I shall be with you until the very end. I will prepare the carriage now."

 Chapter 43: Dawn of New Beginnings Pt.3

    It took a while for Prince Arterius to descend from the stairs, down to the main hall. With every step he took, his foot ached in protest to his reckless action.


    Stolas tried to help Prince Arterius from his predicament. First by offering him to call servants to carry him down the massive stairway but the prince refused. Second, while they where walking down the stairs Stolas offered his arm for his master to lean on to, but the prideful prince refused.


    After a few more curses, hurting and steps, Prince Arterius finally managed to overcome the stairs. The prince drenched himself in sweat as his face contorted in pain. Stolas hurriedly took Prince Arterius'' arm and insisted on helping him the rest of the way.


    The proud prince wanted no help from him, but after his foot stung once more, he obliged the offer. It was still a struggle for Arterius to make his way to the carriage. Just the mere fact of raising his bad leg at the carriage''s step was an ordeal for him. But the prince was determined and desperate to prove his father wrong and went through it with no complaints.


    After he seated himself inside the carriage, Stolas provided him with a good cushion to support his leg. His ward also brought a cane that the prince dreaded to use up to that point.


    "Why do you have to bring that?" Prince Arterius was annoyed at his ward''s insistence on bringing the cane.


    "Well, Arterius," Stolas began, "As much as I hate to see you being desperate as you are right now, I would really hate it even more to see you crippled." He answered with a condescending tone on the stubborn prince.


    Prince Arterius sighed and nodded. Stolas knocked on the carriage''s wall signaling the coachman to depart. They now began their journey to the A.R.T.E.R.I.U.S facility to get some blueprints and then they head to the Smithy.


    The Prince tried to move and sit as comfortable as he can, but the injured left leg kept on foiling his wish for a peaceful trip. With every shake and bump, the more his leg screamed pain. The throbbing, warm and swollen leg bugged him so much, he asked Stolas to hand him his medication.


    His ward reluctantly agreed on it, but Prince Arterius was adamant about it.


    "Either you give me that medication or I swear to the gods I will stab myself if it''s the only way for me to not feel this fucken pain!"


    Of course, he lied about the stabbing part. But the pain was truly unbearable for him that he went out of his character.


    Still reluctant, Stolas handed him the bottle containing the medicine. "You shouldn''t take more than one, Prince Arterius."


    "I shouldn''t?" The prince condescendingly answered. "The only reason why I am taking this is because that fool of a doctor had somehow managed to give me a drug that definitely works."


    He took a swig of the bitter concoction and handed the bottle back to his ward, "He used a traditional medicine to numb my pain. That''s the only reason why I am using this and even then, I felt he just underdose me."


    Stolas hid the bottle back to the bag, "And now you''re playing physician?"


    "I certainly am not! I have read the Codex of Medications and saw the dosages there! He underdosed me!" The prince explained.


    "If you say that Master Aescilus is indeed a bad physician, why hasn''t he been replaced?" Stolas asked.


    "Stolas¡­" Arterius muttered. "I will tell you another day. But for now, I just want to shut my eyes and rest while this medicine does its work."


    "Of course, My Prince." Stolas slightly bowed his head and let Arterius sleep in peace.


    As soon as Arterius closed his eyes, he began to dream. The moment that he did, it was of his mother''s.


    He was reminded of her gentle smile as she carried him in her arms while walking the wide corridor of the Imperial Palace. He was crying at that time; he can''t remember why he did but he sobbed hard in his mother''s arms.


    "There, there my young prince," his mother shushed him. "Cheer up!"


    "But mother, fa¡­fa¡­father sa¡­said I-am weak." The young Arterius protested as he insisted to bawl his eyes out.


    "My dear son," his mother caressed his head. "You are not weak. You are simply unique! You may not have the strength your father wanted you to have but you have these." His mother pointed his head and heart.


    "You are intelligent and it''s better than any brawn can ever muster!" His mother smiled. "And you have the heart. A heart that has the capacity for truth and compassion. Those are your strengths! Believe in them."


    "But mother, having super strength and unlimited exousia is cooler!" He protested again.


    His mother smiled at him then flicked a finger to his forehead.


    "Ow!" He exclaimed as he tried to sooth the pain of his flicked forehead. "Why mother?"


    "My little prince, you listen well," his mother smiled at him once more. "Indeed, strength can move mountains! I agree! But, it is compassion that can move human hearts. A vast amount of exousia will find no match to a man who has endless knowledge and imagination. Your energy will dry up if you continue using it, but your knowledge and imagination will hone sharper if you use it continually. And that''s why, you do not need to cry."


    Lady Orienne kissed Prince Arterius'' cheek and whispered. "Remember your strength and believe in it. It will one day change the world."


    The carriage suddenly went to a halt, just in time for the sleeping prince to wake up from his nap.


    "Mother." He muttered.


    "Yes, My Prince?" Stolas answered back.


    Prince Arterius rubbed his eyes looking at his ward confused over what happened. "Ah, No! It''s nothing."


    There was a hint of awkwardness in the air. Stolas cleared his throat and broke the silence.


    "Prince Arterius, we have arrived." He announced.


    Prince Arterius nodded, "Good! Now, it''s time to perform a miracle!"


    "Miracle?" Stolas skeptically asked. "I thought you never believed on those sorts?"


    "I do not. If I cannot pull them off myself!" He smirked. "Come on Stolas, we have two more days. Just enough for us to leave them speechless!"

 Chapter 44: Dawn of New Beginnings Pt.4

    Prince Arterius carefully moved out of the carriage leaning on Stolas on one arm and the cane on the other. His foot numbed as the medicine took its effect giving him ample of time to move around and carry around the task.


    The prince used the cane to lean his body into while his good foot stepped on the marbled floor of the facility. Prince Arterius strutted hastily from the well-lit corridor towards the research room. Stolas followed him, worried about his master''s condition might worsen if he carelessly disregards his injury.


    Prince Arterius swung the door open, and was welcomed with the sights, sounds, smells and gleeful faces of the researchers working for him. They stopped what they''re doing, greeted him with smiles and admiration for his dedication to the craft.


    "My friends, as much as I appreciate your warm welcoming embrace, I am afraid we do not have the luxury of time to celebrate." Prince Arterius began. "In two days, our facility will be closed in accordance with my father''s command if we do not meet his deadline for the cannon¡ªwhich is in two days." He sighed emphasizing the deadline.


    The researchers chattered amongst themselves. Their faces painted with worry and uncertainty after hearing the news. Prince Arterius understood their feelings and consoled them.


    "Friends, this is no time to gloat or worry. Inventions cannot progress that way! Within the next two days, I want you to focus yourselves on the weapon project!" He commanded. "Help me! And I swear to you on my mother''s grave, that we will get our victory! Then, gone will be the days of them ridiculing our research facility! We prove all of our skeptic wrong!"


    As the prince made his speech, his words of encouragement lit a fire on his subordinates'' heart. He gazed into their eyes and saw that fire glimmered.


    "We shall no longer be the laughingstock! Nay! We shall be the ones to laugh at them for not believing in our research! Now, who''s with me?!" Prince Arterius ended his speech with a burning determination and raised his fist rousing a clamor from his peers.


    The research room echoed with shouts of determination. Prince Arterius just lit the fire for everyone who began to divert their attention to the cannon¡ªtheir magnum opus and their last hope. They convened themselves and decided to split the daunting tasks amongst themselves.


    One team managed the different design sketches Prince Arterius made for the projectile on the cannon and started working on making them. The other group experimented on the perfect mix of red mercury and aetherite to serve as propellant for the cannonball. And the other team worked on making a special fire rune that could withstand water submersion and would only work for Principalia military personnels in case the cannons get captured.


    The research room was full of life, buzzing and hectic. Everybody was as focused as they were as desperate to stay afloat and be recognized. Everyone left whatever project and research they had to help the prince and save themselves from shutdown.


    Their determined looks also lit a fire to Prince Arterius. After giving the leaders of each team some instructions, Arterius left with the copy of the cannon''s blueprint and some sketch designs on his hands. He hurried back to the carriage and instructed Stolas to go to the Smithy.


    "Looks like we ended up staying there longer than I expected." Prince Arterius smiled. "Now, it''s time for us to get our cannon."


    Stolas could only help but smile and hope that the gods smile upon them on their endeavor.


    They started to travel again from the facility going to the Smithy which was 2 ildwyrms on the opposite end of the capital, near the Proteus entrance gate.


    The long bumpy ride caused Arterius'' leg some discomfort. The numbing pain became unbearable as time passed. Halfway along their journey Arterius asked for Stolas to give him the medicine. His ward hesitated and reminded him of the possible adverse effects if he consumed more than the prescribed dosage. But Prince Arterius was adamant about needing a few more swigs to manage the pain.


    A few arguments later, Stolas gave up and handed over the bottle. Prince Arterius took a sip of the drug before giving the bottle back to his ward. Arterius dozed off once more, but this time it was more of a peaceful dreamless sleep.


    It was already late in the day, around the high level of Andenoon when they arrived at the Smithy. Prince Arterius rushed inside the forge and looked for the forge''s master whom he found hammering some ore in the corner. Stolas caught up with his master afterwards.


    The sweltering heat and noisy clanking of hammering metal irritated the prince. It didn''t help him either that he needed to shout at the top of his lungs for the forge master to notice him. The burly dwarf looked at him from foot to head and gestured him to approach. Unfortunately, due to the clutter surrounding the dwarf, it would really be hard for him to approach.


    Stolas intervene just in the nick of time. Just before he hurt his throat from his constant shouting which deemed to be ineffective over the clangs and bangs of metal being hammered. His ward gestured back to the dwarf his master''s condition and his inability to go to where he was.


    Arterius could see the dwarf sigh while scratching his head. He signed to them meet him at his office which was quieter. They followed the dwarf deeper into the forge passing the huge cauldrons of molten metal hissing and bubbling as it poured into molds. There were also human slaves and other races, carrying barrows of unrefined ore piling it to the side of the cauldron. Some dwarfs were also seen hammering folded metal.


    The heat from the forge was not good for Prince Arterius'' feet. It started to throb and ache a little after a few walks, but the persistent prince never let it bother him.


    Finally, they reached the part of the forge where the temperature was cooler, and the sounds became almost inaudible to a point. The dwarf turned right, crossing an iron bridge suspended over a bottomless pit. At the end of the bridge was a huge wall that the dwarf touched revealing strange runes that Arterius hadn''t read yet. The wall began to open and there it was, the dwarf''s office.


    The forge master''s office was made of wood. As expected from their hectic schedule, the office was full of clutter and dust. The forge master took a towel from one of his cabinets and wiped some chairs for them to sit.


    Prince Arterius was very earger to rest his leg and indulged the dwarf''s hospitality. When everyone was settled in, the dwarf cleared his throat and began to ask questions.


    "What ''er ya doin ''ere?" The dwarf stroked his beard while he leaned on the backrest of the chair.


    Stolas looked at Prince Arterius before answering the dwarf. His master nodded to him.


    "We would like to know the progress of the can¡ª"


    "Bahh! Iz da Prince mute, eh? I wanna hear frum yah, prince!" The dwarf pointed at the prince, irritated that Stolas had to talk for Arterius.


    Prince Arterius smiled. He liked the dwarf''s audacity albeit disrespectful tone, "Good ser, I would like to see the progress of the cannon." He asked.


    "Ser?! Ah Ser, eh?" The dwarf scratched his beard. "This is nay a Ser! And yar cannons aren''t dun yet. Hell! We only finished the breach and ''alf of it when we received an order from the Imperatur to seize operations. At this point, we had our hands full, we cannot get it done with the specifications you asked." He said as he stood up from his chair.


    "Gentlemen, I would ''ave to leave yer right now, I ''ave work ta finish." The dwarf mockingly bowed as he went for the door.


    Arterius knew it was a long shot. He knew how these dwarfs are. His mother told him about their nature and Stolas told them about their condition inside the forge. The dwarves work tirelessly to keep the forge open and working. Creating weapons and armors for the Principalia making sure that they dominate the world.


    But even with that honorable task, they were treated differently compared to their human counterparts. As slaves and prisoners of war, they weren''t given salary nor days of rest. Most of them had worn the same clothes they have worn ever since they were captured.


    Some of their clothes are most likely, sewn from used clothing that the other slaves have. It has been a known tradition inside this hellhole of a forge, to take the garments of the deceased and re-use them for your own, rather than burning them along with the body.


    The prince hated the condition they''re in, but this was no time for pity. He had no time to hear their wiles, not when his life and research facility is also at stake. He had to think quick. He had to make them a deal to get his work done as quickly as possible.


    "A SMALL CHEST OF 200 GOLD TALENTS!" He offered to the dwarf.


    "But My Prince¡ª" Stolas tried to object but was shushed by his master.


    Arterius saw the dwarf''s reaction. He froze and slowly looked at him with a dead serious stare.


    "Yer kiddin right?" The dwarf couldn''t believe it. "That value is so much for just a fucken¡ª"


    "A fucken cannon?!" Arterius smiled and stood up. He approached the dwarf, "I know how dire your situation is here. And I also know how much this could help the dwarvenkind and other slaves here." He muttered.


    "And if we make the cannon, how sure are we to get that money?!" The dwarf looked at him in the eyes.


    Prince Arterius smiled as he took off his ring. "I hope this would suffice as collateral." He reached out his hand to the dwarf and gave his ring. "This is a ring created by the finest dwarven craftsmen at Orfiega, on the north end of the capital¡ªyour brethrens."


    "And what good would this be for us? You can pay another one to make yer ring again." The dwarf spat.


    "They cannot. The materials wouldn''t be the same. This is also an heirloom from my mother." Prince Arterius answered. "So, it can never be replaced. I am putting this as collateral as sign of good faith."


    The dwarf looked at the ring once again. He ran it along his fingers before putting it to his pocket. "Why would you risk your mother''s heirloom for a fucken cannon?" The dwarf asked.


    The prince smiled, "I also have my battles to win and that cannon is the key to my victory. Would you help me?"


    The dwarf''s laughter surrounded the small, spaced room, "I like ya, Prince. Ya got balls! I will help yah! When would you need it?"


    "Tomorrow by sunrise. Doable?" Prince Arterius asked the dwarf.


    The dwarf was silently stroking his beard. His eyebrows furrowed for a while, but it lightened up a few moments later. "Ya don''t know who yar talking to?! Be here with the money by then."


    Both the Prince and the dwarf smiled at each other and then clasped each other''s hand to formalize the contract.


    "You will be delighted to see the cannon by tomorrow!" The dwarf claimed.


    "I believe in your abilities." The prince smiled once again.


    "Ya Bettar!" The dwarf grinned.

 Chapter 45: Dawn of New Beginnings Pt.5

    The day ended with everything set in place. The research team was doing their best in working to perfect the right formulae for the propellant and projectile. But his work was not yet done. As Ifnen approaches to its high level, Prince Arterius was still on his wits trying to figure out what sort of other things he might''ve missed during the planning period.


    He read through the pages of his notes while the carriage drove passed the palace. Prince Arterius planned on sleeping in the research facility, a move his father certainly wouldn''t even allow. But he didn''t care anymore. In fact, the Imperatur and the Senate could kiss his behind!


    He knew that he was making a huge progress here, and this cannon was his first step towards that goal. With his weird aetherite bauble swaying in the carriage''s ceiling. He began to review the notes once again, looking for inspiration on this wild endeavor. That''s what he would want Stolas to feel¡ªdeep down he''s just scared to face failure, if tomorrow will flunk.


    His ward knew him too well. Stolas cannot be deceived by his furrowed brows focused on the half-empty parchments filled with sketches and scribbles. Stolas reached for the book and took it from his master.


    "That''s enough for today, Arterius." He sternly said. "You can''t fool me with that reading fa?ade you are doing right now."


    Prince Arterius wanted to defend himself, "But¡ª"


    "No buts, Arterius." Stolas sighed as he reached for his master''s shoulder. "You have done all that you can for this project, and I won''t allow you to give up. But you must take a rest! You haven''t eaten since last night, by the gods!" He shook his master''s shoulder.


    "I am not hungry! I must work, my pride depends¡ª" just as he tried to protest his ward''s proposition, his stomach made a protest of its own. It grumbled and growled like a wild animal looking for food.


    Stolas smiled, "My Prince, even your body knows your mind is overbearing." He patted his master''s shoulder. "We eat first, read for a bit and rest early. Tomorrow, the cannons will be done, and you are to pay those dwarves with their price."


    Prince Arterius stared blankly at the ceiling, refusing to acknowledge his body''s pleas. Everything was on the line and he had the audacity to rest?! He found it unfair for him to do such! However, his ward was adamant about it.


    Stolas knew that his master''s determination might be detrimental to his physical and mental capacity and thus, he had to intervene. After a few more conversations, Prince Arterius finally agreed to his ward''s proposition.


    After they arrived in the A.R.T.E.R.I.U.S, Stolas made him a simple meal from the dried meat and bread from the kitchen. The prince ate the food hastily, as he tried his best to efficiently work with the other researchers who were close to finally creating the perfect formula for propulsion.


    He could see the look on their faces as their desperation and determination culminated into their works. After a few more discussions and little experimentations they ended the night with a hope that the gods would smile upon them when the morning comes.


    Prince Arterius struggled to sleep that night. It was his first time sleeping inside his facility. The little house he converted into his private research laboratory. He slept on one of the vacant rooms that was reserved for him. It was small and didn''t have the numerous light baubles that he had in his room. He hated it¡ªtruly hated the room for the lack of lighting. But it wasn''t the time for complaints.


    His mind swirled with the uncertainties that tomorrow might surprise them. Would the dwarves truly finish the cannon he commissioned by the morning? Where will he go if he fails? Would an ally Senator take him in? Would Lord Prestonheim take him in? These thoughts kept him restless, not to mention his leg shameless throbbed its way into the night.


    He cursed under his breathe and arose from his bed. He squinted as he looked for the bottle of medicine Stolas conveniently placed on top of the table at the other end of the room. He took his cane and walked as silently as possible so not to disturb his sleeping ward.


    After drinking a swig or two, Prince Arterius finally went back to his bed. The drug had a calming effect on him. It numbed his senses along with his mind. He felt nothing at all. No anxiety. No stress. No emotions. He closed his eyes and breath in contentment to what he felt. Finally, sleep took over him.


    He woke up the morning after, with a throbbing headache and an equally painful leg. The sun''s ray irritated his eyes, that he could only squint as the trio of irritants greeted his morning. He looked around for his ward but Stolas wasn''t there in the room.


    He quickly made his way into the corner of the room and took a swig of the medicine get him through the day. After all the pain subsided, he then proceeded to wash his face and start the day. He went back to the research room where he was greeted with buzzing noises of researchers eagerly whispering at one another.


    He came closer to them to hear what it was all about but couldn''t seem to hear them still.


    "What''s going on?" He asked.


    "Oh! Prince Arterius!" One of the researchers bowed. "Make way for the Prince! Hey you! Stop hogging that!" He pointed at another researcher who was blocking the prince''s view.


    As the researchers finally scattered, the sight of the newly designed cannon emerged.


    Arterius'' eyes glowed as he saw the product of their hard work. The cannon was built exactly as what they intended it to be and more. While the cannon was exactly as what they expected it to be, its holder was made different.


    The cannon was mounted on a platform that was securely locked in placed by four metal rods wrapped around the cannon and then wielded to the platform. It was intricately detailed with leaf-like shapes engraved over the metal. The platform was then attached to a mobile cart with a hand-pulled lever on the side.


    It looked like the dwarves took liberty with the design and made it more mobile and mountable rather than just a sturdy positioned weapon.


    Stolas entered the room. He wore a big smile on his face, glowing radiantly like the sun.


    "Where have you been and how did you managed to do this?" Prince Arterius asked.


    "Well, last night, I already prepared the money while you were asleep." Stolas explained. "I woke up early at dawn and tried to wake you up too, but you weren''t responding so I promptly went on without you, My Prince." He handed him back his ring.


    There was something off about what Stolas said. He said he counted money while he was sleeping, but as far as he could remember, he had difficulty sleeping due to damned leg. Yet, his ward was telling him otherwise.


    He wanted to pry even further but decided not to. They don''t have the luxury of time to do that and the medication, along with stress could have messed up his perception of time. Prince Arterius wore his ring and proceeded to go forth with the trials. With only one more day to spare, he needed to report his findings to his father and the senate. He also needed to invite them for the test by tomorrow.


    Having the cannon delivered on time was certainly a huge help for him. He planned on reporting the findings to the Imperatur and Senate by the high Andenoon during their third session of the day.


    They pulled the weapon outside into the open field inside the facilities compound. Prince Aterius instructed the other researchers to find something hard and sturdy to use as a target. Luckily, there were thick adamantite plates sitting in the storage room.


    Adamantite was used to cover the hulls of the ships. It was a technology founded from a distant land, that was used in their naval fleet. The same fleet that tried to conquer them ten years prior. The metal was so durable, it could even withstand a cannonball and magic attacks at the same time. They were just so lucky a storm wiped out the invading armada, or the Principalia would have been done for.


    Some of the researchers, set-up the target while the others were measuring its distance, Stolas silently slid a letter on the prince''s hand. Prince Arterius immediately understood the secrecy of the letter and decided to read it right there.


    It was written by the dwarven forgemaster.


    [[ Dearest Prince,


    I hope you liked your new toy! I made it exactly to your specifications (for the most part). I have taken the liberty to redesign the stand, because your design proved fatal if used in real testing. The stand I made is enough to withstand the shockwave your cannon could release during its firing.


    I am truly amazed at how this would turn out to be. I have been a weaponsmith all my life, but I have never thought of the day you would use aetherites to propel a projectile. It''s a crazy design but based on my calculations-- doable.


    I respect that! I gave you praises! This is from one weaponsmith to the other.


    P.S.


    Make sure to pull the lever down to steady the cannon in place, or else someone might get hurt catching the cannons backward movement. (Also, thank you for the business we hope to hear from you soon!)


    At Your Service,


    Loda Dwarvariel


    Arterian Forgemaster]]


    The letter stunned Prince Arterius for a number of reasons. Firstly, the forgemaster''s penmanship was as good as a scribe. Secondly his use of words was as close to a Principalia''s court scribe could get. Lastly, the dwarf made his own calculations about how the cannon would work and even made his own inferences that could make any of his researchers jealous.


    He wanted to ignore the last part of the letter. But it was a dwarf advising him to do so! Knowing their mastery in weapons forging, he ought not to undermine that.


    The sweaty researchers came back huffing but excitedly reported that the target was ready. The researchers set the distance at 2000 paces, roughly around half an ildwyrm distance. Prince Arterius ordered the cannon to be loaded with the phials and pulled the lever down to lock.


    They open the breach chamber and loaded the gas aetherite and red mercury in while the other one, loaded the barrel with a heavy metal ball. Once everything was set in place, another researcher activated the rune by placing his hand over the upper part of the breach where the fire rune marking was etched.


    He loaded it with his exousia and without any warning, the cannon fired. Its sound echoed throughout the field on its release. The thunderous sound even winded some researchers but that was not the result they wanted.


    In the distance they saw a bunch of researchers running towards them carrying scraps of metal.


    "IT BLASTED THE ADAMANTITE SHEET!!!!" The researchers exclaimed.


    There was a unison of shouts booming in the air. A shout of elation! A shout of victory! A defeaning sound of success.


    It brought tears to Prince Arterius'' eyes as he finally overcame another obstacle.


    "Stolas, prepare the chariot. We are going to the Senate!" He couldn''t hide the big cracking smile off his face.

 Chapter 46: Dawn of New Beginnings Pt.6

    The streets of Arteria have been awfully loud lately, bustling with merchants from all parts of the Principalia. Cart loads of slaves from the far frontiers of the Elven and Dwarven rebel kingdoms, textile from the trading tribes of the south, exotic animals and spices from the far kingdom of Ardanta. The endless caravan of different items and people made the capital a city of trade and a world''s crossroads of cultures and arts.


    Although happy with the prosperity of his beloved Principalia, Prince Arterius hated the dense queue on the street. It became difficult for his carriage to navigate going to the Senate, especially when this was the only road going forth to it.


    He jittered as he sweated from the sweltering hot air around him. More people and animals meant more heat, thus sweat and unwanted odor. That''s the reality of the capital, stink and sweat from everyone and everything being there made the city streets putrid.


    Prince Arterius wished to resolve that issue. He had good ideas. Ideas, that needed the Senate and his father''s approval. But everything would be in jeopardy if his cannon won''t pass to their standards. This was his ticket to make his future ideas into a reality.


    After a hefty amount of discussion and cursing with Stolas, they finally arrived at the Senate''s grounds. It was almost the high level of Andernoon when they arrived. Prince Arterius instructed Stolas to watch for the blasted Adamantite that they strapped on top of the carriage. The last thing he wanted was someone tampering their proof before it got shown to his father and the senate. After that, he stormed into the Senate hall, past the beautiful fountain with the statue of the moon goddess intricately carved in marble.


    He climbed up the stone steps of the Senate building. His foot constantly throbbed, dissenting his every step. Prince Arterius could only wince as he walked along the great hall of statues of the previous Imperaturs. He had a stoic fa?ade, masking the crippling pain of his foot.


    As they were closer to the Senate Hall, he could hear the chaotic orchestra of voices inside the room. The statesmen were currently discussing something¡ªimportant or what they deemed to be as such. The prince smiled; he wasn''t too late for the meeting.


    The guards seeing him, saluted. He smiled to them and swung the doors open, exposing the loud clamor between red-faced and exhausted men shouting from the opposite end of the hall. His sudden entrance distracted the senators and the shouting turned into buzzing whispers.


    There to meet him on the isle as Prince Arterius strode towards the podium was his long-time detractor, Senator Ordus. His tomato red face and furrowed brows was an unwelcoming sight, but the prince bowed to him to greet him.


    "How dare you?!" Senator Ordus spat. "To have the audacity to interrupt such important discussion! Even if you are a prince, this doesn''t give you any right!" The senator spat some more. This time his saliva sprayed all over the prince''s face.


    "It is great to¡ª" The prince tried to be respectful, but the old, balding man interrupted.


    "You do not have a request of audience in this meet¡ª"


    "Meeting?" Prince Arterius interjected. "Maybe, I do not. But I have an urgent request of audience to the Imperatur." He walked pass Senator Ordus as the rest of the Senate stood in silence observing the Prince''s next action.


    Senator Ordus tried to step in his way again, but this time, Imperatur Severus stood up and called out the angry senator.


    "That''s enough Senator Ordus." He calmly commanded. "We did have a discussion two days earlier."


    Prince Arterius walked closer only to his father''s raging eyes. He knew then that the Imperatur did not appreciate the way he interrupted the meeting. But Prince Arterius didn''t flinch at his father''s gaze. He met his father''s gaze and conversed with him.


    "Father, I am¡ª"


    "Are you here to concede and give your birthright to my worthy son? If so, then good! You may go!" The Imperatur''s voice echoed around the hall.


    The senators couldn''t help themselves but whisper and gossip about what they''ve just heard. Prince Arterius looked at them and their moving lips, hearing the buzzing sounds of their voices like flies flying close to his ear.


    Prince Arterius clenched his fist. He didn''t want to be ridiculed again by his father and this bunch of men. He had suffered enough for too long. With a smirk on his face, he answered his father in defiance in front of the Senate for the first time.


    "No, father I came here to disappoint you." There was complete silence. The buzzing hall became so silent that you can hear a needle fall on the cold marbled floor.


    Prince Arterius continued as he saw his father''s face reddened with rage, "I have completed the cannon!" He glanced around the senators. "I have completed my design of a cannon without using gunpowder!"


    Prince Arterius could see the old men''s baffled faces. Some of them couldn''t believe it while other faces glowed in glee at such a discovery. He looked back at his father who was still steaming in anger.


    The Imperatur forced a smile on his face, "Well then, we shall hear about that later." His father took a deep breath, "Right now, sit there in the corner! We shall continue the discussion that this man has rudely interrupted!" Imperatur Serverus refused to call him by his name or even as his son.


    It pained him emotionally the way his father treated him all his life. But this time, it looked like he''s getting some payback. Prince Arterius sat painfully in at the corner of the hall, near Senator Casius Prestonheim, the brother of the head of the House Prestonheim.


    The heated discussion continued once more. The Senate continued in rambling about an incoming force from the North. The rest of what they discussed just passed by his. His hand shook as he tried his hardest to hide the pain of his left foot. His body went numb and he began to hear muffled voices instead of buzzing loud shouts from the hall.


    His eyes watered and he became cold and clammy as the time passed. He wasn''t sure what time it was already, but he hoped his suffering would end already. He needed that medicine which he left inside the carriage. His mind slowly began to drift as the pain continued to gnaw his leg.


    Suddenly, he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. He looked and saw Lord Prestonheim, tapping him, pointing to him the podium. His mind drifted too far; he didn''t notice that it was finally his turn.


    He clenched his teeth as he walked his way to the podium. He tried his best not to show his pain towards the wake of vultures waiting for him to show his weakness. He cleared his throat when he reached the podium. He bowed before the Imperatur and the Senate.


    "Imperatur, members of this honorable Senate, I¡ª" He started.


    "Enough of that crap!" A voice from the far end of the hall echoed. "We are already hungry! Be done with it already!" The last statement got a huge support from the Senators who roared and cheered.


    The Imperatur cleared his throat. Everyone silenced themselves.


    "Make it brief. We all need to rest!" He commanded Prince Arterius.


    Prince Arterius couldn''t help but smile. He already knew this would happen and so, he dropped his parchment into the podium and addressed the noisy Senate directly.


    "Well then!" He said. "I have created a cannon powerful enough to blast an adamantite hull without the use of gunpowder!"


    The whole Senate roared, mostly in disbelief.


    "Bollocks! Nobody can do that! The best mind all over Principalia tried and no one succeeded doing that!" commented Senator Lucresia.


    "What is this?! Are you the second coming of Lord Oradineus the mad?! Oh wait! You are his student!" Lord Ordus jeered.


    His comment garnered laughs from the crowd but the prince was not disheartened by it.


    "Rather than explain this, which would take a lot of time, let me show you what I mean!" He walked away from the podium and into the door.


    He swung the door open and asked one of the guards to help his ward fetch a plate of adamantite plate strapped on top of his carriage. After a few moments, the guard came along with Stolas carrying the damaged adamantite plate.


    The senators and the Imperatur examined the damaged plate. After several heated arguments regarding the legitimacy of how the plate got damaged, the Senate concluded to test the cannon with them observing.


    The delighted prince nodded at this proposition. It was agreed that the test be done at the riverbank outside the city proper. The observation was scheduled two days from that day, during the day of Jovis, early at dawn. The session ended after that.


    Prince Arterius slumped back into the carriage, demanding Stolas to give him his bottle of medicine. His ward immediately gave it to him, and he took more than a few more sips than the usual. Stolas didn''t protest to it, he knew the torture his master had to go through during that time inside the Senate.


    The prince decided to sleep inside the palace. He instructed Stolas to tell the coachman to drop them there.


    It didn''t take a while for them to reach the Palace to Prince Arterius'' relief. Stolas had to help the prince reach his room, as the effects of the drug started to show.


    They painfully managed to reach his room. The poor prince struggled in opening his door¡ªit took him a few tries. After it finally opened, Stolas reached for the switch to activate the lighting baubles inside the prince''s room.


    As the glass orbs slowly illuminated the room, a figure emerged from the corner of Stolas'' eye. The ward pushed the prince away from the assailant. Prince Arterius leaned on the wall near the door, as he watched his ward lay motionless on the floor.


    Prince Arterius attempted to scream, but the man was quick enough to muffle his scream while closing the door at the same time. He struggled and bit the intruder''s hand prompting the intruder to let go. The prince sat on the ground pointing his cane at the would-be assassin, while he burst some threats.


    To his surprise, the hooded intruder knelt in one knee in front of him and made his salute to him¡ªa salute that was taught only to soldiers who are designated messengers to the royal court.


    Still wary of the stranger''s intention, the prince tried shouting for help once more, but remembered how he modified his room to make it soundproof. With the door closed his cries for help are rendered useless. Now, he might have to die pathetically with the design he did.


    "My Prince," the hooded figure said. "I came here not to harm you. I am here to deliver this letter to you from Lord Commander Prestonheim." The hooded figure handed him the letter sealed with the commander''s sigil.


    "What did you do to my¡ª" The distress prince tried to ask.


    "Ser Stolas is fine. I apologize my prince, I have to cast a sleeping spell on him." The messenger answered. "I apologize about this Prince Arterius, but I''m running out of time!" He added.


    Prince Arterius was hesitant but hastily snatched the letter from the messenger''s hand. He glanced at the hooded messenger while opening the letter.


    He skimmed through the letter; it was indeed his godfather''s handwriting. He read further down when a word caught his eye.


    "AETHERIUM?!" He exclaimed."

 Chapter 47: Together, We Pt.1

    The wet ground felt cold and sticky as the dwarf moved his toes underneath the muddy puddle. The same puddle that he made as he stood his ground while the elf, the beastman and him slowly let their new-found friend descend into the well.


    He rubbed his hands together as he sat down by a slab of rock while leaning on the well. His eyes were looking at the far distant blue sky, as he muttered his prayers. He asked for the benevolent goddess Oyue to protect his friend, Servus 132-X from whatever monsters he might encounter while he was down there.


    Just in front of him, around ten footlings away, was a makeshift tent the knights erected to serve as a command center for the current exploration. The silver-haired general was there, massaging the bridge of his nose while he kept on staring at the crystal ball.


    He could see how Lord Prestonheim''s face contorted in anxiety as he waited anxiously for Servus 132-X to make another report. It has been a while since 132-X reported. The last time he did, he stated crawling into another opening.


    The dwarf was anxious too, he wouldn''t just show it, but he continuously wriggled his toes in the mud to put his mind at ease.


    Thinking about it made him remember of his first ambush against a small group of knights. It was a cold rainy afternoon. His squad of 6, saw a small Principalia encampment near a clearing inside the Virdia Forest. His heart raced as the anxiety and cold weather tried to take over his body. He couldn''t cease his shaking hands and make it go steady.


    As both fear and excitement for death started to overcome him. Their time of operation was about to begin, his brother-in-arms, Twargoriar tried to calm him down by asking him to take a deep breath while wriggling his toes inside his boots¡ªit worked for him.


    The tension was rising, and he could feel it. Lord Prestonheim paced around the table as Servus 132-X was still silent. Suddenly a loud scratching noise disrupted them in their brooding.


    "Lord Prestonheim¡­" the dwarf heard his friend''s voice. "My Lord, I found something here. A huge wall made of white stone." Servus 132-X reported.


    "Should we be interested with that?" Lord Prestonheim asked.


    "I just need to take some¡ª" A booming sound echoed.


    The dwarf''s heart dropped as his friend went silent. The old, silver-head general tried calling his name a few times but there was no reply. He hurriedly rose from his seat, leaned over into the well, and shouted.


    He tried calling out his friend. When that didn''t work, he asked the worried elf and beastman to stay and guard the rope as he ran towards the tent where Lord Prestonheim was. He has decided the night before that in any event that the expedition goes awry, he would personally volunteer to rescue his friend. It was the least that he could do to a comrade that had gave his everything for them.


    If he''s alive, then at least he got him out that hellhole. If he''s dead, then at least he could give him a proper burial. To him, nothing was worse than dying in an unknown place, buried by dirt or eaten by animals. His brother-in-arms died like that during the great rebellion, afraid, forgotten and usually devoured by the beast in the land.


    He regretted every moment of it. He failed all of them! He and the surviving rebels had no time to retrieve their dead, let alone give them a proper dwarven burial and to this day he regretted every moment of it.


    "M''Lord! M''Lord!" He cried out as some of the knights blocked his way towards the Commander.


    "Let him through." The Lord commanded his knights not to stand on his way. "Yes, Servus 023-D?" Lord Prestonheim asked.


    "M''Lord, I heard a blast from the crystal! I can¡ª" The dwarf tried to volunteer descending to help his friend.


    Suddenly, another scratching noise echoed from the crystal ball. On the other end, they could hear him breathing laboriously as if winded. Someone or something might have attacked Servus 132-X, they waited in batted breath for him to report.


    Lord Prestonheim called 132-X once again, but all they could hear was static.


    "ZZssttt¡­I-I''m here, my Lord." Servus 132-X finally answered.


    "I heard a thud earlier. What happened?" asked the concerned Commander.


    "T-the white stone¡­Zssstt¡­ seemed to have some sort of Zsssttt¡­--agic." He answered, "I tried to strike it, but I was repelled and thrown away by its energy." He added.


    "Hmm¡­Interesting. What about aetherium? Have you found any?" The Commander was curious with the discovery but wanted to stick to the main reason for the expedition.


    "I think¡­ZZsssttt¡­ the veins in the stone are, but ¡­Zsssstt¡­ cannot take it out." Servus 132-X''s connection became riddled with more static noises.


    "Just take note of that stone, but for now, find another proof of aetherium deposits." Lord Prestonheim commanded.


    Servus 132-X answered back to the Commander, "Yes, my Lord."


    There was silence after that short interaction they had with Servus 132-X whom they presume was currently at the inner chamber of the cave. The dwarf broke the silence by asking to have a private conversation with the commander.


    "M''Lord, might I ask ta ''ave a word with ya?" He asked Lord Prestonheim directly.


    His request raised a few eyebrows inside the tent. The guards and the Commander''s attendants immediately shut him down, by chastising him for his conduct. In a normal setting, no slaves can talk or let alone, ask for their master''s time. He was reminded of that inside there.


    "Don''t you ever think that Lord Prestonheim would speak with the likes of you! Dwarf!" one of the knights guarding the tent said.


    "You are out of your line, Ser Knight!" The commander chastised the knight instead. "All of you, take a leave. I need to talk with him."


    The knight''s face went pale, they hurriedly left the tent and left them there.


    Lord Commander Prestonheim offered him a stool for him to sit on. The dwarf sat on it, moving his buttocks around to comfortably get into a good position. The Lord Commander didn''t seem to mind his weird sitting ritual, instead he stared blankly at the nothingness trying to think of something.


    The Lord Commander sighed as he faced the dwarf. "First of all, I apologize on how my men treated you. These youngbloods still have a lot of disciplining to do." Lord Prestonheim scratched his head.


    "I don''t blame ya. It''s just da way it is, I guess." He smiled at him. "But it''s nay da reason why I asked for this M''Lord."


    Lord Prestonheim looked at him straight in the eyes. "What''s on your mind, Servus 023-D?" He asked.


    The Lord didn''t waste much of his time to ask him. He liked it! He wasn''t one of those chatty ones, the ones who give you sweet words without any weight into them. The dwarf cleared his throat and asked Lord Prestonheim.


    "I wanna join 132-X down ''ere, M''Lord. He seemed tah need back-up." The dwarf straight-forwardly said.


    Lord Prestonheim nodded at him, but it wasn''t a nod of approval. It was more of thinking nod. It took a while for the Commander to answer his request. There was complete silence. Lord Prestonheim sat there, massaging the bridge of his nose, contemplating for the best action plan.


    "I would have to decline that." He finally answered.


    "But M''Lord he is¡ª" He looked at Lord Prestonheim''s eyes and understood.


    The commander''s eyes reflected his message. We cannot lose you too. Servus 132-X signed his own death when he volunteered for the expedition. It was strategically sound for a Commander to find someone willing enough to pave the way for them. It just so happened that the one who volunteered was a close friend of his.


    "By Oyue''s name, I pray he comes back alive. If not, would ya grant me the order in retrieving his corpse? I would like to give ''em a proper burial." The dwarf sighed.


    Lord Prestonheim nodded with a stoic look on his face. "I will grant you that request. However, I do hope he survives this ordeal. Gods be praised."


    The dwarf went down from the stool and bowed to the Lord. He took his leave and went back to the well, with the Commander''s eyes in mind. Lord Prestonheim was worried, but from his eyes, the Commander was conflicted.


    On one hand, he wanted to agree with the proposal. On the hand, he did not want to risk the rest of them. One soul was enough to take a glance at the hellhole the monsters burrowed from the earth. Risking two at once would be a huge toll on them.


    The Lord''s eyes also told another story. He didn''t want to lose his men. Regardless of how important Aetherium was, he couldn''t let his men risk it, not without properly knowing what the place would be like. It was a sad reality that the dwarf already knew about, but Servus 132-X was very persistent and optimistic that he wasn''t able to disagree with his plan.


    The dwarf cursed in silence as he went back to the well. He knew both parties were stuck in between a rock and a hard place, and only Servus 132-X could get them out of there. He wiggled his toes again before meeting back with the beastman and elf, who worriedly paced around the burrow, glancing at the hole every now and again.


    "Lady Oyue, I hope you hear our prayers¡­" He whispered. "¡­we really need a miracle right now."

 Chapter 48: Together, We Pt.2

    The sun had shone so high and bright as it peaked at noon. The ground slowly dried and the puddle that the dwarf wiggled his toes on, dried and cracked. They sheltered themselves on a makeshift tent that they''ve set-up beside the well.


    The materials were given to them earlier by Tristam who reluctantly approached them. He explained that it was leftover material from Lord Prestonheim''s tent and the Commander wanted them to have it for their own use.


    It took them a while to decide what to make of the materials given to them, since the sun was mildly radiant then. But as time passed, it became apparent that setting the tent would be a wise choice. The sun violently evaporated the remaining puddle on the ground.


    The beastman and he, sat on a long slab of rock that they took from the stack of rocks near the cave entrance. The elf was nowhere to be found. She excused herself earlier and told them both that she will be cooking lunch for them. He wasn''t hungry and he knew they weren''t as well but decided not to oppose the elf. Cooking might give her some release from the anxiety she had over this waiting game.


    By his side, he could feel the beastman''s anxiety as he fidgeted his fingers and knees as he sat. The beastman also paced back and forth, from the hole to the tent. At times he would peek his head over the whole staring into the darkness, before shrugging his shoulders and walk back to the tent where he would start the process again.


    He wanted to clear his head under the shade but the beastman was moving around so much it distracted him. He wanted to nag at him and ask him to keep calm. It wasn''t the emotion that they need during this time, but rather their minds.


    He wanted to make a plan, since Servus 132-X, never shared one nor had one and instead focus on just a goal that might be as impossible as reaching the sun. He wanted to chastise the man about that, but he can''t. He just can''t. He reminded him too much of someone he looked up to way back.


    The dwarf drowned himself in his thoughts. About how to pick up the crumbling pieces of the deal that might end anytime. But the jittery beastman was not helping it at all.


    He could no longer stand his friend''s fidgeting. The dwarf looked at him and held his arm. This action distracted the beastman and stopped fidgeting in the process.


    "W-what are you doing?" The beastman asked.


    "Yer fidgeting. It''s rocking the slab and ''tis making meself squiffy." The dwarf answered looking at empathetic over his obvious anxiety.


    The beastman sighed and stood up. "W-will he still ret¡ª" he stopped and bit his lip.


    The dwarf understood him. He knew how worried the beastman was for his friend and feared for his safety. The dwarf stood up and invited the beastman to sit down with him again. The beastman agreed and sat slumped on the rock, with his hands covering his face.


    The beastman sighed again as he squeezed his own head with a frustrated look on his face. "I should''ve volunteered and not him!" He exclaimed. "I mean, I am supposed to be the strongest one in the bunch, but I was¡­"


    "¡­too afraid to say anything?" The dwarf interjected while patting his back. "Tis alright to be afraid, lad. Fear is what''s keeping us alive, tis not yer fault." He was guilty of that too.


    Everyone''s guilty too, but nobody wanted to express that and why would they? He envied the beastman''s honesty, it took a lot of courage to admit one''s weakness. Mortals were prideful creatures regardless of race, gender, culture and beliefs, everyone had some pride to keep.


    Even Servus 132-X might''ve hidden his fear more than anyone would''ve thought. He would never know now, but maybe he''d ask him once he returns. If he ever returns¡ªthe dwarf could only hope.


    The elf came back from cooking. She brought a tray with four bowls of steaming hot food and slices of cold hard bread. Noticing this, the dwarf''s mood became more somber. It could be out of habit or maybe out of hopeful thinking, but the elf bringing four bowls instead of three meant that she wanted Servus 132-X back.


    The beastman stood up and tried to distract himself by helping the elf who stared blankly at the rope in the burrow when she arrived. After distributing the food, the beastman left the tray with the fourth bowl on top of piled stacks of wood to act as a place holder for the tray.


    It was a sad and silent meal, different from what they were used to. The soup was saltier than what the dwarf was used to. Too salty in fact that the beastman coughed some out while sipping the soup. The dwarf patted the beastman''s back and tried to comment on the soup but as he glanced over to the elf, he saw her eyes wet and reddish¡ªshe was crying.


    "Oi!" He called the elf, "Are yah alright, lass?"


    The elf immediately looked at him and tried wiping the tears from her eyes. Seeing this, the beastman also reacted by looking at the dwarf with his eyes asking on what they need to do. But what do they need to do? What can they do? Absolutely nothing.


    The elf seeing their reaction hastily signed to the dwarf. "Don''t worry about me, smoke just got into my eyes."


    The beastman believed it instantly, "Oh! Maybe I should''ve helped with the food preparation. I am sorry, I spaced out¡ª" he tried to explain.


    "What are you saying? You don''t have to apologize!" She signed. "Please don''t say that."


    The beastman nodded albeit still remorseful of what happened. He continued his way with the food, coughing occasionally as he sipped the soup.


    The dwarf never left his eyes on the elf who stared blankly at the soup while swirling the bowl every now and again. Finally, she noticed the dwarf''s stare and stared back at him. As she did, the dwarf subtly signed to her.


    "I know smoke can''t harm yer sight, lass." He started. "I know yer worried. It''s okay, he will return to us alive." He hoped.


    The elf''s expression changed from being somber to being a bit annoyed. "Don''t give me false hopes, Dwarf!" she subtly answered. "I am no child to be lied to! I know those words, I have¡ª" She suddenly paused and became somber again.


    "I am sorry," she signed once more. "I-I just hope he comes out alive." She paused and stared at the bowl, then drank it empty.


    She spat and coughed some of the soup after emptying the bowl. She was dissatisfied with the soup.


    "Who cooked this?! Who put the sea into this?!" She complained. "Who?!"


    Her comment burst a laugh from the dwarf. It was a needed diversion from their tension-filled day. All three of them started laughing hard and loud. Their noise even raised a few eyebrows from the camp, but no one dared to approach them or reprimand them not with the Commander around.


    After their side-splitting laughter died down and they were able to compose themselves, the elf asked again.


    "Seriously, who made that soup?!" she signed to the dwarf.


    The dwarf was trying his hardest to compose himself, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Lass, it was you!"


    Suddenly a terrible sound echoed from the Commander''s tent. It was coming from the crystal ball. The loud screeching noise was then followed by a muffled sound of a struggle. The camp froze in horror.


    Their eyes went wide, petrified, as the audible sound became terribly gruesome with each passing moment. The sound jumped between an incomprehensible gurgle and clicking of teeth to a subtle scream of a terrified man.


    The trio ran towards the barrow and immediately pulled the rope up, hoping for some resistance but there was none. The beastman suddenly tied the rope around his waist and wanted to descend into the hole immediately.


    Just as he was about to, the dwarf blocked his way, his arms wide open.


    "W-what are you doing? W-we have to save him!" The beastman exclaimed. "Get out of my way!"


    "Nay, lad. Ya don''t even have a plan!" The dwarf said stood firmly in front of him. "Yer gonna get yer ass whooped by whatever monstrous critters there!" He added.


    The beastman shoved the dwarf to the side but the dwarf quickly got back to his feet and cling to the beastman''s leg. His efforts were wasted, as the beastman easily walked off like nothing. Some moments later, the knights commanded by Lord Prestonheim intervened holding the strong beastman down.


    The beastman struggled well, blindly punching and headbutting whoever was on his way. They were able to get him away from the hole as far as possible, but he was just too strong. The elf tried calming the raging beastman, but he simply moved out of her way and refused to listen.


    "Stop this at once, ya dunce!" The dwarf gritted his teeth as he tried to get up. "Use yer noggins fer cryin'' out loud!" He cracked his knuckles.


    The dwarf had no choice, but to incapacitate him as much as he hated to do that. Still distracted by the elf, the dwarf ran towards his friend. With his protruding knuckle, the dwarf punched the base of the beastman''s spine located a fingerling from his short, fluffy tail.


    The beastman dropped limply on the ground, confused about what happened. "W-what did you just do?"


    "Forgive me, lad." The dwarf sighed. "But I cannot risk you dying there." He gritted his teeth as he answered.


    He genuinely wanted to go down there himself the moment he heard Servus 132-X''s voice struggling. But he knew it was a fruitless effort. Whatever was down there was way too dangerous for them to risk without knowing what it truly was.


    The battered knights approached the beastman once more, with ropes to tie him up. This time the dwarf confronted them.


    "Good Sers, there''s no need of that." He started. "Me friend is already bound by what me did."


    Lord Prestonheim came a moment after, as the crystal ball went silent once more. The Commander looked distressed as he wanted to start a conversation with the dwarf.


    "M''Lord," He bowed. "Can I do it now?" The dwarf reminded Lord Prestonheim of his request.


    The elf looked approached him and gripped his shoulder hard. He looked back at her, with a faint smile.


    "What are you trying to do?!" The elf signed to him and waited for his reply.


    But the dwarf never did.

 Chapter 49: Together, We Pt.3

    The elf forcefully pulled his shoulder. She gripped it hard and painfully sunk her nails, but the dwarf never spoke a word. She shook him violently until he finally looked back at her.


    His eyes were full of conviction, "Aye, lass I understood yer question." He took her hand from his shoulder and smiled.


    "Lass, I ''ave a plan," he patted her arm. "I''m gonna get that basterd out of there." He smiled once more as he looked into her tearful eyes.


    "But¡ª" the elf signed.


    The dwarf approached Lord Prestonheim and asked to talk with him again. The commander offered him a private audience inside his tent. After reaching the tent, he asked his men to drop down the drapes that they purposefully opened earlier to allow airflow.


    The dwarf knew the gravity of the conversation might take and patiently waited until all the drapes covered the tent. When everything was set, Lord Prestonheim offered him a seat. He indulged his invitation again.


    "Servus 023-D," Lord Prestonheim began as he massaged the bridge of his nose. "I am afraid, I would have to break that promise. I cannot risk it at this point."


    The dwarf thought he misheard the Commander and tried to repeat what he just said. "M''Lord, me thinks me ears a wee bit clogged. Can yah repeat that?" The dwarf still in utter disbelief.


    The Commander nodded as he took a deep breath, "I''m ending the expedition. Unfortunately, I can''t let anyone go anymore." Lord Prestonheim slumped into his chair.


    The dwarf''s jaw dropped in disbelief, "W-whut? Yah just abandon him there like a helpless pup?" He clenched his fist trying to hold his emotions in.


    Lord Prestonheim smacked the table with his fist in frustration. "Damn this! If only I could get an approval from the Principalia, this could''ve been easier." He clicked his tongue.


    "Tell me, M''Lord, whut diz expedition''s about?" The dwarf calmly asked. "Was it for yer country''s glory or for yer notoriety, eh?"


    Lord Prestonheim looked him straight and cracked an exhausted smile. "Of course, for the country." He stood up and approach the Principalia''s banner. "With threat growing from the Western Kingdom, the Pirates from the Nothern Isles and the Insurgency of the Free Folk of the Faer, I ought to bring my country power to level them all down."


    The dwarf expected this answer from the Commander. "And what if these threats are bilge-suckling lies?" The dwarf stood from the chair and approached the table. "Just to grab them lands?" He bravely walked forward until he was a footling away from Lord Prestonheim.


    "Where are you going with this, 023-D?" Lord Prestonheim raised an eybrow on the audacious dwarf. "I pity yah, M''Lord. From the looks of it, yah love yer country so much, it won''t love yah back as much." He sighed.


    The dwarf saw Lord Prestonheim''s expression changed. He knew he struck the Commander''s nerve. He watched as the Commander''s face turned red in frustration but at the same time reflecting a hit of sadness in his eyes.


    Lord Prestonheim was quiet for a moment, then he spoke. "You might be right, 023-D." He took a deep breath and paced in front of the table. "But I am bound to my duties. That is to protect the Principalia and her people."


    "Her people, eh." The dwarf caressed his growing beard. "And whom are ''er people?"


    The Commander stopped pacing and put down his arms and placed his palms on the table. "Of course, all of the people under Principalia." He proudly said as he pointed the banner without looking away from the dwarf.


    The dwarf walked closer to the flag. He examined it and without touching the flag, he let his eyes trace the symbol of the Principalia''s power. The golden eagle spread across a red field with a crown made of gold horns intertwined together, set upon its head. The claws that bore three spears on the right and a sword on the left. It was an image that he could never forget whether the flag was hoisted or not.


    "Then, what''re we to yah?" He looked at the Commander across from where he stood. "If noggins weren''t shook that badly, ''tis we part of the Principalia whether we like it or nay?" He threw the question to him.


    Lord Prestonheim''s jaw opened wide. The dwarf knew he got him good and he wanted that. He wanted the Commander to realize how much big a mistake it was to leave his friend out there. He wanted him to know, that he might just save an asset to the Principalia. He desperately wanted Lord Prestonheim to give him the order and retrieve his friend.


    The silver-haired Commander breathe in and deep. "You know, I cannot do that."


    "A duty bound to the Principalia and her people." He repeated what the Commander stated, "And ''ere we are yer people!" He pushed it some more.


    "If yer loyalties fell on the state and people, why would yah abandon him to die?" The dwarf pushed his words to the Commander who silently glared at him, frustrated with the situation.


    "You were part of the rebellion forces, were you? The Free Folk of the Faer" Lord Prestonheim asked him back instead.


    The dwarf stood silently, unmoving.


    Lord Prestonheim pointed the small mark on his arm. "You may have hid that all this time, but that is a wylfern claw symbol."


    He clenched his jaw trying his best not to say a petty thing to the dwarf, but his tongue slipped as his pride bled with the slave''s poignant words.


    "Why did you leave your brothers on the field?" The Commander asked. "If you are knitted as tight as the Mithrillium meshes you made, why weren''t you there to save them?"


    The dwarf looked at Lord Prestonheim calmly, he understood the Commander''s logic more than anyone else, but he wanted to save his friend. He has to throw his logic and brilliance aside, a thing he should''ve done way back when his brethren where dying in the battlefield.


    "Cuz we don''t ''ave a choice." The dwarf sighed.


    Lord Prestonheim nodded, "Now, imagine. I am currently at the same¡ª"


    "Tis nay the same, M''Lord." He interrupted.


    The dwarf clenched his fist, trying his best not to lose his temper. "Tis different, M''lord. Nay''s chasing yah. Nay ''s burning yer houses and fields. Nay''s wounded!" He walked up to him as he pointed outside, "Cept fer the one yah made a deal with."


    Their eyes met in an intense moment of clashes of will. The dwarf was determined to get Servus 132-X down there, risking his head to a top ranked Commander.


    Lord Prestonheim was about to say something when suddenly they heard a huge commotion broke outside. The two of them broke their staredown and rushed outside, to find the beastman being toppled down by five knights as it attempted to crawl towards the hole.


    "L-LET GO OFF ME!" The beastman raged as the knights tried their best to hold him down without using their weapons. "L-Let¡­Me¡­Go!" The beastman bared his fangs.


    The dwarf looked around for the elf. He saw her being held down by a couple of knights as she wailed and shouted incomprehensively at him.


    "NOOOO!!!!" The dwarf screamed as he tried to run to help his comrades.


    The dwarf felt a heavy hand on his shoulder that halted him-- it was Lord Prestonheim.


    "ENOUGH!" The Commander''s voice shook the entire area.


    The dwarf felt the leaking exousia oozing out from Lord Prestonheim. He knew he was no ordinary commander, but this was something else entirely. The pressure was intense to the point of being nauseating.


    The knights and his comrades halted immediately. Looking at the Commander as if some sort of a demon. He swiped the Commander''s hand away from his shoulder and went to his bound comrades.


    He went and helped the elf up, "Lass, are ya fine?"


    The elf nodded and pointed at the beastman, "His collar is burning him!" She signed.


    The dwarf ran towards the battered beastman, "Get yer hands of ''im!" He pushed the knights aside.


    He touched the collar, it was indeed hot, and was starting to burn the flesh off the beastman''s neck. "No! No! No!" He tried his best to touch the collar, but it was too hot.


    "Help!" The dwarf cried for help as his friend was slowly suffocating and at the same time, turning red from suffocation.


    Lord Prestonheim immediately came over and deactivated the trigger feature of the collar. It was too close to call. His friend might''ve had his head burst in front of them if he was a breath late.


    "HHNNNGGGG." The beastman gasped for air as he held his neck.


    "Explain to me what''s going on!" Lord Prestonheim demanded his knights.


    A brave one stepped up from the line and answered, "My Lord, we mean no harm. But he was going into the hole again. We tried our best to stop him." The young knight said, as he wiped some blood from his cheeks.


    Lord Prestonheim turned around to the beastman who was laboriously breathing for air. "Why are you so determined?!"


    After a few breathes the beastman finally answered in a hoarse voice, "I¡­heard¡­him¡­call¡­for¡ªhelp." It was an effort just to come up with that sentence, but the beastman did it anyway.


    "Whut do ya mean, lad?" The dwarf was baffled.


    The beastman pointed at the rope. "He''s¡­call¡­ing¡­for¡ªhelp." He coughed.


    "That''s imposs¡ª" The Commander was about to comment when suddenly the rope moved.


    Everyone froze in terror as the rope began to tug on its own.

 Chapter 50: Together, We Pt.4

    The rope wriggled again, as if being tugged by someone or something from the other end of the rope. Everyone slowly backed away from the burrow. Two knights slowly approached the beastman, held him by the shoulder, and dragged him away from the burrow.


    "Go easy on ''im, lads!" The dwarf slowly backed out into the protection of the armed knights.


    The dwarf found the beastman laying on the ground away from the well. The elf and a young knight tended to his wounds. The knight sneakily took out a bottle from his satchel and tried giving it to the elf.


    Seeing this, the dwarf immediately grabbed the knight''s arm while the elf was still distracted from tending to the beastman''s injuries. The young knight jolted in surprise as the dwarf held his hand tightly.


    "Whut is this, lad?" The dwarf asked as he opened the cork from the bottle and smelled it.


    "G-good ser! I-I mean no harm," the knight''s voice trembled. "I-it''s a potion to help him recover quickly!" He pointed at the weakened beastman.


    The dwarf felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. He looked around and saw Lord Prestonheim nodding at him, telling him it was safe for the beastman to consume.


    Just to be sure, the dwarf took a drop of the potion by the back of his hand and licked it. He was confident that he could detect any hint of poison that the potion has. His body had been trained by their kingdom to be an elite warrior.


    Aside from the usual battle stratagem and trainings, warriors from the Eastend Kingdom were trained to consume small dosages of poisonous herbs and plants. This dangerous training had caused casualties over the years, but it yielded great results. This included battle-hardened warriors that were immune to poison and were good bodyguards to the royal family as they could detect poison thru their tongue.


    When he proved the potion was safe, he gave it to the elf and signed to her that it was fine for the beastman to drink.


    "Yer name, good Ser," the dwarf glanced at the young knight.


    "K-Kiervan. Good Ser." The young knight answered.


    The dwarf smiled at him, "Thank you, Ser Kiervan." He bowed as he set his eyes on Lord Prestonheim, "Yer Commandar trained yah well."


    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHH!!" A dreadful voice blasted out from the burrow.


    The terrifying scream left all of them petrified. There was uneasiness in the air. Suddenly everything became too silent. The dwarf could feel his heart raised a tempo or two after being startled by the sound. But he never froze.


    The dwarf looked at Lord Prestonheim and saw how calm he contrasted with his green knights whose knees shook in fear.


    "Why do your knees tremble?!" He chastised the young knights. "You are a unit of excellence, trained by the Principalia to defend her! Stand your ground and show her your courage!" He commanded his knights.


    The Commander''s words inspired the trembling knights. The dwarf saw how they immediately regrouped themselves and assumed their fighting stance. It was a small group of 10 men, but their presence felt like tenfold more than that.


    "Lord Prestonheim!" Tristam shouted as he ran towards the Commander. With him was Servus 305-M who was still catching his breath after the brief sprint and 2 other Xedecima ready to engage.


    "What is it Tristam?" The Lord Commander asked.


    "Ser Servus 305-M had something to report," Tristam guided Servus 305-M as he was still fatigued from his running efforts.


    "S¡­something is c-coming¡­back up¡­" The slave wheezed.


    "I think it''s already here." Lord Prestonheim pointed at the rope that was swaying again.


    "No! Not that!" Servus 305-M glared at the Commander, "August, something with a high density of energy is crawling up the surface! M-my crystal ball shattered while measuring it!"


    The dwarf paid no attention to the following conversation after that. He however, hoped that whatever that was coming up was his friend and not some critter from the abyss.


    "The rope!" The dwarf ran towards it as it began to be pulled down by something from the hole.


    Then, one of the knights near the burrow caught it before it could all go down.


    "Something''s pulling it down thre! It''s too heavy!" The poor knight exclaimed as he was being dragged as well.


    The dwarf and his fellow knights were able to pull the knight and the rope back to the surface, but something was still pulling it down there.


    "Don''t¡­let¡­go¡­of¡­" The dwarf gritted his teeth as he and the other knights were forced to play a tug of war with whoever was down there. The rope snapped from his end letting lose 3 knights helplessly being dragged into the hole.


    Luckily, three more went to the rescue and was able to save the knights and the rope. The dwarf stood up along with the other knights that tumbled along with him when the rope broke and began the tugging struggle once more.


    On the other hand, Lord Prestonheim and his other knights were already encircling the hole, with their weapons in hand. The brave Commander moved along with the first row of soldiers surrounding it.


    "Xedecima 4, Formation Omega!" Lord Prestonheim''s voice echoed as they continued to encircle the hole by its opening. "Xedecima 5, Right Flank! Delta! Xedecima 3, Left Flank, Delta!"


    The knights got into the triangular formation on both positions commanded. Tristam led the formation on the left, move closer to the hole while the other Xedecima stood and waited at their position.


    The dwarf along with the knights pulled harder, but with every step back, they get to more steps forward.


    "Don''t¡­lose¡­the¡­rope!" the dwarf shouted. "Yah¡­Ja¡­ga¡­lags, p-pull!"


    The rope became too heavy that the post where the pulley was broke. All of the sudden the rope just became heavier, as the pulley descended into the abyss.


    The tug of war lasted an eternity for the dwarf and the knights, as they slowly get pulled into the hole.


    "Nay! Don''t¡­ya¡­falter!" He shouted once more as he put more strength in his pull.


    "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!" Another screech echoed from the dark pit and suddenly the struggling force was gone.


    Finally, the stubborn rope lightened. After the intense struggle, the rope became manageable to pull. Though tired, the dwarf and the knights were still reluctant to hastily pull the rope afraid of what might be waiting at the other end.


    The rope lengthened with every pull signalling they were almost at the end. Lord Prestonheim raised his hand and commanded Tristam to take a quick peek at what lies at the end of rope.


    "Do it slowly, men!" Lord Prestonheim asked them to pull the rope even slowly than what they already were doing.


    His arms burned and he felt his palm ached as his blisters rubbed against the abrasive rope. But the dwarf never missed a step, he pulled the rope slowly and cautiously as he can along with the knights with the Commander''s order.


    Tristam took a light rune from his satchel. With rune activated, he took cautious steps with one rune on the left hand and his pale blue blade on the other. Everyone watched in batted breath as the young knight outstretched the rune over the pitch-black hole.


    The young knight got startled with what he saw. He looked at the Commander with an unusual reaction. He hovered the light rune once again before reporting to Lord Prestonheim.


    "My Lord, he''s alive!" The knight shouted direly. "Barely alive! Pull the rope! Faster!" Tristam demanded.


    Hearing this, the dwarf''s heart dropped. He pulled the rope as fast as he could while Tristam did his best to help pull up his friend''s body from the hole''s opening.


    Seeing Servus 132-X again was bittersweet. He ran towards his friend who was being treated by Tristam on the spot. Lord Prestonheim came forward as well to check at him.


    "By the Gods!" Lord Prestonheim exclaimed. "What in the gods names'' was down there?"


    The dwarf looked at his poor friend lying on the ground. His body was full of scratches, covered in blood and a part of his right arm was missing a huge chunk of flesh, as if someone or something bit it clean.


    "Nay! Oi, Lad." The dwarf called his friend who''s laboriously breathing for his life.


    He knelt beside Tristam as his hands shook in fear for his friend''s life. He wiped the dried blood and dirt over his friend''s eye.


    Servus 132-X eyes, stared blankly at the crimson sky. Ifnen was almost close. He tried to open his mouth as if to speak.


    "Nay, lad don''t move nor speak." He asked his friend who was clearly at the verge of dying.


    "F..ire¡­Rune¡­" Servus 132-X he pointed at his torn satchel.


    The baffled dwarf rummaged throught the torn satchel and saw a broken piece of a fire rune. He gave it to Servus 132-X who''s struggling to keep his hands outreached to the dwarf.


    After giving it to him, his friend ran it through his fingers and threw it into the burrow.


    The dwarf saw as the fire rune sparks as it slowly descends into the hole. He looked back at his friend and saw 132-X''s grimly desperate visage.


    All of a sudden, the ground shook and a powerful force knocked everyone away from the burrow.


    It took the dwarf a few moments to realize the impact and how he was blasted away. He looked around and saw the towering pilar of flame swirling from within the burrow. He looked in terror as the flame continued to burst from the hole.


    "By Lady Oyue''s name¡­" His jaw wide open as the flamed danced and kissed with the sky.

 Chapter 51: One Moonless Night Pt.1

    Lord Prestonheim paced back and forth as he massaged the bridge of his nose, while Servus 305-M was itemizing the boons that Servus 132-X found on that hellish burrow. There were three head-size chunks of aetherium inside the torn and tattered sack that 132-X brought to the surface.


    "Was this all he got?" The red-haired slave scratched his head. "Wasn''t he able to grab some more? Honestly, this is underwhelming." He spat.


    Lord Prestonheim glared at Servus 305-M who was mesmerized with the moving pale rippling glow of the precious stones. The Commander clenched his fist in anger for such a thoughtless remark. But he kept his temper in check.


    "Aren''t you finish checking on that yet?" He asked the red-haired slave who was still wide-eyed with the stones.


    "Fascinating! Hahaha!" Servus 305-M clapped his hands in delight. "Imagine, there is still a big reservoir of these thing out¡ª"


    "You haven''t answered the question." Lord Prestonheim interrupted him. "Are you done checking on it?" He asked again this time in a more sternly tone.


    Servus 305-M glanced at the Commander only to be met with his stone-cold gaze. "I would just need you to put some exousia on this one¡ª"


    Lord Prestonheim struck the stones with a quick spell of a light bolt. The aetherium ores greedily absorbed his magic attack with ease. The magical ore''s rippling patterns moved like water as the magic flowed through the stone.


    "Are we done now?" Lord Prestonheim impatiently asked as he was about to exit the dimly lit tent.


    The sun hid fast under the horizon and the moon began to show its lit half. The Commander was eager to go to the infirmary to check on the one whom he considered the bravest man he ever met, the unconscious and feverish Servus 132-X.


    Lord Prestonheim and Servus 305-M had always butted heads with each other. Even before the latter became what he was now, the Commander couldn''t always agree to the man''s methods and way of thinking.


    Fortunately for him, the Commander was not in the mood to indulge with him in conversation. Lord Prestonheim remained silent, refusing to answer him. He took a glance at the table and saw that there was nothing more to discuss about the aetherium ores.


    They now have the ores. Lord Prestonheim wanted to halt any further expedition on the mines until they get an approval from his godson Prince Arterius. But it has been more than 2 weeks since Eferail''s departure, and he was still yet to get any messages from him.


    The Commander was worried about the fate of his reliable messenger. Everyday, he would let one of his men wait at the harbor to ask for any news from his messenger, but they always comeback empty-handed.


    "August!" Servus 305-M tried to catch his attention, by clapping his hand and calling him by his nickname. "August, stop spacing out! It is fairly unusual and greatly disturbing of you to think about that ¡­ that slave!" He said while tapping his fingers on the table, waiting for the Commander to answer.


    "305-M," he sighed as he finally answered the annoying redhead. "He is now a freeman. No. He and his comrades are now free, according to our deal."


    "Oh! Then you should be happy!" Servus 305-M sarcastically answered. "You freed them now. Especially that other¡­guy¡­132-X, right?" He cracked a smile.


    Lord Prestonheim''s anger was palpable. He really hated the slave''s insensitivity towards others but himself.


    "I would rather suggest you keep quiet already, 305-M." He commanded. "The man has done a great service to the Principalia, one shouldn''t mock that!" He chastised the redhead.


    "Great service?!" The red-haired slave scoffed. "How about me? I''ve done a great service to the¡ª"


    "Your methods weren''t worth any applause!" He interrupted Servus 305-M. "The Senate ought to ingrain that in you." He added.


    Servus 305-M jaw dropped at the Commander''s snarky reply. There was a moment of silence inside the tent, before the redhead burst into laughter.


    "You can be a bastard sometimes!" Servus 305-M while trying to muffle his laughter. "But, in all seriousness, why would you even care about that slave? It''s a miracle he survived this long! Even if he''s a descendant of the Ardants, his body won''t be able to survive after that much damage." He explained.


    Lord Prestonheim gritted his teeth in both guilt and frustration. It''s true, a part of him chose 132-X because of his ancestral heritage aside from his unusual wit and knowledge.


    The Ardants are a nomadic tribe that mostly populate the Western Continent beyond the Endless Sea. It was believed that they crossed a massive land bridge four hundred years ago and had settled on the inhospitable Great Dunes.


    This foreign race became sheep herders and merchants after their migration. They even founded a small city in the forgotten landscape of the Great Dunes. During the Grand Conquest of the Principalia, some 100 years ago, they were the only city that stood against the Principalia''s might for more than 20 years before finally falling down at around the turn of the first Imperatur''s reign, Justus.


    The Ardants were known for a lot of things. Physically, they were lean and agile people. They had a distinct bronze skin with their eyes colored close to the shades of earthly brown to a majestic shining gold.


    Aside from their physical attributes, they were also known for their magical prowess. Their runic seals and protection magic were the best of the known world has ever seen. They could use their sturdy bodies to seal vast amounts of aether or exousia and create pseudo-spirits for their bidding. They also have the uncanny ability of having bodies that could withstand magic and physical attacks more than what an average human can handle.


    It was for that same reason that the slave collars were created. Because they can store too much copious amounts of energy inside of them, they were known to lash out when being imprisoned. Often times, this led to the deaths of the Principalia knights and allies guarding them. The collars were placed to halt their abilities from activating as they can gather energy quickly from their surroundings, and thus halt their other physical attributes in the process.


    "August!" Servus 305-M snapped his fingers while whistling at the Commander. "You''re spaced out again! Come on, August! You can do better than this!" The slave clicked his tongue.


    Lord Prestonheim took another glance at the redhead slave who was jotting down his findings on a piece of parchment. He shook his head the moment his eyes met with 305-M. The slave picked up 132-X''s sword that was laid on the table and wrote down notes about it as well.


    Seeing how deeply irrelevant the entire thing was, unlike the aetherium ores. Lord Prestonheim finally decided to storm out of his tent and went into the infirmary. On the background he could hear Servus 305-M called him out, exaggerating something about 132-X''s gladius, but he never paid attention to the redhead.


    He walked out of his tent into the pale moonlight of the half-lit moon and into the infirmary where 132-X rested.


    Along the way, the young knights greeted him with reverence. It was something he both loved and hated about the Principalia. On one hand, the reverence would give anyone leverage be it on giving orders and the loyalty they give, they give with their life. On the other hand, the same reverence had been abused by the Senate and other officials to stage coups and other horrendous acts of violence towards the citizens of the Principalia.


    He couldn''t help but laugh inside. He laughed at the irony, that despite his constant lukewarm opinion on this matter, he himself had been a subject to obeying the Imperatur and the Senate''s decision. This was the irony he had to live with. He massaged the bridge of his nose as he stifled a laugh¡ªa laughter ofhypocrisy on his part.


    After reaching the infirmary, the first thing that caught his eyes were Servus 132-X comrades. Lord Prestonheim approached the unsuspecting slaves that were sitting at the far end of the infirmary. He noticed how the dwarf sat silently by the side of 132-X''s bed. The dwarf stared blankly at his unconscious friend, flipping the wet towel placed on his forehead.


    The elf was also there. She was taking care of the beastman''s wounds. She as well was too focused to notice him as she slowly and meticulously wrapped the wounds that the poor beastman suffered earlier. Lord Prestonheim noticed how she skillfully worked her fingers by the collar to apply healing salve on the burned part of his neck.


    As he walked closer towards them, the dwarf finally noticed his presence and stood up to meet him.


    "A fair good Ifnen, M''Lord!" The dwarf bowed to greet him while the elf also made a subtly bow of her own.


    Lord Prestonheim greeted back with a bow and a weak, tired smile.


    "What led yah ''ere, M''Lord?" The dwarf asked and followed him as he continued to walk towards 132-X''s bed.


    "How''s Servus 132-X?" He asked without any hesitation.


    The dwarf looked at the Commander, then back to 132-X, "I hope, I could say the bettar." He sighed. "We could only but pray to the merciful Lady Oyue."


    The dwarf approached 132-X. He took the towel from his forehead, dipped it in a bucket full of water and squeezed it before putting it back on his feverish friend.


    Lord Prestonheim observed the slave''s laborious breathing, as he struggled for his life. The Commander looked at all the brave slave''s injuries, the scratches on his face, a small part of his right ear missing, the huge chunk of muscle missing from his arm, and the bandage wrapped all over his body indicating the extent of hell he went through for his goal of freedom.


    The Commander, approached the dying slave and touched his wrist. His pulse was weak, and he was feverish. Lord Prestonheim knew what was about to come next. He knew that, at this time, 132-X''s demise was inevitable whether they like it or not.


    He gently placed his hand over 132-X''s slave collar. This move surprised his comrades.


    "W-what are ya doin'', M''Lord?" The dwarf immediately grabbed the Commander''s hand away from his friend''s collar.


    "I''m keeping my word," he answered. "If he can''t live a free man, at the very least he dies a free one!"


    Lord Prestonheim silently chanted while holding the collar by his thumb and forefinger. He let some of his exousia flow over the collar, rewriting the runic scripts embedded on it. When he was finally done, he snapped his fingers, and the collar came off.


    He glanced at the dwarf who was amazed with a wide-open jaw. "I keep my promises, Servus 023-D. Now, come here and let me take that off." He pointed at the dwarf''s collar.

 Chapter 52: One Moonless Night Pt.2

    "M''Lord, me must''ve been deaf¡ª" the dwarf could not believe what he just heard.


    "Servus 023-D, Servus 003-E and Servus 113-B, I hear by declare you free citizens of the Principalia, as promised!" Lord Prestonheim made sure that they heard it aloud.


    The Commander took a glance at their baffled faces, as if they heard something off. The dwarf''s jaw dropped while the elf, mindlessly tightened the bandages of the agonizing beastman too much after hearing the news.


    Lord Prestonheim could not wait for them to reply. To him, time was precious, especially to the dying slave that he admired so much. He took another glimpse of the dying freeman and recited a prayer to him.


    After that, he approached the slaves one by one and released them from their limiting collars. But they were not smiling nor relatively happy. Lord Prestonheim understood the predicament, thus he decided to leave the infirmary as the silence became more unbearable. On his hand he took with him the collars of the four slaves, he was planning to dispose of the collars back to the slave barracks.


    It was a good feeling for him to release the slaves. To him, it was another victory to combat the rotten system that he loathed all this time. But even then, he still felt inadequate. How could his small gesture impact the whole? The answer¡ªnone.


    Lord Prestonheim went on walking towards the exit. He already gave his goodbyes to the freed slave, he doted to enter his ranks. It was a potential he thought he wasted over the small advancement of the Principalia, when he could''ve done more. It was too late for him, but not for the others.


    He turned around and looked at them with their faces devoid with any elation. "I would like to extend the offer I offered to Servus 132-X, no. I mean to that freeman." He sighed.


    The elf and dwarf looked at each other their eyes speaking a language that he cannot understand. The beastman shifted from the bed and tried his best to look at him.


    "M-My Lord," the beastman started as he winced in pain with every moment he spoke. "I would like to decline from your offer. I would like to see my nation once again."


    Lord Prestonheim nodded, "I respect your decision. But keep in mind that my doors are always open for you." He shifted his attention to the other Faerfolk, "How about the both of you?"


    The elf nodded to the dwarf, "M''Lord, ''fraid we can''t answer that fer now."


    Lord Prestonheim nodded and walked out of the infirmary when he remembered something important.


    "Oh! Before I forget!" The Commander began. "Your parchments of identification will be given in a fort night. I would like to get your names by tomorrow." He slightly bowed and walked back into his tent under the pale-lit moonlight.


    At his tent''s entrance was Servus 305-M jittering anxiously. Lord Prestonheim calmly approached the redhead slave thinking he had one of his crazed episodes. The moment the red-haired slave saw him coming, he became more fidgety.


    "August!" He called him out. "Can''t you come here any faster?!" He blurted at he scratched his head violently.


    "What seems to be the matter?" Lord Prestonheim sighed as he massaged the bridge of his nose.


    Servus 305-M grabbed the Commander by his cape and dragged him back to tent.


    "Whoa! What are you doing?!" The Commander said as he tried to balance his footing.


    "The sword! The gladius!" The redhaired slave exclaimed.


    "What about it?" Lord Prestonheim asked.


    "See it for yourself!" The slave finally loosened his grip and went back to the table where the sword was.


    Lord Prestonheim approached the table and saw the unsheathed gladius new for all its glory.


    "W-what is this?" The Commander''s eyes widened as it feasted his sight on the otherworldly weapon.


    The gladius was still shaped as it was, but there was a big difference to its appearance. The blade had the pale blue glow of an aetherite infused alloy, but it also had veins of aetherium ore engraved on it. The aetherium veins spread across the cold steel like roots boring down the soil. A marvel of rare yet crude design.


    "Fascinating, isn''t it?" Servus 305-M marveled at the weapon. "Oh! You might want to¡ª"


    Before the redhaired slave could finish his warning, Lord Prestonheim suddenly felt his knees weakened. "W-what''s going on?" He tried to release his hand from the blade, but he cannot. The blade sipped a large quantity of his exousia out of him.


    He desperately struck his hand with his other free hand to try and get it detached¡ªit worked. The gladius dropped to the table, with its veins glowing brightly and rippling from the amount of exousia it absorbed.


    Lord Prestonheim felt dizzy and tired after the short ordeal. He asked Servus 305-M to cover the blade with a thick cloth and asked him to retire for the night. As soon as the slave went out of the tent, the Commander slumped into his bed and dozed off.


    It was already late in the day when the Commander woke up. His head spun as he opened his eyes, and his body felt heavy as he moved. He called out for his loyal ward, Tristam. But soon remembered that he was sent to the Citadel-Unum, the second Garrison the Principalia had occupied on the Crescent Isle near the Forester Village at the south of the isle.


    The Commander slowly arose from his bed and sat while massaging the bridge of his nose. He looked around and saw the same cloth that covered the mystical gladius by his table. He went over it and removed the cloth covering the blade.


    Lord Prestonheim couldn''t stress enough the beauty of the pale rippling patterns of the balde along with the veins of aetherium pulsating a darker shade of blue light. He feasted his eyes on such marvel but didn''t touch it¡ªhe''s not making that same mistake twice.


    His day started later than of his liking, it cannot be helped. With all the weird events that happened yesterday, he got blindsided by that blade laying on his table. Lord Prestonheim recalled how it drained him of his strength and exousia to the point of his collapse.


    Then a thought crossed his mind, "Would have that been possible that the reason Servus 132-X was so weakened and injured is because he brought this blade into the surface?" The Commander scratched his head.


    With only a limited storage of exousia, how did a slave manage to take it to the surface? Lord Prestonheim has an unnatural amount of exousia within him and even he got drained to near unconsciousness.


    He was about to ponder more of that thought when his stomach grumbled in protest. He walked outside and saw the sky gloom over heavy dark clouds. A storm is coming its way, and the Commander could feel it. He felt it in his bones, an ominous tingle that he cannot shake, heavy rain is about to pour, and it will pour hard.


    Looking at the gloomy sky, Lord Prestonheim could only do so much with his mood. He ate his fill by the circle of the other knights who were resting as Midura ended. He sat with the young knights talking with them applauding them for their bravery yesterday. He saw the bright smiles of the knights who vie for adventure, as he saw through their eyes.


    After the meal, he excused himself from the knights and went directly to infirmary to check the newly freed slave''s status. As he walked towards the infirmary, his mind went back to the blade and how 132-X was able to carry it all that time without being drained of his power.


    He met the dwarf outside of the tent. He has dark rings below his eyes, and from the looks of it, he didn''t sleep a wink. The dwarf noticed him approaching and greeted him with a bow.


    "A g''Mirdura to yah, M''Lord!" The dwarf smiled tiredly.


    Lord Prestonheim nodded back, "And same to you, may the gods give us better days!" He looked up to the sky, sighing at the gloomy weather.


    "Aye! Tis a brewing storm, eh." The dwarf answered.


    "It is indeed." He answered. "How is he?" He asked for Servus 132-X''s condition.


    The dwarf shook his head, "Nay bettar, M''Lord." He guided him inside the infirmary.


    The Commander went with the dwarf inside the dimly lit infirmary, inside, Servus 003-E along with the elven knight Mnemsiel was tending to 132-X''s wounds.


    He came closer and saw the dying facade of 132-X. His skin had a pale chalky color with black discolored veins showing showing on the right side of his body. The bite mark oozed a foul-smelling black blood. The other wounds tend to show signs of rot as well.


    Lord Prestonheim''s mood would never recover that day. Seeing such potential go to waste due to his impulses made for the truth a bitter pill to swallow. After the two elves finished tending to the wounds, the Commander called Mnemsiel. They went outside the tent to talk as the dwarf and elf tended to both their comrades.


    Lord Prestonheim pressed his fingers between the bridge of his nose, "How does he fair?" It was a fruitless question, but he hoped there was a different answer to the one he had in mind.


    "M''Lord," the elven knight sighed. "In all my years, I have never seen such affliction. I cannot even tell what venom or poison his body is reacting to! Everything about it just doesn''t make sense."


    "What do you mean?" Lord Prestonheim asked.


    "That black blood you saw me drain? It moves on its own." Mnemsiel opened the bucket he brought and presented it him.


    "By the gods! What is this abomination!" Lord Prestonheim covered his mouth in disgust as he saw the foul blood move inside the bucket. It wriggled like agitated worms. "Dispose of it at once! Burn it with fire!" He commanded.


    The knight bowed to him and went on to burn the foul thing.


    A cold shiver ran down the old Commander''s spine. Something was off.


    "LAD! STAY DOWN!" He heard a shout coming from the infirmary--it was the dwarf''s.


    Lord Prestonheim ran back inside and saw Servus 132-X being restrained by the elf, the dwarf and one of the on-duty knights. Black blood was spurting out of his mouth.


    The Commander stood there in shock and horror as 132-X turned his eyes on him.

 Chapter 53: One Moonless Night Pt.3

    "By yer gods'' beards! K-keep ''em at bay!" The dwarf exclaimed at the knights. "Lad, ''tis us, calm down!"


    The Commander noticed the horrible scenario of the knights and the dwarf pinning 132-X down on his bed while the elf tried protecting the beastman at the adjacent bed.


    Lord Prestonheim quickly ran to the bed and helped restrain 132-X. He held him down by the chest while the rest held him by the arms and legs. Servus 132-X became stronger than ever, forcing himself to rise from his bed. They pinned him down forcefully to the bed until it broke.


    All of them fell hard to the ground, but still pinning 132-X down. Suddenly, they noticed the black veins on 132-X''s right arm pulsated and slowly shifted its way to its chest, crawling underneath the ex-slave''s skin.


    "L-Lord Commander, look!" One of the restraining knights exclaimed. "Something''s breaking from his skin!" The knight pointed out.


    Lord Prestonheim saw 132-X''s skin break as the veins began to incircle the Commander''s hand. The foul black blood oozed from the wound and began to latch itself to the Commander. He quickly moved his arms out of there, but he was too late. The foul blood bore its way into his skin, creating a small puncture wound before it slowly slithered in.


    As it went inside him, he could feel his memories flashing right from his very eyes. Memories he thought he buried deep in him, the memories he feared to remember the most. It came out fast and went out as quickly¡ªthe visions he had at the battle of the Gorge.


    He felt everything again. The screams of men and faerfolk burning. The smell of blood and burnt flesh loomed on the air. Cries of civilians that were struck by both sides and the sight of his son''s head pierced in a pike on the other side of the Gorge.


    Lord Prestonheim never imagined reliving that feeling again¡ªthe fear of loss and hopelessness. The feeling of heartbreak and bloodlust. It all came back to him. He froze in shock while the foul blood bore deeper into his skin.


    Luckily the mute elf rescued him in the nick of time. The elf grabbed both his hand away from 132-X''s chest. She bit her thumb to bleed, then wrote Indicentic Runes on his arms. After that, she pressed her hands against the runes and where it began to light up.


    Lord Prestonheim could feel a surge of pain in his arms. The warm light felt like it was burning his muscles. The black blood wriggled defiantly under his skin, causing a lot of pain. The Commander clenched his jaw as he realized that it was working. The black blood was crawling out of him.


    The flashbacks faded from his mind and he gained clarity over what was happening. It took another moment for the elf to finally purge the black blood out of him and when it did, he was panting hard as if awakened from a long nightmare. He moved away from 132-X and asked the elf


    "W-what was that?" He pointed at the wriggling anomaly that the elf burned with a light spell on the floor.


    The elf looked at him, not answering his question. She diverted her attention to 132-X. She wrote another rune of his chest while struggling with the black blood trying to latch on to her. After managing to write it, she activated the rune.


    A blast of blinding light overwhelmed the tent. They closed their eyes to avoid the painful glow of the light spell. Lord Prestonheim could only hear unearthly and painful shrieks from where 132-X was. Later the shrieks turned into a gurgle and soon, it was gone.


    They opened their eyes to see the elf slumped on the ground while 132-X went limp on the ground. The dwarf grabbed her arm and saw how the spell took a toll on her.


    "Lass, that could''ve killed yah!" The dwarf sighed as he helped the elf up on her feet and let her sat on one of the empty beds near the beastman, who was still asleep from the heavy medication.


    "Atleast he''ll be alright." She signed back to the dwarf.


    "W-what was that?" Lord Prestonheim composed himself.


    "It was an Obscurial infestation." The dwarf relayed the elf''s answer.


    A few moments later, Mnemsiel returned from disposing the bucket of black blood. He was pale and his hand bled profusely.


    "Ob..scur¡­" The elven knight panted as he knelt in exhaustion. His pale face looked as if he was drained of most of exousia.


    Lord Prestonheim crawled back to 132-X and checked his pulse by his left wrist. He was still alive, albeit barely. He checked him for any of the defiled blood that might have remained. Everything was gone and cleaned already. The wound on 132-X''s arm was still there, but the foul dark blood and the veins were already gone.


    Suddenly, 132-X jittered. The other knights quickly grabbed the commander away from the ex-slave. He watched as 132-X began to spew a pool of black blood from his mouth. The dwarf immediately came and put him to a side lying position to avoid from choking on the vile liquid.


    After spewing some more, the liquid evaporated immediately into thin air.


    132-X eyes began to open and seemed to reach out something from the air. The dwarf saw this and reached for his hand.


    "C-cloo..se..i-i..tt¡­" Servus 132-X weakly murmured.


    The dwarf could not clarify what his comrade was saying. 132-X began to convulse and foamed in the mouth alarming them once more, but this time he went limp after that episode.


    "W-what did he just said?" Lord Prestonheim asked.


    "I¡­I am not sure, M''Lord." The dwarf answered with a baffled and worried look on his face.


    Lord Prestonheim stood up with the aid of the knights and approached Servus 132-X before uttering, L-Let''s convene later after everything has been cleaned for." He sighed and stormed out of the infirmary.


    The Commander rushed into his tent and wash his sweat with water by a basin at the side of his bed. He panted as he splashed more water on his face and head, trying to make logic of the unusual situation. Lord Prestonheim took the towel by the side of the bed and wiped his head with it and then sat by the side of his bed.


    "I didn''t know I would see you this distressed?!" Servus 305-M sat by the dark corner of his tent. "I heard a ruckus in the infirmary¡­"


    "GET OUT!" He glared at the redhead.


    Servus 305-M tried to open his mouth again to speak but the Commander''s glare was too much for him. He went out and left the Commander in his room.


    He laid down on his bed and slept until the low level of Andenoon. He woke up and called in some knights into his tent. He instructed them to assemble a make-shift tent beside the infirmary. The knights nodded and bowed in agreement then started immediately.


    Later that day, after the tent was set-up Lord Prestonheim called 132-X''s comrades into the tent along with Servus 305-M and Mnemsiel and went on to convene.


    Everyone was on the edge. With the incident that occurred earlier, it was obvious that anyone was afraid of what might be lurking down the burrow. The dwarf stepped in and told the Commander of what they are against with.


    "Me nan told me when I was a wee lad ''bout monsters from the dark." The dwarf began. "Them monsters that feed out of fear and blood."


    Servus 305-M scoffed at this idea and laughed. "Are you basing the incident by your granny''s story?" He asked sarcastically, "You might as well tell us that a big crystal moon dropped over the land and created aetherium!"


    "Are yah mookin'' me people''s beliefs?" The dwarf modulated his voice, hiding a hint of anger. "Yah telling me nan''s story is a jest, Bhstrd?!" He pointed the redhead.


    "Yhs! Tlng chyldrn strys mtyr nnt tryth!" (Yes! telling children''s story doesn''t count as truth!) The redhead answered the dwarf using Dwyrvyn tongue.


    "Bhlycks! Cmprhndyn yld strys yr stl yhng! (Bollocks! You''re too young to understand the stories of old!)" The dwarf replied. "Whlkd yldrs wv! Cmprhndyn tryth! (We walked with the Yldars! We know it''s true!)"


    "Silence!" Lord Prestonheim commanded. "If you are to speak here, speak that all can understand!" He growled at them.


    The room was silent once more, but the tension never faded. Lord Prestonheim gained control of the conversation once again and pried on the dwarf''s earlier statement. He drew his attention to the dwarf and asked.


    "What do you mean by monsters?" He massaged the bridge of his nose. "Can you make that clear?"


    The dwarf nodded. "Yes, monstars! Yer story call ''em Dhampiirs. Blood suckers, fear mongers yer monsters."


    "August," 305-M tried to interject. "You are wasting your time with hearsays and¡ª"


    "I need not to hear of your opinion!" The Commander said. "Continue with your story¡­ummm¡­" Lord Prestonheim was trying to figure out a name to call the dwarf aside from his slave name.


    "It''s Dwarf, M''Lord." The dwarf answered. "I don''t bugger be called as such."


    Lord Prestonheim nodded, "Very well, Dwarf, continue with your story."


    "Them monstars, yah called Dhampiirs." He began, "Them ones yah think dies by stake to them hearts, is no ordinary monster. Hell! It ain''t gonna work!"


    The dwarf cleared his throat, "Them are born from the Crawling Darkness. The ones spat from Oyue''s mouth." He walked towards Servus 305-M and stared at him right in his eyes. "Them Obscuros. By Oyue''s name, I hope I''m wrong."

 Chapter 54: One Moonless Night Pt. 4

    "That¡­is¡­" Servus 305-M furrowed his brows as he approached The Commander, "¡­one horrific tale, commonfolk might believe in that! Dhampiirs! Ha!" He sneered while looking at the dwarf.


    Lord Prestonheim massaged the bridge of his nose, "You weren''t there when it happened, 305-M." He leaned his arms on the table in front of him. "They truly were terrifying creatures, but I''m afraid I can''t side on you with that¡­Dhampiir tale."


    He looked around the room and saw the horror in the faerfolks eyes. To them, it felt real and fleshed out. Lord Prestonheim had never understood the faerfolk at times, not just by their culture, but also their legends. The tale to them was no mere bedtime story to scare their young, it was a real warning for them.


    This wasn''t the first time the Commander heard about this tale. During his childhood days, his great grand uncle often told them stories about those creatures that lurk in the night. He recalled his old uncle telling them about how those creatures would hunt during moonless nights and feed on unsuspecting victims. It was a good story, terrifying at that! But he never believed it to be real.


    Lord Prestonheim wanted to understand what happened earlier. He wanted to make sense of that crawling foul blood and how it dissipated through light magic. But he sought for logic and not some age-old tale.


    "Lord Commander," Mnemsiel stepped forward, "I think the dwarf is right. That¡­thing that I destroyed inside the bucket is not of living origin. It''s devoid of life!"


    The Commander grabbed a stool from the side of the table and sat on it as he contemplated on what to answer. The room grew silent again as they waited for him to speak.


    "August¡­l mean, Lord Prestonheim, you surely don''t believe in those, right?" 305-M patted the Commander''s back.


    Lord Prestonheim glared at the slave while the rest watched in horror at his audacity.


    "Get...your¡­hands¡­off me!" His voice rumbled inside the tent.


    Servus 305-M walked into the opposite side of the tent, to appease the angered Commander.


    Lord Prestonheim cleared his throat, "Dwarf, Mnemsiel, I understand that this incident might be similar to the tales that our races had shared, but I believe there must be a logical explanation about this."


    "Like¡­photophobic strains of plants!" the red head shouted from the back of the tent.


    "Plant? Whaddya mean? Weeds? Yah call that weeds?!" the dwarf scratched his head. "How ''bout yah get that weeds crawlin'' in yah? Then tell me if they are!" He pointed at the ignorant redhead.


    "I would''ve like to see that!" Servus 305-M pointed finger at the elves stand on the opposite side of the tent. "If only they haven''t destroyed the entire thing, I would''ve played with it!"


    "With all due respect 305-M! You don''t know¡ª" Mnemsiel argued.


    "I don''t. You killed all of it. So, how would I know?" Servus 305-M rolled his eyes.


    "That''s enough!" The Commander sighed. "Regardless of what it was, we still need to prepare for it!"


    "P-prepare? Whaddya mean, prepare?" the dwarf scratched his beard. "Nay, we ''ave to prevent them from surfacing! Yah ''eard 132-X, M''Lord! We need to close it!"


    Servus 305-M furiously rebutted, "Close? No! Listen, August! There is a treasure of aetherium out there that we cannot ignore!" He pleaded with the Commander.


    "Nay! There''ll be hell to pay if we don''t close the hole!" The dwarf approached the table. "Lives are at stake, M''Lord."


    Not wanting to be outstaged, the red-haired slave approached the table and bang his hand on it. "For the Principalia''s glory we must keep it open!"


    Lord Prestonheim glanced at the two, "305-M, a few days ago you were completely against this idea because you find it too dangerous. Now, that the danger is at our door, you insistently want us to keep it open! Why? Is it because of your devotion to the cause?" He massaged the bridge of his nose. "No, it''s just for your selfish reason of research! Humans are nothing but a collateral to you for your so called¡­ Progress!"


    "But August, you cannot make an egg cake without breaking a few eggs." 305-M mockingly answered. "If we plan on conquering the world for the Principalia, I''m sure it wouldn''t mind a few sacrifices, right?" He glanced at the dwarf.


    The dwarf clenched his fist, aiming at the arrogant slave. Lord Prestonheim noticed this and patted the dwarf''s shoulder stopping him.


    The dwarf sighed, "One life is enough for this. My friend did what he can to get those ores. At least we could honor by closing that hellhole as earlier as possible."


    Lord Pestonheim nodded. He agreed with dwarf sentiments and being there during that horrific event surely made him assess the dangers of that hole. However, as the Commander and citizen of the Principalia, he has an obligation to advance its goals no matter the cause.


    This torn the Commander apart. On one hand, he had to protect its citizens from the dangers of the hole which in return can do nothing to advance his state. On the other hand, he could keep it open and mine for those legendary ores at the expense of citizens'' lives. But of course, he could advance the Principalia''s power into the world stage and his name for that matter.


    Lord Prestonheim has decided. He stood up from the seat and leaned his arms into the cold table. He looked around at his audience. The dwarf eye''s stuck on his, --pleading. Servus 305-M''s eyes crazed for more of what the abyss can offer them. The mute elf looked somber, staring at the desolate ground. Mnesmiel looked pale and sickly with fear gripping in his eyes.


    He took a deep breath, "I cannot risk more lives for now. Not without the prince backing us. We cannot continue." He nodded at the dwarf. "We shall close the hole now and put guards around the perimeter."


    Lord Prestonheim could hear the sigh of relief from the room, except for 305-M who stormed out from the tent. After that, there was no more opposition. The Commander and the remaining faerfolk strategized the seal.


    They decided to utilize the huge slab of rocks from the quarry to cover the hole. The mute elf drew a sketch of the seals they should place on the big slab of rocks that they plan to cover the hole. Lord Prestonheim noticed her proficiency in her runework, a skill only a priestess can conjure.


    Lord Prestonheim called the guarding knight at the entrance of the tent and instructed them to assemble a Xedecura unit. He then asked the dwarf to design a permanent seal on the hole complete with a lock mechanism for them to be able to open it up whenever they wanted.


    The dwarf nodded and enthusiastically went out of the tent with some parchment and inkwell along with him.


    The Commander breathe a sigh of relief as he managed to get everyone work together for a common goal to seal the hole. Although deep down, there was still a part of him that wished he could''ve kept it open.


    "But what is glory, if not saving the lives of men?" He uttered with a tired smile as he looked at the tent''s beams.


    It was a speech he recalled his great grand uncle would usually end his stories when a hero saves a damsel or the townsfolk. It was his father that gave him the aspiration to become the greatest hero the Principalia had ever seen! But it was his great grand uncle who molded him to become a hero for the masses. A man who the commonfolk can come up to and talk. A man whose feet landed at the ground while his name soared to the sky, getting praises from the gods.


    Even at his age today, he still followed that passage his uncle told him one cold morning as they took a walk in the Prestonheim''s manor. It was his doctrine, the one he always swore to abide.


    He closed his eyes before heading out to check the progress of his orders. It was already the high level of Ifnen when the entire ordeal was done. They finally sealed the hole and with that he took another sigh of relief.


    He looked up the sky and saw how the red bled over the dark canvass. Somehow, Lord Prestonheim felt a tingling sensation on his spine, the same one he had earlier. It was unsettling to feel it. The Commander commanded ten more knights to stand guard around the sealed holes perimeter but even then, the feeling won''t go away.


    Lord Prestonheim went back into his main tent to change. The sweat and dust from the quarry clung on him and he wanted to feel clean before taking supper. He went back to his room and washed his face and arms before donning a clean pair of freshly washed tunic and pants¡ªa new fashion in the Principalia.


    He was not fond of wearing it, but his brother insisted that he should look more presentable to his knights during their little gathering by the campfire. He took his retractable bracer shield and wore it in his left wrist while fastening his sword on his belt.


    He walked out and saw a few knights gathered around the campfire near the infirmary. He joined in and ate along with the company of the small number of knights that were around.


    Over the campfire he saw his knights laughing around passing stories of lewd harlots and how one knight''s manhood got stuck into a hole that he bore outside a bath house. Everybody chuckled at the story, he laughed at the story too.


    Lord Prestonheim although strict in dishing out discipline to those who broke the rules, he was lenient to these moments. A campfire cannot be complete without ridiculous and exaggerated stories. He was also young once and made some funny mistakes as well. As long as they never disobeyed the rules while in service to him, he''s fine with their foolishness.


    Their laughter was suddenly interrupted by a blood curdling scream echoing into the air. Moments later he saw afrantic knight running towards them bathed in blood and screaming his head off.


    "MY LORD!!!MY LORD!!!MNEMSIEL! MONSTER!!!" The knight ran towards them.


    All of a sudden, a huge slab of rock struck the crazed knight and spread his guts all over the ground. Lord Prestonheim noticed it the big flying slab of rock had seals written all over it.


    His spine tingled once more and the hairs on his nape stood, "Men, draw your swords and prepare to evacuate!" He ordered.


    He went inside the infirmary along with the knights and saw the dwarf, the elf and the healer knights trying to drag the patients out of their beds. The Commander ordered three of his knights to assist them as the rest went continued their way to ground zero along with their torches.


    When they arrived there, the ground was wet with blood and guts. The entire Xedecura unit was wiped out. Lord Prestonheim stood their ground and waited for the other Xedecima units to support them. As they tread slowly towards the hole, they noticed a figure crouching on a headless corpse.


    Their torches went off suddenly, and there they stood in complete darkness. But the thing devouring the corpse was very clear for them to see. It stood-up as its body glistened in the pitch-black darkness and faced them.


    "Mnemsiel?!" Lord Prestonheim''s mouth ajar.


    "Kin¡­saaaa??" Mnemsiel grotesquely smiled.


    Lord Prestonheim gathered his courage and activated his shield while he unsheathed his pale blue glowing sword.


    The Mnemsiel opened his mouth like an anomalous flower blooming. His jaw split four ways revealing his bloody maws and tentacles that lurked inside.


    "By¡­the¡­gods!" Lord Prestonheim gripped his sword tighter.

 Chapter 55: Eternal Night Pt.1

    "Faster! We need to get them into the safe place!" The dwarf heard the young knights shouting at one another, "We need to get back to support them!"


    The moonless night felt eerie and terrifying. The dark clouds that surrounded the velvet black canvass turned the sky into a nightmarish void.


    As far as the dwarf could remember, there were only two instances that the moon shied away from the sky. The first one according to legends was the first night the world was created, when the light has still not forged within the sky. The second one, was during the end of The Age of Wonder when the surviving moon goddess Chandara used her powers to seal magic from the world, closing the ley lines while killing the magic wielding Yldars simultaneously.


    The dwarf carried a torch while following the knights as they hurriedly carry his fallen comrades while the elf along with another knight lit their way into the farthest tent from the hole.


    "We''re here." Kiervan said. "Ummm¡­ser Dwarf you should be safe here."


    They laid his comrades on the ground. The dwarf looked into the young knights'' eyes and saw the fear in their eyes. The same fear he saw in the eyes of his brethren as they took the war to the Principalia''s army during their first raid at the Virdian Forest.


    The fear and hesitation were there in their eyes, and even if he couldn''t hear it, he knew all too well that their hearts were beating out of their chest right now. The knights talked to each other, whispering their thoughts while glancing at them. Finally, it seemed like they have decided on something and approached the dwarf.


    "Ser Dwarf," Kiervan pulled something from his back. "We must go back there. Please, take this." He handed a pale dagger to the dwarf.


    The Dwarf took the dagger from his hand. He knew that damn dagger wouldn''t be enough to fight whatever that was attacking them from the hole. But it was better than nothing. He looked at the dagger and looked back at the knight''s terrified face.


    "Yah comeback alive, lad." The dwarf nodded as he secured the dagger by his belt.


    Kiervan took a deep breath and walked away from them. Just as the young knight took a step, the elf grabbed him by the arm. It surprised the knight, but the dwarf was even more perplexed than he was.


    The elf looked at dwarf and signed. She wanted to relay her message to the knights, a message that might just save their lives.


    "Listen, young knight," the dwarf relayed. "Call yer brethren here."


    Kiervan tried calling out the rest of the knights but only 2 out of the 5 came to him.


    "How about them?" The elf signed as she pointed to the other two.


    "T-they do not¡ª" Kiervan tried to explain.


    "What is taking you this long?!" One of the knights shouted. "THEY NEED US THERE! MOVE!"


    "We need to go." Kiervan asked him to let go of his arm.


    Instead of doing that, they held his arm tighter. She looked into his eyes, asking him not to move. The young knight obliged. The elf bit the wound from her thumb and let it bleed. She wrote runes on the knight''s bracer and activated it using her own exousia.


    "W-what is this?" Kiervan asked.


    The elf let go of his arm and answered. "That''s for your protection." She bowed to him and signed. "May Oyue be merciful on you."


    The elf then looked at the other two knights who were in awe with what they saw. She reached out her hand and offered to give them the runes as well. Both reached out their arms and she wrote over them. Just as she finished, the other knight shouted.


    "WE NEED TO GO BACK NOW!" He unsheathed his sword. "I SWEAR IF YOU WON''T, I WILL CUT THOSE FAERFUCKS LIKE IT WAS NOTHING!"


    Kiervan glared at the other knight and shouted, "We shall leave now!"


    The dwarf noticed how Kiervan took another glance at them. His eyes spoke to his, it was something profound and peculiar to the dwarf. His eyes told him, they''ll come back alive.


    "Kiervan, Lad!" He called out but the young knight was unable to hear him. "Oh, Lady Oyue save us all."


    From the distance, the dwarf saw how the lights from the camp slowly dimmed as a black blanket of fog devoured the light. The dwarf looked at the elf, terrified and confused with the entire scene unravelling in front of them.


    "Whaddya know ''bout them monstars?" The dwarf asked while staring at the darkness slowly crawling towards them.


    The elf sighed and answered. "Obscurii are hard to kill. No one knows how to really kill them." Her hands tremble just by thinking about it. "They feed on light. We can''t¡ª"


    "Are yah just gonna stand ''ere and die then?" The dwarf looked at her in the eyes. "Lass, I know nay about yer sect. But wit'' them runes yah got, I wanna believe I can kick them Obscuras ass than die doing nay,"


    The dwarf did not wait for her to respond. He immediately drew a rune from the ground. It was a dwyrvyn rune of moulding, a rune used by the smiths of the Eastend Kingdom. He placed his hand over the rune and pour some of his exousia into it.


    "Byld mhy Mhthr wypn hs byhyld (Mother, build me a weapon to behold)."


    The dry earth slowly formed into a sharp-pointed shiv made from hard rock. He looked at the darkness blanketing the other end of the camp. It stopped spreading for a while. He also saw streaks of light breaking from the farthest point of the pitch darkness.


    "Lord Prestonheim." The dwarf murmured.


    There was no time for him to feel impressed by the silver-haired general''s impressive feat. They had to work on something right now! He glanced at the elf and saw her drawing a huge circle around them. When she was done with that, she immediately looked for stones and wrote runes of blood over it. Then, placed them into the four directional points, North, South, East, and West.


    She looked at the dwarf, "I need your help here with the lines and hurry up!"


    The dwarf glanced at the darkness once more and noticed how it slowly started creeping towards them again. He hurried up and followed the elf''s instruction. He made a square using the stones as points of origin. When it was done, he then formed a line connecting the four directions into the center.


    As a dwarf, his hand had the stability and accuracy that even an elf could never dream of having and thus the elf saw him perfect to make the lines. He realized that the elf was making a protective seal around them and knew that the smallest inaccuracy could lead into their demise.


    From the other side of the gate, he saw the panicking redheaded slave along with some knights escorting him out of the quarry by horses. He knew it was him as his red-colored hair made the slave shine in the torchlight even from half an ildwyrm away.


    "That bhstrd made a run! Ynyfckr!" He gritted his teeth as the dark tendrils slowly dimmed the torches from the camps surrounding them.


    The elf tapped his shoulder and asked him to drag the beastman and 132-X into the center as she made a smaller circle where the four lines met. After everything was settled, she asked for the dwarf to cut her at her palms.


    The dwarf did it hesitantly, "Y''all lose a lot of blood, Lass!"


    But the elf did not answer. After pointing at the darkness, he finally made cuts on her hand. He made sure not to make it deep or hit a tendon so the elf can still use her hands after it heals.


    As the blood ran from the elf''s hand, she closed her eyes and pointed her focus on the lines. As soon as the dwarf saw this, he immediately activated his own spell.


    "Fyr cym lyt fyrg thyn! (Fire, come lit my forge!)" The dwarf focused his spell on the shiv, and it began to ablaze.


    The fire was comforting albeit painful as it gradually burned his skin. But he wasn''t afraid of the flame. He knew his skin can bear wyrms flame for a thousand counts, to him this was nothing. As he put more exousia into the flame it grew bigger and hotter, creating a fiery shiv that''s slowly growing into a knife.


    There was light flashing from the distance. It was a weak flash, like a small lightning cracking out from the dark cloud. Watching it, the dwarf was relieved to see that the Commander was still alive. He wanted to help the Lord Prestonheim, but the circumstances prevented him from assisting the Commander.


    The dwarf drew a set of runes on the dagger. He etched it using the flaming shiv, once it did the blade started to be engulfed in flames. The dwarf then focused his exousia back to the shiv. The shiv gradually grew into a spear. He aimed the spear into the dark fog focusing on a moving shadow that he predicted with his mind.


    With one powerful throw, the spear tore into the dark, creating a crimson trail as it lit the fog.


    "YYYARRRRGGGHHHHHHHH!" A foul-sounding screech tore the silence of the night. The voice slowly died out before hearing another blood curdling scream.


    The dwarf knew his spear had hit something from the shadows, but it was only one of the many that lurked there. Lord Prestonheim''s light still lit at the distance. The light began to grow bigger and bigger as it tore into the fog.


    Finally, Lord Prestonheim emerged from the dark fog, bloody and battered by his shoulder he carried an unconscious knight. The dwarf was relieved to see a familiar face emerging from the darkness; however, his flame was slowly losing its light.


    He could feel the heat of his flame, but the light was disappearing. Then a strange cold sensation ran into his spine.

 Chapter 56: Eternal Night Pt.2

    Lord Prestonheim desperately ran to them. He limped as he carried a knight on his shoulder while his pale blue sword shone brightly albeit shattered in half. The darkness was slowly crawling up to them. The dwarf made another shiv and formed it into a javelin then hurled it again into the crawling shadows.


    This time the spear just past right through, not even glowing as the darkness devoured it. The flame was snuff out of its existence and the shadow continued to devour everything in its way.


    "M''Lord! Hurry!" The dwarf drew another rune from the ground but this time, he stabbed it with his burning dagger. As the rune glowed, a thin glowing line emerged from the rune and ran towards the retreating knights. The spell activated a few footling behind the Commander. A raging firewall suddenly emerged from the line blocking the path of the black shadow.


    They could hear a terrifying shriek as the flames emitted a blinding glow. But the shriek turned into a sinister howling laugh. The Obscuros behind the fog saw no threat to the huge firewall placed in between it and the knights.


    They could hear another shriek from the fog as it tried to go beyond the flame once more. The firewall stalled the fog from getting anymore closer to them and got the Commander and the fallen knight inside the barrier just in time.


    The dwarf felt the strain of holding the spell for that long. It was only about a hundred counts, but he felt his strength being absorbed by some unknown force. The brightness of the firewall began to dim, and the extreme heat of the flame dwindled into nothing but an obscure warmth.


    The dwarf finally released his spell just in time for the barrier to completely activate with everyone already inside. He dropped to ground, left with enough strength to prevent him from falling face first. He walked groggily towards the Commander who sat a few footlings from behind him while trying to revive the limped knight in his hands.


    "Wake up, knight!" The Commander took his gloves off and tried to feel a pulse from the unresponsive knight. "Come on! Come on!"


    Lord Prestonheim took a potion from his satchel and tried to let the knight drink it. But it was already too late, the knight was cold, and his pulse finally faded. The Commander laid him on the ground and placed his arms clasped each other by his chest.


    The dwarf could hear a tremble of sadness from the Commander''s voice as he approached.


    "Gods of old, hear me, your son. I present to you a soul into your warm embrace. May you welcome him into your loving arms and place him in the stars as his bravery encompassed that of what a human can." Lord Prestonheim sighed as he squeezed the hand of the knight''s lifeless body.


    "Kiervan? By Oyue''s name." The dwarf''s shoulders slumped in disbelief. The young knight fell that night at the hands of the dark shadow that loomed over them.


    He sat beside the body of the young knight and patted his arm. "Yah brave lad! Yah now rest in yer gods'' arms."


    The dwarf saw the long crease lines on the Commander''s face. The eyes sunk deeper into his face and his disheveled hair revealed an older, tired look. He glanced once again at the darkness beyond the barrier that began to take a form.


    The fog molded itself into its humanoid form, but its features were no human. The shadowy body took on a pale face that closely resembled that of Mnemsiel but had grotesque unearthly features. The elongated face, blank cat-shaped eyes and the perpetual smile that reached from ear to ear made the creature eerily unknown.


    "Di¡­na¡­mo¡­kaga¡­wasss¡­" the creature licked its lips with its snake-like tongue. "Muhh¡­gah¡­was¡­ko¡­di¡­ri..." it stepped near the barrier and bared its jagged teeth to them before going near the gate.


    The dwarf couldn''t understand what the creature blabbered. They watched in horror as the creature tried to step outside into the open. Fortunately for them, the creature began to burn when it tried to go beyond the gate.


    "AGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" The shrill and deafening voice echoed almost cracking the barrier.


    The monster laid on the ground rolling in terrible pain. It convulsed in terrible pain, while smoke seemed to come out from it.


    The dwarf noticed it too, "Basterd can''t go outside, eh?" He asked Lord Prestonheim who was gripping his sword on one hand.


    "I-I don''t know." He answered. "But whatever it is, I''m relieved that it cannot make it into town!" The Commander added.


    The dwarf checked on the elf, "Lass, are yah alright?"


    The elf nodded weakly. He knew it was only a matter of time before the barrier crumbles and at that time, he knew they had to be ready.


    "M''Lord could yah still fight?" He held the Commanders arm. "Sooner or later we ''ave tah fight it. Lass, can''t last much longer."


    The Commander looked at the elf who was breathing laboriously as it continued to infuse her exousia into the seal. He took the remaining bottles of potion from his satchel and gave two to the dwarf.


    "I only have three of this left, let''s share the last potions." He said as he drank the one, he had. "It should give us a bit of a boost." He sighed.


    The dwarf nodded to thank the Commander. He went to the elf and gave her the potion letting her drink it, before drinking the remaining bottle for himself. It immediately gave him a little boost. He knew this type of potion was a fast-acting potion and wished it would give them the boost they needed to go against the creature.


    The dwarf took a glance at the creature once more. It was still on the ground covering its face and writhing in pain.


    "M''Lord," the dwarf quickly asked. "How did yah keep that critter at bay?" He pointed at it.


    "I-I can''t really tell myself." The Commander sighed. "But as much as I recalled, it hated the light of my blade and that''s what I used against it. It hated the light. Any light for that matter and it devours the light."


    "In Oyue''s name!" The dwarf got confused. "If it eats them light, then why can''t it eat this?" He pointed at the barrier.


    Lord Prestonheim''s mood changed. He went grimly silent, as he tried his best to put his answer into words.


    "T-that thing is toying with us." The dwarf heard a slight tremble in the Commander''s voice. "He toyed with us inside that fog. He let us see our deepest fears and enjoyed every moment of torturing us with it before he¡ª." Lord Prestonheim gritted his teeth in frustration.


    The flaming dagger flickered again. The dwarf looked at it in horror as the light slowly dimmed along the barrier. Their eyes widened as the barrier slowly begin to fade. The elf poured more exousia into the seal, increasing the brightness of the shield.


    It shone so bright it, hurt their eyes for a moment¡ªbut only for a moment.


    As soon as she boosted the shield, her exousia drained further. The shield went back to its dim state as the elf laboriously breathed.


    They could hear a choking laughter from beyond the barrier. The creature jerked its shoulders as it laid on the ground. The laughter turned into a frightening cackle as the creature slowly elevated upright. It turned towards them and smiled grotesquely at them, showing its sharp teeth towards them.


    It went closer to them taunting them with its gruesome tongue, while spilling venom on the ground. As it floated a fingerling away from the barrier, it opened its large maw, revealing its horrific mouth full of tentacles and teeth.


    The creature licked the barrier to their terror. Its tongue touched the shield burning it partially. The creature laughed in agony as it did a few more. Releasing a foul-stench that made their stomachs turn. The monster laughed at their expense.


    The dwarf stood up, gripped his flaming dagger making it ablaze. He stood at the opposite side of the monster and showed him he wasn''t afraid.


    "I ain''t afraid of ya," the flames of his dagger extended into a sword.


    The creature made a guttural laugh and pointed somewhere inside the barrier. The dwarf slowly glanced at the where it pointed and was surprised to see Kiervan''s body was missing. There was a sense of panic rushing into him.


    He moved away from the floating creature and looked around only to hear a scream from Lord Prestonheim. He ran to help the Commander, but he was too late.


    The dwarf looked and saw Kiervan''s pale face latched into the Commander''s shoulder. The dead knight opened his mouth, revealing the same maw the Obscuros had. He bit Lord Prestonheim''s shoulder, tearing skin and flesh before ramming the elf from the center of the shield completely breaking the barrier.


    The dwarf ran to her aid. But was abruptly stopped by a tentacle entangled in his neck. He was forcefully drag away from his comrades leaving them to fend for themselves. The dwarf grabbed the pesky tentacle and cut it with his flaming sword.


    "YEEEEKKKKKKK!!" the horrible shriek blasted his ears.


    He was left inside a thick dark fog. He tried his best to ran forward using his sword to light his way. He rushed forward into the unknown only to be met with nothing. Strange silhouettes began to stalk him as he walked away from the dark fog.


    From the distance, he heard the muffled screams of the elf. He ran towards it but wasn''t able to get to where the sound was. Then he heard cracking sounds of bones breaking and Lord Prestonheim''s wail, but he couldn''t seem to find the source.


    Then, it all came back to him, that fateful day. His memory became flooded with the images of his comrades as they screamed in agony while he ran away from the battle. He could remember it as if it was like yesterday.


    Their voices rang in his head. Now the silhouettes came closer to him. They stood the way his brethren stood. Their built was a spitting image of his brethren''s and finally they revealed themselves. From the shadows, he saw his undead brethren, disemboweled, decapitated, and torn.


    He watched in horror as they began to approach him. His light slowly dimmed, and the fiery sword became nothing but burned-out, smoot-ridden dagger.


    "T-tis nay true!" He couldn''t believe his eyes. "Nay are ya living!" The dwarf did his best to get his dagger burning once more and slashed it across his surrounding undead brethren.


    "Fhyr dytyr nhy tryth! (Truth won''t be deterred by fear)" He slashed some more, but it didn''t cause any damage.


    As the darkness finally quelled the fire in him and his dagger, another silhouette came rolling out from nowhere. The dwarf could no longer see anything has the darkness as finally blanketed on him. But he found it terrifying to still see the shadows in front of him, and now the one rolling towards him.


    The rolling shadow finally stopped by his feet. It was a head, his dead daughter''s head.


    "Ryly, Dhdh? Tryth nhy dytyr fhyr? (Really, Dad? Fear won''t deter truth?)" The head spoke in his daughter''s sweet voice.


    As the disembodied head smile, the dwarf could no longer hold the terror he held inside of him.


    "AAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" His screamed echoed in the thick fog, but this time he couldn''t run anymore.

 Chapter 57: Eternal Night Pt.3

    The undead knight was overpowering the elf. Holding her by the wrist and pinning her down the cold ground. The monster''s tongue slowly licked her face with its slimy and cold tongue. The monster smiled grimly as it spoke.


    "Aelf, kaen yaem! (Delicious elf!)" It spoke her language. "Whaer tah faerste? (Where to first?)." The turned knight touched her face with his cold sharp fingers.


    The elf tried to struggle but the creature was too strong for her to overpower. She tried to hit it in the crotch but even that couldn''t get a reaction from the beast. The Obscuros laughed at her, mocking the elf for her wasted effort.


    "Waey kwaenta, lael aelf! (Useless little girl!)" The Obscuros spoke in her father''s voice. The man who got her to become a slave.


    Suddenly, she felt light-headed. Hearing those words again made her remember every bit of hell she''d went through over her lifetime. She felt her father''s hands touching her, a memory she wanted to erase from her being.


    The elf recalled how her father brought her to the monastery of the Indicens after her family ripped her tongue out. All because she posed a threat to the order of their clan and possibly the Society which the elves pride themselves with.


    She remembered how the head priestess would chain her and tie her by the post, then flogged just because she wasn''t able to perform the ceremony properly.


    She recalled it all! All the abuses she had throughout her life. She closed her eyes as she slowly succumbed to her fate.


    "Yaeng gaerl!(Young girl!)" She heard a familiar voice echoed through the darkness. "Caem haerae! Laet maeh caumb yaer harae! (Come here! Let me comb you''re here!)" It was her grandmother sitting on a chair by the window, overlooking at the green forests of Virdia and the golden sunrise.


    She was back at her room in the old kingdom. She found the place familiar and nostalgic and realized she was at her grandmother''s manor. She looked at her hands, it was small. She touched her face, only to learn it was smaller. She finally looked at herself by the mirror attached at the left corner of the wall and saw her young self.


    "Caem, yaeng gaerl." Her grandmother smiled at her.


    The sound of her grandmother''s voice brought excitement within her that she ran towards her and sat on her lap. Her grandmother caressed her long silky golden hair and combed it using her favorite elkwood comb.


    A feeling of sadness and longing suddenly rushed within her. A sadness she didn''t understand. A feeling of fear of losing someone close to her. She leapt out of her grandmother''s lap and faced her with sad eyes.


    "Whaet aes it yaeng chaeld?(What is it young child?)" Her grandmother''s soft gaze met with hers. "Did yae haev urum? (Did you have a nightmare?)" She asked.


    The elf shook her head, "Nay, abella.(No, grandma)" Tears began to flow from her eyes, and she began to weep not knowing why.


    Her grandmother took her hand and carried her by her arms to shush her. "There, there, yaeng chaeld."


    As a child, she felt something was strangely different. Her abella whom she loved so much used to disperse all fear with just a hug. But this time it felt different. However, she shrugged it off and went through the day doing the same activities she always did as a child.


    She went out to the fields with her grandmother that morning. Then she ran across long stretches of trees in the afternoon where her grandmother taught her archery. They took their lunch near the riverbank and she practice more archery after.


    The endless afternoon of non-stop fun and training. She loved all of it. She loved how she would run across the vast trees jumping up and over them while sniping at targets that were randomly placed within the trees. She loved the smell of dirt, moss and leaves as she went through the forest.


    She was called Laehtfoot or Lightfoot by her elven peers due to her quickness while navigating the forest. Little did they know, she had always been training herself and pushing herself to her limits.


    She saw another target hidden in between the trees. She jumped from one branch to the other before somersaulting just enough for her to see the space in between the target before releasing her arrow. It hit exactly at the red dot. She smiled at her grandma, waving at her while pointing at the target she hit. Her grandmother always taught her to be independent and should learn to defend herself in a young age. This is what admired her about her abella the most.


    They went back to her grandmother''s estate later that evening. As they went inside the manor, she realized something was off. The manor''s door she remembered was made of okre and was dyed in bright gold from pigments of its leaves.


    She looked at her grandma, baffled by the color of the door. "Abella, thaes duhr aes raehd? (Grandma, this door is red?)"


    "Yae!" She patted her head. "Thaes duhr haed been raehd, alswaes. (This door has always been red.)" She answered.


    Suddenly, she felt a deep sense of dream in her stomach. The hairs on her nape stood up. There was terror written all over her face.


    She looked at her grandmother once more and realized that something was different with her. Her ears were too pointy from what she could remember. She looked around and heard nothing. There were no chirping critters, no flying fireflies, nothing but an eerie silence.


    She shifted herself away from her grandmother.


    "Aes thaer a maettaer, chaeld? (What''s the matter, child?)" Her grandmother''s face began to change.


    Her grandmother''s face became paler. She took another step back as the lights began to flicker and dim. She then realized this wasn''t real. It wasn''t anything but a nightmare.


    She ran away from the manor as fast as she could. But running proved to be futile, with a single leap, her grandmother caught up to her. She stood there, frozen in fear as her grandmother''s visage finally shed off, and the monster appeared. The pale face monster hovered in front of her, opening its maw and reminded her of the gruesome tentacles that lie beneath it.


    She stepped back but stumbled as her knees felt weak from fear. The monster let out a deafening screech of laughter before it mauled her younger self.


    The elf woke up to a more horrific sight. She didn''t know which was worst. Turning back into this horrifying reality or living in a nightmare with her abella evilly manipulated. The monster was already devouring her slowly. The tentacles wrapped around her arms and began to suck on her blood.


    That''s when she finally understood that the monster wanted her alive as it fed on her. It wanted to taste the fear and desperation in her blood. It wanted to be elated in her despair and greedily suck on the fear that ripened in her dream.


    The foul creature toyed with her emotions. It wanted to savor the tasty blood out of her from the despair and fear she had by manipulating her childhood memories. It wanted her to feel safe, twisting her memories to their bidding before unveiling the horror underneath.


    She should have known better that something was wrong. It wasn''t her grandmother who took her out on those training activities. She was too frail for that! But just being in the presence of her grandmother made her safe and calm.


    Her vision began to fade as the monster relentlessly drained her of her life force. She could feel her head swirling again and her body began to feel heavy. She no longer did anything. She didn''t make any more struggles. It was already too late for her. She laid there awaiting her demise.


    As her life flashed before her, she recalled everything now in real detail.


    She remembered running through the forest with her mother. She remembered how her mother would often throw her some stones as she made her way through the branches. Her mother would always tell her to be very vigilant with her surroundings as attacks can come from anywhere. It has always been her mother.


    During the night, as everyone in the manor was fast asleep. She would usually sneak into her grandmother''s room where her grandmother would be waiting for her to teach her about the secrets of light magic.


    She hated every lesson of it as it rendered her exhausted by the morning. However, she loved being with her grandmother and decided to stay no matter how grueling the training was. She recalled a time she asked her grandmother on how to cast the spell without using runes or chants. Although surprised with such an advance-level question, her grandmother answered


    "Aet''s al aen thae thaeught! Draehw waeth yaer thaeught aend traust! (It''s all in the mind. Draw your spell in your mind and fire!)"


    As her memory started to fade, a new hope emerged from deep within her. She didn''t want to die after all. Not yet. She needed to keep that promise from her grandmother. She will definitely travel the world and find the golden fruit of Maedwin!


    With extreme focus and determination, she gathered her remaining strength and began to draw with her mind. She hurriedly looked for the proper symbols as her memory slipped further into the dark. Until finally, her desperation made her recall the last three Aelven runes she read on her grandmother''s book.


    The same runes that got her life into the downward spiral she was on. But she wanted to live, she had to. By her courage she activated it in her mind.


    "Braet. Luxae. Oyue. (Bright Light Oyue)"


    Suddenly her body was engulfed in a bright light that came crashing from the sky. The Obscuros feeding her was wiped out in the process in that bright light.

 Chapter 58: Eternal Night Pt.4

    Her wounds slowly closed and the borrowed power began to surge within her. She felt lighter and stronger than ever before. With the use of her new-found powers, she went on to disperse a wide part of the fog by a stomp of her feet. Pulses of light emitted from her and it pushed the darkness away from her radius, giving her a better sense of vision of the place.


    The elf checked on her unconscious comrades first. She wanted to make sure that they won''t suffer the same fate as what the turned did. She quickly checked them for any wounds or bite marks caused by the filthy Obscuros that entered the barrier when it broke.


    She also renewed the protective runes she had written on their chests, fortifying the defense. She emitted another pulse of light and cleared another huge area of the seal. There she saw Lord Prestonheim being overwhelmed by three Obscuros feeding at him, trying to tear him apart.


    She used the pulsing light once again to kill the monsters from the dark. She turned around and looked for the dwarf. But there was no sign of him. She pulsated some light again, widening her vision, and there in the distance she saw the dwarf kneeling while a hulking Obscuros slowly wrapped its filthy tentacles around him.


    Confident with her powers, the elf strode towards them but suddenly, she felt something bumped into her. She was thrown far from the dwarf''s silhouette without knowing who did it to her.


    She stood up and dusted herself. She looked around and even released a few more pulses of light to see if something was near her¡ªthere was none. She rushed back to help her friend but this time she was flung outside the barrier.


    She was greeted with hordes of undead knights standing right in front of her, growling and thirsty for blood. She pulsated a huge wave of light towards the undead knights, but it did not hurt them. The baffled elf tried once more and to her surprise, the knights simply shrugged it off and gave her a sardonic smile.


    The elf suddenly felt dread in her situation. Her mind ran with questions on how and why these things aren''t affected with her advance magic. She looked at the dead knights closely. Their eyes were dull and lackluster. Their faces were pale, but it was a different pallid compared to that of the Obscuros.


    It didn''t glow or stand out in the dark. Their faces did not show any signs of the large gaping maw the monsters had. There were no tentacles showing up as they opened their mouth. They were a completely different kind.


    Their movements albeit staggering, had the same movement of a living person. They could move as if they were alive, their bodies weren''t stiff, a sign that they were freshly killed and now newly risen. She realized that these knights were like the stories of old.


    The stories of the dead rising from their graves to haunt and kill the living. The monsters that couldn''t die with flame or light magic and the only way of stopping them is through decapitation. These were the so-called revenants.


    Without any weapons, she knew that it would be difficult for her to go against a horde of undead warriors. She ran back towards the barrier but was stopped by a tentacle out from nowhere and was thrown further away from the barrier.


    The elf was now surrounded and with nowhere to go, she was forced to fight. The hordes of undead knights raised their swords and swung towards her. With the runic enhancement she had, the elf was able to dodge with the strikes with ease.


    To her the slashes slowed down as it came closer to her, giving her enough time to evade the blades at a fraction of time. She was able to dodge ten attacks all at once. Like in a trance she managed to evade the slashes and stabs in all directions, contorting her body in weird angles while simultaneously hitting her attackers with heavy kicks and punches.


    Finally, she was able to create enough space for her to do wider movements, but the relentless undead came on swinging again. She caught one of the reanimated knights by the hand and disarmed his sword before cutting him into two.


    With a sword on hand, the elf was now able to fend off the rushing dead in all sides, but for how long? She needed to find a good opening to get away from the trap she was placed on. After parrying a few attacks coming from the back, she managed to decapitate a few more of the undead.


    The elf managed to create a wider gap enough for her to run around and jump. Unfortunately for her, the moment she tried to jump, a tentacle from the fog suddenly wrapped around her foot and dragged her back to the ground.


    She laid on the ground with the sight of the undead knights surrounding her, ready to strike her down for good. As they raised their arms to stab her, the elf was quick enough to write a rune in the ground just in time for the swords to descend upon her. A small light barrier immediately activated cutting the tentacle that held her foot and pushing away the undead knights.


    She heard a shriek of pain from beyond the horde''s lines. It was that point she realized that there was a puppet master controlling the undead warriors. The undead knights were just a tool for the Obscuros to attack them without the consequence of suffering from light-based attacks. The cunning monsters used the other victims as both their shield and sword against them, causing more despair. Which in turn would make their blood more palatable to the monsters.


    Just the thought of it sent a cold shiver down her spine. Her shield was sturdy and with her enhancement spell, it was able to last longer than it usually should. She used a fraction of her time to think of a new strategy. She still needed to save the dwarf after all, and hoping she won''t be too late.


    She tried getting up but began to feel faint and started to cough violently. She spat blood on the ground as she managed to control the coughing. At that point she knew, it was only a matter of time before she reached her limit.


    Her body trembled as she forced herself to stand. She refused to succumb to this kind of fate. The elf used her powers to expand the shield a little further, giving her an ample space to pick up some weapons.


    With two swords on hand, she finally releases the seal and incorporated her exousia to the swords. The blades emitted a shining bright light and she used it to cut the undead who stood in her way.


    She used some of the remainder of her power boost to her senses, giving her the uncanny ability to detect everything moving within her surroundings. The elf was now on a hunt. As she plowed her way further down the line, she noticed the shadow shifting its position away from her.


    It knew she''s seeking it out. The undead hordes came rushing to her once more but this time she''s being outmatched. Even with her senses greatly improved, her body could no longer stand the strain of the power boost. She quickly realized that as the blades were now starting to graze her.


    Her body was quickly failing her. Her body began to hurt, and she could feel her legs cramped in defiance of every single dodge and strike that she did. But the brave elf continued her own attacks until she was able to position herself adjacent to where she felt the dwarf was.


    Using one of the blades, she quickly drew a line between her and the undead warriors. She finally outsmarted the Obscuros that was stalling her. As soon as she finished with the line, she immediately activated it creating a blinding barrier of light in front of the undead.


    As the puppet master screeched in pain, the elf took this opportunity to run towards his comrade inside the broken barrier. With her last amount of strength, she jumped and attacked the hulking Obscuros that slowly fed on his friend.


    Her glowing blades struck the unsuspecting Obscuros through its back. It shrieked in pain and slowly dissipated into dark smoke as it let go of the dwarf. She was about to catch the dwarf from falling on the ground, but her body finally said enough.


    As the dwarf fell to the ground, she went along with him. Her consciousness nearly close to a fade, but she wanted to be awake, even in her final moments. She did not want that dream anymore. The ground began more apparent to her as she slowly collapsed.


    She wasn''t afraid anymore. It was past that point already. All she could do was hope that this moonless night would end.

 Chapter 59: Eternal Night Pt.5

    "Father," Lord Prestonheim looked around and saw his son alive standing with him in the tent, as his memory played the event.


    "I can do it! We can cross the Gorge! I will bring victory and honor to your name!" His son pounded his chest.


    "Very well, Augustin." The Commander smiled as he patted his son''s shoulder. "Show them hell!"


    Agustin smiled back at him and later that day, went out on the covert operation to infiltrate the other side of the Gorge. His son rode his beautiful black stallion as it faded into the horizon a few moments later,along with his troop of 100-men strong.


    Lord Prestonheim recalled vividly what happened next. He was sitting down with his lieutenants while laying the plan for the final siege when they heard a loud commotion from the outside. They stepped out of the tent, ready to chastise the noisy knights but to his horror something caught him by surprise.


    Atop of the horse was his son''s badly beaten lieutenant and tied in mithrilium chains. His body bled as nails were bore through him. His eyes were taken out by a burning object as evidenced by the burnt marks on his eyelids. The lieutenant was gagged in wild thorns, intricately wrapping his mouth.


    The scene itself painted the terrible reality of war, but it wasn''t the carnage that horrified the Commander that day. Hanging around the lieutenant''s neck, were a set of hands. They were big and bloody with some of the nails partially ripped off.


    As Lord Prestonheim walked closer, his heart fell off from his chest and his knees trembled at the sight. He knew whose hands they were. He prayed it wasn''t the case, but it was apparent that it was. As he came close to it, he saw the three rings on the right hand. Just as the moment couldn''t get worse, the third ring located in the ring finger, had a sigil of their house.


    Just like any father''s greatest fear, he realized his son was dead.


    He looked at himself as the Commander stood there and relive the darkest moment of his life. There was nothing that could ever console him that day. The world suddenly broke into a deafening silence as he watched himself break down in despair. His one and only son died because of his arrogance.


    Suddenly, everything faded out and he was left alone standing by the side of the Gorge. A massive army marched from the western end. The battalion was fully equipped with siege weapons and an infantry armed to the teeth with pilums, short swords and a round shield passing through a narrow entrance of the gorge.


    Lord Prestonheim could see his son leading from the distance. Augustin''s presence was powerful in the battlefield. He looked strong and determined to win the war. He saw him dismount from his horse and led his men to the entrance. The Commander could only watch what happened next.


    Suddenly, huge boulders came tumbling down from the cliff crushing the men and breaking the formation. From the chaos, came the joint forces of the rebel Virdians who attacked them from the rear and flank blocking their escape route and isolating them from their other allies.


    From there, it was total carnage. Augustin''s army was outmaneuvered by the rebel forces, pushing them further into a corner. The elves were able to cast their anti-magic traps, disabling the knights to use magic offensive. But even with such disadvantage the knights fought bravely, cutting and killing whoever was in their way. Augustin did the same. Even without his magic, he was able to fend off the attackers.


    He slashed his way out of the entrapment and made his way into the fray supporting his comrades and subordinates as he went. However, no amount of determination and courage could make the rebels retreat. The rebels fought ferociously and rained them with arrows, drowning them in a storm sharp metal heads that killed most of the fighting knights.


    Lord Prestonheim, averted his eyes as waves of arrows descended like rain from the cliff. He saw his son took a few on the body, one on the eye and one on the neck. He cannot let stomach the way his son was brutalized any longer. He couldn''t stomach his son''s pain that he brought to him by pushing him with the mission. It was his fault.


    He closed his eyes and heard someone breathing heavily beside him. He opened his eyes and there was his son, right by his side. Tired, wounded, and dying but was still standing with his blood-soaked gladius on his right hand.


    Augustin wasn''t able to stay upright anymore but he bravely stood up and used the rock pillar by the entrance of the gorge as support. His son had no strength in him to run, let alone fight.


    The sight terrified the Commander. Being beside his son during his last moments was one of the hardest things he had ever witnessed. He could hear the tremble in his son''s voice. He could hear the final words of prayer he spoke to the glory of their gods. His son shifted his weight to look at him.


    "F-father¡­" he breathed laboriously. "W-watch m-my flank."


    Lord Prestonheim''s eyes widened in terror as he realized he was physically there with his son. It wasn''t like what he remembered it to be. He wasn''t at the tent this time; he was with him.


    The Commander nodded as he picked up his weapon from the fallen soldiers around them. With two swords on hand, the Commander was ready to change his son''s fate. From the shadows of the Gorge, emerged another batch of rebels, fresh and energized for battle.


    Looking at his son Lord Prestonheim nodded, "Stay right where you are, Augustin. I will take care of this!" He smiled as he charged towards the rushing rebels.


    With every ounce of his strength, he delivered the first blow, only to pass through an elf. He used his elemental magic to burn the entire attacking force, but that did not faze them. The rebels continued on unscathed from his attacks.


    Realizing the dire situation, he run back towards his son, now being overwhelmed by the rebels. The rebels had overpowered his attacks and now has surrounded his son. The Commander tried his best to fend them off one last time.


    With all his might, he grabbed one of the rebels and tried to fling him away from his son, but he simply passed through him. He tried slashing some in the front, but the blade won''t work on them. He yelled in frustration and terror as he watched his son being stabbed and hacked by the rebels as Augustin looked at him terrified with what would happen next.


    Lord Prestonheim stood there defeated, looking at his son''s last moments, afraid, miserable and full of hatred towards himself.


    "AAAAUUUUUUUUGUSSSSTTTTTIIIIIIIINNNNNNNN!" He screamed in agony as he watched his son die in front of him.


    Lord Prestonheim was about to reach the blade and stab himself when a bright light suddenly engulfed everything he saw. A moment passed and as he opened his eyes, he saw black smoke evaporating right in front of him.


    The startled Commander looked around and saw the Obscuros lying motionless on the ground, completely disintegrating. He then realized it was all but a dream. They were trying to manipulate him in that dream but somehow, they failed.


    He looked in the distance and he saw the elf pulsating beams of light, walking non-chalantly towards the blinding fog.


    Lord Prestonheim pushed himself up using his broken sword. He felt his right shoulder stung in pain as the bite mark began to infect. Seeing this, Lord Prestonheim took his broken gladius, and activated it. The pale blue blade glowed but he still wasn''t contented. He gave more of his exousia into it until the glow became blinding.


    With no ounce of hesitation, the Commander dabbed the glowing sword over his infected wound instantly killing the dark spawn from the Obscuros. He gritted his teeth as he did this several times with the other bite marks. The pain was so severe that he thought he would have died because of it, but he persevered.


    After disinfecting his wounds, Lord Prestonheim stood up and like a knight finally finding a good battlefield to die on, the Commander pressed on. Into the void and to the Obscuros he was itching to kill from beyond.

 Chapter 60: A New Light

    "One¡­two¡­" Lord Prestonheim counted silently as he tracked the shifting shadow from behind the undead knights.


    He wanted to time his evasion against the illusive monster. A few moments ago, Lord Prestonheim had to exert himself with the little exousia he had left to create a light wall in between the bodies of the unconscious faerfolk and the grim monster on the other side of the broken barrier.


    The Commander was supposed to help the elf fight off the undead knights. He wanted to support her, so she can attack the puppet master from the back row. But everything did not go as planned and now the old Commander must find a way to save them out of there.


    The Obscuros shifted further to the right and extended its ugly appendages towards him.


    "¡­three!" With only a fingerling away from the tentacle, Lord Prestonheim managed to parry it with his broken blade while simultaneously running towards the fallen faerfolk. He tumbled to the ground as he reached them, but otherwise he was alright.


    Lord Prestonheim fixed his eyes on the shadows once more. But this time, it was proven to be more difficult than the last. The dark fog crept back, engulfing them once more with that blinding darkness. The Commander felt it again¡ªthat sense of dread tingling from his spine. He knew too well what was about to happen next.


    Even on this dire circumstance, Lord Prestonheim refused to succumb to his fears. The monster already did that to him earlier and it wasn''t pleasant, it was hell. He knew how the Obscuros feed themselves. He got it all figured out and he''s not giving it that satisfaction.


    The Commander lifted his broken blade skyward and began to chant.


    "He who rules the sky, descend your wrath to those who oppress the land." Lord Prestonheim focused his exousia on his blade creating a thin sliver of light that reached the sky.


    "Smite, Lord Zaados!"


    The sky rumbled and cracked as lightning descended into the blade. The force momentarily made the Commander lose his footing, but he recovered almost instantly and struck the ground in front of him. The powerful lightning let out a roar from his blade and spread on the ground creating veins of light reaching the farthest end of the undead line.


    The ground erupted in its tremendous force as light burst out of the scorched earth. In that bright and huge explosion, Lord Prestonheim managed to carry the elf and the dwarf away from danger. Alas, the Commander''s body betrayed the sturdy brave old knight. His knees gave out on him and he went plummeting into the ground with the elf and dwarf along with him.


    Lord Prestonheim did his best to move his body, but the strain from his exertion made it agonizing for him even to lift a finger. The spell caught up with him, that''s why he loathed using it. However, the situation called for it and he prayed that spell should be able to eradicate the remaining Dhampiirs around.


    The dust finally settled. Lord Prestonheim pushed himself as hard as he ever can for them to survive. Gritting his teeth, he dragged the faerfolk close to their other two comrades who were safely protected by the runes.


    As he looked around, he was relieved to see the devastated ground rid off of the undead and Obscuros, or so he thought.


    "AAAKKKKKKAAAAAAAKKKKKKK!" a shrill laughter echoed. "Hiiiiii¡­naaaayyy"


    Out from nowhere, another fog slowly consumed the camp. It was colder and darker than it was before. Floating out from the fog was another batch of the Dhampiirs. But these ones were different compared to the other ones before them. These monsters had horns and crowns on their heads. There five of them ready to wreak havoc and chaos once more.


    They made their presences known to the Commander by greeting him with their grotesque smile as they hover across the camp towards them. The creatures were accompanied by loud screams of anguish and pain coming from the fog.


    The shrill voices of men and women felt like trumpets signalling their ascension to this world. Lord Prestonheim could feel his skin crawl as they slowly moved towards them. Suddenly, they stopped. The Dhampiir in the middle with a crown made of horns and human hands pointed at him. The Commander despite the crippling pain, did his best to raise his sword, making it known to them that he wasn''t afraid.


    The Obscuros laughed in its shrill and awful cackle. It smiled at him as it raised its arms. The camp turned into an ethereal green glow. Ghastly apparitions started appearing from the ground. Lord Prestonheim recognized most of them, it was his fallen knights.


    The creature just called upon their souls to rally against him. He saw as their pale, contorted faces writhed in anguish as they rose and floated towards the Dhampiir.


    "Meeennn¡­for¡­ma¡­tioonnn¡­" the crowned one mocked. "Al...phhaa¡­"


    The ghost assumed the formation. The same formation Lord Prestonheim ingrained on his knights when they were still alive. His ghastly knights aimed their blades perfectly forward while their shields covered their left.


    Lord Prestonheim already sensed their doom, but he wasn''t about to give up, not without a fight. He stabbed his broken sword to the ground and gritted his teeth as he spent his exousia and life force for one final spell.


    "Bright Light Lunae. Oh, fair goddess that governs the moon. Have mercy on your peo¡­" His eyesight began to falter. "¡­ple! Grant me your servant your light to vanquish the darkness that you fought for so long."


    The crowned Dhampiir shrieked. A strong violent wind blew towards him, it wouldn''t let him finish the spell. The wind almost blew him off the spot but held on tight. The wind slashed his skin, tearing him apart in the process, but the old Commander persevered.


    "Lunae¡­ Mother Lunae! Come¡­forth and¡­embrace us¡­with your protec¡­tion." The area around him slowly lit up and swirls and lines suddenly appeared into the ground.


    The Dhampiir noticing this, pointed his finger to the Commander once more signaling the enslaved souls to attack. As they rushed towards him, Lord Prestonheim felt a warm hand tapping his shoulder.


    "Lord Prestonheim¡­don''t do it."


    He looked around to see a man with a glowing pair of eyes looking at him. The Commander startled at the sight of him.


    "W-who¡­are¡­you?" He asked as his mind slowly drifted while activating the spell.


    The mystery person didn''t answer. The man took the Commander''s hand off the blade. Lord Prestonheim he wanted to insist on continuing the spell, but he was too weak already. The light slowly faded, and the swirls slowly disappeared on the ground.


    The man held Lord Prestonheim''s broken sword. "Bright Light Oyue!"


    The ground lit up brighter than before and the glowing swirls and circles merrily danced around them. Lord Prestonheim sat there in wonder as he saw how the stranger activated using a different command. The exhausted Commander looked around in his last-ditch effort to identify who it was.


    "¡­you?!" The Commander exclaimed. "H-how?"


    "Later, my Lord¡­" The man said, "After I bring them all down."


    The man walked out of the circle while raising his right hand. As the horde of ghosts went on for the charge, a swirling disc of light came cutting the ranks in front. It swerved for another round, cutting some of the ghosts and vaporizing them out of the plane, before the crowned Dhampiir finally signaled them to retreat.


    The glowing disc finally made its way to the man''s raised hand.


    "That gladius!" Lord Prestonheim shouted. "You''re going to drain yourself, 132-X!"


    132-X smiled at him, "It''s alright. I can handle this."


    He immediately rushed towards the crowned Dhampiir, vaporizing ghosts along the way. His inhuman speed made it impossible for the Commander to track the awakened slave. As far as he could comprehend, there was only a long white light bending fast, tearing the hordes apart.


    The Commander noticed how the fog slowly backed away from the camp. The Dhampiirs began to panic as the rushing light decimated their undead army. Two of the Dhampiirs stepped in to stop the rushing light.


    Lord Prestonheim saw how the monsters shifted themselves into grotesque tentacle-filled blobs, blocking 132-X from their leader. But they were no match for him. The light simply danced around the tentacles before cutting them off to pieces. Thunderous shrieks echoed throughout as 132-X continued decimating them.


    Then soon after, the other two Dhampiirs merged and became a dark horrific anomaly with a humanoid body, bat-like wings, and an octopus-like head. It screamed at the rushing light hoping its power could stop its momentum, but it failed.


    The light seared past through it and ultimately decapitating it in the process. A huge explosion of black smoke covered the area. But the light was still visible from where Lord Prestonheim was. Without warning, something came crashing down near their new barrier.


    The crowned Dhampiir laid on a crater in the ground it created upon impact. It tried to stand up, but its limbs were cut-off cleanly. It shrieked in pain, but this time the shriek no longer held the sinister power it had. Lord Prestonheim couldn''t take his eyes away from the scene.


    From the dark smoke emerged 132-X carrying his glowing sword over his shoulder, his glowing white eyes, transfixed on the fallen monster. The monster tried its best to hurt him. It tried to open its mouth and flicked a tentacle over the barrier, hoping it would break it and hurt the Commander and his friends inside¡ªbut that didn''t work.


    The barrier simply vaporized one of its tentacles.


    With a blink of an eye, 132-X was already in front of the defeated monster, holding it by its horn. He looked into the monster eyes before smashing it to the ground, breaking the horns and crown in the impact.


    "You weren''t strong!" 132-X said as he lowered down his blade and pointed it at the creature. "I will tell HIM that myself when I see him down there!"


    For the first time Lord Prestonheim saw the terror in the creature''s eyes as 132-X swung the sword and decapitate its head.


    It was a sight to behold for a number of reasons. Firstly, the monster who feeds on fear finally got a taste of its own medicine. And secondly, because the one who gave it to the creature no longer looked human.


    To Lord Prestonheim he wasn''t looking at a risen slave, not even close to that! He was looking at the rise of a hero. The same hero he''s great grand uncle had talked to him long before. The man who became a god among men.


    "ADALOUN¡­" He blurted out of awe and wonder.


    "Yes, my Lord? Did you call my name?"

 Chapter 61: A Truth and A Lie

    132-X could hear the commotion of the outside world. He could hear it all. He could hear how the dwarf prayed for him to wake up. He could hear the conversations of the knights while they were caring for him. From what he could tell, it was about his recuperation¡ªit wasn''t going well for him at all.


    Lord Prestonheim also came by and asked for his condition. He could feel in his voice how the Commander pitied him at such state. A man broken to the extent of no repair. What happened inside that cave was truly a horrifying end to those who came brushing along the monsters inside.


    It was a terrible experience for him. But he managed his way through it. He couldn''t recall most of what happened. He was afraid to. After those Obscuros attacked him, he really wanted them out of his memory.


    132-X wanted to open up his eyes and prove to them that he''s still alive. He wanted them to know that he was a tough one to kill. He wanted to prove to them that he was indeed someone they can call as a hero, like the lifetimes he had prior.


    He still got it in him, even without Oyue''s help, he knew he could find a way out of it. But there he was, leaning on to a god. The same gods who managed to screw with him lifetimes ago. At the back of his mind, Oyue was just a steppingstone for him and his freedom.


    It''s only for this one-time thing out of from his desperation. He promised himself never to listen nor call for her help ever again. This would be the last time he''ll ever ask for help from a deity.


    "Failure!" The sound echoed rang Servus 132-X''s ear. "You''re a failure!"


    132-X tried to look in the darkness. He was alone and cold. Flashes of still images began to appear from the darkness. He caught a glimpse of the many hardships and deaths he had went through all his lifetimes. A nostalgia he never wished to see.


    The still images began to move as it sequenced to the events it occurred in. He saw in vivid detail how his body was torn during that time he got eaten by a ravenous monster on his 4th reincarnation. He also saw his death on the hands of the cruel king during his 26th incarnation, drawn and quartered.


    The moment sickened him. It got a lot worse when the images consecutively appeared replaying how he suffered his death, many times along the way. It was a painful and harsh reality for him to see himself torn and killed many times in over a hundred lifetimes. But it was real, it was the truth, and his body remembered every sense of it as it happened.


    He felt a sickening feeling in his stomach. The nauseating flashbacks was unwelcomed in his party. It poked at everything he did during all his lifetimes and it mocked his very essence as a hero. His mistakes, his failures, the gods never let him forget those. Every time he died, the gods awaited his return in the Greater Heavens where he either gets celebrated or cursed by his actions.


    "Arellin!" A familiar voice echoed in the darkness. "Arellin! Come here!" 132-X looked around and saw a fickle of light shining beyond the void. He followed the voice as the light became bigger and bigger until an image appeared in the darkness.


    "R-Rheanel?!" 132-X''s voice broke as feelings of nostalgia quickly swept him away from his logic. "I-is that¡ª"


    132-X knees gave in to the rushing emotions inside of him. His eyes began to water and suddenly, it became harder for him to speak. He couldn''t believe his eyes! It''s her, the woman he loved throughout his lifetimes. Now in front of him alive through the memories he thought he had lost after the High Chancellor''s punishment.


    "Rheanel¡­" He stood up and came close to the image while reaching out his hand trying to touch the face of the lover he loved across his many lifetimes.


    "Do you want her back?" A low growling voice asked. "Do you¡ª"


    "Who''s there?" 132-X looked around and saw nothing but darkness. "I am not afraid of you!"


    "Perhaps." The voice replied.


    The silence broke with a sound of footsteps approaching 132-X. The footsteps were human-like. 132-X readied himself for the stranger. He could hear his erratic heartbeat as he waited for the intruder to finally show himself.


    "Perhaps, you won''t be afraid of me." The voice echoed.


    The stranger slowly emerged from the darkness. It wore similar clothing to the gods of the Greater Heavens. The black toga embroidered with swirling lines of gold glittered like stars in the darkness, a beautiful contrast to the one wearing it.


    As it slowly showed himself it became apparent what it really was¡ªan Obscuros. But he looked different from the ones he saw before. The stranger had an otherworldly allure. Its facial features were close to that of an elf.


    Its almond-shaped eyes had an eerie tinge of blue. It had a beautiful curve at the bridge of its nose. Its lips are red and supple. A perfect fit for its elongated face. However, its beauty stopped there. Everything else were grotesque features. From its ash-colored skin with drawn patterns foreign and incomprehensible to 132-X. It had a horn sticking out of its left forehead adorned with gold and encrusted with jewels.


    It was close to 7 footlings tall and had a body of a well-built man. The monster had muscular arms that had some sort of black chitin covering it like an armor and were long beyond the knee. Its lower appendages were that of a muscular man but still covered with the same hard chitin it had on its arms.


    The monster grinned at him, "You must be Arellin. Nice to meet you!" The monster reached out its oddly shaped had hand.


    132-X refused to clasp with it, "Who are you?" He asked.


    "Me, you asked?" The stranger went closer to him. "I am a god! My name is Zados although, you humans call me Lunos. You can call me which ever works for you."


    132-X slowly backed away from the so-called god. "What do you want from me?"


    "Straight to the point, I like that!" The god teleported behind him. "I need you to worship me and become my envoy to the world!"


    The god''s sudden appearance behind him startled him. He backed away in fear. He shook his head.


    "I AM NOT GOING TO BE A PAWN FOR YOUR SILLY GAMES! I DON''T NEED THE LIKES OF YOU!" 132-X said as he readied himself to fight him.


    "Ooohh? Brave are we?" the god snickered. "You said you don''t need us and yet, your powers came from the gods!"


    "I acquired those powers myself!" He retorted. "They did nothing for me after I got the mark."


    "You really over-estimate yourself, do you?" The god said. "Truth be told, the only reason you have succeeded those many lifetimes was because of gods. You are nothing more than a tool."


    The comment infuriated 132-X. With all his might he went to punch the god, but he fell short. The god caught his punch by his hand and squeezed it.


    "So bold of you to lift a hand on a god, Arelin!" The god squeezed it even more sinking his claws into 132-X''s skin. "You jest, do you?"


    The god flicked him away. 132-X tumbled across the darkness. The horned god took a deep breath.


    "If you become my envoy, I will give you your powers back. You like that don''t you?" the god smiled.


    132-X spat, "I WILL NEVER BE A PAWN OF ANY OF YOU EV¡ª"


    "Or how about, getting her back?" the god snapped his fingers and revealed Rheanel''s image.


    132-X''s eyes widened, his mouth ajar. "Y-you can bring her back?"


    "Yes¡­along with your powers," the god approached 132-X sitting in the dark. "But I know that''s not important! What''s important is her."


    The god blew on the image and suddenly it materialized into a living, breathing Rheanel.


    "Arellin?" Rheanel reached out her hand.


    132-X stood up and walked towards her when suddenly the god''s grotesque looking arm blocked in between them.


    "You stay where you are." The god said. "You can''t get her unless you agree to my terms." He smiled.


    132-X looked longingly at his lost love. This was the woman whom he truly loved across his lifetimes. He remembered her dying in his arms every single time. No matter what world it was, no matter what lifetime it was, she always wound-up dead.


    He took it with the Council before. He begged them to spare her or make her like what he was, but the Council of the gods outright refused him. They explained to him that her soul was something out of their reach. It was an anomaly that even the most powerful gods couldn''t reach, and mold like him.


    It was a lame excuse that he later learned to be a lie. It was indeed possible to make her be like him. He tried to do it himself, as he was powerful enough to do so. He tried but ended up destroying the world, all because of love. A love he never sought to find no matter how many lifetimes went by.


    "Be my envoy, and I''ll even make her the same as you." The god smiled at him.


    "W-what makes you think I should believe you?" 132-X hesitantly asked.


    "Well, why should you not? After you wake up, I will help you resurrect her." The god smiled wider. "I tell you what? As a sign of good faith, let me give you back the mark you have."


    The god reached out his fingers to 132-X''s chest. He was ready to scribe the mark on his chest once more when a hand grabbed the god''s hand out of nowhere.


    "I will not allow it!" Oyue''s voice echoed in anger.


    "Y-You?!" exclaimed 132-X.


    "O-Oyue? I thought you were¡­that''s impossible! My¡ª" The god frantically reacted.


    "You cannot have him, Zaduriel!" She tightened her grip until the sound of cracking bones were audible.


    The horned god gnashed his teeth in pain, "L-lady O-oyue¡­I¡­I¡­"


    "Don''t think for a moment that I didn''t see your deeds!" She glared at him, "You are no god, and I won''t let you corrupt him, you filthy Yldar!"


    132-X interrupted them, "What are doing, Oyue? Release him!" He held her hand.


    The god quickly released her grip and the self- proclaimed god cowered away into the darkness.


    "NOOOO!!!" 132-X exclaimed as he tried to reach for Zados'' hand. "I want¡ª"


    Oyue slapped him across the face. The sound of the slap echoed all through out and shattered the darkness, revealing the place that 132-X had known and missed.


    "Would you stop your childish wiles, Adlaw-on?!" The deity chastised him. "And don''t believe in everything he just told you! Those were lies!"


    "Y-you?!" 132-X still holding his throbbing cheek. "W-why did you have to interfere?! He was going to get her back!"


    The goddess sighed seeing how the former hero behaved, "You are but a child, Adlaw-on. Do you think, we can bring back the dead?"


    132-X pointed at her, "You''re a goddess! Why can''t you?!"


    "We cannot. No god can meddle with that." She answered.


    "Then of what use of a god are you?!" He said. "You are the sa¡ª"


    Oyue slapped him again, this time on the other cheek.


    "I am a god whose telling you the truth." Oyue explained. "I called you by your real name, Adlaw-on! Tell me this, were you ever called by your real name in your previous lifetimes by the gods who summoned you?"


    132-X shook his head silently.


    "Exactly proves my point!" Oyue said.

 Chapter 62: Hubris Pt.1

    "He could''ve reincarnated¡ªwait?! What''s¡ª" 132-X suddenly noticed his small voice. "W-what''s happening?!"


    Hearing his small, child-like voice baffled 132-X. He looked at his hands and saw how small it was. Something was off, he had smaller feet and he felt like he lost a tremendous amount of muscle and height. He touched his face; it was small and plump.


    He looked around and saw the beautiful blue waters rolling in a sheet of white crystalized sand. He ran towards the clear waters on the shore and tried looking at his own reflection.


    "I''m a child?!" He ran back to Oyue who was sitting along a shade of a coconut tree. "W-what have you done?! Where are we?" He said frantically.


    Oyue stood up and dusted herself from the sand lingering in her long celestial dress. "This was where you came from." She pointed at the big Talisay tree, "Remember that?"


    132-X looked at the tree and realized where he truly was.


    "H-Home¡­" his voice broke as nostalgic images run through his head. "W-why did you take me here? A-and why on this form?" He asked.


    "To tell you a story." Oyue answered in her sweet voice.


    The answer angered the child 132-X. "You could''ve just told me! You don''t have to put an effort of making me like¡­this!"


    Oyue just looked at him silently and walked towards the big tree, "Walk with me, Adlaw-on."


    132-X speechless and annoyed didn''t leave his place. "NO!" He said stomped his foot down on the soft sand.


    Oyue looked back at him and smiled, "You were always but a kid." The goddess sighed.


    "I don''t blame you for that though, as you truly were one." She added.


    The comments bore deep into him. Her words struck a nerve, and that line finally shattered the little patience he had left for her.


    "I am not a kid!" He spat. "I am a hero of many worlds! A king of many lands! I am the legend that most wanted to become better never came close! I am a¡ª"


    "A child." Oyue answered while looking at him pitifully. "A child who was made to believe that he was saving the world. That he was a king of many realms and a legend known by many names."


    132-X gritted his teeth in seething anger. He clenched his hand and ran towards the goddess going for a swing at her.


    The goddess gracefully moved out of her way and tripped the child''s feet along the way. 132-X tumbled down the warm sand, mouth ajar in disbelief as he went falling down.


    "Pfft¡­Pfftt¡­" 132-X spat the funny tasting sand in his mouth. "Ff-whathh¡­diiiddtthh...you..doo?"


    The goddess shrugged her shoulders mockingly, "I just moved away. Seriously, Adlaw-on get up so we could start this story!"


    "If only I had my powers! I would''ve¡ª" the child sniffled. "I would''ve destroyed you in an instant!"


    "If only I had my powers¡­" Oyue mimicked him mockingly while quoting the air. "That''s the problem with you, Adlaw-on. You never seem to get."


    132-X wiped his tears silently as the Lady of the Moon continued to bully and mock him for his actions, or so he thought.


    Oyue sighed at the sight of 132-X sitting on the sand, sulking. She went back to him and sat beside the little 132-X.


    "You ruined everything! My chance at seeing her again, my freedom, my life! You ruined it!" 132-X pointed at her and cursed her to his heart''s content.


    The goddess sat there silently, waiting for him to finally calm down.


    "You really don''t understand, do you?" Oyue asked. "No one can bring back the dead to the land of the living. The only reason you have reincarnated for multiple times was because of that cursed mark!"


    "C-cursed mark?" 132-X lifted his head, "W-what do you mean by a¡­cursed mark?!"


    Oyue reached out her hand to him, "Let me tell you that story. Come, take my hand."


    The statement stirred 132-X''s curiosity, but he was still hesitant.


    "W-why would I trust you?" He raised one of his eyebrows.


    "You don''t have to." Oyue sweetly smiled. "But, as a being bound to telling the truth, let me tell you this. Everything you''re about to see right now is from the memory of your soul. The purest of all memories, I have not altered one of these memories." She spoke.


    "You can take solace on that truth." She reached her hand closer to 132-x expecting him to reach it.


    132-X Hesitantly took the goddess'' hand and went to the huge tree. As they came closer and closer to the tree, 132-X felt a nostalgic feeling just by looking at the tree. The broad leaves that varied colors from a vibrant green to an earthly brown made him missed the tree even more.


    "There was never a tree like this in all the other worlds I have been." He sighed. "I have seen beautiful and majestic trees across a multiple lifetime, but it could never compare to this one." He patted its trunk.


    Oyue smiled at him and sat below the shade, inviting the young 132-X to sit beside her.


    Although still suspicious with the goddess, 132-X sat down but made a considerable distance away from the goddess.


    "Are we here to just rest in the shade?" He asked while scratching his face.


    "Of course not! Just you wait." Oyue leaned back on the tree.


    "Young Master!" A familiar voice echoed from the distance. "Young Master stop hiding please! Your father will be furious at me if I can''t find you!"


    132-X stood up and saw the face of his long-time guardian once again. "Pangan-ud!"


    He tried approaching his beloved guardian but Oyue ordered him to remain.


    "W-why won''t you let me come to him?" He asked with a baffled look on his face. "He''s calling¡ª"


    Suddenly, someone landed in front of them from the top of the tree. 132-X''s eyes widened; he couldn''t believe what he was seeing.


    "W-wait that''s¡­me?!" He tried grabbing the mimic in front of him, but his hands just passed through him. "What''s going on?"


    "Remember, this is but a memory." Oyue replied. "Everything you see will simply take place even with you intervening."


    "Is this a sick joke?" He spat. "H-how could do this to me?"


    Oyue picked up a small stone and threw it over to him hitting his left calf.


    "Ow!" He scratched over it, "Why did you do that?!"


    "Because I need you to stay calm and just watch." Oyue sighed. "I''m pretty sure now why they chose you¡­nevermind." She rolled her eyes.


    132-X wanted to argue some more, but he instead sat back down and silently watch the scenario unfolding.


    Pangan-ud approached 132-X''s image who was standing at the foot of the tree.


    "Y-young Master¡­" the old servant was catching his breathing, "P-please¡­your¡­father is¡­calling you."


    His mimic stood there not saying a word. It stared at the poor old man who was catching his breath and was about to sit at the shade to rest. Just as he was about to sit, 132-X''s mimic suddenly held the old man''s arm preventing him from resting.


    "Who told you to sit, Pangan-ud?" The mimic said irritated at what the old man just did.


    "Y-young Master¡­I.." the old man struggled for words.


    "It doesn''t matter, I am telling my father, the Datu that you did not address his only son and successor well." He let go of the old man and ran as fast as he could back to the town.


    The poor old man stood up immediately and tried to chase him. 132-X''s mimic made sure to look back at the stumbling old man while he ran away laughing.


    The real 132-X on the other hand was speechless with what he saw. He couldn''t argue with what he saw. It was exactly what he remembered it to be.


    "W-well, I-I w-was a little¡­" He stammered.


    "Brat?" Oyue answered while looking at the beach in the distance.


    "Well¡­I was a little¡­" He fumbled for words once again. "Y-yes¡­I was." He sighed.


    Oyue looked at him with a hint of sadness in her eyes, "Did you know how you died?"


    The question took 132-X by surprise. It was too direct for his taste and foreboding at best, but he still answered the question.


    "Well, I died defending my kingdom." He started. "If I remembered correctly, I was 17 years old when the invaders came clad in their shiny armor with swords and guns on hand. It was a three-day long battle. I remembered it very well!"


    Oyue looked at him silently. Her eyes asking him for more.


    132-X cleared his throat, "It was almost sundown when we were completely running for victory. Their guns and cannons couldn''t match our fighting prowess. I remembered striking down the invaders left, right, and center. But alas, I was wounded by a bullet right in the middle of my chest. I was still able to cut down more of them¡­maybe another two or three men, but after that, I finally collapsed and died." He sighed.


    "I see¡­" Oyue looked back at the horizon, "So, that''s how they told you how died¡­"


    "W-what do you mean by that?" 132-X was baffled with the goddess'' statement.


    Oyue sighed and looked at him with a sad look on her face, "They shouldn''t have lied to you¡­"

 Chapter 63: Hubris Pt.2

    "They shouldn''t have lied to you¡­" Oyue sighed. "That was really uncalled for."


    "W-what do you¡­mean?" 132-X stood up and approached the goddess, "What do you mean by that? Who lied to me?!" He stomped his feet in frustration.


    Oyue looked up and met his eyes filled with questions and confusion. "The High Council."


    132-X felt sick just by hearing it. His heart dropped to his stomach as a goddess from an unchartered world knew about the council. 132-X grabbed Oyue by the shoulder and shook her hard as he could.


    "How did you know about the Council?! Tell me!" 132-X hands became cold and clammy. "H-How did you know about that? Who are you?!"


    Oyue grabbed his hands gently and laid them on the side of his hips. She stood up and looked at the blue sky.


    "When you came to this world of Calamatis, part of your consciousness and power got snagged by the ley lines that was stitched across the sealed gate." Oyue looked back at him. "I control the ley lines of Calamatis, that''s why I knew everything about you."


    "Liar!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "I won''t be lied to! I am¡ª" 132-X paused in a sudden realization.


    "Y-you mean those web-like things entangled to me during my jump were¡­" 132-X recalled how he got entangled with the lines.


    "Ley lines." The goddess connected.


    132-X sat down contemplating on the current situation was in. He wanted to wrap his head around everything that was unravelling in front of him. At the same time, there was still a hint of doubt left in him.


    "I want to believe you¡­" he sighed. "I truly do, but this is just¡ªI don''t know." He shrugged his shoulders.


    "You can''t convince a bull to jump into the fire, unless you hit it hard enough that it gets startled." Oyue said.


    132-X looked at her with widened eyes, "Stop doing that!"


    The proverb the Moon goddess just spoke was a direct reference to his mentor Durg'' ahkvan. A hulking warrior from his 8th incarnation who trained him in hand-to-hand combat and sword fighting. He wasn''t the best of mentors 132-X knew at that point, but his wisdom was second to none.


    The quote was something his mentor whipped up during his final exam. 132-X needed to slay a Bonnacon and he was hesitant about the entire ordeal. 132-X thought he still wasn''t ready, but his master thought otherwise.


    Oyue interrupted his train of thought and grabbed his arm, "Stand up, it''s almost time."


    "Time for what?" He asked.


    "Just follow me." She insisted.


    The town where 132-X formerly lived was a small yet bustling town. Small straw huts clustered together, and bamboo fences were a common site in that community. Oyue and 132-X walked past the busy streets where merchants and farmers towing their horses and water buffalos. Carts of rice, barrels of wine and chests of gold are dragged by the beasts in droves from the mountainous north to the seabound south.


    The streets were congested with people seemingly flowing to and fro, walking from one side of town to the other. Luckily for the both of them, they wouldn''t have to squeeze their way into the sweaty crowd. They passed their way through, avoiding the blistering heat and humidity of a jam-packed street.


    They made their way into the busy main square, a wide-open area with merchant stalls scattered all over the place. The products they sell were of a huge variety, from textiles of the mountain tribes to the pearls and fishes of the seafolk. The items sold were from far and wide, with merchants ready to heckle their way to get an extra trade-off or two.


    Beyond the noisy market square was the huge hall of the Datu. The huge engineering marvel was made from the same reeds and wood native to the area. The structure itself is a feat of its time. The wide and high roof was an impossible feat that few of the tribes tried to pull-off.


    The infrastructure was gilded and was ornated with color patterns of flowers and crocodiles, a sign of power to the royal family.


    "That???s where I lived!" He pointed.


    "Come on, let''s go inside." Oyue walked past the guards and entered massive infrastructure.


    "I have never seen anything of such beauty!" The goddess exclaimed. "So primitive, yet so intricate!"


    132-X thumped his chest, "Our craftsmen were ahead of its time! This is our masterpiece!"


    As gorgeous and awe-inspiring the sight was, Oyue went back to her stoic persona. She walked around the vast bamboo floor and sat in the middle of the hall.


    "W-what are you doing?" 132-X asked.


    "Sitting." Oyue answered sparingly. "I suggest you do as well."


    132-X sat down and waited in awkward silence.


    A few moments later, 132-X''s mimic appeared in the hall with a kamagong stick on one hand, and a wooden shield in the other. The sight of it excited him. 132-X looked longingly at the mimic as it bowed at the empty hall.


    "Kaitas-ang Lihok Kalis Usa: Tang-a (Advanced Move Number 1: Scorpion)" 132-X whispered.


    The mimic raised the shield on his left arm while thrusting the stick forward to a stab. The mimic swerved in the air as if an opponent was attacking him. He attempted to move forward only to shift backward at the last moment and raised the shield to this chest while performing an overhand stabbing motion.


    132-X smiled in content as he saw how his mimic perfectly executed the move.


    He smugly smiled to Oyue, "That was a complicated move."


    Oyue just looked at him nodding.


    "Adlaw-on? Adlaw-on?" a sweet and jolly voice filled the hallway.


    "What is it, Pahiy-um?" The mimic sighed. "I told you to call me, Young Master!" He chastised the timid little girl.


    "I-I¡­am sorry, Y-youn'' ''Aster" The scared girl struggled to pronounce his title. "I-I¡­was looking for my Lolo."


    132-X saw his mimic smirked.


    "I saw your Lolo." The mimic twirled the stick. "I am about to tell my father, the Datu, about him disrespecting the heir! Like you, he didn''t greet me properly so he must be punished.???


    Oyue looked at 132-X intently.


    132-X sat stiffly on the floor, unmoving and refusing to look at the goddess. Deep down he genuinely wanted to smack some sense into his mimic. He wanted to put some sense into his former self. The teachings he learned during his world travels would have been especially useful for his old self now.


    "A hero huh?" Oyue rolled her eyes.


    "W-well, every child can be foolish and¡­" he stammered. "¡­y-you know¡­c-childish!" he blushed.


    Oyue never reacted nor answered his last statement. She went back to the scene and watched silently.


    The poor girl balled her eyes out as she begged for the mimic to reconsider his complaint to his father. It was an established rule that the Maharlika should be treated with utter respect and any citizen showing disrespectful conduct towards them would be punished with their life.


    132-X wanted to look away from such an uncomfortable scene. It made it more uncomfortable when suddenly the same memory came flashing through his mind. His mouth was ajar as his body shook in disbelief.


    He put his head down and tried his best to ignore her pleads and cries.


    The sobbing little girl grabbed his arm as she knelt and beg. The mimic tried to get away from the grip yanking his arm hard. Unfortunately, the girl''s fingers got snagged with the pearl bracelet gifted to him by his mother. The bracelet snapped and the pearls scattered across the floor.


    "Y-youn'' M-mas¡ª" Pahiyum''s voice trembled as she saw the mimic''s face contorted in anger.


    Before she could pick-up the pearls, the mimic kicked her in the gut. The powerful kick echoed across the hall as her voice was silenced by the force of the kick.


    A moment passed and the mimic kicked her again, this time on her back. The small girl whimpered in pain as he continued for some more. The mimic raised the stick and tried to strike the battered girl.


    Seeing this, 132-X ran towards them and tried to tackle the mimic away from the girl, unfortunately he simply passed through him. As the stick was about to hit the poor Pahiyum, her brother, Bagyon was just at the nick of time to parry the weapon away from her.


    "BAGYON?! What are you doing here?!" the seething mimic pointed the stick at him. "Y-you dare defend your sister?!"


    "Young Master," he said calmly, "My sister has had enough. Punish me instead, please."


    The memories began rushing into 132-X once more, he remembered the next scenario vividly.


    "I would ask him to fight me." He whispered to himself.


    After another round of conversation and pleading by Bagyon, the mimic finally decided on what he wanted to do.


    "Very well, Bagyon." His mimic sighed. "I shall forgive your Lolo and sister, if you can defeat me in Kali!"


    The mimic was confident, and 132-X knew that. He mastered the first advanced move of their fighting art and knew better than anyone that he could truly outmatch Bagyon.


    Bagyon however, was not fazed. He nodded at him and even knelt for a proper respectful gesture towards the mimic. 132-X''s mimic took a rattan stick and flung it towards him.


    "Use that." He pointed at the rattan rolling towards Bagyon''s feet. "Let''s see if your skill truly is worth the fame I heard so much."


    Bagyon picked up the stick and began their brutal dance. Each boy was able to evade the obvious blows they threw at each other. The mimic at the advantage due to the shield he carried that gave him extra protection from the blows. But Bagyon never lost a step as well, swerving left and right becoming more illusive and agile as they continued.


    Unfortunately for the mimic, it made one wrong move after the other as his frustration grew from Bagyon''s shear skill. Desperate to land a strike on his opponent, 132-X''s mimic tried to perform the first Tang-a move set only to be parried and countered by the agile fighter.


    Bagyon lunged swiftly to his left side leaving a huge gap of space for him to move and perform his counter. In one single motion, Bagyon encircled around the mimic and as he was about to face him, he landed a wide spinning slash that hit the mimic right on the temple.


    The sound of the stick hitting his temple echoed around the hall. The mimic dropped horribly to the bamboo floor, and just like that the mimic was no longer moving.


    132-X''s heart fell to his stomach. He knew what that motionless body meant. His eyes widened in awe and fear at the same time.


    Not a moment past Pangan-ud entered the hall to his shock. Bagyon stood in front of the motionless body of his young master with a bloody rattan stick on hand.


    The old man frantically checked for the mimic''s pulse. Pangan-ud''s face paled in terror as he soon realized his master was no longer alive.


    He grabbed the stick from his grandson''s hand and pushed him away so hard he fell to the floor.


    "Never speak of this! Tell them it was me who did it!" Pangan-ud said as he heard footsteps running towards them.


    "I am sorry, Young Master." The old man whispered as he hit him with the stick once more.


    132-X was horrified upon seeing the scene unfold. He looked at Oyue and saw her stand up from the middle of the hall and walked towards him.


    "You died a child, Adlaw-on."


    "T-that can''t be!" 132-X panicked. "I-I was a warrior when I¡ª"


    Suddenly a ray of golden light came flashing from the heavens and they saw the mimic''s soul ascend.


    Oyue stepped into the golden light, "This is our ride. Come."

 Chapter 64: Visage

    After the mimic was transported by the Golden Light, Oyue and 132-X found themselves in the Grand Hall of Greater Heavens. Oyue stood at the distance while 132-X stood out like a sore thumb on the open. The goddess grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to the side.


    "W-what are you doing?" Oyue asked.


    132-X did not answer, he looked devasted and baffled with what he just saw earlier. For him, the heroic death that was told to him was his pride. He was a proud warrior of his clan who defended his land for his people.


    He was made to believe that his blood flowed for the freedom of his citizens, but now, it was all but a dream to him. An illusion they told him to make him obey the gods and do their bidding. But even with that truth slapped against him, there was still doubt in his heart.


    Deep down, he wished that what he just saw and experienced was all but a lie. He still couldn''t believe it. He still couldn''t comprehend what was happening but as much as he wanted to end these flashbacks, he wanted to know Oyue''s true intentions.


    "Open your eyes, young one!" The High Chancellor''s voice echoed across the hall. "Do you know where you are?" The god asked his mimic.


    132-X remembered this moment well. His first introduction to the High Council. The gods of the different worlds and dimensions. He remembered how he looked around surprised at the clusters of light that surrounded him. He recalled fully well how he gasped at the sight of them and how he tried to wake himself up, hoping it was just a dream.


    When he realized it wasn''t, he stared at his grown and calloused hands before asking the gods.


    "Where am I? Why am I here?" 132-X said under his breath as he reminisced everything he said, word for word. "Who are you?" His voice synched with his mimic.


    He remembered how the High Chancellor smiled at him with fondness. A soft and bright smile that welcomed him into his new life--a life that he would soon come to regret.


    "We are the deities of the Greater Heavens. We rule the worlds beyond your realm!" The High Chancellor answered. "Sad to say, you have died."


    132-X recalled how he reacted upon hearing it. He remembered kneeling down and shouting Tungkung Langit''s name as he cried in joy. He was met by a thunderous laughter from the clusters of light that floated around him.


    "I am not your god, young one. Neither are the rest of them." The High Councilor answered. "But you are here because we called you to come to our aide."


    The mimic prostrated himself in front of them, "I am but a mere mortal, My Lord. I do not understand what you mean."


    "You are our chosen one." 132-X synced his lips with the god''s answer. "Rise up, hero!"


    "I guess you know the rest from here." Oyue said as she tried to walk-away. "Let us¡ª"


    "Let''s stay a bit longer," 132-X answered stoically. "I want to hear something."


    Oyue knew what it was and patiently waited for that moment.


    The deities finally showed themselves to the naive mimic their appearances. After he was told of his role in saving the rest of the worlds, the mimic finally asked.


    "My Lords," The mimic called the deities out. "May¡­I¡­ask how I-- died?"


    132-X remembered how the deities looked at each other, whispering as if hesitating to tell him what happened. He remembered their chattering noises, whispering to one another before the High Chancellor finally intervened and asked all of them to quiet down.


    "Fellow deities," the High Chancellor raised his right hand, "It is very ungodly to chatter like that in front of our guest, let alone our chosen one!"


    From the distance, 132-X saw how the High Chancellor called out the beautiful, veiled goddess.


    "Celenere," 132-X called out under his breath as the goddess descended towards his mimic.


    "This is the goddess Celenere," The High Chancellor introduced her. "She is the goddess among scribes and the teller of truth among mortals. She shall tell you what happened."


    132-X could see from where he was how his mimic reacted. It was the same way as he did when the goddess descended in front of her. He greeted the goddess with awe and an open jaw. Celenere opened the book she carried and began to read 132-X''s story.


    "This is what I remembered it to be¡­" he looked at Oyue, "¡­how I died."


    Oyue sighed and shrugged her shoulders, "If only it wasn''t as far from the truth."


    After the long and epic tale, the goddess read to his mimic, the High Chancellor slowly descended and asked his mimic again if he wanted to take on the task of being the chosen one. At that point, 132-X realized what would have happened to him if he declined.


    "Oyue," He spoke, "What would have happened to me if I declined?" He asked.


    Oyue looked at him, "I really don''t know." She answered.


    After accepting his role, the mimic was asked to stand as the deities gathered around him and presented him with his gifts. 132-X remember the feeling of power rushing through his veins. The jolt of energy that travelled towards his fingertips as his he felt his strength increased.


    He saw how the mimic floated in the air as the deities continued to pour their vast amounts of blessing on him. The mimic''s eyes glowed as the power overflowed before it slowly settled down inside in him.


    "From this day on, we, the High Council shall call you, Arellin Matrious!" The High Chancellor exclaimed. "Use your name with pride and help spread our benevolence through you all throughout the cursed land!"


    The hall rumbled as the deities gave their loudest applause to their newly chosen hero.


    After giving him some final instructions, the gods send him off to the first world where he overpowered a Demon Lord and freed its citizens of its tyrannical reign.


    "That took me, seventeen years before I started the campaign. Two years to end the Demon Lord''s reign and another 90 years to establish a royal line of my own and build the kingdom for the people in that world." He remembered fondly.


    "Are we going there too?" He asked Oyue.


    "That is not the memory we are going to next." She answered.


    "Then, are we going to stay here and let me enumerate all the heroics I did at that time?!" He crossed his arms in irritation.


    Oyue laid her hand over 132-X shoulders, "In victory you boast. In defeat you blame."


    "W-what does that supposed to mean?" 132-X baffled by the goddess'' response.


    "You''ll see." Oyue took his small hand, "Adlaw-on, the next memory we''ll be heading to is your fourth reincarnation."


    "What?!" 132-X exclaimed in disbelief.

 Chapter 65: Titles

    The memories flowed and the moments came and went. Oyue and 132-X stood behind the pillar as everything suddenly moved faster. Every interaction, every conversation and every action moved like glimpses of an entire timeline.


    "W-what''s going on?" 132-X closed his eyes to avoid from vomiting at the nauseating spectacle.


    "Sorry," Oyue sighed. "It''s your memory fast-forwarding to your 4th reincarnation."


    "Fast-for¡ª" 132-X surprised by her terminology. "How did you know?! Oh wait!"


    He realized Oyue saw it from his memory. He pouted his lips in frustration, all the while, asking her to stop prying inside his head. The goddess gave a verbal nod in agreement.


    "I-is this going to take this long?" He complained.


    "You can open your eyes if you want," Oyue answered. "But I doubt you won''t feel nauseous after."


    132-X didn''t answer. He sat down on the floor and waited until finally the goddess patted him on the back.


    "I think this is it." She spoke.


    132-X opened his eyes to a familiar scene. He saw his mimic being welcomed with raining golden petals, fresh from his return from his 3rd reincarnation. This was the time he defeated the undead Dragon of Enedor that enslaved an entire race of humanoid beings.


    The golden petals were just a small part of a grand celebration. The thunderous cheers of the gods rumbled the hall. His mimic was met with kisses from the goddesses and as he met the High Chancellor, he was given another ability in his arsenal, Silver Tongue.


    "The Silver Tongue." 132-X recalled. "The ability for me to convince everyone to do my bidding. It was quite a skill I was reluctant in using, but the gods told me to use it anyway." He told Oyue.


    "And where did that get you?" The goddess asked.


    He looked at her in the eyes and sighed, "I think you know what it is."


    Oyue nodded, "But there''s more to that death than what you saw."


    "Really now?" He crossed his arms.


    "Yes." She snapped her fingers and suddenly they were transferred to the 4th world.


    "I hate this place!" He spat on the ground. "This is shit!"


    In contrast to his reaction, the place he was talking to was picturesque at least and otherworldly at best. The tall odd-looking trees kissing the orange-tinged sky looked mesmerizing as it swayed from cool breeze.


    "Are you sure?" Oyue looked around the scenic place. "This place is¡ª"


    "Beautiful, I know. But that''s not my point!" 132-X pointed at his mimic walking across a black swamp along with his humanoid companions.


    "You know, I''m going to die here." He stated blandly as he walked across the grass-filled landscape. "It''s only a matter of time before I go bye¡ª"


    Suddenly the memory fizzled and become hazy. A loud scream echoed and disrupted the images. 132-X covered his ears as the voices rang and blasted his ears. The noise became clearer and it became certain who the voices were.


    "Is that¡­" 132-X soon came to realize. "What''s going on? There in trouble¡­"


    "Indeed, they are." Oyue calmly stated. "What are you going to do about it?"


    The question baffled 132-X. He was right indeed, gods are eccentric, selfish and would never care for those they ruled over. Those were true from the deities he served from before and it couldn''t be anymore truer today.


    "W-what do you mean by that?" He answered. "T-they need help. T-they need MY help!"


    "Your help?" The goddess eyed him head to foot. "They can hold it off for now."


    132-X fumed at the goddess'' insensitive answer, "Can ho¡ªld?!" he fumbled for words as his anger overcame him.


    "You''re a deity! A goddess! An overpowered being and you won''t even help?!" 132-X grabbed the goddess by the arm, squeezing it tightly. "What good of a god are you?!" He spat.


    Oyue''s warm and gentle aura faded for a moment, revealing an angry shadow lurking behind her. 132-X immediately loosen his grip and moved back as quickly as he can. He knew that was a dangerous side that peeped out from nowhere.


    Her terrifying appearance disappeared as quickly as it appeared. Oyue sighed as she messed with his hair.


    "You are still a kid after all." Oyue smiled and messed with his hair more. "As a deity, I should have faith in my people that they can overcome hardships because I have given them my blessing."


    132-X couldn''t get it and it showed on his face. His eyebrows furrowed, his eyes squinted and his mouth gaping, looking for answers to what she just said.


    "You do know you look dumb with that look of yours, right now?" Oyue pointed out. "But I get it. They never trusted you since day one."


    "What do you mean by that?" 132-X took a slight of the comment. "Y-you this is no time and place to¡ª"


    "To argue?" Oyue butted in. "Tell me now, what would you do to help them when you wake up?"


    He stood looking at the goddess in the eyes. He''s trying to look for answers from within, looking at the memories he had. 132-X wanted to come up with a solution on his own. A solution that doesn''t need involvement of a higher power. He clenched his fist and stomp his foot in frustration, he doesn''t have an answer to that question. But his pride didn''t want him to admit his lacking.


    "I¡­will fig¡­ure something out!" 132-X tried to keep his train of thought. "I-I always find a way out with or with¡ª"


    Oyue didn''t let him finish. The goddess chopped his head with her hand (nothing fatal).


    "Ow!" 132-X shielded his head with his hands, afraid of another relentless chop. "What was that for?"


    Oyue sighed as she glanced at the cocky mortal child at overestimating himself. "You really don''t get it do you?"


    "Get what?!" He asked while still caressing his throbbing crown.


    "You know what," the goddess gave up on explaining to him everything he did wrong. "You''ll see."


    Oyue was about to snap her fingers when 132-X grabbed her hand.


    "Don''t you pity them?" 132-X squeezed her hand tight to plead. "They are your children and at the time of need, you''re neglecting them?"


    "Adlaw-on, I am not abandoning them." Oyue reiterated. "I told you this before, they can cover it for you."


    "But they''re not like¡ª" He tried to argue.


    "You?" Oyue raised her eyebrow. "What is so special about you? You being the hero? You being a transmigrator? You the champion of the gods?"


    132-X did not answer. He knew the goddess was mocking him. He wanted to shout at her or fight her to submission. But he knew he had no power to even match her normal strength.


    He clenched his fist once more, he decided he wanted to punch her and thus he shall. He didn''t care anymore at that point.


    "Before you take a swing at me, Adlaw-on," Oyue said. "Tell me, how did you earn your victories from your past? I''m asking you this because you''re so oblivious at your deeds. You forgot where your powers came from!"


    "And one more thing," Oyue added. "You only did everything you did for recognition. That''s the bottomline. They knew it and the gods used it to their advantage!"


    "I am not like that!" He exploded in anger. "I am a hero from before¡ª"


    "A hero? Or a child who died because of his hubris?" Oyue interrupted again, "Answer me."


    "T-that thing I witnessed earlier¡­that wasn''t true! I was a he¡ª" 132-X tried to defend himself.


    "I wish it wasn''t true, Adlaw-on but it is." The goddess stated a poignant truth.


    132-X dropped his knees to the ground still in an array of disbelief. Everything he saw earlier, he wanted to just pass on as a lie. He wanted to feel that what he remembered was his truth. But now it''s becoming more apparent.


    The truth has completely unraveled him.

 Chapter 66: Eye-Opener

    132-X tried to contain his frustration and confusion as much as he could, but even that had its limits. After being forcefully confronted with the truth, the child broke down, unable to withstand the goddess words.


    Oyue took no pity on him. She bombarded her with truths that shook-up the reality he once knew. The goddess pitied her for everything that his been through, but she wanted him to know those things. The real things, the truth to get him out completely from his oblivious reality.


    "You cannot save everyone, Adlaw-on." Oyue spoke, "Unless, you have the capability to save yourself."


    132-X didn''t seem to care of what he just heard. He stared blankly at the growing vegetation on the ground. He tried to reach for a blooming flower on the ground, but his hand only phased out of it. He really didn''t care anymore at that point. To him, everything was nothing but lies.


    The moon goddess didn''t even bother to call his attention, she snapped her fingers to set the images to motion once again. Oyue stood beside him as he stared endlessly at the flower dancing on the soft breeze.


    "Arellin, wait up!" One of his mimic''s companion called out. "The black marsh is too deep and hard for us to move!"


    "Nonsense!" the mimic replied. "You have been blessed by the gods that brought me here! You shall make it through!"


    His companions'' eyes rolled in silence as they continued to walk on the densely black waters of the marsh.


    "Do not be afraid," the mimic said enthusiastically. "I have scanned the marsh for possible threats¡­and there is none!"


    The mimic cruised the dark and heavy water without any problems. Why would he? He had a strength beyond the inhabitants of that world could ever have. Unfortunately for him, he was still very oblivious with the complaints of his comrades who sank neck deep while treading the swamp.


    "What took you so long, Faranel?" He asked his dragonkin companion.


    "M-my, A-arellin¡­we were sinking while treading that death pit!" He exclaimed in frustration while washing off the muck from the swamp.


    The mimic looked at him and smiled, "You''re fine! Look at you! You''re blessed by the gods; a little hardship won''t be that bad!" He fondly smacked his shoulder.


    "One¡­two¡­where is Sherve?" Another companion asked. "W-where is that¡­Oh no! Sherve!"


    Sherve of the Anglunrborns had been treading along with them, but because of her stature, she had a difficult time wading the weighing waters of the black marsh. She was last at the line and now she''s gone.


    "By the great gods! She sunk!" Faranel ran back towards the swamp.


    The mimic caught him by the arm, "Let me do it, my friend!" He smiled.


    He pushed the dragonkin to the side and waded back to the waters. Not a second past and the mimic held the poor Anglonborn in his arms, coughing from the vile waters. He laid her on the ground and perform his healing magic on her.


    She coughed and vomited the black water she drank as she sunk down the swamp.


    132-X''s mimic smiled and tried to assure the damsel that everything will be alright. "Fear not Sherve, for I wi¡ª"


    Before the mimic could finish what he was saying, Sherve, went on and greeted his face with a powerful slap. The sound echoed across the swamp making a flock of swamp fowl fly away from the reeds. Most importantly, it silenced the entire party.


    Faranel and the rest stood with a wide-open jaw. It was also the first time that Arellin failed with his Silver Tongue ability, and that baffled him. He tried to speak but the words can''t seem to go out from his mouth.


    The sound of the slap also caught 132-X''s attention. He finally snapped back to reality and remembered this very moment.


    "Y-you!" Sherve yank the mimic''s sleeve so she could try and get the tall hero down to her face. Alas, she wasn''t strong enough to yank him down. Instead of that she opted to point at him and spit on his face.


    "You! Yes, you Mr. Hero!" She started. "Why did you have to take this road?"


    As 132-X recalled, she got no answer from him. He remembered staring at her in shock with what he just witnessed. He was in a state of disbelief. For the first time, someone resisted his skill and shockingly, it was a girl! It was not a king, not a noble knight, not a priest, not the evil sorcerer nor the Necron King but a girl. A pint-sized human filled with attitude to match the skills his former self had at that point. She was a little warrior with guts enough to make any man tremble before her.


    "Oy! Are you even listening?!" She slapped him again. "Why are you being too inconsiderate about us, huh? Do you what''s the difference between a 30-day journey from a 10-day journey?"


    The mimic touched his face still shock from the slap. He tried to compose himself. He cleared his throat to speak but the raging little firecracker told him to keep silent.


    "You don''t have to answer that!" She said. "Lemme get that one for you! THE DIFFERENCE IS SAFETY! WHAT STARTED AS A FIVE MAN JOURNEY MAY END UP WITH ONLY A FEW OF US SURVIVING! And for what? Because you wanted to finish the quest as quickly as possible! YOU SELFISH PIECE OF¡ª"


    "That''s enough,Lady Sherve!" Faranel butted in and stopped the enraged girl''s ramblings. "Arellin, it''s been a long day for us, I think we should camp here."


    The mimic nodded as the dragonkin dragged Sherve into a far corner while still firing curses at him.


    132-X suddenly broke a sad smile, "Sherve¡­" he sighed.


    Oyue glanced at him and asked, "Are you okay now?"


    132-X nodded silently. He still couldn''t believe everything that happened. It''s still all too new for him. His mind cannot comprehend the truth presented to him by the goddess and until now, it still made no sense to him.


    But somehow, Sherve''s voice got him out of the despair he slowly sank into. The sound of her slap made him realized something the same way that he did on that fateful day. He began to see his companions not just as means towards the goal, but also as something else entirely.


    He didn''t know it at that time, and he didn''t understand what it was up until this point. They journeyed for another nine days and during that time, it became apparent to him that he was certainly in love with her.


    Following the incident, he remembered him becoming mellow towards his party members, showing them his caring side and making sure they weren''t in any inconvenience as they moved along the forest. It was also that time he wanted to get close with the Anglonborn. It took him a few days to do it.


    First it was the awkward dialogue here and there until sometime later, on the fourth day of their journey, they became close with each other. Just as he was getting closer to her, 132-X knew that it won''t be long when this little happiness would end¡­ And end it did!


    While crossing another swampy territory, they came across a serpent like monster that came close to obliterating their party, if it wasn''t for his timely intervention. It was the first time he ever did it. He never was the type of person to save someone during the heat battle.


    During his previous incarnations, his comrades fell or died for him. But this time, he went on died for them. With Sherve almost close to dying, he immediately sprung into action and performed an elemental spell that unfortunately, didn''t worked on the beast.


    He used his shield to cover them both from the incoming fang, but the mystical creature was proven to strong to the magic he used at that time. 132-X saw how his mimic fell, as the fang pierce through his armor and stabbed him in the heart.


    He yelled at them asking them to leave him. Faranel and the others obliged, but not before dragging Sherve away from him as she reluctantly wanted to leave his side. It was the last time he would ever saw her face. His mimic died shortly after they left but not before giving the nasty serpent a blind eye with his sword.


    "See, I died!" 132-X sighed. "Are you happy now?"


    "You still missed the point, have you?" Oyue asked.


    "Did you know how much scolding and reprimand I got for dying before my time came to pass?" He asked the goddess while crossing his arms. "A lot! Not just that, they took away my Silver Tongue ability along with it! You know why? Because I DIED before the planned time."


    "They never taught you anything, have they?" Oyue took a deep breath while shrugging her shoulders. "What you did was a feat of sacrifice that the gods didn''t expect from you!"


    "And how is that supposed to be something I should¡­care about?" He raised his eyebrow.


    "Well, it should¡ª" Oyue snapped her fingers again.


    132-X looked around as the scene abruptly changed. "Oh wonderful! This scene? Seriously?!"


    "I want to make you understand something,"Oyue answered. "I want you to see things in a totally different perspective. Away from these gods'' point of view."

 Chapter 67: Paradigms

    The Great Hall was eerily silent. The mimic walked straight into the assembly where the deities waited from him, silently furious about what had happened. Their stares pierce right through him as he walked past them.


    132-X remembered the feeling very well. It was like a dog running back home with its tail stuck between its legs. This time, it was just him and his wounded pride.


    Gone were the cheers and fancy chanting. There were no golden petals raining down on him. It was all nothing but dim lighting and pure silence. He felt the pressure weighing him down. His heartbeat was louder than his footsteps.


    At the end of his long walk, in the middle of the hall was a podium towering him. The High Chancellor stood on the podium looking down on him like an ant ready to be stomped by a boot. The mimic stopped in front of the podium, his head down looking at the pearly floor.


    132-X and Oyue stood by the shadows underneath one of the marbled pillars of the hall. They were both silent as they waited for things to unravel.


    "Look up here, Arellin!" The High Chancellor''s voice boomed.


    The mimic hesitantly looked up and saw the High Chancellor''s enraged glowing eyes. 132-X could feel the mimic''s shudder, the sensation came back to him in a flash. It was an uneasy feeling, he remembered how his body quivered right down to the bone.


    During that time, he still wasn''t powerful enough to fight them or at the very least argue with them. He was weak and clueless. Too clueless for his own good.


    "ANSWER ME, ARELLIN!" the High Chancellor pointed at the mimic. "WHY HAVE YOU DIED?"


    The mimic averted his gaze. The tension was palpable at that point. 132-X knew fully well what happened next.


    "I COMMAND YOU TO ANSWER!!!" the High Chancellor raised his finger and made the mimic rise from the ground. "TELL US NOW, CHILD OR THIS MIGHT BE YOUR LAST!" His voice rumbled like a violent storm.


    "My Lord!" A voice from the other end of the hall broke through the tense situation. Andalos came rushing to the podium.


    "What is it, Lord Andalos?" The High Chancellor cleared his throat trying not to lash out on his fellow deity.


    "My Lords and Ladies!" Lord Andalos spoke. "Our hero right here, doesn''t deserve this type of treatment! Lord High Chancellor, I beg you not to intimidate this poor mortal!"


    The god''s plea caused a stir within the assembly. Gods and goddesses whispered among each other. Their audible buzzing irritated the High Chancellor who reprimanded the deities for their behavior. After the assembly went back to order, he diverted his attention to Lord Andalos and asked him to explain.


    "Our Chosen One is still new to this," Lord Andalos began, "We need to give him¡ª"


    "New?!" A voice echoed from the bleachers of the assembly. "He had lived for 3 lifetimes already! I am quite sure he would be well acquainted with this!"


    "Lord High Chancellor!" Lord Maaderaam interjected. "We set the bar too high for such an incompetent like him. I told not to raise the difficulty of his mission!"


    The war god''s words stung him before, and it still did now, even just by listening on the sidelines, 132-X cannot help himself. He wanted to punch the cocky god''s face. Maybe he should''ve done that during his escape but then again, he didn''t.


    "Higher difficulty or not, we should still not treat him like this!" Lord Andalos defended, "It was a mistake!"


    "That''s the problem, Lord Andalos he committed a mistake!" Lord Maaderaam pointed out. "That world was filled with untap potential. If it weren''t for him, we could''ve con¡ª"


    The High Chancellor smashed his hand to the podium blasting the hall with a loud-sounding thud. Lord Maadeream quickly realized he went too far with what he was about to say and silenced himself in his seat.


    132-X noticed that too. "What was he about to say?"


    He looked at Oyue hoping to get some answers. But the goddess only shrugged her shoulders in response and went back to viewing the entire scene unfolding.


    The High Chancellor cleared his throat, "Lords and Ladies, t looks like our excessive passion may have been too much for our Chosen One to handle."


    The powerful god clapped his hands to make the podium disappear. The High Chancellor descended right next to Lord Andalos and 132-X''s mimic. He patted both of their shoulders before asking the question to the mimic once again.


    "Tell me, Arellin Matrious," He said in his warmly calming voice. "How did you die?"


    The mimic looked at both the gods beside him. Their eyes filled with questions needed to be answered.


    "I-I died protecting¡­" He paused to ponder on the right words to say. "¡­protecting my party members. Was I wrong in doing it?"


    His answer caused another stir within the assembly. The High Chancellor was quick to silence them.


    "Lords and Ladies, our hero has asked us if saving his comrades was wrong?" The High Chancellor asked for an answer from the assembly.


    The hall was silent. No one wanted to voice their answer until one goddess did for them.


    "Hero Arellin," Indiria spoke. "Though, I commend you for saving the lives of your comrades. I want to condemn you for ending your life at such an abrupt time!"


    132-X looked longingly at the love goddess from a distance. He stared at the beautiful goddess, delighted to hear her sweet gentle voice. Oyue slapped him on the back.


    "Ow!" He reached out for his back as he winced in pain. "What did you do that for?!"


    "Stop being enchanted by her voice!" Oyue answered. "Even through your memory, her power is still potent against you."


    "Hero Arellin," She called him once again. "You must think for the good of all first, before the good of the few. You could''ve saved that world, young hero but you chose to sacrifice yourself to the unworthy."


    "Ahem," The High Chancellor patted the mimic''s shoulder once more. "Lady Indiria said it all! Do not sacrifice your mission just for these sorts of¡­things."


    "Lords and Ladies," The High Chancellor pushed his mimic slightly to the front. "Our Hero might have made the mistake, but we all know he won''t do that again! Is that right, Arelling Matrious?"


    His mimic nodded and declared, "My Lords and Ladies of the Greater Heaven! I apologize for my incompetence, I, Arellin Matrious will proved to you my worth! You can count on it!" He kneeled to the assembly and bowed his head.


    Oyue snapped her finger and paused the scenario.


    "What lesson have you learned there?" Oyue asked as she looked on to the scene.


    "Lesson?" 132-X scratched his head. "The lesson was never to take their word for it. I knew too late about this. Now that I''m looking at it this totally made sense!"


    Oyue raised her eyebrow in response. She looked at him straight in the eyes and asked.


    "If that was the lesson you learned from this," she sighed. "Why were you still playing dumb the entire time?"


    She didn''t get answer from him. 132-X stared at the distance, contemplating at all the actions he made up to that point.


    Suddenly the hall grew darker, as if the light was snuff out of it. Another screeching sounds echoed around the halls and the still images became distorted and unrecognizable.


    132-X looked around and saw a huge eye glaring at them from the ceiling. It quickly disintegrated before he could react to it.


    "W-what was that?" He asked.


    "That was a¡ª" Oyue shuddered. "Someone called out my name. Hold on, let me answer her." She snapped her fingers, releasing a stream of bright light ascending to the heavens.


    "Now, where were we?" Oyue tapped a finger on her chin as she tried to recall their conversation. "Oh, yes! That was an Obscuros trying to devour you."


    "W-what?! G-get me out of here, I need to help them, now!" He demanded.


    "I will, but I want to speak with you about some matters." She shifted her voice into a serious tone. "I know you hate gods and goddesses alike. But right now, you''re powerless and even if you go back to the real world, you still won''t be able to beat them."


    132-X wanted to insist, "I-I will try to¡ª"


    "Find a way. I know," she answered. "But that won''t be enough. Both you and I know how you faired inside their lair, right? To think the ones attacking right now is just a speck compared to the monsters below the burrow."


    Oyue held his hand and smile to him, "I know now why the deities of your old world chose you." She said.


    "Is it because I''m a child? Or because I''m dum¡ªwait?!" 132-X was surprised to hear his deep raspy voice. "Why am I big again?"


    "Because I want to talk with you about some important things." She answered.


    "You do know, there is no time for that!" He exclaimed. "My friends are in danger and I would like to help them."


    The goddess nodded and smiled, "You might be childish and overbearing, but even then, you still have some good qualities. It''s sad that these gods saw you as nothing more than just a tool."


    "Get to the point, Oyue." He growled. "I will force myself out if you won''t let me."


    "Your arrogance would still be your downfall, Adlaw-on." She sighed.


    132-X yanked his hand from her grip and proceeded to walk away.


    "Tell me how to get out of here, goddess!" He demanded.


    "I really hate that arrogance of yours," she calmly stated. "But I think we could work something out in the future."


    Oyue snapped her fingers and a portal appeared just behind her.


    Seeing this, 132-X walked towards the portal but was instantly pushed away by the goddess'' overpowering strength. He tumbled to the floor glaring at the goddess.


    "I will let you pass on one condition," the goddess said. "Make a deal with me."

 Chapter 68: Again but Never the Same

    "I will let you pass on one condition." The goddess said. "Make a deal with me."


    These words were 132-X''s pet-peeve. He hated these words being used on him, especially the "on one condition" phrase. It really won''t matter who would tell him that, his blood simply boiled every time he would hear it.


    This unlikely pet-peeve stemmed from his time on his original world, as Adlaw-on. His father, Datu Adlawan, would often pull-off this phrase especially at times when the young Adlaw-on would ask something from his father.


    One time, he asked the Datu to teach him the art of Kali. Instead of enthusiastically teaching him, his father made a condition with him.


    "I will teach you the art of Kali, but you have to fetch water from the mountain spring without any aide everyday until the next full moon." The Datu smiled.


    "B-but Father!" The five-year-old Adlaw-on pouted his lips. "That''s way too difficult for me!"


    His father glared at him and slapped him across the face. "Ha! You foolish boy! If everything is given to you easily, how would you learn and grow?! Either you do it or I won''t teach you anything at all."


    Biting his lip, the teary-eyed Adlaw-on agreed to his father''s terms. Ever since that day until the next full moon, Adlaw-on would wake up before the rooster crows and climb the mountain to take the fresh water from the spring.


    He would hurt himself along the way. The muddy soil and the jagged rocks made him wince and slip. It took him a many day to finally get used to the terrain and finally bring back two pails of water that he balanced with a bamboo pole on his back.


    When the next full moon arrived, his father finally taught him the basic of Kali, until the first advanced move. He died after learning the move and trying to use it in a sparring with his rival Bagyon. Ironically, the move did him more harm than good.


    "So, what do you say?" Oyue broke his reminiscing. "Do you want to¡ª"


    "Are you saying you won''t let me help them if I won''t go on a deal with you?" 132-X raised his eyebrow in disgust. "I thought you were different from the rest of them."


    Oyue looked at him straight in the eyes and shook her head. She stepped away from the portal and invited 132-X to step into it.


    "Don''t get me wrong," Oyue sighed. "I won''t stop you from going there! But then again, what can you do once you''re there?"


    She stepped in front of the portal once again, "You''re a crafty man, I''ll give you that! But even that, will only get you so much."


    132-X clenched his fist and gritted his teeth, frustrated with his current situation being rubbed into him by a deity. He really despised deities after his encounter with them in his lifetimes long ago. No matter how hard he wanted to be tough, without the Mark of Ouroboros he''s nothing more than a normal human being. Even with his new body, he still lacks the strength and power to kill them.


    He loathed admitting his limitations. He hated showing his weakness or even a hint of his powerlessness, but it was grossly obvious. Going back in the real world with those monsters lurking around will prove to be too much for him.


    He didn''t need help, or so he would say. He knew that was being foolish of him to think like that. He was bummed at the fact that the reason he survived the hive of Obscurii was because of Oyue''s timely help. Her power boost made it possible for him to kill all of them.


    132-X didn''t want that kind of help, especially coming from a deity of unknown origin but what good would it give him if he refuses? That could spell the end for everyone!


    He thought about his comrades. The witty dwarf, loyal and always got his back. The elf, who wanted to travel the world and the timid Beastman who just wanted to go home to his clan. His friends and only allies during his stay in the world of Calamatis.


    "I-I swore to protect them and give them back their freedom!" 132-X breathe out his loathing. "But I cannot trust you, Oyue! You know that!"


    Oyue smiled at him, "I know you may never trust me, but I will give you a good bargain for your troubles."


    "I don''t give a damn about a good bargain!" He stomped his foot on the floor in frustration. "I-I want to save them. Make them happy and give them a better place in that cruel world you called your own."


    "That world was never mine to begin with." Oyue sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "But I understand, I can give you all¡ª"


    "No! I don''t need all the power! I just need something enough for me to help them and maybe create a safer haven for them."


    "Weren''t you an overpowered hero before?" Oyue pointed out. "I mean, 364 incarnations and¡­"


    "And what good did that brought me? And at what cost am I to bargain for that?" 132-X asked. "The gods made me their slave for the longest time! I followed them blindly! And when I did try to change my fate¡­" His sadness and frustration painted on his teary eyes.


    "It never ended well for you and that world," Oyue finished the sentence for him.


    Oyue crossed her arms as she pondered on what she could offer him. 132-X cleared his throat after composing himself.


    "Give me just enough to kill those bastards." 132-X said. "I will deal with myself after. I will use my memories and give this world the things that I have learned, eh¡­the ones I could remember."


    Before he jumped into the Calamatis gate, 132-X, formerly Arellin Matrious recalled the High Chancellor putting a curse on him. The sly god took away almost all his abilities and erased his mark. Even if it was just a foggy memory, he dreamt about it from time to time. He still knew it really happened.


    The moon goddess was impressed by 132-X''s determination. She knew he was a flawed and spoiled hero. A mortal given power from the gods to do their own bidding. She knew how the conceited deities altered his memories and inculcated to him their twisted view towards the world. But if there was something redeemable about this arrogant hero, it''s his determination and will to move forward no matter what.


    "The gods of your previous incarnation may have chosen you for all the wrong reasons," Oyue approached him and reached out her hand. "They should''ve seen it in you. Your true power!"


    "True pow¡­why are reaching out your hand?" 132-X concerned by the goddess''s proximity to him.


    "Let''s make the deal now!" She said. "We are wasting time on words."


    "Wasting time? You''re¡ª" he sighed. "Nevermind, what do you have for me?"


    "I will give you what you need. A power enough to kill those Obscurii. A power that cannot overwhelm you and still give you time to grow. You MAY still become overpowered, that''s if you wanted to."


    132-X thought of it for a moment, "What''s the catch?" He asked.


    Oyue shrugged her shoulders, "Just don''t ignore me when I try to speak with you."


    132-X laughed out hard at the ridiculousness of the deal, "T-that''s it?! Don''t take me for a fool, Oyue. I''ve played that part before."


    "I do not underestimate you, God-killer." She jabbed at him for laughing at her.


    132-X laughter turned sour, "Must you bring that up?"


    He sighed and apologized to the goddess. "I apologize for laughing at you, Lady Oy¡ª"


    "Oyue will do. Drop the title part!" Oyue interjected. "There are a lot of things you have to learn about this world. I won''t force you to worship me and push others to do so too, like the gods you knew before. If you want to conquer this world, I shall give you my blessing, not that you need it."


    "You are giving me so much for a deal that could not benefit you as much!" 132-X outstretched his hand to clasp with hers. "But I am still not convinced with this! However, I will take this deal for now."


    As soon as they clasped hands, 132-X felt the surge of energy rushing inside him. Suddenly thin glowing lines appeared all over his body.


    "W-what is this?" He asked Oyue as he shuddered in awe.


    ???The deal." Oyue answered. "Bright Light Oyue. That''s the first spell. Your body will easily adapt this power, I guarantee. You can learn more along the way if you choose to. This also works well with elemental magic and creation magic! But you have to learn those for yourself."


    "It''s still too much!" 132-X exclaimed.


    "Trust me, Adlaw-on. That''s still lacking compared to what you have before." Oyue smiled. "Oh! One more thing, you need a new name now, since you are no longer a slave! Do you have anything in mind?"


    "Yes." He answered.


    132-X ran towards the portal and opened his eyes. He''s back into the real world! He moved his fingers and toes to see if they still work¡ªindeed they do. He slowly moved his body and rose from the ground he laid on earlier.


    He looked around to see nothing but the dark fog and his comrades lying on the ground with only the old Commander taking the last stand against the monsters from the void.


    He cracked his knuckles and took a deep breathe, "I''ll burn you bastards to hell!"

 Chapter 69: A Different Kind of Magic

    The darkness consumed the entire camp. But 132-X''s eyesight had no qualms seeing through the thick pitch-blanket surrounding the camp. His eyesight greatly improved by a tenfold, seeing every individual alive and dead across the field.


    The living ones he saw emitted a vibrant crimson light coursing from the center of their bodies spreading their extremities. That was the first thing he noticed when he looked at the beastman who laid adjacent to him.


    He scoured the field and looked for his other comrades. But all he saw were dull dimmed lights from the dead bodies lying on the ground. Even with all the bodies that laid around, 132-X was confident that his missing comrades are still alive, hopefully still fighting and not worse.


    He looked around for them once more when a voice caught his hearing. It started as a weak mumble; 132-X was able to finally track it after a loud shriek gave away its direction. Lord Prestonheim was down on his knees holding the hilt of his sword that he stabbed on the ground.


    132-X saw how the old Commander''s crimson light slowly dwindled as it got directly absorbed by the sword forming a spell on the ground.


    He intervened Lord Prestonheim, stopping him from releasing the spell that might prove fatal for the aging Commander. He tapped the Commander''s shoulder and asked him to stop the spell.


    "Lord Prestonheim¡­don''t do it!" He smiled at him.


    This was the first time 132-X saw the commander startled. Naturally, he should be too if he was in his shoes. Being subjected to hours of fighting and mental torture could take a toll even if you''re an elite knight.


    "W-who¡­are you?" Lord Prestonheim asked while stubbornly holding the hilt of his broken blade.


    132-X hurriedly took the Commander''s hand away from the blade before it could go worse for the fatigued knight. He could see from Lord Prestonheim''s eyes how he wanted to protest at the idea, but his body had already betrayed him.


    After taking the Commander''s hand out from his blade, 132-X proceeded to cast his own spell using the Moon Goddess'' word.


    "Bright Light Oyue." He spoke under his breath.


    He suddenly felt his energy traveled from his body into the blade. The ground glowed brighter and pulsated as patterned swirls and lines began to form on the ground creating a sturdier barrier. The swirls and lines danced around the barrier in a slow yet graceful harmonic waltz.


    "¡­you?!" The Commander exclaimed. "H-how?"


    "Later, my Lord¡­" 132-X answered. "After I bring them all down."


    132-X could see the crowned Dhampiir cowering behind its army of ghastly undead knights. He grinned at the Obscuros and taunted it by putting his thumb across his neck, then slowly dragging it back to his right.


    The Obscuros pointed at him in response. 132-X confidently walked out of the barrier with his right hand raised. He was trying to call that blade he acquired from the burrow. Not another moment to spare, the monster found the opportunity to attack him in the open while he waited for the blade to come right to him.


    The horde of ghastly apparitions came rushing on him as the crowned Dhampiir commanded them to do. The pale contorted faces of the suffering enslaved ghosts didn''t make 132-X flinch. As the undead knights closed towards him, he simply smirked.


    Suddenly a glowing disc came cutting through the darkness and into the rushing ghosts. The moving disc slashed its way through the ghosts vaporizing them along the way before it finally rested on 132-X''s hand.


    "That gladius!" Lord Prestonheim shouted after finally realizing who he was. "You''re going to drain yourself, 132-X!"


    132-X smiled at him, "It''s alright. I can handle this."


    132-X looked at the beautiful blade in his hands. The veins of Aetherium glowed brighter than ever, happy to get back into its owner''s hand. The blue light flowed around faster inside the blade. He could feel his power surging and his blade, and his magic slowly merged into one.


    It was a feeling he never thought was possible. He could feel the warmth of his blade flowing through his body and vice-versa. The merging was awe-inspiring but at the same time, terrifying for him. This was a new kind of magic. A magic that he never had once used nor knew his during his incarnations.


    He cursed Oyue at his breath. He didn''t want this kind of power, but he needed it to work for now. His body felt lighter as he took a step. The blade seemed to enhance his reflexes too, and that''s where he put it to the test.


    He charged at the retreating monsters. He flickered his way into their ranks without being noticed. Everyone seemed to move too slow for them to notice his presence. He cut through the ranks and vaporized the ghosts out of their misery.


    The undead army was decimated in a blink of an eye. Threatened by his new-found power, the Obscurii tried to slow him down to give enough time for the Crowned one to retreat back into the burrow.


    The first two of the monstrous entourage, turned themselves into shapeless blobs with tentacles randomly emerging everwhere. They tried to block the 132-X''s advance but unfortunately failed miserably.


    The blobs were able to spot him but were not able to land a single hit on him. 132-X would simply weave away from the tentacles which slowed down the moment it came close to him. He easily weaved and evaded the attacks with a simple backstep and side-to-side lunges.


    He wanted to toy with them for a bit more. Unfortunately, he didn''t want to let the crowned monster go back to its hiding place. 132-X immediately slashed the monsters down, making them evaporate into thin air.


    He continued his pursuit for the crowned Dhampiir but another monster stood in his way. A big grossly monstrous hand came out of nowhere and tried to stop his momentum with a punch. But even that attack was too slow for 132-X. He dodged the punch by flipping over it, before landing on the gigantic Obscuros'' arm.


    He dodged every attack from the humanoid creature. He evaded the swarm of tentacles rushing towards him jumping in between the tentacles. He was able to reach its shoulders and saw the grisly image of an enlarged octopus'' head sitting on a thick neck covered in carapace.


    The monster tried swatting him by its other arm, but he was quick to jump out of the way. Seeing how slow the monster was able to guard itself, 132-X decided to take it down quickly. In one lightning-flash move, he rushed for the monster''s neck and striked the well-defended body part with one slash from his gladius.


    The head fell to the ground and the monster went on a rampage for its final attempt to stomp him but even that failed. 132-X was finally winning against the Obscurii. This wasn''t a flunk either, as he had mowed the monsters and their summoned ghost down.


    As he floated in the air, he was able to get a bird''s eye-view of the camp. At the eastern part of the camp, a dark fog seemed to be retreating towards the burrow. He knew that was the crowned Obscuros and made his way towards it.


    He threw his blade in front of the fog causing a huge blast and a burst of light. The fog cleared and in the middle of it, the crowned monster covered its eyes as its skin burned by the tremendous light 132-X''s attack produced.


    "Psst!" He tried to get the Crowned One''s attention. "Remember me?"


    The monster squinted and tumbled back as if it saw a ghost.


    "Remember how you fed on me?" 132-X picked up his blade stuck on the ground. "Remember how you wanted to make me suffer?"


    It was only a short encounter as 132-X recalled, but it felt like an eternity. After he was dragged back into the hall, it was that crowned monster who tried to torture him with fear and his past. Showing him images of the monsters that either killed him or one of his comrades from before.


    It was still unknown to him how he had managed to escape from there. It bummed him out knowing how he forgot to ask Oyue about that circumstance. It was clear to him that Oyue might have been the one who helped him. He cursed Oyue again under his breath.


    He got back to the crowned monster who slowly crawled away. He grabbed the monster by its long wire like hair before cutting up its extremities.


    The monster screeched in agony, but 132-X could care less about it. The screech did not affect him by one bit. He grinned again at the Obsucros before throwing it hard across the camp and back to where Lord Prestonheim and the others waited inside the defensive shield.


    The monster trembled in fear as it landed near his shielded comrades. The monster tried to attack his friends; He let it do so. He wanted to see the grotesque creature suffer even more.


    The crowned monster opened its maw and revealed the tentacles hidden inside of itself. It tried to attack 132-X''s comrades within the barrier. Alas for the monster, it only burned and vaporized its tongue.


    132-X emerged from the thick smoke and ashes with his sword by his shoulders. He grinned at the monster once more, intimidating the once terrifying monster.


    He looked into the monster eyes before smashing it to the ground, breaking the horns and crown in the impact.


    "You weren''t strong!" 132-X said as he lowered down his blade and pointed it at the creature. "I will tell HIM that myself when I see him down there!"


    He knew there were still Obscurii out there, and he wanted to make this message clear for the rest of them.


    With a slash of his blade, the monster''s head rolled on the ground before finally disappearing into the thin air.


    132-X wanted to mock it even more but soon realized how childish and selfish it was for him to do. He still needed to treat his comrades after all, and with every delayed moment, it could cost him their lives.


    "ADALOUN¡­" He blurted out of awe and wonder.


    He turned around and saw Lord Prestonheim looking at him straight in his eyes looking for answers. He wanted to answer him with everything that had happened to him, but the old Commander might not believe him.


    Then he remembered Oyue asking him if he ever had a name in mind. In all honesty, he just said yes even if he hasn''t come-up with a name for himself yet. But after hearing the name coined by Lord Prestonheim, he felt very nostalgic with it.


    The name was the closest pronunciation he had to his real name, Adlaw-on. It was his real name! The name he left behind for a different persona, only to get it back after 364 reincarnations. He loved the name so much; he didn''t dare to tell the Commander that it wasn''t his real name.


    And so, he just went along with it.


    "Yes, my Lord? Did you call my name?"

 Chapter 70: Bright Light Oyue

    "Bright Light Oyue. That''s the first spell. Your body will easily adapt this power, I guarantee. You can learn more along the way if you choose to. This also works well with elemental magic and creation magic! But you have to learn those for yourself." The moon goddess explained.


    "It''s still too much!" 132-X exclaimed.


    "Trust me, Adlaw-on. That''s still lacking compared to what you have before." Oyue smiled. "Oh! One more thing, you need a new name now, since you are no longer a slave! Do you have anything in mind?"


    "Yes." He answered.


    132-X ran towards the portal and vanished as Oyue closed the glowing entrance.


    She took a deep breath and snapped her fingers, summoning a viewing mirror to appear.


    "Well, Adlaw-on," She smiled. "Let''s see what you can do with that power."


    Oyue crossed her arms as she viewed Adlaw-on''s action in the real world. It was her first time in such a long time to see a hero work his way against the Obscurii menace. During the Age of Wonder, it was her duty as a goddess and a guardian to anoint her champion and send them to the world to rid it off of the remnants of the Crawling Darkness.


    For the lucky few, they would finish their services to her as kings, heroes or progenitors of clans. No matter the race was, bards sang their heroic deeds and scribes wrote their names down in history as champions of the world.


    Humans, Aelvens, Dwyrvyns, Orgars and Morophiis had sang songs of their legendary heroes that had beaten demons, monsters and Obscurii throughout the years from the Age of Wonders. It never mattered to the goddess who her champions were. To her, it was all about eradicating the darkness she accidentally sowed unto the world.


    For the ill-fated ones, they mostly end-up dying inside the cold and dark stomachs of the monsters of the void. An unfortunate fate that Oyue had to shoulder their lives for all eternity. For the dead, there was no glory, there was no story and neither a legacy. Their souls just rot inside the gut of the Obscurii they bravely faced or ran away from.


    It was during the last days of the Age of Wonders where in Chandara, the other moon goddess and Oyue''s sister ended this practice. Using the help of a scorned Yldar, Zaduriel, her sister trapped Oyue perpetually along with the ley lines, Obscurii and grand magic out of existence.


    It took her years before she could materialize into the world again, as they ley lines were completely severed, and the magic sealed. She slept for thousands of years, missing the rest of the world''s history. It took a stray soul to break a portion of the seal for her to wake up and saw the world changed during her absence.


    Through the mirror she saw how an experienced transmigrator used the little power she gave into something awe-inspiring. Oyue never thought that the simplest gift she could give to a mortal could turn so potent beyond what she thought it would.


    "That blade really is something else." Oyue said to herself while pointing at the blade. "That weapon itself is an anomaly. I never thought the aetherium would meld along with that broken weapon!"


    Even as a goddess, there are still things in this world that even she nor the other deities could explain. Fate was something that they can trifle on a minimal scale and nothing more. They could try and put the hero or their chosen one on the right path. But at the end of the day, their fate is still somewhere out there that they could not accurately predict.


    Adlaw-on began his offensive. He took a step and blinked towards the ghastly army hacking the undead and Obscurii alike. His fast attacks maybe blindingly uncapturable to a mortal''s eye, but the goddess could see it in all its violent glory. She could just imagine the Obscurii trying to attack after images of Adlaw-on as he weaved through each attack with ease. It was a speed that even the Obscurii hadn''t experience in quite some time.


    Oyue saw how Adlaw-on decimated the brood of Obscurii. Slicing and humiliating them in a blink of an eye, as if a god descended to smite the demons of the earth.


    "You are indeed powerful, Adlaw-on," she snapped her fingers prompting the mirror to go dark and disappear. "There are still a lot of things I haven''t told you about yourself. Things that I shall share with you in the future after you grow out from their grasp."


    The moon goddess decided to stroll along the hall. She looked around to appreciate the real beauty of the Assembly Hall in the Greater Heaven. The pillars made of marbled stone and gold linings looked majestic under the gentle light of the sun.


    The seats that afloat the clouds were picturesque as the deities rest their feet under the constellations. The different imagery of the gods and goddesses along the hallway made the place grandiose and sacred at the same time¡­just like the halls she used to walk in.


    She went to the center of the hall where the still images of Andalos, Adlaw-on''s mimic and the High Council stood, paused in the fickle memory of the mortal she just sent back.


    Oyue looked at the mimic''s face. His hair glowed a pale white light as the sun''s ray touched it. His eyes had the color of a clear cloudless sky, peaceful awaiting the storm. It reminded her of someone she knew from eons ago. A face she thought she would never see again.


    The moon goddess glared at Andalos before putting her attention to the silver-haired High Chancellor''s image smiling at Adlaw-on''s mimic. She looked at him straight in the eyes, disgusted and disappointed at him and the Assembly he founded.


    She spat on his face cursing the image of the dead god. But when that didn''t content her, she resorted to slapping him. She slapped as hard as she could, contorting the image and smearing its colors in the air.


    "You are petty, Tarjunta." She spoke in her deities'' language. "After bringing all of them out of Calamatis, to save yourselves¡­after sealing the gate¡­after sacrificing more of our brethren during the attack of the Crawling Darkness¡­you¡­" she paused to compose herself.


    "YOU! Had the gall to call yourself the High Chancellor?!" She spat. "You can never be as close as the Great Father once was!"


    She snapped her fingers and got transported to Adlaw-on''s memory where the High Chancellor was about to explode because of his uncontrollable magic.


    Oyue saw the horror in his eyes as his magic slowly expanded from the wound on his palm. The moon goddess reveled at the misery of the High Chancellor as his final moment was clearly inevitable to that point.


    "I wished for the day either one of us would kill you." She moved closer to bask at the horrified expression of the silver-haired god. "Ironically, it was your creation that killed you¡ªI still wished it was me who did it."


    She took a deep breath and snapped her fingers, letting the images moved in sequence. Oyue amusingly watched the High Chancellor''s expression worsened as he got engulfed by the white light, before exploding violently.


    "Adlaw-on," Oyue mumbled. "Maybe I''ve given more than what you''ve asked for. But I want to reward you for doing us a favor." She smiled as she walked away.

 Chapter 71: Embers and Ashes Pt.1

    Arterius had always hated the northern Principalia''s weather. The gloomy skies made it impossible for the sun to peek its much-needed rays over the rain-soaked and muddy grounds. Two days have passed since he arrived at the port town of Imvula.


    After passing the Senate and his father''s quality test, his old man immediately ordered him to be deployed to the northern border to see how the cannon faired in a real battle. He wanted to protest to the idea but with such a limited exposure, his father, the Imperatur was giving him, he had no choice but agree.


    That was the first time he had silenced the mumbling old fools of the Senate. It was the Senate''s first time seeing a fully- armored Jagaleer ship from the Eastern Kingdom sunk with just three hits. As the ship sank, Arterius recalled some of the senators gasped in awe, while others clamored over to him praising him for such a technological feat.


    His father on the other hand, stood stoically, staring at him. There was no emotion on his stare. There was no hint of jubilation or disgust, only a blank expression that puzzled him. When everyone settled, the Senators who supported him asked for the Imperatur to give him the necessary funds to start manufacturing more of the cannons. Instead of giving a direct answer, his father ordered him to deploy it into battle.


    "Your brother, Veritus is currently defending the port town of Imvula from foreign invaders from the Nothern Isles." The Imperatur said blandly. "I want you to go there and test that little toy of yours."


    He recalled how the Senate silently stared at him as his face painted an unbashful reaction of disbelief. As irritated as he was disappointed with how his father reacted, he nodded in agreement.


    "I know you would." The Imperatur smirked. "But knowing your brother, he might end the battle right away. Actually, he might''ve ended it already! If I don''t get any recommendation from him, prepare to vacate the palace and I''ll be dissolving your child''s play project along with that!"


    Thus he, injured and awfully tired, went on to travel to the Northern border that day along with a fresh supply of reinforcement for his brother''s campaign. It took him two days of an excruciating travel as the rocky and muddy road made his carriage jiggle along the way.


    A thunder cracked outside his window. Arterius got distracted with recollecting all the events for the past week. The cold wind blew and that didn''t help him either. It only worsened the throbbing pain of his broken leg.


    "Where is my brother?" He rudely interrupted Stolas who was checking their inventory. "It''s been two days and his men had denied me of seeing him! Those bastards!"


    "He''s camped near the shoreline. Prince Veritus was very adamant of welcoming the Vyrkolae bastards from the north with a blade at their throats." Stolas answered while counting the number of cannonballs they brought.


    "Damn it! I have to speak with him!" Arterius stood up from his bed while grabbing his cane at the side of his bed. "Gods! This damned leg! Stolas where''s that medicine?!" He winced in pain.


    Stolas hesitantly grabbed the bottle of medicine as he spat curses at his leg. "Here you go, Arterius."


    "T-thank you! This weather made it all the worse!" Arterius said as he took a sip of the medicine. "This fucking bitter medicine!" He covered it and placed it in his satchel.


    Though limping, Arterius walked towards the door planning to confront his brother on his camp. Seeing this, Stolas blocked the door with his hand, slapping the wooden slab forcefully.


    "Where do you think you''re going?" Stolas raised his eyebrow. "You do know¡ª"


    "I know fully well, Stolas!" He exclaimed. "But this rain is not going to stop me! He had ignored me far too long!"


    He swiped Stolas'' hand from blocking the door and opened it wide. "I am going to speak to him! Ready the men and the cannon! We''ll bring it there!"


    "In this weather?" Stolas sighed. "Fine. I will call them, but first let me¡ª"


    "Damn you, Stolas! Don''t worry about me! Hurry up with my orders. I''ll see you outside." He gritted his teeth, loathing on his condition.


    His ward scurried outside and called on the knights while he took the stairs going down. Descending from the second story of the bastion was never a pleasant experience for him. He had no one to help him. He ordered Stolas to ready the cannon out on the battlefield. While he would''ve liked to have someone to accompany him on the stairs. Unfortunately he wasn''t given the same warm hospitality unlike his brother.


    There were no servants given to him by the town''s magistrate. It wasn''t surprising knowing the fact that he was the unpopular prince of the Principalia. A knight came to him by the bottom of the stairs and helped him on his last step. Of course, Arterius refused the help. It doesn''t make sense helping someone with his last step on the stairs when he made the descend from the top without any.


    "Get your hands off me!" Arterius was on a foul mood. "Is everything ready?" He asked.


    The knight''s eyes couldn''t look at him straight. "Y-yes, Sir!I mean¡­ your¡ª"


    "That''s enough time wasted!" The Prince interrupted the clueless knight. "Let''s go."


    It was already during the lower level of the Andenoon when they finally arrived on the rocky port. The muddy town made it hard for them to reach their destination especially with the carriages and carts in towed.


    Arterius went out of the carriage, cursing his injured leg as he stepped on the uneven ground. His cane was useless on the stony shores as it lodges in between the rocks making it difficult for him to walk straight. The poor prince Arterius had to use his ward''s arm for extra support as he walked along the beach with an aching broken leg.


    They spotted his brother''s tent located at the center of the camp. It was easily to spot because of how ridiculously big it was, and the tent''s red color stood out from the dull-colored tent that was usually given to the knights.


    They tried to enter the camp but was immediately stopped by the knights guarding the western side of the camp.


    "Halt!" The knight commanded. "Who are you?"


    "You''re talking to a prince!" Stolas answered. "Show some respect! This is Prince Arterius, the firstborn son of Imperatur Severus!"


    "Pfft!" The other knight scoffed as he eyed Arterius from head to foot. "Yeah, this defect of a man?" He laughed.


    Arterius had always dealt with this kind of scrutiny all his life. Being that he wasn''t even close to his brother''s ability and fighting prowess, he often stay in the background away from the eyes of the public.


    Unfortunately, he wasn''t as patient as he was before. The pain from his broken leg, the pressure to deliver the Impertatur''s command and the weather made the timid prince irritable more than ever.


    "Listen here, ser knight¡ª" His ward was about to dish out words of his own when he suddenly lashed out at the knights.


    "You fucken idiots! I will see to it your heads will be displayed at the middle of this camp!" Arterius surprised himself for his sudden outburst. "Where is my brother¡ªwhat are you doing?"


    The knights suddenly grabbed them both and attempted to drag them away from the camp. They both struggled from their grasp; however, they were stronger than both of them. Arterius in desperation, hit one of the knights with his cane so hard it dented the knight''s helm.


    "W-why you fucker!" The other knight pulled out his sword.


    Just as about the knight was ready to strike, a lanky man, grabbed the knight''s sword arm preventing him from attacking.


    "W-what are you doing?!" The lanky knight asked. "Why are you trying to kill Prince Arterius?"


    "S-sir Veracon?!" The knights stood down. "W-what do you¡ª"


    Before the knight could finish his question, Veracon placed his finger on his lips asking the knight to stay quiet.


    "Prince Arterius! I apologize for how they acted!" Veracon prostrated to the prince. "I apologize for the knights'' behavior. They are not from the mainland!"


    Arterius wanted no part of the wasteful conversation and went straight to the point. "I understand you will deal with this incident, yes?"


    The lanky knight nodded.


    "Good! I don''t want to talk about them anymore." Arterius sighed while trying to contain his anger. "Where is my brother?!"


    The lanky knight lifted his head and stood up before pointing at the towering lighthouse at the far end of the wall.


    "Should I take you there, My Prince?" Veracon asked in his soft voice.


    "No need to," The prince shrugged his shoulders. "Just do what you must on guarding here and disciplining your men!" He turned away from the knights and proceeded to go to the lighthouse.


    After a few paces, Arterius heard a thump on the ground. He saw both the knights lying on the stony ground, heads rolling.


    It was a scene he thought he''ll see as early as it was during that time when it was relatively quiet with no signs of the enemies on the shore. It sickened his stomach, but he never went and hurled. He kept that in and shrugged it off. He never wanted his brother''s knights to see him vomiting at such disciplinary action.


    They continued their way to the hulking lighthouse. He had a choice of words to comment on his brother and a few propositions about his new invention.


    As they walked, his cane lodged in between the rocks on the ground. The cane unfortunate snapped due to the weight that shifted during the slip.


    "By the gods! Now my cane?! I better hope, this doesn''t equate to an unsuccessful talk with my brother!" He whispered to himself while cursing at his leg once more.

 Chapter 72: Embers and Ashes Part 2

    "Big Brother, you''re here?" Veritus furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "This is a first! W-what are you doing here?"


    Prince Veritus gave his viewing glass to the knight beside him. He approached his older brother while scratching his head in awe.


    Arterius wanted to lash out on his brother. His frustration of being ignored for the past 2 days had been eating him up. He wanted to dish out those select few words he thought along the way to the menacing light house and spat a few insults to his brother.


    Unfortunately for him, the pain on his leg and the sheer effort of climbing the damned spiral steps towards the top of the four-story infrastructure distracted his thoughts. Instead, he leaned against its cold coral walls, bent over with his hands on his knees, and wheezed in exhaustion.


    He glanced at his tall, hulking brother. He raised his hand towards his brother, signaling him to give him a moment as he was catching his breath. Stolas intervened and broke the awkward moment while wiping the sweat off his forehead.


    "M-my Prince," he bowed. "Prince Arterius came here under your father''s orders. A raven was sent here to inform you of his arrival."


    Prince Veritus scratched his head and walked towards the big arch opening of the lighthouse. "I never received it nor been informed."


    Stolas bowed to him again and hoisted Arterius up. The brothers'' eyes met and in silence seemed to converse about the entire predicament.


    "I see, brother." Veritus nodded. "If it was father''s orders then, I must inquire my men about it." The younger prince furrowed his eyebrows in frustration.


    "W-well¡­hmmp¡­damn this leg¡­I want to join you in defending the¡­town!" Arterius efforted to blurt out those words while in pain. "Would you let¡ª"


    "I cannot, brother." His younger brother answered. "What can you offer me? Your broken leg and a few reinforcements?"


    Arterius took offense of his brother''s comment. He snatched his cane from Stolas and walked towards his brother. Although a footling shorter, the older brother asserted himself and looked straight into his brother''s eyes.


    Seeing the fire in his eyes, Veritus smiled in recognition of his brother''s spunk.


    "And father said, you don''t have the same fire as I do¡­" He shook his head.


    "Wha¡ª" Arterius confused with his brother''s expression. "What do you mean by that?!"


    "Big Brother, you got spunk!" He slapped his frail brother''s shoulder. "Before I left, I overheard father''s attendants whispering about a cannon you made. Is that why you''re here?"


    "I thought you weren''t informed about it." Arterius raised his eyebrows.


    Veritus patted his shoulder. "Oh, I know!" His eyes glimmered with excitement.


    Veritus walked back to the arch to check with the knight anything in sight from the thick fog covering the horizon. When the knight shrugged his shoulders, the younger prince went back to his brother and asked.


    "How many did you bring?" Veritus smiled from ear to ear. "Where should we place it?"


    Arterius'' painful leg numbed seeing the excitement of his younger sibling towards his recent invention. The only problem is, he only brought one. The one and only protocol along with some modified cannonballs his researchers made.


    "Well, brother, how many?" His younger brother jittered. "Can I also try¡ª"


    "I only have one." He sighed.


    "One?!" Veritus paused and laughed. "Oh! S-so, this ONE cannon must be twice the size of an auroch!"


    Arterius shrugged his shoulders. He didn''t want to dampen his brother''s enthusiasm, but he had to be real with him.


    "It''s a regular-sized cannon." He answered.


    "W-what¡ª" His brother squinted at him; eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Y-you mean¡­you only brought one cannon with you?"


    The older sibling nodded.


    "Huh¡­" Veritus scratched his head. "Just one! This town 24 cannons on top of its border wall and you only brought one?!"


    Arterius bashfully replied, "We were only able to¡ª"


    "Dear Princes! You have to take a look at this!" the knight exclaimed.


    Prince Veritus grabbed the looking glass off the knight''s hand and peered into the spectacle. The prince''s eyes widened as he saw red flags peering out of the foggy sea. The invaders had arrived, and they come in no small numbers.


    "One¡­two¡­more or less a hundred!" Veritus exclaimed in excitement.


    "A hundred ships?!" Arterius shouted as chills went running down his spine. "How?!"


    His anxiety went off the roof. It was the first time the older Prince had experience a battle. Being cooped-up in the palace for most of his life, Arterius'' knees shook in fear.


    "W-what is that?!" Veritus offered the spectacle to the knight to confirm what he was seeing.


    "I-I don''t know, my Prince." The knight''s voice trembled as the fleet became more visible.


    The younger prince grabbed the looking glass away from the knight and smacked him.


    "Give me that, you coward!" He snarled at him. "Signal the bell! You better fight and die defending this town or else, I will kill you myself once this battle is finished!"


    The poor knight stumbled and run down the stairs, obeying the prince''s order.


    "Pfft¡­I will definitely kill that bastard for showing me that¡­disgusting attitude," he mumbled.


    Arterius and Stolas looked at each other with confusion written all over their faces. Arterius cleared his throat to get some of the anxiety off of him.


    "Brother about the¡ª" Arterius began.


    "Shells! Their boats have huge turtle shells?!" Veritus smiled and licked his lips. "I wonder how we could crack those open?"


    The younger prince turned to his brother, "Well, since father and the Senate approved your product. We might as well use it." He said blandly.


    Veritus came over to his older brother and kneeled, "Come on my back it would a lot faster going down the stairs. Your servant wouldn''t mind tailing along the stairs, right?"


    Another salt rubbed into the bleeding wound! Arterius couldn''t believe how his brother underestimated him. The disrespectful words cut to him like a hot knife in butter. He gritted his teeth and wanted to hit his brother with a cane, but he can''t. He wouldn''t. He''s afraid of him. Too afraid of his capabilities.


    "Look brother, I maybe frail and broken, but I can¡ª" Veritus lifted him by his arms. "W-what are you doing?!"


    "We don''t have time to blabber, brother." Veritus shoved Stolas to the side. "Out of my way, ward!"


    The younger prince leapt into the stairwell in a single bound, landing on the ground, while carrying his brother. "Where did you place your cannon?"


    Arterius looked up and saw the height from where he leapt. He instantly knew that the height was enough to kill an ordinary person if they accidentally fell. Yet, his brother just leapt out as if it won''t hurt him and indeed, it didn''t.


    He looked into his brother''s eyes and pointed at the cannon at the gate near the shore.


    "Very well, let''s go!" Veritus ran so fast that the drizzling rain hurt Arterius'' face as it collided. It only took them a fraction of a moment to reach the famed defensive wall opening.


    "I-is this the cannon?" Veritus gently put down Arterius.


    The older prince could see the look of dismay at the young prince as he tried to digest the underwhelming physical features of his cannon. Arterius saw how his brother''s eyebrows furrowed over the relatively small cannon with a big support frame.


    "Uhhmm¡­Alright!" Veritus sighed. "Take this to the top of the wall¡­See that plank? Use that!" He ordered the knights.


    "Oh! No, brother!" Arterius held his younger brother''s thick arm. "Leave it here. We''ll fire it from this position."


    His statement made solicited a confused look from Veritus. Not putting an armament on a high ground is obviously a huge strategic blunder which may cause you a war. Arterius knew about that already. However, the cannon he made was something totally different from the cannons the Prinicipalia had owned or saw throughout its conception.


    "Brother, I cannot let you do that!" Veritus turned around with his eyes piercing on Arterius. "I am the commanding officer of this battalion! I know what I''m doing! So please stand¡ª"


    "I won''t stand back on this, brother." Arterius adamantly stated. "I will show you why I want here not there." The older prince pointed out.


    "Fine." The younger one replied. "But it''s your failure not mine. Don''t taint my name or father''s."


    Arterius smiled to him and slapped his younger brother''s shoulder. "Trust me just this once! You''ll see a true spectacle."


    Stolas arrived a little longer than they did. The poor ward tailed the royal brothers down to the wall with the cane on hand.


    "Ppp-prince Arterius¡­" The ward wheezed, trying to catch his breath. "Y-your cane¡­a-are we goin¡­"


    "Rest for a while, Stolas!" Arterius took the cane and patted his shoulder. "You there! Ready the artillery!" The prince commanded one of his escort knights.


    The older prince could feel how the younger one rolled his eyes as he called his one and only cannon an artillery.


    A few moments past and Arterius'' cannon had finally been set. They moved it forward near the shoreline both brothers stood behind it as Stolas and the knights set the crates of ammunition on the stony, wet ground.


    Stolas placed runes on the ground to protect them from any projectile attacks and activated a cloaking spell on them to avoid them from being seen.


    Veritus called on Veracon, his most trusted officer to command the cannons on top of the wall. The officer bowed and went on his designated position.


    Arterius knew then that his brother wanted to see how his little experiment would go. He could see in Veritus'' eyes how he wanted to ridicule him for his so-called poor decisions. He was about to prove him wrong.


    The huge turtle-shelled ships are now closing on the shore. A crimson bolt began to fire at the wall from the ships. The impact sounded like a blast of thunder, deafening and genuinely terrifying. It was enough to break a few portions of the wall along with a few cannons and knights with it.


    Veritus signaled their own offense. The cannons roared in unison as its projectiles rained on the weird-looking ships. Just to up the ante, they fired another round with the spare set to provide more damage.


    "See, brother! That''s why you need the high grou¡ª" Veritus was shock to see that the cannonballs simply bounced off the ships. No matter where the projectile landed it simply bounced off.


    "By the gods! They had a sturdier armor than that of those from the Western Empire?!" Veritus couldn''t believe his eyes.


    The turtle ships once fired back with those flaming bolts once again. This time it was able to take down a portion of the famed wall. Even with the defensive runes etched into the walls, it crumbled easily to the mighty spell that the Northern Invaders had.


    Arterius could feel his body tremble in fear. He''s regretting his decision for staying so close to the battle. He''s regretting bragging about his cannon. What if he fails? What would become of him? He knew the answer to that at least.


    He looked at Stolas and noticed how his ward pinching his own leg to stop himself from trembling. The situation was scary indeed, but Arterius wanted to prove something. He wanted to prove to everyone that he could also be as strong as the rest of them and he''s going to do it his way.


    He glanced at his brother but saw no look of despair written all over him. What he saw was a man hungry to kill and prove to the world his dominance. His brother unsheathed his sword in one hand and readied his spell on the other. Arteirus could only look in awe at his fearless younger brother.


    He needed to rise up to the challenge and that he did.


    "Men! Don''t fret!" He shouted at the knights on the shore with them. "Ready the cannon!"


    The knights loaded the cannon with the aetherite concoction on the backside and the newly designed cannonball on the other.


    "Set target!" Arterius shouted while pointing at the rushing ship on the middle. "Aim¡­Fire!"


    The knight charged the cannon with his exousia, finally releasing the projectile straight to the incoming ship. The cannon ball pierced the ship and blasted one more on the back. They fired one more which grazed the ship at the front but took out two adjacent ships when the cannonball bounced over.


    Suddenly, the fleet halted their advance. The invaders were shock to see their impenetrable ship being taken out in a flash.


    Veritus tapped Arterius'' shoulder. "Brother, that blue and red thing you put on the back is that¡­the equivalent of a gunpowder?" He asked.


    Arterius nodded. "Indeed. It could take up to 8 consecutive firings before you recharge it!"


    "Is this thing mobile?" His younger brother pointed at the cannon.


    "Yes, you''ll just have to drag it around. Unfortunately, this environment is¡ª"


    "I can see the flaw on this design." Veritus smiled. "But this definitely will turn the tide of battle."


    "Diamant!" Veritus casted a hardening spell on himself and approached the cannon.


    "W-what are you doing brother?" Arterius baffled with Veritus'' action.


    The younger prince looked at him and smiled, "Fixing that one issue!"


    Veritus yanked the cannon from its stable base and held it in its arms. "You knights better catch up with me! Carry those crates along and get those colored stuff ready!"


    "W-what are you doing brother?" Arterius eyes widened in disbelief. His younger brother just carried a cannon in arms.


    "Brother it''s not safe here. Get back inside of the town while I cover you!" Veritus ignored his question.


    Arterius tried to reason with his brother, but instead he got a shrug from him.


    "You just gave me one of the best toys that I never thought I needed, brother!" Veritus cackled as he commanded the knights to load the cannon.


    Stolas grabbed Arterius by the arm and tugged him back inside the town.


    "W-what in the gods name is he doing?!" Arterius couldn''t believe what he just witnessed.

 Chapter 73: The Beastman

    There was a buzzing in his ear. Low sounding whispers plagued his hearing perception. The monotonous mumbles felt like drums banging on his head, becoming more apparent as it went on. Finally, the murmurs slowly became more audible. He could hear distinct voices of people, his people. The people he left behind and perished.


    "Brother Urfaal! Brother Urfaal!" He felt tiny hands pushing against his face. "Brother Urfaal wake up! We''re going for the hunt!"


    "Sarador, it''s too early!" He tried to swipe the hand from his face, but nothing was there.


    The beastman opened his eyes and saw the clear blue sky framed on the small opening of the tent. He looked around and saw no one but him inside the cold small space of the tent.


    He tried moving but a sharp pain stabbed his ribs. He grunted in pain, but his throat jolted a wave of pain too. The beastman was in a world of hurt and he couldn''t recall why. Suddenly his body began to chorus with the pain albeit in varying degree, everywhere hurts and he cannot fathom why.


    He opted to stay still and breathe through the intense pain, clutching the side of the bed to help him deal with the hurt. Later, the pain became more manageable but the beastman chose to stay still just to avoid those jolts of unwanted aches.


    He looked at the ceiling again and noticed how different it was from the colors he saw at the infirmary. He knew something was different, but he couldn''t put a finger to it. Outside he could hear horses and wagons passing through. The horses neighed while the people outside cursed every now and again. He could hear clanking metal as the men walked. It was different from the ones in the camp, this felt heavier.


    A few moments later, a young knight entered his tent. The moment their eyes met; the knight ran away. The beastman wanted to call out to him but his throat proved difficult for him to raise his voice. He stared at the ceiling once again. He stared through the small opening where he could see the clear blue sky.


    The cloudless sky reminded him of his home. The southernmost edge of the Vridian Forest where his tribe had lived and hunted for over thousands of years. Unlike the rest of the forests, the southernmost part had smaller trees compared to the rest of Vridian domain.


    The trees in the southernmost parts were not as tall as the colossal red trees of the rest of the forest. This made it brighter during the day when the sun peaked through the sky and beautiful during the night when the Lady Moon shined along with the stars.


    The great blue canvass made him remember his memories of the Vridian skies. A sky that never gloomed. He remembered growing under its beautiful hue and hunting under its guidance.


    The beastman have longed to return to his home. He prayed for it for so long until he realized that his prayer would come unanswered¡ªthat was until 132-X came along. The moment he saw the human slave, he felt a fire lit inside of him. A hunger that couldn''t be satiated just by living. In his eyes he saw an ambition bigger than the rest of them. He saw freedom in his eyes.


    The beastman felt his intensity to be free and saw what lengths he would go through to make it into a reality. 132-X became his beacon of hope. That''s what lit the fire inside him. That''s what made him cling onto the rope for him. That''s what made him sacrifice himself to save him. The timid beastman saw someone he could follow and die for. A kind of resolve that was only worth giving to their tribal chieftain.


    His thoughts were temporarily interrupted by the commotion outside. He could hear heavy footsteps rushing towards his tent. The weakened beastman couldn''t help but close his eyes, his body had already failed him once, this time might be his end.


    "Thank the gods you''re awake." Tristam approached him clad in plated armor. "Your wounds have healed fine!"


    "Good Ser¡­cough." The beastman''s throat gave him a difficult time speaking. "W-what''s going on." His pain radiated from the gruffness of his voice.


    Tristam looked at him with pity and hesitantly answered. "Something happened in the camp while you were unconscious."


    The beastman''s eyes widened, he couldn''t imagine what type of horror his comrades had to go through while he was asleep. His chest tightened and he couldn''t breathe. His vision spun into a swirling chaotic barrage of distorted shapes and fading colors.


    Tristam held his hand, "Beastman, listen to me!"


    He never heard it. He never felt his hand. There was only a deafening silence. Despair was brewing inside of him. The swirled images of the room went black and his mind faded into the darkness. Tristam''s voice echoed incomprehensively on his ear.


    The darkness turned into a bright yellow sunshine in the great blue sky. He was back again at his home, along with his sleuth. He recalled this moment well; it was his first hunt.


    "Urfaal," The leader whispered. "You see that titanauroch? Gorembar will distract it. While you, follow me and Varrec for the slay."


    Urfaal felt his body shake with anxiety. It was his first hunt, and he hadn''t seen a titanauroch that big as it was. He raised his spear and slowly creeped behind the unsuspecting creature grazing along a clearing. He took a step to the right as signaled by their hunt leader. As he softly stepped, his foot unfortunately landed on a twig on the ground. Unaware of the twig, he shifted his weight and pressed on his position. Suddenly, it snapped.


    The animal lifted its head and ran away. The sleuth of hunters rattled over the scene, but the hunt leader kept calm and reevaluated their strategy on the spot. The beastmen began chasing the creature, using their agility and strength in pursuing the creature. The pursuers jumped from tree to tree while the hunters ran alongside the animal until they caught up with it. They rode on its horns to slow it down until finally their violent wrestling match came to an end¡ªthe titanaurouch lying on the ground exhausted.


    The hunt leader asked Urfaal to kill the animal to honor the tribe. The hulking leader gave the knife to the young beastman and asked him to say the prayer and end the miserable creature''s life.


    Urfaal hesitantly took the knife from the leader''s hand and went to the monstrous bovine who panted heavily while frothing on the mouth.


    "O-oh, M-mother¡­" He tried to stop his voice from trembling. "Let your sons relish the boon of the land you¡ª"


    The beastman and the bovine''s eye met. As Urfaal lifted the dagger over his head, the bovine produced a sad bellow as if it knew that it was his end. The beastman tried to ignore its gaze but he couldn''t.


    It took him two attempts in lifting the knife but his heart couldn''t take it. He pitied the animal so much he dropped the knife to the ground.


    "I-I can''t do it." He kneeled down and patted the animal. "Maybe we have to let him go. He has¡ª"


    The hunt leader immediately hit him hard on the face. "You''re a disgrace, brother! You just spat on our traditions!" The hunt leader grabbed the knife on the ground and did the killing by himself.


    Later that night, after an insurmountable amount of scolding and humiliation from the hunt leader, Urfaal was tasked to dispose the titanauroch''s entrails. This task was given to the lowest ranking member of the hunting party or sleuth. However, since he disgraced the tribal chief''s name, it was given to him as his task.


    The entrails are usually disposed an ild wyrm distance from the perimeter of the tent to avoid other wild animals from being attracted to the boon they have. The entrails are usually buried at the place where the wind blew away from the camp.


    It was a tedious process that needed a lot patience, since the disposer must wait for the wind to blow and position the burial strategically deep and away from another other contacts as possible.


    After disposing it, he was then tasked to guard the hunters as they sleep for the entire night. Normally, the look-out would have a 3-hour shifting time. But on his case, he took the full night alone to contemplate on his actions.


    He opened his eyes to the sound of clanging iron. The same sound he heard that same night he failed his tribe. The night that got his sleuth massacred. The tent was already dim. The sky changed its shade to crimson as streaks of darkness swallowed its light.


    By his side was Tristam, asleep. The young knight proved to be well-disciplined. Even with the plate armor clad on him, he managed to sit straight, his arms placed on his lap, and feet flat on the ground while sleeping.


    The beastman tried to sit but the pain proved to be unbearable as he exerted force. He grunted in pain once again.


    "Don''t move, ser." The knight gently held him back. "Don''t move, please."


    "W-what happened to them?" The beastman''s tears welled on his eyes, hoping to hear relieving news. But he doubted. "Are they¡ª"


    "You can put your worries to rest, ser," Tristam patted his chest gently, "They are fine and alive."


    The beastman could sense something was wrong. He could smell it from his scent.


    "Liar." He grabbed his arm and yanked Tristam towards him. "Tell me, what truly happened to them¡­please!"


    Tristam''s hand shook. He could see it from the young knight''s face a look of frustration and bit his lip trying to withhold crucial information from him.


    The beastman pushed him away so hard, Tristam stumbled to the ground. His wounds ached so much it became difficult for him to breath but he''s having none of it. He''s a Meh-Teh, a child of the earth and a son of Ulfasaar of the Ursine Clan.


    "Pain is nothing to be felt especially when your family needs you!" He gritted his teeth and bared his fangs as he arose from his bed despite the torment of pain on his body. "You are the earth that the Mother Moon had blessed. You are her son and her groom. You are her protector!"


    Those were the words his father used to tell him as he was growing up. The same words his kin sung as the crimson horde came charging towards them. The words he regretted not saying that day, now he uttered them loud and proud. As he took every painful step towards the exit.


    Tristam saw the agony on his face and held him by the arm, "Where are you going?"


    The beastman yanked away his arm, "Where are they? I would like to see them!"


    The knight didn''t answer.


    The beastman took it as a sign of cowardice. He took another step, but his world began to spin once more. His body wobbled and he almost lost his balance. Good thing Tristam was attentive enough to catch him before he dropped to the ground.


    "Don''t be reckless ple¡ª" the knight sincerely begged.


    "I need to see them! It was my fault! I couldn''t protect them!" The beastman''s voice broke as his despair surfaced.


    Tristam saw the distraught in the beastman''s eyes. He knew fully well that he was instructed not to get the four slaves to meet-up, but it looked like he would be defying that, for the sake of them.


    The knight made himself the beastman''s support and offered a hand for him. "Come then, let me get you to where they are." He said.


    "I''ll explain to you what happened on the way as well." Tristam said as he opened the tent flaps.

 Chapter 74: Blindside

    "How are they?" The beastman asked Tristam.


    "They¡­" the young knight parted the flap on the tent while thinking of a way to explain the current situation. "¡­haven''t awakened yet."


    The beastman paused and set his gaze on the Tristam. "W-what do you mean by that? W-what do you mean by¡­haven''t awakened yet." His voice trembled as news unraveled.


    He clenched his fist in frustration. He failed to protect them. He failed again the way he did that night.


    "Beastman," Tristam placed his hand over his shoulder. "They should be alright." He faintly smiled.


    The beastman glared at him, "Al-right? Fine? Y-you¡­" He walked hastily away from the knight.


    As he took a step outside the tent, his body began to ache in protest. The jolting pain caused him to stagger and fall on the dusty graveled ground.


    "Ser beast¡ª" The young knight quickly tried to make him stand but he refused and shoved him away.


    "I-I can do this m-myself!" He stood up, knees wobbling but was able to manage otherwise.


    He looked around and saw the difference in the scenery. It wasn''t the mines he was accustomed to. The tall trees covered most of the tall wooden gate on the entrance. There were outposts on each side of the gate and from the way that it was set-up, he thought the same outposts could be located at every corner too.


    The knights that stayed there were all clad in armor with red undergarments on top of their shiny plate mails. They had worn a different helmet compared to the guards from the slave barracks. The headwear covered most of the wearer''s face, only exposing a small portion of the eyes, nose, and mouth and had eagle wings on each sides of the helmet.


    The beastman glanced back at Tristam. He had the same type of armor like the rest of them, but a bit more different. The blue undergarments contrasted to the silver shine of his intricately ornated armor. His chest piece had an embroidered symbol of a wyvern spreading its wings.


    The beastman turned around at the sound of clanging metal. Right at the far-right corner about 200 paces away was a forge. He saw brawny men pounding hot metal over an anvil. Adjacent to that were men dragging huge pieces of lumber into an open space where 3 people were building something big. It didn''t look like a house, it looked like something else¡ªa weapon bigger than that of a house.


    "Ser," Tristam approached the beastman, "You are no longer in the mines."


    The beastman nodded as he looked at the clear blue skies. The big red trees surrounding them almost touched the skies. "A-are w-we outside of Crescent Isle?"


    "No, good Ser," the knight shook his head. "This is still within the Isle. This is the Hillsprung encampment."


    Tristam patted the beastman''s shoulder and pointed at the overlooking castle of Arenfall at the southernmost part of the forest.


    "Why are we here?" The beastman asked. "And where are they? My comrades?"


    "Walk with me. I''ll explain that to you." Tristam reached out his hand.


    The beastman followed Tristam in the winding path of the tree-filled camp. The huge trunks of the majestic redwoods were a natural fortification itself. He limped alongside the knight as he was trying to explain the entire situation to him.


    "D-Dhamphiirs?!" The beastman exclaimed. "T-that''s impossible!"


    Dhamphiirs to the beastman were known as Griigsodor or tentacle mouth in the human language. These creatures were a bedtime story told to them as a young pup. The blood-sucking monsters that walked the darkest of nights where no moonlight is on sight.


    "Y-you''re telling me Dhampiirs went along the camp killing the xedecimas there?" The beastman paused and held himself up along a trunk of a tree. "W-where you there when this happened?"


    The beastman feared the dark-loving creatures. In fact, as a child, he would stave away from the dark forest at night even if it was during his test of courage. It took a beating from his father to make him walk the dreaded darkness into the spring at the foot of the hill for the ritual.


    He hated the dark and he always had, until now. He hated the monsters that lurked in it. As his nan would often tell him about the Obscuros that rule the darkness, no man must trifle going to the forest when the moon doesn''t emerge from the sky.


    "I¡­I wasn''t there¡­" The knight answered. "I was¡ª"


    "Then where have you heard this from?! Hearsays? You said everyone got devoured¡ª" The stark realization that his friends might''ve been dead already and the knight was just guiding him to their gravestones.


    The beastman dropped on the cold ground, gnashing his teeth, weeping for his fallen friends. He thought he have failed again. He failed defending his friends. His new family stripped away from him again.


    He was angry. He loathed himself for being the irresponsible friend that he was. His cowardice had costed him their lives. He loathed his weakness. He wasn''t there to defend the camp. He imagined going down fighting alongside of them, but he didn''t this time. Never and always.


    "AHHHHHHH!" The beastman quickly rose up from the ground and punched the tree in frustration.


    The tree shook as he relentlessly punched it over and over again. Although stunned at the beastman''s action, Tristam tried his best to calm him down.


    "Ser¡­" He tried to approach him but the beastman proved to be too feral for him to subdue. Before they could attract some unwanted attention from the rest of the camp, Tristam shackled him using his wind binding magic.


    "Please, good ser! Take it easy on yourself!" He bound the beastman tightly to avoid himself from hurting himself even more.


    "Y-you don''t understand!" The beastman forced his way out of the binding spell. "I-I left them for dead! I-I..did¡­nothing for them! It should''ve been me!" He clawed his way out of it but it was still fruitless.


    The knight was confused, "What do you mean by that? You carried them all to the camp! You saved them."


    "W-what¡­did you mean by that? They''re all alive?!" He said. "I-I carried them here?"


    "You made it out there along with the dwarf and the elf. We are currently nursing them back to health right now." Tristam answered.


    "But I was¡­" The beastman tried to recall how he did it but no matter how much he tried to remember it, he was unable to. "Where''s the human? You said I only brought the dwarf and the elf. Where''s the human?"


    Tristam stared at him, without answering his question.

 Chapter 75: The Hero of Old

    Lord Prestonheim woke up in the cold, dimly lit room of the Arenfall castle. He moved his body to check the wounds he got during that deadly battle against the monsters from the burrow. He still couldn''t believe that after all this time, his great granduncle''s bedtime story was actually true.


    The silver-haired Commander sat on the bed and tried to recall everything that had occurred during that chaotic situation. He recalled struggling against those damned monsters with every ounce of light magic he could conjure and made sure every attack counted.


    The Dhampiirs proved to be worthy of their lore. The hellish creatures came and fed on him, draining him with his blood while showing him both fear and despair. From the images they flooded his mind to the revenants they summoned along with them, he thought he would''ve died on that encounter.


    The living nightmare that he had to relive while fighting the Dhampiirs tolled both his body and mind. If it weren''t for his strict training and conditioning, he would not have made it out alive of that battle. Even if he did, he''d be a broken man. He looked at the ceiling and thought about those who weren''t as lucky as he was.


    "Those knights¡­" he sighed and mumbled a prayer, "Oh gods ever present, I pray you deliver the souls of my men to your warm embraces."


    He felt sorry for the young knights that he brought there with him. It was supposed to be a simple mission, kill the monsters that might be inside the mines. Unfortunately, the mine collapsed after they encountered a spawn of gigantic centipede.


    Then there were the monsters from the burrow, the Dhampiirs. He knew his men were well-equipped but unfortunately, they were unprepared for the anomalies that lurked underneath the ground beyond the darkness of the hole. The green knights perished in one single night, three xedecima worth of men.


    He was lucky to have come of it alive, but now came the hard part. During the aftermath of the monsters'' attacks, an army of knights from the Bieroff household came and took him away. He''s being arrested as an instigator of destroying the Principalia-owned property. The same offense he judged for the late Lord Bieroff.


    It looked like the red-haired slave came running to Arenfall castle and told everything that was going on. Not to mention lies that the silver-tongued maniac might have reported to the Bieroffs. He''s worried that the redhead could''ve shared the information about the Aetherium find but he''s not sure.


    Lord Prestonheim never wanted that sly former noble. But at the same time, he cannot leave him out there. As embarrassing as it may be for him to tell, the Commander and the red-haired, crazy slave were bound by a pact with each other during their younger years as part of the defunct Imperial Knights Crimson Order.


    In hindsight, shouldn''t have made that decision to make a pact with him but the past was a different time. It was when the war to conquer the Great Eastern Forest, Vridian was at its peak. They wanted to cull the faerfolks'' power and take their capital for the budding Principalia.


    The Principalia back then, sought them out for their abilities. They sought from him his unparalleled ability to use exousia and magic. An ability that wasn''t rivalled for three decades until the birth of Prince Veritus.


    305-M was sought for his intellect and ingenuity. His inventions and strategies proved to be invaluable during the war. He was brutal and inhumane, but the previous emperor saw the worth of his inventions and infernal machinations that he ignored the madness of his ideas. Lord Prestonheim knew the horrors of the mad redhead''s research and kept it for the longest time because of their oath.


    Although disgusted with 305-M''s recent betrayal, the Commander never expected much from him. He knew very well that with him by his side, it would only be a matter of time before he rambled out things to the other nobles. But even with that risk, he never had a choice. Nobody was as adept as him when it came to identifying minerals and metals. In fact, he was the only one aside from his one and only student who knew about the magical properties of adamantite.


    It was already a gamble he knew he would lose. But the Commander came prepared. He knew how 305-M would be too preoccupied with the aetherium and won''t bother sharing out his knowledge to the nobles. The Commander knew how the redhead pride himself of giving accurate and well-founded information. It meant that 305-M would not report it until he gained a conclusive find.


    This, however, was an exemption and that bothered Lord Prestonheim. But he didn''t want to dwell on that. What he needed to do right now was find a way out of the castle in one piece and prevent further aggravation of his knights with the Bieroffs'' knights. He hoped that the letter he tasked Eferail was delivered safely to Prince Arterius. That was his only hope in surviving and saving Adaloun from this ordeal.


    Suddenly the door slammed wide open, four knights entered the room with a sneering young Lord Bieroff approaching him.


    "Lord Prestonheim," The arrogant child spat. "Mother told me to welcome you here!"


    The Commander saw the disinterest in the child''s eyes, "You''re too kind, Idram. Your¡ª"


    Before he could finish his sentence, the young boy abruptly interrupted him. "I SAID CALL ME LORD BIEROFF!" He shouted.


    All of the sudden, Idram unsheathed and tried to intimidate the old Commander in true Bieroff fashion. But before he could swing the sword the calm Lord Prestonheim glared at the arrogant lord. The older lord stood up and met the younger lord''s eyes and intently intimidated the child with a stare.


    The new Lord of Arenfall quickly tumbled back and dropped his sword.


    "In order for you to kill, you must learn how to swing a sword." Lord Prestonheim said calmly. "In order for you to swing a sword, you must have courage, Lord Bieroff. And by the gods, do not hesitate because I won''t hesitate to retaliate."


    The knights immediately protected the fallen lord and immediately unsheathed their weapons.


    "That goes for all of you as well!" He stood up with his arms crossed. "Let me just reiterate, I. Won''t. Hesitate."


    Lord Prestonheim''s eyes never left Idram''s. The old Commander could see a puddle forming from where the child sat. Idram''s lips shook and the knights'' knees trembled in horror as the older lord gave them a taste of overwhelming presence.


    He took a step forward and the knights began to cower back, dragging the Lord of Arenfall.


    "A pleasant morning, Augustus!" Lady Adrena Bieroff entered the room along with her slew of handmaidens. "I trust you had your good night''s sleep?"


    Lord Prestonheim nodded. He wasn''t in the mood to answer the Lady. In fact, he wasn''t in the mood to deal with them at all. He watched as Lady Bieroff noticed the puddle streaking on the floor. Her alluring smile turned into a frown of disgust.


    Lady Bieroff scowled at her son, "You useless prick!" She slapped her son and diving his face into the puddle of urine spreading rapidly on the floor.


    The knights stood there and never once tried to save the Lord of Arenfall. After his mother was done washing his son''s face with his own urine on the floor, she then pinched and twisted his ear. Lord Prestonheim could see Idram''s face contort in horror as he slowly stood up since his mother was not letting go of his ear.


    She dragged her son out of the room, the knights followed out trembling in fear. Before she left, she looked back at the old Commander with the phony alluring smile on her face.


    "My Lord," She bowed as if nothing happened earlier. "Join me for breakfast. I will be at the garden. I''ll wait for you!" She looked at one of her handmaidens and immediately asked her to clean the room.


    The handmaiden gracefully knelt to the floor and using the lower part of her apron, she wiped the floor dry. After she was finished, she bowed to Lord Prestonheim then to Lady Bieroff before going back to the entourage.


    He could see the late Lord Bieroff''s arrogance on the child. His mannerisms, the way he talked and bragged about himself was exactly his spitting image. The way he cruised around with his bodyguards made him recall the many times the late Lord Bieroff would try and intimidate him with his ill-equipped and ill-prepared knights.


    The similarities go on to show that the apple didn''t fall far from the tree. Lord Prestonheim couldn''t help but crack a smile on the scene that happened earlier. He sat back down slowly before leaving out a sigh.


    "Look at the dog running with the tail behind its back." He scoffed in disbelief. "By the gods, what a pathetic kid!"


    "Snowflake." He murmured.

 Chapter 76: Empty Halls

    Lord Prestonheim pressed the bridge of his nose, a sign of another distressing day ahead. It was a habit he caught during his time with the Crimson Order. As one of the leading Commanders of the order, he was tasked to do crucial undertakings that others won''t even dream of having.


    As the missions became closer to impossible, his tenacity and ingenuity on his approach gave them the leverage. Out of all the knights of the order, he was the only one to receive the Infallible distinction being the only knight to have never failed a mission. It was the first in the order and was never topped since.


    Along the title also came a lot of headaches. Being such an admirable Commander came with a lot of responsibilities. Maintaining the armies disciplined, checking on their armors, working with other military strategists on contingencies and war tactics gave a toll on his body.


    One day while visiting his betrothed, he began having pounding headaches during their garden lunch. The pain was so severe that he fell to the ground unconscious. Later that day, he woke up on one of the guest rooms of his betrothed''s estate with her by his side.


    He felt embarrassed with the entire situation and apologized to her. She only smiled and giggled. He remembered her telling him not to apologize for showing his weakness. She held his hand and told him that it was a normal thing, that men are also vulnerable.


    "It''s okay to show this side of you. If you''re that embarrass, just show it to me! I won''t judge!" She smiled. "Oooh! By the way, I learned this keen way of reducing headaches! I learned it from our family physician! He told me to press the bridge of my nose when you get too stressed. He said it lessens your chances for headaches!"


    He started doing it that day and it stuck ever since. Lord Prestonheim can''t help but smile as he recalled those wonderful memories he had with his departed wife. It always made his day a little bit better in such gloom times.


    After another moment of staring blankly at the barren landscape of the Bieroff''s garden from the window, Lord Prestonheim decided to get dressed and meet up with the Lady host. He would''ve wanted to pick the clothes himself but being a prisoner gave him so limited choices and freedom. He was lucky enough to land a room inside the Arenfall castle, although he couldn''t say the same for Adaloun.


    He was not allowed to bring anything, but Lady Adrena was kind enough to fetch some of his clothing from the camp yesterday.


    Lord Prestonheim saw how Adaloun''s limp body was dragged and carried into a wagon. The poor man fell unconscious after fighting the remnants of the fiendish horde from the abyss. Now, the Commander couldn''t help but hope that the Bieroff could show some leniency on the former slave.


    After wearing the ill-advised fashion doublet his brother gave him, he thought of tearing it apart, but time was of the essence. As a knight, you do not make a lady wait, regardless of their social standing. That was one of the tenets the old knight followed.


    He immediately looked for the pair of pants that was embroidered exactly like his flamboyant upper garment. He went for his shiny leather boots and his leather belt with the Prestonheim''s sigil engraved on the buckle.


    He went out of the room after combing his silver hair slickly to the back. Lord Prestonheim was met with a young handmaiden waiting for him outside his door. She curtsied at him and asked him to follow her and met with Lady Adrena.


    They walked along the barren hallways of the Arenfall castle. The wide hallways that were used to be a thing of legend when the Arens lived in the castle, was now a desolate place rid off any color or d¨¦cor. There were no fresco paintings that usually filled the walls of the villas the Commander had owned and used to visit.


    The walls were grey and cracked, it was a contrast from when the previous lord of the castle was alive. Although, the decorations and statues were based on him, it was painted vibrantly making it a good contrast to the cracking walls of the castle. There were also golden banners hung in the ceilings and posts with the sigil of the Bieroffs etched on to it. But this time, everything was barren. No golden light stands, no gigantic vases, not even a clue of greenery.


    "Young lady," Lord Prestonheim couldn''t hold his curiosity. "Why are the castle walls filled with gray? Is the Lady still mourning?"


    The handmaiden halted and turned to him slowly, "My Lady wishes no part of such worldly ornaments. She only wishes to serve the god she believes and thus decorated the shrine with him, the most holy." She turned around and simply walked again.


    The Commander could see the dullness in her eyes. There was no hint of emotion, nor that of life. She was living and yet she felt dead inside. All the answers she gave had a sweet pleasing voice but never had a jovial tone to it.


    Something was terribly off but it could be just him. It could be the Dhampiirs attacks might have hindered his senses or abilities to feel emotion, after all those monsters drained it along with hisblood. It should be that.


    They went down the grand staircase into the wide and barren hallway of Arenfall''s once illustrious ballroom. The floors were cracked and chipped. The fine gilded carpets that once covered the ugly floors had now been stripped, showing the ugly facade the previous lords of the castle had kept away from the naked eye.


    They passed along the dark Stone Hall, its door cracked open. It was supposed to be the previous lord''s bragging room. Formerly, the room was filled with light and intricately ornated statues of himself and the previous family heads. The room had the notoriety of being the biggest hall in all of the Principalia, but Lord Prestonheim highly doubted the claim. Still, he couldn''t deny the beauty and grandeur of the Stone Hall but now, even the light can''t pass through it.


    The room reminded him of the dark fog he faced a few nights ago. It looked as if at any moment, a Dhampiir might come out from the darkness and finish the job his kin failed to do. He stared at it for a moment more just to be certain. His experience with those monsters made him wary the dark more than he used to.


    "My Lord," The petite handmaiden stopped again. "My Lady wishes you to be on the table with her right now."


    It was a way of saying to him that he was stalling the entire time and he needed to hurry. The Commander sighed and apologized to the handmaiden before looking away from the dark hall.


    They passed a few empty hallways and some dilapidated doors until they reached the garden where Lady Adrena waited. The lady of the house prepared an elegant table for them. She set it up near the garden''s arch surrounded by sparsely growing plants and entangled with wild thorns.


    The table was covered with a linen cloth inlaid with gold etchings of the Bieroff and Lucresia household. There was a platter of fruits on the table, half a wheel of bovine cheese, sliced cured pork, assorted meat jerkies and warm pieces of bread.


    "My Lady," the young handmaiden curtsied. "Lord Prestonheim of House Prestonheim has arrived."


    Lady Bieroff nodded at her and smiled, "Come here, little one."


    The Commander noticed how the handmaiden jittered at Lady Bieroff''s command. She stiffly walked towards the Lady of the house and bowed. Lady Bieroff moved closer to her ear and whispered something to her.


    The handmaiden''s knees trembled for a moment, but she quickly composed herself and ran back towards him.


    "T-the¡­L-lady invites you¡­to the¡­t-table." The girl stammered before bowing to him and running away from the garden.


    Lord Prestonheim looked at Lady Bieroff confused. The lady simply brushed off the look on his face and gestured him to take a seat across to her in the table. Hesitant but at the same time intrigued, the Commander walked over to the opposite end of the table and sat.


    He looked at the food on the table once more. Lady Bieroff stood up and offered a small bowl of salt. She broke the bread and gave the other half to Lord Bieroff. The Commander and the Lady dipped the bread into the bowl of salt before consuming it.


    "August," Lady Adrena laid her hand on his shoulder. "You don''t have to put your guard up high. Take this a breakfast among friends."


    Lord Prestonheim looked at her and nodded. Lady Adrena was kind enough to welcome him as a guest by the greeting salt. The greeting of the salt was a practice done by the first Arterians to welcome a guest to their home, promising them protection and hospitality.


    "Very well, Lady Adrena," He smiled. "May the gods put more bounty on your table that hosted me."


    Lady Adrena''s smile suddenly turned sour, "Please call me Adrena. You can drop the honorifics August, along with the gods that I do not have faith on."


    Lord Prestonheim got flustered with her response. Lady Adrena made her way back to the other end of the table before he could respond. They ate in awkward silence, Lady Adrena didn''t respond to any of the Commander''s compliment with the food. She never batted an eye on him the entire time. She ate silently, enjoying the cheese and wine on the table.


    After they were done, Lord Prestonheim stood up and tried to excuse himself. Suddenly Lady Adrena slapped the table.


    "I didn''t tell you we''re done, August!" She yelled at him. "I am the host! I order you to sit back down!"


    Lord Prestonheim was surprised by her sudden change of mood. He slowly went back to his seat while trying to calm himself down from shouting back. He looked at her straight in the eyes. She stared back at him, a typical trait of the Lucresias. She won''t back down.


    "My Lady, what is with this sudden rage?" He calmly asked.


    Lady Adrena''s mood changed again. She sighed and smiled from the chair. "I was just trying to get your attention, August. Looks like I was successful with that."


    The Commander sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. There was another awkward silence after that short interaction, then Lady Adrena stood up.


    "August, I just want to tell you that you are currently sentenced to death under the Principalia''s Codes." The Lady declared.


    Lord Prestonheim raised his eyebrow, "On what grounds are you indicting me, Adrena?" He challenged Lady Adrena.


    Lady Adrena stood up and went to his side of the table, "Order 357. Destruction of the Principalia''s properties."


    The Commander couldn''t contain his outrage. He pounded the table and stood up, meeting Lady Adrena''s eyes. "How dare you? You know that''s not¡ª"


    "You cannot get out of this one! I sent a letter to my dear brother detailing the horrific things you did with the mines." She held his hand. "Unless, I say something about it. You know, whisper to his ear, it was because of those wretched slaves. All for the price of a deal. Let the Bieroffs claim over the discovery of those stones!"


    The sly Adrena knew exactly what she wanted and now that she had the edge over the rest of the Principalia, she wanted to claim it. Lord Prestonheim understood, the discovery was under her land and thus she had a valid claim. However, the Commander fears that she might use the Aetherium as financial leverage that may prove to devastate the growing Empire.


    With his life on the line, he knew he only had a few options.


    "What say you, August?" Lady Adrena smirked, as she claimed victory over him.


    Lord Prestonheim took a deep breath and smiled back at her, "No."


    There was silence once again.

 Chapter 77: Back to the Campfire Pt.1

    "Wake up¡­Oi¡­Wake up!" Adaloun heard a familiar voice. It sounded like someone he had spoken with for many times now, but somehow it was a bit different. It was a little high-pitched and cheerful voice.


    "Oi..wake up, you!" Adaloun felt a finger poking his face. "Oi¡­Adaloun¡­" Her voice sounded playful.


    He didn''t want to open his eyes. He was tired to the point of exhaustion. Adaloun had completely outdone himself again. Pushing the boundaries of the newly acquired ability he got from Oyue.


    He wanted a simple ability that doesn''t require as much intervention from deities as possible. But he was given more than what he asked for. It wasn''t as strong as his previous abilities over the lifetimes he had, but it was still too potent for his liking. He didn''t want that. He didn''t like the idea of owing another goddess a favor for giving him powers beyond anyone in that world. That had caused a lot of problem in the past, he doubted if it wouldn''t cost anything now.


    He could feel his arm being lifted by warm, small soft hands. He felt a breath of warm air touching his skin, and then¡­


    "Ouch!" He opened his eyes as the teeth sank deep into his skin. "W-what are you doing?!" He pulled the young girl away from his arm.


    "Waking you up! Hmp!" She crossed her arms and pouted.


    Adaloun checked the bitten area and found no blood. The bite did not even penetrate his skin but there was a warm and pulsating red bite mark on his arm. He looked around to see where he was. It was a familiar place.


    "W-why am I here?" He said as he stared at the campfire. The same campfire that they usually hangout with his comrades. "W-who are you?"


    He stared at the kid. She looked awfully similar to that pestering goddess who annoyed him. She had puppy dog eyes, a short-cropped silver hair and a dress that resembled the starlit night sky.


    "Hey! It''s me!" She blinked her eyes. "Oyue! Teehee!" She cracked a smile from ear to ear while standing proud putting both hands on her hips.


    Adaloun was confused. He knelt down and messed the girl''s hair. "Oyue? Pfftt¡­nice try kid! Who are you, truly?" He smiled.


    The young girl frowned and took his hand from her head. She twisted it, before throwing him away from the campfire. The poor Adaloun tumbled and rolled on the dry dusty ground. He landed on one of the tents, entangled by the cloth and leather of the shelter.


    His eyes widened in disbelief. Could it be that the girl was telling the truth? Is she the one she claimed she is? She was strong, too strong for a child, obviously. Adaloun couldn''t wrap his head around what just happened.


    "You''re dumb too, aren''t you?" The girl picked her nose and flicked some dirt from it.


    "Y-you are not Oyue!" Adaloun pointed at her. "I could see it from a mile away!"


    "Mile?" She scratched her head before she realized what it was, "Oh! You mean that unit of measurement from the other worlds! You should bring that here! Their unit of measurement here is¡­ soooo¡­crappy!"


    Adaloun rubbed his eyes. He still couldn''t believe what he''s seeing.


    "So, you''re Oyue¡­don''t come close! Stay there!" He stood up and gestured her not to come any further, without looking afraid. He didn''t want to look bad and weak in front of a kid who just flung him away like it was nothing.


    The unfazed girl didn''t heed his request and still approached him. "Hey¡­you stay there! I warn you! I have powers too!" He activated his newfound ability.


    His body was filled with glowing patterns of lines and swirls. He warned the kid once again. "I maybe weak, but I could put up a fight!" His eyes glowed as the power spread all over his body. Adaloun assumed his fighting stance which he thought was ridiculous. Fighting a young child was just the lowest of the low, and in all of his reincarnations, he never entertained such idea. But then again, there he was right now, raising a fist against a young girl.


    The child furrowed her eyebrows and pouted. "You''re an idiot, Adlaw-on!"


    Her eyes glowed brighter than his and the young girl started to float into the air. His eyes widened and his mouth ajar. She raised her hand and snapped her fingers. Just like that, Adaloun''s power disappeared.


    He felt his power sealed away from him. The glowing patterns flickered and faded completely from his body. The enormous power spreading all over his body halted all of the sudden. His body wasn''t able to handle the strain of the sudden power concealment.


    Adaloun dropped in all fours on the ground, panting and sweating heavily. He looked at the child hovering above him, eyes glowing and smirking smugly at him.


    "Now, do you believe?" Her voice sounded as if there were multiple persons inside of her small body. She hovered closer to him, eyes glowing intimidating the poor human. "Adlaw-on, I¡­" she coughed.


    "Cough¡­cough¡­" She gestured at him asking him for a moment to compose herself and adjusted her voice. "Darn it! I hate it when that happens!"


    He couldn''t believe what he''s seeing in front of him. The little child proved herself to be the same goddess he had in contact after all this time. He stood up and dusted himself.


    "Oyue, huh?" He tried not to fret at the sight of a floating girl with halos forming on her back. "I remember you were older?"


    Oyue looked at him bummed by his statement. She lowered herself to meet Adaloun eye to eye. The pressure from her aura made it difficult for Adaloun to breath, but he didn''t want her to see that. He clenched his fists hard for him to avoid from bowing down from the pressure by pursing his mouth and breathing rapidly in a subtle way.


    "You''re dumb, jeez! A jerk too!" She sighed. "This is what happens when I overuse my powers."


    "Overuse?" He scratched his head. "How would a goddess overuse her powers?! You have an unlimited source! You''re a deity!" He pointed out.


    Oyue sighed once again, "I may be a deity, Adlaw-on but I do not have the full extent of my powers ever since I descended to the mortal plane." She slowly landed herself on the ground and suppressed her unbelievable aura.


    Adaloun was finally able to breathe normally once again, "How did you overexert that power?"


    The small moon goddess sat on the ground. Her face rested on her hand as her eyebrows wrinkled at the bridge of her nose. She tried to enumerate to him what caused her to exert so much of her powers.


    "Well, firstly, I gave you abilities that primarily came from my essence. Secondly, a few more people called for me and asked for my services." She raised out her fingers counting two. "Thirdly, the visuals you had seen during our trip to your memory lane is also one. Lastly, I need to help you all escape! So I have to find away to get all of you out of there! So¡ª


    Adalaoun didn''t let the moon goddess finish what she was about to say. "Wait, I got the other three reasons. So...what do you mean by escape? I recalled seeing a glimpse of the beastman rise and carry the faerfolks. Wait¡ª"


    "Well, I was trying to help them out of that sticky situation as those other pesky humans came and took you away along with the Prestonheim guy." Oyue embarrassedly explained. "If I hadn''t possessed him earlier, they wouldn''t be in Arenfall right now."


    Adaloun couldn''t with her explanation, "W-what do you mean by that?" He asked.


    Oyue scratched her head in annoyance. But remained calm as she tried her best to choose the simplest words for the thick-skulled mortal to understand what she meant.


    "Well," She pouted her lips and tapped her cheek with her finger. "You''re a human! So, you won''t be able to understand what they would go through in this world."


    He was left speechless after what she said. Out of all the worlds he''d been to, this was the first time he heard of it. Throughout his lifetimes, and countless people he has been with, it was the first time he heard of this statement.


    "What do you mean by that? Being¡­human?!" His eyebrows furrowed as he tried comprehending on it. "Is there any difference with how others are being treated here?"


    Adaloun never had a clue about it. Surely, there were other races in worlds he''s been to before. He was once part of those other races as well during his previous incarnations, but he was never treated differently. The races he''s been born to were either revered or greatly honored by the world he''s in.


    And there were slaves on those worlds as well! He got to save all of them regardless of which incarnation he was, he always had been a champion for freedom. But that was just it, a champion.


    He never spoke with the slaves nor mingled with them. He never asked the other races how the world was treating them. He was just focused on saving the world. A world where he thought needed saving but never the people.


    "I had to do what I had to do to save my children, Adaloun." Oyue said. "Even if it means I may have to break one of them to save the many."


    Adaloun felt his anger surging. The goddess finally showed her real colors. That move Oyue did could''ve killed his friend. He had seen that a few times when the gods of his previous lifetimes would enter a mortal body.


    "You''re the same as the rest of them!" He punched the ground in anger and frustration. "You tricked me to believe that you were a¡ª"


    Oyue interrupted him. Her aura turned the jovial child into a brooding adult. "I never lied to you, Adaloun. You know that. You''re just too scared to face the reality of this."


    She placed her hand on his shoulder, "This is a world cruel enough that you don''t need demonlords and other magical overlords to see the brutality. This is how a real world looks like, Adaloun. They should''ve prepared you for this!"

 Chapter 78: Back to the Campfire Pt.2

    Throughout his lifetimes, Adaloun had never experience a reality as dark as he had right now. He''s been through worlds where demonlords and monster had reigned. His mission was always focused on liberating the people from their dark grasps while evangelizing them the gods he served¡ªand he served them well all throughout.


    There were times where he had to start from the lowest of low or from the poorest of the poor, but the people were always positive and loving. The village, his family and the country were always doing what''s good for their citizens.


    He had lived in worlds where everyone was treated equally regardless of social standing, morals, race and more. But he never had he imagined to be in a world where the sense of equality was as close to none as it was.


    Yes, he had been poor before in his past lifetimes, but he never actually suffered. He never had to eat dried twigs from birds'' nests nor stale bread. No matter how poor he was, there was always food on his table and a warm bed for him to sleep.


    He realized how bitter and dark this world was early on, but he never lost hope that one day it would change. He wasn''t sure how or what he had to do to accomplish it, but one thing''s for sure, he will never ask any help from any deity. If he''s going to change this world, he will do it by his own hands even if it will prove impossible.


    Ironcally, he got help from a deity. He was sought out by a deity and was even given powers. It was something he loathed himself doing but had to concur to the dire situation he was in. The monsters of this world proved to be menacing and deadlier than those he faced before. It was only in this world where he met a monster as strong as a demonlord but was considered a grunt in Calamatis'' standards.


    He wondered; how did the people of this world handle the monsters before? How powerful were they to impose such threat to them and how were they able to survive all of those? These were the questions he had in mind. Questions, that only a goddess could answer and since he''s talking to one right now, it would''ve been a perfect opportunity for him to ask. But instead, he didn''t.


    Instead of learning the world more, he opted to ask a different question.


    "Then why haven''t you intervened?!" He asked the goddess. "You''re a goddess! You surely could save them all if you wanted to!"


    Oyue looked at him and nodded, "You''re right! I could''ve just saved all of them and imposed myself as their deity but that''s not how things work around here."


    She patted messed his hair, giving him a taste of what he did to her earlier. "If only the world was quiet as simply as those previous gods you served have thought." She said.


    "What do you mean by that?" Adaloun contemplated on her answer. "Simple? What do you mean?"


    "In this world, there is what the mortals call as will and freedom. Boop!" The young Oyue touched his nose. "You better remember that before you start flaunting your shenanigans on them! You''re no saint here and remember someone might be equally as powerful as you here!"


    Adaloun stood up and asked, "If this world doesn''t need saving, then why did you ask me to help you? If this world has free will, don''t I just live normally like the rest of them? Why did you ask for my help in the first place? If I couldn''t help this¡ª"


    "Adlaw-on, I have to stop you right there." Oyue shook her head and sighed. "I didn''t ask you to save this world. I want you to contribute to it."


    The answer confused him even more, "What do you mean by that? Contribute?"


    Oyue scratched her head and pouted. "You really are a thick-skulled guy! Basically, I want you to share your abilities with this world, provide them a choice to grow and become stronger."


    "Couldn''t you just do that in your end?" Adaloun furrowed his eyebrows. "I mean¡­you can inspire others and they could choose not to¡ªOw!"


    Oyue kicked his shin lightly.


    "What did you do that for?" Adaloun grinning in pain.


    "Here you are, hating gods for interrupting with your fate." She squinted at him. "And yet, you want me to interfere with the mortals of this world? Kindda ironic, isn''t it?"


    Adaloun was speechless. He knew Oyue had a point, a very poignant one. He stared at the endless sky trying to understand himself and his goals.


    "Adlaw-on, I have to cut our conversation short." Oyue yawned. "My powers are waning. I have to sleep for a while."


    Adaloun noticed the young girl slowly fading and approached her. "What am I going to do?"


    Oyue smiled at him and answered, "I have faith in you that you can figure it out! Adlaw-on don''t stay dumb."


    The child pushed him away. "Adlaw-on, I will be gone for a while. Please, don''t do anything wreckless! And look for your purpose in this world!" Oyue smiled, "Don''t be surprised once you wake-up¡­Uhmm¡­" She blushed. "You might be in an awkward position."


    "W-wait, what do you mean by that?" Suddenly the entire camp was struck by a blinding light.


    Adaloun started falling into a deep hole. As he fell, the bright light began catching up to him and went into his body.


    He woke up gasping for air, sweating profusely. He looked around and saw the change in scenario. He noticed himself spread over the bed with a blanket covering his naked body. He tried to move but was unable to. Adaloun felt something bound on his arms and feet. He tried moving his wrist and ankles but felt the cold metal squeezing against his skin.


    "My goodness, Oyue! What the hell is this?" He cursed under his breath while trying to look around. He could feel the presence of his gladius inside the room but can''t point its location.


    It''s not that Adaloun hadn''t experienced anything like this in the past, in fact, he had quiet a few encounters being bound and naked before, but it was the good kind, and he knew exactly who bound him. This one is different. He''s not sure who bound him and why was he bound. Also, metal bindings, normally you don''t use that for kinky stuff.


    The door creaked and Adaloun could hear footsteps coming his way. He had two options, he could destroy the metal bindings and incapacitate whoever was on the way or he could choose and play along and see how this would go.


    Unfortunately, he chose the latter. Adaloun waited anxiously as the footsteps shuffled across the room. The stony wall made it hard for him to see who entered the room. He could only guess from the light steps that it was a woman or so he hoped.


    The soft footsteps became more audible. He knew the person was coming near him. He readied himself and tried to look as cool as he could.


    "You''re awake, I see." Servus 305-M peeked from the stony wall. "Good. That means I don''t have to wait another day."


    Seeing the wretched redhead during his most vulnerable moment was not Adaloun''s idea of surprise. The old erratic slave came approached him and smiled before heading over to the table at the foot of the bed. The redhead sat down and wrote something on it and then proceeded to gather somethings on the table.


    Adaloun couldn''t see clearly what it was but based on the metal sounding clangs, he had an idea of what they were. He desperately tried to activate his ability but somehow, it didn''t work. He tried once more and even tried to yank his wrist out of the metal bind was unable to. That''s when he realized he''s in big trouble.


    "Oh, that''s futile!" 305-M answered calmly. "That''s made from the same material as these collars. You won''t be able to get out of it." He raised a sharp knife checking on its edge.


    He looked back at Adaloun and smiled at him. "I think we haven''t met¡­properly." 305-M cracked a smile.


    "By the way, my name is¡­" 305-M began laughing hysterically. "What am I even doing? You can''t have my name! I don''t have one!"


    Adaloun felt something was off. Sure, 305-M was a little loose in his screw, but this was something else. There''s something afoot and he''s getting what it was.


    "Ohh¡­pardon me, slave." 305-M mumbled. "I was a noble once but had to suffer this fate! They don''t understand, I¡­could''ve made the Principalia grow!"


    305-M wanted to see how Adaloun controlled the aetherium he had. Ever since he saw the aetherium and realized how Adaloun, a slave was able to wield it, made him intrigued. 305-M thought of ways and possible reasons on how he did it.


    But he understood that all of those ideas were only but a figment of his intellectual mind. Without any experimentation, he won''t be able to prove such. When the Bieroffs'' knights sacked the camp, they were supposed to kill everyone save for Lord Prestonheim. Luckily, 305-M made a deal with Lady Adrena to spare Adaloun for his research.


    305-M had to do some convincing in order for him to do that. Finally, another member of the noble house would finally give him that chance! Adaloun should''ve been executed for destroying Principalia''s properties but 305-M''s persistence got to save him from the brink of death.


    He saw a noble cause of making sure Adaloun lives. Just thinking of the experiments he could do, made 305-M''s spine tingle with excitement.


    305-M yanked the thin piece of cloth covering Adaloun and exposed him naked. The crazed redhead eyed on him from head to foot and smiled.


    "The Aetherium and you, will be my prize back to the Principalia! I''ll show them." 305-M''s mood became erratic as he reached for the sharp knife. "If you don''t mind being sliced¡ªI''m sure you don''t."

 Chapter 79: Cutting Edge

    305-M smiled at Adaloun. The redhead''s crazed eyes met his. He knew something awful was about to happen to him. The madman dragged a table close to him. Adaloun could hear the metal clinking against one another as 305-M dragged it close to him.


    "Very well," 305-M said while catching his breath. "I am quiet interested on how you managed to callback that stone. To be honest with you, I didn''t imagine it doing that! But I guess my brilliance could foresee that!" He yanked his head back and looked smugly at him.


    Adaloun tried to yank the bindings once more but wasn''t able to budge them. As 305-M said, it was created from the same material as the collars, so it was unbudgeable especially when his powers are at bay. But he still tried anyway! He didn''t want to die there in agony at the hands of the sadistic slave.


    305-M pulled out a piece of parchment and laid it on the table. He took his quill and inkwell, then began writing while saying his words out loud, "Jovis, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 19th day of Fall, Time: Mid-level of Dunsupar. I Servus 305-M will now commence the vivisection of Servus 132-X or to be called as Origin-X. This operation will be about finding the exousia pathways that made it possible for him to hold the aetherium without his power being drained¡­"


    The madman took a glance at him and smiled. "I shall now commence." He put his quill on the inkwell and proceeded to pick up a bundle of cloth and a curved-edge knife.


    Seeing this, Adaloun panicked. He struggled and tried to yank his way out of the bind, no matter how impossible it was.


    "W-what are you doing?" He struggled. "Get away from me I warn you!"


    The madman paused and tilted his head to one side. "Why, you ignorant fool! I just told you! I will do vivisection on you!" 305-M cursed under his breath, annoyed at Adaloun''s stupid question. "You layman should just shut-up and contribute to my cause!"


    The redhead crumpled the cloth on one hand while placing the knife on Adaloun''s neck. "You better cooperate! You son of a bitch! If you want me to prolong your life."


    Faced with no choice, Adaloun nodded. 305-M smiled and gagged him with the cloth he crumpled earlier. The madman raised his knife, flaunting its sharpness as the light from the lamp shone on it. He slowly placed the sharp edge on Adaloun''s chest and was about to begin when suddenly there was a knock on the door.


    Adaloun could see the frustration on the madman''s face as he threw the knife on the table and walked away stomping his feet. He could hear him shouting at someone and heard ceramic and glass breaking.


    "GODS BE DAMNED! You incompetent fool" He heard 305-M cursing at someone. "Get out of here! I don''t need this crap!"


    Adaloun could hear a girl sobbing. "Pick that up, you useless trash! I should''ve offered you to the temple!" 305-M continued degrading the poor person.


    After another tirade of cursing and degrading, 305-M came back on sight. He was holding his left hand up, it was bleeding. The slave fumbled for a piece of dry cloth to stop the bleeding from his hand. He opened one of the cabinets and started ravaging it, as he looked for a cloth. As he did so, an object wrapped in cloth fell to the ground and almost hit his foot.


    He was able to dodge his foot at the last second before cursing some more and swiping it out of his way. A moment passed and finally, he was able to find the perfect cloth to wrap around his arm. He cleaned his wound first by pouring strong wine on it before he wrapped the wound.


    He went back to him holding his arm up to his chest. Adaloun could see the dismay on 305-M''s face. The madman looked at him intently before looking back at the table. He wanted to continue with investigation, but the left hand was bothering him.


    He went back to the cabinet and grabbed the bottle of strong wine. He popped the cork off and took a swig of the obnoxious liquid to numb his throbbing hand. He went back to Adaloun coughing.


    "I¡­cough¡­hate that crappy wine!" He picked up the knife once more using his good hand. "So, going back, I will be carving your chest. I will peel the skin off it and see if there are any form of abnormal pathways beneath it. I want to know how you made that aetherium obey you!"


    Adaloun made a last-ditch effort to try and plead for him. He was helpless once again. He felt something was off. The more he struggled the more he became light-headed and felt numb.


    305-M pressed the blade gently on Adaloun''s skin. The sharp edge made no difficulty in wounding the poor subject as blood trickled from the small cut.


    "Oh!" 305-M lifted his knife away from Adaloun. "I forgot to tell you, that cloth I gagged you with has a small hint of herbevera! You know the sleeping poison? It won''t kill you. Ummm¡­it''s quiet a small dosage to kill you. On the contrary, I just want to numb you a bit so I can easily cut you up without spoiling the specimen." The redhead winked. He went back to continue slicing Adaloun open.


    The poor Adaloun couldn''t do anything anymore. He no longer had control over his body, the drug had finally taken effect. His mind was starting to fade away when all of the sudden he felt a strong tingle coming from his spine.


    The burst of energy awakened him. Just adjacent to the cabinet, he could see the cloth-covered item slowly unwrapped itself revealing his missing weapon. The gladius glowed as it floated exposing its beautiful vein-like patterns spread over the pale, blue-colored blade.


    Somehow, 305-M hadn''t noticed it even though it glowed so bright that Adaloun had to squint his eyes to focus on the weapon. The gladius blade slowly pointed its tip towards the focused madman.


    Adaloun felt the 305-M''s knife carving his skin. Another surge of power spread all over his body. The madman noticed his Adaloun''s eyes glowed. 305-M was caught off-guard with the sudden glow of Adaloun''s eyes, he dropped his knife and stepped away as quickly as he could.


    The gladius flew right pass the redhead''s face before impaling itself to the metal bolt of one of the biddings. It destroyed the binding immediately after it pierced through the bolt. The blade let out a bright flash that threw the madman against the wall knocking him out.


    Strangely enough, Adaloun was able to control the sword even with the other bindings still attached to him. But that wasn''t a time for him to wander about such phenomenon. He held the blade with his free hand and pierced the bolt of the rest of the bindings until he was finally free.


    He jumped out of bed and scoured for clothing inside the cabinet at the foot of the bed. Luckily, he was able to find some clothes. They were smaller than his frame but, he rather wore the tight clothes than running naked.


    After wearing the clothes, he then took a clean folded blanket and used it as a hood to conceal himself while protecting himself from the cold. He looked back at the red-haired madman lying on the floor and felt no sympathy for him. He wished he would just die, but he highly doubted that.


    He opened the door and found a dark and empty corridor. The hallway way was devoid of light, there were no lamps lit and even the moonlight couldn''t penetrate the darkness of the castle. Adaloun gripped his sword tightly as the pale, blue glow shone from the sword.


    With that little light that he had with him, he stepped out of the room and began his way out of the god-forsaken castle.

 Chapter 80: Claiming Victory

    Sarda, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 24th day of Fall


    ----------------------------------------------------------


    The road going home was slow and bumpy. Arterius sat anxiously on his seat as the carriage jerked and wobbled over the stony road. He had already drunk the last drop of medicine he had stored during the trip, but his foot was hurting worse.


    His younger brother chose to leave on horseback rather than a carriage because he wanted the people to see the splendor of his triumphant return. Arterius found it stupid and unnecessary. The carriage was better because it protected him from the rain and the cold Autumn winds. Well, he wasn''t as strong and powerful as his brother, so, a gust of wind might make him sick with colds.


    It has been four days already since they left for Arteria. It was a lot slower compared to their trip going there. The long line of knights and slaves made it more difficult for them to travel faster. Even with them at the front of line, it still was a long and arduous journey, especially because they were in between the lines of his brother''s army.


    The slow and painful trip back home was nerve-wracking but at the same time euphoric, especially after the victory his brother had using the weapon he designed.


    Arterius recalled how the battle went. After his brother grabbed the cannon, he immediately ran towards different directions dragging the knights keeping the ammunition with him. He saw a different kind of spark in his brother''s eyes, a spark of terror.


    His brother''s exousia proved to be powerful than anyone else in the Principalia. This held true to his overwhelming victories against other magic users, but it definitely shined during the defense of the Northern towns.


    His exousia was so great that the aetherite propellants got spent in just one firing. However, the damages it caused was more than Arterius could ever calculate.


    As his brother fired the cannon, 3 ships directly on his way exploded and that didn''t include the splashed damage the specialized cannon balls did to the surrounding ships in that area! His brother fired once more and that was more than enough for the invaders to change course.


    The battle has been won before the Northern Invaders reached the shore. If it was Arterius, he should''ve called it a day. However, Veritus on the other hand, had other plans. Using the Arterian Navy led by Lord Commander Crovar, his brother strategized a barricade trapping the rest of the fleeing ships at the Northern Bay.


    They captured the rest of the crew and slaughtered most of the crew who refused to surrender. The survivors were taken as slaves to be sold to the capital or to be part of his brother''s growing army.


    The wheel ran through a small bump in the road. Unfortunately, that bump was enough to rock the carriage and jerk Arterius'' injured foot. He cursed as he tried to reposition his foot.


    He tried his best to divert the discomfort by talking to Stolas who was busy scribbling the results of their cannon.


    "Stolas," He said. "Do you think I could get a good word from my brother?" He grimaced at another bump the carriage hit along the road.


    Stolas looked at him and held his hand, "Arterius, if we based it on the results we have, I hope he does. By the Gods, I hope so."


    Arterius sighed and nodded. He knew at an early age that his brother was his greatest rival to the throne. Compared to him, Veritus had achieved a lot for the most of his part of the decade. He stopped insurgencies on the Vridian Region and established a new settlement at the mouth of the Great Dunes. His brother also has strong ties with most of the Senate heads compared to him, that was close to nothing in both achievements and influence.


    He hated the fact that he had to rely on someone to showcase the marvel of his invention and loathe his father and the Senate for pushing him that far just to see him fail. The thought of it put a heavy toll on him the past few nights. He would sleep later in the evening even with the help of the anesthetic he''s been drinking since his leg broke.


    Arterius shuffled on his seat, trying to find the perfect comfortable spot for his leg and back. Alas, that was close to impossible. He wanted to come home as quickly as he can to investigate on his godfather''s latest find, the aetherium.


    After Eferail gave that letter to him from Lord Prestonheim, he was stoked to ride for the Crescent Isle and investigate it himself. But this situation he''s in right now proved to be a bigger conundrum than his trip to that mystical isle.


    His leg was pulsating in pain. Good thing, the medication finally took effect and made him drowsy. Finally, sleep came knocking at him! At last, he could take a nap and let time fade on the nothingness of his dreamless sleep.


    Sometime later, Arterius was awoken by Stolas who cheerily shook him with excitement. The prince groggy jolted from his seat and rubbed his eyes.


    "A-are we there yet?" Arterius asked.


    "Arterius!" Stolas enthusiastically fixed his master''s collar and hair. "Look lively now! We''re nearing the crowds."


    "C-crowds?!" Arterius attentively listened from his carriage the booming roar of the crowds. He quickly fixed himself and opened the window blinds of his carriage to meet the sea of faces.


    There was an ocean of people squeezing against each other on the streets. As the drums boom and the trumpets honked, so did the crowd shouted and cheered drowning the music with their roars. Beautiful petals rained from the balconies and endless lines of people waved their flowers and threw it to the passing knights.


    It was a euphoric experience. It was something he always dreamt about but never thought would come true. It was his first hero''s welcome! Despite the fact that the cheers were all for his mighty brother, and despite knowing that the crowd had never batted an eye on his carriage, Arterius still took the cheers as his own.


    He blew a breath of relief. For the first time, the long arduous journey back home became worthwhile for him. The pain from his leg numbed by the enthusiastic energy of the cheering crowd and the slow procession going to the Senate, became a beautiful scene of some stories he read when he was still a child. The heroes would parade themselves after every great victory and people would cheer and call out for their name! That was the closest one he could ever dream of a hero''s welcome.


    The long line of cheering people ended at the foot of the Senate Hill where every other citizen besides the Senators, Noble Houses and invited individuals were allowed to step foot.


    As the carriage made its ascent to the hill, Arterius heart beat slowly then raced in anticipation for their grand welcome. The view of the overlooking Senate Hall was daunting to see, especially with the current situation he had with them.


    They finally arrived at the luscious gardens of the Senate where they were greeted with cheers and claps from the Senate members and their father, the Imperatur.


    Veritus along with Lord Commander Crovar were the ones who got down from their horses first and got a roaring cheer from the Senators and a hug from their father. Arterius cracked a smile on his face. He cannot contain the excitement he had! He wanted to tell his father the success of his invention. He wanted to tell him his design for the next cannon. He wanted to speak to him and see his father be proud of what he had accomplished, but unfortunately, that wasn''t meant to happen.


    After his father and the Senate greeted the celebrated son of Arteria, most of them including his father and his brother went inside the Senate hall leaving him devasted. His father wasn''t there to greet him. The man he wanted to see his achievement.


    Although heartbroken, Arterius, went out of the carriage withholding the tears in his eyes. He took a deep breath and limped his way inside the Senate hall where he was greeted by a few Senators who appreciated his work.


    "Welcome back, Prince Arterius!" Senator Prestonheim smiled at him and patted his back. "You cameback alive and well and victorious at that!"


    He faked a smile to the few Senators who waited for him at the hallway. "It is good to see you well too, Senator Prestonheim, Senator Crovar, Senator Oradineus, Senator Ifnem and Senator Arda!" He sighed.


    "I understand that long face, Prince Arterius." Senator Arda patted his shoulder. "But a hero must start from the most humblest of beginnings. Sometimes, to the point of humiliation." The old man smiled at him.


    Arterius found his words insensitive but the old man did have a point. "Thank you for your kind words, Senator Arda."


    "My Prince, it''s now time for you to make a statement to the rest of the Senate and to your father. Please, let''s go inside!" Senator Crovar and the rest of the Senators bowed to him and walked with him to the Senate hall.


    Arterius was devastated to see that his situation hadn''t changed. His father was still unable to accept him but he''s not sulking over it! He took a deep breath and entered the Senate Hall with head held up high.


    Today''s the day he claims his victory.

 Chapter 81: Taking Credit

    Sarda, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 24th day of Fall


    The Senate buzzed like flies during a hot sunny day. It was noisy and irritating. Arterius along with the other Senate member escorts went inside the hall and saw the rest of the Senator staring down on him, standing from their seats.


    At the High Table, was the Imperatur along with him were Senator Lucresia and Lord Commander Crovar who sat at the back waiting for the Imperatur''s orders. His brother, Veritus stood at the podium silently waiting for the rest of the Senators to fill the seats before he begins his report.


    All eyes pried on Arterius who limped down the isle going to the podium. He could hear the whispers of the Senate members mocking him for stalling their time for other important matters. He hurried his way to the podium to join his brother who looked equally impatient as the rest of them.


    As he reached the podium, his father stood up from his seat and began his speech by berating him.


    "Senators, let me start off by apologizing for my OTHER son''s insensitivity to time. I''m afraid that his limp didn''t help him as much as it benefited for ours to mock!" The Imperatur''s eyes sharply met Arterius''. The poor prince could only avert his gaze to avoid his wrath further.


    The embarrassing moment was further rubbed on him by the laughter of the Senate. He clenched his fist, trying to control himself from lashing out. He had suffered long and hard to get to where he stood right now. A few more sufferings wouldn''t hurt as much as long as he gets the last laugh¡­or so he thought.


    Veritus patted his back and whispered, "Stand straight brother. Don''t let them see your weakness."


    He glanced at him and nodded, but deep down it was hurtful and numbing. Veritus would never understand that! He was never in that position to begin with! He was the stronger and powerful one. The Senate got their ears on his younger brother, unlike him who was often ignored and ridiculed.


    He wanted to say a few chosen words to his brother as well, but he found no fruit with the anger he had right now. This is his break or make moment. He wanted to be on his brother''s good graces. So, he took a deep breath and smiled at him as he always did all his life¡ªsmiling through the pain.


    Imperatur Severus raised his hand to silence the buzzing Senate. They did so and sat down eagerly waited for him to speak.


    "Esteemed Senators, my son, Veritus has returned from defending the Northern territories!" The Senators stood up and clapped their hands. "As we all know, my OTHER son, Arterius was also sent on a mission to the North to test his¡­cannon for effectiveness. I would like to hear from you, Veritus! Tell us the story of how you defeated the Vyrkolak invaders!"


    The Senate chorused in agreement. They wanted to hear answers but most importantly, they wanted to hear how hard Arterius failed. Like vultures waiting for their prey to die, the other Senators gazes hovered around the older prince and waited for the younger one to throw him off the stage.


    Veritus cleared his throat and glanced at him. The Senators'' anticipation was palpable. They desperately needed to embarrass Arterius at that instant.


    "Father, Senators and invited guests, the battle ended as soon as it began!" The Senate buzzed. In their minds, Veritus'' participation on the defense might have factored on the early end of the battle. "Be the gods as my witness and with Lord Commander Crovar''s words be proof of my statement!"


    Lord Commander Crovar stood up from the chair and place his right hand to his chest. "Thus, all accounts from Prince Veritus shall be thereby, be the truth. I, Lord Commander Segues Crovar of the Naval Fleet confirm all statements from Prince Veritus Prima, true. This I swear by the gods, the state and the name of my House, Crovar." The Lord Commander bowed at the Imperatur and was acknowledged.


    The Imperatur looked back at his sons on the podium, "You may continue."


    "Father, Senators and invited guests, we have successfully defended the town of Imvula against a fleet of 100 armored ships!"


    The Senate hall went on silence as they waited for the prince to continue. "They used Tarasque shells and leather that our proud cannons weren''t even able to put a dent on them!"


    "Aha!" Lord Ordus stood up from his seat. "See! Prince Arterius'' toy couldn''t even dent those¡ª"


    "I''m sorry to disappoint you, Senator Ordus." Veritus interrupted. "But if you were listening, I said OUR cannons. Not my brother''s."


    The Senate whispered amongst themselves. Arterius looked around and saw the confusion of some of the Senators'' faces including that of Senator Ordus. The Imperatur raised his hands once more and commanded for silence.


    "What do you mean by that, Veritus?" His father asked. "A tarasque shell you say?!" Are you telling me that our cannons cannot par with the invaders'' primitive defense?"


    "What I have seen father, is that the northern invaders had tarasques! A monster we thought had been dead for such a long time! As what my mages told me, they had Magical properties that deflects any physical attack thrown against them." Veritus explained.


    "So, your brother''s cannon¡­" Senator Lucresia diverted the question, "How many did it destroyed? One? May be three? We are curious to know!" He pried.


    "Bring out that cannon!" Veritus ordered the knights guarding the door.


    A few moments later, they came in with a dented and twisted piece of scrap metal. The Senate whispered at each other again. The Imperatur had to call for their silence once again.


    "What is this, Veritus?" He pointed at it.


    "That''s the cannon my brother brought with him." Veritus answered.


    The Senate exploded in laughter, ridiculing Arterius and the scrap of metal that was brought before them.


    "Hahaha!" Senator Lucresia had to wipe the tears in his eyes. "So, this is that cannon we saw blasted a Jagaleer? How many times did it fire before it became into this¡­thing? Two? Three?"


    The Imperatur couldn''t help but crack a smug look on his face. As much as it was embarrassing for his name, he now had all the reasons he needed to kick him out of the family and the succession to the throne.


    Arterius was enraged. He gnashed his teeth to hold the anger waiting to explode at all of them. The brother he thought would help him, threw him off the stage and went on to mock him as well. He was breathing rapidly as the fumes of his anger are about to explode.


    "More than half of the fleet." Veritus answered. "Father and esteemed Senators, this piece of scrap you have been laughing about had destroyed more than half of the invading fleet."


    The hall was silent. The Imperatur''s smug face went into a look of surprise and disbelief. "You do not jest, son, do you? I mean¡­ Lord Commander h-have you seen this¡­cannon do its job?"


    The Lord Commander stood up from his seat, "I haven''t personally saw it. I was awaiting orders from the other side of the bay. But here''s what I could vouch for." He paused. "I have never seen a weapon so powerful that it lit the entire side of the bay as if a dragon came by and breathe fire unto the ships!"


    The Senate exploded in disbelief.


    "Half of the fleet?!" The Imperatur inquired. "Are you saying that you, the Lord Commander of the Naval fleet were only picking up the scraps of the battle?"


    "Astonishingly, yes." The Lord Commander answered. "When we surrounded the remaining fleet, they were already running away from the fiery carnage! Even I had the shivers looking at the bay becoming into an inferno of sunken ships and burned men." He added.


    The Senate''s thunderous shouts went back to whispers of disbelief and awe.


    "Yes, you heard it right!" Arterius broke the silence. "That cannon, MY invention just sunk more than half of the invading ships!"


    He went down the podium and touched the damaged cannon. "Imagine, if there were a hundred of these during our battles with the other invading kingdoms! Imagine! How far we can go and rule!" He looked at the Imperatur. "Father, imagine winning against the Western Kingdoms and taking their cities for our own¡ª"


    "You''ve proven your point Arterius!" His father said. "But I want to hear this report from Veritus."


    Arterius was silenced again by his father. He wanted to stand up for himself and assert his right to speak, but he chose not to. He''s already in hot water, and he doesn''t want that water to boil and scald him.


    The attendants had their eyes set on Veritus, waiting for his verdict.


    "The cannon had flaws." He sighed. "It wasn''t as mobile as I wanted it to be. It had a new igniting chemical which doesn''t need the use of gun powder, but the reloading system had only improved a fourth of the time as the regular gunpowder. There are a lot of things this cannon can improve on!"


    Veritus glanced at the Senators before he continued his speech. "But it devastatingly destroyed enemy ships and imagine what it can do if that destroys incoming land troops or sturdy walls!"


    The younger prince went down from the podium and took the scrap of metal and lifted it. "The only reason why the cannon turned into this was because I accidentally used it as a shield for an incoming projectile from the opponent." He patted his brother''s back. "But in terms of result, I found this necessary for our empire''s expansion!"


    Veritus smiled at him, "Brother, if you''re going to make more of these, make one for me¡­and uh¡­ make it mobile for me to use."


    Tears welled over Arterius'' eyes. Finally, their hard work had finally paid off. His brother acknowledged it! Now the Senate and his father has no choice but to honor the prince''s word for it.


    He smiled back at Veritus, "Brother, I''ll even make you spares."

 Chapter 82: A Sound Judgement

    The Senate still couldn''t believe what they were hearing. For one, Prince Veritus, the second to the throne had just made his rival, his older brother Arterius look good in front of them and the Imperatur. Some of them especially the younger prince''s supporters couldn''t believe what they just witnessed. Arterius was supposed to be the rival to the throne! A rival that he ought to smartly dispose out of his way just like what his grandfather did in the past. But that wasn''t the case with it.


    The old vultures couldn''t question the young prince''s declaration, nor refute the validity of what had happened during the defense. Veritus had sworn his honor to the gods and it was even backed up by one of the most trusted commanders of the entire Arterian force. They are left stunned and gazed at Arterius sharply, cursing him at their breath.


    They wanted to chew the poor Arterius on the podium, but Senator Lucresia had dire matters to discussed with them and thus all they could do was stare sharply at him as he walked to his seat beside Senator Prestonheim.


    Arterius really wanted to get out of the hall. He had a lot of business to attend to. There was the cannon redesigns and recalculation of the propellant. And there was also the aetherium report from his godfather which he wanted to address as discreetly as possible.


    After that announcement, the Imperatur sat down and asked Senator Lucresia to state his matters.


    "My Dearest Imperatur, Dear Princes, Fellow Senators and Friends, good day!" Senator Lucresia spoke. "I would first like to congratulate the Princes Veritus and Arterius for your successful defense against the Northern invaders! Prince Veritus is without a doubt peerless with his strength and courage!"


    The Senator then set his sight on Arterius. He took a glance at him, his eyes scanning him from head to toe. "And Prince Arterius who had¡­successfully proven to us that his¡­umm¡­toy, I meant cannon proved to be something worthwhile to be considered by¡­this¡­prestigious body."


    Arterius knew fully well how badly that tasted on the Senator''s mouth. He did not take offense on those little pauses of ridicule. He took it as little nuggets of victory. It was still too early to cheer over the small progress they did, but it was also something worthy of a big smile.


    He discreetly bowed to the Senator showing his appreciation for the small recognition he was given. He truly enjoyed looking at Senator Lucresia''s sour face as the old man bowed his head to return the favor.


    After that little interaction, the Senator went back to his speech. "It is with great sadness and disappointment to inform this prestigious body that Lord August Prestonheim of House Prestonheim is currently detained for the annihilation of the new recruits of the 5th Batallion destruction of the Principalian mines!"


    The Senate erupted! Their voices overlapping each other asking for an answer from Senator Lucresia who just accused the Head of House Prestonheim.


    "W-what is the meaning of this, Senator Lucresia?!" Senator Prestonheim wanted an explanation for the accusations the rival Senator had just thrown to his brother. "If you hurt my brother¡­I will make sure to burn your house to the ground!" He glared at Senator Lucresia who didn''t even flinched as he met his eyes.


    "Are you seriously threatening me, Senator Prestonheim?" Senator Lucresia looked at him as if underestimating him. "We could do it right back at you! And don''t you defend your criminal of a brother, you¡ª"


    Senator Prestonheim stood up and walked towards the high table. His fist sparked and glowed. Senator Crovar and Ifnem held him back before his short temper might get him into a more serious situation.


    Imperatur Severin stood up calmly from his seat. "Esteemed Senators let us not get too driven by our emotions. Senator Prestonheim, I suggest you stand down before you make this worse for your house."


    Senator Casius Prestonheim as noble as he is, he was known for his short-tempered outbursts. There were a lot of stories surrounding the younger Prestonheim about how he fought off anyone who tried to mock their House''s name. Unfortunately, for them they end up close to death or worse.


    Senator Prestonheim yanked his arm away from the grips of the restraining Senators. He took a deep breathe and composed himself. "My apologies, your Majesty. But I find Senator Lucresia''s accusation insulting not just to our House, but to my brother''s name!" He angrily pointed at the smug Senator.


    "Senator Lucresia, care to explain this insinuation?" The Imperatur asked. "Is Lord Prestonheim currently under your custody?"


    "Thank you, your Majesty." Lord Lucresia bowed. "My sister, Lady Adrena Bieroff, wife to the recently deceased lord of Arenfall had him under custody.


    The Senator took something out from his pocket stitched inside his fashionable doublet. "This your Majesty is a letter written by sister to me. It just arrived last night from one of his most trusted men." He extended the letter to the Imperatur for him to read.


    After reading the letter, the Imperatur nodded and gave back the letter to the Senator. "Senator Prestonheim, it looks like your brother, our esteemed Commander Lord Prestonheim had committed terrible offenses of Order 357 and Order 009 What say you?"


    The Senate made their eyes to Senator Prestonheim. "My brother had served Arteria for most of his life. He sacrificed most of his years and his son to the cause. I believe that whatever my brother did, he did it with a purpose. Your Majesty, fellow Senators and guests, I stand on my brother''s behalf and I have faith that whatever he did, he did it for the empire''s glory! Quia ad Principalia, non refert sumptus!" He saluted at the flag on the right side of the high table.


    The rest of the Senate did the same and made their respects to the flag. After that, they went back to the current situation with the silver-haired Commander.


    "I do not undermine Lord Prestonheim''s feats! However, the law is the law! I request the Senate to order the retraction of the 5th Battalion from the Crescent Isles and let the 2nd Battalion handle their job!" Lord Lucresia''s request to the Senate seemed to be gaining traction.


    Arterius already knew what the plan was. Knowing the greed of House Lucresia, he knew they would take the Aetherium for themselves and make huge concessions for the Principalia to pay for it. The fact that the report didn''t include any mention of the aetherium deposit was considerably suspicious.


    As the two Senators chaotically threw words at each other. The rest of the Senate began to choose sides. On one side under Senator Lucresia that supported his request for the removal of the 5th Battalion and trial of Lord Commander Prestonheim. While the others sided with Senator Prestonheim and wanted to give leniency for his brother''s actions.


    The Imperatur along with Lord Commander Crovar and Senator Lucresia discussed among themselves what should be the possible verdict. Arterius knew how this goes, the Senate could vote for the decision however, it''s up to the Imperatur to either approve it, or veto it.


    With Senator Lucresia on his father''s side, Arterius was sure that the old conniving Senator will do all he can to influence his father''s decision. Unfortunately, as much as domineering and powerful his father claimed to be, he was always played by the sly Senator.


    As the Senate Hall was about to explode over the constant back and forth, Arterius must find a way to not let Senator Lucresia have his way. But what are his chances of being heard? Even with his current success, it still won''t count as a voice enough to turn the minds and hearts of these hardy and proud men.


    He must act quickly or else he won''t be able to get his hands on the aetherium and at the same time, the Principalia might go under the mercy of House Lucresia and his lackeys. Both of those would be a nightmare to all.


    After observing the tides of the debate. After listening to the tirades of each side, Arterius had finally made a plan. A risky move that his willing to bet on. He stood up from his seat and took a deep breath.


    "What are you doing, brother?" Veritus confused with his sudden involvement in the matter.


    "LORD PRESTONHEIM HAD CLAIMED TO HAVE FOUND THE LEGENDARY AETHERIUM!" Arterius shouted at the top of his voice.


    The entire Senate paused and looked at him with their faces in both confusion and disbelief. Now that he had their attention, Arterius went on and continue.


    "Your Majesty, Honorable Senators and Highly-esteemed guests, you heard me right! Lord Prestonheim had reported to me the presence of Aetherium in the Crescent Isle!" He said as he pulled out the letter from his satchel. "This! This was his letter delivered to me before I left for Imvula."


    "And your telling¡­us¡­this¡­now?" The Imperatur condescendingly asked.


    "I have just read it earlier while at the carriage." Arterius lied. "I am to blame on this! My incompetence had caused this trouble."


    Arterius walked towards the High Table where he was met by Senator Lucresia and Lord Commander Crovar at the bottom of the stairs. He gave it to Lord Commander Crovar and confirmed that the handwriting was indeed from the accused Lord.


    Senator Lucresia took the letter from the Lord Commander and read it. His hand shook with anger as he read every word Lord Prestonheim wrote on there. After reading it, Lord Commander climbed up the stairs and delivered the letter to the Imperatur.


    "Father, whatever reason it was, I know that Lord Prestonheim had to close it because he called specifically for our team to go there and investigate." He explained. "I apologized for not reading this letter soon. However, I believe, that it would be of the best interest for the Senate to let the A.R.T.E.R.I.U.S facility investigate on this before any actions could be made."


    His father looked at him, fuming at his incompetence. But deep down, he knew why his father was truly angry. He cannot scold him for his delayed report because he was under his direct orders at that time. It was another victory for Arterius to see his father suffer at his own incompetence.

 Chapter 83: A Sound Offer

    Sarda, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 24th day of Fall


    --------------------------------------------------------------


    The Senate became awfully quiet as the tension shifted from the Senator Lucresia and Senator Prestonheim to the Imperatur and Prince Arterius. Everyone was on the edge of their seats as they waited for the Imperatur to give his reply.


    After the deafening moment of silence, the Imperatur smacked the table with his fist in frustration.


    "Y-you!" He began, "We could have avoided this entire fiasco if you have given the letter to the Senate the moment it was presented to you!" He pointed a finger at Arterius.


    Arterius knew his father will put the blame on him. He can''t blame for that because, obviously, he did hide that letter from the Imperatur and the Senate. But what good would it give them if he reported it earlier?


    The answer to that was more chaos. Arterius knew that Senator Lucresia and his lackeys will do whatever it takes to get a grip of this find. His sister was already the Lady of House Bieroff that would mean that he was at an advantageous position to state his case and claim the aetherium mines for himself. In the long run, the sly snake would then choose his own research team and would try to fake any discoveries just for a quick payday.


    Arterius was aware about the Lucresia''s gross misconducts since the founding of the Principalia. The House of nobles hailing from the Western lands near Oyue''s sea were considerably powerful due to their wealth. They were also known for being cut-throat traders who employ the services of highway men to raid caravans and occupy lands from their neighboring kingdoms.


    It was only about 200 hundred years ago when they finally decided to join the Principalia in an attempt to quell the kingdom''s anger after an incident their highway men cost against House Ordaneus on what was called the Bloody Trail.


    Even after being incorporated to the Principalian Government, the Lucresia''s made a lot of mess and at one time almost tore the country apart with their blunders. The only reason they stayed in power for this long was because of all the blunders they did, they always put the blame to a rival noble or destroyed their evidence and trails.


    Arterius knew all of this because of a journal that the Prima family thought was gone from existence. That journal was hidden from their plain sight for almost a century and only he discovered it while he was lost in one of his father''s libraries in their estate. He kept that book with him and never told the family about it.


    For some reason, that book was written by one of their ancestors, Sigirio Prima, but no one had mentioned him and his works as a chronicler for the Principalia. But his book however contained a few dirty laundries from each of the Houses including their own.


    "Prince Aterius, with all due respect," Senator Lucresia butted in. "That information would have been relevant if it was given to the Senate days before. Now, that''s nothing more than¡ª"


    "That is a viable information about my brother''s motives! I know he meant well!" Senator Prestonheim pointed at Senator Lucresia.


    Another wave of banter and nonsensical name-calling followed. The Senate returned to shouting and screaming out their opinions as if it would change the other party''s mind. Arterius shook his head as he was completely muted by the overlapping voices of the Senators trying to cross each of their points to one another.


    "Silence!" The Imperatur smack his hand on the table once again. "Arterius, you do know how consequential your action was against the empire, right? Because withholding this information is considered a heavy offense!"


    Arterius knew about this game, the blame game. That''s how it goes in his father''s reign. Every little blunder his father had, if it was possible to be blamed to other people, he''ll do it to save his face. But Arterius was not going to let it happen to him at least not the conventional way it always did. He''ll still take the blame for it, but he''ll make sure his father and Senator Lucresia would look stupid for it on the eyes of the Senate. It looked like the Imperatur and the other fool was taking the bait.


    "I do, Fa¡ªI mean your Majesty." He bowed. "But I was under your order along with the Senate''s directive. As a Prince and citizen of our beloved empire I felt that my first response would be to follow the orders vested upon me by my Imperatur and the Honorable Senate."


    The Imperatur and the Senate was left speechless with his answer. He knew that he struck a nerve and had incurred the wrath of his father and the Senate. But he also knew that what he said was irrefutable proof that he followed their orders to the tee. Therefore, he was innocent of his father''s accusation.


    Arterius waited for his father or any of the Senate members to refute his statement. But even the loud Senator Ordus stood silent, everyone did. Senator Lucresia and his allies looked at him like a murderer set free from his crimes.


    Of course, he still wanted to get his father''s approval in assigning to him the mines. He wanted that as his punishment even if he knew there was no need for any of it. Arterius knew his father''s vengeful nature and this provocation could get him to something even worse, but he knew he played his dice right at this time.


    "Your Majesty," Arterius sighed. "I understand that even if I did follow your order with diligence, it still doesn''t clear me from the fact that I made a blunder with Lord Prestonheim''s letter. I accept full responsibility for it and will take the consequence of my actions but only if¡­"


    Arterius paused and met his father''s eyes. The Imperatur''s raging eyes cursed his existence and wanted to lash out at him. But even the mighty Imperatur couldn''t do that as much as he wanted to, at least not in front of this crowd.


    Regardless of his father''s hatred towards him, the Imperatur would still need to follow the rules and culture of the Arterian civilization. One of those rules prohibit the killing of kin.


    That crime was considerably the most taboo of all that no one was above that rule. From the Imperatur down to the poorest of peasants, once you kill a member of your kin, your fate will end the same. That fate would include quartering your body and burning your head, then removing your existence from the society by burning every record that would have mentioned you. Which was considered a curse to their culture and belief practices.


    The Imperatur wouldn''t like the idea of his name deleted from the society he helped built and protect. Arterius knew that his father''s anger was also rooted from the fact that he couldn''t see his son suffer at the punishment he gladly would have enjoyed choosing.


    "What are you pausing for, you fool?" The Imperatur clenched his fist as he waited for Arterius to continue. "I could just call the knights and get you imprisoned for life. But I want to hear what you have in mind."


    Arterius was surprised. He didn''t think his father, the Imperatur would answer him that way. Did his father notice his gambit? Or was he trying to provoke him to make that decision for him. Either way, it would still be a bad situation to be at, but he wanted to make the best out of it.


    "Your Majesty, give me the honor to do this research at the Crescent Isles as punishment!" He answered.


    His father''s eyes widened while the Senate exploded at him. Most of the Senators shouted at him and cursed him. They spat a good number of words and a copious amount of saliva at him. The Imperatur raised his hand and asked for the roaring Senators to keep silent as they continue to converse.


    "T-that is your punishment?!" The Imperatur raised his eyebrows. "To be honest its more of an order to me rather than punishment." He spat.


    "It is indeed, your Majesty¡­" Arterius paused and took a deep breath. "¡­if you put it in a regular circumstance. This one isn''t!"


    "What do you mean by that?" The Imperatur asked.


    "As it is a punishment, I don''t get to have the budget for this undertaking. I will pay all of this from my own coffers. I also won''t take any knights as escorts during this time. I could only depend on the knights Lord Commander Prestonheim would provide me with." The prince answered.


    "Lord Commander Prestonheim?!" Senator Lucresia exclaimed. "I hope the sound of your booming cannon hadn''t made you deaf, but as I said, he''s currently under arrest!"


    "On what grounds again, Senator?" Arterius asked. "Destroying Arterian property? As you know, the destruction of the mines might have something to do with what he had discovered."


    Arterius walked back to the podium. "There might be monsters lurking below those mines, who knows?" He tapped his fingers on the cold marble. "I could investigate for you! Free of charge and no need for escorts! Yes, your Majesty and honorable Senators, I am signing my own death sentence and you get to be my witness!"


    The Senators began to whisper with one another. Arterius was glad about the attention he was given. This was one of those moments he felt relevant to the Senate. The moment that he risks himself was the only moment the Senators would give a damn about him.


    "Don''t be ridiculous, Prince Arterius!" Senator Lucresia said. "You have already disgraced your House''s name when you admitted your fault don''t¡ª"


    The Imperatur suddenly grabbed the Senator''s arm. Senator Lucresia paused and lend his ear to the Imperatur who whispered him something.


    Arterius could see how Senator Lucresia''s face turned pale. The Senator sat immediately before he turned his sights on him. There was indeed anger written all over his expression but Arterius didn''t mind it.


    The Imperatur looked at him with disgust. "Prince Arterius of House Prima, I hereby sentence you to the punishment you have chosen. I, Imperatur Severus wash my hands of any fault in the instance of your death while serving my beloved empire. What say you?" He asked.


    Arterius nodded and sighed in relief. "I accept."

 Chapter 84: The Heart of the Matter

    Sarda, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 26th day of Fall, Hillsprung Encampment


    ----------------------------


    The day was gloomy as the sun shied away into the clouds while the fog wrapped the camp with its thick white cloak of cold air. The beastman woke up in the cold breeze of the morning''s gloom. He rose up from bed and stretched his sleeping muscle.


    It was already a week since they arrived at the tree-densed encampment. There were still no signs of the faerfolk waking up and the beastman had prayed to his Moon Goddess for their recovery more than he could count his fingers. Still, they laid on their beds recovering yet peacefully asleep.


    He wished for them to wake up already. The longer they were bed-ridden, the more he sunk into his despair. There were a lot of things he missed at that time when he was unconscious. The knights on the camp claimed how lucky he was to be one of those survivors of the massacre.


    He tried asking the knights what truly happen that night but even they couldn''t explain it to him. No one was there, and they were far too late when they arrived. All they saw were exsanguinated bodies torn apart and scattered all over the place. It was a grisly scene as one knight recalled, too grisly for him that he''s having night terrors just thinking about them.


    The beastman still didn''t have any recollection on how he got them out of the mines. No matter how many times he tried to recall it, everything was just dark to him. As what Tristam told him, his tattoos glowed a strange tinge of blue as he carried the faerfolk to the gate.


    He knew his tattoos didn''t glow. That''s not how his marks work. His mark patterns grew along with him. It stretched itself along with the contour of his muscles. The marks are a form of enchantment a beastman of the Meh-Teh would receive once he reaches the age of five. From there, additional marks would be inked on their bodies until they reach the age of 15 where the final mark would be given to them as an initiation for the Hunt.


    The beastman had used his abilities before to its full extent, but he never saw that glow like what the knights claimed he had. It only added another fog of mystery to his already unclear memory of that fateful day.


    He walked out of the cold tent and into the cold fog outside. His lips cracked under the cold weather, but his body couldn''t care less about the cold. He''s used to it, they were trained to be used to it. The cold was nothing to him. His father would always tell him that the Meh-Teh people had thick hides. Thicker than leather, harder than iron.


    He walked barefoot on the cold rocky ground. The cold autumn wind blew brushing the dead leaves on the ground. The tall trees stood like dead posts kissing the gloomy sky as the green withered and life slowly dies while waiting for the first snow to touch the ground.


    He walked a few tents more passing the huddling knights over a small bonfire, drinking spiced wine or eating a bowl of hot tubers soup. He would have loved that same thing they do if only his friends were around and well.


    The beastman missed their nightly gathering over a small bonfire at the mines. He missed how the dwarf and elf would exchange their banters against each other. Or how the dwarf would tell stories which he secretly don''t understand for the best part of it. He missed their company so much.


    After eating his breakfast alone near the faerfolks'' tent, the beastman went inside and sat in between his friends. He sat silently praying and wishing for this torment to end. He looked at the elf''s calm sleeping face and thought to himself how incompetent he was to not be able to protect them the way he could''ve if he was awake that time.


    "It has always been like this!" He gnashed his teeth in anguish. "Why are you like this?!" He punched himself hard hoping that the physical pain would take the suffering of his soul.


    As he hit himself, he recalled the night he got his sleuth killed. The night where his sleuth perished because of his incapacity for violence. He should have killed that spy he saw dangling at one of their traps while disposing the entrails. Instead, he helped him get out of the trap and even cleaned his wounds.


    His gesture of goodness was turned against him. His incompetence on his watch costed him everything. His sleuth, the tribe and himself. After running away from the tribe, he was captured by the raiding knights of the House Honcula, who then sold him to slavery.


    Since then, all he did was atone for his sins. The sins he thought was healed by the company of a human, an elf and a dwarf but even that had to be taken away from him, all because he was incompetent.


    He silently grabbed his other arm and began clawing on it, ripping the skin off his muscle. But the toughness of his skin made it look more like a scratch than anything else. His claws weren''t as sharp, and the knights were even close to killing him more than he could do it himself.


    The beastman knelt on the ground sobbing discreetly as his anguish slowly consumed him. He hated himself before but now, he loathed his very existence. He wished to die and planned it more than he could count, but he could never put himself to execute the plan. Even at ending his life, he hadn''t got the courage to do it.


    He looked at the dry, cold ground inside the tent. Its brown color reminded him of his hair, he hated it. It reminded him of himself that he loathe. He punched the ground once; it made a dent on the soft ground. He punched it once again and the hole became deeper.


    His hair hung loosely in front of his eyes covering them. He got mad even more. He grabbed his hair and try to rip it off his scalp. He better do it, he thought. At the very least, it would make him less recognizable from his standout appearance. Maybe being bald might not be as bad after all.


    As he yanked his hair violently to rip it off his head, he felt a warm hand suddenly touched his shoulder. He stopped and realized the soft hands reminded him of someone. It reminded him of that tender touch his mother would give him when he cried on her lap. The warm touch of home, a loving and caring home.


    He looked around and saw the elf holding his shoulder while in tears. His eyes widened in disbelief!


    "Yah¡­L-lad¡­d-don''t let despair e-eat yah¡­" He heard a soft mumble on the other side. He turned around and saw the dwarf with his weak smile on his face.


    The elf began to sign at him. He never understood it, but he saw in her eyes the pain just by looking at him. He nodded and hugged her.


    "I''m so sorry¡­I wasn''t there when you needed me¡­" his voice cracked as he tried his best to talk straight to them. "I-if only I was¡­" He clenched his jaw trying to finish his sentence before breaking down again.


    "Y-yet yar here, Lad¡­t-to me¡­tis¡­all that matters." The dwarf said as he tried to move his body.


    "I-I¡­" The beastman paused. "¡­I''m glad both of you are back." He smiled an authentic smile he thought he forgot doing after all those years.


    The sun finally found the courage to shine away from the clouds, bringing in the warmth and light that everyone needed. The sunshine made its way to the little hole at the top of the tent. It entered the gloomy tent and brightened its interior.


    But more than anything else, the beastman had finally found his way out of his own fog. A bright day indeed. As the light found its way into his heart and melted the gloom he carried for such a long time.

 Chapter 85: The Matters of the Heart

    Sarda, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 27th day of Fall, Hillsprung Encampment


    ------------------------


    The morning started the same way that it did yesterday. The thick cold fog enveloped the camp covering the tents in a white opaque blanket. While the rest of the camp struggled with the numbing cold and blinding fog, the beastman had already started his day way before the sun rose.


    Using the knowledge he learned during his time with his sleuth, he was able to hunt some wild game. He caught an uphill pheasant who unknowingly came to close the trap he set near a small pond at the eastern foot hill.


    He also caught three unsuspecting stinging hares while passing by their burrow a few steps away from the pond. He gutted the carcasses out and disposed of their entrails the way he had always been taught before bringing it back to the camp.


    On his way back, the beastman also did some foraging under the dense canopy of trees. From the ground he found some medicinal mushrooms which his tribe had used since their existence.


    He dug out from the ground the thousand-eye mushroom. This mushroom was commonly found under the roots of big trees and had an aromatic fruity flavor once it matures. His tribe usually consumed the mushroom raw to provide the full effect of its healing properties. But, when eaten raw by the other races, the mushroom proved to be fatal.


    What the Meh-The tribe did to make the mushroom a tradeable item with the other races was get it dried first before using it as part of their food or tea. At this time, that option proved to be unavailable to the beastman. However, cooking it directly, and straining its sap could also get rid of its toxic properties.


    Once he arrived on the camp, he immediately heated water from a small pot and waited for it to boil. As he waited for it to boil, he started to chop his catch and prepared the mushrooms. The knights were kind enough to provide him a small pouch of salt and fresh herbs from their small garden.


    He put the meat directly to the fire charring the skin. He peeled off the charred skin and let it cook indirectly a few fingerlings away from the fire. After boiling the mushroom and throwing away its juices, he filled the pot with water once more but this time, the beastman placed his herbs along with the meat.


    After it boiled, he took some of the bread ration he had, tore it and placed it on the stew before salting it. The fresh aroma of the herbs filled the air and made his stomach grumble. He waited patiently for the bread to soften into mush and once it did, he placed the mushroom back in and waited for the porridge to simmer. After it did, he took it out of the pot from the fire and waited for it to cooldown. This was the first time in a long time that he had to prepare breakfast for the three of them.


    Normally, he and the elf would usually prepare the breakfast for the four of them. He loved every moment of it. He remembered how the elf would teach him how to slice the food elegantly and how to flavor it deliciously. He loved those moments being around with her. He tried his best to follow her instructions even if it was more of gestures rather than words.


    It got him curious how the elf lived before she became a slave. Was she someone of high status from the elven society? It felt like it for him. Even with her tattered clothes, the elf looked beautiful and could move graciously on the rough clothing they wore. Her hair flowed freely down her back and even if the smoke and dust would usually get to them, it always remained silky smooth and free flowing.


    His stomach grumbled once more. He touched the pot and decided to bring it back to the faerfolk''s tent. He held it in his hands as he walked back to the tent. The sun had already risen by the time he arrived.


    He walked inside the tent and saw both of the faerfolk still fast asleep. He placed the pot on the table located in between the two beds. He poured the porridge on the bowls arranged on the table before placing the spoons.


    After preparing their breakfast, he gently shook the dwarf''s shoulder''s, waking the groggy dwarf from his slumber. He took the dwarf''s bowl and offered it to him. The dwarf sat up and receive the bowl from the beastman.


    He took the bowl with a smile and proceeded to eat, however, just as he was about to pick up the spoon, his fingers wouldn''t flex to grip it. The dwarf smiled at the beastman worriedly and tried to pick-up the spoon once more, but unfortunately, his fingers didn''t have the strength yet to pick up the spoon.


    "By Oyue''s mercy! Me hands ain''t working!" The dwarf sadly exclaimed. The poor dwarf stared at the porridge hungrily but disappointingly unable to eat it.


    Seeing this, the beastman took the bowl from him and decided to feed the dwarf. He smiled at him, "Let me help you with that."


    The dwarf reluctantly nodded, "Err¡­Got me thanks, lad!" The dwarf was embarrassed at his predicament but the beastman understood and made it comfortable for him as much as he can.


    Using the spoon, the beastman scooped the porridge and tried blowing on it. The dwarf caught his hand. "Errr¡­Lad¡­Lemme blow them porridge. Tis okay if yah scoop it out."


    The beastman smiled and did just that. The dwarf ate the porridge voraciously. Being unconscious for more than a week would make you famished. The dwarf asked for another bowl. Thus, the beastman took another serving of porridge.


    Just as the dwarf finished his seconds, the elf woke up. The beastman helped the dwarf clean up before attending to the elf.


    He took the other bowl of porridge on the table and went to feed the elf. As he got closer to her, he could smell the faint scent of sweat from her. It smelled nice to him. It made his heart skip a beat. But didn''t want to feel that way, not right now. He sat beside her and began feeding her.


    The porridge was not as hot it was when he fed the dwarf. It didn''t take the elf a lot of time to finish the bowl. After her first bowl she signed to him.


    "Food great¡­you¡­did¡­that?" That''s how he interpreted it.


    The beastman took a few Amang-Indecens Sign lessons with the elf so he could understand her better especially during their chores. He still had a lot of things to learn, mainly the signs and strokes the elf does but at the very least, he could understand her¡­albeit often times, confusing.


    He answered the question with a nod.


    She signed to him once again, "Se..cunnds?"


    "Sec¡­unds?" He reiterated.


    "Lad, she said seconds. Tis like the lass, had a dwarf''s appetite." The dwarf teased.


    The elf smiled. He knew she could''ve responded with a good banter, but she''s still to weak for that. It would have been nice to see the two of them do their regular banter. It was endearing to the beastman.


    Their nonstop bickering always made his day. It took away the gloom he felt in his heart. It made him feel like home. It made him remember the good times he had with his siblings. It made him remember his first love. The things he ran away from, came back not to haunt him but remind him of the better days he had.


    He stood up and opened the pot. Unfortunately, there was nothing left. The beastman enthusiastically gave the dwarf all of the porridge inside that pot and had forgotten about the portion he served was all there was.


    The elf looked at him longingly, looking at the empty pot of porridge. Waiting to satiate the hunger she had after a week of being unconscious. The beastman smiled at her and happily gave him his own portion.


    Seeing this the elf signed to him, "I¡­cannot¡­accept¡­"


    He sat back down on the elf''s bedside and tried to feed her some more. She sternly refused and pushed his hand holding the bowl away from her.


    "You¡­need¡­eat¡­too" He read what she signed.


    A moment later, he heard the elf''s stomach grumbled. He knew she was famished but she never wanted to take the last portion because she knew it would starve him. It pained his heart that even after everything that she had to suffer, the elf won''t take the food from him in fear that he might go hungry.


    "It''s okay." He told her. "You need this to¡­r-recover. Please take this and get well."


    The elf tried to insist that she was already full but her stomach grumbled madly and loud. The situation became intense between both of them, as the elf''s stubbornness had collided with his persistence.


    "Lass, take it. He''ll be okay." The dwarf interrupted. "Eat, lass! You need tah recover!"


    "Please, get well¡­" The beastman pleaded. "Both of you¡­just eat, don''t worry about me. I can fend for my¡ª" His voice broke.


    "I should''ve been there¡­I should''ve protected you, you know." His lips twitched as he tried to hold back his emotions. "I did nothing for the both of you. I am a Meh-Teh! I have a hide thicker than leather, fangs sharper than iron. I have the strength of 10 men and a thousand if I rage but was useless during that night! I was¡ª"


    "Don''t say that!" The dwarf scolded him. "Don''t yah evar say that! Yah did what yah can when yah were able tah! Please, I beg yah don''t ever¡­say that, lad!"


    The beastman''s tears slowly fell down his cheek. He closed his eyes as hard as he could, trying to stop it from flowing but it was no use. Suddenly, he felt a warm embrace enveloping him¡ªit was the elf''s. He was no longer able to bear his emotions and finally broke down on her arms.

 Chapter 86: There He Lurks

    "How many times did I passed this post?" Adaloun asked himself as he wandered through the dark mansion. As far as he could recall, he went out of that forsaken room a while back and up until now, he hasn''t seen a door out of the castle. "How long had I been walking around this thing?"


    He waved the glowing gladius in front of him. Even then, its light was only limited to where he stood. The thick blanket of nothingness was his friend. He lurked into it, walking on minimal light to avoid detection. But even then, it seemed like the darkness didn''t wanted to be friends with anyone; him included.


    The darkness turned the corridors into a winding maze full of dead ends and looping paths that made it difficult for him to trace back his steps. Earlier, he was able to sneak inside a room. The pitch-black castle made it difficult for him to know where he was. All he knew was, there was a door that he went in.


    He sneakily tiptoed into the room which was currently occupied by someone. He slowed down his breath to be as stealth as he could be. A slow movement and calculated breath was complicated especially when hi heart pounded like a drum but somehow, he managed to be completely undetected.


    Adaloun may not have the same powers and abilities he had during his other 364 incarnations, but that doesn''t mean he''s a former shell of the hero he once was. After making sure that the person inside the room was fast asleep, he snuck out along with his boots which surprisingly was his fit.


    Of course, it would have been convenient if he had a stealth skill, but that''s just asking for too much. Oyue gave him more than what he asked for and until now, he still doesn''t trust that goddess¡ªnot one bit.


    Aside from her contrasting personality and possibly her manipulative behavior, Oyue was beyond any deity he had interacted from before. For him, she was a dichotomy of both mortal and divine. A deity that had a personality of a flesh-born being but with the grace and dignity of the otherworldly. No matter how much she smiled or how much she introduces herself as an ally, Adaloun couldn''t help but be wary of her actions.


    The gods will always be gods. That''s what he knew about them. That''s what he understood about them. That''s what he experienced with them. Their benevolence was only for show so that men would worship them and in return, they get their fix of energy from the mortals.


    Oyue and the deities of this world are not far from the deities he knew. He could feel it! There''s a weird aura of familiarity he felt every time he spoke with the Moon Goddess.


    The cold wind blew as he passed along an open window along the corridor. Adaloun shivered as he tried to warm himself with the ill-fated clothes he wore. Good thing the boots kept his feet warm, at the very least, his feet wouldn''t go numb and clumsy.


    He decided to take a turn to the right after seeing the corridor parted into two sides. He had walked for what he felt was an eternity of darkness. Every turn just wound him up with another way looping to an oddly similar looking post he passed earlier.


    The castle was oddly quiet, now that he thought about it. Aside from the castle''s lack of light, Adaloun hasn''t seen another living soul walking around the premises. As a knight during one of his previous incarnations, roaming around the castle and guarding the noble family was one of the tasks he had participated in.


    Strangely enough, the castle had none. Could it be that he''s currently staying in an abandoned castle? That was highly unlikely. He felt no dirt on his feet as he walked along the corridor. He didn''t feel any speck of dust in the air, a normal occurrence in unkept or abandoned castles.


    It was eerily strange. The castle seemed to be clean but there were no maidservants loitering around carrying their lords and ladies'' order nor any knights roaming around for their watch. There were no maidservants and knights secretly meeting up somewhere to warm their cold lonesome evenings.


    The castle felt deserted, but somehow, he could feel a distant warmth of life hidden within its walls. Even the memories of the castle fell into the shadows of its sorrowful blight.


    Thinking about it made Adaloun''s skin crawl. His means of escape just turned into something maddening. The silence, the darkness, and the nothingness of his surroundings slowly warped the very fabric of his own reality.


    Just like the Obscurii that he fought days past, the terrible feeling of dread started to crawl into the surface. He felt something watching him close¡ªtoo close for comfort. He made another turn to the right after passing by a similar corner he thought he passed before.


    At this point, Adaloun already don''t care where he''s headed. The tiring loop of endless darkness had already altered his perception of time and space. At the moment, the only thing keeping him sane was his endless and tiresome walk towards his freedom that was slipping away from him as the night grew deeper.


    There were slivers of light peeking out from the open windows. The moon finally decided to show up and provide him with a little visibility on the maze he''s been trying to escape from for the longest time. A small glimmer of hope broke the maddening despair that he was about to succumb into.


    Adaloun tried his best to contain his own impatience as he treaded gently and steadily, avoiding anything that might cause a ruckus. In the end, he managed to find what looked like a spiral stairwell at the corner of the hall.


    At last, his freedom was at hand! Of course, he still had to get out of courtyard that might be filled with knights but just the feeling of finally being able to get out from the looping maze of the gloomy castle was enough for him to celebrate.


    Slowly but surely, he descended into the stairwell making sure to not make any sound. Not a thud, not a creak, nor his breath would ruin his plan of escape. As he went further down the stairs, he noticed something different. The stairs should have been a quick trip going down the main hall, but it felt like the more he went down, the more it extended its length making it impossible for him to reach the bottom.


    The closer he was to the bottom, the more difficult it was for him to reach it. He looked back up above and saw the dark empty hallway slowly devouring the small glimmer of light that the moon shone earlier. As the moon outside slowly hid into the clouds, the light reaching the castle faded back into the gloom.


    Adaloun had to decide whether to continue with descending into the seemingly endless array of steps or he could go back up and find another way around. The longer he stayed in the castle the more it''s becoming maddening.


    The castle seemed to be under some sort of spell if not a curse. Or it could be his mind was playing tricks on him due to the concurrent darkness. Either way, it was something he had to get out from. The more he thought about it, this type of darkness closely resembled that same fog the Obsucrii loved to spread around when they arrived at the surface.


    Although likely possible, that was just a wild speculation. Not one of the Obscurii escaped when he annihilated him on the surface. Sure, they might be still lurking in the burrows somewhere, but he made sure it was sealed before he passed out.


    Somehow, he couldn''t shake the feeling of dread the more he thought about it. He took a deep breath and moved along. The last thing you want was to feed them your energy and emotions. On his case, the last thing he wanted was to be stuck roaming the castle for good.


    He made another quick turn from the winding maze and was greeted by a silhouette of a child staring directly at him. Its eyes glowed brightly and its body was nothing more than shadow. Seeing this, Adaloun became wary of what''s lying ahead of him.


    The ghastly apparition faded as quickly as it showed up to him. It didn''t say anything to him. It stood there looking at him with his ethereal eyes while pointing something for him. Adaloun interpreted it as if the apparition was pointing something to him¡ªa direction perhaps.


    Adaloun intended not to follow where the ghost was pointing. He wanted to ignore it. In fact, he''s not even sure if the ghost was real! It might be possible that too much exposure to the darkness made his mind play tricks on him. He turned around and sought for another direction but just as he began to make his way back, he heard something. This time he knew it was indeed real and fleshed out.


    It was a scream. An agonizing scream from the direction where the apparition pointed to him. It took him a second to react. He wanted to make sure his mind wasn''t playing tricks on him. He heard the scream once more.


    "Please, uncle, no more! Argghhhhh!" To his horror, Adaloun heard a young child''s voice, pleading for someone to stop.


    "YOU FOOL! IT WAS YOU WHO MADE HIM ESCAPE!" A familiar voice burst after the child pleaded. He knew who it was! He thought he could''ve stayed out cold for a little longer, but it wasn''t the case.


    Suddenly, the sound of a cracking whip echoed through the halls and the screams became more of a whimper. From what he''s hearing, the girl was close to passing out.


    Without any hesitation, he ran towards the direction where the ghost had pointed. He might be trying to escape this horrible castle. But he wouldn''t mind claiming a life or two, especially when it''s from an abusive madman of an uncle.

 Chapter 87: He Who Haunts

    Adaloun could''ve just ignored the pleas of the young girl. Why not? He did it once before during one of his reincarnations because the king said it was all for the gods. His memory flashed before his very eyes. The slaves were whipped in front of them in the banquet because the gods requested it to be so. He did nothing for those slaves, a regret he brought with him until now.


    He followed the wailing echoes across the hallway. Adaloun hastily ran through the dark corridors, turning at every corner while continuously tracking the voice of the poor girl. He heard it again, this time it was louder. He knew that he was close to where the girl was. He made another turn until finally, he arrived at the end of a hallway where there was nothing but a single door on sight.


    He kicked the door as hard as he could that it caused a thunderous bang. For some reason, nobody noticed him, the screams didn''t stop. He entered the room and saw what looked like torture devices inside the room. From the walls hung chains of different sizes and shapes. There were also torture coffins and oversized pincers that Adaloun didn''t want to know where it was used for.


    As he moved further inside, he noticed an opening with hanging strips of tattered cloth separating him from the maniacal redhead whipping a small girl chained to posts at the center of the room.


    The scene was horrible to look. The whip tore the girl''s back and made it into a bloody canvass. Torn skin and pieces of flesh splattered across the floor as the ruthless and crazed 305-M mercilessly whipped the poor girl.


    "NO MORE! UNCLE PLEASE! AURGHHH!" The little girl cried. "I-I¡­SORRY! SORRY! PLEASE¡­I''M¡ª"


    "Silence! You dwarf!" 305-M whipped her again. "If it wasn''t for your intermission, I could''ve made a new discovery!" The mad redhead stopped hitting the poor girl and instead grabbed her by the hair and kicked her back as hard as he could possibly do.


    The kick made a loud thud on the poor girl''s back as she screamed and beg for forgiveness from something she didn''t do. At that point, the girl passed out from the terrible torture her uncle put her through.


    Adaloun couldn''t contain himself any longer. In a rage, he punched 305-M with a wide swing. The red-headed slave fell on the floor unconscious. Usually, he would''ve stop with just that punch, but for some reason, there was an urge inside of him to beat 305-M into a pulp. With every punch and kick that he did, the more it was becoming blissful to him¡ªto the point of maddening. After realizing that, he restrained himself from hurting 305-M further.


    His mind was still clouded with madness, but he managed to calm himself down. As a warrior for almost all his lifetimes, he was never the one to lose to rage, but this one was different. At that moment of beating the redhead, someone or something was whispering in his mind trying to make him lose himself to the rage and madness.


    "U-uncle? U...Uncle, w-what''s happening?" The girl''s weakened and trembling voice echoed as she slowly regained consciousness. Her frailty stabbed Adaloun''s heart. "Who''s there? Uncle, please don''t leave me!" She asked but she didn''t get any response.


    Adaloun saw how the poor girl tried to look back at his fallen uncle. But she was too weak from the whipping and the wounds on her back seemed to be deep that it caused her a lot of inconvenience just to move her head.


    He removed the girl''s chains and caught the girl''s fragile body before she dropped face first to the ground. Her body was very light for her assumed age. She''s as light as a sack of dried leaves. She was also thin and malnourished, Adaloun could feel her ribs from his arm.


    He laid her on the floor and tried to cover her body with the cape he grabbed from the table adjacent to the post. He tried to wrap her with the cape as she continuously shivered from the pain and wounds on her back.


    As he was about to cover her with the clothing, the young girl jerked and with here eyes wide open, she crawled back as fast as she could while screaming her lungs out.


    "Agghhhh! Get away from me!" She pleaded.


    Adaloun understood her predicament. The sheer trauma she had to go through possibly every night could''ve taken a toll on her psyche. He tried his best to calm her down. But the child kicked and punched him.


    "Agghhh!!! Get off of me!" She said. "Whoever you are! Don''t come near me! I plead for the gods'' protection¡­I plead for the god''s protection!" She closed her eyes and prayed.


    Adaloun was taken aback, "What do you mean by that?" He asked but the girl just kept on screaming. He tried to grab the girl, but something happened. His hand passed through her body.


    "What''s going on?" He looked at his hands. He could see them clearly, but when he tried to touch her hand, it just passed through.


    He saw a book on the same table where he found the cloak. He tried grabbing the book and was able to. Adaloun thought he was dreaming. He tried picking up the hand of the unconscious redhead and he was able to. But the more he did that, the more the young girl screamed in terror. She would close her eyes every now and again; praying whoever it was in front of her would vanish.


    "W-where are you?!" The girl asked him. "I¡­I-I''m n-not af¡­afraid of you!" Her voice cracked.


    He was just standing in front of her, but it seemed like she never noticed him there. Judging from the girl''s fearful expression, she seemed to be telling the truth¡ªthe terrifying truth. She looked around as if trying to feel where he went. Her bloodshot eyes twitched as she looked around quivering in pain and in fear.


    "I''m right here!" He shouted. "Young girl, please relax!" But the girl never seemed to notice him or hear him.


    It was only when he grabbed another book when the girl reacted in fear. "Wwho aaare you? S-stay away!" She crawled towards her uncle, trying to look for some solace, even at the hands of her abuser.


    Adaloun was confused and tried to look for some answers. He saw a small glass mirror mounted on the wall. He looked at himself and saw no reflection on it. His jaw dropped along with the book in shock of what he just witnessed.


    He looked at the girl once again who shrieked at the sight of the dropping book. Slowly, he moved closer to the mirror hoping to find some answers to the mystery. Suddenly a face formed in the mirror. It wasn''t his face, rather it was of someone he recently met.


    The menacing grin, the slitted eyes, and the grossly growing horn on its forehead surprised him so much that he broke the mirror with a swing of his sword.


    The little girl finally fainted. Unfortunately, her frail body had given up to the pain and madness she had just experienced. Adaloun was quick enough and tried to catch her head before it hit the floor, but his hand just passed through it.


    The poor girl, on top of being flogged and mentally tortured by the experience, hit her head on the floor and there was nothing that Adaloun could do to stop it. He watched as blood gushed out from a small cut on her left eyebrow.


    He tried his best to lift her, but there was nothing he could do. His body couldn''t do it. Some wicked spell was hindering him from helping her. He gnashed his teeth in frustration.


    "Aaaareeeellliiiiinnnnnn¡­." The lights suddenly went out and a sudden coldness filled the air.


    He felt it again, the dreadful feeling he experienced when he dealt with the Obscurii on their first encounter! He looked around and saw nothing but the darkness of the room. He began to sweat, and his mouth ran dry.


    "This feeling, this aura¡­" Adaloun calmed himself down and readied himself for what was to come next.


    A pale green glow lit up the room. The ethereal light was followed by a thick cloak of fog that crawled from the corners of the room. The door violently opened and a spectre came hovering towards him. Adaloun covered the girl with a cloak immediately and stood up to face the ghost.


    He looked at the spectre''s gaping eyes and waited for it to move closer to him, but it didn''t. Instead, it smiled to him before opening its wide jaw unleashing a swarm of dark insects he had never seen before.


    The insects stung him as he tried to fend them off using his blade. It wasn''t causing any damage at all. The little bugs would just swerve away from the incoming gladius, even if he tried it was too agile to be hit.


    Adaloun was left with no choice. He had to use his abilities or else, it might go worst for all of them, especially because, the bugs seemed to prick and bore into his flesh. He closed his eyes and concentrated.


    His body began to glow all of the sudden. The exousia pathway formed beautiful patterns of glowing swirls and lines on his skin. His eyes glowed a pale shade of blue as his power grew inside of him tenfold.


    With his powers awakened, he emitted a ring of light in his radius. The halo of warm light instantly killed the insects while it blinded the spectre. Seeing this opportunity, he lunged at it and tried slashing it in half. The blade hit the spectre and instantly vaporized it.


    The apparition faded along with the green-tinged glow and fog, but something was still not right. Adaloun was still on the defensive. The last thing he wanted was to be caught off guard. A voice broke the temporary silence with its screeching laugh.


    "HAHAHAHAHA! Very good! You''re more impressive than what my Lord has told me!" A shadow walked into the room. "I would''ve liked to do some more trials, but my Lord already had enough of waiting!"


    The shadow suddenly sprung in front of him, baring its sharp white teeth while looking at him dead in the eyes with its glowing red eyes. Even with Adaloun''s fast reflexes, the shadow caught his blade-wielding hand by the wrist and immobilized him.


    "Come, follow me, please." It screeched like two metal sheets rubbing each other. "My Lord won''t take no for an answer."

 Chapter 88: He Who the Darkness Spoke

    The shadow reached out its hand to Adaloun gesturing him to follow. He looked at the thing straight in its glowing red eyes and shook his head.


    The shadow grinned at him, "I bet you would refuse this hand." It landed itself on the ground and met Adaloun''s gaze. "We can do this for eternity¡­Oh! You''ll be dead by then! How about if you just come with me. I know you want to get out of this¡­madness!" It hissed at him.


    Adaloun clenched his sword and calmly said, "Shame, there wouldn''t be an eternity for you." He raised his blade and pointed it at the shadow. "And what if I wo¡ª"


    Suddenly, he felt the blade weighed more than it should''ve. The shadow looked at him laughing as he struggled to get the blade steadily lifted.


    "Well, my Lord does own that." The shadow hissed as it pointed at the blade.


    Adaloun held it with all his might, but even with his ability activated, he still dropped his sword as it was becoming far too heavy for him to bear. The blade''s glow went out as it stabbed itself on the cold stony floor.


    "My Lord doesn''t want you to lift that blade on me!" It hissed. "What would you like to do now, master Arellin?" The shadow grinned once again as he pointed at Adaloun.


    He knew he had two choices, either he stood his ground and fight the unknown monster which might spell his demise. Or follow the shadow and speak with whatever Lord it claims it worshipped. He wanted to choose the latter, but his hand came flying with a ball of light before he could agree to the shade.


    A big mistake¡­


    Adaloun woke up to the sensation the cold sensation of the stone floor. He looked up and saw the green spectral light shining grimly over him. He seemed to be inside a big hall filled with ghastly figures that made his skin crawl just by their presence. He looked around and saw a line of ghosts donned in knightly armor thumping their spears on the floor. It sounded like his heartbeat, racing and chaotic as he laid down confused on the ground. The thumping was accompanied by an eerie humming from the chorus of dead knights.


    The music was haunting and otherworldly. Adaloun struggled to stand up as the thumping caused his head to hurt so much from its mere sound. The ghastly knights finally stopped as he managed to stand on his feet.


    The front line lifted their spears and crossed it with their counterparts on the adjacent line. Adaloun remembered a similar formation during his time as a knight on his previous incarnations. Suddenly, black petals came raining down on him. Then it dawned on him, that was exactly the same ceremony they would have done when a hero or king would walk through the halls.


    A loud booming voice blasted from beyond the line, "His greatness, Arelin Matrious, my Lord!"


    The hall became filled with spectral applauses from beyond its shadowy backdrop. Adaloun looked around and saw no one but him standing in the isle. The ghosts stared sharply at him, their eyes pushing him to move forward and walk to the isle.


    Although hesitating, Adaloun tread slowly on the isle towards someone waiting for him on an elevated throne at the very end of the isle. His heart was skipping a beat as it seemed like his powers were completely gone from him. He tried activating his ability as he slowly walked but it wouldn''t respond to him at all.


    He felt a sensation of fear as he went closer to the isle. His throat was parched while sweating profusely. Something inside of him was begging him to run away from the situation, but he bravely stood his ground and decided to put it through. He wouldn''t let his fears take the better off him. Besides, if ever it was another grotesque Obscurii waiting for him at the throne, at the very least, he had a good idea of beating them even without his weapon. Or so he hoped.


    The dread was suffocating him, but he didn''t want anyone to know that. He calmed himself down and made sure that no one in that hall other than him knew about it. The veil of mystery surrounding the throne had finally been lifted. As he walked his last few steps towards it, he saw the same shadow standing on the right-hand side of a grotesque looking monster sitting on the throne.


    The shadow met him on his way to the throne and gestured its hand, "This is as far as you go." It hissed. "You are in the presence of the Great god Zados, show your respect! Bow down and kiss the ground that consecrated!"


    "Zados, the god who cowered in the presence of Oyue." He said to himself. It was a good thing he hadn''t said it out loud, that would''ve been disastrous for him. Still, even if he was on this god''s domain surrounded by his minions, one thing was clear, Adaloun won''t bow down to any god. Not to Oyue, and definitely not to this one.


    Adaloun stood his ground, he didn''t budge to the shadow''s request. He stood tall in front of the god. The shadow did not appreciate his proudness towards its god.


    "KNEEL, HUMAN!" Its voice echoed. "KNEEL BEFORE YOUR GOD!" The shadow''s eyes glowed deeper red.


    "I bow to no god." Adaloun said firmly. "Not to her and certainly not to¡ª"


    "FOOL!" The shadow suddenly grew trying to overwhelm him with fear, however, as dire as the situation was, Adaloun stood his ground and didn''t budge. There was no hint of fear in his eyes, no twitching in his movements, and his voice never quivered.


    "I will never." He said calmly as he looked at the shadow straight into its ethereal glowing eyes.


    The angered monster bared its sharp shiny teeth and extended its pitch-black claws over to his neck, "I can cut you¡ª"


    "That''s enough!" Zados commanded from his throne. "All of you, get out! I want to speak with Arellin alone." The god''s voice echoed throughout the hall.


    The ghosts slowly disappeared into thin air leaving green smoke in their wake. The shadow, however, was insistent.


    "My Lord with all due¡ª"


    "I won''t say it again, Aren." Zados'' aura oozed out as his patience ran out for his servant. "Get. Out."


    The pressure was nauseating to say the very least. But for an ordinary mortal, that force would crush one to death. Zados'' aura was slowing crushing his chest, pressing his heart to explode, but Adaloun maintained his composure and didn''t let the pressure budge him.


    The shadow whimpered in fear and disappeared from their sight. The so-called god sighed and calmly suppressed the overwhelming pressure he released.


    "I am surprised of the fortitude you have!" Zados looked at him impressed at his sturdiness against his overwhelming power.


    "One would''ve gone insane just by that or worst dead! But you¡­ohhh¡­" The god pointed at him with a big smile on his face. "¡­ohhh, you are indeed the chosen one!" He patted Adaloun''s shoulder in his amusement.


    "What is it that you want, Zados?" Adaloun went straight to the point.


    Zados raised his eyebrow at him, "That''s Lord Zados for you. You might want to start calling me that if you value your life." The god smiled eerily at him.


    Adaloun wasn''t fazed. He had experienced being with these types of gods before. He had encountered them 364 times in the past and it was no difference from them. Egotistical and over-the-top, Zados seemed to have rubbed off from them the same energy of the gods he had worked with before.


    "I don''t have a god and won''t worship one." Adaloun said firmly and returned the god''s smile with a sheepish grin.


    Adaloun could see the god''s reaction changed from the warm and welcoming one to being cold and devious. He could feel his seething anger leaking out of him and spreading into the halls, cracking the foundation while rocking the entire room.


    He could feel the god''s energy trying to overpower him, but he did his best to compose himself. Zados might be powerful but compared to Oyue, he looked nothing more than a pawn. Nonetheless, he''s still powerful enough to wipe him out if he wanted to¡ªAdaloun wouldn''t let him, though. He''ll fight him bare if he had to.


    The room shook violently as he ignored the god''s wishes. He was worried of what was about to happen next, but he won''t give the god the pleasure of knowing it. Firstly, the Zados couldn''t read through his mind unlike Oyue, so it was easy for him to protect his thoughts.


    "If you crush me with your power, wouldn''t that defeat the purpose of you inviting me here?" Adaloun asked.


    The angered god paused for a while, thinking about what he just said. The hall stopped shaking and the crushing weight lightened. Zados looked at him and laughed.


    "You truly are an interesting individual, Arellin! Come, walk with me and I will even let you call me by name." He patted his shoulder. "Come just listen to me¡­for a while."

 Chapter 89: New Order

    Jovis, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 29th day of Fall, Arenfall Castle


    --------------------


    Lord Prestonheim woke up on a cold morning with the sun''s rays kissing directly on his face. He tried to close his eyes but the warm sunlight hitting his face was too irritating not to notice. He rose up and sat at the corner of the bed as he massaged the bridge of his nose.


    The days inside the castle had past rather slow. As far as he could recall, it''s been more than a week or maybe more since he was put on house arrest by Lady Bieroff. Everyday had been a weird experience for the Commander.


    A few days after his conversation with Lady Bieroff, he overheard whispers while passing by a huddle of handmaidens. The freed slave held by 305-M had been reported missing by the redhead and was yet to be found.


    Lord Prestonheim remembered asking Lady Bieroff about the news later during their dinner and was enraged. She called the handmaidens who "started" the rumor and got them decapitated on the spot inside the dining hall by her knights.


    Even as an experienced Commander with a lot of blood-curdling experiences, this was the one experience that topped it all. After decapitating the handmaidens in front of them, the lady of the house simply went back to her food as if nothing happened.


    The heads stayed on the floor until the lady and her family finished eating. Lord Prestonheim had to strengthen his will while he sat on his seat. This was not his house. He was under arrest on a pretentious claim but even if he could easily dominate each and every member from the Bieroff household, he chose not to do it no matter how odd their actions were.


    He would rather stay silent than create a commotion that might cause a civil war within Arteria. That was the last thing he would like to happen. Even if House Bieroff was nothing more than dirt compared to their House, the Lucresias was a different story. They have the influence and power enough to rival theirs and even that of the Primas and that was an event that he wouldn''t like to happen.


    He''s afraid that Arteria might go back to its dark century with civil wars and invasions from capitalizing foreigners coming from the Eastern Kingdoms and the Northern Continents.


    He sighed at the thought of it. He peeked through the window and saw the clear blue skies of the Crescent Isles. His heart was filled with hope just by looking at the cloudless sky. The past week had been gloomily depressing and disheartening.


    He slowly massaged his neck and drank his water by the nightstand. He washed his face and began his day by dressing up with the dreaded castle clothes. The clothes fitted perfectly on him but the way they were designed, was the same design that his brother forced him to wear for him to look more charming towards the court ladies.


    He hated the doublet so much because of how it chaffed his underarms, and the neck collar was too constricting and itchy for him. He had to make do with what he had. But if he was given a chance to go back to the old-fashioned toga, he definitely would''ve liked it that way. It was easily to wear and doesn''t have complicated strings which he needed to tie and untie each and every time.


    His stomach grumbled by the time he finished dressing himself. He wore the tight-fitted boots he had to use after he woke up with his boots missing, the day before yesterday. He tried reporting it to Lady Bieroff who simply laughed it off.


    "The ghost in this castle might''ve acquired a taste of some expensive boots!" She giggled. "I shall get you a pair of boots from my household."


    Yes, indeed those boots were expensive, and it was the only good thing that came during introduction of new fashion in the capital. It was comfortable, light and does not squeeze your toes, unlike the ones he had at the moment. Still, he was glad to have those ill-fitted boots, at the very least it kept his feet warm from the unforgiving cold castle floors.


    He was still trying to figure out who might have stolen his pair of boots but was disturbed by a knock on the door. Lord Prestonheim walked up wincing at the tightness of his footwear but once he opened the door, he put on a neutral fa?ade.


    Another handmaiden greeted him as he opened the door. The comely handmaiden led him to the garden for his breakfast.


    "Will I be joined by your Lady today?" He asked the silent girl.


    The handmaiden stopped and looked at him, "Our Lady has already eaten her breakfast and is currently on her spiritual meditation along with her sons. She doesn''t want to be disturbed."


    "Spiritual meditation¡­huh?" Lord Prestonheim mumbled. This was already the third day that he had been eating alone since the dinner incident. Since then, he would eat breakfast alone in the garden and get his lunch and dinner delivered to his room.


    For the longest time, he never thought of Lady Adrena to be a woman of faith. Knowing the logical Lucresias, they were not the ones to pray to any gods, either the old or new pantheons. Their estate as far as he could recall doesn''t have any temples or sculptures of any gods. Senator Lucresia was also easily mocking the representatives of the Temple for worshiping made up gods.


    "We are the gods of this world!" Senator Lucresia stated to them one time during a heated debate on one of the temple''s luncheons. "We are the living rule in this life, not some invisible force that your mind has made up!"


    His arrogance and defiance to the temple''s tradition was a sour taste in everyone''s mouth. Due to his wealth, power and a close connection to the Imperatur, the temple turned a blind eye over his comments whereas, to some unfortunate citizen would''ve been punishable by death.


    After eating his unfulfilling breakfast of bread and cheese, he went back to his room where he laid down on his bed for the rest of the day, contemplating on what he could do to convince Lady Bieroff to release him without jeopardizing the mines.


    Lord Prestonheim continuously pondered about it until noon where, he paused and had his lunch. After the light meal, he continued on thinking of ways and things to help him with his bargain. He knew all to well that Lady Adrena''s eyes were on the mines and the power it has to bring the Principalia down on its knees. He must find a way to divert the Lady''s attention from the mines. The greedy Lady wasn''t even deterred after hearing about the monsters that lurked in the mines. At this point, he was on the edge to figure out a way to convince her to let the mines go. He let his mind wonder in the ideas and stratagems he had until he dozed off late on the highest level of the Andenoon.


    Lord Prestonheim seldom dreamt in his sleep. Too often he wished he would''ve dreamt about his son or the happy memories of his wife. But this was different¡ªhe shouldn''t have dreamed at this time. The dream was weird yet so vivid.


    He saw himself on a barren landscape with a glowing blade sticking out of his back. He was hugging a person close to him, whispering something in his ear before finally dying in their arms. Lord Prestonheim stood there speechless. The stab felt so real to him that he suddenly felt a cold sharp sensation piercing his chest. The pain winded him for a moment and he thought he was about to die as he felt his heart stopped by the pain. However, that didn''t happen.


    He fell down on his knees as he tried to breath from the pain. Somehow it eventually stopped, but by then the scenery changed. As he looked around, he saw a campfire similar to the ones they had on the mines. There were no people around the campfire but there was something significantly different about it.


    He knew it was nighttime, but it shined almost as bright as the mid-day. He knew Arteria didn''t have the same time as that of the Northern continent where he heard that the days in the summer were longer than the nights.


    He was still in Arteria and in fact, he was standing exactly at the Arenfall mines. He looked up and there he saw something; an image of two moons ruling the sky. One from the east which was the same moon he saw every night and a smaller, yet brighter one from the west.


    Lord Prestonheim squinted his eyes as he tried to stare at the brighter moon. The light from that moon glowed brighter and brighter until he was no longer able to stand it any longer. He closed his eyes and suddenly woke up on the cold floor of a dark room.


    It wasn''t the same room where he remembered he took a nap from. He tried to pinch himself and see whether he was dreaming or not, but it seemed like he was already wide awake. He looked around and saw a faint glow slowly approaching him from the edge of the room.


    "Who''s there?" Lord Prestonheim asked as he slowly pulled out the dagger he hid near his ankle. "I will ask again, who''s there?!" His voice echoed from the room.


    "Lord Prestonheim, is that you?" A familiar voice broke from the darkness.


    "Y-you! How did you know my name?" The Commander asked the stranger while he hid the dagger on his arm.


    The light glowed a pale blue color as the stranger approached him. The glowing light began to take shape in a form of a sword. Suddenly the image from his dream burst from his mind. He felt a certain dread as he began to realize who the stranger was.


    "Adaloun, is that you?" He asked.


    "Yes, my Lord it is I!" Adaloun emerged from the darkness. He knelt down and offered his hand to the Commander.


    Lord Prestonheim was still bothered with the dream he had and opted not to take the freed slave''s hand. He hastily stood up and asked, "Where are we? And what are you doing here?"


    "It seemed like a hall, my Lord." Adaloun was as baffled as he was. "I was just about to ask you the same thing as well. What are you doing here?"

 Chapter 90: End of the Line

    Jovis, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 29th day of Fall, Arenfall Castle


    -------------------------


    It took the Commander a moment to answer Adaloun. He wasn''t able to wrap his mind about how he got transported to that dark and gloomy hall. Somehow, he had to answer that question, that would be rude of him if he didn''t.


    "To be honest¡­" Lord Prestonheim tried massaged the bridge of his nose. "I am not even sure how. I was just sleeping a while back. How about you? How did you managed to be in this place?" He asked back.


    The freed slave''s eyes twitched as he tried to answer the question. "Well¡­I¡­was lost in my effort to escape." Adaloun said. "My Lord, I have been running around this castle trying to escape from the crazy red-haired slave for almost half a night now, what time is it?"


    "Half a night?" The Commander looked as baffled as ever. "When did you say you escaped?"


    Adaloun tapped his fingers as he counted, "Maybe since the Ifnen." He nodded to affirm his calculation.


    Lord Prestonheim thought the answer didn''t made sense. Was he affected by one of 305-M''s potions? He knew how potent they were. At one point, it even caused an enemy to regress back to his childhood mental state for more than a week. But the severity of the effects depending on each individual, however, the outcome never changed¡ªthey would always die at the end.


    "A-are you¡­" The Commander tried his best to simplify the question just in case the freed slave was still intoxicated with 305-M''s concoction. "Were you¡­given something? What I meant by that was¡­ummm..did he gave you a drink or¡ª"


    Adaloun was quick to answer that question, "He placed something in the cloth he gagged me with. I was light-headed for a moment, but I was able to recover from that."


    "Gag?!D-did you say gag?!" Lord Prestonheim tried to clarify the freed slave''s answer. The Commander was familiar with that concoction he just mentioned; that was exactly the concoction he used against that prisoner before. "Are you feeling well? How many are my fingers? Did you soil your clothing?"


    He could see the look of confusion from Adaloun. Right now, the possibility of the poor Adaloun being drugged had been confirmed. The Commander needed to keep an eye on him now, especially because the after-effects of that concoction was proven to be fatal. If he recalled correctly, it had a 9 out of 10 chance of fatality after the side effects.


    With the current stage Adaloun was in, he knew it would only take a matter of a day or less before the last stage of the drug sets in. He needed to provide him with the proper cure or at least charcoal to get it out in his system. But how?


    Suddenly, a loud creaking sound broke their conversation. He grabbed the freed slave''s hand and dragged him to the darkest corner of the room where hopefully, no one would see them. Adaloun quickly turned-off the light in his blade to avoid detection. The door slowly opened, and a faint light illuminated a portion of the hall.


    People in robes began to walk inside the hall. Their entrance was accompanied by the haunting tune of drums and a horn that gave out an otherworldly tone. The eerie procession ended at the center of the hall where a huge, sculpted image of a grotesque horned god was.


    The Commander couldn''t recognize the god anywhere in the Arterian Pantheon. The image looked foreign; too foreign even in the other parts of the Principalia. The horned god sat on a throne with one hand raising a cup and the other hand holding a decapitated head. Lord Prestonheim had difficulty identifying the material used on the statue. But from the way it glimmered on the torch, it seemed to be made out of gold.


    The robed individuals kissed the floor below the statue of the idol and began their prayers of weird grunting noises, kneeling on the ground. The Commander looked at Adaloun with a baffled look on his face.


    "Where are we?" He asked. "Are we somewhere¡ª"


    "We are still inside the castle, that''s what I''m certain." Adaloun answered immediately.


    The people stood up and disrobed themselves in front of the idol. The Commander''s eyes widened as it became clear to him who the people were, the Bieroffs and their handmaidens. Lady Adrena led the worship and asked a young handmaiden to join her in front of the idol.


    All of them seemed to be under a trance. Their eyes stared blankly into the nothingness while their bodies continuously moved at the rhythm of the drums and horns.


    She kissed the handmaiden on the lips before kissing her neck, down to her breast, then down to her private parts letting out a soft moan. When that was done, the handmaiden returned the favor on her. Her sons also took some handmaidens and did exactly what their mother did and vice-versa.


    Lord Prestonheim''s jaw was wide open in disbelief at the debauchery he had witnessed. After everyone had their fill with the orgy, Lady Adrena took something out of her robe on the floor. The shiny blade of the dagger glimmered, and as she kissed the handmaiden again, she slowly buried the dagger in her chest.


    The handmaiden groaned as the dagger went deeper into her chest. The young girl laid down on the floor as her life was slowly snuffed away from her. The rest of the handmaidens screamed in terror as the trance wore off. The gravity of the situation pulled them back to reality, but by then, it was already too late.


    The halls doors were shut close. Lady Adrena''s sons grabbed the other young maidens and slit their throats. As blood spurted the Bieroffs rejoiced and laughed at the blood bath. They chopped the handmaidens'' heads off and placed them on the feet of the golden statue and took out their hearts, placing them on the cup.


    Lord Prestonheim wanted to intervene, but he was already too late. He couldn''t believe what just happened in front of him. The brutality and heartlessness of the ritual made his stomach turn. It would be no use to do something now. If anything, they were far too late for that.


    The Commander looked at Adaloun and saw the rage in the freed slave''s eyes. He knew what Adaloun wanted to do to them, but he stood idly. Lord Prestonheim held Adaloun''s arm, trying to keep him in check before he does the unthinkable.


    He could feel Adaloun arms shivering. Being a warrior who dedicated himself to war, Lord Prestonheim knew that type of shiver. It was the same shiver he felt when he learned about his son''s fate. It was a shiver of rage.


    Lord Prestonheim held Adaloun''s arm tight. "Don''t do it." He whispered.


    "I''m sorry, My Lord." Adaloun replied. "But, that was unforgiveable."


    Suddenly, Adaloun''s eyes glowed along with his blade. Before Lord Prestonheim could blink, Adaloun was already at the center of the hall confronting the Bieroffs who were still euphoric after the bloody mess they did with the poor handmaidens.


    The Commander was too late to stop the raging Adaloun. He watched in horror as one by one the Bieroffs fell to the ground as the freed slave slashed them one by one. Lady Adrena''s head rolled on the floor near Lord Prestonheim''s feet as he hastily approached Adaloun.


    "What did you do?!" Lord Prestonheim exclaimed.


    "I delivered vengeance for those poor girls." Adaloun said calmly. "We cannot let it continue, my Lord."


    The Commander knew that Adaloun was right. Unfortunately, it wasn''t that easy of a situation. Lord Prestonheim knew that their deaths might be traced back to him and knowing Senator Lucresia, he knew it will be war.


    "Do you know what you just did?!" Lord Prestonheim grabbed him by the collar. "You just started a civil war!"


    Adaloun looked at him, "I highly doubt that¡ª"


    Lord Prestonheim swung a punch at Adaloun that landed straight on his jaw. The freed slave stumbled back at the impact of the punch. "I should''ve arrested you for killing the noble family, but even that won''t mean anything now. Senator Lucresia would want my family''s heads on a silver platter for what you just did."


    The commander massaged the bridge of his nose and sighed as he accepted his fate. "No one will believe that a slave was capable of killing a noble. That never happened before. It never will." He glanced at Adaloun. "Adaloun, I want you to go east of here, to the Hillsprung Encampment. Tristam and the rest of my men will be waiting for you there."


    "What do you mean by that, my Lord? You don''t have to¡ª"


    "Silence!" Lord Prestonheim raised his voice. Killing Adaloun wouldn''t be a solution either. But making him an ally to them might help their House turn the tide of battle against the Lucresias in the future. "Promise me this, Adaloun. As payment for this offense, I want you to swear allegiance to House Prestonheim until your remaining days! Promise me that!"


    Adaloun wasn''t able to react. "Did you hear me, damn it!"


    It took a while for the slave to answer, "I swore under my name that I will swear allegiance to your house with all my life."


    Lord Prestonheim cracked a tired smile. He knew his fate was sealed; it was the end of the line for him. He took Adaloun''s arm and escorted him out of the hall. The Commander then closed the door and patted Adaloun''s back.


    "Walk straight from here. Count three rooms and turn right then walk another 10 paces until you reach a dilapidated room. Once you reach there, make a left then you''ll be at the garden. I suppose you can take it from there." Lord Prestonheim said.


    Adaloun nodded and ran away. He watched him fade away in the dark blanket of the castle. The Commander had already resigned his fate to the gods. He sighed and went back upstairs, preparing himself for the worse.


    He climbed the stairs slowly, as he thought back of the things; he could''ve done in his life that led him to where he was. He was too preoccupied about it, that he didn''t notice the hall''s door creaked open and a hand suddenly emerged.

 Chapter 91: Knowing the Madness

    Jovis, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 29th day of Fall, Arenfall


    --------------


    The town looked desolate under the faint light of the moon. The narrow streets were dusty and not even a single soul was out there. No drunk could be seen loitering at that time of the night nor knights doing their nightly patrols. The streets were filled with vermins running from one home to the other.


    The rats nibbled a dog''s corpse at the sidewalk, while a cat distracted them for a moment as it caught one of the rats before fleeing. The darkness became the cat''s perfect disguise and Adaloun mimicked it perfectly too. He walked stealthily crouching at the shades of houses, away from the moonlight''s glow.


    Escaping from the Arenfall Castle grounds was easier said than done. It was a total opposite to the interior. The castle grounds were filled with armed knights, roaming about every 300 hundred counts per area.


    There were hounds roaming around the garden, sniffing out peasants or unwanted visitors out from hiding. Adaloun was skillful enough not to be detected by the angry dogs passing by him. He knew how to. He did a few times in his previous lifetimes. Of course, it was a trial-and-error method but somehow, he managed to sneak out without being detected.


    His ability could have been handy, but he chose not to use it in fear of exhaustion. At times like this, overly consuming your energy would spell your doom. So, he had to rely on skipping rocks and other distractions to get the dogs off guard.


    One thing he noticed while observing both the knights and hounds was their aversion to the castle. Everytime a knight goes near the castle''s doors; they would momentarily be fidgeting before scurrying away. Most of them would simply avoid that part all together, as if they knew too well that no one was ever going to enter using that route. The dogs on the other hand, would occasionally approach the castle doors but then would whimper away in fear.


    He didn''t blame them from doing such act. He''d seen a lot from that castle, a whole lot. He was relieved to finally be away from that damned place and that damned deity living there.


    He wanted to rest a bit before continuing his journey to the Hillsprung encampment, but his current location wasn''t the most ideal one to do it. The houses where all shut closed. Although there were no lamps lighting the streets, just the presences of rats made his skin crawl.


    He has never been afraid of those pesky vermins, but they were as big as a cat and awfully hungry. If he mistakenly rested in some hidden area in that town, he would more likely be eaten by the rats. Adaloun heard a loud sound of clay pots breaking just behind him.


    He turned around and saw a cat fighting for its life against a mischief of rats. He saw the cat struggled, it hissed, clawed, and bit the rats as far it could but unfortunately was overwhelmed by its sheer numbers. The cat breathed its last as it was frantically devoured by the rats, tearing it apart piece by piece.


    "Yeah, I really need to get out of here." He said to himself as he imagined his fate if he weren''t careful.


    Even with the abilities he had, being cautious was a smart way to living longer. He learned that the hard way one time during his 4th incarnation. Being eaten by that monster wasn''t pleasant especially with all the powers he had at that time.


    It took him almost an entire night to finally escape the town. He was able to find a small hole on the blind side of the stone fence. From what he could describe it, it looked like a fox hole. Using his weapon, he dug through the small opening until he reached the other side. He then had to descend carefully into the drained river and cross under the bridge to avoid being detected by the pair of knights roaming the area.


    The sun was already peeking at the horizon by the time he managed to finally exit the forsaken town. As he looked back, the sun''s rays cleared his notion of the town''s fa?ade. It was indeed in ruins. The trees withered along with the straw houses that looked unevenly placed along the side of the river.


    The light also showed the overlooking castle and its less than grand appearance. Its crumbling roofs and moldy walls were but the few witnesses to the horrors it held for all the time that it existed. Adaloun was lucky not to be part of the unfortunate souls who wail within its walls.


    As relieved as he was, Adaloun had to walk another ildwyrm of plain dusty land before he finally saw lush greenery of the hills. He was relieved to finally see a glimpse of his refuge, but his body was far too tired already to take another step.


    At the foot of the hills Adaloun saw a small shallow cave unsuspiciously hidden from plain sight by a freshly uprooted oak tree. Although tired, he hastily checked the site for any dangerous animals. When he saw that it was a safe spot, he hurriedly cut the young branches from the fallen tree and made a cozy bed out of it at the bottom of the shallow cave.


    He laid down on the bed of leaves, shifting every now and again for comfort. It wasn''t comfortable as he thought it was, but it was better than the cold solid ground. His eyes voluntarily closed by itself as his fatigue had finally caught up with him. He slept soundly as the sun rose to its highest peak at noon.


    "Might I interest you with something you longed for?" Zados snapped his fingers and the image of Adaloun''s lover materialized in front of him again.


    He couldn''t believe his eyes; he was able to see her once again. Tears slowly ran down his cheeks as he inched nearer to his beloved. He reached for her cheek as he came closer. The beautiful girl smiled at her with the sweet innocent smile he always remembered.


    Adaloun wasn''t able to contain himself any longer, he hugged her as she stood motionless. He looked at her again just so he was sure it was her. That feeling of joy he thought he''d lost this lifetime came back to him and he smiled so wide his cheeks hurt but to him, it was all worth it.


    It was all worth it for her. The touch of her hair caressing his face. The warmth of her body radiating as he hugged her. The smell of her skin as he drew closer to her. These things were everything that he missed about her.


    As his lips were about to touch hers, suddenly she vanished. Adaloun looked around and saw the world plunged into darkness. From the distance he could hear the wails of crying women. Their cries were painful and torturous.


    He then heard a loud bang from above and saw a dark tentacle broke from the sky. From there he saw his lover materialized once again, but this time, being in the clutches of the dark tentacle.


    "Rhaenel!" He cried out.


    Adaloun awakened his ability and flew towards his lover to save her. But everytime he tried to; he was simply struck down by the menacing thing. He tried it a few more times until he laid on the ground feeling hopeless.


    Zados appeared to him again holding the gladius in his hands. "I think you need this more than just that." The deity grinned and gave him the blade.


    Adaloun took the blade from the deity''s hand and felt his power surge. The gladius glowed its pale blue light and the swirls began to dance along with the flow of his exousia. He flew once more and tried to swing his sword towards the giant tentacle but before he could do so, Oyue appeared from nowhere.


    "Adlaw-on!" She called. "Don''t!"


    With that call, Adaloun woke up from his sleep. He was sweating profusely and catching his breath as he looked around the dark cave. The sun had already set by the time he woke up. The cave was colder than it was earlier that day.


    Adaloun knew that he had no time to waste but make his fire and wait for the morning to resume his journey. Using a few dried leaves and twigs from the ground he was able to make a small fire to keep him warm.


    But the warmth from the flame wasn''t enough to calm his chaotic mind. His dream seemed real. As real as how Oyue would visit him in his dreams but there was something surreal about it. It felt wrong and somewhat prophetic rather than a direct communication with a deity.


    In his mind he was torn about the validity of his dream. He knew that was probable, but he doubted Zados was strong enough to do it. Even during their conversation, he felt the same vibe from Zados what he felt from the previous gods he blindly served all his lifetimes before.


    The deity and his sweet words could convince anyone even him. But after witnessing firsthand, the madness his worshippers brought, he was glad he didn''t answer him. He was glad he got to kill his worshippers.


    He knew deep down what he did made the world less crazy and if given a chance, he would go for that deity as well.


    "This world would be better off without that bastard!" The flame crackled as he threw a twig on his flame. He looked behind him and made sure that he covered his blade with soil. The last thing he wanted was that ugly deity listening to him.


    The campfire crackled once more, Adaloun sat there staring at the flames keeping his thoughts to himself.

 Chapter 92: Welcome Home

    92- Welcome Home


    The scent of his prey lingered in the air. The rabbit''s adrenaline stunk the surrounding area and the beastman had tracked it very well. The stench jumped from trunk to trunk and bush to bush. His nose followed the scent over the thornbush at the end of the pond.


    The beastman crouched under a dead tree trunk at the top of a slope and spotted the rabbit''s den. He slowly picked up a rock and threw it exactly at the hole. He heard a slight sounding thud and then silence. He slowly slid down the slope and crawled towards the den.


    The beastman reached out for the carcass inside the hole. He slowly grabbed the freshly dead rabbit out when suddenly another bunny came running out from his arm and into the light of day. Surprised, the beastman jolted and released the warm carcass in his arms. He ran for the live prey and chased it until they reached the foothill.


    He grabbed the rabbit by the neck as he tumbled on the bed of fallen leaves and broke its neck, killing the prey instantly. The beastman stood up from the messy pile of leaves, disappointed with his current tracking skills.


    He was getting clumsy and he hated it. The learnings he had from the hunt was slowly fading away from him. His reflexes were no longer as sharp as it was before. The claws that once could tear tree barks as if it was nothing more than a thin sheath of grass was no longer there.


    He went back to the den and took out the other dead rabbit inside the den. The sun shone bright as it finally rose on the great blue sky, but the canopy of greens made it hard for the rays to penetrate. The ground was still cold and dim, a perfect time for hunting as he thought.


    The beastman sat by the rock at the edge of the pond as he cleansed the rabbits. Fishes gathered at a rock not far from where he was. He thought of catching it with his bare hands, but he wanted to try something new. He wanted to try what the humans and dwarves called to be "fishing".


    He had that in mind for a couple of days now. He asked the dwarf about it and the dwarf happily explained how it goes. He took a string he made out from the tree bark fiber he dried out days prior. He tied it at the base of his toe while he attached its other end with a thin bone hook, he made from a rabbit''s rib.


    He took some of the rabbit entrails and used it as bait. He threw the bait over the far end of the pond and laid down the soft cold cushion of leaves on the ground. He looked pass the dome of leaves that covered the rays of the sun and set his eyes to the beautiful haze of the ocean sky.


    It took him back to the unencumbered skies of the lush Vridian forest. It reminded him again of home. It reminded him of his sweet siblings that would annoyingly disturb him from his nice afternoon nap. It reminded him of his sweet mother, the food and the warm hugs she often gave to them.


    His friends started to pop out from his memory. Their laughter and shouts as they ran across the forest training for the hunt made him remember of the good times¡­the good times that crumbled right in front of him.


    He recalled it again. The thing he never wanted to remember. The great fire, the pool of blood and his father''s head being raised by an armor-clad knight. He slapped the ground as he recalled it. His weakness made him loss everything he had. His family, his friends, and his home but even then, he could never bring himself to hate the knights who invaded them. He tried to, but his loathing focused more on himself than of anyone else.


    Could he have prevented the invasion if he killed that titanauroch? It was far too late to know. All this time, he looked desperately for an answer, but the answer was far from his grasp. Maybe, he should quit thinking about it already and just move on?


    The dwarf often tell him to cheer up everytime he would sulk at his bedside. That cheery friend of his had always brought a little bit of light in his dark and lonely existence. The dwarf would just pat his back and say, "Tis awright, lad. Nay burdens go on forever!"


    The beastman also thought about it. Maybe it should be time for him to let go of the past. He could never bring it back anyway, and he has a new family now. A family of different races brought together by that damned giant centipede.


    It made him smile remembering the good times they had on the camp. The laughter and cheers they do every night. The stories the dwarf would go in lengths to act out. The reaction the elf would get about it and their banter towards each other.


    132-X''s child-like curiosity about their world and lore was also something he couldn''t forget. He would listen to their stories like a child that saw marvel in the lore of the gods of old and the ages prior to that of which they lived.


    The beastman wished for those moments to comeback again. The four of them sitting in the campfire sharing food and company. It got him out of the misery he drowned himself in, but it could be just a far-fetched dream right now. 132-X was nowhere to be found and he feared that fate might have not been kind to his friend.


    The line suddenly moved, and it seemed to be a feisty one! His toe felt like being ripped from his foot. The fish seemed to be big and angry. He slowly bent his knee and reach out for the line. He tugged the line gently as he was instructed to. The fish grew angrier as he slowly pulled it towards the shallow waters. After a few more struggles and almost breaking his line, the beastman finally caught the large silver-scaled trout that was almost about two footlings in size.


    He quickly killed the fish by breaking its thick neck and gutted the fish. As he gutted it, he noticed that it was full of eggs. The beastman smiled even wider. It was a good omen to catch a silver-scaled trout full of eggs. He felt good about it and hoped for the day to be auspicious as what the omen foretold. He kept the egg sac in a small pouch. He was excited to cook it for the faerfolk since it was said to have medicinal properties.


    After cleaning everything in the pond, the beastman set his way back to the camp with his bounties from the land and pond! He whistled happily as he passed along the tall red trees, singing along the tune of the songbirds that perched above it.


    He happily skipped at a stump of a fallen tree and even glanced at the sky again to look at the endless blue sky. He went merrily on his way, when suddenly his ears caught a sound of rustling leaves from a distance.


    He stopped in the middle of the forest and looked around and listened very carefully to the sound. The last thing the beastman wanted was to be ambushed by a cathus or maybe bogmire hounds. Both were survivable encounters, but it would be another shame to his race if he ever gets ambushed by these beasts since they were trained on how to avoid them.


    He heard soft rustling of the leaves once again. The beastman quickly hid behind a redwood, he dropped his bounty to the ground and slowly crouched waiting for the mysterious creature''s next move. The beastman was more than ready for a fight but a familiar scent filled the air.


    He immediately cleared the ground of leaves and debris and placed his ear on it. He closed his eyes and listened to the gentle footsteps that seemed to be heading his way. It was walking in two''s! It was a humanoid for sure.


    He stood up, took his bounty up on his shoulders, closed his eyes, and took a whiff of the scent once more.


    "That''s not possible!" He exclaimed. He couldn''t believe what he was smelling! Was it just a dream? Or is it the auspicious fish doing its magic? He really can''t tell at this point, but he remained calm and tried another whiff.


    "By the gods!" He couldn''t keep his emotions any longer!


    He ran towards the direction of the scent, passing every redwood stumps and fallen trees like it was nothing. He jumped over the thornberry bushes and slid through the slope until he finally caught up with the scent.


    "I-is that really you?" He couldn''t believe what he was seeing.


    Adaloun looked over to him surprised as well. "Ohh¡­it''s you." He sighed in relief. "Finally. I''m home."

 Chapter 93: The Isle of the Crescent

    Aturs, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 32nd day of Fall, Arenfall


    ----------------


    The cold breeze brushed against Arterius'' hair as their ship sailed across the ever-blue waters of Oyue''s sea. The calm azure waters of this huge body of water have been historically known to be one of the most turbulent in Arteria. The prince certainly read the journals about it and wonder if the accounts are truly what they were written to be.


    He read on one of the journals from a well-decorated captain of the Arterian fleet about a huge black creature with elongated arms sunk an Arterian naval ship in a middle of the during a quick patrol. He wondered if whether he could get a glimpse of that creature. That would''ve been perfect to get a glimpse of it, but at the same time, disastrous if it attacked the ship.


    A huge wave crashed against the ship and made it rise a few footlings from the water. Although dangerous, the prince held on with a big smile on his face. This trip has been exhilarating for him! The sea had always been a fruitless dream for Arterius. He never imagined that he could one day set sail on it.


    Well, technically at least. Oyue''s sea was not intended to be called that way. The great body of water was considered the biggest lake in the Principalia. However, due to the people of the olden day''s belief about its mystical origin, they claimed it as a sea in honor of the fallen deity.


    Still, being on a ship was something that made him so happy, that his even his leg wasn''t bugging him even in the worst of possible turbulence. That couldn''t be said for his ward. Stolas miserably hurled at the bucket that was secured at the deck of the ship.


    "Hey Stolas!" The jittering prince couldn''t contain his excitement. "I wonder what''s like down there?" He pointed at the bustling crew pulling the ropes connected to the mast as it tried catching the strong winds.


    Stolas looked pale and sickly. He frowned on the prince''s question and wobbled just to get out a reply. "I¡­I..would r-rather¡­bleeeurrrghhh!" He hurled the remaining contents of his breakfast on the bucket.


    "My Prince," Commander Crovar interrupted. "Uhmm¡­ it looks like your ward is seasick right now."


    "Seasick?" Arterius found it funny and amazing all at once. "Ohh¡­so that''s what you call this motion sickness?! That''s a clever name!" He still didn''t get the Commander''s point.


    Arterius tried to go down go down the deck. The waves rocking the boat never bothered his curiosity. Lord Commander Crovar was quick to hold his arm.


    "What I am saying Prince Arterius, it''s way too dangerous down there." He looked at him straight in the eyes. "Especially with that injury. I suggest you sit down while we are on this trip."


    Prince Arterius felt that the Lord Commander was scolding him for being too curious on his ship. He calmed down and went back to his sit. Commander Crovar nodded at him and continued navigating the ship.


    He knew the Commander meant well. Actually, it was he who personally volunteered to escort him safely to the isles.


    "No other escorts will do! I shall put my fleet on the line for him." Commander Crovar declared in the Senate.


    House Crovar had a very close tie with his mother''s house. The Horculas and Crovars had been allies even before the Principalia was established. The bonds of the old houses had never been sundered for centuries now.


    Prince Arterius sat silently on the quarterdeck; his mind pre-occupied with the new possibilities of the discovery of aetherium. Can he make this ship fly? Would that even be possible? He had to know, and he couldn''t wait.


    "Land on the horizon." The knight shouted.


    "Have we arrived already?" Arterius asked. "Is this that the Crescet Isles or something else?"


    "We are almost on shore, Prince Arterius." Commander Crovar smiled. "You shall now see the wonders of the Crescent Isles."


    Arterius couldn''t wait to see it himself. He stood up and asked the knight to lend him the spectacles. The young knight gave the view spectacles to him. He viewed through it and saw the overlooking garrison of the Principalia. Beside that was weird looking trees that clumped together on top of the water''s surface. Its roots were long and with some of it exposed on the beyond the water''s surface.


    "W-what are those?" Arterius asked. "Are those what they called the seawood?"


    "You are correct, Prince Arterius," Commander Crovar nodded. Those are indeed seawood."


    "Strange. They only grow on saltwater. I highly doubt this place is one." Arterius scratched his head.


    "That''s part of the mystery of the place." The Commander answered.


    Prince Arterius looked at it closely as he slowly rotated the cannister to make the object bigger. "Interesting." He said. "Can I¡­ Maybe, take a sample of it back home? It''s not poisonous isn''t it?" He asked.


    "It''s not poisonous, but I''m afraid you can''t cut a sample of that one." The Commander responded.


    "And why''s that?" The prince asked.


    "That''s a scared tree. Treated by the locals as a miraculous tree. I''m sure my prince understands the importance of the locale''s welfare towards this matter." Commander Crovar commanded to swerve the rudder and make a right turn.


    Arterius gave the specatles back to the knight and went back to his seat. "Of course, I do." He answered the Commander.


    He found the question offensive to him. Being a prince of the empire meant that you have to study everything about it. From different cultures and religions to topography and customs, Arterius had studied them all and was better than his younger brother on that aspect. But he rather just let it pass for now.


    The sun was already on the horizon when they finally docked at the shore. The cold breeze of dusk sent chills on the prince, but it was a good kind of tingle. Finally, he has reached his destination. The crew slowly sunk the anchor to the port and threw the rope over to a knight in the other side of the port. The prince saw how skillfully the knight tied the rope over to a post.


    Commander Crovar ordered his men to draw down the special bridge he made for the prince. Arterius insisted that it wouldn''t be necessary but by the time he was about to cross to the dry land side of the port, he was thankful for it. The waves grew more violent as the sun slowly laid down to the horizon and it would have been embarrassing if they have to pick him up swimming under the cold waters below.


    As he went down from the bridge, he could hear an angry Commander Crovar scolding a knight in grey armor. Arterius knew the color of that House. It was of the Bieroffs. The dull gray color of stone that symbolized the mines of Arenfall more than anything else. He read somewhere in one of the history books that the Bieroffs wanted to change their color to gold because of the treasure the mines had for them, hundreds of years ago but was met with scorn by his ancestors.


    The Primas held the golden color for as long as they had existed and never wanted to share the color with a budding House of weak-willed individuals. In fact, it was stated on the book that the only reason the Bieroffs came to be was because of their involvement in the War of the Boundaries. They help snuck in the Lucresias into the walled territory of House Ordaneus near the mouth of Oyue''s sea. In appreciation for their services to the Lucresias, their ancestors were given the title of Lord and thus, House Bieroff was established.


    "Where is the welcoming party?!" The Commander angrily grabbed the knight by his collar. "Where is the Bieroff''s entourage?!"


    "G-greetings ummm.M''Lord¡­I was¡­" The knight tried to avoid the furious Commander''s gaze. "I-I was ordered by our Lady¡­t-to meet up with y-you¡­"


    Arterius could hear the knights armor clanging on his knees, the knight was shaking. He could relate to the feeling the knight had right now. But if it were him on his shoes, he should''ve come up with a good plan to at least deescalate the situation¡ªbut the knight wasn''t like him.


    "Don''t you know who I am? Don''t you know who that man is?!" The Commander was seething with anger as he pointed to the prince. "ANSWER ME, KNIGHT!"


    The knight froze in fear for his life. Arterius, as much he wanted to see the knight''s reaction was already worn out from watching Commander Crovar chew the hell out of the knight. He approached the Commander and put over his hand on his shoulder.


    "Lord Commander Crovar," He smiled at the angry Commander and the terrified knight. "That wouldn''t be necessary. Let me introduce myself to him." Commander Crovar stepped out of his way and bowed to him.


    "Good Ser, fair greetings! My Name is Arterius Prima, the firstborn son of Imperatur Severus, ruler of Arteria and the Principalias. Well met, good Ser!"

 Chapter 94: The Isle of Crescent Pt.2

    94- The Isle of Crescent Pt.2


    Aturs, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 32nd day of Fall, Arenfall


    "The morning was a little better than the night." Arterius answered when he was asked by Stolas about his sleep. Unfortunately, the cold nights of the Crescent Isle was bad news for his injured leg. Even with the thick blankets he brought, the stone walls of the garrison seeped in too much cold air that his room was close to freezing.


    He would''ve preferred a proper warm room or maybe a nice hearth across the room, but he wasn''t living in a castle. The garrison wasn''t meant for nobles. The place was built for hardy knights, well-trained, well-disciplined, and very adept to any form of weather.


    He recalled what happened that night over a hot cup of morning tea prepared by his ward. After introducing himself to the knight, the poor man fell on his knees and grovel. It was very degrading for a knight to do such action. Commander Crovar almost got the knight executed for his demeanor, but he calmed the seething Commander down and asked the knight to stand.


    "Good Ser, you don''t have to do that!" Arterius patted the knight''s shoulder. "Stand up now and tell your Lady that I will not be coming to the castle tonight." He smiled at the knight.


    The knight''s face turned paler, "B-but¡­I-I can''t do that¡­" The knight fumbled for words. "T-the Lady would p-punish me if I¡ª"


    "You''re a man! Gods be damned! You''re a knight!" Commander Crovar smacked the knight''s head.


    "That''s enough Lord Commander." He held Commander Crovar''s arm. The smack surprised Arterius, as a seasoned knight, Commander Crovar''s reflexes was far too fast for him to react upon. "Good Ser¡ª"


    "P-prince¡­Your Majestic¡­Your Hiney¡­" The knight was obviously too nervous that even a simple title was mixed up with the term for buttocks.


    "HOW DARE YOU CALL HIM THAT!" The outraged Commander pulled out his sabre but this time, Arterius was able to stop him before he could slice the poor knight in half.


    "That''s enough, Lord Commander." Arterius slightly bowed his head to the raging officer. "I appreciate your concern for me, but this man is just scared. It takes a lot for one to think straight when scared."


    Arterius pulled out a pouch from his pocket and took a gold coin out of it, and gave it to the knight, "Good Ser, this is for your troubles tonight. Tell the Lady that I haven''t arrived yet."


    The knight was surprised by the gold coin. It was a month''s worth of his salary but the generous prince gave it to him even though he had done nothing for him. The knight reluctantly tried to give the money back to Arterius but he insisted that the knight should take it for his troubles. The knight bowed and went his way stumbling away as he hurriedly rode his horse towards the dark path of Arenfall.


    Commander Crovar cleared his throat to catch Arterius'' attention. The prince looked back at the confused Commander. "Lord Commander?"


    The Commander shook his head, "Why did you have to do that?"


    Arterius smiled at him, "We rather make them respect us, than fear us." That was a direct quote from a philosopher way beyond their time.


    Commander Crovar scratched his head, "Did you just quote Semalerius?"


    Arterius nodded smugly.


    The seasoned knight wanted to stifle his laughter but wasn''t able to. His laughter filled the air, the only noise in the relatively quiet place. It took the Commander a while to control himself, "And they said you are the weak one?" He wiped the tears off his face. "I don''t see any weakness right there!" He patted his back.


    It looked like the gray wasn''t the only one who gained a higher degree of respect for him. Commander Crovar commanded the knights stationed at the garrison to provide their best room for the Prince of Arteria and his ward. Afterwards, the Commander ordered his men to set a feast for Arterius. They drank until the highest level of Obscura and then went to bed.


    Arterius remembered that night fully well. It was a night of songs and merry making, a perfect calm before the incoming storm ahead. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, Stolas was quick enough to open it.


    Commander Crovar went inside and greeted him, "Fair morning, Prince Arterius!" There was a crack of smile on his face. "I hope you slept well."


    "That question again, huh?" Arterius said to himself. He returned the smile back to the Commander and answered, "The morning was a little better than the night."


    "I understand," Commander Crovar sighed. "This wasn''t the best of places to house a prince, but I am glad that you have some rest at the very least."


    Arterius wanted to refute on the last thing Commander Crovar said. If only the Commander knew about how miserable he was last night with the pain gnawing him through the cold. But instead of complaining he simply smiled again, "Thank the gods, I was able to."


    After a quick breakfast, Commander Crovar ordered to ready the carriage and the knight escorts. The carriage was positioned in the middle of a horse-back riding xedecima. It was past the mid-level of Obura when they left for Arenfall Castle. Although the path was already paved with cobblestones, the way the carriage would bounce in between the spaces of the rocks still bothered the heck out of Arterius.


    His leg throbbed in rhythm with the bumps on the road. He took a swig of the freshly refilled medicine he got from that damned physician and prayed for the arduous journey to end. Commander Corvar subtly observed him at the adjacent seat, not speaking a word to him nor to his ward. The carriage took another bump from an uneven stone in the middle of the road.


    Seeing him wince in pain, Commander Crovar promptly knocked at the carriage wall, demanding them to be a bit more careful of the path their taking. He scolded his own knights at the top of his voice inside the carriage.


    The Commander''s loud voice wasn''t helping him either, but he appreciated how the Commander Crovar was taking care of him. "Thank you, Lord Commander. You don''t have to do that, I¡­am already...owww¡ª" The carriage hit another bump. It looked like fate was shitting on him that day.


    "Alright! That''s it!" Commander Crovar halted the carriage and gave a good scolding to his men. Arterius wanted to stop the Commander but his leg was acting up on him, and he wasn''t able to act as quickly as he could because of the concoction he drank earlier.


    A few moments passed and the noisy Commander was no longer audible to him. The drug had already taken into effect. The last glimpse he had at that time were the knights bowing to him, their faces pale and embarrassed. After that, nothing. Just a dreamless, and peaceful sleep.


    Prince Arterius woke up from Stolas shaking him by the shoulders. "Prince Arterius, Prince Arterius." He gently said. "We are almost near the castle!"


    "Who¡­What?" Arterius looked around dazed and confused. His mind was still half asleep and all he could hear from Stolas was gibberish. He shook his head and tried to listen to him again.


    "Prince Arterius, wake up! We are almost there!" He finally understood what his ward was saying.


    He immediately sat up straight and pulled out his handkerchief from his pocket. He cleaned his face with it and tried to comb his hair with his hands. He noticed Commander Crovar staring blankly at the beautiful hills overlooking the plains. He seemed to be pre-occupied with something. Arterius just let him be and let him be wallowed by his thoughts. However, it looked like the Commander noticed him.


    "You are awake, I see¡­That''s good." The Commander said. It was obvious to Arterius how deep the Commander was thinking to the point that he never even noticed him awake already.


    "Yes, I am Lord Commander." Arterius paused. "Is there something the matter, Lord Commander? You seemed to be¡­distracted." He fumbled out for the right term to describe the Commander''s daydreaming, didn''t want to sound disrespectful towards him.


    "Ah¡­yes¡­you notice." The Commander cracked a worried smile on his face. "You''re pretty observant, my dear prince."


    Arterius just nodded, although it was clearly obvious how disturbed the Commander looked like at that time.


    "Is there anything I should know about Lady Bieroff?" Arterius tried his best to get the gloomy energy out from the Commander somehow.


    Commander Crovar sighed, "Adrena, huh¡­" He paused and realized that he was talking to a prince. "Ahem, Lady Adrena Bieroff is the sister of our current Senator Lucresia. She was married to the Bieroff house about 15 years ago."


    Arterius just nodded. It was already information he knew awhile back. He looked at the Commander''s eyes and saw longing and anguish as he tried to continue the conversation. From the looks of it, it seemed like Commander Crovar might have a shared past with the Lady of House Bieroff. He knew it would be rude to press on more questions at the seemingly anxious Commander.


    "Lord Commander," Arterius looked at the window. "Would that be her standing at the gate of the castle?" He asked as he pointed to a woman wearing a black dress, her face was covered in a veil of the same color. She looked as if she was mourning, but for some reason, there''s something about her that Arterius couldn''t shake off.


    The carriage finally stopped at the gate of the castle. Arterius noticed how Commander Crovar stared at the woman heading the entourage longingly. The prince grinned as his suspicions had just been confirmed.

 Chapter 95: The Isle of Crescent

    Aturs, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 32nd day of Fall, Arenfall


    -------------------------------------------------------


    There was a sense of relief after the carriage finally stopped in front of the castle''s gate. Arterius silently thank the gods for lifting the burden of travel from him. He smiled at the Commander and Stolas. He could feel a tingle in his spine. It was rush of excitement! He could no longer contain himself, he wanted to burst out of the carriage and just be done with the introductions. But that wasn''t how things work.


    The cavalry got down from their horses and bowed to the Lady of the House. They lined up in a perfect tight square around the carriage. The knights of House Beiroff came out with the banners of their respected houses and that of the Principalia. After that, a pair of 7 knights from the Bieroff''s household lined up adjacent to each other holding their swords up high.


    Arterius noticed immediately what they were trying to do. House Bieroff was trying to emulate how the Arterian Houses would welcome their guest especially, the royal family. It would have been an impressive feat as what he saw how the Lucresias, Prestonheims or the Crovars would but this one, failed miserably.


    As much as he would like to give credit where it was due, this was just off the mark. It wasn''t up to the standards of how you welcome someone from the royal house especially when it was an official visit. The knights stumbled around and wasn''t able to hold the banners as high as they can.


    But that wasn''t the purpose of his visit. He wasn''t there to criticize on how clumsy the knights did their welcoming duties. He was there for something crucial to the future of the empire as what his godfather, Lord Prestonheim has stated in that letter.


    After Stolas got out of the carriage and announced the Royal House''s arrival. Prince Arterius went out of the carriage. He tried his best to be graceful as he could as he walked under the knights''s swords salute.


    At the other end waiting was the Lady Adrena Bieroff, dressed in her black dress with strings of golden roses inlayed on the black silk. She also wore a black veil that hid most of her face. It hard to identify how she''s reacting to meeting Arterius and he hated it.


    Arterius find it odd to speak with someone without seeing their eyes. The veil was hindering it and it was making him uncomfortable yet, he had to play his part. Lady Adrena curtsied to him and greeted him in a jovial tone.


    "Fair greetings, Prince Arterius!" She began. "I hope traveling to our humble abode didn''t gave you any difficulties, especially crossing Oyue''s Sea." The warmth and welcoming voice proved to be too inorganic for Arterius. Something about it seemed to be forced and it was unsettling.


    "Fair greetings Lady Bieroff¡ª" He greeted back.


    "It''s Lady Adrena to you, My Prince. Please I insist you calling me that." She butted in.


    It was an odd experience all together to be in her presence. Not to be called by her married title was something unheard of in the proper context of the high society. To be called by your given name means there was a certain familiarity between the both of you. But this wasn''t the case with Arterius and her. They just met but she had to honor a Lady''s request.


    "Certainly, Lady Adrena." He bowed slightly.


    The Lady smiled and escorted to the garden where a banquet of food awaited them. Prince Arterius wanted to skip the pleasantry part of the entire ordeal, but he decided to play along. He ate again with a hearty meal of some bread, honey and fruits. He also took one of their sliced meat and cheese to be stuck in between two loaves of bread.


    She even included a bard to entertain them during their breakfast. Commander Crovar laughed out loud to the jests of Lady Adrena, while chugging a cup full of wine. Prince Arterius knew fully well the ruse behind all of it. After sipping from the cup of wine Arterius went on and asked the question.


    "Lady Adrena," He sipped again from his cup. "I find someone amiss. Where is Lord Prestonheim?" He asked.


    Lady Adrena''s face suddenly went blank. She squinted for a bit and then smiled again. "Well, Lord Commander Prestonheim isn''t doing well. He''s sick."


    He thought the answer was too suspicious. "Then I would like to see him. Sick or no, Lord Commander Prestonheim wouldn''t refuse to speak with his godson."


    "No!" Lady Adrena stood up from her table. The music stopped playing and her true colors finally surfaced.


    "What do you mean no? Are you saying he doesn''t want to speak with me? Or¡­you don''t want me to speak to him?" He asked while raising his eyebrow.


    Lady Adrena''s face went red with the question. "You don''t understand Prince Arterius, Lord Commander Prestonheim is a wanted man! He killed¡ª"


    "That accusation had no bases? Or could you give any evidence of that claim?" Arterius asked.


    "You should believe me Prince Arterius, my men will now go to the mines and get the evidence you need to get him convicted." She said.


    "Get evidence in the mines?" He raised his eyebrow again. "You mean to say you place him under arrest without sufficient evidence?!"


    "Well¡­I know that¡­he killed my husband!" Lady Adrena was getting desperate. She tried her best to dish out any sort of claim she can throw against the poor Lord Prestonheim.


    "Killed your husband?" Prince Arterius scratch his head. "Lady Adrena, your husband died from an attack done by a monster in the mines. The reports indicated that it was."


    "He''s lying! Lord Commander Prestonheim is lying! He killed my husband! He made up that report!" She insisted.


    "Lying? Made up the report? It was your doctor who said that it was. If you''re skeptical about the report, you better ask your doctor." He answered. "Again, Lady Adrena, where is Lord Commander usPrestonheim?"


    "I won''t let you see him!" She shouted hysterically, "Knights! Knights!"


    The Bieroff''s knights came with their swords unsheathed. Commander Crovar stood up from his seat and had to intervene quickly. He pulled out his sword and used his exousia to coat his sabre with swirls of water.


    "Knights, stand down!" Commander Crovar said. "Lady Adrena, tell your men to stand down or else, I would have to cut them." He pleaded but Lady Adrena wouldn''t listen.


    "Knights, defend the honor of the House Bieroff!" She commanded her knights.


    The knights came forward with their swords and tried to slash Prince Arterius, luckily, He was saved in time by Commander Crovar, pulling him out of harm''s way while simultaneously parrying the blow.


    Commander Crovar activated his ability and made use of the water swirling around his sabre. He slashed his blade cutting down 3 men while cleaving the rest with his swirls of water.


    "Don''t make this difficult on you Lady Adrena!" Commander Crovar stated. "You might end the entire Bieroff line due to your actions! Stand down now!" He ordered.


    "I AM NOT AFRIAD!" She tore the veil she held on her hand. "I am¡ª"


    "What would your brother say about this? You raising a blade against the royal prince, could spell disaster and shame to him." Prince Arterius asked.


    Lady Adrena suddenly stopped and murmured something, as if she was speaking to herself. "M-my brother?"


    She looked pale as if blood was drained out of her face when Arterius mentioned about his brother. He knew from rumors how brutal Senator Lucresia could be either to his servants or to family members. That''s why he understood the fear Lady Adrena had for him.


    He was desperate to see his godfather and asked him about the aetherium stones he discovered. Lady Adrena went silent for a while before ordering her men to go back to the stations. The confused man reluctantly obeyed.


    "Fine," She mumbled to herself something once again. The odd behavior didn''t go unnoticed. Prince Arterius saw this and pitied the poor Lady. Who would have thought that Lady Adrena was still trapped from the grasp of her brother?


    Lady Adrena ordered her handmaidens to take them to Lord Prestonheim''s room.


    Prince Arterius and Commander Crovar followed them along with the desolate halls inside the castle. The barren walls made the castle look eerie. They followed the handmaidens into the grand stairwell before turning a left into a corner where a single door was locked.


    .


    The knights guarding the door where approached by the handmaidens and after whispering in their ears. They bowed to Commander Crovar and Prince Arterius then left them alone. Commander Crovar opened the door.


    The Commander peeped inside and saw no one was there. Suddenly, Commander Crovar was pulled in by huge thick arms. Both men struggled inside the room. Arterius had to rush inside and tried his best to call Lord Prestonheim to stop whatever he was doing to Commander Crovar.


    "Lord Commander Prestonheim I ask you to stop!" He shouted.


    Lord Prestonheim quickly recognized his voice. "Prince Arterius, is that you?"

 Chapter 96: Out from His Despair

    Aturs, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 32nd day of Fall, Arenfall


    ----------------------------


    "Prince Arterius, is that you?" Lord Prestonheim asked as he looked up.


    "Y-yes it''s him¡­August¡­c-could you get off me?" Commander Crovar answered.


    "Syleon? Is that really you, old friend?" The confused Lord Prestonheim asked.


    "By the gods! What happened to you August? You looked disheveled!" Commander Crovar touched the silver-haired lord''s collar.


    Lord Prestonheim sighed in relief, stood up and lend a hand to his friend for him to stand up. He tried to fix his overlapping undergarments and comb his hair with the use of his hands before bowing to the prince.


    The silver-haired Commander saw the worried look on his godson''s face. He cannot do anything about it. The past 2 days was just a nightmare for him. His sanity was at the verge of breaking. Everything became questionable and downright surreal for him.


    He walked over to his bed and sat on it as he pinched the bridge of his nose. For a second, he thought if the prince and his friend was real. Or were they nothing more than one of those illusion the castle seemed to dish out on him.


    "Are you indeed real?" He asked both of them. "Or are you just a trick this gods-forsaken castle had made to torture me even more?"


    "Godfather, what are you talking about¡ª" Prince Arterius tried approaching his godfather, but Commander Crovar blocked his way.


    "What''s the matter with you, August?" Commander Crovar slowly walked up to him. "What have they done to y¡ª"


    Lord Prestonheim looked at his friend and suddenly saw Commander Crovar''s face melting. His skin slowly sagged and red putrid liquid came gushing out of his orifices. His eyes began to drop from their sockets and his hung down his chest.


    The silver-haired Commander stood up from his bed and moved away from his melting friend. He rubbed his eyes to make sure that he wasn''t dreaming at all, but it was still there. He breathed in deep and approached his decomposing friend.


    "A¡­a¡­rrrr¡­yaahh¡­weeeellll?" The melting Commander Crovar asked him.


    Lord Prestonheim nodded. The silver-haired Commander bravely faced Dhampiirs and lived to tell the tale about it. He saw his fears flashed before his very eyes and fought them to the best of his abilities and this one was no exception.


    He knew somehow that it was an illusion of some sort. But how did he acquire such curse? Could it be caused by the Bieroffs'' deaths? Could it be possible he was drugged? Or is it the house that''s giving him all sort of hellish thoughts that was quickly devouring his sanity? All of those were possible reasons but he hoped it wasn''t the case.


    Lord Prestonheim reached out for Commander Crovar''s stump were his arm used to be as he was melting rapidly. He pulled him close and whispered on his friend''s ear.


    "Syleon, punch me as hard as you can." He asked his friend.


    Commander Crovar sighed and then nodded to agree to his friend''s peculiar request. He swung as hard as he could and hit his silver-head friend straight on the jaw. Lord Prestonheim fell to the ground out cold.


    He woke up sometime later to the shaking movement of the carriage. He stood up from where he laid on, dazed and confused. He looked around and saw Prince Arterius and his ward along with Commander Crovar at the adjacent seat of the carriage.


    He noticed the bandage wrapped around his old friend''s right hand. The silver-haired commander tried to open his mouth but was halted by the pain radiating from his jaw. He remembered what he requested his friend to do.


    Lord Prestonheim grinned as he touched his painful jaw, "That was a hard punch."


    Commander Crovar grinned back at him, "Hah! Your jaw is still as hard as adamantite." He pointed at his hand wrapped in bloody bandages. "I think you broke my hand."


    "Did I really?" He sat up and looked at Commander Crovar straight in the eyes.


    His friend returned his gaze and shook his head, "Nah. Not really." He laughed out loud.


    He wanted to laugh in relief but the pain in his jaw was just something else, "I would''ve been disappointed if I broke your hand." Lord Prestonheim commented as he recalled their misadventures when they were younger.


    August Prestonheim and Syleon Crovar were known infamously to brawl with soldiers and nobles alike, challenging them and claiming the spoils to their own. They were both feared and respected by the Principalia due to their discipline, fighting prowess and magical aptitudes that was almost close to a captians'' rank even before they became officers of the knights.


    There were still a lot of things Lord Prestonheim had in his mind and wanted to say about his old friend Commander Crovar. But Prince Arterius interrupted both men getting them back to the topic.


    "Godfather, what happened there? Why did you ask Commander Crovar to punch you?" The curious prince wanted to know.


    "Prince Arterius, I need to get myself together and the Commander Crovar''s punch was more than enough to cover that. "Isn''t that right, Syleon?" Lord Prestonheim didn''t want to tell them what truly happen, he was afraid it might make matters worse for him and his House.


    "Is this still a dream, perhaps?" He looked around and even took a look at the barren and desolate landscape of Arenfall''s town.


    "Would you like another punch perhaps?" Commander Crovar grinned at him showing his sharp jagged teeth.


    Lord Prestonheim''s heart suddenly sunk, "Syleon, since when did you have jagged teeth?"


    "I don''t know¡­may be just for today so ¡­I... could¡­his friend''s voice suddenly changed into that shrill high-pitched sounding shriek that the Dhampiirs had. His friend''s mouth suddenly opened wide as its face turned bone pale and tried to devour the prince''s head clean.


    Lord Prestonheim woke up once more. This time he was sweating profusely. He was still in the same spot where he was at his dream that included the other people in his dream, Arterius and his trusty ward. But Commander Crovar was now at his side, shaking him to wake up.


    He looked and saw their terrified faces. Lord Crovar specifically.


    "By the gods! Good thing you have awaken!" Lord Crovar exclaimed. "You seemed to have a nightma¡ª"


    Before Commander Crovar could finish, Lord Prestonheim grabbed him by the armor and head butted him exactly at the bridge of his nose. The old commander writhed in pain as he stumbled down to the carriage floor.


    Lord Prestonheim threw himself out of the carriage. He tumbled down the grassy hill and landed himself in a mud pond. The silver-haired Commander''s sanity was going further away from him. He felt that the damned castle was slowly eating his sanity.


    The silver-haired Commander knew that he needed to get it out off him. As the days come and go, the illusions become more and more apparent. It wasn''t as bad as that of the Dhampiirs illusions, but these ones were designed to make anyone lose their hold of reality. It was not meant to kill him directly.


    Rather than extending his life and putting everyone in jeopardy, Lord Prestonheim would rather end it all right then and there. As he waded in the murky pond, he saw stick entangled in the roots of a lily pad. He took the stick and snapped it in two.


    He chose the sharper end of the broken stick and aimed it on his neck. Just before he was about to stab himself Commander Crovar came descending from the pond.


    "They who protect the waters from the deep I call upon thy force and allow me to bind my enemy! Water Magic Level II: Binding!" Commander Crovar said.


    All of the sudden, Lord Prestonheim was covered with mud and roots. The roots quickly immobilized his limbs while the heavy mud made it impossible for him to. Struggle out from it. The binding magic was powerful and downright draining.


    "You had me no choice, August¡­" Commander Crovar sighed. "Whatever they did to you there, we can try and fix but please don''t do that again. Losing one friend to that¡­was one too many." He took the broken stick from his friend''s entangled hand.


    Lord Prestonheim looked up the sky feeling defeated. What was he doing? Why was he thinking like that? He''s been through a lot of heartbreaks and tragedies all his life, but he remained strong. He fought monsters of men and beast but yet he stood bravely against the oppositions. Something didn''t feel right.


    He looked up to the sky and began to feel dizzy. Something inside him was itching to get out of there. Something inside him was shouting and commanding him to get out of the sun. But the bind was too strong for him to get out.


    Commander Crovar touched the mud and was taken aback, "By the gods! August, what have they fed you with?"


    Lord Prestonheim couldn''t see it, but his friend seemed to be writing something in the mud he was covered with. He knew that the Crovar''s were known throughout the ancient times for their affinity with water magic along with a high level of healing magic that the Arteria had never seen before.


    Although most of them hadn''t been as adept as their ancestors were, they still had a certain level of advance spells that doctors from the Principalia would love to have.


    "Sprites that sing the song of water, I come to you and ask for your blessing. Come forth and grant us thy power! Come forth and cleanse this world with your song." Commander Crovar chanted.


    Lord Prestonheim felt something inside him move as the cool glowing water slowly begins to engulf him. He felt something from his stomach moving out. He felt it crawled all the way through his throat. Lord Prestonheim could feel the thing getting out of his body. He felt his throat expanded as if to make way for something big going out from him.


    Finally, he vomited it out. A dark scaly creature that had a set of appendages hanging limp from its round grotesque body. Its appendages extended towards the sky before the entire monster swelled and exploded in the heat of the sun.


    Lord Prestonheim couldn''t believe what he just witnessed that came out from him. A grotesque blob of appendages that burst when exposed to sunlight. He felt something more coming out from him he hurled a black viscous liquid before fainting once again.


    He woke up a few moments later, laying down in a shade of an Oker tree. Commander Crovar sat right next to him eating on some pomme from the tree.


    "You''re awake now!" He sighed in relief. "How are you feeling?"


    Lord Prestonheim looked at his friend and smiled. "I''m feeling better now."


    "Does any part of you hurt?" Commander Crovar asked. "Are you still getting those horrible illusions?"


    "Illusio¡ª" Lord Prestonheim stood up immediately. "H-how did you know about that? Are you really¡ª"


    "Relax, August, it is truly me." Commander Crovar answered. "Thing is¡­those bastards feed you Orobus seed. What you saw bursting out of you was the fruit of that seed. Don''t worry, I made sure to clean all of it."


    "By the gods!" Lord Prestonheim went down on his knees in relief. "Thank you, Syleon."


    "Don''t thank me for this, August. I was only here to escort our Prince." Commander Crovar smiled. "You should thank him instead."


    "I will definitely do that." The silver-haired Lord smiled.

 Chapter 97: Power is What the World Revolves In

    Aturs, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 32nd day of Fall, Arenfall


    ---------------------------------------------------------------


    Lord Prestonheim, non-chalantly stood up from the shade and walked right back to the carriage where prince Arterius sat patiently for him. On his way there, he tried his best to recall how the Bieroffs managed to slide in that vile seed in his food.


    The Orobus seed came from a fruit of an unknown origin. It was said to have been brought over from the Western Continent about three centuries ago during the Conquest of the Dunes, a war that saw both sides lose more men than they could count.


    The Orobus seeds that had said to be brought were used to poison water and food for the warriors of the Principalia. The paranoia and hallucinations it caused to the knights to almost drive the budding empire to its downfall.


    Nowadays, the seed has been banned within the Principalia but it seemed like Lady Adrena had acquired some of it. How could that happen? Lord Prestonheim wanted some answers from her. But now with the evidence burnt away by the sun, it would be difficult even for him to accuse her.


    Lady Adrena was a smart and calculating woman. She proved it time and time again even before being married to the Bieroff household. She made a lot of decisions on the Lucresia estate that made it beautiful and powerful that it is today.


    Now, as she became much older, Lord Prestonheim got to witness firsthand how her humanity deteriorated to insanity. However, she still had the intelligence and ruthlessness of a Lucresia that even her deteriorated psyche was overpowered.


    The silver-haired lord reached the carriage. The door was already opened for him. He went inside where the Prince and his ward waited. Prince Arterius looked a little shaken. He could see it in his eyes, but the Prince was also stubborn and acted as if it was nothing.


    "Prince Arterius," he greeted. The Prince smiled and gestured for him to take a seat. "Prince Arterius, first of all I would like to¡ª"


    Before he could finish his sentence Prince Arterius immediately hugged him. "Godfather¡­by the gods you''re fine!" Lord Prestonheim could see the relief on his godson''s face. "And please, don''t call me that, when it''s only us!"


    Lord Prestonheim hugged him back and patted his godson''s back. "Alright, Arterius." He smiled. "Thank you for saving me, but how did you get me out of the castle?"


    His godson looked at him and smiled, "I am a Prima, even a Lucresia or Bieroff must obey at some point." Arterius'' brow furrowed. "I want to comeback at them and get the entire Bieroff house arrested for what they have done to you."


    The old lord knew, this wasn''t a good idea. Lord Prestonheim had always known Arterius as a smart and calculating individual. But this time, his plan could prove to be fatal for the Principalia.


    "Arterius, just leave it be for now." Lord Prestonheim answered. "With the evidence gone, Lady Adrena will simply make an alibi and blame it on her handmaidens. It would be pointless."


    Prince Arterius nodded although still hesitant about it, "We can find a way to¡ª"


    "That''s going to a hard one." Commander Crovar butted in and entered the carriage. "Lady Adrena and that pesky old gremlin of a brother she has will flip everything in the Principalia if they need to prove a point! I say don''t do it now. We have no evidence." He sighed.


    Lord Prestonheim agreed and Prince Arterius never pushed on with his plan after that. The carriage was silent for a while. Stolas took that opportunity to whisper something in Prince Arterius'' ear at that time. The Prince clapped his hands, even he, had almost forgotten about it after witnessing the incident.


    "Godfather, about those um¡­ aetherium ores¡­is it true?" Prince Arterius asked. "The entire senate, including my father wants to get a glimpse of it. Do you have it with you?"


    "The ores, huh?" Lord Prestonheim massaged the bridge of his nose. "The ores were kept by him¡­your former mentor."


    Prince Arterius stood up from his seat, "Impossible! I thought he already died from the accident in the mines!" His eyes glimmered with excitement. "Where is he now?"


    The silver-haired Lord didn''t want to let his godson know about that man, but the situation called for it. They need the ores, and he was the only man who had them somewhere¡­back at the Arenfall Castle.


    Lord Prestonheim sighed, "Back at the castle."


    Prince Arterius slowly leaned back at the chair''s backrest. "Looks like I would have to go back there. It would be awkward, but I''ll make it work!" The prince smirked at him while scratching his head. "Well, I am the prince, so I doubt House Bieroff would refuse."


    The young prince looked at his godfather with a worried look on his face. "Godfather, where would we sleep for the night? I mean now that Arenfall castle is out of the option."


    Lord Prestonheim patted his shoulder, "Have you tried sleeping outdoors?" He asked his godson.


    "Nay, I haven''t." Prince Arterius answered.


    "Well then, we should be able to get into the Hillsprung encampment before sundown." Lord Prestonheim looked at the calm blue sky. "Syleon, tell your men to follow the carriage, we''re heading there!"


    "That would be a good idea." Commander Crovar went out of the carriage and instructed his men.


    It didn''t took long for the carriage and escorts to ready themselves for the trip up ahead. They headed towards encampment during the highest level of Andenoon. They turned back to the road going to Arenfall and then took a left at the fork of the road.


    The road on the left was known to the locals as the bad turn because of the many accidents that happened in that area. Rockslides, wild animals and other natural-caused disasters had been occurring in that area for as long as it was discovered.


    That''s why it had became a perfect getaway for highway men and fugitives alike. During the past few years it had been the Principalia''s problem cleaning up that part of the Crescent, as the Bieroffs couldn''t even penetrate that part with the knights they have.


    A few years ago, the 5th Batallion had finally cleared the place, ridding it off with the damned highway men and killers. Lord Prestonheim then ordered a small part of his army to live and guard that part of land. They never left since then.


    The carriage stopped at the foot of the hill. A huge redwood blocked the path towards the encampment. Lord Prestonheim and Commander Crovar had to destroy the giant redwood blocking the path. Using their magic, the duo destroyed and cleared the path before sundown.


    It took a lot from Lord Prestonheim to cast a spell. He hasn''t fully recovered and yet, he mustered the little strength he got to destroy it. He could''ve just let Commander Crovar''s knights do the dirty work but his pride as a Commander kept him from resting.


    He really needed a long warm bath, and a bed to sleep on. His eyes drooped as the darkness slowly engulfed the hills. It was already nighttime when they got halted by a knight. They had already reached the first outpost.


    The knight immediately recognized the royal emblem and quickly called the attention on the rest of the knights. The outpost lit a bright blue flame, a code Lord Prestonheim personally taught his men to let the others know that someone of noble blood was coming.


    The knights quickly lit the path on their way to the main camp where Tristam and the rest of the knights waited patiently for their arrival. It didn''t take long for them to reach the encampment; they were guided by Lord Prestonheim''s best rangers and the lit path also made it easier to travel as well.


    Lord Prestonheim hadn''t announced himself to his men. He wanted to get to the camp first to make sure that the Prince was safe, if he told it right now, the prince''s arrival might be overshadowed by his return. It was something he didn''t want his godson to feel.


    Hillsprung Outpost''s wooden gate was lit up with torches of vibrant colors. It was an instruction he told his men way back, that if a nobility came by and visit during the night, they have to make it presentable. He was proud to see how his men honor the orders he told them many years prior.


    The carriage had now entered the encampment, the knights lined at the gate their spear stood proud as they thump to welcome them. They passed a small trench his men made before arriving at the destination.


    Stolas was the first one to get out from the carriage. He immediately announced Commander Crovar''s name who promptly made out of the carriage. It was then followed by him, Lord Prestonheim. The knights cheered seeing him well. He even saw Tristam wiping some tears from his eyes as he passed by them and saluting all of his men.


    His men saluted back and thumped their chest with pride. The cheers coming from his knights were overwhelmingly loud that he had to command them to lower down their voices.


    When it was Arterius'' turn, Lord Prestonheim shushed the crowd to make sure they hear his name, Arterius, the future Imperatur of Arteria. He knew very well that regardless of the prince''s stature with the royal family, his new venture and orders given to him by his father and The Senate will surely make him known by the people. He felt that in his bones.

 Chapter 98: One of those Nights

    Aturs, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 32nd day of Fall, Arenfall


    ---------------------------------------------------------------


    The day came close to another end, and Adaloun was still confined inside the tent with the faerfolk. The beastman told him recently that Tristam was kind and generous enough to give them a good space at the camp. But since both the faerfolk were still recovering, it was taking him long to make the tent for the four of them.


    Adaloun and the rest of his comrades are currently clumped together at a smaller tent. Of course, he wasn''t complaining! If anything, he was happy to see them alive and well, although, their skin needed a little more color in the sun.


    Earlier during the day, the beastman would go out and hunt for them. There was a small amount of knightly rations given to them but the beastman insisted on hunting food so as to not become a burden to the already generous knights who got them a place to sleep and heal on. Because of his hunting skills however, the beastman seemed to gain popularity in the camp, the knights would often greet him and at times trade with him for some of the catch he had for the day.


    Everything was doing good. Far better than that in the mines, but somehow Adaloun could feel it in his bones, that they will be returning there soon. He hoped they wouldn''t but there was something inside him telling him that they would.


    He sat down on his bed and grabbed his sword. The faerfolk was still fast asleep from their late Andenoon sleep. Who could blame them? The experience they had in the mines against the Obscuros was definitely draining and it has put a toll on their bodies too.


    Adaloun was lucky enough because he could recover faster than the rest of them. Still, it would''ve been nice if he could get out already from the tent so he could help the beastman with his hunting, and also maybe just to roam around and get some fresh air.


    The sun was looming over the horizon, the light slowly faded from the tent and only the faint light of his glowing blade remained. He looked at it intently, Adaloun wanted to forget everything they talked about the horned god. He was plainly disgusted at its blatant, self-engrossed stories of his power and capabilities. That the promises he told him felt like nothing more than empty promises just to get his attention and allegiance.


    He even thought for a second that Oyue was way better and upfront compared to his shady deals! That was bad! He didn''t want his life to be controlled by gods, and yet here he was again, speaking to the very people he wanted to avoid. He was beginning to think that he was back to the previous cycle he scorned so much.


    "Glad you''re awake!" Tristam smiled and entered the tent.


    "I was awake and doing well since I came here, good Ser." Adaloun answered still mildly annoyed by how he was treated. "I could''ve been out there already. Maybe helping my friend hunt¡ª"


    "I know you would say that." Tristam nodded his head. "But knowing what you said to me, about what Lord Prestonheim instructed you, I chose to do this to you¡­" Tristam went over to him and patted his shoulder.


    "Chose? What is this all about then, Ser Tristam?" He asked while shrugging off the knight''s hand from his shoulder. "You know I wouldn''t run away from a responsibility."


    Tristam sighed. "Thing is I am just to keep you for two days. You know, so you can rest. Knowing you Serv¡ªI mean um¡­Adaloun, you overexert yourself so much. The last thing we need is for you to be incapable when you''re needed."


    Adaloun looked at Tristam straight in the eyes. He had nothing to say to him. Everything that he said was true, but it felt more restrictive more than anything else. The other bed started to move. It looked like the dwarf was already awake.


    "If you are still mad about it, I totally understand but, I am just doing what needs to be done." The knight smiled at him and greeted the groggy dwarf who rose up from his bed, "Fair greetings to you dwarf, I wish you are doing better than yesterday!"


    The dwarf nodded at him while scratching his fluffy beard. "Fair greetings to yah!" The dwarf groggily went out of bed.


    Adaloun immediately held the dwarf by his arm to steady his gait. The dwarf smiled and thanked him. Tristam felt that he was already intruding and decided to leave. "Gentlemen, I shall see you again." He made his way out of their tent.


    "Tiz there a problem?" The dwarf whispered to Adaloun as he slowly guided him to a little seat just by the side of his bed.


    "No, not at all." He answered.


    Sometime later, the beastman came in and brought them their food. It was an early dinner, but no one was complaining. The beastman brought them a pot filled with chopped rabbits stewed with carrots and tubers, flavored with wild tomatoes and a dash of wild pepper for the kick. He also grilled some wild disk mushrooms slightly seasoned with salt.


    They happily ate their dinner, all four of them once more. After the fulfilling meal, the four of them were at an awkward silence. Usually, it was the dwarf who would initiate a conversation, but somehow, he was silent at that time. The beastman was too shy to open up a conversation and the elf, wasn''t in the mood to converse as well.


    Adaloun opted not to talk either. He wasn''t the one who always open up conversations anyway and somehow, he doesn''t know what to talk about. Should he tell them about Oyue? That would be ridiculous, they wouldn''t believe it! How about meeting Zados? That''s even crazier! Maybe the talk about the part where he was almost killed by that crazy old slave? At that point he was just overthinking.


    It was an uncomfortable feeling being inside a tent with three other people not speaking to one another. He scratched his head and breathed in. Adaloun thought, that maybe he could at least cut some of the awkwardness out. He''ll start¡­


    "Lad, how was life treating yah when yah were captured?" The dwarf broke the silence.


    "It was not the best." Adaloun lied.


    "Are yah sure?" The dwarf raised an eyebrow. "Wef ''erd nay good news coming from that cazal."


    Adaloun looked at the roof and sighed. "I was almost killed by 305-M." He had to say it now. "He almost opened me up."


    "What?!" His comrades were shocked at what he revealed. The dwarf approached him and tried to undress him to check for any scars.


    "Did he inject yah anything? Lemme see yah belly he might''ve¡ª" The dwarf looked at him with concern.


    Adaloun tried his best to keep his clothes on him, "I¡­I am fine, no need to worry."


    The dwarf sighed with relief went back to his bed. Adaloun knew the dwarf and elf wasn''t supposed to be moving as much as they wanted to because of the strain their body had to endure. But the dwarf automatically stood up and checked him as if he wasn''t injured or anything.


    He admired the dwarf''s concern but at the same time it raised a question in him. It felt like the dwarf might''ve known 305-M a lot longer than what they were supposed to know. It felt like he knew what things the red-haired slave could''ve done if you got captured. To him the idea might be just a figment of his curious mind, and yet deep down it felt like it was truly the case.


    The elf was about to ask something when suddenly a huge commotion from the outside distracted them. The knights shouted and buzzed like flies. They could hear metal clanging and wood being dragged on the ground.


    The beastman went outside to check, Adaloun followed him and saw the hectic knights running around, carrying banners and spears. In the distance Tristam was shouting for commands. Knights lined up in a clean row with banners and spears on hand. Other knights brought out the drums and horns.


    Adaloun''s curiosity got the better of him. He approached Tristam who was blindsided by the tension filling up the air.


    "W-what are you doing here?" The young knight asked. "You''re supposed¡ªyou know what? I need you and your friends to form the second line along with the rest of the knights."


    Adaloun was baffled, "What¡­are we doing now at this hour?" He could only think of one thing, a noble was coming. But he wanted to be sure, so he asked out.


    "Well, the first prince is making a visit." Tristam answered. "I''m sorry good ser, I would have to ask you to comply fast. They might be here any minute now."


    "The prince? The first prince you say?" Adaloun asked but Tristam was already too occupied to answer the question.


    "The first prince¡­" he wondered how powerful and strong this man could be. Would he change the world as he knew it? It''s something he had to know.

 Chapter 99: Meeting Royalty

    Aturs, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 32nd day of Fall, Arenfall


    ---------------------------------------------------------------


    Lord Prestonheim looked pale under the brightly lit torches radiating in the camp. Adaloun could see the wrinkles of his long and tired face as he stood proudly at the end of the isle. The well-dressed raven-haired knight cleared his throat once again.


    "Presenting to you, his Majesty, Prince Arterius. The firstborn, heir to the throne of the Principalia and his people." The well-dressed knight knelt in one knee and bowed his head as the prince descended from the carriage.


    For some reason, Adaloun''s hearted pumped erratically in anticipation of the prince''s reveal. The carriage moved as it shifted its weight. He could see from the distance a small-statured man exiting the carriage.


    The man almost looked like a boy. His brown, chestnut hair stood up like a sore thumb. His pallid complexion and his hunched weakly gait made him looked sickly more than anything else. The so-called prince walked with a limp as he walked into the isle of raised spears.


    He was disappointed. The prince was someone he didn''t expected. Out of all his reincarnations, the princes and nobles he had met were tall and athletic with broad shoulders and chiseled body. They exude confidence that no other individual could bring. An air of authority and an aura worthy of a king. Not like him.


    The knights bowed as the prince limped along the isle. Adaloun respectfully bowed to the prince. Regardless of how he felt about him, a prince was still a prince, weak or not. He wasn''t expecting much out from him, and at that point he didn''t seem to care. His interest dwindled as the limping prince paraded himself along the lines.


    When everything was done, Adaloun and the beastman went back inside their tent. The beastman''s eyes glimmered and widened as he talked about seeing an Imperial noble for the first time.


    "I have never seen a noble before!" The beastman smiled over the thought of it.


    "Well, Lord Prestonheim is a noble." Adaloun answered.


    "Is he really?" The beastman scratched his head. "I thought he was only called Lord Prestonheim because of his ranking with the knights."


    "Nay, lad." The dwarf educated the na?ve beastman, "Lord Prestonheim is a Lord from house Prestonheim, a House near the Vridian border."


    Adaloun nodded. He had always been astounded by the dwarf intellect with regards to this world''s history and politics. It was one more information he could add in his knowledge.


    The beastman scratched his head once more, "I''m sure the prince was supposed to be a little dignified isn''t he not---Ow!"


    The dwarf punched his flank. "Shutap! If someone ''ears yer werds, will be in the gallows by mornin''!"


    The beastman apologized and sat silently near the elf who comforted him. Adaloun shook his head and kept his words to himself.


    There are a lot of things running inside Adaloun''s mind. Firstly, why was the prince here? Has it something to do with the aetherium ores? Secondly, was he currently recruiting for men to join a rebel cause against the throne. It happened previously in his past lifetime, so that could be it. Lastly, had he acquired the Isles from the Bieroffs? That could be the most logical explanation among the other two.


    Their chatter ended when Tristam entered their tent once again, but this time, he wasn''t alone. Tagging along with him was Lord Prestonheim, another older knight with streaks of white hair over his golden mane, and the well-dressed raven-haired knight who seemed to be baffled why he was there.


    The former slaves bowed to their benefactor and greeted him happily.


    "Fair Greetings, m''Lord! I am glad yer well." The dwarf did his best bow despite his unstable gait at the moment.


    "Please, you don''t have to do that." The silver-haired Commander humbly said. "I am glad that you are well, dwarf, elf and you too beastman¡­I never thought you''d come out of that alive." He weakly smiled.


    "Me either, m''Lord. But the fates were kind to us." The dwarf stood up and went back to his bed.


    The rest of them stood up too and Adaloun greeted the Commander. "Lord Prestonheim, it''s good to see you well¡­I thought¡ª"


    "I thought I was to die there, Adaloun¡­" He approached the freed slave and patted his shoulder, "I should''ve just followed you out of there if I had the chance."


    "Still, my Lord, I am just glad you came back alive and in one piece." Adaloun bowed.


    "Barely¡­Adaloun¡­barely." Lord Prestonheim smiled and introduced him to the other older knight. "If it wasn''t for an old friend, Commander Crovar. I would''ve perished already. That castle was damned to the walls!"


    Commander Crovar approached Adaloun and eyed him from head to foot. After he was satisfied, he nodded his head to Lord Prestonheim before extending his hand to the freed slave. Adaloun found it rude and uncomfortable the way he looked at him, but he clasped hands with him, nonetheless.


    "Ahhh¡­A grip, good." Commander Crovar seemed to be impressed. "August, was this the one you mentioned? The one who made it out alive of that burrow?"


    "Yes, Syleon, it is him." He nodded. "Adaloun, this is Lord Commander Syleon Crovar, the commander of the Marine Fleet."


    "It''s a pleasure to meet you, my Lord." Adaloun slightly bowed.


    "Well met!" Commander Crovar looked at Lord Prestonheim with a huge grin on his face, "Are you sure he is a slave? He has more manners than some of the nobles I knew!"


    "I can assure you, my Lord, I was indeed a slave until Lord Prestonheim made a deal with us. If you want I can give you my slave number, that''s¡ª" He said to the astonished Commander who felt uncomfortable with what he said.


    "Oh! You don''t have to do that, A..Ada¡­What was your name again, good¡­ummm¡­?" The Commander fumbled for his words. He realized that his fascination turned to be a little offensive to the people involved.


    "It''s Adaloun, my Lord." He smiled at the Commander.


    "I will keep that in mind, Adaloun." The older knight answered.


    "That''s enough for now, gentlemen." Lord Prestonheim interrupted. "Adaloun, I know this is a little rushed, but we would like you to follow us." The silver-haired Lord asked.


    "What is this all¡ª" the freed slave asked but was interrupted by the raven-haired knight.


    "Pardon my intrusion, ser¡­Adaloun." The well-dressed knight said. "But my prince had requested for your presence."


    The other freed slaves'' eyes widened in disbelief. Why would they have to ask of him? Is the Lord''s report not enough? What does the royal crown need of him?


    Adaloun looked back at his comrades looking confused. He sought to find some answer or at least some guidance from either of them, but they were as shocked as they were. He looked into their eyes until the dwarf nodded to him slightly. It was like telling him to go and listen what they would have to say.


    There was still an air of doubt about the other nobles. It was only Lord Prestonheim that Adaloun would trust with his life. He didn''t feel comfortable with the others, not with what happened earlier. But he remained calm and nodded.


    "I shall be with you in a moment." Adaloun answered. "Let me just fix¡ª"


    "There''s no need for you to look that presentable¡ª" The raven-haired knight butted again. "Err¡­It really doesn''t matter how you present yourself to the prince, he wouldn''t mind at all." The knight bit his lip after realizing how offensive and disrespectful he sounded to him.


    Lord Prestonheim had to go between them and try to deliver the message in a softer way. "The ward didn''t mean no harm with what he just said." Lord Prestonheim massaged the bridge of his nose. "What he was trying to say was, the prince is not really particular with what you wear or your upbringing."


    Lord Prestonheim held Adaloun by his shoulder, "Trust me, Adaloun. He is a man of integrity and you can trust him."


    Albeit hesitant, Adaloun nodded and agreed to follow them back to the Prince.


    But before they could get out of the tent the raven-haired ward looked back at him and asked, "Prince Arterius, wanted you to bring the sword you have and the piece of rock you acquired down the mines." The ward said. "He said it was the most important thing he needed you to bring. Would you care and grant his wishes?"


    Adaloun really hated how these guys talk. It felt like they were looking down on him, but their gestures tell different otherwise. It seemed like the language of the higher society was different from the language the normal citizens and slaves are using.


    It was refined and sounded pleasing to the ears but, it was more condescending when you hear about it. There was just something on the way they pause and use their words that felt every conversation sounded more of an insult.


    It could be just them. But it was definitely contrasting to the way the nobles acted on the previous worlds. He had to remind himself that he was from currently in another world that had different laws and traditions.


    But who knows? Maybe the nobles especially the royalty might be the same as the royalties he had met before? The benevolent ones he hoped, but it was only a one in a hundred chance a noble would be like that. Let alone a member of the royalty.


    Adaloun could only put his hopes up.

 Chapter 100: Fateful Encounter

    Aturs, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 32nd day of Fall, Arenfall


    ---------------


    Arterius stood eagerly at the long table inside Lord Prestonheim''s tent. The dim lighting from the torches made it hard for him to focus his thoughts. The flickering light of the flames made him more anxious than ever, as he tried to think of what to say to this freed slave his godfather was about to introduce to him.


    He was excited to see a freed slave. It was the first time he''ll ever get to see one. Prince Arterius'' fascination with freed individuals stemmed from the stories he read about those slaves who rose to become outstanding members of society and some as heroes.


    He always loved how the stories portrayed them overcoming their hardships and near-death experiences through sheer determination and will. To him, it was an inspiration that got him going despite his own hardships.


    He rhythmically tapped his fingers on the wooden table as he waited and waited until finally, Stolas entered the tent bearing some good news.


    "The freed slave would be here in a moment." The ward smiled as he took a glass of water and drank it. "Aghh¡­I still think that this is a bad idea. You cannot put this responsibility to a slave¡ªI meant freed slave!"


    "Nonesense, Stolas, if my godfather trusted him, then I think I should do too." The prince answered as he grabbed a chair to sit.


    Stolas approached him and whispered in his ear, "I can''t put a finger on it, but I don''t trust him. He''s too refined for a slave." Arterius looked at him with a baffled look on his face.


    As soon as he finished, Lord Prestonheim, Commander Crovar and the freed slave came into the camp.


    "Prince Arterius," Lord Prestonheim bowed. "I present to you Adaloun, the freed one."


    The freed slave bowed his head low and greeted him, "Fair greetings, my Prince." He smiled. "I am the one they called Adaloun, a humble slave, freed by Lord Prestonheim."


    Arterius examined the freed slave from afar, "Adaloun, you say." His eyes moved to scan Adaloun''s body. His Ardant physiology stood out from the rest of them. "You have a fair amount exousia."


    Adaloun looked at him baffled from his remark, "Pardon me, your Majesty, but can you gauge ones exousia through site alone?"


    The prince noted how Adaloun felt uncomfortable he was with the conversation. "I-I am sorry for that remark¡­that was¡­insensitive of me." He stood up from his chair. "I didn''t come here to ask you about your race, I came here for a more important matter." He gestured them all to sit.


    "Did you bring that?" Arterius asked as he awkwardly tried to call the Aetherium by a different name, in fear that the freed slave may not know about it.


    "When you say, THAT, you mean the Aetherium stone?" Adaloun pulled out a small smooth glowing stone from his pocket.


    Arterius leaned over from table and reached out his hand, "Would you mind if I take a look?"


    Adaloun looked at Lord Prestonheim hesitating about handing the stone to the prince. The prince saw Lord Prestonheim''s eyes speaking with Adaloun''s. The freed slave doubtfully gave the stone to the prince, passing it to Stolas.


    His ward felt the stone in his hands and played it along his fingers before giving it to the excited prince. Arterius felt the stone in his hands. He lifted it up into the light and saw the pale blue lines rippling around the stone. For a second there, he thought that there was water inside the stone, but there was none. It was just a beautiful glowing stone that mystified philosophers and great minds from its first discovery a thousand years ago.


    It has been written on one of the books he read, the mysterious and powerful Aetherium. A stone thought to have been made from a celestial body that had fallen from the sky. Its power had never been contested, in fact in some legends it has been said that Aetherium was a common weapon used by the gods and the early settlers of the known world.


    The weapons were said to have transcended and ended wars as easily as they began. However, the damages it caused proved to be more than the gods had anticipated. Most of the weapons were gone by the end of the Age of Wonders.


    The weapons were destroyed during a cataclysmic event that most philosophers and scribes debate until this very day. But one thing was for certain during that fateful day, the aetherium and aetherium-based weapons were wiped out from the face of the earth.


    Prince Arterius looked at the stone once more and was mesmerized by its wonderful striations and ripples that seemed to be moving casually on its own. He remembered a scribe who wrote about a weapon exactly describing the ripples and striations of the Aetherium.


    It has been said that the Prima Household held a vault that no one was able to find. His ancestors said to have kept the treasures of the races they have conquered in that vault. From the faerfolks mythical fleeces and gloves to the Eastern kingdoms black scythe. But in that vault, there was one weapon which they had kept in secrecy from the rest of the world. Legend has it, this was the weapon they used to unify the warring territories and created the Principalia that they''ve known today.


    The pale blue spear of Semius Prima, the first of his name, the Xandata. It was said to be a spear gifted by the gods to them for their courageous service during the end of the Age of Wonders, but who knows? It could just be a myth. A way for the people to fear and respect their House and gain the power that they have enjoyed now.


    Even if that story might be a myth, the stone he had on his hand wasn''t. It felt like it was alive. He took aetherite from his pocket and placed it on the table. He felt the aetherium stone vibrate as he placed the artificial element on the surface of the table.


    Everyone was at bated breath as they saw the aetherite reacting violently at the presence of the aetherium. The artificial stone bubbled and lit as if to explode. Stolas approached Arterius and yanked him out of the way while the old knights began to create a magic barrier on the table. The freed slave was pulled away from his table, but he seemed to be calm about the entire situation.


    Arterius seriously thought about the reaction on his head. It wasn''t the one he expected. He thought that the aetherite would simply move around the stone and vice-versa, but it was more than he had hoped for.


    The aetherium leapt out from his hand and went into the violent aetherite. It hovered over the pale blue liquid before suddenly lighting up. The blinding light lit the entire tent forcing all of them to close their eyes.


    At that point, Prince Arterius thought he made the worst mistake he could ever thought. They might die due to his miscalculation, but instead the light simply faded, and the stone dropped into the table in a gentle thud.


    "I-is everyone alright?" Commander Crovar''s voice cut through the silence.


    Prince Arterius looked around as he slowly opened his eyes. Everyone was fine, the tent was still in its place, and everyone still had their limbs attached. The table however, looked burnt. Small veins of ember ran through the center of the table, the smell of burnt wood filled the air.


    "Cough¡­cough¡­" The smoke from the burnt wood pierced his nose. "That''s an awful burn."


    "It was an awful idea." Stolas whispered in his ear. "We could''ve died!" His ward scolded.


    "Prince Arterius," Lord Prestonheim called for his name. The prince looked over to where his godfather was. The old man was pointing at something on the table. "The stone, look at the stone."


    Arterius'' eyes widened as the stone seemed to be devouring the black burnt wood surrounding it. They could hear the wood crackle as the stone consumed whole table in front of them.


    "Amazing!" Prince Arterius exclaimed.


    "That stone consumes energy around it." Adaloun explained. "It will activate and devour the energy around it." He added.


    "Impressive." Prince Arterius tried approaching the stone. Stolas had to yank him away from another dreadful mistake.


    "Don''t. Go. Near. It." His ward had to word it out for him.


    The stone finally stopped consuming the remaining table and simply dropped to the ground. Adaloun stretched his hand towards the stone. It quickly floated and went back to him. Arterius was shocked to see such marvel.


    He yanked away from Stolas and approached the freed slave with eyes filled with wonder, "H-how did you¡­do that?" He asked.


    "This stone seemed to latch into an energy it fed on. Or so I think." The freed slave scratched his head, even he was still confused with the nature of the stone.


    Prince Arterius didn''t understand anything of what he just witnessed, but his mind got to thinking about the "what-ifs" and the uses this stone could be utilized for. He foresaw its potential and power to make the Principalia stand at the top of the world.


    He smirked at the freed slave, "You say there''s trove of that at the bottom of the mines?"


    Adaloun nodded, "Yes there is but¡ª"


    "Let''s mine them! Let''s do it!" The Prince''s eyes shone like that of his master''s.


    Crazily determined, and willing to risk it all.

 Chapter 101: Whatever it Takes

    Aturs, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 32nd day of Fall, Arenfall


    ------------------


    "Are you insane?!" The freed slave blurted.


    "What did you just say?!" Commander Crovar shouted. "W-what did you just say to your¡ª"


    "Thank you, Lord Commander," Arterius interrupted. "But I think his reaction comes from a place of trauma." He added.


    Normally, that would have caused a citizen their heads. But this was different, the freed slave had seen something diabolical inside that hole. He heard the story from Lord Prestonheim while they ascended towards the camp. He knew what they had been through and understood how difficult it was for all of them to face these creatures. But still, this opportunity, no, this destiny was something they should grab for themselves.


    Arterius understood why his godfather had to go through the hell he had inside the castle just to protect the information from the other nobles. It was important and could potentially change the Principalia''s trajectory, to the top of the world. Getting the information into the wrong hands, or worse, letting the other unscrupulous nobles take possession of the mines could spell doom for Arteria and the Prima''s bloodline.


    He understood well how this would''ve gone if the Lucresias had acquired the mines. Their influence and wealth could effectively destroy the Prima line. The ambitious Senator and their ancestors had long coveted the throne of power from them.


    Arterius knew that this risky move might bear no fruit. This was a race to power after all, and his godfather made sure he was the one to take it rather than the greedy Senator or his younger brother. He knew he must make this move¡ªthe deadly gambit which he prayed would pay off well.


    "Pardon my desperation." The prince bowed his head, "But you must understand this too, good Ser, that my look of excitement is more of a look of obsession to make the Principalia stand out from the rest of the countries. With the wars we had with the other kingdoms, this discovery could end it all and make us¡ª"


    "How much?" Adaloun quickly interrupted. He looked at the prince straight in the eyes as if he was asking for something more than what he just asked.


    Arterius had to think for a moment about what it meant. Could it be about money? If it was, that''s not a difficult thing to resolve.


    Commander Crovar approached the freed slave and grabbed him by the collar, "What are you trying to say, you insolent fool?! Are you trying to milk the Prince for money?" He lifted Adaloun like he was nothing more than paper.


    Arterius looked around confused with how to approach the situation. He tried finding answers from Lord Prestonheim who stood silently at the corner, not giving a care about the freed slave''s safety. The prince glanced towards his ward, his eyes asking to intervene, but his ward felt no need to heed such request. In their eyes, Adaloun rubbed them off the wrong way.


    The furious Commander shook Adaloun violently, "Tell me, freed one. What do you mean by that?! Answer now! Your life depends on it!"


    The freed slave calmly looked at the prince, "How much are you willing to sacrifice for this vision of yours? For your¡­dream¡ª"


    "I am talking to you!" The Commander covered Adaloun''s mouth with his other hand and was about to snap his neck.


    "ENOUGH!" Arterius shouted. "Let that citizen go. He has all the right to ask me that question on this ridiculous request I am putting him up with!" The prince said.


    The old veteran glared at the freed slave before letting him go. Commander Crovar was a huge man, at 6 footlings and 8 fingerlings. He towered the generals of the Arterian Units and in terms of brute strength, he was a cut above them all. But Prince Arterius notice that despite his intimidating size and aura, the freed slave remained calm to a point that it feels like he knew how to handle himself against anyone.


    Whether he was feeling arrogant or just confident about his abilities, Prince Arterius couldn''t help but notice Adaloun''s calm demeanor despite the life-threatening situation. He was curious about it, but he rather focus on what they have on hand.


    "Tell me, Adaloun," The prince demanded for the freed slave''s attention. "Why are you asking for the cost? If it is money, I can pay you handsomely. If it is freedom, well, you are already free. There''s nothing more to worry about that one. If it is about¡ª"


    "I am talking about the lives you will put at stake." Adaloun interrupted him again. "I am asking you how far will you go for that?"


    Arterius was worried that Commander Crovar would react violently against the freed slave, but Lord Prestonheim patted the Commander''s shoulder before he could react. The prince wanted to thank his godfather, maybe, he''ll do that later. For now, he''s obliged to answer that question. It was that question he feared Arterius would ask. No one could quantify a life let alone ask how many he was willing to sacrifice to achieve it.


    "You know Adaloun, the empire was built on the bodies of those men who sacrificed their lives to see it grow." Arterius began. "No empire ever succeeded without laying its foundation on the lives it took and the lives it bore. So, if you''re asking me on how much lives would I stake, I would answer, a lot."


    Adaloun looked at him in the eyes with an expression which he vaguely understood as wander and disgust all at once. The freed slave looked at his godfather with eyes expressing regret and defeat. He let out a sigh and nodded.


    "If I have to be honest with you Prince Arterius. I am against the idea of opening that hole once again." He looked at the aetherium stone sitting on his palm. "For this stone¡­No good will come out of it¡­but if Lord Prestonheim wills me to be there¡­I won''t even give a second thought."


    Arterius felt the freed slave''s hesitation. He knew deep down that the slave would only do their bidding out of Lord Prestonheim''s order. He was also told how his godfather forcefully let Adaloun swore allegiance to their house. The prince knew for a fact that the freed slave would be doing it for the sake of duty more than anything else.


    "I know this would be a burden to you, but the rewards, I promise you will be great." He said to Adaloun.


    The freed slave looked at him and said, "I am not particular with any reward, I am already free, I guess there''s that. But if I may make a request." He paused as he waited for Arterius'' approval.


    The prince knew how this would go. On his books, this type of conversation might lead to an egregious amount or an impossible favor. However, they needed the freed slave. He knew his way inside the hole. He could help them against any impending threats inside that nightmarish underground tunnel. His godfather had nothing but high praises for the man even telling them how he could easily get a higher rank in the knighthood based on his abilities. Adaloun might still be at a disadvantage being that he had placed his loyalty to the Prestonheims which meant his godfather could simply order him around, but he was willing to listen to his demands.


    "I will listen to your request and will take it into consideration." He answered.


    "Fair enough." Adaloun nodded. "I will only allow my comrades and a handful of your trusted knights to go down there. I want armors like those of the knights and weapons as good as theirs."


    "That is impossible!" Commander Crovar exclaimed. "The knightly armor and weapons are only to be used by the knights! That''s a decree that I am willing to¡ª"


    "We shall think about it." Arterius interrupted.


    "What?! But Prince Arterius, that would mean¡­sacrilegious to the Order!" Commander Crovar reacted.


    "That''s why we have to talk about these things." Arterius answered. "Thank you, Adaloun we shall call you back after we settle this¡­quandary. Please, take your rest and by the morrow, we shall get this finalized."


    Adaloun bowed to him and the rest of them. He made his way out of the tent and headed back to their camp to maybe tell the predicament he''s in. Prince Arterius could only imagine what he made him go through again, but he saw confidence in Adaloun''s eyes. There was calmness in his expression. It was as if he anticipated everything about it. He wasn''t certain but it surely piqued his interest.


    "Prince Arterius!" Commander Crovar''s voice echoed. "What your planning is unacceptable to the order! August, would you back me up on this! He is risking his status as a prince you have to¡ª"


    "I know." His godfather calmly answered. "But I believe you have a plan?"


    Arterius took a deep breath, "Do you have all night?"

 Chapter 102: The Only Choice

    Aturs, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 33rd day of Fall, Arenfall


    ---------------


    Lord Prestonheim''s shoulders drooped as he escorted the Prince and his ward to their own tent which his knights promptly prepped earlier. The sun was already peeping in between the hill''s bosoms as it painted the dark gloomy sky a tinged of crimson.


    After escorting the prince to their tent, he went back to his, only to find his friend Syleon still sitting on the bed besides his own. The silver-haired Commander knew that his friend still had a few words to say after that meeting. In fact, Commander Crovar grumbled and objected to almost all the ideas the Prince dished out. He only stopped objecting after some time when he knew the prince was having none of his traditional views. Lord Prestonheim saw in his friend''s eyes, a look of both frustration and amusement.


    "August, I know the morning has come but I still have a lot of things in my mind." The towering Commander spoke. "Doesn''t the idea make you worry? Why do we have to put our trust on that freed slave? Why would the prince break that tradition to make way for him? I mean¡­" The old Commander sighed.


    Lord Prestonheim knew his friend all to well. They were brothers-at-arms when they were younger. They were part of the Crimson order and were known notoriously for their wild exploits of brawls and wars. He also knew how Syleon loves his knighthood and had always been a staunch defender of its traditions. The Prince''s ideas were out of the box, too radical for Commander Crovar and now as Lord Prestonheim anticipated, his friend would rant about it.


    "I think because there were no other choice." Lord Prestonheim sighed as he sat down the other bed.


    "No other choice? We can¡­give them weapons! The adamantite kind! What more was he asking?" Commander Crovar clenched his fist in anger.


    "As I told you Syleon, those creatures that we have to kill were something else." Lord Prestonheim massaged the bridge of his nose, trying to fight off the drowsiness that he had. "Those creatures that our elders used to warn us about¡­I saw them¡­they were terrible."


    Commander Crovar laid down on his bed, "I don''t know, August. It''s possible you might''ve been poisoned by that black gas, I think." He took a glance at his silver-haired friend. "I''m not saying that what you have experience was¡­hallucinations¡­I''m just saying¡ª"


    "Syleon, I know you more than anyone else." Lord Prestonheim sighed. "I cannot explain to you well what they were because, you really won''t believe unless you see it."


    "Then, see it, I shall." Commander Crovar smugly commented.


    The silver-haired Commander''s eyes widened. "W-what about the fleet?! It''s too dangerous for¡ª"


    "Come on, August! You handled it quite well, and we have almost the same exousia reserves. Surely, it wouldn''t be that bad." The proud Commander laughed at the thought of Lord Prestonheim''s worried look.


    "A lot of my men had died! This is different!" Lord Prestonheim insisted. "You might¡­"


    "Die?" Commander Crovar guffawed at the thought. "Are you underestimating me, August?" The old Commander sighed. "You know what, I''m tired. Let''s continue this when we had our sleep." He turned away from Lord Prestonheim who fumbled for words to say to his friend.


    Lord Prestonheim knew his friend was sulking. He always sulked and he hated that attitude of his, but what can he do? Once Syleon does that, you have no choice but to wait for him speak to you again. Even at this age, he still knew his friend''s moodiness transcended their maturity.


    He massaged the bridge of his nose once more and laid down. The camp was starting to get livelier and its going to be difficult for him to sleep if he waited another moment more. He closed his eyes and faded to a short energetic sleep.


    It was already at the highest level of the Andenoon when he woke up. Syleon, was still asleep snoring and mumbling his way as he tried to fit himself in the regularly sized bed. Lord Prestonheim sighed as he rubbed his eyes. He forgot how noisy Commander Crovar was when he slept. He remembered clearly how his tent was placed at the opposite end of a camp just to avoid the other knights being disturbed by such a loud snore.


    The snoring sounded like someone choking on their food. When that happened, Lord Prestonheim would often times smack his friend in the face¡ªand so he did.


    "OW!" Commander Crovar got up in bed looking around confused while holding the hilt of saber. "Who? What?! Is there an invasion?!"


    It never grew old on him! Surprisingly, he still loved the staggard and confused look on his friends face when he slapped him.


    "You¡­were¡­choking!" He stifled a laugh and kept a straight face as his confused friend tried to get a grasp of the situation. "And it''s already late in the Andenoon, we can''t keep our Prince waiting."


    "I¡ªI do not choke! Crovars never do!" Commander Crovar proudly thumped his chest and then, cleared his throat. "Should we be getting umm¡­food now?"


    The silver-haired Commander smiled, "You''ve never changed!" He nodded and proceeded to call a guarding knight to order lunch. The knight came back with a tray of freshly picked fruits, a bottle of pickled berries, smoked trout, pickled beef, and a freshly roasted mountain hare that the beastman caught at the heart of the hills.


    The old friends shared a hearty meal and after gobbling up the food, they hurriedly cleaned themselves and went to the Prince''s tent to continue the meeting they had the night prior. The knights guarding the Prince''s tent greeted with a salute before they entered the tent.


    They entered the tent and was surprised to see scattered parchments and empty inkwells on the ground. The Prince and his ward were busily scribbling on the table. Rolls and rolls of parchment piled on the table that almost made a fortress of rolled sheep skin.


    Lord Prestonheim cleared his throat to get the Prince''s attention, "Good day, Arterius, what is all of these?" He asked.


    Arterius looked at him with a tired smile. His eyes had dark circles obviously from sleeplessness. "Good day, godfather¡­this? This is ahhhhh¡­" He yawned. "Pardon me. Ahem. These are letters to the Senate and the other Houses and Guilds. Basically, I am trying to ask for their support in loaning us for ores and manpower to get us started."


    Both the old knights looked at each other. "B-but Prince Arterius, doing it in such a huge scale could mean the rest of them knowing¡ª" Commander Crovar commented.


    Prince Arterius approached both of them and handed them each a parchment. Lord Prestonheim unfurled the scroll and was shocked to read its contents.


    "W-what is this?! Would they even believe in this?!" Lord Prestonheim exclaimed. "You''re inviting them here! A-are you¡­"


    "Insane?" Prince Arterius interrupted. "Perhaps, I am godfather. But this is our only way to get their attention and support!"


    "Madness!" Commander Crovar rolled back the parchment. "Telling them about this upfront and begging for the things needed is just¡­No! I''m sorry Prince Arterius, but I won''t let you do it."


    Prince Arterius looked at Lord Prestonheim begging for his approval. Unfortunately, the silver-haired Lord have to agree with his friend. This was madness. Lord Prestonheim knew that his godson had bit off more than he could chew with his plan.


    But how could he help his godson with this predicament? Is he willing to let his godson invite all of the Senators here and beg for their generosity? The last thing Lord Prestonheim would want was his godson becoming a laughingstock again. He knew how difficult it was for Prince Arterius to pull-off a task like this. He knew that the poor prince had to prove himself to the Senate and his father for his worthiness. This might get him back to being ridiculed.


    Lord Prestonheim thought hard on what the next step would be to get the weapons they needed. Those blades and armory could really spell success for them inside the hole. The silver-haired Commander never doubted the freed slaves abitilies. He saw that firsthand, how they handled the Dhampiirs but also with that, he saw how draining the spells they have to use to kill those monsters.


    A sword or an arrow made of Adamantite and aetherite alloy could really make a difference. But since it''s forbidden for them to acquire it, they have to be crafty with it. Even if he hired them under his Auxillarium brigade, the freed slaves still won''t get the necessary weapons they need.


    Lord Prestonheim''s desperation to save his godson''s face and this covert mission grew more desperate. There was still one option they could do that is possible, but it would probably raise a few eyebrows at the camp. Then again, it''s a lesser risk compared to the ones they have in mind.


    Lord Prestonheim went outside and asked one of the guarding knights to call for Tristam, his ward. Not a moment to spare, Tristam came rushing inside the tent bowing to the prince and greeting them both Commanders.


    "Tristam, I will make this quick. When you surveyed the mines after the horrific incident, where were the weapons?" He asked.


    Without any hesitation, Tristam answered. "Bieroffs'' knights were too afraid to loot them away. So it stayed there at the camp perhaps until now."


    Commander Crovar''s eyes widened, he knew exactly what Lord Prestonheim was thinking. "Are you insane, August?! Are you trying to desecrate the dead?!"


    "Are you willing to get the Principalia in turmoil with a Lucresia at the helm?" Lord Prestonheim asked him.


    His old friend didn''t say a word. He knew that was the only thing they could do. The best viable option that won''t get them questioned. Although, it was an unspoken rule in the Principalia to never loot a dead person or knight, some still did this, and it looked like Lord Prestonheim and the freed slaves would be part of that few.


    Prince Arterius'' eyes widened as the stark reality of his godfather''s desperation became apparent.


    "Godfather, you''re not doing what I think you''re doing, aren''t you?" The prince felt uncomfortable just thinking about it. "That''s just¡­I¡­maybe there''s another way¡ªoh dear! There isn''t" Prince Arterius looked horrified as Lord Prestonheim stared at him with conviction.


    "By the gods! I hope their souls forgive me for what I am about to do." He mumbled to himself.

 Chapter 103: Desperation

    Aturs, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 33rd day of Fall, Arenfall


    -----------------------


    "But godfather¡­" The prince''s voice echoed around the spacious tent. "What you''re doing could ruin your repu¡ª"


    "Think of this as wartime, Arterius." Lord Prestonheim tried explaining to his godson that what they would be doing was justifiable. "During wartime, during desperate moments, remember this, young prince¡­Morals doesn''t equate to anything. You either kill or be killed. You either starve or be satiated. Your decision would equate into either winning or losing¡­I want you to remember it well."


    There was silence in the room. Commander Crovar stared blankly beyond the tent; Lord Prestonheim knew his friend had a lot of things to say but understood the gravity of the situation.


    He looked at the young prince tapping his fingers on the table. His eyes were filled with what ifs and possibilities. Lord Prestonheim could read his godson''s mind. The young prince wanted to object on his plan but knew it was the easier and safer route compared to his.


    "I do not doubt your intelligence, Arterius." Lord Prestonheim commented. "But I just have to say this¡­your plan will backfire on you. Deep down I know that you knew that much. You cannot just risk yourself every time you''re trying to prove your worth. Let me do that for you." He smiled to reassure the prince.


    Lord Prestonheim could see his godson''s frustrated face. It was the realization of his failure and immature decision that dampened the prince''s mood. As a godfather he understood his godson''s frustration and how he constantly sought for others recognition. He is the first prince of a great empire and yet he was thrown to the sidelines because they couldn''t understand his strength.


    "Godfather," Prince Arterius sighed as he hunched on his chair. "I-I¡­I''m still¡­"


    Commander Crovar approached the somber prince and put a hand on his shoulder. "Don''t say that, Prince Arterius!" He smiled. "It''s the lack of experience that made you come to that decision and I do not blame you for that. Everyone has to experience immaturity to bloom into their best potential." The old Commander nodded to his friend.


    Lord Prestonheim approached his godson and smiled, "Cheer up, Arterius. You''re young, you have a lot to learn. Learn from us, learn from me and lean on me for now. I will teach everything I could teach you." He patted his shoulder. "You have the potential to rule the empire, but right now, let these old bones build the platform for you to stand on."


    His godson nodded and smiled weakly at him. Lord Prestonheim knew that the prince still didn''t want to admit defeat. As a young man, the silver-haired commander felt the urge to prove himself to others and battle his way for the recognition he deserved to this day.


    "I will leave it to you then, godfather." The young prince looked at him. "As for now, I will just keep on doing research on what little information we have about that mysterious ore."


    "You''ll do research here? That''s impossible, we don''t have books or¡ª" Lord Prestonheim saw Stolas from the corner of the room dragging a huge chest to the table. "Oh. You bought your books with you? Was there any written record about that ore?" He asked.


    Arterius shook his head, "There''s none, but these books we sorted should give us snippets." He opened the chest and showed Lord Prestonheim the bundles of scrolls and books they brought from his personal library.


    Lord Prestonheim became curious with the literature the Prince brought. He picked one of the leather covered books and read its title, "Thy Dwyrvyn Hsthry." Lord Prestonheim tried his best to pronounce the Dwarven tongue. He put the book back quickly and began to pull up another one, "Aelfen Haestoreum Bibliyae. These are faerfolk writtings!" He exclaimed.


    "Yes, I know they have a rich history when it comes to meeting the higher beings of our reality, or so they claim." Prince Arterius explained. "In that case, they must have a brief knowledge about these weird stones."


    "Do that, my godson and let me handle the rest for now!" He bowed to Arterius and signaled Commander Crovar to come with him. They left the tent with his friend who was still curious as to how he would initiate this entire ordeal.


    "Tell me, August how are you planning to do this insanity?" Commander Crovar looked at him with concern.


    Lord Prestonheim massaged the bridge of his nose and looked at his friend, "Come with me."


    Both of them walked across the camp and into a tent located at the right edge of the camp. They went back to the freed slaves'' tent where they met the dwarf outside of the tent scraping the fats off some rabbit''s skin.


    The dwarf stood up and greeted the distinguished Commanders with a bow. "Fair day, M''lords!" The dwarf began, "Are yah lookin'' fer Servus---I mean Ada¡­damn it! I still can''t recall dat lad''s name!" The dwarf scratched his head.


    "Fair day to you as well, dwarf." Lord Prestonheim greeted back. "I was hoping to speak with you in my tent." He added.


    "M''lord, ''tis a far walk back! I can give yah stools for both of yah to sit on." The dwarf smiled.


    Commander Crovar was about to say something when Lord Prestonheim immediately gestured to him that he''ll handle the talking. The Naval Commander respected his friend''s wishes and never spoke a word to the dwarf.


    "I have seen your magic spell, dwarf." The silver-haired Commander began. "That was a flaming wall! The same flaming wall that burned half of my battalion during the war at the Gorge. There was only one specialized¡ª"


    "Yah don''t haf tah say dah rest, m''Lord." The dwarf interrupted. His jolly demeanor suddenly turned serious. There was an aura about the dwarf that made him very uneasy. There was something cold and calculating underneath the dwarf''s funny and brash fa?ade. "Let''s go to yer tent."


    There was an eerie silence between the three of them as they walked into Lord Prestonheim''s tent. The silver-haired Lord looked at Commander Crovar whose calm demeanor was contrasted with the aura of rage he felt coming from the man.


    Commander Crovar''s nephew died during the War of the Gorge. His nephew was burned alive on a flaming pillar during a night raid from the opposing rebels. Upon hearing the dwarf''s ability Commander Crovar''s mood shifted into a somber yet seething intensity.


    The tent had a gentle glow coming from the sunroof. Lord Prestonheim and Commander Crovar entered the tent and stood adjacent to his friend across the long table. His eyes furrowed and his face portrayed disgust at the site of the dwarf.


    "August, correct me if I misheard you¡­" Commander Crovar calmly asked. "B-but did you just say f-flaming wall?"


    Lord Prestonheim felt the tension exuding from his friend. The dwarf stood calmly at the other end of the table. Commander Crovar sighed and glared at the dwarf with disgust, "The likes of you killed my¡­" He paused as he gritted his teeth.


    "Can say the same from yer kind¡­" The dwarf didn''t even flinch.


    Commander Crovar met the dwarf''s gaze, "But this is a different time now." He diverted his attention to Lord Prestonheim, "August, this is your plan, I''m not ruining it for you. But¡­we''ll have to talk later." The old Naval Commander walked out of the tent, giving a cold shoulder to the dwarf.


    The intensity of the room didn''t die down with Commander Crovar leaving. The dwarf seemed to have the aura lingering around him. The silver-haired Commander broke the ice by clearing his throat, "I saw a pillar of fire that fateful night in the mines."


    He approached the dwarf who stood at the other end of the table, "I don''t care what you''ve done before, dwarf, during the war--" He stopped in front of the dwarf. "Right now, I need your help with acquiring and making weapons for the descent."


    "Tis a bit early tah go back there." The dwarf sighed. "Tis way sooner, m''Lord."


    "The Prince wants us to work as soon as possible." Lord Prestonheim explained. "And that''s an order I have to obey." Lord Prestonheim hated that conversation. He knew deep down that he was pushing the new citizen of the Principalia to extreme lengths over a desperate effort to take those ores.


    "Urdars, layalty and repyatation. Tis things yah do fer yer nem." The dwarf came a little closer to Lord Prestonheim. "I begin to wonder hus dah slave, truly is?" He smiled.


    Lord Prestonheim felt the dwarf''s point. It was a hard poignant truth that he should bear. It was an insult he slid right past him because his desperation pushed him to turn the freed slaves into working with the country, they thought they were already free from. But if he had to be portrayed as a villain for his godson and beloved Principalia, he''ll take a go at it.


    The dwarf stroked his beard, "I am nay helping yah! Nay fer yer beloved empayar. But tis I shall do fer the lad, that nearly died, fer ars freedom." The dwarf sighed. "What''s yer order?"

 Chapter 104: Blue Haze

    Aturs, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 33rd day of Fall, Arenfall


    -------------------


    Morning came in with a gloomy sky. The sun shied away from the clouds and the little sunlight that kissed the hills created threads of light descending from the heavens. The elf woke up in an empty room. It looked like her comrades had already woken up earlier than they normally did¡ªwell, naturally, the beastman always did that.


    The beastman was always the first to wake-up among them. He hunted early before the sun rose and would''ve cooked breakfast for all of them by the time, they woke up later on the day. The elf usually began her day with a quick prayer to her Goddess, thanking her for the protection during the night. Then the elf would begin scraping the excess fats and sinews from the animal skins the beastman had skinned during his hunt.


    She went out of the tent to begin her task but there was nothing hanging in the rack. She looked around trying to catch a glimpse of one of her comrades. But they were nowhere to be found. She tied her hair back into a bun and made her way into the thick forest outside of the camp to forage for some mushrooms and firewood.


    As she walked along the forest''s winding path, she began to recall the conversation that happened last night with the four of them.


    "Lad, tis deal is a piss, that I know." The dwarf blurted out as he laid on his bed.


    "I know," Adaloun sighed. "But you don''t have to do it. If you have to leave¡ª"


    "Nonsense!" The dwarf growled. "Are yah still that thick-headed to carry dis burden all alone?"


    The beastman sat up from his bed. "You saved and freed us. I won''t leave you again like what happened the last time!"


    The elf wanted to speak up too, but she had nothing good to say. 132-X or now, Adaloun had always been a polarizing figure to her. On one hand, he helped them inside the mines and freed them from slavery. On the other hand, she felt like up until this point, all of his actions were just means to gratify himself. To feel like a hero and be a hero. She never mentioned it to any of them, but she felt as if Adaloun could''ve been a reincarnated being trying to relive his former glory.


    A flock of squawking ducks flew over the gray sky. It got her distracted from the train of thought she had. Her stomach grumbled as she remembered she haven''t had her breakfast up to that point. The elf looked around for a mount of fallen leaves and cleared her way through it. On the cold damp ground, a clump of round and shiny mushrooms formed a small patch of vegetation underneath the leaves.


    She examined it first with her eyes. The last thing she wanted was touching it if in case it was a poisonous type of mushroom. The moon-shy mushroom which is an edible mushroom looked awfully similar to the toadboil mushroom which was of the poisonous variety.


    She took a stick and pressed it on the biggest one she saw. The stick easily pierced its way through the mushroom. The elf checked the stick for any sappy contents, luckily there was none. Her stomach grumbled once more as she realized it was the edible kind.


    The elf took the mushrooms from the ground and gently put it on her sash. She then looked for the shallow stream that was located near from where she was. After finding the stream, she immediately washed the mushroom and sat on a shade from a wailing willow tree just beside the stream.


    She gorged the mushroom. It had always been a favorite of hers ever since she tasted it as a child. The sweet yet savory flavor of the mushroom had always been a mystery to her. As far as what she had read, mushrooms only come in either a citrusy flavor, like the steak mushroom or a savory taste like that of a gopher mushroom.


    But this mushroom flavor was different. It had a delicate spongy texture that crumbled in your mouth with every chew and the juices it produces gave a satiety feeling just by eating few of it. She knew the book she read before as a child needed an updated version.


    The elves of the Vridian forest had never been able to travel the world like they used to during the Age of Wonder. Their ancestors where supposedly great scouts and adventurers who travel the unknown lands of Haelgea, the old name of the Arterian Empire before they conquered most of the lands.


    She dreamed of one day travelling the world like what her ancestors had done. She wanted to meet the mysterious Prairie Elves from the Northern most side of the Great Dunes. Learn the different fauna and flora of the different regions of the world she lived in and experience what it was like to be as free as a bird. Just the thought of it filled her heart with excitement and her body with shivers¡ªat least she could dream of it.


    With the current situation she had now, she was indeed lucky to reach the Isle of Oyue. The isle that not many of her kind had wanted to go to. It was said to be a place of evil and insanity. There were accounts of her ancestors losing their minds in the island after finding a forbidden knowledge they weren''t supposed to learn about.


    She recalled how scared she was when she first set foot on the Crescent Isles. The feeling of dread and uncertainty loomed in on her until she met her newfound friends. The human who polarized himself almost every time, the dwarf who chatters and loved reenact stories and poetry, and lastly a beastman who was too scared and too emotional for his own good. They were all flawed and had their own issues to work on, but they stuck together like the clump of mushrooms she took earlier.


    She took another piece of mushroom and chewed on it slowly. Enjoying every bite of it. She thought of sharing the mushrooms with her friends, but this was her favorite mushroom, and it was hard to get by. The elf would rather keep it to herself¡­on second thought maybe she could give a piece of it to¡ª


    Suddenly she felt a crunch in between her teeth. Was there a piece of rock inside that mushroom? There shouldn''t be any of it as far as she was concerned, she cleaned it thoroughly. She spat the debris out of her mouth and into her palm. The hard object shimmered in the sliver of light that pierced through the clouds.


    The elf took a look into it and noticed it wasn''t a rock but rather a shiny crystal gem. It was clear enough that she was able to see her palm from underneath the crystal. She curiously took the gem let it bask in the sliver of light. That''s when it dawned on her, the story her grandmother talked about the moon-shy mushroom. Legend has it that it was a good omen when you find a gem inside. It was said that the moon goddess had smiled upon you.


    The more she realized what it meant, she suddenly felt dizzy. Her world began to spin and as the grey sky suddenly began to turn oddly blue. She laid her back against the trunk of the tree as her consciousness slowly faded into the sight of the blue haze.


    She opened her eyes and saw nothing but a pale blue light illuminating what seemed to be a paved road. The elf looked around and saw nothing else but the light. Somehow her senses were telling her to follow the path in front of her.


    Although hesitant, she braved herself and walked along the beautifully patterned pavement. There were lines dancing across the path, swirling beautifully as the light casted on it. She walked a bit further and saw strange yet wonderful flowers by the side of the road. They were as pale as the moonlight and yet as she examined it more, she saw it was made of glass.


    She was tempted of picking one up, but for some reason, her senses were stopping her from doing so. Her senses are directing her to move forward, and there was no way for her to control it. So, the elf made her way forward and enjoyed the strange world she was in.


    This dreamworld paradise was something out of the storybooks that she had read when she was younger. The otherworldly appearance was stunning and overwhelming at the same time. If here senses weren''t directing her, she would most likely be lost in bewilderment from the tantalizing view that she saw.


    As she walked further down the road, she heard a humming. A sweet childlike voice humming just not far from where she was. She picked up her pace and eagerly ran to the enchanting hum that sounded like a symphony of birds singing from the distance.


    As she took the final step from the paved road, she saw a figure waiting for her. It was a child of otherworldly beauty. Her pale skin made a beautiful contrast to her flowing sparkling blue hair. Her eyes had a pale blue glow on them that stood out from her already comely face.


    The child smiled at her, "Welcome, you finally found me, Orphella."

 Chapter 105: Red Scorch

    Aturs, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 33rd day of Fall, Arenfall


    ------------------------


    "Orphella, come closer." The child''s gentle smile was inviting her to approach closer. "Do not be afraid, Orphella. I mean no harm."


    The elf hesitantly moved forward towards the child who reached out to her. The elf felt something strange from the child, but she couldn''t put her finger on it. She stopped just by the child''s arms reach and asked.


    "How did you know my name?" She blurted out. The elf''s eyes opened wide; her mouth ajar as she realized a voice was coming out of her. She covered her mouth and tried to runaway but the shock from hearing a voice coming out of her after a long time was unbearable. Her knees shook in fear and bewilderment, she stumbled down as tears fell from her eyes.


    The little child approached her and reached out for her hand, "Are you alright¡ª"


    "DON''T COME NEAR ME!" She swiped the child''s hand and crawled away from her. "W-WHO ARE YOU?!W-WHAT IS THIS?!" The voice felt foreign coming out from her. Regardless of the voice''s sweetness and softness coming out of her, it felt like it was from someone else.


    "W-wh¡­at have you done to me?!" Tears began to flow down her cheeks as she tried to find some answers. The voice was off-putting. It was confusing her so much she bit her lip and refused to open her mouth.


    She did her best to stave away the child from her, but she seemed to be too strong for her. She tried slapping the hand away, but it wouldn''t budge. The only thing the elf could do was close her eyes and pray for her goddess protection.


    She felt the child''s soft and tiny hand touch her forehead. She opened her eyes and saw the child''s comely, yet otherworldly face. All of the sudden a surge of warm, pale blue light began to emit from the child''s hand and directly into her body.


    All her fears and confusion melted as the warm light flowed from within her. She slowly calmed down as the light continued to spread through her body. The light felt like a warm mother''s embrace calming a crying child.


    "I apologize if I have scared you, Orphella." The child said. "It wasn''t my intention to surprise you like that." She smiled.


    "W-whose voice is this?" The elf asked. "W-who¡­are¡­you?"


    The child squatted and patted her head. "That''s your voice. Well, supposedly your voice." She smiled. "For now, I won''t tell you who am I. But know this, you have known me already for quite a long time."


    The child slowly faded from her sight. She began to become transparent, letting things behind her more visible as she faded.


    "I wanted to talk to you some more, but I really need to sleep." The child smiled. "I would like to thank you for keeping me alive all these years. You are one of the few ones who knew and appreciate my name. Thank you." The child finally faded, and she was left alone inside the beautiful blue paradise.


    "Elf?" The beastman''s voice echoed from the blue hazy sky. "Elf¡­are you alright." Suddenly the ground shook. The pave road crumbled and the pale blue light died as she fell into the darkness.


    The elf opened her eyes and saw the silhouette of a man standing right in front of her. The figure blocked the sun shinning directly on her face. It took her another moment to focus her eyesight and realized it was indeed the beastman kneeling in front of her.


    "Are you alright?" The beastman asked again as he held her by the shoulders.


    She tried to open her mouth, but no voice came up, rather it was just a grunt. She felt disappointed and relieved at the same time. It was an overwhelming feeling of ambivalence.


    "A-are¡­you¡ªcrying?" The beastman''s worried face affected her.


    She felt a trickle running down her cheek. The elf immediately touched her cheek and saw the teardrop dampen her finger. She immediate wiped it with her palm and shook her head.


    "I wasn''t crying." She signed. "The sun was just shinning too much it irritated my eye." She deliberately lied about it. She never wanted the worrywart beastman overthink things.


    The beastman hurriedly untied his drinking gourd from his waste and offered it to her. "H-here¡­have some water¡­to¡­uummmm¡­" He was obviously running out of words and opted to sign the drinking part.


    It was a regular occurrence every time the beastman tried to converse with her, he always ended up stuttering or running out of words to say. It was a very unmanly sight the elf thought. In their culture men where always dignified, they knew how to behave themselves in a crowd and knew how to control their emotion so well, they show no hint of it when with others.


    But there was something charming about it¡ªthere was a kind of charmabout her friends'' little quirks. The beastman reached out his hand to her. She recalled the child''s  gesturehad once again. The elf felt a different vibe from that mysterious child. Her aura felt light and almost¡­godly. She shook the idea out of her head and took the beastman''s cold and clammy hand.  They went back to the camp later with some mushrooms that she picked along the way and the games the beastman caught.


    It was already past highnoon and there was still no sign of both the dwarf and the human. Apparently, 132¡­Adaloun opted to go with the dwarf after that heavy conversation they had last night. She helped prepare the food they stacked for the entire day.


    They cooked the rabbits in an open spit for lunch and the wild ducks into a stew with grilled capsicum bells, onions and sweet tomatoes for the evening. After cooking, she hung the mushrooms outside their tent to air dry and be used for tomorrow''s breakfast.


    Sometime later, she went and cleaned the new hides they skinned from the rabbits. It was already in the highest level of Andenoon when she finished cleaning the rabbit skins. She stretched it out and left it to dry outside the tent. From a distance, she saw the beastman hesitantly walking towards her. She noticed his jittery quips as if there was something, he was hiding from her, but she ignored it.


    She went inside the tent and laid on her bed trying to past the time thinking about her dream or better yet get some well-needed nap. As she moved to the side, she felt something bulging from her side pocket. It felt hard and round. She tried ignoring it but for some reason, the object began to burn her skin.


    She immediately pulled out the object from her pocket and saw the red burning crystal that she found inside the moon-shy mushroom. She threw the crystal to the floor as it left a small burnt mark on her palm. The scorching crystal glowed a bright red light before fading away like there was nothing.


    The elf stared at the crystal and then stared at the burnt skin on her palm. Suddenly, the wound began to glow and the formed a swirling line on her palm.


    She looked at the crystal once more and heard it calling her, asking her to raise her hand and call it back to her. She tried to stop herself from doing it, but something inside of her couldn''t resist the crystal''s call. Her hand reached out by itself towards the shimmering crystal.


    The crystal flew into her hand just as the beastman went inside the tent. She immediately hid her hand inside her pocket and acted as if startled to see him come inside the tent. The beastman hesitated as he saw her with a look of surprise in her face.


    "Oh dear!" He exclaimed as he tried to exit immediately from the room. He hid himself between the flaps and only popped out his head as he tried to converse with her. "Ummm¡­I¡­aahhh¡­I''m s-sorry. I¡­d-didn''t mean to startle you."


    "No, you didn''t." She signed. "I was just having a weird dream." She lied again.


    "Oh¡­Ummm¡­" The beastman scratched his head as he emerged from the flaps. "S-sorry to hear that. Umm..well¡­ughhh.." The poor guy still couldn''t make his sentences in front of her. He was looking at the ground the entire time as he looked for possibly something to say.


    She knew how shy the beastman was, but this was just beyond her patience, "Is there something that you want?" She asked.


    The beastman looked at her, his ears wiggled as he nodded. He tried to compose himself and cleared his throat to at least get his mind to work, "Uhmm¡­the dwarf and ummm¡­A-adaloun had returned and we''ve been summoned to the tent¡­ummm¡­ to Lord Preston-heim''s tent." He said.


    The elf got out of bed and nodded to him. She hated those tent meetings. It was so intense and most likely; someone was going to have to do a task for the Principalia. She hated it, the elf just wanted to be free from their grasp.


    The crystal heated up once more, but this time she could hear the child''s voice inside her head.


    "Go! They need you there." The voice inside her head said.


    She was terrified hearing the child''s voice inside her head, but at the same time, it was comforting. The sweet voice relaxed her mind and quelled her surfacing anger. She stood up from her bed and signed to the beastman.


    "Lead the way."

 Chapter 106: Of Fire and Metal

    Chandaea, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 34th day of Fall, Arenfall


    --------------------------------------------------------------


    Earlier that day, the dwarf and Adaloun snuck out from their tent before the sun rose, and immediately reported to Lord Prestonheim who followed them back into the mines along with the small group of knight escorts.


    When they arrived, the knights were instructed by the Commander to wait outside the gates as they went deeper into the eerie silent camp, while alerting themselves of any possible attack that might come out of nowhere. As Lord Prestonheim put it, there might be remnants of those vile Dhampiirs and the last thing they want, was to be ambushed by them.


    Adaloun pushed the cartwheel containing the swords of the fallen knights while the dwarf picked them up and placed them into the barrow. The dwarf looked around the camp, waving his light rune around. There was not a living soul on it, not even the crickets and vermins dared to populate the ghost settlement.


    The dwarf accidentally waved his light towards Tristam, who insisted to go with his Lord inside the dead camp.


    "Ohh¡­That stings!" He squinted.


    "Apalagies, lad." He slightly bowed his head. "Tis just me makin'' sure, nay gon'' tah jump on us in the clear."


    The knight didn''t understand mostly of what he said but he nodded politely at him. They moved along a little further, passed the dilapidated tents while tearing the veil of darkness with the runes they brought with them.


    The wind blew towards them caressing them with its chilling touch. The younger knight shivered and sighed.


    "Cold ayn it?" The dwarf broke the silence.


    "Y-yes." Tristam answered while waving his light rune around, looking for anything that might move towards or away from them. "That looks like another blade." He pointed at the sword stuck on the ground.


    "Yah tis is." The dwarf nodded as he directed his light into it. "Would yah kindly pick the¡­errr¡­watch me back, lad." He changed his mind. The dwarf remembered the Principalian knights tend to be too superstitious for their own good.


    The dwarf recalled their race had a similar superstition about looting, but he thought of it differently this time. This situation was dire, and he thought even those departed souls would understand the quandary they were currently in at the moment.


    "I hope the dead won''t go unrest with what we are doing." The young knight commented as he waved the light rune.


    "Nay, lad." The dwarf answered softly. "The dead shall be glee that tis we get ''em avenged." He looked at the young knight.


    They were able to gather almost all of the blades that the fallen knights left inside the camp. The dwarf looked at all the blade inside the cart barrow looking contented with the amount they had. He looked at Adaloun and gave him a nod.


    "Lad, we are goin'' tah dig a hole." The dwarf instructed Adaloun.


    His friend nodded and took out the pickaxe and shovel they brought on the cart. The dwarf took the pickaxe and drew a square four footlings by four four footlings. His human friend then dug out the ground inside the square until it was deep enough for him to stand on.


    The sun had already peeked in the horizon when they finished digging the squared pit. The dwarf and the knights helped Adaloun out of the hole. After removing him off the hole, the dwarf stood at the corner of his outline and touched the hole''s opening.


    "Dey come by eight, dey come by strong, may he who toiled them lands be stronger than bone." The dwarf activated a magic spell that even the veteran knight Prestonheim wasn''t able to learn.


    As he released the spell, the ground started to solidify. The soft ground became rigid and hardened itself into rocks. After the walls have turned to stone, the dwarf along with Adaloun poured the contents of the cart into the pit.


    The dwarf took out from his pocket the earth runes lent to him by Lord Prestonheim. He placed it on the ground in every corner of the square. He chose his own corner and asked the other men to do the same.


    "Right!" The dwarf took a deep breath. "I need alofyah tah getta yer places."


    The other men chose their own positions and stood into their corners. They knelt down and touched the runes placed on the ground.


    "On my mark, we activate dem runes together!" The dwarf commanded.


    The three men nodded and waited for his command.


    "Un, two¡­" He looked at the other men. "Three."


    They focused their exousia on the runes and release its magic forming a tall pillar of soil. The dwarf then controlled the rest of runes by skillfully molding it into a roof to cover the pit.  He molded it some more and integrated his spell to make the soil turn into stone, a perfect insulator for what was about to come next.


    The dwarf wiped the sweat off his brow. Molding the runes was a bit difficult than one might''ve thought. It required focus and skill just to command the runes release into a form of his choice. Tristam pulled out a bottle of restoration potion from his pocket and gave it to the dwarf.


    The dwarf looked at him and nodded. "Thank yah, lad." He drank the potion and replenished the exousia he lost earlier.


    He took a clump of ground in his hand; and he molded a siphon big enough to fit the opening on the other side of the roof. He attached it using his magic and checked if it was snugly attached. When he was contented with the fit, he then began writing runes into the kiln like structure.


    He made a long line of Dwarven runes until he reached the outer corner of the kiln. He repeated the process until he filled every corner with the specific runes. The dwarf went back into the siphon and placed his hand over the opening.


    He took another long breath and focused his exousia into his hand. He slowly released his exousia into the kiln. The runes glowed a slight tinge of crimson as his exousia slowly incorporated into the writings on the make-shift kiln.


    "Fhyr dht mhlts thy lhyf, I hsk th byrn thy wyrld, mihk ht nhw. (Fire that melts life; I ask to burn the world and make it anew)" The dwarf chanted. He took a deep breath and with remaining exousia, he released the magic. "Brhyth hf dy Wyrm (Dragon''s Breath)!"


    A sudden violent surge of fire was unleashed into the siphon. The fire roared as it engulfed the alloyed blades, melting it in a temperature that might rival that of the liquid fires of Mount Kaspharia. Everyone felt the heat as the fire slowly melted the swords.


    It was the first time in a long time when he felt the scorching flames licked his skin like those in the forge, he used to work in. It was a nostalgic vibe of mixed emotions, part of him missed the hot and smoldering forges of his kingdom. On the other hand, he didn''t want to recall the many ways he used his flame magic in the past.  The screaming poor souls he trapped and burnt during the war sometimes gave him nightmares especially after fighting against the Dhampiirs.


    Before he was captured as a slave, he swore to himself never to use flame magic again, but yet, here he was pathetically using the same magic he promised himself never to use again. He could''ve declined the Lord Prestonheim right then and there, but he didn''t want his friend to be in trouble.


    To him, Adaloun had contributed much to save him from his own despair. The human gave him a family he thought he had lost and the struggles Adaloun had to overcome became something that inspired him to move forward despite the demons that tried to drag him down.


    He looked at the surging flames and poured a little more of his exousia to reach the optimal temperature needed to melt the adamantine alloy, then he heard the first cracking sound of the blade. It was then he knew he had reached the optimal heat needed to melt the supposedly indestructible metal known throughout the Principalia.


    "Indestructible, heh." The dwarf said smugly.


    The dwarf knew the properties of Adamantine and knew very well that it was not as indestructible as the human scribes had described it to be. Adamantine on its own was just a plain metal. The only difference it had was the high threshold it had with its hardness.


    The metal was heralded as the hardest metal in the world. But it wasn''t at its toughness that the Adamantine was known for. The faerfolk often used this sturdy element on their weapons and armor. Contrary to popular belief, wasn''t the toughness of Adamantite that made it world-renowned. It was its ability to store and project exousia that made it the primary ingredients for armor and weaponry.


    The dwarves had mastered the use of Adamantite through runes. Their craftmanship and rune work was second to none, and during the Great Uprising their weapon stood and almost drove the Principalia to the brink of defeat.


    The dwarf could no longer stand the heat of the kiln, he stepped away from the kiln and sat on the ground from a safe distance.


    Lord Prestonheim approached him as Tristam gave him another bottle of the potion.


    "Is it done?" Lord Prestonheim couldn''t contain his sense of urgency.


    "Nay yet, m''Lord." He answered. "Tis need tah wait until everything melts and cools down." He pointed at the kiln.


    The fire crackled violently inside the kiln. The dwarf looked at Lord Prestonheim who incidentally stared at him. The Commander''s expression felt painfully unbearable. He could feel a painful memory as he felt the heat of the flames.


    "W-we better check the perimeter for anything." Lord Prestonheim said. "Tristam, Adaloun, since it''s already sunrise, we can now roam around freely into the camp, but of course, just be vigilant in case something might come up." He ordered them both.


    Lord Prestonheim received a nod from the other two men and made their way into the empty tents. The silver-haired Commander on the other hand, made one last glance to the dwarf. "Are you coming with?" He asked.


    "Nay, m''Lord. Tis one had tah check tis kiln every moment." The dwarf bluntly refused.


    "Very well, be vigilant for anything and one more thing¡­" Lord Prestonheim pulled out his dagger and gave it to him. "I know you fairly know how to use this."


    The dwarf stood up and accepted the dagger. "This''ll do!" He bowed to the Commander.


    "Aren''t you going to check if the blade is sharp?" Lord Prestonheim asked.


    "Nay, I trust yer blade with me life." He answered as he sat back and stared at the flames. "Even if I don''t trust yah." He mumbled softly not to let Lord Prestonheim hear.

 Chapter 107: The Tempering

    Chandaea, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 34th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ---------


    The dwarf stared at the glistening blade he stabbed into the ground. In their culture stabbing a blade in the ground was frowned upon. The dwarves believed that stabbing the blade on the ground disrespected the maker of that weapon.


    The dwarf didn''t care about that! After Lord Prestonheim gave him the blade, he felt something was off with its balance. The dagger had a heavier hilt compared to the blade, that indicated the exousia cannot properly spread all over the blade when activated.


    He detested the dagger but chose to accept it from Lord Prestonheim just so he can entertain himself with how ridiculously flawed the structure of the dagger was. He knew for certain it was made by a dwarf with lesser experience as he slowly observed the embroideries and sculpting of the hilt.


    Being great blacksmiths as they are, Dwarves had always honed their craft to perfection to a point that even the elves would ask them to create weapons for their own clans. The dwarven blacksmiths took pride of their work and would prove to any other blacksmiths dwarven or otherwise, that their work is superior compared to others.


    The dwarf was no exception. It was something that he stubbornly kept in his system, the pride of being a smith. He silently critiques the Principalian weapons whenever he sees them. Too big for a hilt, too narrow along edges of the blade, too unbalanced. Even if the blades were customized to fit the bearer''s preference, the dwarf could still see the flaws in that weapon and would sometimes imagine fixing the problems to make it a better weapon for its owner. But that''s just¡ªa wishful thinking.


    The flame roared and crackled inside the make-shift kiln. The dwarf reached out for the rune he conveniently drew just within his reach and released its magical function. With that rune, he was able to see the melting alloy inside the kiln without burning his face off.


    The melting blades were slowly bubbling and deforming, a good sign that the flames inside the kiln was the ideal and optimal temperature of the Adamantite and aetherite alloys inside. Too hot and it could ruin the integrity of the alloy once you tried and take shape of it. Too cold and it might break once you start the tempering process. This was one of the complicated steps that the smith had to follow in working with the type of alloy he had been presented with.


    The process took out almost the entire day to melt and cooldown the huge cube of alloy now inside the kiln. The sun was already shying away from the horizon by the time they took it out of the improvised kiln.


    The dwarf lifted the ground where the cube rested with his magic and slowly placed it into a horse drawn wagon that Lord Prestonheim ordered his men to bring. The cube was heavy and dense, the wagon dipped a little bit as the big piece of alloy was placed there.  The dwarf and Adaloun had to cover it with damp cloth and proceeded to go back to the camp.


    As the dwarf drove back to the camp, he recalled that most of the escorting knights looked at him and Adaloun with a look of dread and disgust. Well, he can''t blame them for that, they just broke one of the taboos of the Arterian Society, pillaging the dead.  He just wished that the knights could look at Lord Prestonheim with the same look that they did with them.


    The Arterian Empire who always pride themselves of their fairness towards their citizens was nothing more than a visage to the rotten institution that it really is. Faerfolk, slaves, and other races had never been treated equally in the empire and it was very obvious at that time too.


    The prejudice in the eyes of those knight escorts were visible and piercing. The dwarf felt uncomfortable as their eyes stabbed him. He put his head down as he tried to calm himself from bursting out of anger. He was too tired and hungry for that, but he''s nearing the point of his annoyance.


    "Men, if you want someone to blame for this, blame it on me." Lord Prestonheim spoke out nowhere. "They are just the collateral for our quest to greatness. So, if you want to be disgusted at someone, be disgusted with me." The Commander''s somber and heavy voice deterred the knights from daring to look at them again.


    The dwarf glared at the knights before putting his hood on and gave the reins to Adaloun.


    "Lad, wouldya tek the reins, please?" He handed it over to Adaloun. "Tis a bit drowsy, I might drove us to a cliff or somewhere."


    Adaloun cracked a smile on his somber face and gladly took the reins from him. The dwarf smiled back and took a good nap the rest of the way. By the time he woke up, the darkness had completely filled the sky and they were already inside the camp''s gigantic wooden gates.


    The dwarf stretched his arms and felt his stiff muscles expand as he did his best to wake his body up.  The elf and the beastman approached them immediately. They were eagerly waiting by the gates and was anxious about the task he gave them.


    Yesterday afternoon, all four of them were called by Lord Prestonheim inside his tent. The Commander instructed them tasks like the ones that they did today. As for the elf and the beastman, they were ordered to set up a tent at back end of the woods while Lord Prestonheim''s ward, Tristam was asked to inquire for the extra anvil the smith master had on display inside the camp.


    The dwarf didn''t like the idea of borrowing the anvil from the smith master inside the camp. Not only was it inappropriate for one smith to use a borrowed tool, but it will also put them on the prejudiced eyes of some knights inside the camp.


    "Tis like a husband askin'' yeh fock ''is wife! Tis a blhndyhr!" He recalled spatting out during that brief meeting.


    The beastman was all smiles as he approached them. The dwarf couldn''t say what to think of it. The elf nodded to both of them and signed.


    "We were lucky enough to have the tools you need ready just in time." She said with a gesture of relief.


    "Did yah both hadda hard time with et?" The dwarf asked.


    "Oh well¡­ummm¡­the master smith was understand¡ª" The beastman tried to explain when suddenly out of nowhere someone butted in.


    "Ah! You must be the dwarf! Well, met good Ser!" The burly man with handlebar mustache approached the dwarf. "How rude of me, I am the master smith, you can call me, Round." The master smith reached out for his hand and offered a handshake.


    The dwarf took his hand and shook it, "Well met, Ser Ruund. ''Scuse me thick accent!"


    The master smith laughed. "No insult taken! I would really love to talk to you some more, but duty calls. Feel free to visit my smithy, you know where it is and don''t be shy, you are always welcome there!"


    The dwarf nodded, "I will take yah up on dat!"


    The master smith went back to his smithy. As for the rest of them, they drove the horse-drawn cart to where the make-shift smith was. The elf and the beastman guided them through the dark path until they reach the set-up tent.


    It was truly distant from the camp just like what the dwarf asked. His reason for it, he didn''t want to be bothered by anyone once he started creating the weapons. The dwarf passed through two big trees facing each other. He felt a slight tingle as he went forward from the tree.


    "Lass," He called the elf. " Hafta put some wards ''round ''ere?" He asked.


    The elf nodded.


    "Dear me, thoz were strong ''uns!" He smiled.


    The elf smiled back and pointed the tent.


    "We have arrived!" The beastman jollily announced. "Welcome to your smithy!"


    Adaloun looked at him at the dwarf and smiled, "That''s a fairly small smithy. But, not bad."


    The dwarf looked back at Adaloun, "Dey did der best tah make it look the part." He smiled back.


    He went down from the wagon and excitedly walked into the tent. As expected, there was nothing around. There were no hooks hanging on the wall, and the kiln was yet to be made. It was not like the hot and sweaty forges he used to work at Vridian Mountains, but he liked it, nonetheless.


    "Oh! By the way, the smith master also wants you to have this." The beastman gave him the blacksmith''s tools wrapped in fine leather with a dwarven insignia scorched on front.


    "Tis a dwyrvyn mark!" The dwarf exclaimed. "How?"


    "He said his master was a dwarf and gave it to him before he died." The elf answered.


    The dwarf unwrapped the leather and saw the beautiful tools underneath. The hammer was embroidered with art from the Mystbrykyr clan.


    The dwarf sighed. As a dwarf they were never allowed to use another tool other than what they made. But this wasn''t the time to complain about it. He had no materials to build one himself and he had no ample time to create one even if he had the materials to do it.


    "Mhy thy spyryts fyrgyv mhyn yntrysn. (Spirits forgive my intrusion)" He mumbled. He looked at everyone and asked them to go back to the camp.


    "Don''t you need our help?" Adaloun asked.


    "I do need yer help, but I need to cleanse the place and these items too." He answered. "Tis a tradition of uurs. Tis I need tah do."


    Everyone nodded and went back to the camp. Now the dwarf was alone, it was time for him to dedicate the camp to his goddess and pray for their success in the upcoming campaign¡ªback to that hellhole.

 Chapter 108: That Campfire Pt.1

    Sarda, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 39th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ------------


    The camp has been busier lately. The nonstop clanging of iron from the blacksmith''s and dwarf''s tent could be heard all throughout the gloomy hours of Obscuros. In the day, the knights were constantly training, slashing, evading and studying tactics. Their Commander had called for them to arms. He asked only for the bravest and skillful men to join him in the expedition and these knights are trying to prove that indeed they are.


    From the distance, Adaloun along with the beastman observed them as they skinned their freshly caught game earlier that morning. He looked at them with somber and dread. He knew that most of them would die there. Probably, they''d run away from the fear those unknown creatures might instill on them. Anyone would run away from that; he did, but he was just lucky to be alive.


    He heard a heavy sigh from the beastman. He looked to him and asked, "Is something the matter?" As he continued to separate the rabbit''s sinew from the skin.


    "I¡­I-I''m¡­just afraid what that hole has for us." He said nervously.


    Adaloun knew the beastman was treading his words as much as he can. The big guy, despite his appearance had a gentle soul. As much as he would love to reassure him, he just couldn''t find the right words to say. Not in the situation they would be facing on in the following days.


    "We all have to be ready." Adaloun replied. "Luck could only take us so far. The monsters down there will eat us along with our luck if we''re not ready. How''s your training with Ser Tristam?" He immediately changed the subject.


    The beastman grew gloomier. "Tough. Ser Tristam is so strict¡­and¡­I¡­" The poor soul bit his lip. "The other squires take glances at me, as if I was some filth. They won''t partner with me¡­so Ser Tristam had to intervene." He sighed.


    Adaloun felt the beastman''s pain. Ever since coming to this world, being born as a slave was never an easy walk in the park for him. He remembered when he was younger how other knights would give him piercing glares, looking at him, berating him for the class he was born into.


    He imagined the beastman''s predicament was much worst. He''s a non-human slave, freed only by favor from the Lord Commander and now being trained in combat along with future knights. Adaloun pitied him for the humiliation he had to go through just to be trained in the art of combat that he was not accustomed to in the first place. So, he had an idea.


    "Hey, beastman," Adaloun smiled at him. "How about I train you instead? Let me assess what you have learned."


    The beastman''s eyes widened, "W-wa...waaiit! Y-you w-want me to f-fight you? Surely, you jest."


    The beastman tried to shake it off as a joke, but Adaloun''s piercing gaze told him otherwise. "Nope. I am serious. Let''s do it after breakfast." He nudged the beastman''s shoulder.


    The elf came later with their meal. The dwarf wasn''t around to join them again today. He had locked himself away from them ever since he got the forge running and had been working nonstop since. The elf told both of them that the dwarf was doing fine, albeit too buried in his work.


    "What is he even doing there?" The beastman asked the most obvious question.


    The elf looked at him annoyed with his dumb question, "Smithing, I guess?"


    "Oh!" The beastman''s face flushed in red as he realized how stupid his question was.


    There was an awkward air of silence after that. Adaloun noted how the elf was irritable towards them lately. The usual timid and observing elf seemed to be irritated and jittery the past few days. Every now and again she would wake up at night on her bed as if she had woken up from a nightmare. He thought that the constant lack of sleep might have affected her psyche the past few days.


    "Is everything okay?"Adaloun asked the elf.


    The elf nodded and hurriedly finished her food and walked out from there. Adaloun was confused about it as much as the beastman was. She might be worried about them going down the hole once again. The dwarf told him that they had to fight those damned monsters before he woke up and so it was certainly understandable why she was pissed at the idea of them going back into that sealed hole.


    The beastman sighed, he looked like he had lost his appetite. Adaloun patted his back and tried cheering him up, "There¡­there¡­now! Eat, you''ll need it for later." He wanted to cheer up the big guy, but it ended sounding like he wanted him to numb the beastman''s pain.


    The duo went back to cleaning the rabbit skins until it was already mid-day. Adaloun tapped the beastman''s back and gestured him to follow. The beastman hesitantly stood up and followed him. They went to the clearing near the dwarf''s forge and began the evaluation.


    "Look, beastman," Adaloun sighed at his hesitant trainee who was having none of it. "We need to get you in shape. Once we''re in the hole, who knows what other monsters might lurk there! We need you to be ready!"


    "I-I can defend myself and you guys¡­I mean¡­I am a¡ª" The beastman said.


    "Try not to be overconfident with your strength, it could only do so little against those monsters." Adaloun rebutted. "Here, take this." He handed over a wooden sword to the beastman.


    The beastman immediately recognized the wooden blades, "H-how did you get these? These are the knight''s training swords!" He exclaimed.


    Adaloun smirked at the beastman, "I stole them." He answered casually.


    "What?! Y-you s-stole¡­No, I am not using these!" The beastman dropped the sword to the ground like it was a hot clay pot. "You know we could be punished for this!"


    "No, he won''t." A familiar voice broke through the woods.


    "Took you a while to get here, Ser Tristam!" Adaloun exclaimed. "I thought you got lost in the woods!"


    "I just had to finish training with my men to get them ready." He descended from the slope and into the clearing. "There''s only a few more days left before we start the descent. I wanted my men to be prepared for anything."


    "No one can ever be prepared for anything." Adaloun said as he rushed towards the unsuspecting beastman. The beastman''s reacted by raising his arms forward, shield his neck and face to stop the blade from slashing his head off.


    The beastman poorly defended himself and went down on the ground as Adaloun pointed the blade on his face.


    "I wasn''t ready!" The beastman shouted. "Y-you tricked me! You were still speaking to Ser--" He pointed at Adaloun


    "That was exactly my point!" He offered his arm to the beastman, but his friend flicked his hand out of annoyance. "Take the wooden sword and let''s do it¡ª"


    "No, I won''t. Not anymore!" The beastman walked out of the scene.


    Adaloun had to play dirty on him once again, "So you''ll just run away and leave us there? Damn, what a friend!" He guffawed.


    The beastman suddenly stopped and turned back to him. He approached Adaloun and shoved him to the ground. "You want me to play this game?! Fine!" He angrily picked up the wooden blade from where he dropped it and charged into Adaloun.


    The beastman wildly swung the blades, making it easy for Adaloun to evade the attack. From a distance he could hear Tristam shouting to the beastman, coaching him of what he needed to do. The beastman wasn''t listening, he was slowly giving into his primal senses and was attacking with fervor without thinking of the consequences.


    Adaloun easily bobbed and weaved out of the attacks then countering it with an attack of his own. He hit the beastman''s body with speed and precision, that the beastman''s knees shook as their match continued.


    With every slash, Adaloun sought for a counter hit either with the blade, his fist or a kick. The match ended with the beastman lying on the ground, battered from all the counterattacks he suffered. The beastman looked blankly at the sky as his tears welled-up in his eyes.


    "You have the strength and speed, Ser beastman." The knight approached them. "But your skills need refinement. You can''t just put your faith on your instincts. What if someone will¡ª"


    "I know! I¡­know¡­" The beastman said as his voice cracked. "Just¡­leave me be...for now¡­ Please."


    Adaloun tapped Tristam''s shoulder and gestured him to leave along with him.


    They left the beastman crying on the ground as the sky slowly turned into the beautiful crimson velvet. Adaloun felt guilty of what he did. He thought he just broke the beastman, but he also knew he needed that push. He didn''t care if the beastman would loathe him after that but his taking that gamble. He would rather see him living at the end of the day.


    "Would he take that lesson to heart?" The knight asked.


    "I could only hope." Adaloun answered.


    They parted ways after arriving at the camp. The elf was already preparing their dinner, chopping the vegetables into cubes for the soup.


    Adaloun started the flame and created a decently proportioned bonfire for the elf to cook with. The elf hung the pot in a makeshift hanger and began cooking. Adaloun silently observed the elf as she cooked. His mind was still confused at the decision he made earlier with training the beastman.


    "I certainly hope you understand what I just did, beastman." He mumbled as the wood crackled from the fire''s embrace.

 Chapter 109: That Campfire Pt.2

    Sarda, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 39th day of Fall, Arenfall


    -------------------------------------------------------------


    The soup simmered as the flames continued to lick on the pot. The elf lifted the lid, releasing the wonderful aroma of vegetable and meat. Adaloun''s stomach began to growl as he inhaled the delectable flavors of the soup.


    "That''s a wonderful¡­" Adaloun''s saliva dripped as he spoke. He covered his mouth and wiped the dripping fluid from it. He was famished since he trained the beastman the rest of the day, that he forgot lunch. "''Scuse me, is that ready?" He asked the elf.


    The elf covered her mouth to hide the huge cracking smile on her face. She nodded to answer his question. Adaloun took the bowl and didn''t wait for the elf''s signal. He took the ladle in the pot and scooped a generous amount of vegetable and meat into his bowl.


    The elf looked irked looking at how desperate he was that evening to eat. But there was something in that soup that made him crave for it even more¡ªor maybe he was just that hungry? Adaloun hastily chowed on the soft hot vegetables. He opened his mouth as he chewed on it as he tried to avoid burning his mouth.


    He took another scoop of the soup and put its liquid deliciousness into the bowl. He took a sip of it and was filled with the flavorful embrace of such delicate taste. The wonderful vegetable harmonized well with the meat juices and its tenderness gave it an extra delicate texture. It made Adaloun smiled as his hunger was slowly satiated.


    "Where''s the beastman?" The elf signed.


    It took Adaloun a moment to answer the question, "He''s still back in the woods." He took another scoop of the soup.


    The elf offered him a piece of bread rationed to them by Lord Prestonheim. Adlaoun thanked her, tore a piece and dipped it in the soup. As he enjoyed his meal, he couldn''t help but notice the elf''s worried look as she bobbed her head, looking from the distance.


    Adaloun was already on his third bowl when the beastman decided to show up from the shadows of the woods. He sat beside him and spoke.


    "You''re right," He began, "I need to be strong." The beastman clenched his fist.


    "You''re already strong," Adaloun patted the beastman''s back, "What you need is to hone that strength so you can use it properly." He smiled.


    The beastman gave him a tired smile. The flame illuminated the beastman''s face and revealed the welts and bruises he got from earlier. Adaloun''s eyes widened as he saw the damage, he had done to the beastman. The light love taps weren''t that light after all.


    "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!" The elf stood up from her seat and approached the beastman to check his injuries. "WHO DID THIS TO YOU?!" The elf signed to the beastman.


    Adaloun saw the look of concern on the elf''s face. She looked at the wounds and assessed them, then looked at Adaloun with a piercing glare.


    "Did you two fought each other?" The elf''s brow creased as she tried to pat the bulging hematoma on the beastman''s right eye. "This is a big welt!" She looked at both of them furiously like a mother about to scold her children. Somehow the elf''s aura changed, it felt like as if it was crushing both of them.


    Adaloun and the beastman felt very uneasy. It was very unwise to speak out, but it was also foolish not to answer her.


    "Well," The elf signed as she tapped her feet on the ground. "You said it was training?"


    Both men looked away and tried not their best not to meet her gaze. Adaloun could feel the sweat running from his brow. His throat was parched. Throughout the many monsters and demonlords he encountered; this felt the most unnerving of them all.


    "Aye! Is suppar ready?" The dwarf suddenly came out of nowhere.


    Adaloun could hear the big sigh of relief coming from the beastman. He slowly tried to get a glimpse about their current situation and saw the elf''s angry glare directly looking at him. He looked away once again.


    "Relax, lass." The dwarf tried to calm the seething elf down. "Tis was nay scuffle. Them both were trainin." He explained.


    The elf scratched her head and looked at the both of them once more. She pointed at them one more time trying to make a point to the dwarf, but the dwarf insisted that it was a part of an extensive training.


    "Lass, I was there." He explained. "Them didn''s saw me but I took a peek at them when I heard some ruckus."


    The elf threw her arms into the air as she finally gave up to the dwarf''s argument. But before she did, she made one last piercing gaze to the both of them.


    "Ey! Both of yah all ear ''ere!" The dwarf called out. It looked like the elf asked the dwarf get their attention. "The lass had something to say!"


    Adaloun hesitantly turned around. He saw the beastman''s hunched frame as he turned around and noticed more bruises on his back. It was way too big. Even his masters from before would hold back a little more to make way for their student''s level.  What he did was almost close to beating.


    The elf went back to her seat and scooped a bow full of soup for the beastman and the dwarf.  Adaloun had a sigh of relief, finally he could eat in peace once again.  He saw the elf hand over the bowl to the dwarf, then to the beastman.


    "You can only eat one bowl of soup." She said to the beastman.


    "B-but¡­" The beastman tried to protest but the elf''s glare was too terrifying, he simply sat down and ate his soup slowly and silently.


    "Come on, lass!" The dwarf spoke out for the beastman. "Yah be lil considerate to the lad. He¡ª"


    "Would you also like to stop at just one bowl?" The elf signed to the dwarf.


    The dwarf looked at her straight in the eye with a hint of defiance, "Well, I won''t¡ª" Suddenly the dwarf''s stomach grumbled violently. It looked like they weren''t the only one who was hungry that night. The dwarf looked at them and silently ate on his seat beside the elf.


    Even the dwarf couldn''t risk it. He was too hungry as well! He looked at the beastman with apologetic eyes and began slurping his soup until empty, then asking for seconds. The elf obliged him, thankfully.


    After their awkwardly silent meal, the elf took out the pot and the bowl, then stormed out of the campfire. The beastman stood up and tried to follow him but Adaloun and the dwarf were quick to stop him.


    "Let the lass calm down." The dwarf explained.


    "It was just training!" Adaloun explained, "I never thought she would react to it that badly."


    "The lass was concerned with whut yah did ta ''im." The dwarf pointed at the beastman who stared blankly at the flames.


    Adaloun looked at the beastman''s face again and saw the big welt protruding like a horn on the side of the poor man''s head. Looks like, he swung the wooden sword with too much force, the bruises all over the beastman''s body made his tattoos shrink.


    "Yah, overdid it, lad." The dwarf clicked his tongue. "I wuz watchin both of yah from afar."


    "I guess your right," Adaloun sighed. "Beastman, I''m sorry if I had¡ª"


    "No, keep that apology." The beastman replied. "You were right. I often just use my strength rather than other things. I thought about it and saw the many times you held back a swing when you tried hitting my vital organs."


    Adaloun looked at the beastman curiously, "So you''re saying¡­you want me to train you that way?"


    The beastman''s hands jittered. Adaloun knew he was afraid, but he was adamant about the entire training. The beastman took a deep breath and answered, "Yes, please help me learn. I want to protect all of you. I don''t want that thing to happen again."


    "Whut thing?" The dwarf asked.


    Adaloun saw the beastman bit his lip as his brows furrowed. He was trying to stop his already watery eyes from gushing over.


    "I don''t want to become useless again." He said. "I don''t want to runaway anymore. I don''t want to feel like a deadweight any longer. Please train me as hard as you possibly can!" The beastman knelt on the ground.


    "Whut are yah saying, Lad!" The dwarf butted in. "Yer nay deadweight! But yah certainly need tah learn things if yah want tah protect the ones yah love." The dwarf smiled at him.


    "Get up, beastman!" Adaloun commanded. "You have no right to kneel down to me. I am no Lord nor a man of power.I am your friend and as friend I will help you with that!" He took the beastman''s arm and pulled him back to his feet.


    "It''s going to be a heavy tomorrow. Are you up for it?" Adaloun asked.


    The beastman smiled with no hesitation in his eyes, "Yes. I will be ready."

 Chapter 110: That Campfire Pt.3

    Sarda, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 39th day of Fall, Arenfall


    --------------------


    After that little scene, the men sat down silently and stared blankly at the campfire; unmoving. The dwarf threw stones at the fire, while the beastman cracked his knuckles; exhaling rapidly as his foot jerked with anticipation for tomorrow''s activities.


    Adaloun awkwardly sat there doing nothing as both of his comrades did their anxious quirks as they waited for the elf to return¡ªor will she ever return? He certainly hoped that she did. This was the first time in a long time that they had a campfire session again, but everything seemed to be off.


    Somehow someone had to break the ice. The chilling silence did not go well with the cold breeze blowing that night. The campfire felt so empty and too quiet.


    "Ummm¡­How are the weapons going?" Adaloun finally had the heart to speak.


    The dwarf looked at him while caressing his fluffy beard. "Tis goin'' great! I haf been shapin'' em accordin'' tah the diagrams!" The dwarf enthusiastically answered.


    The beastman sighed. "Looks like we are¡­r-really doing it, huh?"


    "Yeah¡­in a few days..." Adaloun took a deep breath, "I hate that hole! Sometimes I regr¡ª"


    "Halt it there, lad." The dwarf clicked his tongue. "Nay regrets! Tis a bettar life than whut we haf before!"


    "We have food in our bellies and a comfortable bed." The beastman interjected. "We won''t die starving. If we meet our end, at least we die choosing it."


    "Like a lotta times I said, lad." The dwarf smiled. "We''f agreed tah doh this!"


    The elf came back a few moments after their conversation. On her hand she had 4 wooden mugs. The beastman immediately went to her aide and tried helping her but she refused. Instead, she signed to him something. The beastman and the dwarf''s eyes lit up with excitement.


    Adaloun was confused. He still couldn''t get the few details from the elf''s gestures, "There''s¡­a¡­.crocket o-of¡­bear?" He scratched his head. "What does that mean?"


    "Yah silly lad!" The dwarf guffawed. "Tis beer! A barrel''o beer!"


    "Beer?!" Adaloun didn''t know that it existed here in this world. "There''s beer here?!"


    The dwarf cracked the biggest smile, "Nay ''ere at the Crescent! Tis haf to be exported from Vridian!" The dwarf bit his lip. "I mean¡­Faerynhil." There was a sad tone on his voice, but the dwarf shook it off and laughed once more.


    The elf gave them the mugs and they excitedly waited. As they did, another spree of awkward silence came about. Although the elf had a better mood now, Adaloun and the dwarf still treaded lightly around her.


    "I apologize for the outburst earlier." She immediately began.  "I was just¡­worried I-I thought¡ª"


    "It was the only way I knew to train him." Adaloun interrupted. "The beastman is strong, but he is too kind. Far too kind."


    The dwarf silently listened to their entire conversation and only spoke to translate the elf''s gestures.


    "Is there something wrong with being kind?" The dwarf worded the elf''s gestures.


    Adaloun looked stared at the fire for a moment while tapping his mug. "Too much kindness in battle will get you killed." He rebutted. "Being kind is one thing but being kind to the point of not hurting someone during a battle is purely foolish."


    The elf sighed as she closed her eyes and gave Adaloun a serious stare. "But still, you went overboard! I thought the knights beat him into a pulp!"


    "It was the only way for him to learn." Adaloun explained. "If he won''t do it or if he holds back while we''re down there, we''ll all going to die. Trust me on this!"


    There was silence again. The elf understood his point and didn''t want to further talk on the topic. Adaloun knew the struggle they had to go through when they faced the Obscurii. They had to be ready for it both mentally and physically since the monsters will manipulate you and command through fear.


    "I curse that damned hole!" Adaloun complained.


    "The same." The elf sighed and leaned closer to the fire to warm her hands.


    The cold breezed once again blew its bone-piercing chill.


    "Where''s that beer?!" The dwarf exclaimed as he rubbed some heat on his shoulders.


    "I brought the beer!" The beastman happily carried the barrel on his shoulders.


    "Ah! Finally!" The dwarf stood up in excitement and applauded the magnificent oak barrel as it was being carried. "Something to warm us up!"


    "So, is it real beer?" Adaloun asked.


    "Yah funny, Lad!" The dwarf cracked a smile. "O''course tis!"


    Adaloun wasn''t a heavy drinker even during his previous incarnations, but he did drink occasionally. Beer was the most common drink that he drank over all his incarnations. It came with different names and different preparations during his lifetimes. But one thing also remained the same, beer had a fizzy sensational taste in the mouth that he enjoyed.


    They set-up the barrel in front of them and took out the cork sealing of the barrel. The beastman easily poured the beer on their mugs and he never spilled a single drip of it. After filling up their mugs they went back and sat back down awkwardly looking at each other as if everyone were strangers.


    "Why are we gloomy and somber?" The dwarf stood up and raised his glass. "T''night tis time tah drink. Let''s farget the troubles and welcome the spirit of merriness! Cheers!"


    "The dwarf has a point!" Adaloun thought to himself. Instead of worrying what the future holds, they rather focus on tonight just for this moment. Let them enjoy each other''s company the way that they did before.


    He rose up and with his mug he made a toast with his mug, "Let''s drown our worries tonight! For this time, let''s forget about tomorrow!"


    "Yah, lad! That''s the spirit!" The dwarf seconded.


    The elf smirked and stood up, "I will take a gander at this, even just for this time!"


    The beastman sat down astounded with what he saw. Adaloun looked at him and asked him to join. The beastman took a deep breath and stood up, "Yes! Let''s drink our worries tonight."


    The made a toast and cleared the mug in one satisfying drink.


    "Sylvian Maiden Beer! By Oyue''s name! The best ''un der is!" The dwarf exclaimed.


    They four of them once again relived those cheerful moments they had in the mines. The dwarf told his verbose stories while the elf kept on correcting him with the lore he was sharing. The beastman quietly smiled at them nodding at faerfolk''s constant bickering on their folk stories.


    Adaloun watched them endearingly as how he watched his other companions before. This was the calm before the storm. The beginning of the great upheaval that he wished he never chose for them. But what can he do? After saving them from being executed by the Commander, they never left him ever since.


    No matter how many times they would say that they chose this kind of life for themselves, he couldn''t help but think that it was him who caused that. He took another sip of his beer and listened to the loud and boisterous poetry about their lands as the elf tried her best to ask him not to make it into a song.


    It reminded him of the hundreds of dungeon raids and pre-war preparations he had way back from before. The laughter that turned into desperate screams and the smiles that turned into grimaces as their life was slowly taken away from them.


    He tried recalling their names and mumbled them in his breath. "Jonnathun of Neriam, Xyvenggo, Malapascua, Argentum, Nerdifina, Zolodim, Tarfera, Eloquine¡­Telefaria--"


    His somber moment didn''t go unnoticed. The beastman who sat beside him nudged his shoulder.


    "Are you okay?" The beastman asked.


    Adaloun was quick to realize the tears welling from his eyes as he reminisced his fallen comrades. He never wanted that to happen! Not in front of them! He immediately wiped his tears and smiled back to the beastman.


    "Yes, I am okay." He answered.


    "Nay, yer not, lad." The dwarf answered back. "Whut''s on yer mind?"


    His brooding never went unnoticed. He looked at each one of them, giving a sad painful smile. He never wanted to bring it up the topic of death during such merriful scene, but it looked like it caught up to them again¡ªtheir impending demise.


    "I want to know your names." Adaloun answered. "We will never know what the hole has in store for us. In case, one of us dies, it''s best that we remember each other as a dwarf, an elf, a beastman or a human. We ought to be remembered as a person of unique individuality! A citizen and not a slave. We are not nameless slaves anymore and we need to be remembered with dignity by our names!"


    The campfire went silent for the nth time. Everyone was looking at each other. Their eyes asking the same question as what he verbalized to them earlier.


    "Let me start it off," Adaloun broke the ice. "I am Adaloun. The freed slave, my previous name was only labeled by numbers and alphabetic tomes I couldn''t even read. My name was given to me by the Lord who freed me. I want you to remember my name so that when I am gone, you shall remember my story!"


    "Yer right, lad." The dwarf stood up and drank up his mug. "Before tis one became a slave, Me wuz called, Ghwynmyr. I came from the Dwyrvyn clan of Wyrmllhtrs, child of the Vridian Mountains!" He thumped his chest with great pride.


    "They call me Orphella, former citizen of Faerynhil and priestess-in-training of the Indecens Sect. A child of the Vridian forest." The elf signed.


    The beastman stood up and roared his loudest. "I am Urfaal son of Ulsafar chieftain of the Meh teh people. I roar the loudest for I am he who succeeds the once who lead!"


    Adaloun noticed both the similarities and differences of his comrade''s introduction. It was different but endearing at the same time. He had a lot of questions as to why they presented themselves different. It could base on a lot of things, but he parted it for now.


    At the moment, knowing their real names was all that he could ask for.


    "It is good to meet you all, my friends. Let''s finish this task and live the rest of our days honoring each and everyone of us!" Adaloun drank the beer from his mug in one gulp.

 Chapter 111: Preparations Pt. 1

    Vener, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 45th day of Fall, Arenfall


    --------------


    "Are the weapons almost ready?" Prince Arterius asked while writing on a parchment. The dwarf had been insistent not to be disturbed during his smithing, but the situation calls for it. As much as the prince respected his wishes, they need to touch base.


    According to the plan, the expedition will be on 50th day of fall. Lord Prestonheim''s knights seemed to be anxious but at the same time ready to clear the so-called hellhole and avenge their fallen brothers. However, the freed slaves need to have their weapons first. According to his godfather''s account, no ordinary weapon could stand a chance against those dark monsters.


    The Prince would have brushed his godfather''s statement as nothing more than a bedtime tale but hearing the other accounts and seeing his godfather''s sword shattered into two, just made him a believer.


    "Two swords, are ready, M''Prince." The dwarf reported. "Rest''o ''em, Tis gonna take a couple ''a days tah cure." He added.


    "A couple of days?!" Commander Crovar was critical with the dwarf''s answer. "You are a dwarf! You can do better than that!" He spatted.


    The dwarf glared at him, "Wid''al due respect, M''Lord," he said. "Yah, if we hasten up, tis gonna be bad for us. The blade will break."


    "Nonesense!" The old Commander spat once more. "That''s¡ª"


    "That''s enough, Lord Commander." Prince Arterius interjected. "Ummm..Dwarf¡­So, two days is enough?"


    The dwarf nodded, "Tis havin nay sleep tah get it finish." He bowed.


    Prince Arterius slightly bowed his head and gestured the dwarf back to his task. On the corner of his eye, he could see Commander Crovar''s face red and seething with anger. The Prince took a deep breath and wanted to remind the old knight that this dwarf wasn''t the enemy this time. But even with that, he knew Commander Crovar wouldn''t listen to him.


    "Prince Arterius," Commander Crovar tried getting his attention. "You should''ve rushed that dwarf! I know how dwarves work. He''s either incompetent or stalling his work!" He said to the prince.


    "I think that wouldn''t be wise." Arterius answered. "You can''t speed up a process. The last thing we want is a failed weapon."


    Arterius knew more than anyone else the importance of timing when it comes to building a weapon. It takes time for an artisan to create his masterpiece. A real weapon cannot be created by skill alone. You need to have patience in your craft in order to get the optimal temperature, right amount of force or even just the accurate striations to give the weapon its optimal condition.


    "We shall wait another two days." He said adamantly. "That also would be the exact time for godfather''s auxillarum representatives to arrive. Isn''t that right, godfather?" He asked Lord Prestonheim who sat on his right-hand side.


    The silver-haired Commander nodded, "They should be there at that time. Citadel Sentineum is located at the far southern side of this island and would take close to 4 days just to get here on horseback."


    "How may did you say you commanded to join the expedition?" Commander Crovar asked.


    "There are seven men coming here for the advance." Lord Prestonheim answered and looked at Commander Crovar before his friend could react. "Seven of the best."


    Arterius felt the tension between the two old friends. He heard the stories about these two, some are good while others were mischievous, but one thing was for certain in all of those stories people always accounted them to be polar opposites¡­and it looked like it''s showing up now.


    "Seven?!" Commander Crovar slapped his hand on the table. "Are you underestimating this entire expedition? Based on that freed slave account and on yours as well, they killed an entire Xedecima! Thirty trained knights, August!" He looked at his friend with concern.


    "I know it''s a small number, but I cannot let the Sentineum go undermanned." The silver-haired Lord massaged the bridge of his nose. "There are other monsters from beyond that fortress that we are trying to keep away from this side as much as possible."


    "I do not underestimate your capabilities, August. Believe me in that but seven?" Commander Crovar scoffed. "Four freed slaves, A handful of knights and seven auxillarum warriors?! Are you out of your mind? If it were me¡ª"


    Arterius wanted to butt-in and interrupt the Commanders in their debate, but the more he thought about it, the more he decided that he shouldn''t. Firstly, he wanted to hear every men''s logic behind such ridiculous strategy. As a prince of the kingdom, he must know every battle tactic and weigh on their pros and cons. Secondly, He wanted to see each of the Commander''s loop holes in their strategy and find a way to compromise on both sides if needed. Lastly, hearing the old men banter like children was secretly entertaining for him, although, the Senate could definitely be the highest on the list.


    "I have chosen those four freed ones, because they knew the mines and had fought the monsters along side with me." Lord Prestonheim interrupted his fuming friend. "The faerfolk had high-level magic enough to scorch those Dhampiirs into ashes. The Ardent, had slain most of the monsters and even managed to survive inside the hole so we need him as a guide and protector inside that vile underground maze." The Commander boasted.


    "And what about the beastman, August?!" Commander Crovar pushed a little further.


    Commander Crovar truly knew how to hit his godfather''s nerves. Arterius could feel a certain level of annoyance from his calm and collected godfather.


    "He is strong and sturdy, Syleon. HARD to kill." His godfather answered with an emphasis on the word hard.


    "Hard to kill, huh?" The Naval Commander sneered. "But still, killable! I have a dozen men that could perform more effective than they do!" He bragged.


    "You are missing the point, Syleon!" Lord Prestonheim exclaimed. "The reason why I chose the people that are going to the expedition is because of their skills and magic capabilities!"


    "Magical¡­capabilities?" Commander Crovar raised his eyebrow. "If it is about magic¡­you know my men can¡ª"


    "Can any of your men use Light-based magic?!" The silver-haired commander looked at his friend straight in the eyes. "There''s only one in your bloodline who was crazy enough to learn it and he''s fighting in the western continent."


    Arterius was relieved that the old friends finally quieted down, but the tension was still palpable¡ªtoo palpable in fact, that the table started to shake from the pressure."


    "Enough, my dear Commanders!" Arterius smashed the tables as hard as he could, and he stood up from his seat. "Commander Crovar, I understand your concern and I know how much you like to get your men along with yourself on this mission. But I have to think about it¡ªreally hard." He paused as the pain crept in.


    The prince felt the throbbing pain from his hands. It was the wrong idea smashing the table with his dainty hands. He should''ve known better, and maybe opted shouting instead of it. But what was done was done, the good thing was both men got his attention, or it would''ve been in vain.


    "Give me a day to finalize this." He sighed trying to mask the pain. "Godfather, as much as I trust your decision on the matter, I want Commander Crovar''s men to be there as well. But we need to come up with a good plan to utilize his men well without jeopardizing everyone''s safety." He added.


    Both the Commanders still had a lot of things to say but for some reason, they held their tongue and bowed to him.


    "I shall need my privacy, Commander Crovar, Godfather, you may take your leave for the meantime." He made a crooked smile.


    Both men bowed once more and exited the tent silently. His hands were killing him. It took him another moment to let out a muffled shout.


    "Sstoo¡­lasss!" He called out his ward.


    "Arterius," He immediately answered while bringing a big bowl full of magically summoned ice. "When I heard that loud bang on the table, I knew you were going to need this." He placed the bowl on the table.


    Arterius slowly dipped his hands into the bowl of ice, soothing down his warm throbbing hands. The tension he saw between two commanders was a first for Arterius. He never had a proper training on situations like those unlike his brother, but he was still proud of himself for mitigating it as best as he could.


    After soothing his painful hands, Arterius went back to his thoughts and reviewed both of the Commanders'' points.  On one hand, his godfather indeed had a point with bringing only a few knights from the Principalian force.


    The fewer knights, the fewer complaints he would get coming form the Senate if the mission turned out victorious. It was also wise for his godfather to choose the right magic attributes for this particular expedition. There was also an ancient language that his godfather said that only the elf could interpret.


    On the other hand, Commander Crovar also made a good argument about pushing his men through. For most of the Arterian Empire''s rein, the Naval fleet was always their pride. It was rumored that the Crovars had a secret training regimen for their men that involved their family specialty magic, Healing.


    Putting healing units on this expedition could also prove crucial for their people''s survival. With the Crovar''s men on the expedition they can definitely heal up wounded ones more efficiently and effectively in a timelier manner. They won''t need potions as much which was part of the bulk concern of the expedition.


    Arterius'' head began to throb just by thinking about what strategy must he do to get this all in place. Since, his godfather discouraged Commander Crovar from getting his men involved. It was obvious that the solution was for both parties to compromise, but it might take more than convincing to get the plan rolling.


    "Stolas!" He called for his ward once more. "Could you pass me my medicine, please." Pointing at the bottle of pain-numbing elixir on the other side of the tent.


    "I need to sleep this out first." He said as he massaged the temples of his head.

 Chapter 112: Preparations Pt.2

    Vener, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 45th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ---------------


    Arterius woke up in another dreamless sleep, just the way he preferred it. His head was no longer throbbing from thinking over what to do next with both of the Commanders'' laid out suggestions. He went back to his table with using a cane to steady his gait.


    Apparently, the cold wind of the Crescent Isle wasn''t as welcoming to his broken leg. He had been taking double doses of the elixir he reformulated to make the numbing more effective plus lessening the drowsiness.


    It was a gamble he made but was very confident of doing since he cannot trust that damned physician who treated his entire condition as if it was a fever rather than what it truly was.


    He made his way to the table and realized how light his body was. It seemed like the cold had also cured the medicine well, heightening its effective. It looked like he should appreciate this darned weather a little bit more.


    He sat on his desk and began to compile the scribbled notes he made on the parchment rolls he piled in front of him. He cleared his throat and asked Stolas to give him some water and the other parchments that his ward tediously compiled from the accounts of that freed slave, Adaloun.


    Arterius reviewed the entire manuscript meticulously written by Stolas. He swore he could''ve had done it himself, but he might have a problem reading it later. It wasn''t because he had a bad penmanship, it far from that! However, documenting verbal stories take time and effort in catching up with the storyteller and Stolas had the uncanny ability to do just that.


    His brilliant ward also incorporated some codes and weird rune like scribbles to make the statement brief, yet still understandable. Arterius sipped a little bit of water from the glass and began reading Adaloun''s account about his first expedition.


    "The deeper I went into the hole, the more overwhelming the feeling of dread was¡­" Arterius skimmed through the rest of that page and went on to the second one. "¡­Then a face lit up from the darkness. It wasn''t glowing; however, you can see its features clearly from the unlit cave." The page already ended at that point, but his heart raced as much as it did with Adaloun when he first experienced it.


    "Pardon, Arterius," Stolas interrupted. "Your dinner is ready." He placed the tray full of food on the table.


    "Dinner?" Arterius looked baffled. "What dinner? What time is it?" He scratched his head.


    Stolas sighed, "Dear goodness! It''s already the highest level of the Ifnen."


    "Ifnen?" He stood up from his seat. "Could you flip that tent flap?!" He asked his ward.


    His ward shook his head and went to the tent flap and opened it wide. It was already indeed nightfall.


    "Oh," He sat back and took a deep breath, "You should''ve woken me up earlier¡ª"


    His ward raised an eyebrow at his comment. Arterius scratched his head, he knew very well that waking him up while on his medication was close to impossible.


    "Fine, I''ll eat the food later." He went back to reading the book. "Just put that tray¡­over there." He pointed at the small table at the side of his bed.


    His ward smiled and took a deep breath, "Well then, you eat your soup cold."


    He looked at his ward, cursing him with his glare before smirking. "Fine! Food is food!"


    He went back to the scribbled parchment and read the next page. He found himself immersed on that particular page checking at how the freed slave describe the monsters inside the hole. He read the other page and still couldn''t believe the torture Adaloun had to go through just to kill the monsters. He heard the story already, but Arterius still felt the dread and gore.


    "There are still a lot more there inside that hole." According to what he read. "The Dhampiirs might not be the only one." Arterius tapped at the word only as he tried to finalize his decision.


    He weighed on the possible consequences that might happen if he allowed just one of the Commander''s plan to fully take control of the whole expedition.


    Lord Prestonheim, his godfather, had a point. He didn''t want to involve the rest of his knights and other knights for that matter so the Senate detractors wouldn''t be able to get back on them if the situation went to the worse possible outcome. He knew better than anyone how the Arterians think. They would praise you for your success and even drink with you for your victories but would easily leave you out and at times make you a scapegoat when everything goes wrong. A sad reality that he wanted to change if he was given the chance to do so.


    On the other hand, Commander Crovar''s idea wasn''t bad at all. He wanted himself and his men to join the quest. It was obviously more for glory than anything else, no matter how much he insisted that it was for the Principalia, he could feel the old knight''s hunger for adventure. But other than that, Commander Crovar''s seasoned men could really boost up the ranks of the expedition team the only problem with that was, they lack the affinity for Light Magic.


    All of Commander''s Crovar''s men are seasoned healers taught in the Crovar''s estate and have a powerful affinity to water. The expedition could use some healers, that way they could save the healing potions and salves as they go further into the hole.


    Prince Arterius knew what the obvious answer was. Both the Commanders knew too, but their pride was keeping them from compromising on the possible solution. The prideful Commander couldn''t see eye to eye on that matter regardless of their long-time friendship.


    Arterius took a deep breath and called for Stolas who was silently scribbling on the parchments.


    "Stolas," Arterius looked towards his ward at the corner of the tent. "Call on the Commanders."


    "You have found the solution already?" His ward asked.


    "It was an obvious answer that both of them knew it but you know¡­" The prince smirked. "Oh, Stolas pray that this will work."


    Stolas approached him and placed his hand on his shoulder, "Good luck with that." Before winking and walking away.


    He groaned at Stolas'' annoying response. He went back and reviewed the parchment, then wrote his plan on the empty ones. It didn''t take long for the Commanders to answer his summons. Both men entered his tent with an aura of intensity around them.


    From the looks of it, both of them seemed to have not spoken to each other after their meeting earlier that day. He knew both men would never want to hear his solution that involved the compromise, but what could he do?


    Both seasoned knights bowed to him, but never once spoke nor greeted one another. Arterius opted not to dwell on their tension but went straight to his plan.


    "Lord Commanders," he took a deep breath, "I have made a decision on what to do with our dilemma."


    The old knights remained stoic as he laid out his plan. "I have decided to continue on with the same godfather''s expedition team." He began. "But I am going to need your seasoned healers to back as up."


    Prince Arterius saw Commander Crovar''s eyebrow twitched after hearing the plan.


    "With all due respect, Arterius," Lord Prestonheim stepped forward. "I found this plan risky at worse. Putting his men with no Light magic affinity on this mission will just get them massacred. I don''t want to put that extra responsibility¡ª"


    "Responsibility?!" Commander Crovar interrupted. "For crying out loud, August! Those are my men! They will be my responsibility! Are you that scared of us grabbing credit over this?!" He spat.


    "You know¡­everything I do, I do it for the Principalia! I never wished to use this for glory!" The silver-haired Lord responded.


    "You make me laugh!" Commander Crovar approached his friend. "We all know deep down you have a sense of rotten philosophy. You can''t ride that high horse for too long!"


    Arterius had heard the shouts and curses from the Senate, but this one tend to be different than what he imagined. These were seasoned knights, powerful both of positions and magical aptitude with titles engraved on their names. If they fight inside the camp, everything will turn into dust.


    Arterius saw his godfather grab Lord Crovar''s armor by the collar and yanked his friend towards him.


    "High horse you say?!" Lord Prestonheim''s aura began to leak. The heavy pressure was crushing him. His knees trembled and he felt lightheaded, but he didn''t want them to see this. "What do you mean by that?!"


    "Don''t even try me, August." Commander Crovar released an aura of his own. "It won''t do good for you."


    The pressure from their clashing exousia was nauseating, he thought he would faint at any moment. However, Arterius stood his ground and was adamant with his decision and he wanted to prove that to them.


    "BOTH OF YOU, STOP THIS NONESENSE!" He commanded.


    He caught both of the old knights off guard. He fearlessly glared at both men and asserted his dominance as an heir to the crown.


    "I don''t care if you are a decorated Commander!" He shouted. "If you can''t respect me and my birthright, I will execute the both of you on the spot."


    The old knights didn''t even bother moving. Their eyes were glued at him.  He had to take this opportunity and make it his own.


    "We shall move along with my plan!" Arterius explained the rest of his plan as both Commanders listened to his well-thought-out strategy. "Both of you, listen what I am about to say¡­"

 Chapter 113: Preparations Pt.3

    Vener, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 45th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ______________________________________________


    Both the Commanders were all ears on him. Prince Arterius made sure he stood tall and proud as he began to present the plan. He wanted to make them listen, and he did just that.


    "We shall continue with Lord Prestonheim''s plan. The freed slaves along with his small number of specialized units will go to the hole by the morning of Chandea." He glanced at both Commanders who haven''t reacted to his decision yet. "However, it would be wise to also get help from Commander Crovar''s men." He rolled a piece of parchment paper and handed it to Commander Crovar.


    The old Commander took the parchment from him and read the contents silently.


    "By tomorrow, I expect to see 20 of your finest healers be trained under the watchful supervision of Lord Prestonheim on both strategy and fighting tactics. We only have four days to do this, so I want to apologize¡ª"


    Commander Crovar glared at him, "There is no need for a prince to apologize!" He said. "As for my men, it would be an insult to me if they aren''t able to adapt at such a fast pace. My knights had been trained for any condition at any given moment. Four days is too long for us to learn!" He proudly stated.


    Arterius stopped himself from cracking a smile, as the Commander''s words proved to move him. "Very well, I shall leave it up to you, Lord Commader!"


    The prince then turned his attention to his godfather, "Do you have any objections to this plan?"


    Lord Prestonheim silently nodded and saluted without saying a word.


    "The night is still young Lord Commanders, but I must get back to my research. Have you had any news about my master?" Arterius asked both of them.


    Lord Prestonheim cleared his throat, "It''s highly likely that he''s still within the confines of that damned castle. I have already sent the letters you have written to Lady Bieroff, but she still hasn''t answer at the moment." He explained.


    "How long has it been since we wrote that letter Stolas?" The prince asked his ward.


    "About more than a week ago, Prince Arterius." The ward answered, "Close to two if you ask me."


    "And my godfather diligently sent that immediately after we wrote it." The prince scratched his head.


    Arterius scratched his head as his eyebrows furrowed. The Lady of the House Bieroff had been unresponsive to any of his summons or requests at the moment. Such insolence could get her head on the sharp end of the sword, but that wasn''t the prince''s stratagem. He would rather wait it out for now while they continue with entire expedition.


    The last thing he wanted is to spread himself too thin by focusing on the fires at all fronts. As the moment, acquiring his master back from the Bieroff household was a lesser priority compared to the expedition at hand.


    "Very well, Lord Commanders I won''t hold you any longer. I shall dismiss you both for the night, but let''s convene on the morrow. Around the highest level of Obura over breakfast." Arterius sternly ordered.


    Both Commanders bowed and saluted to him, thumping their fists on their chest before exiting silently. As they moved towards the tent opening, Arterius noticed something weird. He knew that both Lord Commanders didn''t get along the past couple of days due to their differences in approach of the expedition. However, as they moved out of his tent, he saw a subtle smile of contentment in both their faces.


    It felt like both of the Commanders were testing him, and that irked him a bit. But at the same time, it made him proud seeing them smile like that. It just meant that he had earned their respect, a feat that he thought he could''ve never done without Prima attached to his name. At this time, he proved to them that he had the mind to command his Commanders.


    He sat down and smiled from ear to ear as he unfurled the scroll once again. He had written and formulated the possible strategies they could go through with it. Over a week ago he asked his godfather to let him do the stratagems for the expedition, which his godfather surprisingly had agreed on.


    As a greenhorn, he had to meticulously review every account and every idea he had come to mind up to that point. Everything needed to be documented so he can review the flaws and the possible countermeasure for each given situation.


    The stressful ordeal affected his sleep, but it was all worth every sleepless night he had¡ªor so he hoped. As he read through the scribbled runes and images, there was one thing that got him so confused, the partial map.


    The map was uncannily detailed by the freed slave, but there were things inside there that didn''t make any sense. The white stone on the left wing of the cavern. As Adaloun described it, it was a slab of stone that had swirls and lines patterned naturally on its surface. It also had thin veins of aetherium ore running in the slab but was physically impenetrable.


    "Stolas," He called out his ward. "Have you asked Adaloun about the white slate planted on the cavern''s wall?"


    His ward tried to recall what the freed slave mentioned to him. "He said it was just a wall with patterns on it and aetherium veins." Stolas answered. "There''s nothing more to it."


    "There''s nothing more to it, huh?" Arterius scratched his head. "What if, that slate could mean something?" The prince felt uneasy about leaving that detail untouched.


    "Should I call him here?" Stolas inquired.


    "No." Arterius answered. "Let''s go over to their camp. Bring some of those coal sticks and a piece of parchment." He ordered.


    "Wouldn''t it be more convenient for you if you stay here and I call him here?" The ward wanted him to reconsider.


    "I wanted to take a breath of fresh air anyway, so why not just go there!" He exclaimed.


    Stolas took a deep breath and rolled his eyes. "That''s going to be a bad idea."


    "I need to also walk this damn leg, Stolas." The prince scoffed. "I need myself some fresh air, don''t let me beg."


    "Fine." Stolas replied. "I will prepare your hood and the sturdier cane." He went away and got everything ready for Arterius.


    The prince on the other hand felt a certain excitedness. He never had experienced walking along the camp during the nighttime and he was curious to see what''s the freed slaves'' life during that time.


    The walk going to the freed slaves'' tent was not as arduous as the uphill climb. However, the graveled ground made it difficult for him to walk on a steady gait. Stolas had to guide him through it all.


    Arterius watched every other tent as he walked past by them. He saw the big bonfire and huddled knights singing merrily around the flame. Some knights slept on the ground with a mug on their hand while others were still drinking the last batch of beer, he brought with him from the Principalia.


    They weren''t able to notice him, either because they''re too drunk or they''re in too much focus on merry making they don''t give a damn.


    "Aren''t they drinking too much?" Arterius asked his ward.


    "They''re enjoying their last moments with their comrades." Stolas answered. "Look over there!" He pointed at the other knights sitting somberly on the campfire.


    There was a dichotomy of emotions swirling around the camp. The mishmash of joy and sorry started to hit the prince''s own emotions.


    "What have I got them into?" Arterius whispered to Stolas.


    "You got them to claim their own glory and become one of the foundations for the Principalia''s rise to dominate the world." His ward proudly answered.


    The answer made Arterius uneasy. He knew Stolas so well, but it was the first time he heard that from Stolas. It felt off putting and unnatural for him to say.


    "Be honest with me, Stolas." He sighed. That''s just your way of saying I might be dooming them to their deaths." He gritted his teeth in frustration.


    This was the first mission Prince Arterius had where he was given the liberties to have control of the mighty knights of the Principalia. To him it was an honor to command the knights towards building the future. However, it was also daunting especially when it dawned on him that their lives were also placed under his hands. They will die for the Principalia and to him to acquire their future power.


    It was something that the young prince wasn''t ready, but he pushed through with that responsibility because he knew it was the only way to succeed.


    They had already walked past the partying knights and their noisy singing. They took a left at the blacksmith''s tent and headed straight to a small campfire near the outskirts of the camp. From the distance he saw four people around the campfire.


    The freed slaves were laughing over an inaudible story one of them had shared. Prince Arterius could feel his heart raised as they slowly approached them. He didn''t know what to say. He thought it would be awkward to simply interrupt and go straight to the point.


    He held Stolas by the arm, "Stolas, you were right. This was a mistake." He whispered.


    "What?! You''re saying it now? We''re here already!" He whispered back.


    "Ay! How goes der?" The dwarf shouted. "Izzat yah, Prince?"


    Everyone stood up waiting for him to respond. From the looks of it, they were already noticed by the time he changed his mind. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. It was too late to go back, and it would only be a wasted effort if they did.


    Prince Arterius gestured to Stolas to show themselves to them.


    "Yes, good evening¡­ummm..everyone." He greeted as he approached them.


    The freed slaves bowed and greeted him back but up to that point he was lost for words and had nothing more to say other than the greeting. He sighed as he finally decided to play the conversation by the ear.

 Chapter 114: A Day Before

    Aturs, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 47th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ----------------------------------------------------------------


    "Too slow!" Adaloun spat as he dodged another huge swing from Urfaal. The human had been toying with him the entire time, dodging his powerful attacks on the whim and countering his with some hard slashes on the stomach.


    Urfaal had been training intensely with him for the good remaining days of their stay in the camp before the descent to the hole. During these times, the human had been training him in sword fighting and strategic combat.


    His trainings usually started after breakfast and would end mostly when the sun sets into the horizon, but this day was different. Tomorrow was the day they go for the descent and Adaloun told him before they started, that the training will only be until Noon.


    The beastman only had half a day before his training would end and he wasn''t able to land one solid attack to his mentor. Adaloun was too agile for him to hit. In fact, his agility could rival that of his father''s. He took another slash to the gut sending him down to the ground.


    "You weren''t paying attention!" Adaloun shouted. "Focus or you will die down there!" He sheathed his wooden blade to the side and gestured him to stand up. "Again."


    Urfaal immediately rushed is Adaloun and threw his blade towards him. The human easily dodged the incoming blade, stepping to the side with a smile. As Adaloun got distracted with it, Urfaal immediately dashed to where he stepped and opened up with a kick. The human was thrown away five footlings away from him.


    The kick surprised his human mentor but was able to block it with his arm. "Nice try!" Adaloun commented. "But what is a warrior without his blade¡ª"


    Urfaal didn''t Adaloun finished and began attacking him with a barrage of kicks and punches. The human dodged the hits easily. His mentor dodge into the opposite direction, but the beastman followed him with every step. He finally saw frustration in Adaloun''s eyes.


    Adaloun tried faking his movement to try and create an opening for the beastman, but he was failing miserably at it. With the beastman in complete synch with his movement, finally the mentor has broke a sweat on his forehead.


    The beastman notice the single bead on his mentor''s forehead and began to feel confident about his moves. He caught Adaloun''s arm and tried disarm the wooden blade from him, but his mentor smiled. Urfaal realized too late that he made a very crucial mistake¡ªhe went too far without thinking.


    Adaloun threw his blade to his free hand, switching his weapon hand and used the pummel of his sword to grab the Urfaal''s neck, dragging him to the ground.


    The poor beastman saw his mentor''s dace for a moment, next thing he saw was darkness. The ground tasted bitter with the cushion of fallen leaves, rotting and drying. It tasted horribly and he spat as much as he can to get all out from his palate.


    "Well, you''ve done good!" Adaloun smiled as he reached out his hand. "But you need to think about your openings. Remember this, not all openings are worthy of a risk. Just like what I did, I bluffed you."


    Urfaal took his hand and stood up, "Well¡­the¡­thing is¡­plaahh...plaaah!" The bitter taste of rotting leaves still haunted the poor beastman''s tongue. "Plaaah¡­plaah¡­I almost got you¡­plaaah..."


    Adaloun shook his head. "You know what''s the difference between almost winning from almost losing?" He asked.


    The beastman furrowed his eyebrows and scratched his head, "What do you mean¡­plaahhh¡­by that?"


    "The question was just as it was." His mentor answered back and sighed. "Anyways, just keep that question in mind. It will come in handy."


    The beastman still looked baffled but didn''t dare to ask again. He saw Adaloun''s eyes riddled with sadness. Tomorrow was their descent and he felt from Adaloun''s gestures how worried he was with them.


    He patted his mentor''s shoulder. "Thank you for pushing me to do this." Urfaal smiled. "I always wanted to be stronger. So, I can protect you¡ªall of you."


    "I don''t want to think about the worse while were there, but I saw the reality of that hole¡­" He sighed. "I saw how those monsters killed an entire camp of knights. I just¡ª"


    "Have faith, Adaloun." The beastman''s voice almost crumbled from the realization that they might die tomorrow from the monsters that lurked beneath the earth. But he strengthened himself, and not allow his doubts and fears take over him like what it did before.


    "All of us will live!" He stated boldly. "We shall see the sun once more and gain the freedom we all paid with our sweat and blood." He thumped his chest.


    Adaloun smiled at him and nodded. "Yes, we still have other adventures to take. The hole will not be the end of it." He unsheathed his wooden sword and picked up the one that the beastman threw.


    "Want to go for another?" Adaloun asked.


    Urfaal smiled. He wanted to go another round for the last time, but he caught a familiar scent approaching them. "I want to, but it looks like, you are needed somewhere else." He pointed at the elevated ground.


    Adaloun turned his attention to where the beastman pointed. A few moments later and Tristam came bobbing out of the thick greenery and was waving at them.


    Both of them approached Tristam and greeted him with a slight bow.


    "Fair greetings, Ser Tristam!" Adaloun greeted.


    "Fair greetings, Ser Adaloun, Ser beastman!" The knight courteously bowed back.


    The beastman never got used to be called as a Ser. He never imagined to be called one, let alone being called for real. The title didn''t mean too much for him and it sounded too formal. The term connotated a human official, but his not even human. To him it was an empty title that held more annoyance to him than reverence.


    He bowed to the knight and made his greetings. The knight smiled at him.


    "Ser Adaloun, Ser beastman, Lord Prestonheim needs your presence now. There''s someone he wanted you to meet." Tristam said.


    Adaloun nodded to the knight and directed his attention to Urfaal, "It looks like we have to do that last round some other time." He smiled and confirmed with Tristam that he''s coming.


    It was a long and hot walk back to the main camp. The sun stood higher than it was earlier and its making the beastman thirsty. He took the water bladder he placed on the side of his hip and drank its contents. The water was perfectly cool, preserved by the fact he placed it in a cool shaded place earlier.


    His thirst was immediately quenched by the revitalizing coolness of the water. They reached the camp after a few thrown in conversations. Ser Tristam guided them to Lord Prestonheim''s tent where they were greeted by the scene of seven unknown men, the prince and his ward, and the old Commanders who were currently caught up discussing things on the long table.


    Their presence didn''t go unignored. Lord Prestonheim immediately gestured them to come and join them.


    "Ah! Adaloun, beastman," The Commander greeted. "Let me introduce you to the members of the Auxillarum!" He added.


    The seven men were all eyes on them. The beastman had never seen such unique appearance before. They were human, but the way the dressed and were different. While the Principalians wore doublet and tight-fitted clothing the strange men had colorful checkered cloth wrapped around them.


    The dark-skinned visitors were taller than most of the men in the room. The one in the middle was as tall he was. He had a small gold ring in one nostril and his body was covered with oddly tatoos of toothed-like patterns dancing on a shimmering yellow ink. He stood out from the rest of them, but everyone was uniquely charming as they were.


    His eyes shimmered in flaming gold under a prominent brow, he had a defined jaw that gave him a stern look. He had broad shoulders and his chiseled body looked as if one of the gods truly took time to shape hi as he is.


    The beastman couldn''t help but stare at him. He was mesmerized with the strange yet oddly beautiful people. Adaloun bowed and greeted them like he usually does at everyone, but the beastman remained standing on his position, awestruck by the strangers'' allure.


    Suddenly the beastman felt a sharp elbow hitting his side rib. The pain rushed over him that he had to bend down to soothe it.


    "It''s inappropriate to stare." Adaloun whispered to him, "Sorry if I have to hit you. You''re making them uncomfortable." He added.


    "You could''ve just said it¡ª" he spat.


    "You didn''t even hear me when I warned you earlier." The beastman felt Adaloun''s eyeroll over his comment.


    "It''s okay, my friend!" The visitor''s strong yet soothing voice boomed inside the tent.


    He looked up and the man in the middle was approaching them. "We are already used to that." He smiled. "Well met, my friends. They call Corvinus, child of the Orkamuu people. May the sun bless you!" Corvinus reached out for his hand and offered it to the both of them.


    The beastman still couldn''t help but stare at him.

 Chapter 115: A Calm Before the Storm

    Aturs, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 47th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ------------------------------------------------------


    "We are already used to that." The man smiled. "Well met, my friends. I am the one they call Corvinus, child of the Orkamuu people. May Apholak bless you and protect you with his light!" Corvinus reached out for his hand and offered it to the both of them.


    The beastman still couldn''t help but stare at him.


    Adaloun had no choice but to hit him in the belly with the back of his hand. The beastman winced as the pain slowly radiated on his stomach.


    "I told you, don''t stare." He whispered at his curious friend who snapped out from the visitor''s tantalizing charm.


    Corvinus smiled at him, "They couldn''t help it. Please forgive him." The Orkamuu took the beastman''s hand and shook it. "Well met, friend!"


    After a brief interaction with the astounded beastman, the Orkamuu turned his attention to him. He extended a hand to him and waited to be answered in kind. Adaloun gracefully took his hand and clasped it but as he did, a sudden jolt of electricity rushed down his spine.


    It was an odd sensation. It was something he had never felt before. The Orkamuu looked surprised and took some time for him to let go of his hand. The visitor''s puzzled and amazed expression summed it all up.


    "By Apholak''s beard!" Corvinus smiled to him. "May the moon favor you in the darkness!" The Orkamuu greeted him differently. The visitor placed the back of his hand on his forehead, before bowing slightly and putting his hand to his chest.


    It was a unique greeting that Adaloun had never seen before. The room erupted in whispers, as the Principalian hosts were confused of how the Auxillarum delegate greeted him. It was something that even the Knights nor the Royalty hadn''t been greeted before. But Adaloun simply looked at him, confused and unmoving. Corvinus looked at him, baffled at his reaction.


    "You don''t know that greeting?" He asked.


    Adaloun shook his head. He truly doesn''t know.


    "Hmmm," He stroke his chin and raised his eyebrow. "Interesting. Well met, friend." The Orkamuu''s enthusiasm towards him suddenly dwindled. He walked away and left them at the tent''s opening.


    Commander Crovar cleared his throat, "Are you done with this¡­introduction now, August?" He sternly asked his friend.


    "Yes, I am, Syleon and you don''t have to stress yourself with that." He answered.


    Commander Crovar glared at Lord Prestonheim momentarily, before setting his attention on them. "Well, since you''re here, I think we could start now." He took a deep breath, "What are you doing there? Come forward for crying out loud!" The old Commander ordered.


    Adaloun gestured to Ulfaar and approached the group in the long table. There were parchments and leather maps scattered on the table. The prince genuinely made an effort of creating the maps and the strategies like he said he was going to that time he visited their campfire.


    Lord Prestonheim handed him a copy of the map, "Here''s your own map." The silver-haired Commander said. "You will be the main person responsible with guiding us once we go underground, but we''re bringing maps along with us as well, incase we split up." He added.


    He looked at the map. It was accurately drawn exactly based on what he told the prince. He traced the map with his fingers, recalling every step he made going in and out of the hole. The huge clearing inside the cave hosted another hole. He recalled how he got dragged into it and how he saw the gruesome secrets lying there.


    He told most of them to the Prince and the Commanders but as for the other things he saw, he can''t completely confirm whether it was a dream or not, so he chose not to mention it to them. The cave itself felt like another world, full of wonders and nightmares completely pressed underground. By the morrow, they will step into that abyssal delirium once more. He took a deep breath and bowed to the Prince.


    "This is indeed of great accuracy, Prince Arterius." He put the map inside his satchel that he hung on his hip.


    "Clearly we had spent our time staring at each other and this damned table rather than planning for tomorrow''s descent." Commander Crovar interrupted. "Can we run through the plans now?"


    Adaloun could see the exasperated face of the old Commander.


    "Yes, indeed we shall!" Lord Prestonheim took over once again. The silver-haired Commander massaged the bridge of his nose, "The descent will be done by squad."


    "Squad one will be composed of Adaloun, then one man from the auxillarum, one healer from Commander Crovar''s ranks and seven of my men will follow you down." Lord Prestonheim said. "You will be the spear headers. Tristam will be joining you, he will lead the knights down there with you."


    Adaloun notice that he was the only freed slave joining the first squad and it worried him. "What about my other comrades?" He asked.


    Lord Prestonheim nodded, "We needed to separate the four of you. After seeing everyone''s ability, It would be best to have one of you in each squad to get us higher chances of surviving this ordeal."


    It was indeed a smart and efficient plan, although Adaloun hadn''t seen his other comrades in action, he could feel that they were more adept than him when it comes to magic, especially the faerfolk.


    "Do you have any questions about that?" The silver-haired Commander asked.


    Adaloun shook his head. "I''m sorry to interrupt you, my Lord. But I have none."


    Lord Prestonheim nodded and proceeded with the other squads'' composition. The rest of his comrades were well spread out with the other teams along with Lord Prestonheim''s trusted lieutenants and Auxillarum members.


    "I also would like to request his Majesty, to let me join one of the squads." Commander Crovar requested Prince Arterius to let him go with them.


    Prince Arterius looked at him sternly, "I''m afraid I have to decline that request."


    "But, Prince Arterius, I can¡ª" The old knight tried to reason out.


    "No. I am sorry Lord Commander, but you are needed in the surface, I need you to defend it incase something go pop-out of the ground." The prince adamantly stated.


    "He''s right, Syleon, trust are brave men to claim this mission for Principalia''s glory." Lord Prestonheim agreed. "We have talked about this already! You need to protect the Prince with me on the surface. Period!"


    Commander Crovar wanted to rebut, unfortunately for him, he was met with the Prince''s gaze scrutinizing him for his insistence. The old knight sighed and never mentioned it again.


    Somehow, Adaloun remembered himself at the same spot as the Commander was a few reincarnations ago.  During that reincarnation he was a veteran soldier tasked to protect the royal family who started a war against another nation.


    It was at the time of their last battle when he requested that he''d be a part of the battlefield, but the spineless king refused and asked him to stay at their side to protect them. That was the greatest blunders the royal family of that world ever did.


    They lost the war and unfortunately lost the crown a few months later. He was deliberately exiled for not doing his job in the war by the cohorts of the crowned opposition and the family he protected were executed at the end of the war.


    He felt the welling frustration of the old Commander trying to prove his worth and name to advance his nation. However, the Prince and Lord Prestonheim had a point. He was needed in the surfaces, incase some monsters or the House Bieroff decided to invite themselves in.


    Lord Prestonheim sighed, "Syleon, please discuss the strategies. I don''t want to hear another¡ª"


    "Understood, August." He begrudgingly answered. "I won''t even dare mention that." He rolled his eyes.


    Commander Crovar laid the plan as perfectly as he can. Adaloun and all the other participants listened closely as the veteran knight laid out the plan to the rest of them. The plan covered all the possible worst-case scenarios during the expedition, from ambushes, ground collapses and even unnamed plagues that might occur during the extraction of the riddled ores.


    He also mentioned the weapons and pickaxes the dwarf had made for each squad. Albeit bitter about it, he read the ward''s appraisal on the dwarf''s handiwork and proved it to be genuinely sturdy and battle-grade, even the simple pickaxes he made.


    He wished the dwarf could see the distorted face of the loathing Commander as he tried his best not to spit on the dwarf''s work with the rest of them watching. It was a small victory that Adaloun was more than happy to tell the dwarf especially after all the insults and dirt thrown at his friend.


    The meeting ended with not a single snag. They ended early before the hours of the Obscura. It was truly a calm night with only the moon shining in the sky. It was eerily quiet, too quiet and it seemed like it a storm was about to come.

 Chapter 116: Descending to the Dark

    Chandea, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 48th day of Fall, Arenfall


    --------------------------------------------


    It was a different kind of morning today. The sun peeked from the gray canvas of the eastern sky with dark clouds swelling on the horizon. There were no birds singing their beautiful hymns to greet the people of the camp to start their day.


    There was no fog that covered around the camp and the trees never danced to the flows of the wind. The stillness of the morning made the silver-head Commander uneasy. It felt like the world was speaking to them. It felt like an omen.


    "It''s too quiet." Commander Crovar commented. "I hate this fucken silence!"


    Lord Prestonheim nodded and sighed, "May the gods look upon us with mercy and protect us¡ª"


    Commander Crovar scoffed and interrupted him, "Gods? Pfft¡­I never thought of you to be THAT religious."


    "I am when it is needed, Syleon." He answered.


    "Tell me now, August." His friend tapped his shoulder, "Are you ready to die?" Commander Crovar grinned.


    Lord Prestonheim gave his friend a tired smile. "After all this time, you''re still using that phrase?" He asked as he recalled his wilder days.


    During his younger days, the duo used to get into fights and sometimes be overwhelmed by their opponents'' sheer number and size. It was a catchphrase that both of them would ask each other when they are in a life-or-death situation. This moment was similar to that but wasn''t close to the gravity that their men would be going through.


    It saddened him as he realized that some of them might never come back again. He looked at his enthusiastic friend and answered. "I am always ready, but I guess we should ask them too." He pointed at the squads neatly lined with each other.


    Commander Crovar looked at him with furrowed brows, "You want me to ask them?" He frowned. "I mean¡­you are commanding them. Do you want me to umm¡­steal your thunder?"


    Lord Prestonheim crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, "Nope." He stepped forward and cleared his throat. He looked at the men who stood still in their presence, waiting for his order.


    The silver-haired Commander knew the time has come for them to march towards the mines. Although hesitant and fearful of the omens he had seen that morning, it didn''t stop the veteran from doing his duty.


    He took a deep breath and shouted, "Forward, march!" With that order, the squads began their journey to the mines.


    It was estimated that it would take them at least until Noon to reach the god-forsaken mines. Lord Prestonheim made sure they arrive there on time, the last thing he wanted was not to be able to set the protective wards properly if they came in too late. Thus, they marched exactly during the highest level of Obura.


    As the squads advanced out of the camp, The Commanders along with the Prince''s knight escorts rode on their horses and rode beside Prince Arterius'' carriage. They will follow the squads from the tail while also being defedended by the escorts.


    The prince was insistent that he be coming along with him.He wanted to research on the ores as soon as they came out of the ground. He was afraid that the ores might lose their potency if it had to travel far for him to study.


    No matter how many times they tried to deter the prince''s curiosity, they all came up short. He wasn''t falling for it. The prince wouldn''t budge and was adamant about his mission as well.


    "I hate saying this," Arterius said earlier that morning. "But as a member of the Royal house and possible heir to the throne. This is a mission I should take to get my father and the Senate''s recognition.


    The energy and the atmosphere outside the camp was rather barren and similar to what it was earlier. Everything was quiet. There were no winds blowing, no birds chirping nor animals running along their path.


    The only consolation they had was the sun''s shyness towards them. The gloomy morning made it easy for the squads to march across the vast valley towards the mines. There was no heat to prickle their skin and the humidity was just right, not to overheat them while in their armors.


    It was rather a long yet steady line but fast enough for everyone to advance and arrive on time. In front of the royal escort were three carriages filled with wooden planks, nails, food and potion provisions and some spare blades and bow and arrow.


    Lord Prestonheim paced with the speed of the carriage while being lost in his thoughts. The silver-haired Commander was still thinking of the scenarios of what''s about to come for them once his men reached the chthonic confines of the hole.


    "Godfather," Prince Arterius interrupted his brooding. The young prince popped his head out of the carriage window.


    "What are you doing?!" Lord Prestonheim exclaimed in horror. "Get your head back there and do not, DO NOT open your windows! We might just be a target of Lady Bieroff''s men or better yet highway man lurking around." He warned his godson.


    "Nonesense." The Prince scoffed. "I am in the presence of the Lord Commanders Prestonheim and Crovar, the silver-haired lion and the wild shark! I doubt one would dare cross your path." Arterius smiled.


    "This is no laughing matter, Arterius!" He said scoldingly. "You are the¡ª"


    "I am Arterius, son of Imperatur Severus, prince of the Principalia." Arterius interrupted. "It''s all but a title and yet here I am, risking my life to keep it." He sighed.


    "I know you have a hard life." Lord Prestonheim replied. "It''s not easy being called the weakest which you know, you aren''t, and I believe that."


    They went past a picturesque view of the over towering trees surrounding the hills, but they weren''t able to appreciate its full beauty. Instead, they were engrossed in their conversation with the prince and his legitimate claim to the throne.


    "You know better than anyone else that my brother has the highest chance to be the heir to the throne." Prince Arterius said. "He had won many battles and look at me, I am here going into the mines¡ª"


    "To change the world." Lord Prestonheim interjected. "If it is only about merit, yours weigh the heaviest. A magic barrier piercing cannon. And now this? Those fools are blind!" He exclaimed.


    Suddenly, Lord Prestonheim''s doubts slowly faded as his conviction to help his godson became stronger with their conversation.


    "We shall make it through, Prince Arterius." He confidently proclaimed. "You shall change this world for the better with your knowledge and discoveries. The empire needs a new paradigm. True strength does not only come from one''s physique, but it comes from here¡­" he pointed his chest. "The heart."


    The Prince smiled at him. "I believe in you that we can achieve this impossible feat. I mean¡­I have to¡­because I wanted this!" He stated with pride and conviction.


    "Well, then we are almost there, Prince Arterius! Please show your people that intensity and hunger so that they would grant your vision for the future." He smiled.


    After a few more talks, they finally reached the mines. The desolate landscape of dilapidated tents was still eerie to Lord Prestonheim. This was once a camp full of life until that faithful night happened.


    Everyone stopped at a distance of around 40 footlings from the burrow and began to build a new camp. The squad lined up immediately after taking a quick rest and lunch. Lord Prestonheim could see the anxiety in their faces but he knew that he had to push them through.


    After setting up the levers and posts for an individual descent, everyone anxiously waited for his orders. The silver-haired Commander could feel the intensity and heaviness in the air. He looked at his godson who stoically looked at him and nodded.


    That was his go signal. He looked cleared his throat and tried to speak encouraging words as best as he could, but nothing was coming out from him.


    To be honest, Lord Prestonheim had no words to say to them. He wanted to think of this entire ordeal as like fighting a war. But this was a different kind of war. There were no survivors on either side if one gets captured. In fact, there''s no such thing as prisoners, only corpses that would lay waste on the ground.


    But his


    "Men, today is the day we make history." He began his speak as he glanced over his attentive listeners. In front of the rows were his green and eager knights, yet to be tempered into battle. He could only imagine the horrors they would have to go through as they descend further into that hole. "May no fear fog your hearts, and no emotion block your senses. Be logical and be brave! And if your time comes, be at peace knowing that you had become the foundation of this great empire! For Arteria! For the Principalia!"

 Chapter 117: The Hole Pt. 1

    Chandea, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 48th day of Fall, Arenfall


    -----------


    The knights and members of the Auxillarum shouted and cheered as the Prince revealed the chest full of gold in front of them. The idea of great riches would indeed rile up anyone''s spirits but not for Adaloun, he''s been there too many times to know the risk of such gold.


    He looked around and saw the other freed slaves staring at the prince with blank expressions of their faces. It would take more than just gold to make them cheer for him. Actually, they only wanted to get their sweet freedom and the rest they can just figure out on their own.


    Risking themselves inside the damned hole was their only means of finally escaping the clutches of the Principalian influence on them. Prince Arterius swore that himself that once they return from the expedition, he will personally grant them their release. Although hesitant about it, each of them agreed to do their part of the bargain.


    "Prince Arterius! Prince Arterius!" The knights erupted their praises for the prince.


    Adaloun felt the dreadful seeing their happy faces, no matter how much he tried to deny it, he knew most of them will die a lonely and painful death against the monsters of the hole.


    Lord Prestonheim stepped forward and cleared his throat once again. The squadron immediately stood silent as they made their salute to the silver-haired Commander.


    "Squad 1, prepare!" He shouted. Adaloun''s squad moved forward, gave their last salute to the Prince and Commanders before marching into the hole''s opening.


    Like as planned, two men descended first into the hole. Adaloun watched nervously as the Orkamuu and the other knight descend into the dark hole. It took a good couple of moments before they received an answer from the both of them.


    A ray of golden light spurted from the hole, the Orkamuu had signal their safe descend into the belly of the beasts. The rest of them descended after that signal. The long descent down the dark crevice was different from what he had remembered. Instead of the gloomy and eerie blanket of darkness, the stone-clumped walls were visibly obvious as the golden light exposed took out the dark veil of the hole.


    Adaloun''s visions of the horrors he had once went through at the cave were no longer haunting him. The warm bright golden light from the Orkamuu''s magic spell burnt it all away. He felt comfortable descending back into the hole regardless of the broken skeletons scattered across the murky floor.


    It took another few trip from the improvised pulley system to completely deliver the rest of the first squad down the chtonic darkworld. As the guide to the rest of the squad, he advanced himself along the water-sunken cave.


    "Be careful here." He said as he treaded slowly on the murky waist-deep water. "There might be something lurking in these muddy waters." He gestured everyone to unsheathe their swords.


    "Has this always been this submerge?" The curious Orkamuu asked.


    "No, it hasn''t been." Adaloun answered. "The last time I went down here, the water was only ankle deep and the small opening¡­over there!" He pointed at where the small opening was on the map.


    "I thought so too." The Orkamuu answered as he hovered his golden sphere of light around the muddy waters. "The torrential rains really drowned this cave and the monsters with it, praise be to Apholak!" He added.


    The golden sphere ball stopped exactly at where Adaloun pointed the opening would be, confirming the accuracy of the map.


    "The aetherium ores and monsters are just at the other of this opening." Adaloun sighed. "Now, all we have to do is find a way or magic to dive through it."


    "And how are we supposed to do that?" A knight from the back yelled out.


    Even with the runes and magic affinity Adaloun had, he still cannot think of any magic applicable to such task. He looked around for other possible way into it, bur the murky mud and stone lined walls were impossible to manipulate even with runic magic.


    "Ha! And your Commander said that he doesn''t need men like us!" The proud navy knight shouted." Clear me some room. Let me show you what I can do." The healer cracked his knuckles and began to concentrate.


    Commander Crovar''s knight placed both of his hands on the water''s surface. Just as he did, the water began to pulse violently. "Stand back all of you!" He shouted to them. All of them in front of him came scrambling behind him.


    The water reacted with every breath the knight made. It seemed like his exousia incorporated itself into the water blending both man and element. He spread his arms and the water slowly parted into the walls. As it did, the small entrance finally revealed itself.


    The knight looked at them and smiled smugly at them, "Useless he said? Hmmm¡­go ahead¡­and pass now."


    Adaloun wasn''t sure if the knight was just being funny or simply wanted a confrontation from the knights.


    "What did you just say to our Lord Commander?!" The triggered knight pointed his blade at him. "Say that again salt wanker!"


    "Ohhhhh¡­ The healer unsheathed his own sword and directed it at the other knight. "Interesting it looks like I get to go for a warmup¡ª"


    "Both of you, that''s enough!" The Orkamuu interjected. "This is not the time and place for such your childish wiles!"


    The Orkamuu looked calm and jovial as he talked out reason to them, but Adaloun could feel something more under the warm friendly exterior of the warrior¡ªand they were about to found out just what it truly was.


    "Out of my way, ser Orkamuu!" The healer said. "If you don''t want to drown along with that man!"


    "But¡ª" The Orkamuu tried to reason again but was foolishly interrupted by Lord Prestonheim''s knight.


    "Leave yourself out of this, Ser Gravil, this is not your fight!" The young knight took a step and met his opponent with a slash.


    But before the blade could land the Orkamuu stepped in again this time, but he came in ready with an arsenal of his own. He placed the fiery orb in between the two combatants. The orb spun violently and was attracting both men into it.


    They were unable to freely move their bodies. Both men panicked as the orb slowly became hotter and hotter. The radiant flames were slowly roasting them in their armors. Adaloun and the rest of the knights were didn''t dare to intervene it. The heat was almost near scorching and all of them were already feeling the heat scorching and licking their wet skin.


    "H¡­Hellp!" The young knight cried out, "H-help me¡­ get this tis away¡­aaahhhh!"


    Although not screaming in pain, the grimace on his face and the fear in his eyes said it all.


    "Fear not both of you," Ser Gravil said, "I will kill you both quickly." The Orkamuu''s jovial tone turned into a cold, seasoned killer.


    "No! We won''t anymore! Please!!" The knight chorused.


    ''You promise?" The Orkamuu asked as he intensified the heat from his floating sphere. He raised his eyebrow to both of them.


    Both knights looked at each other panicking and stuttering, " Y-yess! W¡­w-we will!"


    "Alright." The Orkamuu snapped his fingers and the ball instantly disappeared. Both men dropped hard on the ground squirming in pain as their bodies steamed from the intense heat of that magical sphere. The knights ran towards them, but with one look of the Orkamuu''s glare, they all hesitated.


    It was only Adaloun he approached both men without even flinching at the Orkamuu''s piercing eyes.


    "That was too much," He calmly said. "You could''ve killed them!"


    The Orkamuu simply patted his shoulder, "If I wanted them dead, then, we wouldn''t be having this conversation anymore." He answered.


    "Ser, Gavil¡­. bzzztttt¡­can you hear us?" The rough and gritted voice of Lord Presotnheim boomed from nowhere.


    The Orkamuu hurriedly pulled up his satchel and brought out the crystal ball, exactly as what Adaloun had before.


    "Loud and clear, my Lord!" He answered.


    The line went silent for a good while and then, "There was a terrible spike of exousia in the crystal, was it yours?" Asked the commnader.


    "Yes, I''m afraid so, My Lord." He answered.


    Adaloun simply listened to the conversation while helping the fallen knights.


    "Was there a monster on your path already?" The silver-haired commander asked.


    On the other side of the conversation, Adaloun could hear the audible sounds of parchments rolling and loud scribbles plagued the Commander''s line.


    "There was nay," Gravil answered calmly. "There was however a problem we encountered earlier that made me used my powers."


    The Orkamuu''s response was met with another silence. The crystal ball went on static again.


    "What problem was it?" Lord Prestonheim asked while reiterating to his chronicler what needed to be written on the parchment.


    "We forgot to factor the torrential rain earlier this week. The cave was flooded and the entrance going to the ores was blocked with waist deep water." He explained to the Commander. "I was just¡­clearing the way, right Adaloun?"


    "Y-yes¡­" Adaloun answered. "We have to clear out the water in place."


    The Orkamuu smiled at him and winked.

 Chapter 118: The Hole Pt.2

    Chandea, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 48th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ---------------------------------------------------------


    "Very well," Lord Prestonheim sighed. "The people here became too anxious to see that spike of energy. Is everything passable now?" He asked.


    The Orkamuu passed the crystal ball to Adaloun while discreetly whispering, "You answer that question."


    Adaloun took the communication device from the Orkamuu and reported the status of their journey.


    "So far, the muddy water has been cleared from the opening. All we have to do is explore what''s inside of it." He answered.


    "Is there a possibility that something might still be lurking at the other side?" The Commander asked.


    "I am not certain yet." Adaloun sighed. "But here''s one thing for sure, get the second squad ready while I try and explore the other side." He added.


    "Alright." Lord Prestonheim agreed to Adaloun''s suggestion. On the background he could hear the Commander''s muffled voice ordering the next batch to ready their descent.


    Adaloun gave back the crystal ball to Ser Gravil, "Here, Ser¡­"


    "Gravil. Just call me Gravil, my friend." The Orkamuu smiled. "Looks like you''ll have to go inside first." He pointed at the exposed opening.


    "Yes, I have to crawl to the other side like I did before." Adaloun sighed.


    "It''s a dark and narrow entrance, would you like the assistance of my fire sprite?" The Orkamuu politely asked. "It could help you light your way and save some of your exousia for later." He added.


    It was a good offer. Adaloun didn''t refused it, "I would appreciate that." He smiled.


    "Very well, my friend." Gravil smiled back. "Stand back a little bit while a get you one."


    Adaloun did what the Orkamuu instructed. He stood back and watch Gravil do his spell.


    Gravil held up his arm, "Oh beautiful and mighty sun! I ask for your light show me your wondrous light and spread you shine towards this dark world." He snapped his finger and suddenly a clumped ball of light began to appear in front of them.


    The sphere''s light started off dim, then became brighter and brighter as it compressed into a small dense floating ball.


    "There, my friend!" Gravil grinned. "It will light your path as you crawl into that hole. May Apholak, bless you!"


    Adaloun thanked him and smiled back. "I shall get going then."


    The spherical light hovered first into the dark opening, giving Adaloun a sense of sight on the damp tunnel. The tight tunnel was still wet from all the water it was soaked in. Adaloun felt uncomfortable crawling on the slippery and soft mud sticking on his hands, knees and foot.


    He crawled some more, covering half the length of the tunnel. The scent of decay still lingered through the tunnel and it became stronger as he went deeper into the other end. He finally saw the other mouth at the end of the tunnel, Adaloun hastily crawled towards exiting the claustrophobic tightness of the tunnel.


    Unfortunately for him, the sphere of light, wasn''t able to pass through it. It only stayed hovering at the opening where he exited but never hovered beyond that mark. It was quite a strange thing, but nonetheless it did its job to light him throughout his way.


    He crouched back and shouted his lungs out, "All clear!" He said as he lit his own light rune to provide him with additional light. The place was darker than what he remembered, and the last thing he wanted was surprised at some lurking monster in the dark.


    His light rune flickered as he tried to control the amount of exousia he released on the object. The last thing he wanted was to be drained of unnecessary energy due to excessive usage of exousia. He raised his light rune and waved it around the cavernous space.


    The cave was bigger than what it was before, or so he thought. Being in the darkness could change your perspective in all forms.


    "What''s your status there?!" The Orkamuu shouted.


    Adaloun took another look around the area. He increased his exousia output into the light rune and made it shine brighter. The light spread throughout the cavern and revealed an empty and lifeless place. He drew his sword with his other hand just to be sure, incase there are some attacks that might come out of nowhere.


    "It''s safe here. There''s nothing here anymore!" He answered back.


    A few moments later, Adaloun heard the buzzing echoes of the knights slowly crawling the muddy entrance. He could hear their complaints and curses while they passed the mucky cave.


    The Orkamuu came popping out of the cave first. His hands were muddy and his elaborately patterned silk under his amor had a few dirt splattered all over. He stood up and wiped his hands with a towel he hid under his belt.


    He offered it to Adaloun after seeing his hands, but Adaloun refused. Both men stood beside the opening as they waited for the rest of them to go through the opening. There was a baffled look on Gravil''s face, so he asked.


    "Is something the matter?" Adaloun hovered his light rune around the cave once again.


    The Orkamuu looked at him and asked, "Did my fire sprite went along with you or did it just stay right there?"


    "Well¡­now that you asked¡­" Adaloun furrowed his brows. "Well, should it have followed until here?" He asked.


    Gravil looked at it once more, "It should''ve." He stratched his head. "That is definitely odd."


    The Orkamuu didn''t dare take the spere out since there were still knights crawling towards them.  They waited silently for others to pass before he deactivates it.


    The crystal ball buzzed once again. The Orkamuu took it out of his satchel and passed the device to Adaloun.


    "He might be looking for you." He smiled.


    "Is anyone there?" Lord Prestonheim''s voice echoed out from the ball. "Can anyone hear me?"


    "Lord Prestonheim," Adaloun answered. "Gravil and I are already on the otherside of the opening. So far, it''s quiet here. Everything is clear. We are just waiting for the others to pass through."


    "Understood." Lord Prestonheim answered back. "Squad 2 had already descended and will be with you on queue. Please work with them." He added.


    "As you wish, my Lord." Adaloun answered and gave back the ball to Gravil.


    It took a few moments more for the entire squad to reach the other side. Once they did, Adaloun instructed them to move further into the cave and investigate the spacious clearing.


    "Alright, good Sers," He began and pointed at the white slab on the wall. "No matter how curious you are about it, do not touch it." He instructed.


    The knights looked at each other and nodded silently. The knights spread all over the place and investigated the wide space in the cave. They saw the wonderful gems sparkling against the canopy. They also saw the huge clumps of shiny crystal ores glowing opposite to the white stone wall.


    One of them took out his pickaxe and tried to harvest it but was stopped by Adaloun.


    "Don''t do it!" He said as he held the knight''s tool down. "You might trigger something, let''s just part it for now." The knight was hesitant about following his order but agreed to him anyway. It seemed like the knight valued Adaloun''s experience inside the cave more than his pride.


    Adaloun looked at the white stone wall once more and saw how the aetherium veins shifted its pattern along the swirls and lines of the white stone. He dared not to touch it and made sure his light was as far from it as possible. Strangely, it didn''t absorb the light from his rune.


    He looked back at Gravil who was waiting for the second squad to enter the hole. The Orkamuu stood there staring at his summoned sprite, brooding over why it won''t go pass the entrance. Adaloun returned to investigating the changes of the clearing but didn''t went pass the next cave located at the end of it. He only stared at it for a while before walking back. He knew that''s where the all the dread was, and it was just a matter of time for the others to experience it.


    He heard a commotion coming from the first opening, muffled voices began to fill the air. Adaloun approached the Second Squad who finally were able to pass the entrance and welcomed them.  Corvinus smiled at him and greeted.


    "Oh, what a pleasant face to welcome us!" The silver-tongued Orkamuu commented.


    Adaloun bowed and looked for Tristam. He found him engrossedly staring at the white stone wall.


    "Ser Tristam!" He shouted but it seemed that he hadn''t heard him. "Ser Tristam." He called out once more but there was no response.


    Suddenly, Adaloun felt dreadful as he watched helplessly as the young knight began to smile at the wall and picked something out of his satchel. Seeing this, Adaloun ran towards him he shouted to the other knights to stop their leader, but he was too late.


    Tristam took out all of his light runes, activated all of it and smacked it against the white wall. Adaloun stopped in horror as he realized Tristam''s grin.


    "Run! All of you run and take cov¡ª" But it was too late, the runes element was fully absorbed and suddenly everything turned white, followed by a deafening explosion.

 Chapter 119: Divided We Fall

    Chandea, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 48th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ------------


    "What''s happening?!" The silver-haired Commander asked as a loud booming sound followed by a static echoed through the crystal ball. "Can someone¡ª"


    Suddenly the ground shook violently.


    "The ground is shaking!" A knight shouted from outside the command tent.


    Lord Prestonheim held the crystal ball in his hands and tucked his godson into his arms as everything went to a state of panic. Commander Crovar held on the table for a while as the massive earthquake tumbled some of the posts inside the tent.


    It took a while for it to finally stop and when it did, the tent already collapsed above them. Lord Prestonheim could hear the panicking squads'' shouts and cries as they tried to dig them out of the collapsed structure.


    He looked at his godson in his arms, curled into a ball scared witlessly with the shaking of the ground.


    "Are you alright, Arterius?" He whispered to him calmly.


    "I am alright, godfather." The young prince answered. "We should check the others and also the hole. We need to do it quickly!"


    He could feel his godson''s shivering body, but the young man''s never quivered. Lord Prestonheim knew Prince Arterius was afraid, but the young prince held himself together. It was his first experience of an earthquake, but the prince took it pretty well.


    "Very well, Arterius." Lord Prestonheim smiled and unsheathed his blade. The silver-haired Commander stabbed the leather tarp and ran the blade down to slice it open.


    "There they are!" A knight exclaimed as he saw Lord Prestonheim and the Prince emerge from the debris.


    The knights immediately helped them get out the heavy leather tarp. He looked around and saw his old friend emerged at the other end of the tent, carrying the limp body of the prince''s ward.


    "STOLAS!" The Prince shouted. "STOLAS! NO!" He limped towards his unconscious ward.


    Commander Crovar laid his unconscious friend on the ground and gestured them to not go any further.


    "What happened, Syleon?" Lord Prestonheim asked.


    "The ward tripped over from the shaking and bumped his head on the corner of the table. He was bleeding profusely earlier, but I stopped it already." Commander Crovar answered. "I am going to perform full healing now, please stand back and take the prince with you." He added.


    Lord Prestonheim nodded and took the Prince away from his old friend. As they were about to leave, a frantic knight came rushing over, his breath labored.


    "L¡­Lord¡­m¡ªmy Lord¡­" The knight said as he was trying to catch his breath. "T-the f-freed¡­cough¡­slaves¡­they''re¡ª"


    "What of them?!" The silver-haired Commander asked.


    The knight pointed towards the direction of the hole. Lord Prestonheim''s heart sunk as he began to realize the situation. He left the Prince by the knights and ran towards the hole. As he rushed towards it, a lot of questions came running in his mind.


    Did they actually follow him there? Did they turn against the squads? Lord Prestonheim had to know.


    As he went nearing the area, he saw knights frantically carrying logs while some used earth runes over something. Has something emerged from beneath the earth? Is it another grotesque monster?


    "What is going around here?!" He shouted and shoved some of the knights blocking his way. There he saw a very odd scenario involving the freed slaves. The dwarf was frantically writing runes around the shrinking hole as the beastman held it open.


    "What happened?" Lord Prestonheim asked a knight.


    "The hole in the ground started to shrink after it shook." The knight explained. "The freed slaves noticed it and began to work their way to stop it from closing, m''Lord." He added.


    "Why are you staring here? Why are you not helping?!" He asked angrily on his knights'' incapacity to help.


    "They told us not to intervene, my Lord." Another knight answered. "They just asked for our earth runes instead." He added.


    "Quit yer yappin, Ulfaar and make sure dah hole ain''t closin''!" The dwarf''s voice boomed. "Pull yer muscles!"


    "NNgghhh¡­I''m tryin'' too¡­" The beastman clenched his jaw as he tried to prevent the ground from closing.


    Lord Prestonheim could see the desperation in both of the men''s eyes. The dwarf''s sweat dripped down his runes, but he just continued on after cursing himself. The dwarf kept looking around. It seemed like he was waiting for something.


    Lord Prestonheim tried to get near him, but the dwarf yelled out, "Stay off this, M''Lord! ''Tis a bit dangerous tah be round''ere!"


    The dwarf was looking around again, "Damn it! Phellie! Where yah lass? I need dem earth runes now!"


    The elf came running out from the crowd of knights. She seemed to be bringing a bag full of earth runes. After a quick instruction from the dwarf, she began setting them up around the runes the dwarf drew earlier.


    The beastman was already at his limit. His hand was constantly slipping from the insistent hole that seemed to be closing itself by the moment.


    "Pick up yer pace!" The dwarf yelled at the elf.


    Lord Prestonheim could only look at them anxiously as they tried to salvage the opening. He stood there, fist clenched as the situation became more dire. The beastman wasn''t able to put his hand in the hole. The hole was so small only his fingers were keeping it open.


    The elf finally signaled at the dwarf that she was done. Seeing this the dwarf clasped his hands together and began to chant.


    "Oh earthly mother, I ask yer hand tah bound the door open fer eternity." The dwarf took a deep breath and placed his hands into his drawn rune. Suddenly, the stony tendrils began to emerge from the earth rune that elf stabbed on the dwarf''s scribbled runes.


    The tendrils then began to go clamp the hole open while the dwarf controlled it to adjust the opening''s size. Lord Prestonheim could again see the dwarf''s face gritting and gnashing as he continued to stretch the hole with his magic.


    After a few decent struggles, he was able to finally keep it in place. The hole was back to normal which gained a few cheers coming from the knights. The beastman and the dwarf collapsed on the ground exhausted with the effort they exerted to save the hole from closing.


    "Get them some potions!" Lord Prestonheim commanded. The knights took out the crate of reserved potions and gave a couple of it to the both freed slaves.


    Lord Prestonheim approached them as they were tended by the knights. The dwarf was catching his breath, he was exhausted from the entire ordeal, but was still vigorous enough to speak with him.


    "Are you alright, dwarf?" Lord Prestonheim asked.


    "Juzta wee tired, I guess." The dwarf answered back as he sat down. "Dat shakin'' wuz of a magic variety." He added.


    "What do you mean by that?" Lord Prestonheim got confused. "You mean to say it wasn''t some monster¡ª"


    "Tis might be a monster," The dwarf interjected. "But, tis a magical tracin'' innit!" The dwarf scratched his head and stood up.


    "You need to rest." Lord Prestonheim held his hand on the dwarf''s shoulder. "Take sometime¡ª"


    "Ders nay time fer sleep." The dwarf took the commander''s hand off his shoulder. "I need me axe! I''m goin'' down there!"


    The dwarf groggly walked towards the hole but Lord Prestonheim held his arm once again.


    "Let go off meh!" The dwarf shook the grip off his arm.


    The elf finally stepped in and spread her arms, gesturing him to stop. The dwarf looked at her in the eyes, "But¡­there''s¡­" The dwarf collapsed on the ground for the second time. Using that amount of ability truly took a toll on him.


    Lord Prestonheim asked the knights to carry both the dwarf and the beastman to a safer place while additional healing potions are being administered. Lord Prestonheim went back to the issue of the hole.


    A deep sense of dread slowly sunk in. What could''ve happened to the two squads? Are they still alive or no longer with them? Dark thoughts came rushing in his mind. The only way to confirm it is if someone would confirm it.


    He called one of the knights and asked him to descend to the hole and check the squads'' status. The knight agreed, but Lord Prestonheim could feel the fear in him.


    "No, you won''t be going alone." He said. "Those who are able, can assist this knight down there and check the status of the first two squads! I won''t take it against you if you won''t, but we cannot just leave them behind without knowing their fates."


    He looked around and saw his knights just standing right there. Although frustrated, he couldn''t blame his knights for being afraid. After all, who knows what kind of terror awaits them at the bottom. He looked around and was disappointed from their response. Only an auxillarum member and a healer from Commander Crovar''s army was willing to join them.


    "It looks like you three have to investigate what happened to the cave. Very well¡­" He sighed.


    "Pardon my intrusion Lord Commander, but FOUR of us will be going." The auxillarum pointed behind Lord Prestonheim.


    The desperate, silver-haired Commander looked behind him and saw the elf raising her hand.


    "You would like to join too?" He asked.


    She looked at him straight in the eye and nodded.

 Chapter 120: Residue

    Chandea, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 48th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ------------------------------------


    "Phellie, yah sure ''both this?" Ghwynmyr asked. "Be careful, ah?"


    Orphella looked at her comrade and patted his shoulder, "I will be fine. Hopefully Adaloun is as well." She signed.


    She divulged her attention to the beastman who had his hands tended by his squad healer. Orphella approached her and asked.


    "Would you be alright?" She pointed his wounded hands.


    The beastman silently nodded at her. She smiled to him and was about to approach Lord Prestonheim for their final instructions when suddenly Ulfaar called out to her.


    "O-Orphella!" The beastman said. "Y-ou be careful out there."


    The elf smiled again at him, "I will be."


    After that brief conversation with her comrades, she immediately went to Lord Prestonheim''s make-shift table located just near the mouth of the opening. The silver-head Commander along with the volunteering knights was already planning for the reconnaissance mission that they need to do in a moment.


    The elf approached them and bowed to the Commander. Lord Prestonheim nodded back but immediately went back to the conversation. The elf stood beside the healer and listened to the Commander''s stratagem.


    "All you have to do is check what happened below." The Commander started. "If you encounter hostiles, give us a quick report and do not engage. The last thing we want is to stir whatever it is down there." He massaged the bridge of his nose. "Rescue any surviving members and if there''s none, just retrieve their remains. We owe them a proper burial." Lord Prestonheim added.


    All of them nodded in agreement. Everyone was anxious on what they might see once they reach the bottom. What Orphella could only do was pray for the best. Hopefully, Adaloun and the rest are still alive and just unconscious.


    The rest of the knights fixed the pulley system to help them descend faster down the hole. While waiting for it, she checked her equipment once again. The long bow Ghwynmyr made for her was heavier compared to the lighter bows they had made from the cured Iron Willow wood endemic to the Vridian forest.


    The dwarven bow was made from twisting metal fibers to emulate the flexibility of the wooden bow. A feat that only a skilled dwarf weaponsmith can do. She then checked the belt holding the quiver on her hip and tried shaking it. It was properly hoisted.


    The dwarf also gave her a pair of leaf-shaped daggers. Again, the blades were a lot heavier than that of an elven-crafted blade, but its durability surpasses that of their race''s craft. She placed them back on the holsters she wore on both her legs.


    The pulley system was almost done by the time she was finished with her equipment check. The Orkamuu was waving to her asking her to come for their own huddle. She immediately ran towards them and listened as the dark-skinned warrior began to speak.


    "Greetings of Light to all of you!" He smiled. "They call me Wahakim, I am tasked to lead this group on the¡­ummm..abyss, I guess. Let''s work well together."


    The other knights nodded and introduced themselves albeit quickly. The knight from Lord Prestonheim''s flock was called, Martigan. The healer called himself Ikareon. The elf tried to introduce herself but unfortunately, no one could seem to understand her¡ªthe language she used.


    So, she introduced herself by writing her name down using the Arterian runes system.


    "Orphella," The leader said. "Well met. I would love to know you people better, but the circumstances are not in our favor to do a chat right now. Let''s go!"


    Everyone agreed and readied themselves for the descent. The Orkamuu along with her came down the hole first. They descended under the blanket of blinding darkness swallowing them as the descended further down the deep hole.


    "Amazing!" Wahakim exclaimed. "This abyss truly represents the darkness Lord Apholak fought eons ago!" He said.


    Orphella looked around the thick blanket of darkness, as she looked around the environment became clearer to her. Her eyes easily adjusted to the blinding dark and just before they could finish their descent, she was already able to see the silhouette of the rocky walls holding the hole in place.


    But that was only temporary¡­


    "May the light of Apholak tear this vei of darkness apart!" Wahakim shouted.


    A shot of a bright warm light began to glow and spread throughout the hole. Orphella had to close her eyes as the light continued to shine brighter.


    "Oh no!" Wahakim exclaimed. "I am sorry if I hadn''t warned you about that. I thought you knew. You could''ve told¡ªoh yeah¡­umm...sorry about that." He said.


    Orphella had no idea what the Orkamuu was talking about. But she shook her head while covering her eyes as the continued their descent.


    "It is safe to open your eyes now, Lady Orphella." The Orkamuu advised.


    The elf slowly opened her eyes and saw the rocky walls she only saw in silhouette earlier. The rocky walls Was intricately formed with the earth rune the dwarf asked her to collect.


    "No wonder why he was so drained." She told herself as she recalled the dwarf''s poor state after using his magic on them.


    The dwarf went above and beyond in keeping the integrity of the hole, especially with how it almost closed. Orphella recalled that the hole didn''t collapse on itself as it closed instead, it felt like a mouth forcing itself to close.


    The phenomenon was so unnatural she could only think of one reason why it happened¡ªmagic. They were already getting close to the ground. The Orkamuu tapped his shoulder and signaled her ready her bow.


    She took out the bow she slung on her back and readied herself as they stepped on the ground. Orphella took an arrow from her quiver, pulled bow and pointed the arrow right in front of them.  She nodded to the Orkamuu that she was ready.


    The Orkamuu then extended his arm towards the darkness in front of them and shoot a compact ball of light from his hand. The ball tore through the darkness before exploding at what seemingly was the wall. The bright light illuminated the entire tunnel and what they saw surprised them.


    "What in the world?" The Orkamuu scratched his head as he looked at the scene baffled. He took out the map and checked it again. "Have I been reading this correctly?!" He passed it to her.


    The elf was also surprised to see it. She looked at the map, it was grossly different from the one that Adaloun saw and described earlier. The narrow pathway was gone, possibly blown up from the explosion earlier.


    Orphella''s heart raced. She wanted to rush to the scene immediately, but she cannot leave the Orkamuu behind. She took a deep breathe to calm herself down, but her heart was still restless. She focused on her breathing to take the anxious thoughts plaguing her mind.


    Is Adaloun still alive? Are they alright? Are we currently baited here? These thoughts run all over her mind. A small pebble rolled from the wall, hitting on the ground causing a booming thud. The sound made her lose her cool and accidentally released an arrow to the clearing in front of her.


    Her magic-infused arrow simply ricochet itself, hitting the dangling stalactite before hitting the brittle dried ground.


    "Keep calm, my Lady." The Orkammu said as he put his hand on her shoulder. "You''re too tense." He added.


    Orphella looked at him straight in his eyes and saw the same look of worry painted on his gold-colored eyes. She took another deep breath and bowed to apologize. The Orkamuu lifted her arm asking not to prostrate to him.


    "Only the Kings and Lords merit a bow, but for free people like us a simple smile will do." He calmly said.


    The Orkamuu was obviously as terrified as her, but the way brought the entire ordeal was graceful. In fact, too graceful, he might as well be an elf.


    The other two members of the reconnaissance group had already reached the bottom. All four of them advanced to the place that Adaloun supposed to describe as the small tunnel, before the clearing on the other side.


    "This doesn''t seem to look like it¡ª" said the healer. "And what are those?" He pointed at the big bubble that started to emerge near a huge white wall.


    "What should we do now?" Asked the young knight.


    "Our Lord say to avoid hostiles¡­but I have a feeling that we need what are the contents of that."


    Wahakim looked around for a rock to throw at it, but it was too far away. Orphella knew it was foolish to use an arrow at it, but rather than a stone that''s failing miserably to hit it, she might as well.


    She nudged the Orkamuu gently to get his attention and volunteered to do the pricking of the bubbly for them.


    "That''s going to waste another precious arrow!" The Orkamuu said.


    Before Wahakim could say another word, Orphella rapidly took her arrow and released it before the Orkamuu and the other men could blink.


    The arrow hit the center of the crimson bubble. As soon as it did, The stench of rotting blood filled the air and the red liquid gushed on the floor. The viscous liquid along with questionable chunks of matter spilled all over the floor.


    The group looked in horror as their greatest fear seemed to unravel in front of their very eyes.

 Chapter 121: The Veil

    Chandea, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 48th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ------------------------------------


    The oozing red liquid slowly spread on ground emitting a putrid odor of decomposing flesh and rotten blood. The chunks of matter rolled along with the liquid. As it got closer, it became more apparent what the chunks were¡­


    "By Apholak''s beard!" Wahakim exclaimed. "Is that a head?!"


    The young knight took out his sword and slowly approached the spreading substance. He reached his sword and tried to poke the blood-drenched head. As the knight approached it, Orphella noticed something terribly strange. She immediately tried to catch the other men''s attention and pointed directly at the thick liquid.


    The healer was quick to react, he immediately grabbed the young knight away from the viscous liquid. Both of them stumbled a few footlings away from the gross substance before the knight realized what he was about to get himself into.


    "It''s burning the ground!" The knight pointed at the corrosive substance.


    Wahakim stood in front of them. "Hide behind my back, all of you!"


    Orphella joined in and hid behind the Orkamuu''s back. When he noticed that everyone was safely hidden behind him, Wahakim began to chant.


    "Great Apholak, father of the sun, bringer of the truth. I ask you lend me your strength and rid this world of its impurities. Cleanse this world with the flame of your mighty sun! Purification!" Wahakim snapped his fingers and blasted a pulse of scorching flames towards the corrosive liquid.


    The putrid substance burned under the golden flames of the Orkamuu''s magic. As it burned the liquid dry Orphella noticed something once again. She saw the head move and glared at them before completely burning into ashes.


    The contorted face of the head seemed to be grinning at them, taunting them and mocking them for their actions. It felt like it was telling them to step a little closer into the unknown. She looked at the others reaction, but all she saw were relieved faces.


    "Did they saw that one too?" She thought to herself.


    "Is everyone alright?" Wahakim asked them.


    Orphella nodded for the three of them. She looked at the head again, but it had melted its face off and only a white naked skull was left. The liquid was finally burnt out of existence; only pieces of human remains, and brittle chunks of armor was left.


    The healer and helped the knight stood up, "Are you alright, Ser Martigen?"


    Martigen looked at the healer and answered, "Yes I am, Ser Ikareon, thank you."


    Both men took a breath of relief.


    Orphella took a dagger from its holster and slowly approached the smoking remains. The healer blocked her way.


    "This is no work of a lady, Lady Orphella." He said in his deep, smooth voice. "Let me handle it for you." Ikareon pulled out his sword and slowly approached the remains.


    The remark offended Orphella. First of all, she was a skilled warrior. Secondly, being called a Lady to her was nonsensical and utmost absurd. She doesn''t belong in any house anymore and her affiliation with the Indescens sect rid her off of any other title that she might have before.


    She wanted to react and scold the guy for treating her like a damsel more than a comrade of equal footing. But then she realized, she no one can understand her. The only communication they understood was her pointing at something or doing some crude signs that made her look dumb more than anything else.


    She silently walked away, crossed her arms and looked from a distance as the healer poked what was left of the disembodied head. The Orkamuu went to her and joined on her viewing.


    "Knights and their so-called chivalry!" He began to whisper. "It''s just a way to make them look dignified despite their filthy deeds to their people." Wahakim grinned.


    Martigen followed Ikareon cautiously and picked up the pieces with the end of their swords.  As the young knight raised the armor piece, it became apparent what it was, a segmented shoulder armor.


    "A plated armor?" The knights looked at each other.


    Just as they realized what the mysterious armor was, the crystal ball buzzed.


    "Any reports from down there?" Lord Prestonheim''s voice boomed from Wahakim''s satchel.


    The Orkamuu hurriedly pulled out the crystal ball and answered back, "We just encountered something strange down here, my Lord." He answered.


    The line went silent for a moment, "W-what sort of strange is that?"


    "A skull and an armor piece, my Lord." Martigan shouted.


    "By the gods!" Lord Prestonheim''s voice quivered. "Are they all¡ª"


    "It''s too early for us to know, my Lord." Wahakim calmly answered. "This armor is a segmented shoulder armor. Not one of us has that."


    Orphella could hear Lord Prestonheim''s sigh of relief from the communication line. "Then who''s armor is that?"


    "We have to investigate¡­" The Orkamuu answered back.


    As the men were discussing about the remains, something caught Orphella''s eye. The white stone wall looked odd. The solid wall seemed to be moving, behaving as if it was in a liquid state. She saw the wall produce ripples bouncing around the wide wall space.


    Orphella blinked and suddenly she saw a familiar face. It was the child she saw on her dreams. The crystal she kept with her suddenly began to vibrate in her satchel.  The gem was reacting to the child''s presence.


    Orphella hurriedly shook the Orkamuu''s arm to get his attention, and after she did, Orphella pointed at the white stone wall. Wahakim looked at him baffled.


    "Yes, I already reported it to the Lord Commander that white wall is of abnormal origin." The Orkamuu answered.


    "No! That''s not what I meant!" She signed. "Someone is beyond that wall!"


    The men looked at him with their baffled faces, no one could understand what she was talking about. She tried to reiterate what she just said using crude signals, but they kept on answering the same thing.


    "I have already reported the wall to the Lord Commander, and he ordered us to stay where we are right now." Wahakim answered.


    "You''re missing the point¡ª" She gave up with her crude explanations and instead ran towards the rippling wall.


    The rest of the men, tried to stop her, but she was too agile and their armor hindered their movement for a bit. Thus, it made it easy for her to approach the wall.


    Orphella''s heart pounded violently on her chest as she neared the wall. The knights were still hot on their heals for her, but she managed to beat them by 4 footlings. She stepped inside the wall, risking her life on knowing what''s on the other side.


    There was a sudden flash of light that almost blinded her for a moment. She reflexively closed her eyes protecting it from the rays and when she opened her eyes, there was nothing there but darkness.


    It took a her a moment for her vision to adjust to the dark again. Now, she could see the wide pathway filled with dull aetherium ores on the ceiling of the cave.


    As she took a step, the ores bigan to shine like stars above the dark sky. It was eerily beautiful and tantalizing, it felt like it was inviting her to go a little further.


    Orphella wanted to stop her curiosity get the better her, but the call was much too great to resist. She moved forward passing the wide opening of a gigantic tunnel in front of her. Her feet moved on their own and was walking towards the tunnel.


    Just as she was about step a into the opening. The little from her dreams showed up once more. The little girl blocked her way by spreading her arms in standing in front of the pathway.


    "You go back." The little girl said. "You cannot do this alone."


    "What do you mean?" Orphella''s voice spewed from her mouth. "Where¡ª"


    The little girl let down her arms and approached her, "This is no time for any explanation." The girl looked back. "Here, draw this on the wall."


    The little girl took out her left hand and drew in her palm a pattern of zigzags that started with a descending line and ended with a rising one. After drawing it on her palm she pushed her back hard. So hard that she was thrown back near the area where the white wall was located.


    "Seek the truth and reach beyond the veil." The little child''s last words, before she went back into the dark cave where a cluster of big bright eyes clumped at the mouth of the dark entrance.


    Orphella felt a strong tingle running on her spine. She gasped for air as the monstrous eyes seemed to be looking at her than of the child. She stood up and took a step backward until she was already against the wall.


    The eyes wouldn''t even lost sight of her, but she had nowhere to go. The intense fear had her knees trembling. Just as one of the eyes glowed a tinge of crimson, a strong hand grabbed her from the stone wall.


    Orphella woke up drenched in her sweat. She looked around to see the familiar faces, Wahakim and Ikareon were there with her guarding her as she laid down on the ground.


    "Are you alright, Orphella?" The Orkamuu asked as the healer was trying to healer was trying to patch up her busted forehead. "Why did you run on the wall Orphella?"


    Orphella looked at Wahakim''s baffled look. She slowly lifted herself up and sat down, then wrote what she wanted to say on the dry crumbly ground.


    "This is the way." She wrote and even drew an arrow pointing towards the solid wall. "Here''s the key." She said, exactly what the little girl told her.


    "Are you out of your mind?" Ikareon scratched his head. "Oh¡­ Maybe she''s still disoriented that''s why she''s saying¡ªhey!"


    Orphella stood up before Ikareon could finish his sentence. She went to the wall and drew the symbol she saw on her dream.


    All of the sudden the white stone wall began to glow. Orphella stopped before completing the drawing.


    "W-what was that, right now?" Martigan said from as he dropped the remains he was trying to collect.


    She looked at them straight in their eyes with a "now do you believe me" look on her face.


    Wahakim''s  took out the crystal ball and sent a message to the surface, "My¡­Lord¡­The elf found something extraordinary." He took a deep breath, "We need to convene at the surface, now!"

 Chapter 122: Complications

    Chandea, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 48th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ------------------------------------


    Ghwynmyr sat anxiously at the far end corner of the makeshift tent the knights reconstructed near the hole this time. He silently observed the tension-ridden faces of the people around him. The knights of both commanding factions were on the edge as they waited for an update coming from below. Both Lord Commanders stood still tirelessly staring at the crystal ball. While the prince sat at the other corner of the room, tending to his unconscious ward.


    The tent was densely packed with people on and around it. A few moments later, his friend, the beastman Ulfaar patted his back. The beastman''s wounds were already tended and cleaned. From the looks of it, the wounds healed up nicely as Ulfaar was able to move his hands again.


    The air of tension was also accompanied by buzzing noises of whispering knights, trying to fill the air of mystery with their own versions of what could''ve happen down in the hole. Some knights would occasionally glare at him, as if trying to blame him for the current incident that had happen earlier. It wasn''t the first time he was glared at like that, but it was truly getting on his nerves at that time.


    He wanted to spit at them for their prejudice but knew that it was just an unwanted scuffle that would do no good on both parties. Suddenly, the crystal ball screeched, everyone halted as they waited with batted breath to hear the first report coming from the reconnaissance team.


    They waited for a moment, but no one from the other end responded. Lord Prestonheim and Commander Crovar looked at one another and nodded. The silver-haired Commander held the ball in his hands and tried to communicate with the team below.


    "Any reports down there?" The silver-haired Commander asked.


    It took a few moments for them to respond and in that small amount of time, everyone waited in bated breath as the crystal ball remained silent.


    "We just encountered something strange down here, my Lord." Joaquim answered.


    The room buzzed with murmurs as the waited for an explanation of what the man meant by it. At that short span of time, the knights were starting to think of whatever they could think was weird inside that cave.


    Ghynwymr one too, but he dared not to say it. Not with Ulfaar beside him. The worrywart might do something desperate that it might just ruin everything that was planned out earlier. He was worried too with Adaloun''s fate inside that hellhole and now, the elf''s, the last thing he want was mangling a raging beastman trying to get into the well.


    "What kind of strange is that?" The Commander asked.


    "A skull and an armor piece, my Lord." Another voice shouted.


    "By the gods!" Lord Prestonheim''s voice quivered. "Are they all¡ª" The silver-haired Commander had to stop himself from saying the inevitable.


    Everyone stood in silence. The once noisy crowd silenced themselves after hearing out the news. The Prince looked at both his Commanders with a wide-open jaw. An expression of disbelief was painted all over his face. Commander Crovar smashed the table with his hand out of frustration at the terrible news.


    Ghwynmyr''s knees trembled as the scenario was becoming more obvious. He sat back on his chair, clenching his fist upon hearing the news. He had to calm himself down, fast. The sense of dread continued to sink deeper into his gut. He breathed in deeper to compose himself.


    He looked at the beastman who looked more miserable than he was. It seemed like his friend couldn''t contain his emotions any longer. He saw Ulfaar''s eyes welling with tears and the twitching of mouth stated the more obvious expression than his hunched posture.


    He grabbed the beastman''s arm to get his attention. Ulfaar looked at him, with anguish written all over his face. Ghwymyr understood that, he had the same feelings too. Although, he was just better at hiding them.


    "It''s too early for us to know, my Lord." Wahakim calmly answered. "This armor is a segmented shoulder armor. Not one of us has that."


    Everyone made a sigh of relief, but another thing came out and reared its ugly head. The segmented shoulder armor. No one in the current Principalian knighthood used segmented shoulder armor anymore. That used to be the thing way back around 15 years ago but had to be taken out after a sturdier, yet lighter protective shoulder armor was made.


    Finding the remains did answer some questions. It is possible that the missing squad might just be roaming in the deepest recesses of the tunnel when the explosion happened. They might be trapped somewhere inside the tunnel''s winding paths. They might be some place else. Ghwynmyr wanted to think of it just like that. He also didn''t want to think of something worse.


    He glanced at the beastman once again and saw his confused expression. He patted his shoulder and asked.


    "Are yah alright, lad?" He held his arm.


    The beastman looked at him with such a baffled expression. "What''s going on?" He asked. "Is everyone¡ª"


    "Nay, lad. We still can''t confirm that." He answered.


    Ulfaar sighed in relief, "For a moment I thought¡­" He clenched his jaw as his tears started to well on his eyes again.


    "That is Adaloun you''re talking about¡­" He smiled. "Duncha worry too much! Tis Adaloun we''re talkin'' ''ere." He patted the beastman''s back.


    The discussion continued with Lord Prestonheim asking them questions about what''s going on down there. From what they reported, they said that the current map they had was grossly inaccurate. The Joaquim person said that there was no small opening that they had to crawl on.


    This comment baffled the Prince and the Commanders alike. They thought it was impossible for Adaloun''s account to be counted as a lie since everything was so detailed. Once more, the previousuad also confirmed the existence of that tunnel, as they themselves had cleared it earlier.


    "That thing that happened earlier might''ve caused this!" Joaquim explained.


    Ghwynmyr couldn''t agree more. That earth shaking earlier, might have been caused by the sudden shifting of the underground''s interior. A strong magic spell could do that. He saw one of his brothers-in-arms did that before when they were setting traps for the Principalian knights.


    But who could''ve done it instantly was another question that he couldn''t answer. It took his comrade almost 2 weeks to complete such grueling task and that''s by doing it non-stop from dawn until dusk. This on the other hand, only took a small fraction of time to complete it.


    "The skull seemed to have lot some¡ª" there was an awkward pause from the other line. "Or¡­Orphella! What are you doing? Stop!" The communication dropped.


    The dwarf stood up from his seat. What did he mean by that?! His mind was racing as the silence from the crystal ball overwhelmed the tent. All eyes were on them as if they were the culprit of something terrible that happened.


    Lord Prestonheim called out to the crystal ball once again. But no one still responded. Ghwynmyr could feel the beastman''s energy from where he was, and he knew that it was only a matter of time for Ulfaar to explode.


    He nudged the beastman to distract him and whispered inconspicuously to him, "Ulfaar, whatever yer thinkin'', don''t yah dare. Keep calm or we might nay see dem again."


    The beastman took a deep breath and answered in a quivering voice, "I-I¡­don''t¡­"


    "Take a deep ''un, lad." He patted his back. "Deeper."


    Ghwynmyr tried his best to calm his comrade down while he tried to figure out the debacle of what elf did.


    "My Lord!" The voice from the other line seemed to be catching his breath. "My Lord, are you there? Is anyone there?" It asked.


    "Who''s this?!" Lord Prestonheim asked. "What''s going on down there?"


    "My Lord, it''s Martigen." He introduced himself. "The elf dumbly ran herself into the white stony wall in front of us! For some reason the bitch just did!" He added.


    The last comment angered Ghwynmyr. Did he just call her a vytch?! He couldn''t wrap his mind around it. If only he could reach the knight''s neck from the crystal ball and choke him out. But if he''s reacting this way, he could imagine his comrade''s reaction was.


    "Don''t bare yah fangs," He said. "Now''s nay the time tah git angry." He added.


    The beastman didn''t react, but he could hear the deep breaths Ulfaar was doing to calm himself down. Now that Ghwynmyr de-escalated that situation, he went back to listening on the crystal ball.


    They could hear footsteps, as if the crystal ball was being picked up and placed near the other two.


    "My Lord!" Joaquin''s voice filled the tent. "Orphella just ran into the wall. She isn''t bleeding but she is unconsci--."


    They could hear from the crystal ball that Wahakim seemed to be talking to Orphella now. She had awoken already! But one question remains, how did an elf ran herself into a stone wall? As far as Ghwynmyr knew, elves usually think they are the perfect specimen of living creatures among all. They even brag they could walk or run on walls, but that wasn''t the case here. This would''ve been a good campfire joke if it wasn''t for the situation they''re in.


    Ghwynmyr stifled a laugh as he imagined the disgruntled look of the elf''s face once they talk again at the campfire. He wasn''t able to keep up with the conversation at the crystal ball due to the distraction he had with those funny thoughts. He only heard snippets of what it was.


    "Are you out of your mind?" Another voice popped up from the communication device. "Oh¡­ Maybe she''s still disoriented that''s why she''s saying¡ªhey!" The voice shouted at her.


    Suddenly, there was a disruption from the line. The line jumbled and a sharp piercing sound filled the tent. All they could do was grimace as they waited for the disruption to end. There was another dead silence until Joaquim''s voice popped up again.


    "My¡­Lord¡­The elf found something extraordinary." His voice quivered in excitement, "We need to convene at the surface, now!"

 Chapter 123: Death Gambit

    Chandea, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 48th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ------------------------------------


    Ghwynmyr saw Lord Prestonheim and Commander Crovar, immediately rushing outside after ordering the rest of the squads to calm down and wait inside the tent. Everyone was on the edge especially with Joaquim''s last report. The squads were curious on what they''ve seen inside the damned hole that made them call for a meeting right away.


    He and Ulfaar waited along with the rest of them inside the tent. Ghwynmyr could feel the tension slowly smothering them again. Some of the knights were whispering to one another while obviously looking at both of them.


    Their piercing stares and looks of disgust towards them intimidated the beastman. He looked down on the ground, avoiding eye contact and shifted restless on his seat, trying to find a suitable position were those damned bhstyrds won''t find his presence.


    "Their staring at us, again." Ulfaar whispered to him. "It''s very uncomfortable." He added as he shifted his position from his chair to face the backside of the tent.


    "What''re yah doin?" Ghwynmyr asked. "Why''re turnin yah back on ''em?"


    The beastman leaned over to him and whispered, "Their eyes, they terrify me."


    Ghwynmyr silently nodded. He couldn''t blame the beastman for feeling that way. Being in the line of target of such ridicule could make anyone feel uncomfortable¡ªexcept for him. He was waiting for the knights to make a move of them, so he could test the sharpness of his hammer axe.


    He was thinking that maybe, if he could bring one of them down, it would change the way they would look at them. His thumb was twitching so bad, he really wanted to throw his weapon on one of them and see. He slowly grabbed his axe below his chair inconspicuously and was about to expose it when suddenly, he heard loud ringing in his ears.


    "But yah promise, Dadah." A familiar voice echoed in his mind. "Nay anymore, Dadah!"


    Ghwynmyr felt nauseous after hearing the voice. He stood up from his chair with cold sweat running down his brow. His throat was becoming parched as his hand trembled uncontrollably. Moments later he was already gasping for air. He ran out of the tent, pushing away the knights who were blocking his way.


    Just as he was about to reach the opening, Lord Prestonheim, Commander Crovar and the rest of the reconnaissance team, came marching in. The dwarf stumbled after bumping to Lord Prestonheim. The silver-haired Commander reached out his hand to help him stand up.


    "Where are you going?" The Commander asked with a baffled look on his face.


    Ghwynmyr looked at him uncomfortably as his vision began to blur, "Tis a bit queasy inside. Gonna catch some air a lil bit."


    He could see Commander Crovar stepping in, maybe he was about to deliver another blast of his insults, but the Lord Prestonheim was quick to respond. "Be on your way but return at once." The silver-haired Commander nodded.


    He walked out of the tent and stumbled again on the exit. The elf caught him before he hit the ground.


    "Are you alright?" The elf signed. "You looked distressed!"


    Ghwynmyr took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "Tis fine lass! Just need me some air." He said. "Go inside, I''ll be there in a wee while." He wanted to end the conversation as quickly as possible. His heart raced too fast, his he could already hear his heartbeat.


    The elf helped him back on his feet and smiled, "Very well, don''t stay out for too long. There is something you need to know."


    He nodded at her and went on their separate ways.


    Ghwynmyr rushed towards a clearing a few footlings away from the make-shift tent. His vision was getting blurrier by the moment. He stumbled on the ground once more as he gasped for air. He never thought he would remember that again. He ought not to remember that. He tried so many times to forget that moment her daughter begged for him not to kill that man. He tried to bury it down his memory and yet it resurfaced once more. He quickly stood up and tried to loosen the belt of his armor strap to give him more space to breath.


    As the strap loosened, he was finally breathe comfortably again. He took another deep breath and finally felt his heart calming down. He sat on the empty space for a while as he took in more fresh air. He knew there was a lot of things he could''ve missed already from the sound of the roaring people from inside the tent.


    Ghwynmyr scratched his head and took another deep breath, just as he was about to stand up, a roaming guard found him.


    "Oi! Dwarf!" The guard called out. "Should you be inside?" He pointed at the tent.


    Ghwynmyr was not in the mood for another human interaction at that time. His conversation with Lord Prestonheim was one too many already. He stood up, tightened his belt and left the knight without an answer. Just before he was about to leave, the knight called him out again.


    "Oi! Dwarf!" He shouted at the top of his voice.


    He turned towards the knight glaring at him. It was a good thing that the sun was slowly going down the horizon. The dim light casted a shadow on his face, and the knight most likely didn''t notice his piercing gaze.


    "You be careful down there!" The knight shouted. "A-and¡­bring them home!" He saluted to him and went on his way.


    The knight''s gesture surprised him. Maybe because, most of the knights he met only looked at him with disgust and prejudice. This one was different. His tone conveyed something different. He was expressing care genuinely towards him.


    He had nothing to say to the knight. He can''t say anything to him, he was too stunned and confused about the entire situation. He instead raised his arms and waved at him before going back inside the tent.


    "We should strike while the iron is hot, August!" Commander Crovar pointed at him while being seconded by most of his troops.


    "It''s already night time, Syleon." Lord Prestonheim retorted. "We cannot let them go¡ª"


    The hardy Commander smashed the table with his hand, "It doesn''t make sense, August! We are taking a gamble regardless!"


    Ghwynmyr snuck in quietly while everyone was on their feet watching the old Commanders at it again. They couldn''t agree whether they should go forward with the plan today or do it by the next morning. It was a regular occurrence with these two around. Both men had been clashing ideas since day one, and as this campaign went on, so are their clashes.


    The Prince stood up from his seat and silenced the entire tent.


    "I had enough of this bickering!" He said. "If we are to go down there then we shall go down there!" Prince Arterius stood his ground. He was determined to make his vision into a reality. It was that kind of determination that rulers are loved and hated for at the time.


    Ghwynmyr hated the idea of them going into the hole. He hated the idea of dying for the sake of the empire who enslaved most of their kind, but he did it anyway, not for them, but for his friends. Going down the hole at this time was risky. You''ll never know if those Dhampiirs were lurking somewhere inside the cave just waiting for darkness to envelop the surface. The worst-case scenario was to be slaughtered y those monsters as they make their way down there.


    On the other hand, if they don''t act now, then they just lessen the chance of seeing their comrades alive by the time they find them. Both decisions required sacrifice as the mission became more complicated than what it was originally.


    Lord Prestonheim massaged the bridge of his nose and silently thought about it for a moment. "Very well, Prince Arterius, your will be done." He knelt to him and the rest of them followed.


    Bowing to a human ruler was vexing for Ghwynmyr, but he had to make do of the situation he was in. He had to make the humans feel being respected.


    Lord Prestonheim stood up and cleared his throat. "We shall regroup now! Only two squads are allowed below there. I couldn''t risk the Prince''s guards undermanned!" He said.


    The knights saluted to their Commander who proceeded regroup and retask them. Ghwynmyr as luckily partnered with the elf on the new grouping, while the beastman was placed on the other group along with Commander Crovar who was now allowed to join them on their journey.


    Ghwynmyr went back to his seat, tightened back his armor and picked up his axe. The new squads were ordered to convene immediately outside to make the descent as quickly as possible. The ones remaining on the surface have to cover the hole with a slab on stone with a light rune on it.


    As the instructions  and preparations were getting done, Ghwynmyr went over to his squad where he was welcomed by a jolly Orkamuu. "Welcome my friend! Welcome! Welcome!" The Orkamuu extended out his hand to him. "Welcome, I am who they called Wahakim! I will be your leader!" He smiled.


    He took the Orkamuu''s hand and shook it, "I am Ghwynmyr, well met." He smiled back.


    The Orkamuu patted him on the back and introduced him to the other members. "Are you ready to go and¡ª"


    "Tis always ready!" He answered.


    The Orkamuu laughed, "I wasn''t wrong about asking for you!" He wiped the tears off his eyes. "Come then, my friend, let''s cleanup hell!"

 Chapter 124: Welcome to the Carnage Pt.1

    Chandea, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 48th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ------------------------------------


    Ulfaar lined up along with the rest of the knights and two healers on Commander Crovar''s squad. He stood uneasily, shoulder to shoulder with the same knights who eyed on him earlier. His heart wildly thumped on his chest and his throat was parched.


    This was the first time Ulfaar had to be separated from his friends. His first mission and might possibly be his last. His hands were clammy and twitching from anxiety. He would''ve liked it better if he stayed in the surface. But even then, he would still feel unease, especially with his comrades'' risking their lives for their freedom.


    "Attention!" Commander Crovar shouted at the top of his lungs. "Men, we die today¡­"


    That was the worst speech opening one could ever do. It only made his apprehensions worse. His knees started to grow weaker as the old Commander blabbered about fighting the unknown and dying for the Principalia. Apparently, he wasn''t the greatest of speakers, his words turned out more to be punches rather than a bouquet of flowers. That wasn''t the most comforting speech he has heard.


    "¡­but we die with dignity and we die knowing that our love ones are safe." Commander Crovar ended his speech and got no reaction from them except for those two healers who made the best out of it. Ulfaar saw how they cheered; it was too energetic to the point of over jubilation.


    Somehow he wondered, maybe that''s how it goes, when you know your life would end soon. You make the best out of the most mundane of this and treat them as extraordinarily as possible since you cannot bring it to the afterlife.


    "That''s enough, Syleon." Lord Prestonheim patted Commander Crovar''s back giving him a sign that it was time to go.


    Earlier, the old commander volunteered that his squad be the firsrt to descend into the abyss. His reasoning; he wanted to cut down as many monsters as possible so the reckless, glory-hungry commander insisted on going in first.


    He could see the uneasy faces of the knights surrounding him, compared to the Commander and his healers who grinned wildly at the thought of lurking monsters.


    "Descend!" The loud-mouthed Commander ordered.


    They lined up in a queue as pairs of them went descending on the cave. Ulfaar looked around in search for his comrades. He wasn''t able to speak with them properly. The poor faerfolk could only look at him anxiously as the line slowly shortened.


    Ulfaar may regret this moment if he didn''t say something to them, "Have a drinks lots of when alive we!" He signed.


    Ulfaar knew he still had a long way to go to perfect the faerfolk''s sign language, but he rather do that than shout to them what he truly wanted to say. The faerfolks cracked a smile as they read his crude signs.


    "Yes, indeed we will!" The dwarf signed back.


    "Yes, when we return, we are going to practice this one." The elf happily replied.


    Ulfaar could see the fear in their eyes, but they opted not to make it as obvious as it already was. They were worried for their fates.


    "Your turn, beastman!" The knight behind him shoved him forward.


    Ulfaar placed his foot comfortably on the small wooden plank tied to the end of the rope and positioned himself securely so he wouldn''t fall down once he descended. It didn''t take long for him to descend into the hole, Commander Crovar along with some of the knights huddled near the white stone.


    "Damn it!" Commander clicked his tongue. "So, this is what she meant by the barrier?"  He knocked on the white stony wall.


    "Syleon," Lord Prestonheim''s voice buzzed from the crystal ball held by the Orkamuu standing beside the battle-hardy Commander. "The second squad is about to descend." He notified.


    "Yes, August," Commander Crovar rolled his eyes and groaned, "Thanks, Lord Commander. I shall now commence the first position!"


    Ulfaar  could almost hear a sigh from Lord Prestonheim. "Do what you must, Syleon. May the gods smile upon us all."


    Commander Crovar nodded as if Lord Prestonheim was there. The old Commander raised his arm. The knights attentively stood straight and hoisted their shields. The beastman confusingly grabbed his shield and emulated the knights. He wasn''t prepared for it. He didn''t train for it.


    He watched the Commander''s hand closely while looking around the surrounding knights. It wasn''t hard for him to do it, since he was towering over them. Commander Crovar raised his fore and pinky fingers then pointed it forward.


    The knights line formation began to separate into two columns. Ulfaar hurriedly went to one column but felt it was the wrong one. So, he staggered back to his original column. The knights lined up perfectly well with their shields perfectly aligned on their left arm.


    Ulfaar was so confused with what happened, like a lost duck looking for his mother, he didn''t know what to do or where to go. The old Commander notice his distress and called his attention.


    "You there! Towering humanoid!" He shouted at him.


    Ulfaar looked around and obviously not having any clue of what''s happening, pointed himself.


    He could see the Commander''s jaw clenched bitterly as he pointed back at him. "Yes you! Come here!"


    Ulfaar hesitantly approached what seemed like a man seething in anger. He ought to tread gently as he slowly got near him. His heart couldn''t stop from beating wildly as he met eyes with the Commander.


    "Your name?" Commander Crovar asked as he met with him face to face.


    He shied away from the Commander''s intense gaze.


    But the Commander insisted, "Look at me, boy!"


    Ulfaar hesitantly looked back into the Commander''s piercing stare and answered, "U-Ulf¡­U-ulfaar, M-my Lord."


    "Okay, U-ulf!" He looked at him sternly. "At front, now!" The Commander Crovar ordered.


    The beastman was confused with the command. He looked around and saw the piercing gazes from the knights, judging him for his ignorance.  He felt uneasy and cold. His knees won''t stop trembling. He tried the best that he could to stop himself from falling down.


    "I said, At front." The stern Commander grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to face the white stony wall. "Face there, and no one move until I say so!" He added.


    Everyone was silent, but Ulfaar could hear the laughter and snickering from the knights. He could hear the loud insults spat on him by disembodied voices ringing his ear. The voices became louder, and the words more poignant than before. He became jittery as he uncomfortably shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He just wanted to run away at that point.


    He just can''t take it anymore. He turned around and there he met Commander Crovar facing directly into him. Ulfaar accidentally bared his fangs at the Commander. A mistake that he will regret pretty soon.


    "What is that grin for?" The Commander Crovar raised an eyebrow, but he didn''t get an answer from him.


    Commander Crovar smiled at him before landing a punch on the gut. Ulfaar hunched as the blow landed on his gut. The old Commander grabbed the beastman by the collar, "I don''t care what''re race is. When I command something, you obey!" He shouted at him before he dragged Ulfaar by the collar and made him face the wall again.


    "You stay there and don''t blink." The commander said. "Since, you''re a big, strong guy but not well-versed with the military tactics¡­You shall stay there and welcome the carnage!" Commander Crovar pointed at the wall.


    The beastman wasn''t sure what exactly was he was supposed to do. He looked at the Commander with confusion. He wanted to understand the Commander''s order. What did he mean by welcoming the carnage? Is he going to be a sacrifice for the monsters beyond the white stony wall?


    "W-what do you¡­mean¡ª" He hesitantly asked. "I-I¡­mean¡­w-what d-do you mean by that?" He added.


    The Commander smiled and slapped him across the face. "Did I told you to speak?"


    Commander Crovar''s slap echoed through the clearning. It stung so much, Ulfaar''s ears rang. "No¡­but¡ª" Ulfaar answered as he tried his best not to wince at the stinging slap he received from the old Commander.


    The stern Commander smiled again and slapped him across the face. "Did I told you to speak?!" He raised his voice once again.


    Ulfaar got the message this time and just shook his head.


    "Good." Commander Crovar answered. "Now, let me get this to your thick skull, you shall defend us from any goddamned monsters there is on the other side of this wall!" The Commander pointed at the wall and shoved him hard on it.


    Ulfaar nodded. The last thing he wanted was to let the Commander hurt him even more.


    "Very well." Commander Crovar cleared his throat. "You shall welcome the carnage of this hellhole! Do your post well!" He grinned as he eyed Ulfaar from head to toe and back.


    The old Commander loathed the freed slaves'' existence. This assignment wasn''t really necessary to the progress of the hole trip, but Commander Crovar made it for him.  Ulfaar couldn''t stop shaking after hearing those words. This was it for him¡ª


    A gruesome end.

 Chapter 125: Welcome to the Carnage Pt.2

    Chandea, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 48th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ------------------------------------


    There was a different kind of tension in the air. Ulfaar''s heart raced as he waited for Orphella to open the passage on the stone wall. The elf looked at him, worried at his current position.


    Ulfaar''s eyes met with the elf''s, even without words or signals it was clear to the both of them that they were having a conversation. Her eyes spoke to him, asking him if he was alright. He tried his best to look alright in front of her, but it was clear that he wasn''t.


    The elf gave him a worried smile. Ulfaar wanted to tell Orphella not to worry but with Commander Crovar currently breathing on his neck, that would be impossible. The old Commander signaled the elf to prepare herself for the wall opening.


    "U-ulf," He tapped on his back. "You better cover us as soon as the wall fades. I won''t tolerate any mistakes!" Commander Crovar nudged him.


    Ulfaar had no choice but to nod, but even that wasn''t enough. Commander Crovar glared at him and waited for the proper response. "Y-yes¡­My Lord!"


    Commander Crovar grinned smugly at him before setting his attention to the elf. He gestured to her to begin the process.


    As Orphella started to write the pattern in the wall, Ulfaar was becoming restless. The patterned lines lit up after she was finished with her stoke. She finished the pattern with a quick chant and then the wall began to fade.


    Commander Crovar and the elf ran towards the back and left Ulfaar alone and exposed. His heart beat erratically, as the overwhelming feeling of dread sunk in.


    Ulfaar took a deep breath and lifted his shield on his restless shaking arm. He took out his heavy dwarven blade readied himself for an attack. As the wall faded, it exposed the dark and empty abyss waiting for them at the other side.


    His knees shook at the overwhelming darkness right in front of him. He wanted to back out, but it was far too late for it. He looked back and glanced at the Commander. He wanted to drink a sip of water from his gourd dangling on his hip but Commander Crovar won''t be very forgiving of his actions. He took a huge gulp of what''s left of his saliva to dampen his throat.


    "Y-you can do this¡­you c-can do th¡ª" Commander Crovar pushed him cruelly into the thick darkness.


    Ulfaar almost stumbled his way inside the other side. He immediately composed himself and let his instincts guide him. His eyes easily adjusted to the absence of light on his side of the cave. He scanned through the thick veil of mystery and saw nothing out of the ordinrary. The ground was dry and wasn''t littered with debris and sharp materials coming from that explosion earlier.


    The coast was clear. It was safe to go ahead and move on with their plan.


    "Are you still alive?!" Commander Crovar''s voice echoed through the dark void.


    Ulfaar was relieved to hear a familiar voice, "Yes, I-I am my Lord!" He sighed and explained his whereabouts. "No signs of a threat here! No¡­ummm..m-mmmonsters here." He confidently said.


    He didn''t get a reply from the otherside for a while. Ulfaar began panicking after that. Somehow, the darkness was playing tricks on his mid and it was an unpleasant experience. The shadows suddenly formed silhouettes of monstrous figures passing by him.


    His breath became shorter and shorter as the images became more defined. He saw the dark monstrosities coming alive, becoming more animated than ever. Now, the shades had noticed him and began to hover towards him.


    Just before the shadows became more prominent, a light began to shine on him coming from his back. The squads had finally entered to the abyss. The knights lit their light runes while holding their blades. The light tore the dark veil surrounding him and revealed what he had already saw earlier.


    The view was just a barren landscape, full of rocks and stalagmites trying to reach the cave''s ceiling. The dry cracked ground laid no plants thriving on it and not a single drop of water was visible within their range.


    "So, this is it?!" Commander Crovar asked Orphella who was walking beside him. "This was the darkness beyond that wall?"


    The mute elf nodded in agreement.


    "Huh?" Commander Crovar raised his eyebrows. "Well, let''s survey the place!" He commanded.


    The two squads spread themselves along the wide clearing and investigated any possible clues regarding the first and second squad''s mysterious disappearances.


    "There''s another opening right here!" One of the knight''s shouted.


    Commander Crovar nodded at him and pointed his finger at Ulfaar.


    "You there, U-Ulf!" The Commander called out. "Proceed to that opening." He ordered.


    "Y-yes, My Lord!" Ulfaar quickly answered in for another humiliating action.


    He approached the cave''s opening and attempted to peek on what was waiting for them inside the cave. He squinted his eyes and adjusted his vision to see what was in the dark. Luckily for him, there was nothing.


    He gave a signal to Commander Corvar after assessing the cave. The Commander ordered the first squad to follow him and explore the cave.


    The Commander grinned at him, "Not bad! Now, you''re learning!" He mockingly clapped his hands.


    Ulfaar knew that the praise was nothing more than an empty and insincere way of insulting him.


    "But, we are not done yet,U-ulf!" Commander Crovar said. "You are still going to be our main person to protect us while we are in there." He pointed to the cave once again.


    Ulfaar was already tired with Commander Crovar''s constant bullying, but he needed to endure all of it for the sake of his friends. Although still horrified by the darkness, he harnessed all the courage in him, and took his first step into the dark hollow cave. The rest of the first squad followed his lead.


    He carefully treaded along the cave. Unfortunately for him, the squad was a lot farther from him and thus, couldn''t share their light with him. Ulfaar didn''t need the light for him to see his way, but it would''ve been very comforting to have that light with him especially against photophobic monsters. But Commander Crovar had other plans for him.


    Making him advance in such a dark place would mean that he would be the bait, a fodder to the monsters that lurk in the dark crevices of the cave.


    Ulfaar took a few more steps until he reached the corner with two diverging roads. The forked road became another anxiety-inducing moment for him because, not only did he had to choose one but he had to choose the right road or else everyone might be led to their death.


    He stood in between the roads and was scratching his head when Commander Crovar caught up with him. The old Commander saw him standing in the middle of the crossroad and decided to approach him.


    "What''s the matter, U-ulf?" Commander Crovar asked.  "Is this decision too complicated for the likes of you?" He added.


    Ulfaar took every insult coming from Commander Crovar with bitterness. He wanted to talk back, but he was afraid ¨Ctoo afraid to even look at him nor speak to him.


    "If I choose one road and doom the rest of you, I¡ª" He said


    Commander Crovar rudely interrupted, "Then choose the road that a coward like you would choose for himself. An easy, monster-free path." The Commander spat.


    Without thinking about it, Ulfaar chose the road on the left. He immediately took it, disregarding anymore of the Commander''s harsh and hurtful words.


    The road on the left was another winding yet narrow path. But it was nothing new to Ulfaar who had suffered walking in difficult conditions throughout this time. He swerved his way through the jagged rocks sticking out from the corners of the cave, avoiding any injuries along the way.


    He slid through a small gap made by a collapsed boulder leaned against the wall and took a leap forward from another obstacle after that. Finally, he reached the end of the path.


    He was about step outside of the tunnel when suddenly he heard clicking noises. He looked around and saw no one was behind him. He listened to it again, trying to locate where the sound was coming from. He heard the clicking noise once more and he was about to find out the hard way where it was coming form.


    He peeked his head out of the cave''s opening and saw the horror in front of him. Ulfaar''s jaw dropped as he saw the monstrosities moving around the spacious den. The monsters were huge, almost nine footlings tall and had long burly appendages enough to tear a grown beastman apart. He carefully stepped back and tried his best to walk out of there slowly, not to make a sound.


    Ulfaar knew it would be his death if he made the slightest sound. He tiptoed his way back to the path and was walking in batted breath as he had to carefully went past the hurdles earlier.


    Suddenly, he heard a blood-curdling scream coming from the entrance of the path and now, felt the earth rumbling¡­

 Chapter 126: Blood Bath Pt. 1

    Chandea, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 48th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ------------------------------------


    "Get out of there!" Commander Crovar shouted. "You! Use your rune¡­arrggghhh¡ª" The old Commander swung his sword on the monster rushing towards him.


    The Commander''s falcion simply bounced from the monster''s skin as if it was a drum. The old Commander was surprised at the monster''s invincibility, that he didn''t notice the monster had already grabbed his right arm. Commander Crovar attempted to use one of his quick magic spells but before he could, he was slammed hard on the ground.


    Orphella saw it from a distance but didn''t care to help the cruel Commander. She was too preoccupied in finding her comrades and in keeping herself alive. The gruesome monsters came out of nowhere after one of the knights entered the way on the right. It was moments after that they saw him running back towards them, before being caught by the grotesque monster and torn in half.


    All of the sudden, their worst fears came true. These monsters were different from the Obscurii that they had encountered before. These ones were big and burly creatures, with long arms and a hairy body. The grotesque feature of this monster was that it didn''t have a head instead, it had a gaping mouth where its neck should''ve been. It walked upright with its body hunching forward. It also made a distinct clicking sound from its teeth constantly colliding with each other.


    Orphella noticed how adept they moved in any form of lighting. They didn''t fear the light coming from the light runes and even coming from the Orkamuus. These massive creatures caused confusion and chaos to the squads. They tore every single man they could find, and with the weapons not able to scratch them the slightest, it was an easy fight on the monsters'' favor.


    The formation scrambled as the knights fumbled on their way out of the tunnel. There were only a few good men left standing and fighting the unstoppable monsters.


    Orphella looked for her comrades once again. But the dwarf and the beastman was still not on sight. She felt uneasy and anxious as she looked for them over the sea of chaos surrounding them.


    Suddenly one of the headless monsters came rushing towards her from the darkness. She quickly moved away from the incoming fury of claws and was able to arm her bow just as she dodged. With a single breath, Orphella released the arrow from her bow; a small air vortex formed at the tip of the arrow coated the projectile with a dense air casing that exploded after it hit the monster''s thick hide.The monster was thrown away from the explosion and its hand was caught by the Orkamuu''s flaming sickle.


    "WARGRGGRGRGRHHHHH!" The monster let out its terrible cry as Wahakim was finally able to slice off an arm off of it. The flames from the stump of its arm slowly spread all over its body.


    The monster leapt away from the carnage, but Orphella was quick to react. She aimed directly at the monster while simultaneously dodging the attacks coming from its kin. The monster was almost out of her sight, but she was confident about her shooting ability. She released her arrow just as she pirouetted from another tackling monster and hit her target almost 200 hundred paces away from her.


    The already flaming monster exploded as the arrow hit it dead center on its back. The sound of the explosion echoed throughout the cave but it didn''t seem to deter its kin, not one bit.


    Orphella did her best to fight them off. Their overwhelming strength was matched by her speed and marksmanship. She took down a few more of the beasts, making them explode from the impact of her high-level wind magic.


    Some of the squads were able to push them back too, the knights were slowly gaining momentum and used their magic abilities to counter the monsters'' brute force. Wahakim and the surviving auxillarum lit them on fire with his burning sickles while the old Commander, miraculously made it out of the first monster''s grip, was now using his advance water magic to skewer and slice the monsters down.


    Orphella looked for a higher viewpoint for her to snipe. She still couldn''t see any signs of the dwarf nor the beastman and even though she was worried about them, she knew this wasn''t the right time to get preoccupied with other things.


    She couldn''t find a spot for her to conveniently snipe at them, and it was for the better. Those monsters can climb up walls and she might doom herself if she did it. She counted the remaining arrows she had and got 20 arrows left.


    Orphella looked at the situation and saw the incoming mob of monsters gushing out from the paths in front of her. The scene looked like a nightmare as the nameless beasts were now pushing them back against the corner. No amount of magic and skill could overcome the overwhelming numbers of the raging monsters.


    She saw one of the knights mercilessly eaten alive by the ravenous beasts. They ganged up on him and ate him in his armor leaving nothing but a pool of blood. Another knight was crushed with so much force his head popped off his body. They hurriedly retreated for the entrance, but by the time they arrived there, it was back to being a white stone wall.


    They were cornered. One of the knights suddenly grabbed her by the hair and dragged her over to the wall.


    "Draw, that¡­that...sign, bitch!" The knight pointed his blade at her. "I said, draw! You fucken¡ª" Suddenly, a huge hand grabbed the knight by the head and smashed it on the wall.


    Orphella looked up and to her surprise saw a very dissatisfied Commander Crovar.


    "Coward." He said to the bloodied knight. "You deserve to be eaten there!" He took the unconscious knight by his collar, and with all his might, flung him towards the monsters.


    The beasts happily welcomed them in their arms and caused a little moment of distraction for the squad to plan their exit, as the beasts fought over the fodder.


    "Make it quick!" Commander Crovar whispered to her. "Open up the wall, we need to get back to the other side." He added.


    Orphella nodded and hurriedly drew the symbols. Unfortunately, it wouldn''t activate. It seemed like the key she knew was only good for entering the place, but never going out. She scribbled it once again, but it wasn''t working!


    "What''s going on?!" Commander Crovar asked her.


    She shook her head and pointed on the wall, hoping the Commander understood what she was trying to say.


    It only took a moment for Commander Crovar to realized what she meant. The old Commander laughed crazily as he knew, this might just be their end.  The Commander grinned at her as he punched the white wall.


    "Gods darn it!" He exclaimed as he looked at the few survivors holding the defensive line. "Can you still fight?" He asked her directly.


    The elf nodded and pointed at her arrows and daggers. Commander Crovar smiled at her, "Ironically, you''ll die for the Principalia''s case, and not of your race''s." He raised his falcion and screamed at the top of his voice. "For the Principalia! For Prince Arterius!"


    The old man along with his knights jumped over the defensive line and started to hack the monsters in a frenzy. Orphella was shock to see the desperation of the Commander Crovar, but instead of just watching them get their comeuppance, she armed her bow and aimed for the beasts.


    Orphella still had an ample of exousia left in her. She concentrated on her magic and infused it on her arrows. She let loose of her arrows and pierced every single monster she saw. Her wind-based enchantment magic was very effective against the headless monsters, they exploded upon each impact. Some of her arrows pierced through lines of the monsters, even blasting them off the front.


    After emptying all of the arrows she had, Orphella was still unable to scratch the number of monsters that was now overwhelming their defenses. The Orkamuus tried their best to use their magic but even, they were starting to get drained. The knights were already using their reserved runes, which means they only have a few of their mana left. Even Commander Crovar and his men were slowly being overpowered by the sheer numbers of the monsters they had to face. The Commander''s water magic was starting to dwindle with each passing moment.


    Orphella knew that it was the end for all of them. She was no longer able to find her comrades in the battlefield. The thought of them being already dead was dawning on her already. Now she was slowly accepting that fact. She knew she would follow them soon, but she didn''t want to die without a fight.


    Just like what she did with Obscurii, she started to use the chant. Shouting the words outloud on her head, she pleaded with her goddess to save her once again.


    "Braet. Luxae. Oyue. (Bright Light Oyue)" she called out, but unfortunately, there was no answer.


    Orphella couldn''t feel any surge of power like what happened before when she used it for the very first time.


    "Braet. Luxae. Oyue. (Bright Light Oyue)" She called out once again, but nothing was happening.


    Orphella had lost too much exouisa on her, that she could no longer do it. She took a deep breath and made a sad smile. It looked like this was the end for them.


    She took out her dagger and ran towards the monsters just like what Commander Crovar did, but before she could, a sudden explosion rocked the entire cave. And for the first time, the monsters finally halted.


    Out of nowhere a pillar of flame emerged from the distance and burned most of the monsters at the farthest back. The pillar of flame suddenly duplicated itself and began to move forward, burning everything in its wake.


    Orphella took a deep breath and smiled as the flames slowly engulfed the damned monsters. She knew they still have a winning chance.

 Chapter 127: Blood Bath Pt.2

    Ghwynmyr''s thumb was irritatingly twitching the entire time they were at the hole. He and Orphella were the first ones from their squad to descend into the hole, but no one seemed to notice them yet. He tried his best stay as calm as he can be, but inside he was furious at what he was seeing in front of him. Everytime the bhstyrd Commander would yell and berate Ulfaar, the more his thumb would twitch. His hand wanted to go for his battle axe and just whack it at Commmander Crovar.


    He closed his eyes and tried to focus on his breathing, but reality was truly cruel to them. Suddenly, he heard what sounded to be a slap echoed through out the cave. Ghwynmyr opened his eyes to the scene of Ulfaar getting a crisp slap from Commander Crovar. His eyes widened as he saw his friend''s contorted face and the Commander''s grin.


    That was the last straw. Now, his anger was no longer containable. He lifted his axe and tried approaching Commander Crovar so he could give him a piece of his mind¡­or at his case, a piece of his axe.


    But before he could take a step, Orphella immediately grabbed him by the shoulder. He looked back to her and saw the elf''s wincing face.


    "Don''t do it." She signed. "Don''t do it, please!" Orphella begged.


    Ghwynmyr shrugged off her hand gently from his shoulders and signed back to her, "What do yah mean?" He pointed at Ulfaar''s agonizing embarrassment. "Are we just going tah leave him like that? At this point I really won''t give¡ª"


    "You should give a damn!" She interjected.


    Orphella''s last statement struck Ghwynmyr. He knew the injustice going on in front of him, but he needed to endure it. He had no power here. If he struck the Commander, what good would it give them? At that point, he just led them all to their deaths, and that''s a responsibility he would never carry once again. Once was already enough; another one would be too hefty for him to bear.


    "Yer right, lass." He put down his axe and stood there in the shadows as they waited for the rest of their squad to descend.


    It took a while for the rest of their squad to descend but as soon as everyone did, Wahakim, immediately led them to where the damned Commander was. After a brief discussion with Commander Crovar, Wahakim called out Orphella and ordered her to do her task.


    Ghwynmyr couldn''t help but worry for their fates. What would happen once Orphella would open the wall? What horrors would meet them along the way? His mind raced as fast as his heartbeat did. It felt like his first raid way back when he was still part of the rebellion.


    The wall slowly faded as his friend unlocked the enchantment on the wall. Orphella was then asked by the general to stand back. But what about the beastman?! Ghwynmyr didn''t know how to react about the inhumane treatment his friend had received. He would''ve cut the bhstyrd Commander down already, but he chose not to. Not this time. Not in this current situation. All he could was hope and pray that nothing would happen to them, especially to his comrades.


    The beastman advanced his way into the dark opening. Commander Crovar raised his right hand and gestured a fist, signaling them to stop and wait for a little while. Ghwynmyr''s heart raced as both his anxiousness about the mission and his anger to Commander Crovar peaked.


    He took deep breaths and gripped his axe rigidly as he tried to control himself from going amok. They waited for just a brief time, but at that moment his wait felt like an eternity. He would''ve rushed to the darkness for all he cared, but risking the rest of his comrades, is something he could never recover from.


    Finally, the Commander decided to advance forward. All of them took out one of their light runes and lit it.


    "Forward!" Commander Crovar called out.


    They marched into the dark unknown with their weapons and armors, but even then, Ghwynmyr couldn''t shake off the feeling of dread. He looked at the knights marching towards the abyss and saw the fear in their eyes. Ghwnymyr knew that he wasn''t alone in this predicament, even the heartless knights were also scared about what''s going to happen next.


    He stabled his breath as they moved into the darkness. The last thing he wanted was to meet a Dhampiir along the way. That wouldn''t be good for all of them, especially the ones with a weaker emotional constitution.


    The darkness embraced them as soon as they entered the abyss. Only the glow from the light rune lit their way as the moved deeper inside the cave. From the distance, he could see the beastman''s back. Ghwynmyr saw his friend walked a deeper into the dark unknown. He wanted to break from the formation and join his friend. He didn''t want Ulfaar to do that grueling task alone, especially with the monsters involved.


    Ulfaaar went further down the path, Commander Crovar asked them again to stand by and wait for him to fade into the darkness. Ghwynmyr knew what the Commander was planning to do. He knew that beastmen were strong and durable. Commander Crovar wanted to exploit that strength to make Ulfaar a viable scout to them in this mission. However, without anyone else to back him up, it almost looked like his friend was intended to become a sacrifice for the creatures inside the cave.


    Commander Crovar repeated this strategy until they arrived at a crossroad inside the cave. When they got there, the old Commander ordered the beastman to choose a direction to take. Ulfaar pointed the left path and made his way inside.


    Ghwynmyr looked at Ulfaar helplessly as his friend was baited closer and closer to death, while the other knights waited and complained. As his friend faded into sight, the Commander called out one of the knights from their squad to scout the other direction.


    As they waited for both to emerge, Orphella patted on Ghwynmyr''s back.


    "Wut''iz itm lass" He asked.


    Orphella looked at him and signed, "I have a bad feeling about this." As she pointed to the direction of the knight.


    "Whuchu mean b'' that?" He raised his eyebrows.


    Orphella grabbed his arm. The elf was scared, her hands trembled as she took a deep breath. Suddenly, the knight ran out screaming at the top of his lungs. The knights raised their weapons as their fellow knight ran towards them Unfortunately, a monstrous hand grabbed him right at the last second and tore him apart before throwing him to his carcass horrified comrades.


    The monsters suddenly popped out of nowhere, goring the lines with their enormous bodies. Ghwynmyr immediately leapt into action, he charged in the front line, along with the braver knights who wanted to get vengeance from what they did to their comrade.


    They charged and clashed with the headless monsters. The dwarf made extensive use of his size and went for the mosnters'' legs. He swung his battle axe as he met the grotesque monster, but his axe simply bounced from the monster''s leg.


    Ghwynmyr attempted for the second time, but before he could swing his axe, one of the knights accidentally hit him with a wild swing. He fell down to the ground and quickly got up. Luckily, his armor saved him, he stood up and went on again but another knight bumped into him and both of them went down once again.


    Cursing under his breath, Ghwynmyr stood up once more and fought his way to the headless monstrosities but got hitched again by flying cadaver. Bloodied and bruised, he made his way back on the lines and hacked his way through the monsters, but it was no use.


    He took one of the earth runes and tried to activate it but before he could, a confused knight hit him in the face with his elbow. Ghwynmyr was struck down more times than he should''ve. He tried standing up again, but this time, a group of running knights tumbled on top of him.


    The weight of the knights along with their armor was weighing Ghwynmyr down. He also felt the pile going heavier and heavier. Blood and guts started to flow from the heap of bodies and made it difficult for him to breath. The air became thinner as the body fluids and other parts covered the little spaces in between him and the other ones.


    Ghwynmyr started to choke as the situation became gravely dangerous for him. He wasn''t able to move as the bodies slowly crushed him from their weight.


    "Damn¡­it¡­" He spat as he tried to reach out for his satchel.


    He felt the runes with his fingers and tried to find the right element for the job. His vision was slowly fading away as he got desperate with getting some air. He finally found the rune and tried to activate it, but his consciousness had already failed him.

 Chapter 128: Apart from Despair

    The air was thinning as the piling bodies restricted every ounce of possible airway. His mind slowly faded away along with his vision. Ghwynmyr closed his eyes and murmured an old dwarven funeral prayer to himself. But just as he was about to finish it, he faded out of consciousness.


    "Ghwynmyr!" A familiar voice burst out from his faded consciousness. "Ghwynmyr, bhstyrd whkh yp! Fyrwrym ys hr. (Ghwynmyr, you bastard, wake up! The fire dragon is here!)"


    Ghwynmyr woke up gasping for air. As he opened his eyes, he saw familiar faces he thought were long dead.


    "Thyrhyn? Hvymyr? Dhrhghst? Fyrmhn?" He felt his blood drained from his face. "Wutz goin'' on?!" Ghwynmyr shoved Hvymyr away as he crawled away into a corner of the dark tunnel.


    "W-wuz ga-in han? Hynfhrtyhnyt mhn, hyt hrd yn nhgyn! (This unfortunate man, hit his head hard!)" Hvymyr said and asked others to understand his predicament.


    "Hym hyt yn nhgyn?! Tys hphrynt dyfyrnt wyrds hys shy! (He''s hit in the nogging? Apparently, his words are different!)" Dhrhghst pointed out.


    It took Ghwynmyr awhile to realize where he was. The dark tunnel, the gloomy lighting, and his companions, this was a fragment of his past he recalled all too well; the Wyrmynd. The rite of passage that claimed the lives of young dwarves who were hungry for recognition and glory, he was one of them¡ªthe lucky ones who lived.


    He looked at his companion''s young faces. Their short, cropped hair, and smooth beardless squared chin were still their defining features. They were yet to grow their majestic beards and braided hair like the ones he enjoyed growing in the future.


    "Yh yh hlrhyt? (Are you alright?)" Thyrhyn said.


    Ghwynmyr nodded and apologized for spacing out. Just as he did, a blood curdling roar echoed throughout the tunnel. Its vicious growl made their skin crawled. He saw his comrade Fyrmhn uncomfortably jittered as he struggled to grip his battle axe.


    Thyrhyn saw this and hit the cowardly dwarf in the head and scolded him. The hot-headed dwarf was about to dish out more scolding, but he immediately quieted down when they felt the earth rumbled. Ghwynmyr recalled this scenario, Thyrhyn would order them to assume their Grymys formation and attack the dragon from the rear after it passed the tunnel they were hiding.


    In his mind, he wanted to object to this plan, because he knew the outcome of this stratagem. But no matter how hard he tried to spew the words out, nothing came out of his mouth. He stood there looking stunned as the scenario unravels. He saw their determined faces and cursed himself for not being able to do anything about it.


    The earth rumbled stronger than ever. The fire dragon was coming up close, they could hear its heaving breath as it slowly crawled into the tunnel where they were. Dhrhghst pulled out the potion on his satchel and gave it to them. It was an invisibility spell specifically formulated for dragons. The potion masked their scents and made them physically invisible to the dragon''s visions. It was a perfect potion to ambush such ruthless and powerful creature, and soon, they will test their mettle against it.


    The monstrous creature sniffed and eyed every crevice in the tunnel as it tried to find them. His comrades asked him to ready his earth rune to skewer the monster as it passed beyond them. It was getting near the small hole they hid in. Its golden colored serpentine eyes glowed and illuminated the hole they were in. Even with the potion, they opted not to move nor breath, just so the dragon won''t notice their presence. The dragon''s petrifying stare lasted almost an eternity from what was thought to be a moment. Ghwynmyr''s sweat dripped in his brow as the dragon''s eyes blinked directly in front of him.


    After the intense staredown, the dragon decided to go and search on the other crevices. That became their sign to initiate their crazy plan. On Thyrhyn''s lead, they initiated the first stage of their ill-fated plan.


    Ghwynmyr tried to stop himself from following them but his body had a mind of its own. It moved like clockwork; his hands gripped his hammer axe tightly the same way that he did. His heart raced as the dragon''s tail was nearing their sight. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he slowly crept out of the crevice; the rest of them followed along.


    Thyrhyn patted his back and signaled the formation. Fyrmhn and Dhrhghst aimed their make-shift barrel cannon at the creature''s behind. With Thyrhyn''s signal, they fired the cannon hitting the dragon with their spiked cannonball.


    The spiked projectile easily pierced the dragon''s thick scaled tail. Both of them immediately ran behind his back as the confused dragon struggled to turn around with its long slender body. Holding his hammeraxe, Ghwynmyr casted earth spikes underneath and above the dragon. The fire-breathing creature''s skin was as tough as adamantite but Ghwynmyr''s ingenuity proved to a worthy match against the hulking serpent.


    He molded the spikes to go in between the dragon''s scales and thus piercing it''s hide directly. The dragon roared and struggled as he held it down while the rest of his comrades attacked the beast. The plan seemed to have work, his comrades hacked and slashed the dragon with their hammeraxes and long pikes. Unfortunately, he knew this one too well.


    As his comrades became overly confident of their impending victory, they decided to toy with the dragon. They spat insults and danced in front of the dying dragon''s face. He knew back then that it wasn''t a good idea and he stood by that until now.


    In its last-ditch effort, the dragon desperately slammed its tail hard on the ground. The ground rumbled violently and split open. Ghwynmyr lost his balance and his grip on the dragon. As the spikes slowly crumbled, the dragon violently rolled over squashing Fyrmhn who was atop of it.


    The rest of his comrades were shocked and angered by their comrade''s death and took it upon themselves to attack the rampaging serpent. Ghwynmyr stood there in shock the same way he remembered. His body froze as the rest of them tried their best to avenge their fallen friend.


    Thyrhyn, Dhrhghst, and Hvymyr did their best to kill the dragon. Hacking the dying serpent with all of their strength, but the rampaging dragon proved to be too powerful against it. Thyrhyn got hit with the dragon''s powerful swing and was instantly flung towards him. He caught his bloodied friend; both of them tumbled to the ground. He took Thyrhyn with him and made their way out of the tunnel. Unfortunately, for the other two, their bodies were incinerated by the dragon''s powerful black flames.


    Ghwynmyr and Thyrhyn tumbled and fell as they ran away from the black flames that was rapidly devouring their way. Ghwynmyr grabbed his fallen friend back up, but Thyrhyn stubbornly refused and pushed him away.


    "Dh wht yhr? (What are you doing?)" Ghwynmyr grabbed him once again but Thyrhyn yanked his arm away.


    "Lyv! Mhst yh! Shrvyv yh tl dh thyl! (Live! You must! You will survive and tell the tale!)" Thyrhyn grabbed him by the neck and then everything went dark.


    It was dark once more. Ghwynmyr had no recollection of what truly happened after that. According to what he was told, he was found floating in a stream outside of the cave entrance with Thyrhyn''s remains¡ªhis right hand.


    Ghwynmyr sat in the dark contemplating on his ineptitude towards saving his comrades. The one that he had drank and ate with. The ones he had laughed and cried with, all dead because of his incapacity to save them.


    It was a curse that he brought with him even until their rebellion against the empire. Ghwynmyr for the sake of his life, couldn''t save his comrades during the most critical hours and yet he still got the credit as a hero against the odds. The title tasted sour in his mouth and tainted his heart with self-loathing.


    Suddenly, he heard something echoing from the darkness. It sounded faint at first and then it grew louder as the moment passed. He turned towards the sound, slowly following it. The murmur turned out to be a booming shout from Urfaal. A light cracked in the middle of the darkness. Ghwynmyr approached it and saw what was happening. The beastman fought the swarm of headless monsters.


    Ghwynmyr hacked his way through the invincible monsters. He fought bravely and desperately as he tore his way from their overwhelming numbers. The beastman unfortunately, could not even scratch the brutes but he persevered and pushed them away.


    Urfaal''s strength surprised even him, as his comrade managed to overpower the monsters surrounding him. However, even the beastman proved to be no match against their sheer numbers. After fending a lot of them, Ulfaar was already breathing laboriously. The monsters were at him nonstop, and finally fell as the monsters started to pile up on him.


    He helplessly watched as his friend was being smothered by the monsters. Their claws sunk into Urfaal''s skin, tearing it slowly as his friend tried his best to defend himself despite the unrelenting attacks.


    Ghwynmyr tried reaching out of the fragmented hoping that he could instantly teleport there and help his friend, but it was all a wasted effort. He only went past it. He tried once more but the results stayed the same and there, he was again, a worthless friend, a bystander helpless looking at the carnage at his friend''s expense.


    He gnashed his teeth and screamed his lungs out in sheer frustration, he has failed them yet once more. He kneeled and gnashed his teeth as he punched a non-existing ground to vent out his despair. The more he hit it, the more unbearable the pain had become, but he continued on. It was the only thing he could do, to vent out the carnage that he cannot prevent¡ªor so he thought.


    "Wake up!" A voice suddenly broke into the darkness and startled him.


    "Who''s der?!" His voice quivered as he looked around.


    In the distance he saw an image of a child standing in front of him, but he cannot make out what it truly was. He squinted his eyes but cannot get a clear view of what it truly was.


    "Wake up! Open your eyes!" The child commanded.


    Suddenly a strange strobe of bright light tore the darkness and blinded him. The next thing he knew, was waking up under the piled dead bodies, but this time, he''s not giving up.

 Chapter 129: Of Fang and Claw

    The monsters'' hides proved to be impenetrable against his weapon. He tried his best to stab and slash the enemies with the little bladed edge he had left but it proved to be meaningless. The monsters came right back at him with their massive hands armed with talons as sharp as his dwarven sword was.


    Urfaal managed to duck and pushed away the monster as hard as he could, overpowering it with his strength. The monster tumbled to the ground and was brutally crushed by its kins'' feet. The headless monster laid on the ground dead and unrecognizable with its guts spilling out.


    He ran away and distracted the horde as much as he could. All of the sudden, his fears began to dissolve along with his hope of living, but he wasn''t giving out without a fight yet. He has a lot to prove to his comrades that he wasn''t just a tall messy wreck. He wanted the elf, the dwarf and the human to remember that he was a Meh Teh. A tribe of brave warriors, a tribe that he will rightfully belong.


    Urfaal knew that was the end for him. He had fought his way back to the line, back to Orphella and Ghwynmyr but the monsters proved to be overwhelming him in sheer numbers alone. His sword broke at his final swing on those tough bastards and was left with nothing but a broken blade and his desperation to live.


    The monsters tried their best to tackle him but he fought them well. He distracted most of their lines and was able to cut the raging monsters'' attention in two. Using his fists he fought them. There was no hint of fear left inside him already. At that point, all that was left was a feeling of clarity and certain peaceful surrender to his ill fate.


    The monsters went on him once again. Their maws grotesquely opened as they tried to gore him. Urfaal however, refused to give in. Using their own weight, he dragged the monster to the ground while he elbowed one sneaking behind him and punched one rushing towards him. He slammed one to the floor as it went by him and threw another one who went for a tackle.


    He knew deep down he could only do so much. His body was already protesting against it. The pain he felt was truly unbearable, as his body was already at its limit, but would he even stop?  He knew he wouldn''t. This was his end song, his last hurrah. This was his way of paying for the sins he committed before; his cowardice and indecisiveness that led to the death of the clan. This was his redemption.


    Urfaal was heaving his breath already as another batch of monsters came rushing towards him. He tried evading the charge, but his body sluggishly obeyed; his arm was caught by the hands of the monster. He pulled the monster in and greeted him with the hardest punch he could muster. He felt his bones cracked as his fist hit the monster''s sturdy hide.


    The monster lost its grip and was thrown away in the process. Another one tried to attack him from behind but he managed to somehow slam it on the pile of bodies he was standing on.  However, as soon as he tried to ready for the next attack, the headless swarm finally caught him.


    One of them jumped on him, as Urfaal tried to dodge, the monster he slammed earlier, caught his leg and tripped him down to the ground. Urfaal was doomed after that. The monsters started to surround him and started to batter him with their huge fists. There was nothing that he could do but just simply defend himself with the little strength he had left.


    Using his instincts and training with Adaloun, Urfaal managed to effectively parry most of the attacks thrown at him. But the attacks that went through him proved to damage him greatly. A powerful punch struck him on the face that immediately concussed him. His body froze at the impact and his vision blurred in an instant.


    Everything went dark after that and his body went numb. He slowly closed his eyes as he finally understood what that meant¡­


    "This is the end¡­" He said to himself. "Finally, I can pay for the sins that I did."


    As he was about to lose his consciousness he suddenly heard a familiar voice. He opened his eyes and was surprised to see the monsters'' bodies where scorched in flames.


    "Yah g''tup der, lad!" The dwarf''s voice boomed in the distance. "Yer fucken g''tup or I''ll make yah!"


    Urfaal''s body was numb and heavy from the damages he suffered earlier at the hands of those monsters, but his comrade was asking him to get up¡ªthus, he did so. He gritted his teeth as he commanded his stubborn body to follow his will.


    He looked at the dwarf who was also struggling with the overwhelming number of enemies he had. From the looks of it, the dwarf seemed to be bathe in blood as if he was smothered somewhere. His dwarven armor seemed loosed and hanging as he swung through the many opponents they had.


    "Fyr chm flhw! (Come and flow, fire!)" The dwarf pointed his finger straight pass him. Suddenly, flames started to come out from his fingers. Urfaal did his best to evade the impending flames but it managed to scorch a part of his pants.


    "What did you do that for?!" He shouted at him.


    "Me...just¡­Yarrghhh¡­" Ghwynmyr buried his axe into the headless monster''s gut. "Look behind¡­yah!" He said as he tried fending off the rest of the monsters crawling up the pile of dead nights.


    "Oyue''s foot! Cud yah ''elp me ''er?" The dwarf shouted.


    Urfaal took a deep breath, "Oyue, give me the strength to overcome my enemies¡­" He mumbled as he prayed his last.


    "Granted." A voice inside his head answered.


    All of the sudden, he felt a warm sensation coursing through his body. He could feel something inside him shifting as a powerful energy began to energize him. He felt his wounds healing and he saw it with his very own eyes, how the bite mark in his arm instantly healed.


    He didn''t wait for his entire body to heal. He saw Ghwynmyr was already in a pinch. He scrambled towards the dwarf and noticed how light his body had become. He grabbed one of the monsters that was climbing his way to the pile were the dwarf was and instantly ripped its arm off its torso.


    The monster cried out a deafening scream, but he immediately held its mouth together and crushed it into silence. The rest of the monsters suddenly turned their attention on him. He grinned at them showing his fangs to the headless monstrosities who seemed to be distraught with what happened to their own kin in his hands.


    "Yes, you come right at me!" He screamed his lungs out as the surging powers began to flow to his tattoos and then¡­


    "By the gods'' balls!" Ghwynmyr couldn''t contain his bewilderment as he him suddenly transform.


    Urfaal felt it too. He felt the surging energy transforming his arms into that of a bear¡ªthe guardian bear. It was a transformation only granted to the warriors of the Meh Teh tribe who proved their worth to the goddess. But he hadn''t proved anything yet to anyone but still he was gifted with such.


    He parted his bewilderment for later, right now, they need to kill those monsters whose number seemed to have dwindled as they started fighting back. He felt the power of the guardian bear coursing throughout his body. His fangs and claws seemed to be sharper and his blows heavier than before.  He easily sliced through the monsters'' bodies, tearing them as if they were nothing but leather.


    The monsters began to retreat as they realized that there was a monster far more superior than them. They tried to run away but the remaining squad was quick with their heads. They formed a wind barrier to keep the monsters trapped inside the enclosure. The remaining ones scrambled as arrows began to rain over the monsters.


    Orphella whistled to him and gestured him to take the right. The dwarf smiled at them, "Tis be der wid yah!"  He jumped down from the pile of human remains and began their obliteration of the monsters.


    The seemingly invincible and fearless monsters seemed to have become smaller than what they were when they first made their way out of their nests. Their bodies quivering as Urfaal took a step closer to them.


    "AAAAGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!" Urfaal roared and saw how the creatures pushed each other away from the barrier. In their rattled state they looked like mice trying to save themselves from the clutches of a hungry cat. They pulled each other down hoping that one of them would face the predator while the rest would escape¡ªbut there was no escape¡­Not for these unfortunate brutes.


    Urfaal along with Ghwynmyr looked at them with bloodlust and tore through their chaotic cluster.

 Chapter 130: Darkness Manifold

    His skin prickled as he felt the cold and damp ground against his skin. Adaloun opened his eyes to total darkness. His ears ringing violently as he felt the knocking pain in his head. The blinding explosion was more damaging than what he thought. He tried moving his eyes, but a surge of pain crept into his head, protesting his action.


    Adaloun decided to stay still for awhile as his mind tried to cope up with the current barrage of sensations he was experiencing. It took a while for the ringing to stop. He gnashed his teeth as the pain became more unbearable as time passed by.


    The ringing finally stopped after a long agonizing wait. His aching head finally felt some relief. He tried moving his body to check if his headache might worsen, thankfully, there wasn''t. He slowly opened his eyes and welcomed the darkness in front of him.


    The jet-black veil made everything seemed invisible. He hesitantly reached out his hand and tried tapping everything around his surrounding just so he could make sense of it. Strangely, his vision wasn''t able to cope up with the darkness as fast it did earlier when they first made their descent.


    He felt something sticky on the ground. It felt warm, wet and grainy. The liquid seemed to have mixed itself with the ground. His heart raced as his mind tried to make sense of his discovery. He tried running it once more on his fingers. The grainy and sticky texture all pointed to something he hoped wasn''t it.


    He debated within himself if he should try and sniff it just to check what it was. He shouldn''t have done that, but it was already too late. He sniffed the mysterious substance on his fingers and gagged.


    "Fuck! It''s shit!" He said to himself as he tried to find a way to wash it away. He fumbled on his waist to locate his satchel. As he felt through the carved rune symbols, he suddenly heard something unusual. He paused and felt the vibrations on the ground.


    Could it be a giant centipede? It''s highly unlikely especially without the rumbling on the ground. Adaloun felt a gust of air from above. He ducked his head lower on the ground and listened closely to the sound of flapping wings passing over him.


    He held his breath as he felt the wings hover just a few footlings above him.


    "Could it be a kind of bat?" He thought. He never dared to move just one bit nor breath for his convenience. He held everything in until sometime, the creature seemingly flew away from him. The weird ringing noise came back once more.


    Another surge of pain came rushing into his head once more. The pain felt like his head was slowly being stepped on by a behemoth¡ªa painful crushing pressure.


    His vision began to fog. He closed his eyes and tried blinking to remove the hazy discomfort he felt with the flashes of light appearing before him instantaneously. It took a few moments for his eyesight to adjust until he was able to see in the dark once again. The dark vision came back after the unsettling pain and visual discomfort he had with those orbs of light.


    He squinted his eyes as he tried to get us of his new vision. It was a crude vision with only big shapes on grey outlines seemingly visible. It was vexing to see the world in such a dull color. Out of all his reincarnations, he never had a problem with his vision in the dark. The gods made sure that he could see everything in the dark in their color as if light had shone on them.


    He slowly looked around, still cautious of whatever was hovering above him earlier. He looked to the right and saw nothing more but stone and debris. His powerful sword was out of sight. He did recall unsheathing it as he ran towards Tristam, who triggered the explosion. Everything else was blurry to him especually before the explosion happened.


    Luckily, the dwarven sword was still around his waist in case he might encounter a monster at that time. He took a deep breath and prepared himself for the worse. He slowly drew his sword and turned himself up, looking at the stony ceiling up high.


    He saw nothing but an empty canvas of creases and protruding rocks in grey outline. He sighed in relief. The last thing he wanted was a monster attacking him in his vulnerable state or at any state at that matter.


    He tried standing up but saw something slither at the corner of his eye. He jumped away from it and pointed his sword at it. His skin prickled at the gruesome sight and the realization of where the sticky substance came from.


    In front of him was a torn torso, its upper half missing, and its entrails splattered on the ground. He looked at the direction of the torso and saw more grisly scenes. Human body parts were scattered everywhere. Singed leather and other fabric came attached with some of the disembodied parts. Heads were partially missing a feature or its half.


    Adaloun realized the explosion apparently wiped out most of the squads and possibly, he could be the only one left. He looked around to survey for a way out of that dark cavern. He saw one in front of him, across the sea of disembodied human parts. He tried looking for some other opening, but it was the only thing he saw.


    He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Fuck." He whispered under his breath as he passed along the scattered remains of what was once a squad. He tiptoed slowly from the scattered body parts, making sure not to step on them or go over them.


    Go over them? He couldn''t help himself but smirk. It was a superstitious belief from his old world, before he became Arellin. Children were discouraged to go over a dead body in fear of the dead''s retribution. It was one of those superstitions that he carried along with him for the longest time of being reincarnated.


    As he slowly swerved through the grisly scene, he saw a shield lodged on the ground with an arm attached on it. It took him a while to decide what to do with what he saw. He finally decided to take the shield with him incase he encounter something later.


    He loosened the hand from the shieled''s tightly fitted strap and thank whose ever hand it was for its generosity towards him. The cave ahead had an eerie atmosphere. If given the chance, he could''ve chosen to just stay in his position. However, that would simply a slow and agonizing wait for death to come.


    Adaloun wanted to stay positive despite the situation. He had to, he made a promise to his comrades that they would come out alive of this mission and he''s keeping that end of the bargain. He stealthily walked along the dark opening, looking around for any signs of life either friend or foe.


    He gripped the dwarven sword hard on his right hand as he went in deeper into the dark tunnel. He felt a cold gush of putrid wind up ahead of him. He looked around to find another way out, but there was only one way into that damned tunnel. He moved forward, cautiously looking around him for any surprise attacks.


    Suddenly he could hear flapping wings from the distance, along with the vomit-inducing smell of something rotten. As he advanced into the tunnel the sound of the flapping wings became louder and louder.


    All of the sudden, he felt a rush of pain in his. His vision was shifting between the darkness and grey outlines. The assault of visions became more nauseating as it continued. What seemed to be a moment felt like days of writhing pain. Adaloun began to vomit from the chaotic visions before completely passing out in the middle of the dark cave.


    Later on, he woke up in the darkness once again. Not knowing where he was, he tried standing up, but something seemed to be tied to his ankles. He tried to unravel it, but it was tightly bound. He patted the ground for his blade, but it wasn''t there. Luckily, his shield was tightly strapped on his left arm. Using the tip of his shield, he smashed it against the thing binding his feet.


    It took him a few tries until finally it tore apart. He sighed in relief, but now another thing came to his mind; Who tied him up like that? Where is he now? The questions plagued his chaotically confused mind.


    It was dark again. His vision was again back to his normal human self. He wasn''t going to wait for that vision to come back, thus he decided to pull out a light rune and activate it. The light shone bright over the place, even Adaloun squinted to adjust to the brightness of the light.


    As his vision finally adjusted to the light, he realized his mistake. He shouldn''t have activated that light rune. Adaloun slowly raised his shield as eyeless bat-like humanoids stood in front of him with a grim smile on their faces.


    "Bright light Oyue." He whispered as the bat-like humanoids began to lunge at him.

 Chapter 131: Darkness Never-ending

    "Was that the last of them?" Commander Crovar asked his men as piles of carcasses from both sides filled the passageways.


    "Nay, Lord Commander." One of his knights shouted as he stabbed a dead monster lying on the ground.


    Orphella went around searching the lying bodies for any signs of life. The dead bodies scattered on the floor was a gruesome sight to behold. She treaded carefully over the heaps of scattered body parts and pools of blood. The massacre had ended with them claiming the victory over those vicious monstrosities.


    Almost half of the squads'' members lose their lives in the process. Most of the green knights from Lord Prestonheim''s faction succumbed to their deaths at the hands of the monsters. Sometimes, even she questions how Lord Prestonheim trained and disciplined his men.


    For a so-called Commander and Lion of the Gorge, he seemed to be just a self-righteous man with no idea on how to get his men in line. His knights fled from the battle a couple of times and the way they conducted themselves during the attack¡­Orphella doesn''t want to comment on that.


    She looked back at the remaining squad resting near the white wall. Surprisingly, the remaining knights seemed to have retained the fervor in their eyes. They looked at the bodies of their dead comrades with rage and from the looks of it, they wanted vengeance.


    Orphella walked back to the Commander and reported what she saw. She did her best to simply her gestures so Commander Crovar could understand. The old Commander raised his eyebrows as she slowly pointed at the corner where she went while shaking her hand.


    "¡­And that means?" Commander Crovar squinted his eyes as he mended some of his wounds on his arm. "Can anyone¡ª"


    "Err¡­Lass said tis nay there." Ghwynmyr interrupted the Commander.


    Orphella noticed the glare from Commander Crovar as he acknowledged the dwarf''s answer albeit, distastefully. He looked back at Ghwynmyr cursing silently at the dwarf. The Commander looked back at her and nodded.


    "Good work, elf!" He smiled back at her and went back to tending his wounds. "You may go."


    Orphella bowed to him slightly and then went back to Ghwynmyr and Urfaal who sat at the far end of the white stone wall. Commander Crovar''s men were tending to their wounds healing them with salves and potions inside their grey satchels.


    As she was approaching his comrades, Wahakim called her from the adjacent corner.


    "Orphella! Orphella!" The ever-smiling Orkamuu called out.


    She approached the Orkamuu with a bow and tried to gesture if he was alright.


    "My friend¡­" He smiled. "You know that I cannot understand your gesture, but if you''re saying how am I¡­" Wahakim looked at him and raised his thumb.


    Orphella couldn''t help but smile. Wahakim''s sunny disposition was very welcomed during that time of pain and confusion. The Orkamuu gestured her to come closer. She went closer enough for him to whisper.


    "Make sure not to use your powers here." He said. "Something is draining our energies here¡­especially us of the moons and the sun."


    The comment confused Orphella, she wanted to ask for what Wahakim meant by it, but his Amang-Indicens was as relatively bad as that of Commander Crovar. She instead nodded and excused herself from his presence.


    She went back to her comrades, who was almost done with their healing sessions. She looked at the both of them with a worried face before hugging them as tight as she could.


    "Oww¡­I''m glad your okay, Orphella!" The beastman sniffled as she felt her tears welling on her eyes.


    "Easy, Lass." The dwarf cracked a smile. "Yer gonna open me wounds!" He patted her head.


    Orphella did her best to control her overwhelming feeling of relief. Her tears where already welling up her eyes, one more word from her and she might weep in joy.


    "Phellie, yer eyes waterin'' now." Ghwynmyr pointed at her eyes.


    She sniffled and wiped the tears from her eyes, "I wasn''t crying¡­" She signed. "The dust was making my eyes itch!" She added.


    The dwarf made a subtly and nodded, "Indeed, tis place a wee dusty!"


    The beastman approached her and patted her back, "Are you alright?"


    She had nothing more to explain, so Orphella nodded back.


    After their wounds were tended, they went into a corner and sat along the stone-cold wall. It didn''t take long for the Ghwynmyr and Urfaal drift into sleep. She couldn''t blame them; they just defeated the monsters with the both of them on the offensive. Their diversion and unrelenting fury managed to cut the monsters'' line and made it easy for Orphella''s line to defend.


    She looked at their worn-down faces; the faces of those who fought harder than anyone else in there. Orphella couldn''t believe that they made it through that ordeal especially with her powers not activating at the time she needed it the most.


    Then, Wahakim''s comment from earlier suddenly surfaced. She opted to close her eyes to get some rest, but instead, it was Wahakim''s words keep on playing in her mind. She stared blankly at the stony ceiling. What did the Orkamuu meant when he said that someone was preventing their powers? What did he mean by the children of moons and the sun?


    All those questions just made her restless. She parted her thoughts for a while and focused herself for sleep. She took deep breaths and emptied her mind, hoping that she could sneak in a moment of rest. Her thoughts slowly drifted away as she took heavier breaths and suddenly her mind went blank.


    "Orphella, here!" The image of the little girl came flashing again. Orphella looked around and saw the cave and all its dead glory. She also saw the Commander Crovar and the knights who seemed to be busy with carrying their dead while the Orkamuus clustered in the other side of the cave bowing their heads low as if they were praying.


    She looked around and saw herself along with her comrades resting themselves against a stony wall. When she realized what just happened, Orphella began to panic. She cannot wrap her mind around what was currently going on.


    It seemed like her soul had left her body. She immediately ran back to her body and tried to go back in, but her efforts were fruitless. The child called her name out once again.


    "Orphella! Over here!" The child''s image seemed to be fading as every moment passed. "Orphella!" She called out again, but her voice was fading away too.


    Orphella stood her ground and just stood there. She was too tired to humor the child with her invitation and she was afraid of what that tunnel might surprise her with. The last time she saw child in her vision was with those monstrous eyes hidden in the darkness. She opted not to come any closer in fear of another hellish vision.


    She could clearly see the disappointment on the fading child''s face. The girl seemed to be saying something, but she couldn''t hear it. Suddenly, the girl gestured to her the message in Amang-Indicens signs, but her hands were too faded for her to clearly see what she meant.


    The child faded without Orphella knowing the entirety of what she was saying. She felt the child''s frustration even if she saw her from a distance.


    "Phellie! Phellie!" She heard Ghwynmyr''s voice echoed throughout the cave. "Phellie, wake up, lass!"


    Suddenly the earth started to rumble, and the ground crumbled into nothingness. Orphella fell into the never-ending darkness below before finally waking up from that confusing dream.


    She opened her eyes and saw the dwarf was shaking her shoulders. In front of her was a knight under Commander Crovar''s faction.


    "Good that you are awake, elf!" The knight said. "Lord Commander requested for your presence in the meeting."


    "Meetin''?" Ghwynmyr asked sarcastically. "Me thoughts we ain''t tah mingle with ''er likes." He scratched his beard.


    The knight didn''t answer. Instead, he looked at all three of them, bowed and went away. The knight''s actions and the Commander''s sudden inclusion of them in his meeting baffled all the three of them.


    "Did dem monstars hit ''em in the noggin'' ard?" Ghwynmyr raised his eyebrow.


    She looked around and assessed their numbers, "Maybe this had something to do with our numbers." She signed.


    "Numbers?" Urfaal asked. "Just because were from a different race doesn''t give them the right to exclude us at things!"


    Orphella shushed the beastman and reprimanded the dwarf. "Let''s just keep this one with an open mind." She signed to them. "No matter what it might be, let''s hear it out." She added.


    The knights were already huddling in the corner of the cave along with the Orkamuus. From the looks of it, they were waiting for them¡ªtruly waiting for them.


    Orphella looked at the both of them. From their eyes she knew they had no interest to be in the meeting, especially with the Commander Crovar around, but Orphella felt a different vibe. She felt a sincere longing from Commander Crovar to talked with them¡ªbut she might be wrong.

 Chapter 132: The Darkness Beckons

    "Damn it! Damn it!" Adaloun cursed as he tried fending off the bat-like humanoid creatures from attacking him. He made good use of his shield, deflecting the attacks as they rushed in with their sharp talons. But his light rune proved to be no match for the eyeless creatures.


    Without his sword Adaloun was unable to counter the attacks, so he improvised. Using the runes, he immediately set up his position to where he could deal the most damage. The monsters seemed to use sound as their means of detection which made it more difficult for him, as the segments on his armor would clang against each other. He also tried ramming them with his shield and found out that their skin was made of scales similar to that of a lizard. The shield obviously made no damage, but at the very least, it gave him an idea on how to attack them¡ªin theory.


    The overwhelming numbers of these monsters placed him in a pinch as their relentless attacks now included aerial strikes. The monsters flew and swooped over him. Using his limited stash of runes, Adaloun activated the earth rune and created a partial dome to protect himself from aerial assaults while still setting them up for his plan.


    Adaloun made to a point to never let the monsters surround him. He new that with their numbers and his inadequate arsenal of weapons, he was at a disadvantage. The concave earth dome gave him enough time to set his trap.


    Using an earth rune on one hand and a fire rune on the other, he was ready to test out his plan¡ªhopefully it''ll work or else¡­


    He readied himself as the dome slowly cracked from the barrage of talons the monsters were unloading on the earth shield. Adaloun took a deep breath and took as much as he can. His throat was parched and beads of sweat rolled from his forehead. He was afraid, but confident that he could manage the situation.


    The earth wall finally cracked open and the bat-like creature reared its ugly head on him, revealing its detachable jaws and serpentine tongue on him. Adaloun smiled and taunted the monster even more. Using his shield, he rammed it hard against the monster''s face. The creature wanted to retract its head but fortunately, it got stuck in between the crevice it made earlier.


    Adaloun checked on the integrity of the earth dome. It was still holding up pretty well, made too well. He needed to initiate his plan and fast or else, he might be overwhelmed by these creatures if he won''t. He had no choice but to aggravate the stuck monster. He held his shield in both hands and used the edge of the shield to smack it across the monster''s face over and over again, until it wailed in pain.


    The angry monster and its kin wanted to retaliate, and their anger made them hit the wall harder than they ever could. They smashed it hard and rammed it over until Adaloun could see the visible cracks appearing randomly on his wall.


    He readied himself for the worst and assumed his position. He left the stuck monster limped. He moved into the furthest corner of the cave and used the walls to rest his back as he aimed the fire rune on the crumbling dome. He focused all his exousia into the rune and as the dome blasted open, he activated the rune releasing a huge spray of fire towards the monsters.


    It scorched the rushing creatures and burnt them all to crisps. The rest of the monsters away and made their way to the stony ceiling above. They monsters hid in between the huge rocks using the shadows as their veils. The bat-like creatures screeched and growled at him as he continued his assault.


    Using his earth rune, he created a pillar that reached the ceiling. Adaloun then attempted Ghwynmyr''s earth formations. He focused his mind on the ceiling and imagined spikes popping out from its walls. It took him a moment, but he managed to do what he thought was impossible, he conjured spikes skewering the rest of the creatures to their death.


    Adaloun''s magical experiment turned out successful, however, that wasn''t the end of the wave. One of the creatures suddenly let out a loud shriek. The shrillness of the sound was nauseating and downright painful that he had to break his earth binding spell.


    He covered his ears and squinted as he tried to control himself from passing out from the intense pain of the shriek. His nose bled and his eyes felt like it was about to pop out from it socket. He needed to stop the monster from its shriek or else his head might explode from its pressure.


    He fumbled through his satchel and felt the runes. The sound was distracting him from identifying the runes correctly, but he desperately continued until he found what he was looking for. He focused his remaining exousia on the wind rune and activated it as fast as he could.


    A blast of wind almost hit the creature who swiftly flew away from him. Adaloun knew that this wasn''t the end of it. He laid down on the ground breathing heavily as he tried to rest his body and composed his thoughts.


    He knew there was no time to spare. He went back to the satchel and felt its pockets. Alas, only one of the three regenerative potions were saved. He took the remaining one and drank it hastily. From a distance he could hear flapping wings. It sounded like erratic heartbeats playing the soon of his hearing doom.


    There was no time for rest! Adaloun quickly stood up and groggily went deeper into the tunnel. He was regaining energy once again, but he knew it wasn''t enough for the incoming wave of creatures. The flapping wings stopped instantaneously, now the cave was filled with darkness and silence. In the far distance he could a subtle sound, a chorus of creatures sucking in their breaths.


    He knew what was coming and quickly fumbled for an earth rune. He took the earth rune, stabbed it on the ground and quickly activated it. Using the same techniques as Ghwynmyr did, he imagined shaping huge blocks of earthen walls stacked in front of each other at a distance of one footling each. The walls spawned almost instantaneously as he desperate poured most of his exousia to hasten the process.


    Just as the final stack of wall emerged, the monsters released their heart-stopping scream. Adaloun sat behind the wall covered his ears. The entire cave trembled as the shriek filled the cave with its horrifying echoes.


    He clenched his teeth as his head ached. The ground rumbled and he could feel his earthen walls slowly crumbled at the piercing sound of the creatures'' horrifying screech. He saw debris and dust being swept away by the powerful wind the monster produced along with their shrieks.


    Unfortunately, the earthen walls were no match to the might of the strong gusts of wind the monsters produced along with their terrible screech. The walls got blasted one by one. Adaloun could feel his doom approaching.


    As the walls continued to get blasted, Adaloun curled his body and waited for the inevitable.


    "One¡­" He took a deep breathe as he heard the audible blast from the wall. "¡­two¡­" He gritted his teeth and readied himself for impact.


    "Three." The last wall was finally blown away and him along with it.


    Adaloun was thrown away a few footlings away, luckily the ground was soft and muddy enough for him to land with getting harmed. The sound finally stopped. But his ears still rang from the shrill sound. He felt nauseous once again. His body was not responding to his command.


    He tried to move his fingers, but even that was impossible. He laid down on the ground paralyzed and helpless. Surprisingly, he saw a spark of light glowing from the direction where the monsters were. The spark became bigger and bigger. Glowing brighter than ever before. Suddenly, he saw the shadows of the bat-like humanoids flying directly towards him, as if running away from something.


    The spark became into a huge ball of flame engulfing the monsters as it rapidly spread along the tunnel. Adaloun closed his eyes. It looked like it was already the end for him. He thought that it was the monsters who will finish him there, but apparently that wasn''t the case. It was the strange ball of fire that will end him¡ªa painful death he never imagined he would have to go through.


    But right before the flames could engulf him, it suddenly retreated back to the tunnel where in came from. It slowly became smaller and smaller until it returned back into a spark. The little tinder of light dissipated in the hands of a person that was approaching him.


    He still couldn''t move from the monsters'' binding spell, but he saw clearly who they were¡­


    The Orkamuus.

 Chapter 133: Blackened Sun

    Adaloun felt dizzy as he opened his eyes once again and was welcomed by the strange heat of a small flame. His ears weren''t ringing anymore, but he still felt nauseous just by opening his eyes. He squinted his eyes to try and get rid of the woozy feeling he had.


    "T¡­t¡ªthere¡­yooou¡­goooo¡­" An unfamiliar voice said.


    He tried looking around, but his eyes hurt even in the slightest movement. Adaloun decided to close his eyes and gambled his fate to the charity of those who saved him. He knew it was the Orkamuus that saved him, but he''s doubting that now. He could be wrong about his notion. That pesky sound those bat-like creatures produced still left him confused. He tried his best to silence his and a few moments later, he finally drifted to sleep.


    Adaloun opened his eyes to the sound of squaking seagulls and smell of salt in the air. He looked around and saw his previous world. The world where he originally came from. The fine white sands that rubbed against his feet, the blue waters of the salty sea and the bright shinning sun that proudly placed itself in the sky was nostalgic to him.


    However, in that dream, something was a little different. The sun seemed to be dimming as each moment passed. The sun''s vibrant light slowly faded and was replaced with a weird dark glow. Was it an eclipse? It wasn''t quite close to that.


    Adaloun couldn''t move away from where he was standing. His eyes fixed at the dimming sun while his body froze in horror at the sight of it. Dark tendrils began to pop-out from the bright ball of flames in the sky. It slowly wrapped its jet-black tentacles into the sun slowly squeezing its light out.


    The light of day slowly turned into night in an instant. But there were no stars nor the moon to light the world. The sky broke and revealed tentacles devouring the heavens into the void.


    The sky slowly cracked and as it did, its fragments fell to the ground and set the land aflame. Screams of agony echoed throughout the thinning faint light he saw from the distance the moment he turned around. The water retreated to earth as the dark tentacle pierced the sea. The ground shook as the Crawling Darkness penetrated its grotesque tentacles on it, leaving to spurt its hot lava to the surface.


    The world was ending the same way it did before on the 364th world. The world he treasured and yet cannot remember. A deafening sound of a trumpet exploded from the sky and finally, the world as he knew turned into the void. The nothingness, a place of darkness where everything meshed into a place of insanity and anguish.


    The screams became louder, and now it screamed his name.


    "Arellin¡­failuurreee¡­" The voices chorused and laugh as it mocked him. "Yyyyoouuu¡­aree¡­noth¡ª"


    "Wake up my friend!" A familiar voice interjected.


    He opened his eyes and saw the bright eyes of Corvinus. He held him in his arms and was shaking him.


    "Are you alright, my friend?" The Orkamuu said.


    "He looked around and saw the dark high ceiling. The bonfire was still there beside him. Corvinus'' bright smile welcomed him along with Gravil and another Orkamuu who had bandages wrapped around the stump of where his left arm was supposed to be.


    Corvinus helped him sit up and rested his back on the stony wall. Gravil offered him a bronze cup filled with steaming water.


    "Drink, my friend." He gave the cup to him with a smile. "These leaves were plucked from the garden of Amophos. It should calm your nerves down and rid you off the poison in your blood."


    Adaloun took the cup from Gravil and drank it carefully. The tea had a mint like flavor to it. It had mild sweetness from the honey and a bitter aftertaste from the dried herb. It immediately stimulated his senses. The drowsiness and nauseating feeling he felt earlier instantly vanished.


    The tea energized him as soon as he drank it. He looked at the three Orkamuus with awe, "What is this¡­tea?"


    "That is a gift from Apholak, my friend." Corvinus answered. "We call it Arawa-an. It has tremendous healing properties similar to that of a regeneration potion, only more potent.


    Adaloun took the rest of the tea and thanked them before asking them what truly happened to the rest of the squad.


    "We do not know as well, my friend." Corvinus scratched his head. "We woke up confused and bound by something¡­" He sighed.


    It was exactly the same as what he had been bound with. Adaloun described it to them; the three agreed that it was.


    "Could it be the work of those¡­bat-like creatures?" Adaloun looked around. "Could there still be¡­"


    "In Apholak''s name, I hope there aren''t anymore of those filthy creatures." The third Orkamuu interjected. "Its kin bit my arm off and now, they shall face the wrath of my god!" The man said with conviction.


    "And indeed, we shall kill them all and cleanse the world of their filthy existence." Gravil patted the third Orkamuu''s back.


    Adaloun looked at the third man. He hadn''t seen him before, or if he did, he hadn''t noticed him at all. He was smaller compared to Gravil and Corvinus and his skin was a shade lighter than the two, although the rest of their features are almost similar to that of Corvinus.


    Corvinus noticed his curiosity towards the third man, "My apologies, my friend. This one is named Darayus. My twin brother." He smiled.


    "Twin brother?" Adaloun said to himself and looked at both of them with confusion.


    Corvinus smiled at him, "Some other time, my friend. For now, we must complete our task."


    "Or get out of here alive." Darayus mumbled.


    "That is enough, brother." Corvinus sighed. "We will come out alive and lay waste to those monster who took out your arm!"


    Darayus stood up and took the hot kettle Gravil placed near his side and drank its contents. Adaloun watched in horror as the scalding water overflowed from his mouth. Surprisingly, it didn''t even scathe his skin.


    Adaloun looked at him with awe as he threw the kettle back to Gravil.


    "Apholak''s blessing. Isn''t it a beauty?" Gravil asked Adaloun.


    "Excuse me?" Adaloun wasn''t able to hear what he said entirely.


    Gravil smiled and cleared his throat, "Our god''s blessing, isn''t wonderful? His protection from the heat is what truly made us who we are." He said.


    Adaloun had nothing else to say so he nodded and smiled back at him.


    "Our Lord Apholak would understand if we shall cut his praises short for now." Corvinus said in serious tone. "This cave itself is a labyrinth filled with monstrosities only those swine gods from here could have made!" He gritted his teeth as he looked around the area.


    "True." Darayus seconded. "This is needed a cleansing! That''s why we are here, along with you¡­Ada¡­"


    "Adaloun. It''s Adaloun ser Darayus." He answered back.


    "Adaloun? You mean like the¡ª" Darayus'' excitement was cut short by his brother who wanted to go straight to the point with their current status.


    "We shall talk about it some other time." Corvinus sighed. "Right now, we must traverse this labyrinth altogether to finish our objectives..."


    "Find those god-given stones and eradicate the monsters that lurk from within." Gravil immediately continued what Corvinus left.


    "Do you have any objections, my friend?" He asked Adaloun directly.


    "I have none." Adaloun shook his head. "At least this will increase our chances of survival." He added.


    "Alright! May Apholak bless us all and deliver us to our victory!" Corvinus said.


    "So, shall it be!" The other two Orkamuu chorused.


    Adaloun nodded and they went on their way.


    Their group went in deeper into the cave. Using the sparse light coming from their floating fire sprites, they were able to navigate easier with their hands free. They walked into tight cave channels and impossible spiky pathways until they reached another part of the so-called labyrinth.


    "What is this place?" Gravil looked around and saw huge crumbled man-made pillars lying around a huge clearing inside the cave.


    Corvinus used his fire sprite to hover around the big chunks of white marble and limestone lying around that area. The Apholak worshipper closed his eyes and controlled the sprite to reach every nook and cranny within the clearing.


    "It looks like a city!" He exclaimed. "These big chunks of stones seemed to be pillars shaped by men.


    "Oh! Really brother?!" Darayus asked while summoning a sprite of his own.


    "Yes, please help me in surveying this place." Corvinus asked the other two Orkamuus who immediately did their part. "As for you, my friend. Just stay there and recover. I could still feel you need a little more rest." He smiled.


    Adaloun wanted to object to what he just said, however, Corvinus was right. He hasn''t recovered yet as much as he wanted to deny it, there was still a little bit of discomfort on his back. He sat down and let the Orkamuu do the task, after all, he doesn''t have that same ability as theirs.


    He tried to look for a comfortable place to sit on when suddenly he heard the agonizing screams coming from the Orkamuus. He immediately rushed to them and saw all three of them on the ground writhing in pain.


    "MY EYES! MY EYES! ARRGGHHH!" Corvinus shouted as boiling blood flowing from his eyes. "Arrrgghhhh..NO¡­NOOO!!!!!" All three of them convulsed.


    Adaloun was left confused with what was going on. He tried to look around only to find out that no one except for the four of them was there.


    All of the sudden, he head a huge bang echoing through the cave. Adaloun grabbed the Orkamuus by their armors and dragged them to a safer place. He knew whatever it was, it was out to get them.


    "Can''t you give me a break?!" He tiredly said as he took Gravil''s schmitar.

 Chapter 134: Above the Surface

    Jovis, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 51st day of Fall, Arenfall


    -------------------


    Prince Arterius hadn''t slept well for the third day in a row. Without any responses from the squads and Commander Crovar from the hole, he was now doubting the plans he had laid out for them. He paced endless around the crystal ball the entire morning, waiting for any signs of life from below, but the past three days proved to be fruitless.


    His mind raced as the thoughts of his failure began to sink in. He could just imagine the delight of his detractors as they would ridicule him in the Senate Hall. The smiles of Senator Lucresia and Senator Ordus would light up an entire city.


    He imagined his father, the Imperatur victorious and would gladly parade him into the open square to ridicule for his failure and strip him of his birthright to the throne. His father might just die in pure bliss as he gets escorted out of the capital.


    Prince Arterius wanted to cry and end his suffering right there where he stood but a part of him was still hopeful that he would come out victorious and start the new age for the Principalia. The crystal ball still wasn''t giving any response. He called Stolas who was chronicling the entire expedition and asked him to try and do contact with them.


    The crystal ball buzzed and hummed, but there was no sign of anyone responding.


    "Gods damnit!" Prince Arterius clicked his tongue. "Try it again, Stolas!" His voice quivered as his frustration was peaking.


    Stolas shook his head, "Arterius¡­" He sighed and bit his lip. "There''s no response¡ª"


    "Nonsense!" He slapped the table with his hand. "This is the most modern technology we have! We can even use this to communicate over a hundred ildwyrms away! And yet we can''t use this to communicate with them under the fucking ground!" He grabbed the crystal ball and throw it to the ground out of frustration.


    Stolas was able to hold Prince Arterius'' hand before he could drop it to the ground. Prince Arterius shouted and cursed. His lack of sleep along with desperation had messed up his entire mindset today. Stolas overpowered him and was able to save the ball from being nothing more than a shattered crystal. His immediately placed the ball down on the table before both of them fell to the ground.


    The struggle continued on the ground as both men tried to overpower each other. Unfortunately for Prince Arterius, Stolas was stronger than him. Too strong in fact that he ended up spitting in his ward''s face just so he could try and get away from his grip.


    Their commotion didn''t go unnoticed. Lord Prestonheim entered the tent hastily as he heard the loud shouts inside the tent. He saw the both of them at it against each other. The silver-haired Commander immediately came to Prince Arterius'' rescue.


    He picked up Stolas and separated the both of them from their tussle. He grabbed the ward''s hands and placed it against his back.


    "What in the gods names is going on here?" Lord Prestonheim asked.


    "My Lord¡­" Stolas answered while catching his breath. "I was trying to prevent the Prince from destroying the crystal ball." He pointed at the ball that was displaced from the table.


    Prince Arterius was heaving as he fixed his hair and clothes. He had nothing to say to his godfather, since what he did was a total embarrassment to his name and to the royal throne. He spat on the ground and walked out of the tent limping into the gloomy morning of Jovis.


    He needed to clear his mind after that breakdown. He felt ashamed having to inconvenience his friend and his godfather with his antics. He walked hastily into the farthest reaches of the camp to calm himself down. His limp didn''t matter to him, he crossed the rock-ridden road until he found a single standing tree in the outskirts of the mine.


    The big Okre tree immediately caught his eye. He immediate climbed the slightly steep mound and sat on the ground, with his back rested on the trunk. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. His frustration had eaten him and that was the first time he went out of control.


    His injured leg throbbed in pain as he rested it on the ground. He gritted his teeth and cursed incessantly while he slowly massaged his legs. The pain, the frustration and his sleeplessness had messed him up so bad. His logical self went out of his existence leaving him with his chaotic emotional self¡ªthe thing he hated to surface the most.


    The pain in his heart was getting more unbearable more than his pesky injured leg. He scoured his satchel for the concoction he made but he left it on the tent. What he had inside his satchel was some gold coins and a small ornated knife.


    He looked at the knife intently. It was his mother''s knife, her only heirloom to him before she died. It was the only thing his father wasn''t able to confiscate from him because he hid it so well. He took the knife out of satchel and looked at the well engraved design of the scabbard. A gilded harpy spreading its wings with a sword held on its feet. A symbol of the Honcula family.


    Its hilt had an eagle''s head carved from a wyvern''s bone while the handle was meticulously wrapped with leather from a Cathus said to have been killed by his father during one of his hunts in the Vridian wilderness.


    "The golden harpy, huh?" He smirked as he took the knife out from its scabbard to reveal the naked silver blade that glistened as the light kissed the cold metal. His face reflecting on the thin blade only goes to show the meticulous artistry of the human smith that made it.


    As he looked at his reflection on the blade, thoughts of his childhood began to resurface. He remembered the times his mother would come to his aid when his father would brutally beat him for his so-called incompetence. He remembered how his mother would gently hug and caress his way with her dainty fingers as she sang his favorite lullabies to calm his nerves down. Those were the sweet yet painful memories he recalled when his mother was still alive.


    "You worthless piece of shit!" Suddenly his father''s voice broke his serene memory of his mother. "You shall give that birthright to your brother whether you like it or not!"


    Prince Arterius immediately lose his grip of the dagger as his father''s poignant words came to nag at him once again. The dagger struck itself on the ground piercing through the soft grass. He breathe-in deep as he tried to calm his nerves. He did his best to make them recognize him, but unfortunately, he came out short until the very end.


    His strong and determined demeanor withered away along with his sliver of hope he had left for the expedition. No matter how many times he tried making the perfect plan somehow it didn''t seem to work.


    He looked at himself on the reflection on the dagger and realized that there was only thing left to do. Prince Arterius took the blade from the ground and placed the edge across his neck. His heart raced as his logic wrestled with his emotions.


    It would be a bloody and agonizing death for him, but at least he would end his suffering right there. He took a deep breath slowly let the cold edge touch the skin of his neck. The sharp edge easily cut his skin and a small drop of blood trickled from the wound. His hand shook as he felt the pain from the cold air touching the small open wound.


    Arterius closed his eyes and calmed himself down to avoid the shaking of his hand. He didn''t want to do it all again. He smiled one last time and buried the blade deeper on his skin. He could hear the sound of the blade slicing that area of his neck. Now all he needed to do was ran it across to put an end to his miserable and ill-fated life.


    His life flash before his very eyes. He saw everything he did up to that point. He saw himself smiled at the little triumphs he had with Senator Ordus, the applause he got for his cannon and the smirk his father gave him when he chose to stand up to him. But then again, those little victories that he thought would propel him to the top, all came crashing down just because he became too greedy and ambitious with his plan.


    Now that he failed, he knew there was no turning back. There were no takebacks to begin with and he would rather end his suffering now than to be ridiculed and possibly killed by his detractors. Now was his perfect time to end it all. He failed at the very end, but at least he tried¡­he tried his damn hardest.


    "Remember, my lovely child you are strong in your own way! Show them." His mother''s voice suddenly came out of nowhere. "Don''t ever give up, my wonderful Prince!"


    Those words echoed inside of him. Those were the last words his mother told him before she died. Prince Arterius immediately dropped the knife and realized how he was turning into a failure. He let his despair get the better of him.


    If ends his life now, what will happen to his vision? If he went ahead and kill himself would it just give validation of his weakness? Those thoughts ran into his mind as he slowly realized what his life truly meant for him.


    Prince Arterius wept as he tried to pick up the pieces of his broken self and made a promise to himself to never think about taking his life again. He would rather go see this expedition through so they could rub it in those Senators smug faces how wrong they were¡­


    And on that day, the real heir was born.

 Chapter 135: Surface Tension

    Jovis, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 51st day of Fall, Arenfall


    ---------------------


    Arterius stared at his blood-stained knife once again. The on his neck stung as the blood trickled down on it along with the cold wind blowing on her skin. He picked up the knife and tried to wipe the smear of blood on the blade when Lord Prestonheim and Stolas arrived at the exact moment he raised the knife near his face.


    "Arterius, no!" Lord Prestonheim ran towards him.


    His godfather immediately took out the knife from his hand and threw it on the ground. Stolas came behind his godfather and checked on the wound on his neck.


    "Prince Arterius!" Stolas exclaimed as he took a clean cloth from his pocket and immediately covered the fresh wound on his neck. "A-are you¡­W-what is this madness?!" His ward was running out of words to say.


    Arterius said nothing. He was too frustrated with himself for doing such foolish and reckless action. He looked at both of them in the eyes and tried his very best to say something, but words weren''t coming out of his mouth.


    All of a sudden, he felt a burning pain on his face. He wasn''t able to catch it, but Lord Prestonheim delivered a slap on his face. The sound of the crisp slap rang in his ears. Arterius was surprised but at the same time, he knew it was coming. The only thing was it hurt him more than it should.


    Arterius was no stranger to beating and pain. That was the only language his father had for him. Often times his father would berate him for his existence alone. According to his father, as Prima was destined for great things and thus it was a Prima''s obligation to pursue greatness. Apparently, he wasn''t doing anything great to make his father proud. To the Imperatur, greatness was measure in strength and power. If you are unable to end rebellions or conquer new lands, then you are nothing more than a deadweight to their family. His father would often beat that into him or as he would say, beat some sense into him.


    But the pain he felt right now was different. It hurt a little bit more. The feeling was something he couldn''t describe into words, but the pain was squeezing his heart in ways he thought he would never feel again. It felt like disappointing his mother.


    Lord Prestonheim lifted his hands once again, Arterius closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable. But instead, he felt a tight squeeze in his body. His godfather hugged him tight. He could hear a muffled sob from the old commander.


    "Never do that again!" The old Commander''s voice quivered. "Do not waste your life, my child." He sniffled.


    Those words his godfather whispered to him pierced his heart. Prince Arterius after all the pain and suffering he had to endure, was at his peek already. His emotions were something he could no longer hold in any longer.


    Arterius hugged back his godfather as tears flow freely from his eyes. "I¡ªI am¡­sorry¡­" He sobbed at the shoulders his godfather while Stolas silently tended his wound. "G-godfather¡­Stolas¡­I have let y¡ªyou down." He wept.


    "That''s alright, my child." Lord Prestonheim patted his head. "Mistakes are mistakes. I told you about it haven''t I?"


    Prince Arterius tried to compose himself as he looked at the both of them, "I am afraid¡­I am terrified of what was about to happen." He sniffed. "I will lose my identity, godfather. My birthright¡­my everything! I wanted to end it all to save myself from the shame¡­but¡­"


    Lord Prestonheim didn''t answer a word, instead, he simply looked at him with compassion. Like those eyes of his mother''s. Lord Prestonheim hugged him tightly once more. It took a moment for the Commander to reply to him.


    "I understand how you feel, I''ve been there." Lord Prestonheim took a deep breath. "But you know that is not the answer."


    "I know¡­" Arterius sighed. "I should''ve known that before hurting myself. It''s just¡­death was quiet a tempting end."


    "Is it really?" His godfather asked.


    Arterius closed his eyes and took another deep breath, "No, it isn''t. That''s not how the way it should go." He shook his head. "I realized it would only make it worse for me. I realized I wanted to die not to be forgotten. I realized I wanted glory as much as my brother does and so¡­I would like to fight my way through and earn my place at the throne." He clenched his fist.


    Lord Prestonheim smiled and messed his hair. "Look at you!" He helped him back to his feet. "You need to live for you to prove to them your worth! Don''t worry about the expedition, I am certain that they would deliver!"


    Arterius nodded and focused his attention to his friend, Stolas. "I am sorry¡ª"


    "Don''t ever do that again¡­A-arter¡ª" Stolas bit his lip and silently continued in tending his wound. "Please¡­just¡­" He tried his best to compose himself.


    He hugged his ward and apologized with all of his heart. He felt like he betrayed him both with what he has done. But even so, Lord Prestonheim and Stolas welcomed him back and made him feel what he thought he''d lost a long time ago¡ªhe felt like he was home.


    After patching up his wound and few more talks with the both of them, they decided to go back to the camp where a messenger of the Bieroffs waited. Stolas approached the messenger and asked what the message was for, but he wouldn''t tell.


    "I would only speak with none other than the Prince and no one else." The messenger raised his chin and condescendingly walked away from Stolas.


    The messenger continued to approach him and his godfather who was irked with the way he treated Stolas. The messenger stood in front of both of them and clumsily bowed.


    "Fair morning, Prince Arterius." He greeted blandly. "My Lady wants to tell you to that she has told his brother about what you have done here in the Crescent Isle and will be sending out some knights to take you back!" He smirked.


    Prince Arterius could feel his godfather''s anger surfacing. Lady Bieroff just had the audacity to threaten a royal heir as if he was a peasant. He looked at his godfather and saw his calm expressionless face, but when he looked down, he saw Lord Prestonheim clenching his fist and was ready to hit the man who was disrespecting him.


    "This is coming from Lady Bieroff?" Prince Arterius asked calmly.


    "Yes! It is!" The messenger took out from his pocket a parchment wax-sealed with the Bieroff''s sigil. "Here, read!" He threw it on the prince''s face.


    That was the last straw to Lord Pretonheim''s patience. The old Commander threw a punch at the audacious messenger hitting him right in the nose. The messenger flew a footlings away and was most likely unconscious with a broken nose.


    "You bastard!" Lord Prestonheim spat. "Learn to respect a prince!" He approached the messenger and yanked him back up.


    The man''s hand flailed as his godfather lifted him back on his feet. "Wake up you bastard! And listen well!" The Commander gritted his teeth.


    Prince Arterius really didn''t care how others would treat him. He had always batted his eyes over those who would simply disrespect him. He approached his godfather and patted his back.


    "Godfather, you might''ve killed the guy already." He squinted at the messenger who was bleeding by his nose.


    Prince Arterius turned his attention to Stolas and nodded. His ward knew what exactly what he meant. His ward called out a knight to bring a bucket filled with cold water. Lord Prestonheim laid the messenger back on the ground and waited for the knight to bring a bucket full of cold water.


    The knight asked what to do with the water-filled bucket and Stolas pointed it on the unconscious messenger lying on the ground. The knight nodded and splashed the water all over the messenger''s face.


    The messenger woke up instantly, choking on the water and some of his blood. He curled into a ball as he tried to warm himself while nursing his painfully broken nose. Lord Prestonheim kicked the messenger''s posterior to get his attention.


    "Hey! You bastard! Wake up!" Lord Prestonheim spat.


    The messenger looked at them baffled and scared, "W-who¡­are...you?!"


    "W-who¡­wha¡ª" the old Commander was confused. "I¡­just punched you in the face and now your¡ª"


    Suddenly the messenger started to convulse. His body contorted along with a strange sound coming out from his throat.


    "What''s going on?!" Prince Arterius said as he grabbed Lord Prestonheim''s arm tugging him away from the messenger.


    The messenger''s body twisted as his joints started to sound as if their cracking. Every bone of the messenger''s body began to break and fold into ways they never knew was possible. The messenger''s mouth began to open wider and wider, unhinging his jaw. A black substance began to crawl out from his mouth.


    "What in the world¡­" Arterius cannot believe what he just had witness. It was the same thing that his godfather was plagued with a few weeks prior. The black substance immediately evaporated into thin air.

 Chapter 136: Living Daylights

    Jovis, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 51st day of Fall, Arenfall


    -----------------------------------------------------------


    The black substance evaporated in the open air. Most of them gasp at the sight of the black blob crawling out of his mouth.


    "Damn it! That one again!" Lord Prestonheim pointed at the fruit menace. "What is that woman thinking?!" He massaged the bridge of his nose.


    Prince Arterius curiously peeped from his back, "Godfather, is it completely gone?"


    "Yes, it is." He sighed as he imagined his fate if the Obura fruit matured inside of him.


    He turned to the terrifyied knight and sternly scolded him for his reaction. "You are a knight of the Principalia! Why do look afraid of such petty thing?"


    The knight stepped back and apologized for his weakness.


    "You better be!" He approached the young knight. "Now, get a shovel and give this man a proper burial."


    "Wait!" Prince Arterius objected. "We can perform an¡ª"


    "Not here, Prince Arterius!" Lord Prestonheim interjected. "Not here and not that one. Do not put yourself at risk!"


    Prince Arterius wanted to insist, but Stolas held his shoulder and convinced him not to do it. His godson nodded, admitting his defeat and simply stood silently behind him. Lord Prestonheim instructed them to bury the body far away from the camp as possible and if possible, burn it down to ash so that Lady Bieroff won''t suspect what''s going on.


    Lord Prestonheim knew that this messenger was somewhat a trap that Lady Bieroff conveniently placed on them. This was a classic Lucresia specialty, accusing the other houses of killing their messenger to declare an act of transgression against other houses. He will not fall for this trick.


    The silver-haired Commander was already expecting something from her the moment he left Arenfall. He was just waiting for the days the Lady viper herself would strike. He grabbed Prince Arterius'' arm and asked him to follow him to the tent. Arterius followed him without any objections; his ward followed afterwards.


    After they went inside the tent, Lord Prestonheim asked the knights guarding outside to roam around the perimeter and asked them to not disturb him.


    "What''s going on, godfather?" Arterius was baffled.


    "It''s her stratagem!" Lord Prestonheim sighed as he massaged the bridge of his nose.


    "Strategem? Of who¡ª" His godson figured it out before he could answer. "The Lady of the House¡­but wasn''t it a little bit¡ª"


    "It''s Lucresia written all over that plan!" He said. "I have known his brother for most of my life as a knight. That right there was one of the tactics he did that set-off a small civil war that obliterated an entire house!" Lord Prestonheim sat on the long table and contemplated on what he needed to do.


    Lord Prestonheim knew that they are at a disadvantage currently.  With his godson''s mental stability in mind, he sought a different approach to make sure that could survive the mental onslaught Lady Bieroff planned to throw at them.


    "We need a diversion for Adrena." He tapped his fingers on the table. "Stolas, can you write a letter fast and pass it along my brother? He can intercede with the¡ª"


    "Intercede? What do you mean intercede, godfather?" Prince Arterius looked at him with a raised eyebrow.


    "With all due respect, Arterius¡­" Lord Prestonheim took a deep breath. "Your mind must be in turmoil right now. I won''t let you carry another burden like this, not with the¡ª"


    Lord Prestonheim could see Prince Arterius'' frustration with the current situation. His godson wasn''t happy with his remark. His jaw was tight, indicating that he was more likely gritting his teeth more than anything else.


    "I appreciate your concern, godfather¡­" The prince took a deep breath. "But, I can manage this. After all, she''s coming for me as well." He nodded.


    The prince''s words were true. He was also a target of the Lucresias. Lord Prestonheim recall was currently the largest supporter of Prince Veritus. He knew that the Lucresias are planning to get rid of Prince Arterius from the succession so they can keep his brother''s ear all to themselves and their cronies.


    Lord Prestonheim wanted to object to his godson''s insistence, but he couldn''t. As he looked into his godson''s eyes, he saw his fervor and intensity to prove him wrong. His eyes expressed an intense emotion screaming out to the world who he truly was, the Prince and viable contender to the throne.


    "I am Prince Arterius of the House Prima." His eyes aflame with determination and ambition. "I am not the same person you knew a while back. I am crippled but I am not helpless. I will make it sure that she understands that!" He said.


    Lord Prestonheim looked at him speechless and in awe. What was that right now? He felt his skin prickled as his godson uttered those words. He felt reassured just hearing those words, a feat that only the previous emperor had ever made him feel.


    The silver-haired Commander smiled at him and kneeled on one knee, "Of course, Prince Arterius, they will learn of your name and what you can do!"


    "G-godfather, why are you kneeling?" The young prince approached him and offered his hand to him. "Stand up, you''re not suppose to kneel, not the both of you!" Prince Arterius said incessantly.


    Lord Prestonheim couldn''t explain it himself. Prince Arterius'' voice and confidence made him do it. There was a certain authority to his voice that could make anyone follow his lead without any hesitation. It was a trait that the previous Imperatur had that he thought no one could ever do, let alone replicate.


    He couldn''t help but smile in awe as he amusingly watched his godson standing in front of him, "You are worthy enough for me to kneel and I shall kneel over and over again for you, my dearest godson." His skin prickled once again.


    Their intimate moment was cut by a roaming knight entering the tent. When the knight saw his Commander kneeling to the prince, he couldn''t help himself but kneel in his presence as well.


    "I am terribly sorry for my intrusion, your Majesty and Lord Commander¡­" the knight breathed in deep. "But there is something you have to see." The knight''s hand shook as he pointed directly outside.


    "Speak up, knight. What is it?" Stolas approached the tent''s flap and stick his head out into the open.


    "There are a thousand men approaching!" The knight answered. "A sea of black and¡ª"


    "It''s the Lady coming here with her knights!" Stolas exclaimed. "Their coming here fast!"


    Lord Prestonheim''s worst fear came true. Lady Adrena had swiftly made her move and now was approaching her with an army of a thousand men strong. He knew that if a skirmish would break loose, his batallion would be outnumbered by one knight of his to five knights of hers.


    He approached the still roaming knight and grabbed him by the arm, "Alert everyone in the camp. Tell them to get ready for battle! Make it quick and let them know to form formation Sigma!" He ordered him as he pushed away the knight. The knight hurriedly went out and shouted every knight present in the camp to get ready.


    Lord Prestonheim looked at his godson with the dire urge to let him escape in case the talks may gravely become into a swordfight. "Prince Arterius, join your ward and go to the other end of the mines, I have already instructed the knights there what to do once they see¡ª"


    "I am not running away!" The young prince insisted. "I will face her and make her tremble on her feet."


    Lord Prestonheim tried to reason with his godson to simply escape the possible carnage, but Prince Arterius was adamant about his stance. The silver-haired Commander had no choice but to obey. The Commander ordered Stolas to get the prince''s armor and assist him in wearing his helmet and gilded chest plate.


    After donning the armor, Lord Prestonheim escorted his godson outside and waited for the House Bieroff''s cavalry to approach them. The cloud of dust grew bigger as the cavalry approached. He lauded Stolas for having such a sharp eye that was able to determine their banner and sigil at that distance.


    Lord Prestonheim''s knights hurriedly went into their commanded formation and waited along with them. Two knights stayed on their sideds with the Principalian knights'' banner and House Prima''s sigil. They waited patiently as the armored cavaliers were becoming more visible now.


    Lord Prestonheim looked unfazed as the numbers grew as they were nearing them. Prince Arterius on the other hand, was anxious and was obviously shaking.  Lord Prestonheim saw how his godson''s fingers twitched while his arms shook constantly.


    The silver-haired Commander patted his godson''s back, "You still have time to escape, Prince Arterius." He insistently said.


    "Escape? Who me?" Prince Arterius'' voice trembled. "I am not afraid¡ª"


    "There is no harm in admitting you''re scared." Lord Prestonheim said sternly. "Just don''t let them¡ª"


    "But I am not scared, godfather." The young prince took a deep breath. "I just feel a little bit excited with what''s going to happen next!"


    Lord Prestonheim look at his godson''s eyes and saw his hunger. He wanted the world to know who truly is and Lady Bieroff was unfortunately his first victim. The old Commander smirked as he patted his godson''s back once again.

 Chapter 137: Ruler in the Making

    Jovis, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 51st day of Fall, Arenfall


    --------------


    The sea of black and gold cavalry looked daunting as their numbers became more apparent the more they came nearer to them. Lord Prestonheim was ready to fight the bastards down to the very last one of them. He was confident of his men''s skills and believed that he could kill a huge chunk of Lady Bieroff''s army before the rest would scatter across her kingdom.


    To the silver-haired Commander, their numbers weren''t an issue for him. He could easily dispose as many of these weak-willed knights as he wanted. But this wasn''t the scenario he''s facing at the moment. His godson would be the one to face this huge army. If he was being honest, he wasn''t as confident as he wanted to with his godson facing Lady Bieroff. However, he couldn''t stop himself from obeying the young prince. He tried his best to defy his wishes, but he had always ended up conflicted with his interruption.


    Lord Prestonheim couldn''t help but stare at the back of his godson as the young prince stood in front of them, waiting for the Lord Bieroff''s cavalry to arrive. The young prince didn''t have the best posture there was. He had a head start posture, meaning his head was awfully forward from his back. His posture wasn''t the most ideal for someone born as a royal. It looked weak and clumsy, a posture that only a pauper would have.


    It was a standard that every noble had to follow to make sure they get respected and recognized. Prince Arterius, however, was shaped different from the mold. The poor prince was frowned upon and ridiculed for his so-called weakness, but in truth, he had more potential to the throne than that of his brother. He was smart and took calculated risks to win. He had a pure heart and was compassionate to others. He believed that force should be the last option in an argument and not the primary one. He had all the makings of a great leader, expect for his posture and strength were the nobility saw as a greater asset.


    Lord Prestonheim saw his godson took another deep breath as the cavalry finally stopped at the entrance of the mines. He patted Prince Arterius'' back and whispered.


    "Don''t show them that you''re intimidated." His last words to Prince Arterius as a messenger from House Bieroff approached them.


    Prince Arterius smiled at him, "Don''t worry, godfather, I got this!" He whispered.


    The messenger stopped exactly in front of them and went down from his horse. He approached both of them and curtsied in front of the prince.


    "Bastard¡ª" Lord Prestonheim bit his lip as he tried to stop himself from lashing out at the messenger.


    Lady Bieroff knew that wasn''t the proper bow to the prince. She knew it and yet she didn''t even bother to correct the knight who confidently did the bow. As a Lady of the House, she had the obligation to train her messengers proper etiquette especially when facing a royal blood. But unfortunately, the foolish Adrena threw it all away and didn''t bother to educate her messenger.


    "Fair Greetings, Prince Arterius and to you as well, Lord Commander." The knight bowed once more.


    His godson nodded back at the knight. Lord Prestonheim nodded back while stopping himself from punching the bastard of a knight straight on the face. He had always lauded his godson for his patience over such degrading situation. According to Prince Arterius, he was already used to it. It was a sad reality that his godson had to swallow every day.


    "And to you as well." His godson bowed back to the knight politely.


    The prince''s answer interrupted the Commander''s train of thought. He couldn''t help but stare in awe as Prince Arterius diplomatically shook the hand of the filthy messenger. The brief interaction was followed by an awkward pause. The Prince and the messenger stood silently in front of each other, as if they were waiting for either of them to break the silence.


    The knight cleared his throat after that long awkward silence and spoke, "Our Lady wishes you to stop what you''re doing. You are UNDER the Bieroff''s property!"


    Lord Prestonheim wanted to react to Adrena''s audacity against the royal bloodline. Her newfound courage might have something to do with his brother''s support. It was more likely that Senator Lucresia had already known the situation and wanted to butt-in on the expedition to dampen Prince Arterius'' chances of succeeding.


    He approached Prince Arterius and wanted to whisper something on his ear, but the brave young prince already rebutted the moment he tried stepping in.


    "Oh, is that so?" Prince Arterius nodded. "I never thought that a Lord or Lady had the power to interfere directly with the operation of the royal family?" He scratched his head.


    The knight never took away his eyes from his godson and answered back. "You are under the Bieroff''s property! I am sure that even a prince would understand that?!" He sarcastically asked.


    The offensive remark truly made Lord Prestonheim''s blood boil with rage. That the last straw of his patience and he wanted to throw a piece of his mind towards the arrogant knight. However, he didn''t want to foil whatever plans Prince Arterius had and thus, he remained as stoic as he could be.


    Prince Arterius burst in laughter as he heard the knight''s question. "I know that is!" He wiped the tears from his eyes. "But I do wonder if the Lady recalls Order 356? Oh? Do you know what that is?" He asked the knight.


    The knight casually shook his head. "I think I don''t have to kn¡ª"


    "But of course, you should!" The prince insisted. "Well, let me educate real quick about what Order 356 is." He walked closer to the knight and whispered it on his ear.


    Lord Prestonheim knew what that Order was. It was the order hindering other nobles from interrupting on the affairs of the royal family. Suddenly the knight''s face turned pale. Prince Arterius tapped his shoulder and called out Stolas.


    Stolas came rushing towards him and was surprised with what he whispered to him.


    "Are you serious, Prince Arterius?!" He exclaimed as he confusingly tried to stop him from whatever he was planning.


    "Yes, of course I am." He patted his ward''s shoulder and asked him to follow him to the horse. "Hey, Ser Knight, I am borrowing your horse! Or do I need to explain to you that part again?" He looked back at the petrified knight.


    Stolas fumbled towards the prince who waited for him near the towering Dressler. He helped him up into the horse and strapped him snuggly on the saddle.


    Lord Prestonheim was surprised and confused of what his godson was about to do. He immediately ran towards him and held the horse''s reins until he could get an explanation of what he''s planning.


    "What are you doing?!" He held the reins harder as Prince Arterius tried to yank it away from him.


    "I am trying to do my job as the heir to the throne!" Prince Arterius answered while still yanking at the reins.


    "Prince Arterius, please reconsider." Lord Prestonheim sighed. "You do not have to risk this¡ª"


    "Who''s risking anything?" His godson asked him back. "I appreciate your concern, godfather but let me do this¡­alone." He yanked the reins once again and finally Lord Prestonheim had no choice but to let go.


    Prince Arterius led the Dressler towards House Bieroff''s army. Lord Prestonheim turned to his knights who stood idly waiting for his orders.


    "Men¡­" He shouted. "Get ready to defend the Prince with your life! Await my orders!"


    The knights thud their shields in agreement.


    The tension was slowly building up as the young prince approached the sea of black and gold fearlessly. Lord Prestonheim subtly raised his arms as he planned on how to rescue the prince in case the other house would try and strike him.


    Prince Arterius approached the baffled cavalry and shouted. "LADY BIEROFF! I KNOW YOU''RE IN THERE HIDING!" He skillfully steadied the horse. "MY LADY, I HOPE YOU WOULDN''T DISRESPECT A PRINCE''S INVITATION! WHAT WOULD YOUR BROTHER SAY WHEN HE HEARS ABOUT THIS?!"


    The Bieroff''s cavalry suddenly began to whisper within themselves. Lord Prestonheim could see their look of utter confusion. Prince Arterius had outsmarted her. The thought of him not budging after seeing the cavalry had definitely messed her strategy and morale.


    "LADY BIEROFF! I AM CERTAIN YOU MEAN NO HARM WITH THIS VISIT!" He approached. "I WILL SEE TO It¡­aaheemm¡­" He cleared his throat as his voice slowly faded from the strain. "I Hope you do the same for me.


    The cavalry was unmoving and silent like trees that stood silently at the side of the hill. On the other side, Lord Prestonheim and his knights were waiting for the black and gold army to make their move. The pressure was so intense as both parties waited for one to make a move.


    All of the sudden, there was movement on the Bieroff''s cavalry. The cavaliers from the center front began to make way for someone. Lord Prestonheim alerted his men and readied themselves to rescue the prince. They slowly raised their shields but for some reason, the prince somehow saw it and gestured for them not to do it.


    Lord Prestonheim hesitated whether to follow the order or not, because at the end of the day, it was the prince''s welfare that mattered most.


    The cavalry in the front line finally made way for a single black horse with a lady clad in black. Her face was covered with a black veil but Lord Prestonheim could tell who it was. After a silent discussion with the veiled lady, Prince Arterius looked back at them and shouted.


    "STOLAS! PREPARE TEA FOR OUR HONORABLE GUEST! AND BRING A¡­ahem¡­A DAMN BIG TABLE!"


    Lord Prestonheim was confused and relief at the same time. He didn''t know how to react on it and he''s still baffled how that silent conversation went, but somehow his godson pulled it off.

 Chapter 138: Three Blind Orkamuus

    Adaloun couldn''t really tell how long they were staying inside that rocky shelter where he hid the Orkamuus. He counted under his breath but unfortunately, he lost count. The darkness was fooling with his senses. Moreover, he was too distracted and worried at the Orkamuus who were still violently contorting their bodies.


    He really wanted to open up a light for him to see them, but the noise he heard earlier prevented him from doing so. Adaloun was at a disadvantage, if that bang perhaps belong to a swarm of monsters, he will surely lose especially with the others in critical state.


    He touched their foreheads one by one and felt their cold clammy skin. He pushed them deeper into the rock shelter to get away from whatever that was in the surface. As he continued to push them deeper into the crevice, the earth slowly shook. He could hear the gigantic footsteps dropping on the ground with every moment''s past.


    With batted breath, he tried his best to control the Orkamuus'' grotesque convulsions as their bodies kept on hitting the stony walls so loud, he was afraid of whatever monster above the surface might find them. The Orkamuus weren''t doing him any good.


    The footsteps and the ground shook more violently as the hulking monster came closer to where they were. Adaloun pushed the Orkamuus a little bit further to the darker parts of the cave until they already reached the cave''s boundary.


    He immediately covered them with his body as he waited for the monster to pass them by¡ªor so he wished. The ground ceased to shake but the eerie air was making him uncomfortable.


    He could hear the agonizing moans from the Orkamuus. It looked like they had already awakened from that terrible hex placed on them.


    "Ugghh¡­where are we?" Darayus spoke weakly.


    "Quiet down, Darayus." Adaloun tried to shush the amputee. "There¡ª"


    "Where are Gravil and Corvinus?" The amputee fumbled and patted on the ground hoping to get a touch of his comrades.


    Adaloun fumbled and grabbed his hand. "Don''t do it something is¡ª"


    "Where are my brothers?!" Dayarus raised his voice.


    "Sssshhuusshhh¡­" He covered his mouth. "Keep quiet¡­" The ground shook once more, but this time it was specifically stronger from where they were.


    A terrible sound of rocks crushing against each other, harassed his ears. The ground shook more violently as he felt like the rock above him seemed to have been lifted.


    "Darayus¡ª" Adaloun tried his best to quiet him down, but it looked like the poor Orkamuu was too dazed and confused to understand what was going on.


    "Brothers! Brothers!" Darayus called the other two but they were still unconscious and couldn''t respond to anything.


    The ground felt like it lifted as the behemoth yanked out the rock covering them. Adaloun had no choice but to run away¡ªwithout the noisy Orkamuu. He had no choice. It was either all of them or just Darayus. He had to choose¡ªand his choice was to spare the rest of them.


    As the rock was being lifted, he could see the monster''s raging eyes glimmer in the dark. The glowing shade of green was both terrifying and mesmerizing at the same time. The giant''s teeth shimmered as it grotesquely smiled at the prey it was presented with.


    Adaloun hastily dragged the two remaining Orkamuus away from the giant''s grasp and left the confused Darayus to his fate.


    "I am sorry¡ª" Adaloun whispered as he dragged the other men away.


    The darkness was preventing him from seeing the full extent of the encounter, but from what he could gather from the sound of crushing bones; it was a quick death.


    After the hulking creature had his fill with the Orkamuu, it roared at the top of its lungs until the walls began to tremble and debris began to fall from the ceiling. Adaloun could only hope that the rocks wouldn''t hit them as he dragged his remaining comrades to safety.


    The ceiling cleared and revealed the veins of shining aetherium with ripples flowing like a river. The glow was enough to cast a dim light that illuminated the ground below. The light was both a blessing and a curse for Adaloun.


    A blessing because now, he was able to see the entirety of his surrounding, giving him better access to escape routes and potential shelters. A curse because, it also meant that the monster could also see where they were.


    The monster took a glimpse of them, Adaloun had no choice but to carry both unconscious men. He gritted his teeth as he staggered towards safety. He saw a huge stone gate a few steps in front of him. He ran towards the gate but unfortunately, a huge rock was flung into the gate and destroyed the opening. Luckily, he was able to dodge from harm''s way.


    He stumbled down along with the two Orkamuus. The monster roared in delight. It seemed to be playing with them. The giant''s ethereal glowing eyes met with his. The behemoth cracked a smile at him as it rushed towards them.


    Adaloun quickly pulled the two Orkamuus behind his back. He fumbled into his satchel and looked for a rune. In his mind he thought that any rune would do; he was getting desperate. The giant was a few steps away from them and he needed something to stop the damned behemoth from crushing them.


    His fingers were stiffed in fear. But he was determined to live through it. Not even the charging tusk monster can hinder.


    "Fire rune!" He whispered under his breath. "COME HERE UGLY!" He taunted the monster.


    The monstered roared as it got closer. Adlaoun activated the rune and the flame spurted right away. The wide pillar of flame welcomed the giant''s face. The giant was able to dodge at the last moment. It tripped as he evaded his attack and the giant tumbled to the side breaking its right leg in the process.


    The behemoth rolled in agony, slamming his giant hand into the ground. Adaloun took that opportunity for him to run away. He tumbled and rolled as the ground shook but he desperately stood up and dragged the two Orkamuus away from the giant.


    "Come on! Come on!" He pleaded.


    He saw a small crack at the damaged stone door and decided to go inside. He squeezed inside the hole and dragged the other two inside. He dragged the Orkamuus deeper inside the stone gate until finally his arms gave up and his body collapsed in fatigue.


    Adaloun dragged himself up and looked around. Inside the gate was pitch black, darkness ruled once again. He fumbled for a light rune, but then decided to keep it on hold just in case some random monster showed up once again¡ªhopefully not anymore.


    He tried to crawl and felt the Orkamuus breath and sighed in relief to know that both of them were still alive. Adaloun felt his satchel once more, there were only a few runes left. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind as he gathered up his plans.

 Chapter 139: The Yldars

    Adaloun moved a little farther from the broken gate as he heard the giant''s roars echoing close to where he was. The ground shook violently, most likely the behemoth could''ve been rolling around in pain after that broken leg.


    Adaloun made an effort to pull the three of them farther as he could from that damned monster. He hadn''t opened any light rune as of yet and it was getting more frustrating for him to continue without it. After several bumps and slips, he finally decided to gamble on with a light rune.


    He tied the two Orkamuus body on to his waist with a makeshift rope from their clothing and belt. On his right hand, he held Gravil''s schmitar while he held the light rune on the left. As he dragged his way deeper inside the stony gate, he came to realize that it wasn''t a tunnel but rather a structure, a building of some sorts.


    As he moved inside, he saw the beauty of the infrastructure. The smoothly furnished walls and the marbled pillars caught Adaloun''s attention. It closely resembled that of the halls he once walked with the old gods. The design, the materials and even the patterns etched on the wall was nostalgic of the worlds and gods he once knew.


    He felt sick to his stomach as his memories of the halls and the deities popped out once more. He could hear them whispering while looking at him with their judging eyes. He heard the sound of the High Chancellor''s gavel being struck at his high podium.


    Adaloun stopped for a while to compose himself. His sweat trickled fast on his forehead and the sickening feeling in his gut finally got to him. His body broke down in fatigue once again. He felt feverish and his throat parched. His eyes slowly gave in to his body''s demands and he unknowingly fell asleep.


    During his unwarranted rest, he dreamt about his past experiences of his recent life. He dreamt of the horrible days he had inside the slave farm and saw how his friends died in front of him through beating or otherwise, illness.


    He specifically dreamt that time they were lined for branding. Adaloun stood in the middle of a confined room where a lot of metal blades and pincers came in different sizes. He saw himself standing in line naked and afraid as he heard the cries of those who came before him. The smell of burnt flesh filled the air with its horrible scent.


    Adaloun''s knee began to shake the same way he did when he experienced it for the first time he was on that line. The shouts became louder, and the laying table became more visible. As the last slave was escorted out of the laying table, he saw the irritated burnt skin at the side of the neck with glyphs and marks too foreign for him to understand.


    The soldier called out his name. His younger self hesitated to answer the call but the other soldier who stood next to him dragged him by the arm. His younger self fought back but the soldier''s fist proved to be too strong and knocked the wind out of him as it struck his gut.


    His half-conscious self was tied into the laying table with leather belts and sinew. The other soldier smiled and pressed his hand against the poor boy''s jaw. The soldier turned his younger self''s head to the right and exposed his neck in the process.


    The soldier took the searing hot iron and placed it against his skin. His younger self shouted in pain and even pissed himself due to the sheer pain he had to experience. Adaloun could only look away but when he did, the scream pierced his ears and drowned his heart with anger and pain.


    Adaloun closed his eyes and as soon as he opened them, he was already floating in a world of darkness. He faded along an unseen stream into a chaotic ocean full of memories both known and unknown. Faces of people and places started to flash in front of him and everything became all too confusing and infuriating at once. He stood blankly at the darkness unmoving.


    Just as he was about to fade further, he felt a warm hand holding his right arm. He looked around and saw the fading image of Oyue smiling at him.


    "Wake up, you are needed more in the waking world. She said. "This is not your time to venture any deeper in your own consciousness." She added.


    Oyue snapped her fingers and suddenly he was awake once again with the light rune shining bright on his left arm. He immediately sat down and waved the light around the place. To his relief. it was still the same place where he lied down.


    He shone some light on the Orkamuus and this time he saw them moved. He immediately helped them sit in a wall erected just behind the Orkamuus. After he helping them sit down, he offered them some water from their own gourds.


    "My greatest thanks, my friend!" Corvinus said as Adaloun gave it to him.


    The Orkamuu drank from his gourd and coughed a little bit.


    "Are you alright?" Adaloun patted Corvinus'' back.


    The Orkamuu nodded. "I am alright, my friend¡­" He sighed. "However, I am afraid my eyesight is no longer available." He looked around and asked, "What of my brothers?"


    Adaloun had the grueling task of answering the question. Should he tell them how he abandoned Darayus while escaping? He had no choice but to lie.


    "I-I wasn''t able to save¡ª" Adaloun sighed.


    "Save your breath, my friend." Corvinus sighed. "I think I know the rest."


    Adaloun could see Corvinus bit his lip. The Orkamuu''s furrowed brow expressed deep pain in losing a brother. He felt guilty with his decision to leave him there with the giant, but he had to choose, it was either the death of all or the death of one.


    There was complete silence after the short interaction. Adaloun completely understood the Orkamuu''s silence. It was only after another few moments later that he decided to break it.


    "What happened to the three of you?" Adaloun helped Gravil in sitting up  and laid him on the wall.


    "We used our fire sprites to scout the area¡­" Corvinus recalled. "We saw some fascinating infrastructures that even we couldn''t explain in words! But¡­" The blinded Orkamuu opened his eyes revealing the nothingness of his sockets.


    "But what?!" Adaloun anxiously asked the Orkamuu leader. "What did you saw there?"


    Corvinus bit his lip and dared not to say it. Adaloun could feel his body shook in fear. It seemed like whoever or whatever blinded them was something they knew about too we  "Lunos!" Gravil coughed. "It was the Yldar Lunos!" He gritted his teeth.


    "Lunos?" Adaloun was confused. "Who is Lunos?"


    "The mad moon." Corvinus answered. "The Yldar that thought of himself as a god."


    Adaloun stood up and thought for a second. "You say, he is here with us?" He lifted the schmitar and waved his light again around the place.


    "He might be here, my friend." Gravil answered. "If I am correct, then we are currently at the Moon''s labyrinth." He tapped the wall.


    "This was the labyrinth built by a group of Yldars who worshipped Oyue." Corvinus looked up. "As what the legend says, the Yldars created this maze temple on top of the moon which their goddess struck on this earth during the First Era, before the Age of Wonders."


    Adaloun scratched his head, "How did you know so much about this?"


    "it is within the teachings of Apholak, our god and brother to the beautiful moons, Oyue and Chandara." Gravil answered back. "If this is indeed that temple, we have no time to rest here. We must keep on going or else¡­"


    "Or else what?" Adaloun asked.


    "Lunos might find us and kill us all." Corvinus answered. "Have you had my weapon, my friend?" He patted his waist. "Oh! Never mind! I got mine strapped still! Praise be to Apholak!"


    "I suppose, you have mine with you?" Gravil gestured his sword to Adaloun.


    "Y-yes¡­but how?..." Adaloun raised his eyebrow.


    "It called to me."Gravil bluntly answered. "Just like your blessed weapon."


    "Blessed weapon?" Adaloun could only think about one thing¡­that gladius infused with aetherium. "I lost it during the explosion."


    "You will find it once more! I could feel it in my bones." Gravil reached out his arm and asked for his weapon to be returned to him.


    Adaloun had no choice but to comply out of respect. However, he had so many questions running through his mind. "How would you fight with your eyes¡ª" He stopped as he realized how bluntly insensitive his question was.


    "My friend," Corvinus reached out for his arm. "We are the sons of the real Sun god. I am sure he would not forsake us!" Gravil agreed with a nod to his leader''s answer.


    "You''re resting your fate on hope?" Adaloun said.


    Corvinus chuckled, "Isn''t that the reason you survived all this time?"


    "W-what do you mean by that?" Adaloun bafflingly asked.


    "We might be blinded now, Adaloun, my friend¡­" Corvinus smiled. "But we can see right through your heart." He patted his shoulder.


    "Let''s go now!" Gravil suggested. "I could feel a heavy presence coming towards us."


    Both the Orkamuus stood up and moved as if they still have their eyes. Adaloun find it vexing and fascinating at the same time.


    "Let''s go, Adaloun, my friend¡­" Corvinus said. "I could hear something calling out to you just beyond this tunnel." He pointed at the dark tunnel in front of them.


    "What do you mean by that?!" Adaloun asked while scratching his head in confusion.


    "I do not know either, but we shall find it out together." Corvinus adamantly stated.


    And thus, the three men venture into the dark tunnel and what lies beyond it.

 Chapter 140: Unravel

    "Be careful, there''s a big block of stone up ahead!" Adaloun warned the blinded Orkamuus as he jumped over the debris.


    "We appreciate the warning, my friend." Corvinus said. "But you don''t have to worry about us." He said as he easily evaded a stone popping out from the ground. "Our god, Apholak has blessed us with the senses shaper than that of a bat or wolf." He confidently smiled.


    Adaloun stooped and raised an eyebrow. Apparently, he couldn''t stand the Orkamuu''s constant praise about their unseen god. He watched them as they crossed the dark path he crossed earlier and was amazed to see how they didn''t miss a single step nor lose their footing.


    He continued walking through the dark tunnel with his light rune on his left and a reserved fire rune in the other, in case some monster might go ahead and charge him. He treaded slowly through the finely furnished stone floor, tiptoeing and checking for any traps that might be hidden beneath the floor.


    "It is alright, Adaloun¡­" Gravil interrupted his focus. "There are no traps here." He added.


    "And how would you know that?!" Adaloun looked back and raised his eyebrow at the confident Orkamuu. "I mean¡­we haven''t been here yet!" He said exasperated with the comment.


    "I know because I can feel it. We can feel it." Gravil explained.


    "You have to believe us my friend, there''s nothing lurking in these floors." Corvinus interjected. "I know it is hard to believe, but we rather go faster¡­" He looked behind him and urged Adaloun to hurry up. "I am more worried of that entity trying to enter the barred opening.


    Adaloun wanted to protest and refute what Gravil was saying but his tone merited an urgent plea. He temporarily suspended all his doubts towards what the Orkamuus were saying and just focus on staying alive and getting away from their giant pursuer.


    "I understand. Let us go then." Adaloun nodded.


    He and the Orkamuus fled deeper into the unknown tunnel, along the way he saw the plain tunnel was now filled with beautifully carved statues of unknown beasts from smooth white stones, gilded patterns engraved on the wall and aetherium ores that were intricately placed on the floorings and walls.


    He suddenly felt the urge to stop and look at the gilded patterns etched on the walls. The lines and swirls seemed to have been speaking to him. He felt the curves and straights were more than just a line. It felt more of a language than anything else.


    The lines reflect different colors of the spectrum as the light hits on it, and it was on those colors that Adlaoun felt that the lines were talking to them. In fact, the lines and colors were the subtle messages left to them by whoever they were.


    Adaloun shone some light on the lines. The gilded lines rhythmically dance and blinked in his eyes. The colorful dance mesmerized him the more he stared at it. Suddenly, strange visions came flashing from his mind.


    The visions started faintly, only showing silhouettes and hearing murmurs that he couldn''t understand. Then it became clearer as the visions started to mold the light and colors on the shadows in front of him.


    The shadow shaped itself into a face¡ªan otherworldly face. A face that even he with his 364 incarnations hadn''t seen until that point. It was humanoid yet it looked somehow beastly or reptilian but even that description was still questionable. Another came into view with the same features. Their elongated faces and big cat-like eyes stood out from their features. They had long and lanky bodies with long appendages. They stood at around 9 feet, over-towering him. There was a ring of bright light just behind their nape.


    Their clothes glowed like that of the gods of the worlds he had worked with before, but these creatures had less intricate designs instead, their clothes had the same patterns of the walls although, their patterns were more primitive and rougher.


    The creatures seemed to be speaking with one another. One of the humanoids reached out its hand to the other one to get its attention. The other creature looked at its partner and nodded. Their mouths moved but no voice was coming out of its mouths. ...or it could be that he couldn''t hear them.


    He slowly heard chimes heavily playing in the air. He looked at the two humanoids who appeared to have planned something. The other humanoid with a small protruding horn on his right forehead pointed something from what appeared to be a stairway. They hurriedly ran up the stairs, Adaloun''s curiosity took over him and followed the humanoids. The humanoids ran effortlessly on what seemed to be a never-ending stairwell.


    Adaloun couldn''t even rest one bit as he tried to keep up with the creatures of this mysterious vision. As he ascended, he heard other percussion instruments accompanying the faintly sounding chimes. Drums and trumpets began to play on the background, and it sounded too incomprehensible for the mortal ears to understand. One thing was certain, the music felt a rumbling stir of emotions. Sounding louder as they reached the top.


    Finally, they reached the top. The heaving Adaloun finally halted as the other creatures halted. He kneeled at the stairs as he tried his best to grasp for some air. He felt like fainting from the exhaustion, but he tried his best to collect himself.


    He looked at the creatures who stood between a big glowing ore of aetherium. It was the biggest ore he had ever seen. The chunk was bigger than the tent he and his comrades had. He kept his distance from the creatures and just curiously observed them from afar.


    The humanoids bowed down in front of the huge ore and then kissed it. Their halos began to shin brighter as they did the process quiet a few times. They stood up and hugged the ore. Their skin lit up showing lines and swirling patterns, the same as his. It glowed brighter and brighter until they began to grow wings.


    The aetherium shone its pale blue glow towards him. The pale blue glow seemed to be calling to him. All of the sudden, his feet began to move. He climbed the stairs one step at the time, and as he did so, the ore became more visible. With every step he took, he slowly saw the image of what''s inside the ore.


    It was a mere silhouette, but he could see the figure''s shape. It looked like a small child curled inside the ore. He took another step closer when suddenly, a pair of heavy hands came pulling him away from the ore.


    "Wake up, Adaloun!" Corvinus voice rang into his ears.


    He opened up his eyes only to realize the grim scene in front of him. The white walls became discolored with crimson. He felt pain on his left wrist and when he looked at it, he saw a blood-soaked bandage, tightly fitted on the wound.


    "W-what''s going¡­on?" He looked at Corvinus who was attending to him.


    "I don''t know, my friend¡­" Corvinus sighed. "But we noticed you lying on the ground unconscious."


    "W-hat¡­do¡­oww¡­" Adaloun gritted his teeth as the wound from his wrist started to heat up and burn. He immediately unraveled the bleeding bandage and saw the wound slowly shaping up into the half crescent moon.


    "What is going on?" Corvinus tried to check the wound but as soon as he tried to hold Adaloun''s hand, it suddenly created a spark that jolted and threw the poor Orkamuu off him.


    "What''s happening, Adaloun?!" Gravil ran towards his brother. "I felt a strong pressure forming here! It seemed like a¡ª"


    Adaloun stood up and the walls began to move and all of the sudden, he could hear the sound of the chimes¡ªthe same chimes he heard from his visions.


    "ARELLIN¡­" Oyue''s voice echoed throughout the tunnel. "ARELLIN, HEED MY CALL!"


    Adlaoun''s hair stood on his nape, there was something wrong with Oyue calling him out. There was something else at play. The ground shook violently once again, and the crimsoned wall began to unveil a secret door.

 Chapter 141: Tea Time

    Jovis, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 51st day of Fall, Arenfall


    ---------------


    The camp was eerily silent and still. There were no birds singing or passing by and even the wind was a tad shy to blow its gentle breathe over the camp. Prince Arterius with the rest of his men were at a standstill. Lady Bieroff just marched over to their camp and demanded she take it for her house''s name¡ªLucresia''s. Arterius somehow managed to delay the inevitable by non-chalantly asking for the veiled Lady to do a discourse over a wonderful cup of tea.


    His knights hurriedly set up a tent big enough to fit 20 men of each side and took the long table that his godfather used for their strategic planning. Lord Prestonheim offered that table for them to have an ample space incase the discourse goes awry.


    Stolas entered the tent along with two knights carrying Prince Arterius'' heavy chest. The knights placed the heavy chest atop of the table while Stolas carefully opened the locks. Prince Arterius stood up from his seat prompting the other side to jitter.


    "Relax, dear guests¡­" He sighed. "I just stood up to open my box and offer the honorable Lady a choice for her tea." He slowly opened the chest and revealed his jars of dried leaves. "My Lady, I suppose you would like to choose from these?" He offered.


    Lady Bieroff stood up from her chair and approached the chest. She tapped her chin using her forefinger as she pouted her lips. Prince Arterius noticed how she tried her best to look as seductive as she possibly can¡ªmaybe to dissuade him from continuing his pursuit over the mines.


    Lady Adrena still looked young for her age. She might''ve been the same age as his mother, but she looked ten years younger than the rest of her age. She had no crow''s feet on her eyes, no wrinkles when she smiles and her body was nicely shaped, that it rivals that of a maiden.


    Now that he noticed it, he also saw how deep the neckline of the dress she was wearing. The black dress with a plunging neckline was beautifully embroidered with golden threads patterned as flowers and reeds.


    She was beautiful and definitely smart, but she was also conniving and manipulative. She had a beauty of a belladonna with the same amount of poison that came along with it. She moved her hanging hair aside before pointing at the small, bottled tea leaves at the right upper corner of the chest.


    "Is this an Eastern Fire Leaf?" She asked as she took the bottle from the chest.


    "You have good eyes, Lady Bieroff¡­" Prince Arterius applauded her. "That is indeed an Eastern Fire Leaf, a rare tea leaf to get by. Have you ever tried one? What am I even asking?! I apologize for my ignorance! Of course, you did! This sort of opulence is to be expected from the Lady of the House Beiroff." He tried flattering her ego.


    Lady Adrena was amused by his comment. She smiled sweetly at him, "Indeed, I have tasted one like this before but alas this was very hard to come by that not even my husband and brother could gift me one." She sighed. "But an heir to the throne surely hadn''t have any problems procuring such exquisite item." She opened the bottle shook the leaves around.


    "I have my own struggles, Lady Bieroff and it took me a lot of wealth just to acquire one of these." He lied.


    In actuality, the Eastern Fire Leaves were from a farm his family owned. It was only he and a few who knew how the tea tree was being grown, and normally for this species it had to be grown away from sunlight or inside a cave which he conveniently had. It took the young prince only a few gold coins to acquire the trusted men he needed to farm such wonderful tea.


    "If you would my Lady¡­" He reached out his arm and asked her for the bottled tea leaf. "I would like to help you reminisce the exotic flavors of this tea." He smiled.


    Lady Bieroff smiled back at him and offered the bottle to him. "Yes, I cannot wait to get a taste of that tea once more."


    Prince Arterius nodded. "Stolas! Get the brewing equipment! We shall¡ª"


    "I''m sorry, Prince Arterius!" Lady Bieroff interrupted. "I thought¡­It was you who''ll brew me tea." She pointed at her.


    Prince Arterius calmed his men immediately before his godfather and ward could react. He raised his hand and gestured everyone to calm down. He looked back to see Lord Prestonheim''s intense stare at Lady Bieroff which the lady didn''t seem to care or mind one bit.


    "Stolas, would you care to set up the equipment for me? I am certain that Lady Bieroff wouldn''t mind that?" He asked her politely.


    The lady nodded giving him the approval. After Stolas set up the brewing equipment, Prince Arterius began his show.


    The right of preparing tea or food in front of your guest was a long-forgotten tradition made by the early Arterians. It was a way for them to show their honesty and hospitality towards their guests; that they mean no harm in inviting them at their home.


    This forgotten tradition had long ended during the reign of his deceased grandfather, but he was expecting already that Lady Bieroff might try and ask him to do it at some point; he was never wrong.


    He prepared the tea by boiling the water he first tasted at the jug for Lady Bieroff to see. His small clay pot filled with water was placed on the open fire of his alcohol-fueled glass burner and waited for it to boil.


    The waiting part seemed like a lifetime for both sides. No one dared to speak nor interrupt him as he moved along with making his tea. He looked around and felt the heavy tension weighing down on them. He saw the knights'' itchy fingers twitching as they held their pummels. Prince Arterius have to break the insanely tense silence.


    "Lady Bieroff," he caught her attention. "Would you like fresh milk and honey over your tea? He asked.


    The Lady smiled back at him and thank him for the options, but she was adamant of only getting the crimson-colored tea without sweeteners or creamers.


    "I prefer mine raw and real." A premise where Prince Arterius made a note of.


    There was once again an awkward silence. Prince Arterius wanted to start their conversation already about the mines. He wanted to get it over with, but Lady Bieroff seemed to be stalling him from speaking about it.


    Instead of him stalling what looked like the inevitable, the Lady was also doing the same thing, but for what reason?


    Prince Arterius'' mind asked the question over and over again. "What is taking her so long?" He scratched his head as he tried to see what he was dealing with here. He looked past beyond his guests and saw her army bored and slumped on their horses.


    It was then he realized that Lady Beiroff came here only to intimidate him and not to drive him away forcibly. Firstly, the Lady knew the consequence she had already risked herself by raising armed men against a royal blood. Secondly, she knew about the Principalian Order and knew fully well that even with her brother''s influence the Order was above all else.


    Thirdly, he also seemed to understand that the only reason why she went there was because of his brother''s orders. Now that he was able to look at her in the eyes. He noticed how her eyes seemed to avert away from the mines or from his mere mention of it.


    Lastly, even if she wouldn''t admit it regardless of whether he asked her or not, Lady Bieroff seemed to understand the position she is on right now and her likely ability to get a better deal from him rather than from his brother. In short, she was taking this time to think of a way to get a result for her family out from this. Either that, or she was just putting that fa?ade the whole time.


    There was only one way to find out¡­


    The water boiled violently on the clay pot. Prince Arterius turned off the flame and was handed a mortar and pestle by his ward. Upon seeing this Lady Adrena raised an eyebrow and demanded what sort of sorcery he was about to do.


    Prince Arterius calmly laughed at the question. "Oh! Forgive me my Lady!" He wiped the tears from his eyes. "I was just amused by your question! But there is no sorcery or magic at play here!"


    He scooped a few spoonfuls of the exotic tea and poured it to the mortar. "Lady Bieroff, I know that this tea is already exotic on itself alone. But what I''m doing is making it more flavorful than what it already is!"


    Lady Bieroff calmed down and silently stared at Prince Arterius as he powdered the dried tea.


    "As what I said earlier, on its own, this tea is already delicious¡­" Prince Arterius looked at her straight to her eyes. "But given the right intervention and mixing, it will even surpass that of its original flavor."


    Lady Bieroff smiled, "Hmm¡­ impressive Prince Arterius! But I would like to discuss this over tea." She adamantly said.


    "Of course." Prince Arterius smiled at her as he continued to pulverize the tea. It seemed like Lady Bieroff got the message¡ªhopefully."

 Chapter 142: Tea and Sympathies

    Jovis, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 51st day of Fall, Arenfall


    --------------


    For Prince Arterius, making tea was supposed to be a relaxing process. It was only Stolas who knew about his knack for brewing good tea and even then, he wasn''t the type of guy who usually drinks tea. In Stolas'' words, he was a natural, not that it mattered to him.


    The reason why he learned to brew in the first place was because he always imagined tea brewing like an alchemy experiment. Balancing water and tea leaves plus adding in other ingredients to him seemed like another day in his laboratory.


    Who would''ve thought this hidden talent would come in handy one day during a parley? He certainly couldn''t believe it, but there he was. After pulverizing the tea leaves, he then took a fine strainer and placed the powered tea leaves on top of it.


    He looked at Lady Bieroff who seemed to be mesmerized with how he processed his tea. Her eyes never left his hands as he intricately poured the hot water over the powdered leaves. Prince Arterius let the water do its job and made it drip over a tea cup.


    "Is that it?" Lady Bieroff raised her eyebrow as she stared at the dripping tea over the cup. "I never thought that intricate process you showed me would turn out like this? Such a depressing note to end it."


    Prince Arterius smiled at her, "Lady Bieroff, it''s not like what it seems. Here give me another moment."


    He took something out of the chest. Lady Bieroff stood up and pointed at it hysterically. "What is that?! Is that the poison you plan on mixing with this tea?" She ignorantly accused him.


    Suddenly Lady Bieroff''s escorts stood up and was about to raise their swords right there. Their gesture was mirrored by the Prince Arterius'' escorts. Lord Prestonheim was the first one to pull out his sword.


    "Whoa! Whoa!" Prince Arterius shouted. "What is going on with you people?! Lady Bieroff, please don''t instigate such malice! This is nothing but a brush!" He answered calmly.


    "You don''t trick me with that!" The accusing lady stubbornly replied. "You shall never trick me with any of this¡ª"


    "The Prince is not tricking you, Lady Bieroff!" A familiar voice blasted from behind the Lady''s knights.


    Prince Arterius recognized the voice and stood up to see if it was indeed the man, he thought it was. Lady Bieroff stood up from her chair and looked back towards his men. He could see in the Lady''s face that she wasn''t expecting that answer coming from her escorts.


    "W-why a-are you h-here?!" Lady Bieroff exclaimed. "W-who told you to join me?!" She pointed.


    Lady Bieorff''s escorts moved as if trying to accommodate someone moving to the front. Prince Arterius watched as the man''s identity was slowly unveiled as he came forward.


    "Greetings, My Lady." The red-haired man bowed. "Your brother would be displeased if you continue to instigate it like this!" He confidently said in front of Lady Bieroff''s men.


    "Mas¡ª" Prince Arterius bit his lip and stopped himself from calling Servus 305-M his former title. "I am surprised you have come." He slightly bowed his head.


    "Prince Arterius," 305-M bowed back. "It has been far too long! But forget about this emotionalities, this is not what I came here for!" the red-haired slave replied with his own quipping term.


    He approached Lady Bieroff and slid a small note on the table. Lady Bieroff hesitantly took the letter and read it silently. It only took her a few moments to tear the note into pieces before sitting down pale on her chair.


    "Your brother would not be pleased with this." The red-haired slave commented.


    Prince Arterius could see Lady Bieroff''s face turn from pale to a shade of crimson. She was furious with whatever it was written on that letter. Now that he thought about it, Lady Bieroff was just another pawn for his brother''s glorious rise.


    "You snake!" She stood up from her seat and tried to slap 305-M but the former mentor calmly smiled at her.


    "Temper, temper, Lady Adrena." He said. "Or would you like to invoke your brother''s displeasure? Hmmm¡­come to think of it, would you like me to read out loud the last few sentence written on that note? I need not to remind you of that am I, Lady Bieroff?" He shook his head and sighed.


    Lady Bieroff bit her lip so hard blood trickled down from it. From the looks of it, she had no power over Servus 305-M who seemed to have been backed by her own brother. Prince Arterius now knew how powerless the Lady was and saw how her decisions led up to this. She wanted recognition from her brother. She wanted to be known as Lady Adrena of House Bieroff, the Lady of Arenfall and Protectress of the Crescent Isle.


    In a way, Prince Arterius understood where she was coming from. All his life he tried to prove himself to his family that he was not a deadweight to their glorious rise. He pitied her because unlike him, she was still bound to his brother''s grasp. But regardless of what he felt, he was never giving up the mines to her or to whoever would like to claim the glory for themselves, not even the Imperatur¡ªif it''s possible.


    His former master looked at him and cleared his throat, "Am I not welcome here in this¡­what do you call this? Hmm¡­parley?" He smiled.


    "O-of course not!" He answered back, flustered with his mentor''s comment. "In fact¡­I am even getting one more cup for you as well." He added.


    305-M scoffed, "Well, one might think he''s forgotten now, just because of the predicament he is on" He scratched his chin as he stared directly beyond his former pupil.


    Prince Arterius no longer needed to look back to see who his mentor was looking at. He obviously knew it was his godfather, but he just kept it at that. He needed to focus on this crucial conversation that could make or break his campaign.


    After 305-M was given his chair, Prince Arterius proceeded to pour another cup of tea for his former mentor. He gave them both the aromatic tea and proceeded to pour his own. As per old customs, the maker of the tea must drink it first to prove to his guests that the tea was never poisoned.  Prince Arterius drank it first and expected at least his former mentor to follow. Instead, both of guess simply stared at their cup, unmoving and not showing interest. It was quiet an insult for the host not to be trusted, and he felt the same way after both his guest whom he served tea in his goodwill treated it all for naught.


    Although he showed his calmness and gracefulness, Prince Arterius was deeply furious from the disrespect he received. But now was not the time to tear open his fa?ade. He calmly put his tea down the table and sighed.


    "Am I not a trustworthy individual to be treated with such mistrust?" He said.


    Both his guest didn''t reply. Their silence aggravated him more. He wanted to yell at them and throw some profanities that even his father wouldn''t dare say in front of his subjects., but this was a negotiation, so he remained calm.


    "I-it is not that I, your former mentor does not trust you, your Majesty." 305-M said. "It''s just the way you did this tea was too¡­foreign to me¡­I wish to have someone taste it first. Isn''t that right, Lady Bieroff?" He asked the seething widow.


    It took some time for Lady Bieroff to compose herself, and it didn''t help that 305-M was rubbing his privileges on her. She took a deep breath and nodded.


    "See, your Majesty?" his former mentor announced. "We just need to be sure that this tea doesn''t have any adverse effects. No offense, but it is truly need¡ª"


    "None taken." Prince Arterius said dryly. "Well, if you have someone to taste it with, I will allow it."


    "Very well." 305-M clapped his hands. "Come''re, Malikia!" He called out.


    A short statured person wearing tattered robes came out from the back of the knights and slowly approached the red-haired slave. From the fellow''s structure, Prince Arterius thought of him as either a dwarvling for that matter. His child-like height and movement seemed to be like it.


    305-M then pointed the cup of tea at her and asked her to taste it. The fellow nodded and tried picking up the cup when all of the sudden, 305-M went mad.


    He slapped the poor fellow''s hand, "Don''t you dare touch that cup with your dirty hands!" He exclaimed. "Taste it without lifting it from the table!" He smacked the poor fellow''s head that it slightly revealed the face and hair of the mystery man.


    The hooded fellow, looked like a girl with green eyes and crimson-colored hair. A trait that only his former mentor''s house had in all of Arteria. Prince Arterius'' jaw was left ajar at the stark realization of who the girl was.


    The poor girl held her hood and bowed to the table where the teacup was and directly sipped on it with out her hands touching the cup.


    "So¡­what about the tea?!" He heard 305-M ask the timid little girl. The girl nodded and told them it was delicious, to which he replied.


    "I asked you if it was poisoned or not!" He smacked the poor girl arm once more, until she finally said it was safe for them to drink. "That''s what I wanted to hear! Now, get out of my face!" The small girl ran back into the back never to be seen again.


    305-M cleared his throat and poured the tea on the ground. "I am sorry about that, but I believe my tea was already stale." He smiled at him.


    Although furious, Prince Arterius calmed himself down and poured him another one.


    "Now that the fiasco has been settled, can we begin with negotiations now?" Prince Aterius tiredly sighed.


    "Of course, we can!" His former mentor excitedly answered back. "And do I have a wonderful deal for you¡­"


    Prince Arterius took a sip of the tea once more, "Go ahead, I''m listening."

 Chapter 143: Dark Paths

    143-Dark Paths


    "This is a never-ending tunnel!" Ghwynmyr complained as he sat at a protruding stone in the ground. He took out his gourd and sipped the little water he had left. He passed his gourd over to Urfaal who sat on the ground staring blankly at the shining light rune Orphella held in her right hand.


    "Lad, ''ere yah go¡­" He touched the gourd on the beastman''s face who have not heard him. "Oi!" He shook the gourd in front of Urfaal''s face but there was no response.


    He looked at the same direction where the beastman''s eyes seemed to fell and realized it was on Orphella. It''s not like Ghwynmyr hadn''t notice how close the beastman was to Orphella, they were comrades, of course! But he never had thought that the beastman might''ve developed some feelings for the timid elf.


    Ghwynmyr squinted his eyes and flicked the beastman''s ears so hard, Urfaal jolted.


    The beastman snapped out from his blank state and grabbed the gourd immediately, "T-thank you¡­" While holding his reddened ear.


    Ghwynmyr sneered at the beastman, "Yah know, tis I notice. I''m nay blind¡­" He peered closer to Urfaal. "But, if yah ''ave something tah say ''bout¡ª"


    "Oh no! I have none!" The beastman quickly responded, stood up and walked away, "I will check something with Wahakim." Ulfaar stormed away with a blush on his face.


    Ghwynmyr scratched his beard and smiled. Even at the darkest and lowest point of their existence, it would never hurt to have a little bit of love and laughter. Looking at his friend being  doe-eyed on a girl made him reminisce his younger years where he courted and dated ladies from his kingdom.


    Orphella approached him and signed, "Where is he going?" He pointed at the beastman.


    He smiled at her and signed back, "He''s gone tah the Orkamuu."


    The elf nodded and took his gourd from his hand and drank from it. The elf looked around and shone her light rune on the ceiling. There was nothing but piles of rocks and dirt caving them. Orphella sighed and looked at him shaking her head.


    "Ave faith, Phellie." Ghwynmyr said. "We gon'' out ''ere alive. Alive ''n well t''gther!"


    She smiled at him tiredly and nodded. She took another sip of water from his gourd when one of Commander Crovar''s knights approached them. The knight bowed at them which flustered them.


    "Greetings, Lady Orphella¡­Master¡­Dwarf!" Surprisingly, he could only name one of them. Nonetheless, Ghwynmyr was happy that at least the elf got called by her name.


    "Whut is it?" He interpreted Orphella''s gesture. "Tis somethin'' we did?"


    The knight shook his head and answered, "Absolutely not!" He cleared his throat. "Lord Commander wanted to speak with you about this¡­expedition." He added.


    "Me?" Orphella gestured.


    The knight shook his head once again, "You and the beastman are needed, right away."


    "Jus da two of ''em?" Ghwynmyr sheepishly asked.


    The knight looked at him straight in the eyes, "Master Dwarf, Lord Commander hasn''t mentioned anything to me about you."


    Ghwynmyr felt insulted, but somehow, he understood the grudging Commander. As he recalled, the poor man''s relative died in the hands of dwarven insurgents before during the battle of the Gorge. He recalled Tristam explaining to him how the poor budding knight got burned during one of the raids.


    "I apologize Master Dwarf, Lady Orphella but we need to make haste." The knight pleaded.


    Orphella and Ghwynmyr''s eyes met. The elf wanted him to go with her, but he politely refused. He knew that his presence could prove detrimental to whatever plan the Commander Crovar had. The old Commander couldn''t resist jabbing words at him the entire time and that might lengthen the planning period.


    At this time, a brief and accurate plan was duly needed. They cannot stay inside that tunnel for too long. Every wasted time they had while they''re there could mean lesser chances of their survival. Ghwynmyr was not going to allow that to happen.


    Orphella left a few moments later escorted by the knight. Left alone, Ghwynmyr took some time for his mind to wander off. The dark unforgiving tunnel reminded him of the tunnels wherein he hunted the flame dragon. The air of tension and the suffocating darkness made it all alike. Their numbers dwindled significantly after the last wave of attack.


    Ghwynmyr feared that if they encountered another attack like that again, they would all surely die. Luck couldn''t smile on them twice. Commander Crovar felt the same and wanted to reduce the chances of doing it. He wondered what sort of plan the Commander had for them, if ever he had any. It didn''t take long for him to know the answer.


    As he laid himself comfortably on one of the stones lodged on the ground, he could hear muffled sounds of people arguing at the far end of the line. It was a back-and-forth argument with both sides trying to reach appoint across the other. The argument lasted for a moment before it quieted down once again.


    In his mind, Ghwynmyr knew that both his friends were definitely not causing the ruckus at that point. Orphella couldn''t speak and isvery reserved. She would more likely stare at you and judge you right there without saying a word. On the other hand, Urfaal wasn''t the best of speakers. He usually tumbled his words and hesitantly voiced out any concerns so its most likely not him.


    It was silent far too long. There was not a hint of sound following the argument. Ghwynmyr felt uneasy as he waited for a response. The eerie silence was too much for him to bear. He picked up his hammeraxe which he rested on the side of the stone.


    He held the weapon on his hand, and stood up when all of the sudden, he heard a loud explosion followed by a hot gust of air. Ghwynmyr''s heart raced as he feared the inevitable¡ªanother attack. He rushed to the direction where Orphella went, praying for their safety.


    But as he came closer, he met Wahakim and the other Orkahmuus along with Orphella and Urfaal who he dragged by hand.


    "W-whut ''append?" Ghwynmyr asked while observing Wahakim''s discontented face.


    "Oh you''re here! Good!" Wahakim gestured to his tribesmen. "Take him along with us!" He commanded as he stormed away.


    "W-whaddya¡­oh! Wait! Oi!!" Before Ghwynmyr could even finish his sentence, a over-towering Orkhamuu approached him and carried him in his arms. "W-what''re yah doin?!" He demanded an explanation for such actions, but the Orkhamuu carrying him didn''t answer.


    "I stormed out of the place, my friend." Wahakim monotonously answered. "I stormed out because that COWARD no longer deserved my clan''s services!" He added while spitting profanities.


    Ghwynmyr was still puzzled with the answer. "Whut ''appened?" He dared ask the question once more.


    Wahakim stopped and turned around and approached him. "He''s planning to abandon the mission and leave the three of you behind. I AM NOT HAVING IT!" Wahakim gestured to the Orkhamuu carrying him to put him down.


    Ghwynmyr stared at him not saying a word. He silently observed the Orkhamuu jittered as he tried to remain calm while speaking with him. He could see how sincerely troubled Wahakim was when he learned about the plan to leave them at that hellhole. He looked back and checked if a knight was following them, but no one did. Whatever they did during that meeting definitely sent a clear message  to that Commander to NEVER follow them.


    Curious of what Wahakim was planning, Ghwynmyr finally broke his silence and asked the Orkhamuu, "Whaddya intend tah do?"


    Wahakim thought of it for a while and looked at him. "I chose to continue. I chose to look for the others and get the ores for Prince Arterius. Are you with me, friend?"


    Ghwynmyr took a deep breath and smiled, "Lead the way, friend."

 Chapter 144: Dark Paths Pt.2

    The tunnels were still pitch black. No matter how many light runes they lit or light magic they tried and used, the darkness greedily ate the light and dimmed the tunnel like nighttime. Ghwynmyr along with Orphella and Urfaal silently followed the Orkhamuus as they went deeper into the caved labyrinth.


    "Why so silent, my friend?" Wahakim asked out of nowhere.


    Ghwynmyr got confused. The three of them looked at each other asking themselves who the Orkhamuu was referring to. They stared at one another, their eyes moving pushing each other to answer Wahakim. Orphella''s eyes and Urfaal all pointed at him, pushing him to answer.


    "Oh¡­I am sorry," Wahakim interjected. "I was referring to you, good friend Ghwynmyr!" He looked back and smiled at him.


    Ghwynmyr nodded, "Oh! Tis me yah wanna talk?" He stroked his beard, "I nay know whut tah think ''bout it." He glanced at his comrades who eagerly listened to him as they walked further down the tunnel.


    "Hmmm¡­" Wahakim pouted his lips, "I do not blame you for what you think." He raised his hand and signaled they paused on that spot. "Let us rest here, my friends. For this journey to the unknown is long and arduous." He added.


    Arduous was a nice way to put it. They all knew that this expedition was near failure, but they wanted to keep their hopes up. No matter how dark and gloomy their fate was they never wanted to give up. The last thing they wanted was to die in that hellhole doing nothing. They rather take that chance. The chance that the old Commander had gave up on. More than just clearing and navigating their way into inside the earth labyrinth, they wanted to save their comrades and take as much ores as they could.


    Wahakim sat down on the cold dusty ground, using a fire sprite to light the small circle they huddled in. The Orkhamuu was kind enough to pass around the little supplies he had left. They broke bread along with his brethren and drank a courage-inducing wine one of them snuck before the expedition began.


    Ghwynmyr constantly looked around, trying to be aware of the possible threats that might come in creeping their way as they idly rested for a moment.


    "My friend, relax," The Orkhamuu said as he poured a bluish liquid out from an intricately ornated bronze flask. "My brothers will keep an eye on us while we rest."


    Ghwynmyr nodded, "Tis you do, me friend! But nay can''t rest¡­not in this¡­" He pointed the ceiling. "Tis like we''ve been trap by the earth''s guts." He laughed out his frustration.


    He looked at his comrades sitting right next to him. Their eyes hopeful and full of vigor. They kept a promise to one another that they will make it out alive and free themselves from slavery. No matter how bleak the odds were, they were determined to get out of there alive and well.


    Wahakim and the other Orkhamuus laughed along with him. Their laughter echoed throughout the dark hollow halls of the tunnel. Ghwynmyr wasn''t sure if they were just laughing along with him to lighten up the mood or they were truly amused of what he was saying.


    "I..hahaha¡­am¡­sorry, m-my friend!" Wahakim was wiping the tears off his eyes and tried to calm himself down. "But that was funny! Guts?! The earth has guts?! I wonder where the butthole might be?" There was another surge of laughter among the Orkhamuus.


    Ghwynmyr wasn''t sure whether to laugh along with them or be insulted. For the short time he had been together with the Orkhamuu, he always thought of them as pious and just warriors who dedicated their life to their god. But right now, he just felt alienated with their laughter and mockery.


    Urfaal came closer to him and whispered in his ear. "Should we laugh along?"


    Orphella and Urfaal looked at him asking what the laughter was all about but even he couldn''t really tell what it was. He had no idea what they were laughing all about.


    Wahakim composed himself once again and cleared his throat. "I am sorry, my friend." He said. "I wasn''t trying to insult you. It''s just that we¡­well¡­me personally found guts a funny word." He stifled a laugh.


    "Well, tis alright!" Ghwynmyr shaking it off.  He understood that some people had a weird sense of humor and didn''t want the Orkhamuu to feel embarrass over it. "Oh! Are we goin'' further?" He pointed at the dark path beyond.


    Wahakim followed his finger and nodded, "Yes, further and further until we reach that god-given sunlight." He nodded.


    "Do yah ''ave a plan where we need to go?" Ghwynmyr asked once again.


    Wahakim nodded and was about to reveal his plan when suddenly Urfaal stood up and drew his sword.


    "Something''s coming!" The beastman interrupted. "It''s coming fast!" He bared his teeth.


    They all stood up, alerted with the beastman''s warning.


    "I cannot hear anything, coming." One Orkhamuu said as he listened to the ground.


    "Tis nay comin'' from the ground," Ghwynmyr lifted his hammeraxe and picked up some earth runes on his satchel.


    Suddenly a gust of wind began to blow from the opposite side of the tunnel. Their skin prickled as the wind touched their bodies. A distinct rotten scent spread through the air as they hear wings flapping from a distance.


    "Brothers!" Wahakim announced. "It looks like our god Apholak has yet brought us foes to test our devotion!" He smiled. "And what do we say to him?"


    "We slay them in honor of Apholak!" The rest chorused as they drew their weapons out. "May your sun tear the darkness asunder!"


    "Good." Wahakim smiled. "Now come and gather children of the sun! We shall strike them with our god''s wrath!" He looked back to Ghwynmyr and asked. "What say you, friends?"


    Ghwynmyr looked at his battle-ready comrades. Orphella drawing her bow pointing at the darkness and Urfaal wielding his sword crouching as he waited for them to come. Ghwynmyr moved forward beyond the lines they formed and lifted his hammer.


    He whispered on it and smiled. "May my weapon rejoice as it bathes the blood of my opponents!" He squinted his eyes and saw bat-like creatures coming forward towards them. He planted the earth runes on the ground and hastily wrote some runes of his own on the ground.


    He looked back at them and smiled. "Lemme begin with this!" He smashed the hammeraxe on the ground activating the written runes. Suddenly fissures appeared from the ground and directed its way towards the flying creatures.


    "Skwyr!" Ghwynmyr shouted releasing earth spikes and stabbing the creatures'' dead on their tracks.  He looked back at them shouted, "Watch out, tis still a plenty!"


    The earth spikes crumbled by some powerful gust of wind and revealed an angry swarm of the monsters rushing towards them, mouths open and ready to attack.


    Ghwynmyr braced himself for another bloody carnage.

 Chapter 145: Divided They Stood

    The bat-like creatures were fast approaching them. Even with Ghwynmyr''s pre-emptive attack, the creatures simply slid through the earthen spikes and made their way to them. Some of the flying monsters swarmed some of the spiky earth barricades until it finally crumbled down, leaving a big opening for the rest of them to get in.


    Urfaal''s heart was beating terribly fast. His palms were cold and wet, yet his throat was parched and burning. It was the same scenario again. It was another endless wave of monsters hellbent on killing them all. But this time, he was afraid that the monsters might succeed. Their dwindled numbers and fatigue had already crept into them.


    He looked around and saw the rest of his comrades wearing stern faces without a glimpse of fear. Even Orphella never twitched nor jittered as the monsters were getting closer to them. The calm elf hoisted her bow and aimed it at them. She pulled the string along with an arrow glowing from her magic. She didn''t release it just yet.


    Urfaal saw his friend, Ghwynmyr lifted his hammeraxe once again. The dwarf raised his weapon above his head, heaving as he was about to release another powerful wave of magic. As the bat-like creatures swarmed around him, he smashed his weapon hard on the ground, it let out a pulse of air shattering the creatures into bits within its proximity.


    "AAAGGGGHHH! Taste tis hammaraxe up yer arses!" Ghwynmyr shouted and swung his weapon wildly towards the relentless swarm who weren''t even intimidated of the damage the dwarf had caused.


    Urfaal quickly ran towards his friend to aid him, as the rest of them rained their fury off the monsters with fireballs and arrows. He immediately smashed his shield on the face of one of the angry critters. The head exploded as it hit the shield spraying blood and brains on the ground.


    "Glad ya could join!" Ghwynmyr grinned as he evaded a wide swing from one of the creatures.


    "Raaahhh!" Ulfaar caught the swinging monster with his blade and lopped off its upper torso clean from its body. "Because¡­rggghh! Not a good time to talk!" He exclaimed as another creature forcefully tried to grab his shield from his left hand. Luckily, he was able to stab the monster in the face.


    "Watchout!" Ghwynmyr shouted as he rushed to his side and chopped the attacking monster in half.


    He pivoted behind his dwarven friend and swung his sword eviscerating a bunch of the flying creatures open. Ghwynmyr lunged forward and swung his weapon in a frenzy. The dwarf''s fighting style made it looked devastating storm destroying everything in its wake. However, the dwarf wasn''t the only one tearing them apart.


    After a few more slashes, Urfaal began to feel the burning rage steadily rising inside of him. His slashes became more wilder and wider. He felt his strength doubled with every attack he landed on the monsters. His vision slowly narrowed and was turning red. He knew what it all meant. The beast inside of him was furiously pleading for it to be let out.


    He took a scratch across his chest and somehow it didn''t stop him or even maimed him. Instead, it just threw more fuel to the raging beast inside of him. He grabbed the monster from the throat as his tattoos started to glow brighter once again. His mind was so clear nothing was encumbering his thoughts. He grinned at the monster before smashing it hard against the cold dusty floor, over and over again. The creature''s insides painted the dull colored ground red with its blood as it splattered, he finally came to terms with his beast-self.


    "AARRRRGGGHHHH!" His shout turned into a chilling roar. That it sent shivers down his comrades'' spines.


    He rushed towards the swarm and jumped towards them. He caught an unfortunate bat hybrid by the leg forcibly and dragged it down before stomping it in the face. Another one jumped on his back and tried biting his neck off. Unfortunately for it, Urfaal shoved his fist hard into its mouth, grabbed it by its jaw and threw it against the wall.


    "On your right!" Ghwynmyr shouted as he tackled two more on the ground.


    Ghwynmyr ran towards him while he pinned the two monsters down. In an unprecedented ingenuity the dwarf used Urfaal''s back as a platform to leap to the other side. The dwarf furiously rotated himself on the monsters slashing of their body parts bit by bit.


    The monsters finally understood how mismatched they were against them. As the creatures slowly retreated, Orphella and the others rained them down with a barrage of arrows and flame magic. The swarm wasn''t able to kill them¡ªthis time.


    Urfaal chased a few of them, tore their wings apart and a few, even skewered with it. The few who weren''t caught, ran away and backed into the dark corner of the tunnel.


    "Izzat all ya ''ave?!" The dwarf smashed a carcass'' head just for the heck of it. He swung his sword once again and smashed it hard on the ground releasing another set of earth spikes. The spell took another few of them and unluckily skewered them with it.


    "How does it feel to backed at a corner?!" Wahakim shouted. He drew his beautiful scythe out, engulf it in flames before throwing it towards the monsters hiding in the dark corner. The scythe flew like a ring of fire approaching the creatures.


    They heard a clink from the darkness. It sounded like metal hitting against each other. The scythe returned unlit and cold in Wahakim''s hand. There was an eerie silence in the air, suddenly, Urfaal''s skin prickled. Something wasn''t right.


    "SSSHHHHHHRRRREEEECCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" A deafening shriek came blasting from the monsters'' location. The shriek painfully pierced their ears and petrified them.


    All of the sudden, Urfaal''s berserker rage immediately dropped, and he began to feel sick. He vomited copious amount liquid he drank earlier. His head began to hurt so bad. He looked around and saw the same thing. Ghwynmyr holding his head writhing in pain and his beloved Orphella laid convulsing on the ground. The Orkhamuus weren''t so lucky either. They laid down on their backs writhing in pain.


    From a distance he saw sharp fangs reflect the flickering light from the runes Orphella held. The bat-like creature lunged from the darkness one by one and took his disabled friends'' bodies one by one.  Urfaal couldn''t do anything. He tried standing up but his body was failing him. The shriek disoriented him so much that a slight movement made his muscles cramped.


    He watched helplessly as the beast-like creatures sniffed them curiously before taking them away into the darkness. One by one, his fallen comrades swooped away by the monsters into their death. Ghwynmyr, Orphella and the Orkhamuus gone in front of him just like what happened to his people.


    He gnashed his teeth as he struggled to defy his body''s physical protests but to no avail. It was his time now, The bat-like creature approached him and sniffed him before grabbing him by the waist. The monster opened its maw and revealed it long spiky tongue. It licked his face before finally deciding to carry him and flew him away.


    Urfaal tried his best to struggle, but it looked like death was inevitable for them. He closed his eyes and hoped that it would be a quick and painless¡­Hopefully.

 Chapter 146: Spilling the tea

    Jovis, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 51st day of Fall, Arenfall


    ________________________________________


    The silence was longer than they expected. Prince Arterius glanced behind him and saw the boredom in his men''s eyes. He looked out in the open and saw the sunlight mildly shining across the desolate background.


    He took a sip of his tea and silently waited for the other two to talk, but it seemed to be a hopeless effort. Lady Bieroff stared blankly beyond the camp. Her mind seemed to be elsewhere, far away from her earthly bounds and responsibilities. While his former mentor was the complete opposite.


    The red-haired slave looked jittery and squinted at everything his eyes laid on. He seemed to be suspicious with everything and everyone around him, trait that Prince Arterius hadn''t seen before. Maybe becoming a slave took a toll on his mentor''s psyche that it ended up turning him the man that he is now.


    "The tea is getting cold, isn''t it?" Servus 305-M said as he glanced at the daydreaming Lady Bieroff.


    Prince Arterius cleared his throat and answered, "It is indeed." He sighed. "I''m afraid the tea would grow even colder if¡ª"


    "If¡­we¡­can''t¡­agree¡­to something¡­yahdah¡­yahdah...yahdah." His former mentor sarcastically replied. "What? Not pleased with how I answered the prince, August?" He smirked.


    It was then Prince Arterius realized that all the stalling he did was to get to his godfather''s nerves. He knew too well that both of these men had butted heads for more than one occasion, but what happened on that castle during Lord Prestonheim''s stay drew an even wider schism between the two.


    "Don''t think for a moment that I wouldn''t come there and tear your head off." Lord Prestonheim gritted his teeth.


    "See?" 305-M pointed at Lord Prestonheim, "This is why I can''t start this¡­negotiation. That man is¡ª"


    "That man is to remain at my side." Prince Arterius interrupted his former mentor. He understood very well what his mentor was trying to do. His mentor thought that he couldn''t think well without his godfather. Even if it pained him to admit it, he knew that even his own mentor was underestimating him. "I promise you; he will not interrupt at any point of our conversation. So, if you have wiles about the negotiation, you bring it to me. AND ONLY ME." He adamantly stood his ground.


    305-M cleaned his teeth with his tongue while raising his forefinger. "You¡­Hmmm¡­we have a lot of catching up to do, you and I." He smiled. "For now, I will place my faith in your word that no one except the two¡­I¡­mean¡­three of us¡­pardon my Lady¡­will talk about the negotiations!"


    Prince Arterius nodded, "Sounds fair."


    "And you Lady Bieroff? Is not like the sky will fall on you if you''d speak your mind¡­" 305-M sarcastically commented on the silent Lady.


    The scornful Lady Bieroff looked at the both of them with piercing eyes, "Yes." She answered as she clenched her jaw.


    "Good!" His former mentor said while raising an eyebrow at the Lady of the House. "You might want to fix your stare at our¡­Majesty. Stare too sharp and others here might carve your eye out from the socket." He glanced at Lord Prestonheim.


    Prince Arterius was beginning to see the reason why his former mentor was truly an unwanted company. The old redhead aside from his paranoia was always instigating things between others. It might be possible that he was trying to break his rivals'' stratagem, or he was just too much of an ass to care for what he said.


    He saw in Lady Bieroff''s eyes a hit of fear and doubt. It seemed like his mentor''s intimidation worked on the woman very well. She silently nodded while finally taking a sip of her cold tea.


    "So, what do you offer?" Prince Arterius asked cutting to the chase.


    "Offer? Hmmm¡­" 305-M drank some tea. "I think the word would be¡­want." He grinned.


    "Very well, what does both sides want on my venture?" Prince Arterius laid his back on the chair.


    "I want our land back!" Lady Bieroff angrily shouted. "I want you off my land and I want the rights to the mines!"


    Prince Arterius didn''t flinch at the Lady''s outburst, instead he sat calmly and listened to everything she said. He sipped his tea and was about to do his counter argument when his former mentor beat him to the punch.


    "You know that''s not possible, Lady Berioff." He said. "I mean¡­how could you ask someone who technically owns your land out of his own land? Aren''t you just usurping this land?" He sipped some tea once more.


    "By declaration of the old Imperatur and House Lucresia, the Crescent isles were given to the Bieroff''s as a reward for their services along with the title of a lord." Prince Arterius explained. "Now as far as I knew, my ancestors GIFTED that to your husband''s ancestor along with their lordship. Just because it was gifted to them doesn''t mean we can''t take it back." He added.


    "Oh, Adrena¡­" 305-M sighed. "You might''ve thought of yourself as the clever one, but I am sorry to burst your bubble¡­you''re not." He grinned. "You see they can take the land and title away from your beloved house. Have you not learned that before? For I am certainly sure that as a Lucresia, that wasn''t a detail you shouldn''t forget or miss."


    Lady Lucresia slumped on her chair feeling defeated. All her intimidation and coercion tactic failed her. Her fragile power and ego took a hit at the reality provided to her. She sat silently, biting her fingernails. Prince Arterius knew that his former mentor had just broke her down.


    "And what is your take on this?" He asked 305-M. "I mean, what does the House Lucresia want for me?"


    "Straight to the point." His former mentor nodded. "I like that." He cleared his throat.


    305-M reached out of his dirty pocket revealing a small paper that he slid across the table to his former student.


    Prince Arterius took the paper and read it silently. The letter contained nothing more than a bunch of formulae that even he wasn''t familiar of. The geometric lines and number equations were too erratic for even him to understand. He looked at his mentor, trying to ask what it meant. But just before he could burst out a word, a wave of nostalgia overflowed in his mind. The formulae were something he saw before. It looked like the formulae his former mentor was researching way back.


    "You want to be a part of the research team?!" Prince Arterius asked.


    "Ding! Ding! Ding!" He pointed at him. "That is what I want!" He smiled and drank the remaining tea in his cup.


    "And what good would Senator Lucresia get from that?" Prince Arterius raised his eyebrow.


    "Well, my dear former pupil¡­" He sighed. "When I left you, I thought I left you with enough knowledge to figure things out. I didn''t know there was still a little bit of naivete left in you!" 305-M scratched his head.


    The redhead stood up and spread his arms out wide. "It is for knowledge, of course!" 305-M began to approach Prince Arterius.


    Noticing this, Prince Arterius raised his hand and gestured his men to calm down. Regardless of how threatening his former mentor was, he had faith in him that he wouldn''t bother and raised a hand at him.


    "Knowledge, you say?" Prince Arterius nodded.


    "Yes, knowledge!" 305-M clapped his hands in delight. "The knowing! You know I told you before how important a pinch of knowledge is, right?"


    "Just like salt." Prince Arterius stood up to meet his mentor.


    "Just¡­like¡­salt¡­" 305-M nodded. "Imagine what this knowledge can do to this world?!" His eyes widened in bewilderment.


    "What do you mean?" Prince Arterius asked.


    "Oh..Prince Arterius, let''s not be so na?ve here and not know the potential of the ores that lie beneath here!" 305-M scratched his head. "Senator Lucresia wants to know what you intend to do with those ores once you have it. Would you use it to usurp the throne? That''s¡­highly unlikely! Maybe usurp the world? That''s a tad more interesting! With your mind, I know what you can do!" He pointed at Prince Arterius.


    305-M held his hand. "You are a lot more than what your brother is capable of¡­You can change the¡ª"


    Prince Arterius yanked his hand away from his former mentor. All the smooth talk his master was saying had an ulterior motive.


    "So, this is the price for the Bieroff''s and Lucresias to bugger off?" Prince Arterius asked.


    His former mentor smiled and nodded. "Yes."


    Prince Arterius sat back down on chair and thought about the offer. "Before I answer your offer, would you mind telling me something?"


    "Ooohh¡­I like that!" 305-M sat on the table confidently flaunting at him, "Tell me, what is your question?"


    "Why all of this?" Prince Arterius spat. "Why make it all this elaborate? As far as I can tell, you could''ve just approached us here."


    His former mentor burst in laughter as he finally realized that the plan was too simple for his student to see through it all. "Marvelous! I taught you well, haven''t I?" He paused to get an answer, but Prince Arterius wasn''t having any of it. "Fine, let me spill the tea."


    Lady Bieroff''s eyes widened as she stood up and violently protested. "W-what are you doing?! DO NOT LISTEN¡ª"


    "Shut up, Adrena!" 305-M scolded her. The great Lady Bieroff sat back down on her seat trembling as she waited for him to finally spill the information.


    "Well, ahem¡­The Senator thought of you as nothing more than a nuisance before¡­" He paused and looked into his former student''s eyes. "That was before you made that cannon. But now, well¡­it''s a different story, more than anything else, you my dear ex-pupil is now a threat to him! Which I should say is pretty impressive of you! To get that old man''s attention."


    "So, you''re here to spy on me?" Prince Arterius tried to keep his emotions at bay.


    305-M laughed once again, "Oh¡­ dear child, it''s much more complicated than just that."

 Chapter 147: After Tea Session

    Jovis, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 51st day of Fall, Arenfall


    ---------


    Dusk was already on the horizon when their little negotiation was finally concluded. Lady Bieroff unfortunately went home without any glory or victory for her to bring back home. The Lady hurriedly stormed out of the negotiations earlier at that time when Prince Arterius and his mentor finally sealed the deal.


    Prince Arterius pitied Lady Bieroff to some extent. She was a proud Lady of her house and yet she was treated so far like nothing more than just a mere ornament to what was supposed to be her plan. She sat down the entire negotiation with no say on the matter in fear of what 305-M might report to his brother. Arterius realized how strong Senator Lucresia''s grip was on his sister and his ability to exploit the situation to his advantage was truly awe-inspiring and terrifying all at once.


    Speaking of which, the sly Senator seemed to be worried about him and his capabilities. Just the thought of it made his heart skipped a beat. Prince Arterius realized that he was finally being taken seriously by no one else but by one of his biggest detractors.


    The sound of his former mentor''s voice declaring how he was becoming a problem for the influential senator sounded like trumpets in his ear. However, that also meant another thing. That meant that he cannot afford to lose this wager. This was his time to show them that he can become a major player along with his well-known brother. He wanted to move the empire not with wars and campaigns, but rather with technology and progress. He knew this risky task he had was his steppingstone to his vision and right now, he has to keep it going.


    He took a deep breath and went out of the tent after instructing the knights to stay on guard and asking his ward to fix him a much-needed dinner. His right leg still ached with every step that he took but it was getting more tolerable than when it started. The cold air was no longer bothering him as much it did when he arrived. But despite this he''d still wish he could get a speedy recovery for him to stop limping already. Maybe people would respect him even more once he could walk back straight again without any help of a cane.


    He finally sat on a stump a few footlongs far from the camp. He sat on it and looked up towards the starry sky getting himself lost in the twinkling bright path etched across the sky. His thoughts were still preoccupied with 305-M''s motive.


    "What did he mean by it''s more than just that?" He mumbled. It''s true his former master was truly hard to read to the point of becoming an enigma. What are his ulterior motives? Is he planning to take the research away from him once he gets the chance? Or is he trying to help him with the projects he had in mind?


    His thoughts wandered deeper at the contrasting feelings he had over his mentor. On one hand, he wanted to trust him and include him in the plans he had regarding the expedition. His former mentor''s extensive knowledge over Alterian Alchemy and dwarven lore might prove useful in unlocking the secrets of the aetherium ore. On the other, he had bad feeling about his master''s recent appearance. The old man could most likely have concocted something with the sly Senator and might be plotting to sabotage over him, or since he had already let him in, he might be planning to expose the current situation they had now with expedition. All scenarios are seemed to likely happen but knowing 305-M''s volatile personality, he could only hope for the best possible outcome.


    "Seemed you''re in too deep thinking?" His godfather approached him out of nowhere.


    Prince Arterius was somehow relieved that his godfather came and interrupted him. Atleast now, he could voice out some of his concerns that was plaguing him.


    "I am worried, godfather." He answered back to Lord Prestonheim. "Have I made the right decision by bringing 305-M in along with the possible partnership with house Lucresia?" He stood up from where he was sitting and glanced at Lord Prestonheim.


    His godfather was silent and took a while to answer his question, "If I would be honest with you, I would say it might be a wrong decision." Lord Prestonheim sighed as he massaged the bridge of his nose. "But that is only because I hated those two men and I knew how they work."


    "Then, why didn''t you stop me?!" He bursted out. "I would''ve taken¡ª"


    "You told us not to interfere regardless." His godfather sternly answered.


    Prince Arterius quickly realized the unwaranted anger he threw to his godfather. "Oh! I did told you that." He sighed as he scrathched his head.


    "Did you just accepted that deal out nowhere because you got overwhelmed and excited?" Lord Prestonheim asked as he looked at him straight in the eyes.


    "No, absolutely not¡­" Prince Arterius sighed. "I-I have a plan. It''s just that¡ª" he bit his lip.


    Lord Prestonheim placed his hand over Prince Arterius'' shoulder, "My dear child, you shouldn''t doubt your plan."


    "I know but¡­"He took a deep breath. "What if I¡­fail? Then what am I to do? I¡­"


    "Would you let your plan fail?" Lord Prestonheim asked him with a gentle voice, like how a father would comfort his son.


    Prince Arterius went silent for a moment. The question his godfather threw on him made him reflect on his decisions he made until that point. He knew why he accepted the invitation and that was because he was confident that even with his enemies eyeing on him as close as they can go, he would still remain victorious.


    "No, I never would." He answered back. "The thing is, I plan to let him report what he sees in the camp and make sure that they get the newest information on the research on aetherium. I want them to see what my capabilities are! I just have to deal with the drawbacks this might cause, but I''m in for it." He nodded.


    Lord Prestonheim smiled, "You''re as daring as always. Arterius, I am here to support you and will help you realize your dream. But you have to make sure you only give them bits of information about the goings on of this camp. Remember, too much of it and it may cost you more ."


    "I know," He smiled. "Would you care to join me for dinner so we can talk on what we can give them?"


    Lord Prestonheim smiled and nodded. The pair was about to get inside the tent when all a sudden the horn blew. The knights began running into their positions. Lord Prestonheim shielded Prince Arterius and asked him to stand by his side as he puts up a protection spell. Some of the knights ran towards the gate with bows on their backs while others created a stone barricade blocking the gate''s entrance. Everyone was ready to fight back at the treacherous Bieroff''s. It was a good thing, Prince Arterius along with Lord Prestonheim had planned this already in advance.


    Prince Arterius'' heart sank. He never would''ve thought that Lady Bieorff would have the guts to attack them. He thought that she was under her brother''s control. That she wouldn''t make a move until he said so. But it looked like she was already hellbent in claiming her rights to the land, Prince Arterius'' family gave to them.


    "There getting closer!" Lord Prestonheim exclaimed as the galloping horses were already audible from where they stood. "Take cover here and don''t you ever get out of this spell circle!" his godfather sternly said.


    The knights near the gate drew their arrows and were ready to open fire. Prince Arterius could see from the distance how the knights clenched their jaws and took deep breathes. It was about to begin. Suddenly the galloping horses stopped.


    Prince Arterius could see the confusion on the knight''s face as they aimed the bow at someone from beyond the barricade. A few moments later, the knights began looking at each other, confused. Then one of them decided to bring his bow down and ran towards Lord Prestonheim.


    The knight bowed immediately to his godfather and whispered something in his ear.  He saw his godfather''s face reddened as he stomped his foot on the ground. Lord Prestonheim hastily approached him after their conversation, still red and seething from the news he heard from the knight.


    "W-what''s going on?" Prince Arterius asked.


    His godfather took some deep breaths tryiing to calm himself. As he was doing that, Prince Arterius noticed the knights lower down the barricade.


    "Prince Arterius¡­" His godfather finally spoke. "Servus 305-M is officially under our care. He was just escorted out of the Arenfall Castle."


    Prince Arterius peeked from the circle once again. As the barricade was lowered he saw his former mentor ride a horse while being followed by a mule dragging a cart filled with sacks. Walking beside it was a small hooded figure who was dragging the beast forward.


    "W-what''s going on?" Prince Arterius looked confused. "He was supposed to be¡ª"


    Lord Prestonheim sighed as he massaged the bridge of his nose. "Are you ready?"


    Prince Arterius hesitantly nodded. He never expected that his plan would come to play as it early as it was. "Geez¡­Here we go." He took one deep breath and approached his former mentor.

 Chapter 148: She Who Dreamt

    Oyue was fading in and out of her consciousness. The sleeping goddess was slowly slipping to an endless sleep as her powers waned even further. Helping her selected champion seemed to have been very detrimental to her. All things considered, Adlaw-on wasn''t a believer to begin with. The rest of his comrades were, but it still wasn''t enough to help her.


    The current era she''s in had constantly been at odds with her. There were less devotees worshipping her and most people had remembered her for being a monstrous goddess or as the mother of all monsters.


    Well, she can''t blame them for such. But she hoped that she couldn''t be blamed for it either. She did what she can to save her sister and did what she must to stop the darkness from spreading. Although she knew that the wisest decision would''ve been to leave her sister dying in the Darkness'' creeping arms, she could never stand losing one of them one last time. She had lost so many of the ones she loved, another one would really break her.


    And thus, when she saw the mistake, she made as she spat the darkness into the world, she made up for it by sacrificing her life and godhood for the sake of the entirety. She took out her own home and crashed it along the young earth, cleansing it from the monsters at its wake. She also gifted the earth and the first inhabitants its first taste of magic. The start of the Age of Wonders.


    The leylines that formed into the broken world helped it mend anew and Oyue, the forever bright, stayed in eternity below the earth carrying the blame for the damages she never intended to create in the first place.


    For more than three thousand years, she had remained under the earth asleep and drowned in her sorrows but was still powerful enough to answer a prayer or two. To her worshippers, during the Age of Wonders she was a generous and benevolent mother. She was willing to risk herself for her children and their creations. She appointed heroes to kill the remnants of the crawling darkness and help herself be absolved of the dangers she brought on this world.


    However, it wasn''t going to last soon. Just as the seasons came and went, the Age of Wonders ended with the ley lines closed and the age of the deities came to a close. Up until now, she still hasn''t known the reality how that timeline ended. She only sensed power coming from her sister struck the ground, then everything else went dark. But what she does know, was the Yldars'' creations were now the new stewards of the land.


    Oyue did her best to materialize in the new mortal plane, but it was difficult. Too difficult than when the ley lines existed. The world also felt different from the Age of Wonders, as magic albeit existing was nothing more than just a small puddle rather than the ocean it once was.


    During this difficult time, the Lady of the Moon woke up in the darkness. She no longer slept, instead she sat down on the deepest ground where her moon was lodged and tried to visit the surface as much as she can. But with each visit she felt her powers slowly dissipating from her. The ley lines who were supposed to connect with the fragmented moon, her abode was no longer existing, and thus it became difficult for her to draw powers from it.


    It took another century or two, before she was finally found by their former creation. An Yldar, one of the creations of the gods of old, scoured the earth just to find her, and it took him almost three centuries to finally get to the bottom of where she was. The Yldar wasn''t alone with this endeavor, with him he brought a nation full of devotees, willing to call out to her and worship her being. Oyue was pleased and gifted the Yldar powers after hearing how he lost his at the end of the Age of Wonders. She appointed him High Priest and Speaker to Lady Moon.


    They created an underground city using the earth to create tunnels and wonderful structures worthy of praise for both its beauty and mysticism. They used the shards of her broken moon to light up the growing city, and sometime later, used it to create even powerful weapons and items that the surface dwellers hadn''t seen before.


    Fast forward, another two centuries past and the underground kingdom had now grew to the deepest recesses of the earth. Many people from far and wide came and joined praising her, showering her with gifts and praises. It was a peaceful time she thought would''ve last, but even as a goddess, she couldn''t foresee the fate of this kingdom.


    The Yldar whom she gave powers was slowly being consumed by it. With each passing day, his envy towards Oyue grew until such time he devised a plan to lock her up inside a room made of her moon shards as he ascends to becoming a god in his own right.


    He had almost succeeded as he was able to trap her inside that crystal prison and killed most of her followers that were not willing to convert to his religion. His spear of influence grew, and it took a hundred years or so to finally end his reign. A few of her surviving devotees finally found a way to defeat him. They used all their might and banished him from the realm of existence, but he was already too strong for them to do it.


    As the heroes were at their last breaths, they unlocked her cage and released her to the mortal plane once again, but this time, she was already filled with despair and hopelessness. After Oyue had sealed the mad Yldar, she went and used her powers to seal the kingdom and herself from the rest of the world, burying the culture, knowledge and people that once made it prosper.


    Oyue slept a thousand years once more until the otherworlder came into the world and reactivated some of the remaining ley lines in the sky. She immediately opened her eyes and woke up to an unfamiliar world. A world where everything was too new and strange for her eyes.


    She tried to manifest herself once more above the surface. As she materialized to the world once again, a vast majority of knowledge came right back at her. It was coming from the energies of those who had worship her after all this time. Little by little, she learnt what happened after she went to slumber. The world became plagued with wars, diseases and oppression.  She could hear her children''s cries once again.


    She manifested herself on the one person that never believed in her nor the deities, but what else can she do? He was the only one who required less effort, power wise. She helped and guided him throughout his grueling adventure and tried to become her trusted ally, but even that wasn''t enough for the human. She knew how the otherworlder was treated by her brothers and sisters, and thus she understood his mistrust towards her and her kind.


    She gave him a portion of her powers to try and help him out, but the consequences were almost deadly to her. With every usage of her power, she became weaker. For some reason, the otherworlder had something different with his physiology. He was almost closely related to her than the Yldars could''ve been. It was almost he was a deity in his own right, but that was her guessing because she really can''t tell up until now.


    She tried her best efforts to get in touch with his comrades, helping them at the cost of her lifeforce. Now, Oyue couldn''t do much, but she was confident that she had planted the seeds she needed to once again rise. She hoped as her consciousness continued to fade, farther from this plane of existence.

 Chapter 149: Scapegoats and Turntails

    "It looks like they have left us in a storm, Lord Commander!" The knight uttered at a completely upset Commander Crovar. "Shall we chase after them¡ª"


    "Leave them buggers be!" Commander Crovar exclaimed as he threw his mug into the ground. "They can take those¡­demi-humans with them, the hell do I care!" He spat.


    Commander Crovar wanted his way out of the hellhole he deliberately and voluntarily asked for himself. He thought of the mission as something he had been before. He had been to too many wars in the past. He had seen and made all sort of horrors that no ordinary human would dare see or do. But this one was different. This was the most blood curdling experience of them all.


    The monsters he thought that were nothing more than a mummer''s farce or a bedtime scare are truly living among them beneath this wretched surface. At first, he thought ridding of them will certainly give him glory and save the surfaces from their hungry maws, but the more he saw them and their swarm, the more he wanted out.


    He has seen with his own two eyes the horrors that welcomed them when they began to go inside the tunnels. The horrific headless giants that came on swarms, overpowering them and eat his men whole or tore them apart as if they were nothing more than just reeds.


    Commander Crovar had been to battles far too long and no matter how many times he faced defeat, he had always overcome it. However, those wars he fought was against the like of him, a human or humanoid that he was truly familiar with.


    He has never felt fear the same way that he felt against those monsters they''ve face. The calm and collected Arterian knights known for their collected disposition during war, but that was war, this was something else all different.


    He mentally counted the remaining knights who stayed with him. "One¡­ two¡­three¡­" He counted until twenty and assumed that was all they were. He stood up from his seat that caught all of the knights'' attention towards him.


    "Brethrens!  I beg you to lend me an ear!" He spoke. "It is with heavy heart that I have to tell you, that we are to abandon this mission!" He announced.


    Commander Crovar looked at his remaining men straight in their eyes. He saw a look of relief in their faces. He subtly smiled in relief knowing that he wasn''t alone on his thoughts. "I, Lord Commander Crovar will desert the order of going further inside this fucking hellhole. I do not want to risk more of my men''s life in this endeavor. However, we shall still collect those ores we promised to our prince! Who''s with me?" The remaining knights raised their hands in agreement.


    "What would you do if the Prince finds out?" A knight asked.


    "Do you think he would found out?" The Commander confidently declared.


    The other knights looked at each other as he called for a tactical retreat. They were still hesitant about the entire idea. They feared for their lives, they feared for their honor. But what do they know about honor? Honor could just be an excuse for men not smart enough to understand their current situation. He knew that too well. A lot of his men and a few of his friends died because of it.


    But with that honor they withhold, they came back dead, rotting, decapitated, burned or otherwise drowned. No honor can save a life and that was his point.


    "My dear Brethrens," he called again. "You were already honorable for raising your hand and volunteering to come with us in this hellhole. But I would like to stop you there! My task is to get everyone of you back to your families alive and well!" He said.


    He wanted to stir the knights'' hearts to understand his side, to finally convince them how this was all a bad idea. He didn''t want to look like he was running away. He wanted them to back him up. It was his only chance to redeem himself from his own bad decision.


    He already planned how to report it to the Prince and the Imperatur for that matter. He knew the slaves would be his scapegoats, the non-humans in particular. He knew that the Imperatur has little love for their kind and would immediately agree with him if he told him such.


    "It was a bad decision. An awful turn. I should''ve let the knights scout it themselves." This was what he was going to say to the Prince and the Imperatur.


    His speech finally convinced the other knights to come and follow him. Of course, they wanted to live! They were still young and even some were still green at the job. Following his speech, he rallied the knights back to the path of which they came.


    He instructed the men to take as many of those shining rocks as much as they can at the cavern were the headless monsters nestled. When they were finished collecting the aetherium they made their way back into the entrance, into that damned white stone wall.


    But as they made their way back, they were welcomed by huge humanoid creatures with bat-like wings. The monsters stood near the entrance of the tunnel. They hung themselves upside down looking below as if they knew they were coming.


    In his last-ditch effort, Commander Crovar ordered the remaining knights to fight off the beasts and so they did. The Commander fought them and killed a few of them, but as he saw the monsters tore the knights apart, he quickly turned around and ran away from the carnage.


    He ran back into the deep cavern. But with no more light runes to lit his way, he stumbled as his ankle broke when he accidentally stepped on a stone. He writhed in agony in the darkness of the cave while spatting vulgarities at their non-human companions, at the kingdom, at the prince and even at his friend.


    Commander Crovar crawled his way into the deepest recesses of the tunnel but how can a cripple outrace a monster with wings? No one can!

 Chapter 150: A Place in the Void

    "There''s a door that just opened for us." Adaloun said to the Orkamuus who seemed to be disoriented after the short earthquake. "Are you alright?" He asked.


    The Orkamuus didn''t answer. They looked shaken and confused. They seemed to be looking or listening to something. They extended their hands as if to reach out to something while their heads jerked everytime they turned. Adaloun asked again but he wasn''t getting any replies. It was as if they were like in a trance.


    Adaloun had to grab them by the shoulders and shook them as hard as he could to snap them out from whatever trance they were in. They finally snapped out of it, but they were still dazed and confused.


    "What happened to the both of you?" Adaloun asked.


    "I lost my ability to see." Corvinus answered. "I cannot see anymore!" He exclaimed.


    Adaloun knew for a fact that they unfortunately lost their eyes to an attack they claimed coming from an Yldar. But even with that handicap they were able to traverse the cave without any problems. They easily evaded debris without seeing it, with their physical eyes. However, this time it was different. Their confidence was replaced with despair. Their faces painted terrified men, unsure and confused of where they are.


    "W-what do you mean by that?" Adaloun tried to look for some logic in what they were saying. "You were able to walk through the¡ª"


    "By Apholak''s name!" Gravil shouted. "Something is hindering us from using all our gifts!" He exclaimed as he reached for Adaloun''s hand.


    Adaloun took his hand, "I''m here." He said.


    Corvinus turned to him and ran his hands over his face and shoulder, "It is indeed you!" He sighed in relief. "I am sorry, my friend, but we can no longer see the way we did earlier. Someone or something is blocking our gifts." He explained once more.


    "T-that door that just opened¡­" Gravil pointed directly at him. "Something came along with it and numbed all our senses." He explained.


    "I am afraid you have to leave us here, my friend." Corvinus stated. "At this point we are nothing more than just deadweight to you. If you need to¡ª"


    "Enough!" Adaloun spat. "Don''t say that!" He tore long pieces of their sleeves, stretched it out and tied it on the blind Orkamuus'' wrist.


    "W-what are you doing?" Gravil confusingly asked. "Didn''t you heard¡ª"


    "Shut up!" Adaloun was not having any of it. "No one is going to be left behind."


    After tying it to their wrists, Adaloun then tied the other end of the cloth to his belt then snuggly fastened the belt.


    "There, that should be alright!" Adaloun said. "I am not leaving you here. We shall get out of here together. So put your hands on my shoulders and just follow me!" He commanded the two blinded Orkamuus.


    Without their gifts the Orkamuus became vulnerable and afraid, but they still trusted him. They have no choice. With the kind of monsters appearing inside that hellhole it would be best to risk it with someone competent than to be left alone with what little abilities they had.


    Adaloun took a deep breath and readied himself, "I will enter the tunnel n¡ª"


    "Wait!" Gravil interrupted. He patted his waists until he felt his scimitar. "My friend, I have no use of my weapon for now. Here take it." He took the blade from its sheath and gave it to Adaloun. "May it serve you well."


    Adaloun took the weapon from his blind ally''s hands. As he held it in his hands, he noticed how it became heavier than before. It felt like he was holding a two-handed sword, compared to before which he recalled was as light as a feather.


    He held the sword with both his arms as he did so, the blade began engulfed itself in flames. Adaloun was startled with what he saw.


    "Do not be afraid," Corvinus said. "That is the Arawan''s special property. Whoever it considers to be its owner will be protected by its flames."


    Adaloun verbally nodded and held the sword upright. They slowly crossed the dark tunnel once again. Even with the Arawan''s flames, the tunnel was still too dark for them to see. The flames could only lit the area where they tread. The rest was a complete veil of never-ending darkness.


    "Would there be an end to this tunnel?" Adaloun asked himself. The darkness was eluding the real length and width of the tunnel.


    "Arellin." A voice came whispering in his ear. The voice sounded familiar yet at the same time, foreign for him to know who it truly was.


    "Did you hear that?" Adaloun asked.


    "Hear what, my friend?" Corvinus asked back.


    "I''m sorry, we heard nothing but our breathing." Gravil answered.


    "Oh," Adaloun paused and waved the flaming sword around. "It must be the wind." But there was no wind in that tunnel. Even he found that reasoning stupid, but it was the only way for him calm his mind down.


    Suddenly the flames started to flicker as if it got blown by the wind.


    "Arellin¡­over here!" The voice called out again.


    Adaloun held out Arawan in his fighting stance and slowly walked forward. His other two companions remained silent and just followed him, treading carefully as they went deeper and deeper into the tunnel.


    "Deadweights¡­" The voice echoed in the tunnel once again. "They''re nothing but deadweights!"


    "Who are you talking as deadweights?!" Adaloun answered angrily. "WHO?!"


    "Who are you talking to, my friend?" Corvinus asked with a hint of distraught in his voice.


    "I-I¡­ugh¡­" he tried his best to explain what was going on. It seemed like he was the only one hearing the voice, even though it clearly echoed around the tunnel.


    "Who¡ª" Gravil was about to say something when suddenly he was gone.


    The cloth that Adaloun bounded in the wrist suddenly dropped to the ground and the tension on his belt lightened.


    "See?" The voice said once again.  "They''re nothing but deadweights!"


    Adaloun looked back and to his surprise, he was already alone. No one else was there with him, not anymore.


    "W-who¡­w-what did you do to them?" He shouted back.


    "HAHAHA!" The voice laughed in delight. "I just took out the deadweights you have¡­so we could speak freely."


    "Who are y¡ª"


    "Relax, Arellin¡­I am here to help you¡­come closer¡­and drop the weapon¡­you don''t need that here." The voice shifted into a gentle tone. A welcoming tone, enchanting him to drop his guard but he wasn''t buying it.


    "Come now¡­are you afraid of the dark?" The voice mockingly asked.


    All of the sudden the flames died out and there Adaloun stood alone in the dark tunnel, with the scimitar weighing in his hands.


    "Ohhh¡­I was just kidding¡­" The tunnel lit up like a sea of stars across the galaxy. "Here, a light for you! Isn''t it beautiful?"


    Adaloun still wasn''t convinced. He readied his blade for an incoming attack.

 Chapter 151: The Stars that Lit the Void

    "Oooh¡­" The voice mockingly said. "Sharp blade you have there! Hahaha! Not that it would matter. Still, I urge you to come forward¡­and follow my voice." The voice grew more arrogant as he went on.


    Adaloun treaded cautiously as he passed through the questionably beautiful starry path. As he took a step forward, he noticed the bright twinkling stars danced in his feet. He looked up on the ceiling and saw beautiful star systems and glowing cosmic bodies swirl in unison like a distorted rainbow bringing allure to the endlessly dark canvass.


    "Beautiful, isn''t it?" The voice asked.


    He didn''t answer the voice''s question. Instead, he continued to move forward into the galactic path set before him. Suddenly, the path trembled violently. Adaloun lost his footing and stumbled on the floor.


    "HAHAHA!" Its thunderous laughter echoed. "That''s what you get for being inexplicably audacious!" The voice mocked.


    "Easy for you to say¡­" Adaloun spat while staggering to get up.  "Especially, when all you know is hiding¡­" He smirked.


    "H-hid¡­hiding?!" The voice exclaimed. "Me? Hiding from who?!" Its booming voice blasted the tunnel.


    "Then, show me your face." Adaloun demanded. "Tell me who you truly are."


    The voice''s laughter rumbled the entire tunnel, "You are a funny one after all."  The light in the path danced violently as it receded into the distance, leaving Adaloun alone in the darkness of the void. The weapon Gravil lent shined dully in the dark.


    "Come forward, Arellin." A bright portal emerged at the far end of the tunnel. "Come here and I will show my face along with the truth. The truth that your soul truly sought." The voice said.


    Adaloun knew it was a trap from the very beginning. But he didn''t have any choice. He knew from the very start, the moment he entered the tunnel, something was bound to happen. However, there was no other way out of that tunnel. He wasn''t given so much of a choice. It seemed from the very start, that he was coerced to walk that path.


    That was when he realized to whom the voice belonged to. The calming yet enticing voice that hinted a bit volatility was from someone he may had known from before. It reminded him of the old gods he served before. There was a certain deceit lurking from its tone.  But this one wasn''t part of that parthenon. This one came from this world.


    Adaloun cautiously walked towards the dark pathway. No matter how many times he''s walked similar paths before, he always felt the same thing, fear. His heart raced as the uneasiness inside him grew. He focused his mind and tried his best not to think of the past traumas he had with being alone in the dark.


    Obscuras, Dhampiirs, those damned lurkers that could come out of nowhere and attack him, they all made flashes in his mind. Huge beads of sweat ran along his temples. His hands were cold and trembling as he came near half the distance from the glowing portal.


    He tried looking around at the nothingness. There was nothing there and yet it felt like a thousand eyes were looking at him. Adaloun wished he learned how to activate the scimitar''s ability, that would''ve been very helpful as he went deeper into the dark path. But even with that light, he knew that the god inside that tunnel would just easily turn it off, just like he did earlier.


    "Come on, now! You''re getting closer!" The voice echoed once more. "The door is right about there! Or¡­would you prefer to call it a portal?" The glowing portal shifted and became a door and then went back to becoming a portal. "Hmmm¡­call it what you will¡­whatever you think of it, so it shall be. Hahaha!"


    Adaloun wasn''t impressed by it. He continued to inch forward, while still cautiously looking around for any sudden attacks.


    "Ohh my¡­oh my¡­Arellin! Still don''t trust me?"


    Adaloun didn''t answer.


    "Fine! How am I gonna prove myself to you that I am indeed a benevolent god?" The voice asked again. "Ohh¡­I know!" The voice said with a malicious tone to it.


    Suddenly, a wave of blinding light filled the tunnel. Adaloun covered his eyes and tried his best to stand his ground.


    "There!" The voice exclaimed. "Maybe this should do the trick!" He snickered.


    Adaloun''s eyesight was blurred from the bright light. He squinted and tried to focus his vision. The nauseating double vision accompanied by its blurriness gave him quite a headache. He closed his eyes once more and took deep breaths to stabilized himself.


    It took him a while for his vision to return to normal. He rubbed his eyes and was finally able to see clearly again. But when his eyesight returned, he was surprised to see what surrounded him. The tunnel walls became transparent revealing the monsters he dreaded to encounter during his journey.


    The Dhampiirs, the giant centipedes, the humanoid bats and other unknown monsters lined up in the tunnel looking at him as if he was nothing but a walking delicacy. He immediately raised his weapon as the monsters seemed to claw out their way from an invisible wall.


    "Don''t you worry about them!" The voice spoke non-chalantly. "As a god of goodwill and benevolence, I shall protect you!" It laughed.


    Adaloun, although surprised, didn''t showed any hint of fear in his eyes. He knew at any point, if the crazed god would want to release the beasts, he could freely do so. But he figured out this deity. He knew he was just showing off his powers and capabilities to him. The god wanted to be feared and revered by him. Unfortunately, he''s not generous to give any of that to this deity or any deities for that matter.


    "What? Aren''t you afraid and thankful for my benevolence?" The voice asked.


    "No." He answered. "I do not fear you."


    Adaloun simply walked passed by all of the monsters so calmly that he could feel the deity''s anger radiating from the tunnel. His continual downplaying of the deity''s ability was rubbing friction to the god''s huge ego.


    He finally reached the portal. Without hesitation he was about to step into the portal, but the god had one last-ditch effort to break him. Suddenly, an angry giant''s head came out of the portal and was about to bite him off clean.


    But he was too smart to fall for that trick. Using his blade, he slashed the giant across the face, resulting to the monster evaporated into a smoke.


    "Nope." Adaloun said. "That won''t scare me."


    The voice''s angry laughter echoed in the tunnel once more, "Impressive! Fine! Come on in!"

 Chapter 152: She Sits in a Broken Throne

    Jovis, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 53rd day of Fall, Arenfall


    ----------------------------------------------------------


    "He made a mockery out of me?!" Lady Bieroff threw her bronze cup on her breakfast table. "That¡ªagghh!" She threw her plate into her unsuspecting maidservant who stood by the side of her chair.


    The hurled plate hit the maidservant''s temple causing her to bleed and collapse from the impact. The other maidservants didn''t make a move. Lady Bieroff stood up from her chair and stormed out from the garden.


    It had been two days already she kicked out the conniving 305-M out of Arenfall castle. The red-haired slave had caused a lot of troubles for her plans. Firstly, her plan to set a small chaos in motion to get Prince Arterius to work with her was foiled by the slave. Then, 305-M called for his brother''s support and was given an authority closely similar to hers.


    She knew her brother had grown worried with the Prince''s newly developed inventions. Most likely, her brother doesn''t want the older prince to gain followers in the kingdom. Her brother, Senator Lucresia had been supporting Prince Veritus from the very start. He loved the boy''s ruthlessness and intellect towards war.


    On the other hand, her brother had been recently intrigued by the older Prince''s recent technological creations. As a warmonger himself, her brother would like to the get ideas and weapons that Prince Arterius could invent or discover to further advance his goals. She knew what her brother truly wants, to be the most powerful man in the entire Principalia and he''s willing to go far and wide to be recognized as such.


    She on the other hand, just wanted a place to rule for her own and the Crescent Isle was that place to be. Lady Bieroff wanted power for her own. A power that no one can take away from her. After her husband died, she thought that becoming the new Lady of the House would now give her the power to control her own land. Unfortunately, that was far from the truth. She should''ve heeded the prophecy she saw in one of her trances.


    The horned god spoke true! He also told her that only he could give her that kind of authority. She should''ve listened to him and sacrificed her sons just like what he asked her to do. It was very easy to please the horned god. When she asked for authority over the house, the horned god simply asked for one life to take¡ªshe chose her husband''s.


    She couldn''t stand her husband since the day they were betrothed. He was a small statured man with a bad temper. He had an ego as big as their castle but cannot seem to back up his words. He lavishes himself with jewel and fine silk but was obnoxious and was as graceful as a rat in a sewer. Aside from being a disappointment in life, he was also a disappointment in bed. The seeds he bore her were nothing more than weak-willed boys who couldn''t get out of their father''s shadow.


    One day as she wept alone in her room. She heard a voice calling to her from the closed Stone Hall. It took her seven sleepless nights to finally answer the call, and when she did, her life changed for the better.


    She met the horned god one night during a sleepless fever dream. At first, she was scared of the wraiths surrounding the god in his crystal stone. But she sooner found out that her fears were nothing more than a worthless apprehension of her weak mortal soul.


    The horned god promised her power and authority beyond compare; the things she badly wanted achieved in her controlled life. All the deity wanted was a place in her heart, devotion and unquestioned loyalty. For her troubles, she was promised the world. The horned god showed her a glimpse of her rewards and saw his generosity.


    She saw herself sitting in a golden throne laid with all the riches in the world at her feet with men bowing beneath her throne.  She lavishly wore a golden silk dress adorned with jewelries from far and near the Principalian states.


    She gave herself to him that night, both in spirit and body. As the horned god consummated her, she felt his power rushing inside her body. She felt the freedom of his warm embrace and saw the answer she never thought she''d find. After that night, she became his worshiper¡ªbetter yet, priestess.


    `As she stormed along the halls she contemplated if whether she should sacrifice her children to him. On one hand, regardless how weak and incompetent they were, she still had a soft spot for them, especially the youngest one.


    If she did sacrifice her children, that would go against the norms of being a Principalian noble. Although killing a husband was not unheard of in their culture and history, same cannot be said with killing those within their bloodline.


    She would gladly sacrifice others for that matter either he''s a prince or a simply irritating red-haired slave. However, the god was very specific of what he needed to be sacrificed and she wasn''t about to go that route yet.


    Her thoughts were blurring as she tried to plan on what to do next. She wanted her own freedom and wanted this land for herself, but with the Prince''s presence it was way too difficult to do what she wanted to happen.


    Her only way is the horned god''s way, but the price was too steep for her to pay¡­at the moment. She made a turn into the dull-colored corridor and found herself in front of the closed Stone Hall. She took a deep breath, as she tried to come up with a bargain¡ªa pleasing bargain enough to whet the god''s benevolence.


    She pushed the open the heavy doors of the great hall and walked into its darkness. The smell of spice and incense filled the air. Her head began to lighten as she inhaled the scents of the altar. As she went closer to the altar of the horned god, her heart began to race as if meeting a lovable suitor once again. Her body felt hot as she felt the urge to make love to the deity. She undressed herself as a sign of her devotion to her one true god before she continued the rest of her way.


    Suddenly a wisp of green ethereal light began to appear and lit her path. She walked towards the statue uttering words from time immemorial praising the horned god in all his glory. As she reached to the foot of the statue, she caressed its foot and kissed it. She then licked the statues foot and began to pleasure herself as she went higher. She stopped as she reached the phallus and called out his name.


    "Oh, Lord Zados! Lord of the Underworld and keeper of the moon, heed my call!" She said as she licked the stone phallus. "Your servant needs your wisdom and benevolence."


    Just as she stroked the statue''s staff, the statue moved and choked her neck.


    "What is it that you want, mortal?!" The god said angrily.


    "M-my¡­m-most ve-venerable, god¡­I came here to..ack..ack¡­" The statue loosened its grip on her neck. She dropped on the floor gasping for air. "Hurgghhh¡­Hurgggh¡­I came here to ask for a bargain."


    "A bargain? You still think that there can be a much better sacrifice than your sons?!" The horned god felt intrigued. "Fine, let me hear it."


    Lady Bieroff crawled on the floor and climbed the statue''s throne and whisper something in the god''s ear and hoped it was enough, but the deity said nothing. It only sat there unmoving and as the lights dimmed her despair slowly crept on her.

 Chapter 153: Screeching Death

    Orphella woke up to the sound of flapping wings and wind crashing against her face. It was painful for her to breathe, as if someone has held her tightly right on her stomach. She slowly opened her eyes and saw nothing but the ground. She immediately looked up and saw the grotesque face of the bat-like creature, it was looking at her with intent to make her a good delicacy later on.


    She tried calming herself despite the dire situation she was in. After all, that was all that she could do at that point. She looked down and saw the huge humanoid arms squeezing her tightly by the stomach and the ground that will welcome her with no question should she plummet to her demise.


    Her heartbeat was going erratic. She knew where this was going. She knew that it was only a matter of time for her to become food to this hungry creature. She looked around and saw no one but them. Her heart sank just thinking about the worse that might have happened to her comrades. With Ghwynmyr and Urfaal nowhere on sight, it only meant two possibilities; either they managed to hide from them or they''re already good as dead. She hoped it wasn''t the later.


    The bat-like monster swoop down to avoid a protruding stalagmite in the middle of its path. As it moved, so did its grip loosen a bit. The sudden shift caused Orphella''s belt to shift and her dagger to dangle loosely from her waist.  However, her arms were bound too tightly by the monster that she wasn''t able to freely move it.


    She began to feel a warm sensation on her chest. It started off as a ticklish warmth but the longer it went, the heat was close to becoming unbearable. She noticed her chest glow oddly a shade of pale blue, that''s when she remembered what it was¡ªthe gem necklace.


    The monster flew lower once more as it tried to avoid another bulging stone in front of it. Orphella took the distraction to catch the swinging dagger from her waist as it swung towards her. The monster was about to ascend when she immediately stabbed its arm forcing the beast to scream in agony and dropped her off the ground. The monster crashed into the wall and fell limped unto the ground below.


    Meanwhile, she rolled unto the dry and dusty ground, tucking her head near her chest to protect her head from the fall. She fortunately landed safely on the ground with a few bruises and scratches. She stood up immediately and limping her way out of there. As far as she could tell, the beast might awaken somehow and without a weapon, her chances of survival were low.


    She could hear something moving just across to where she was. She desperately hurried away, but her bruises proved to be a deadweight to her. The injuries were causing her body to slug and cramp. The muscle twitches were deliberately slowing her down.


    Orphella was able to move away from there, but she didn''t feel safe. She could still hear some weird noises in the background. She could hear claws scratching the hard stone wall and wings flapping albeit clumsily. She was right she wasn''t safe yet.


    She moved further into the darkest recesses of the cave until she saw a small crevice hidden in between two boulders near the wall. She slipped her way into it, bearing her body''s throbbing pain. She curled herself inside the small crevice to fit herself. From the distance, she could hear the creature screeching. It wasn''t too happy with whatever happened to it and she knew all too well that the creature was definitely looking for her.


    She squeezed her way through the crevice until she was able to fit herself in. She tried to calm herself as much as she could. Her labored breathing might be audible enough for the humanoid monster to hear. She bit her lip and slowed her breath. She could hear the monster''s footsteps approaching her. The worse part was it was getting closer to her.


    Orphella patted herself for any weapon, but alas she was left with none. She took a deep breath and tried to be as quiet she possibly can. That was the only option she had now, being very quiet and unmoving hoping for the monster to lose its track of her.


    The footsteps became louder. The beast was on her tracks. She could hear the beast''s wings rubbed against the wall. From the sound of the footsteps, she could tell that it was badly injured. It limped as it went nearer.


    Suddenly the monster shrieked. Its shrill clashed with the walls of the tunnel. Orphella gnashed her teeth and covered her ears as the sound harassed her ears. It was a terrible sound that left her ears in pain and numbed. Her ear rang uncomfortably, a very bad situation to be in.


    Without her hearing, it became more difficult for her to time and detect the humanoid bat. Her heart raced and thumped hard on her ears. She took a deep breath and hoped for the best. She cautiously peeped into the crevice and tried to check the goings on outside.


    There was nothing there. She slowly shifted her body and tried to peep a little bit more clearly, but she saw nothing. Only a barren tunnel with nothing but the cold hard ground and stony wall painting the landscape.


    Orphella shifted to a more comfortable position once again, as her back was starting to protest on her position. However, just as she shifted a sharp claw came popping out of the crevice. The monster had located her and she had nowhere to run.


    Without any runes or weapons, she was nothing more than a fodder to the furious monster. As the monster tried to reach out to her, hoping to grab her hair or something that it could bury its claws into. All she could do was lean back as far as she could away from the monstrous hands that were out to get her.


    The monster tried over and over again, but it was unable to reach her. Her knees and back were starting to cramp from leaning too much but she couldn''t let herself rest, not with the relentless creature outside. After a long time of trying to claw Orphella out of the crevice, the monster finally stopped.


    It took its arm out of the crevice and stood in front of her salivating as it stared at her. In her mind, there was nothing else more to do. It was just her waiting for her end, but Orphella wasn''t about to give up that easy. She''s not going to die without a fight.


    After the intense staredown they have with the monster, it began clawing its way in. Its sharp claws dug into he stony wall attempting for it to break. The monster punched and clawed its way in but the stone wall proved to be too strong.


    Even with this little glimmer of hope, Orphella still felt uneasy. She knew that at some point, the monster would finally break the stone wall open either by it alone or with its grotesque kin. Small, chipped stone flung against her face. The relentless monster was now on its way to splitting the crevice open. Suddenly it stopped. Orphella was confused, did it finally figured out how hard it was to dig? Was it resting and licking its wounds? From the angle where she was, it was hard to tell. She tried to peeped at the crevice again, but what she saw ultimately shocked her.


    The bat opened its maws and positioned itself in the crevice''s opening. Orphella''s blood ran out from her body. She knew she had no escape on what was about to happen next. She covered her ears and coiled in, as it was clearly obvious what the monster wanted to do.


    Just as she did, the bat-like humanoid let out an ear-shattering scream. The small space she called her haven suddenly became her undoing.


    The monster screamed at the crevice, letting out a shrill sounding wail that shook the very stones of the cave. The sound became too concentrated that the stony wall began to crack. Orphella was petrified. She was unable to move. The shriek had paralyzed her.


    As the sound bounced inside, she could feel it piercing inside her. Her muscles swelled and her organs felt like it was about to burst. Orphella was trapped, her eyes were about to pop out from the sound of the monster''s voice. It was only a matter of time before she suffers the same fate as the rest of the knights.


    Death was already inevitable for her, but she still wasn''t about to give up just yet. She tried kicking the wall to disrupt the bouncing sound. She knew it wouldn''t work, but she tried it anyway. There was nothing wrong about doing it, she had nothing more to lose.


    The shriek increased a pitched higher. She could feel her blood boiling inside her veins. Orphella was already vomiting blood and her vision was beginning to go blur. Her head felt like it was about to explode. She finally stopped kicking the wall, it was useless at that point.


    It was already dawning on her that she was about to die. Sadly, she had to make terms of this grisly demise. Orphella sat and leaned her back towards the wall while still covering her ears. She knew that if she took her hands off her ears, it would kill her. But she had already ran out of options and her body was already losing strength.


    Just as she was about to take her hands of her ears, she felt the stone she desperately leaned her back onto, crumbled. With the stone gone, she tumbled down a slopy pathway, down another rabbit hole. Or maybe down to her demise.

 Chapter 154: The Elf and the Bat

    Orphella saw the ground upside-down as she tumbled down a small rabbit hole that broke during the beast''s ear-shattering screech. It was nauseating as her world tumbled over and over again into a chaotic mess. She wanted to close her eyes but with the monster in her wake, it''s the last thing she wanted to do.


    It was a long way down. Orphella felt the stones pierced and scratched her skin. She tucked in her chin and protected her head as she went further into the never-ending hole. She made a violent turn right, then a left and then another right. It was like the hole was of a giant''s gut, the curves looked like its entrails and her like shit tumbling down towards its exit.


    Finally, she reached the end of her arduous journey. After another sharp turn and some bruises, she fell into a murky pool cushioning what could''ve been a very deadly fall. The cold and muddy water began to fill her mouth and nose. She tried her best to paddle back to the surface as she slowly realized the dank water was about to fill up her lungs.


    She successfully paddled her way into the surface and got herself to the safety of the shore. It was a short yet laborious swim, as the muddy water weighed her down like she wore a full-plated armor while she saw. The water''s depth seemed to transition rather quickly. A few moments ago, she felt like she was drowning in a bottomless well, right now, she could feel her feet touching the muddy and slipper waterbed.


    Her head was banging like a drum as swan closer and closer to the surface. Her vision was blurry and spinning, but she does not have the time nor the pleasure to rest, not when she''s in danger. She stumbled out of the muddy water, slipping on the moss-filled ground, hurting her left hand in the process.


    She fumbled her way to dry land holding her sprained hand while spewing out the murky waters out of her. She laid flat on the damp ground with labored breathing as her eyes looked around tracing the path of where she fell.


    Luckily, elves can see rather clearly in the dark. As her eyes wandered, she saw the hole where she fell from. The entrance was way too high for her to climb back up. She dragged herself back up and checked what was in front of her.


    It was an oddly sight for her to behold. In front of her were two statues facing each other one had features of a female elf wielding a dagger and a bow on her back while the other was a man stoically facing the female statue with his hands resting on a broad sword placed on his front. A few steps beyond those statues were a door that seemed to be created by elven artisans.


    "SSKKKKREEEECCCCHHHHHHH!!!!!" Orphella heard the monster''s screech coming from within the hole where she fell from.


    She immediately stood up and rushed towards safety. Orphella hurriedly passed the statues and went for the door. She pushed the metal-forged door, but it wouldn''t budge. She tried yanking it and before pulling it hard, but the door won''t move.


    Orphella had nowhere to go. The unmovable door proved to be her dead end as now she''s trap between a body of water and an unpassable entrance. It was only a matter of time for the monster to show himself and kill her right there. The only refuge she had left were the statues. The seven footlingish high statues were her only means of hiding but even then, she''s still exposed. She knew how it will end badly for her at that moment. Without her weapons and with an exhausted exousia she was nothing more but a fawn waiting to get slaughtered by the stalking beast.


    The beast came tumbling out of the hole the same way as she did and made a splash in the water. It looked like the monster''s injuries got a better of it and was now weakened just like her. But even with that in mind, that was still something she cannot be relieved about. She hid herself in the shadow of the male statue, not that it would conceal her, but it was the only one thing closest to being hidden.


    The monster emerged from the dark and murky water. It took a while for it to do, most likely because the creature cannot swim. Somehow it did emerge from the murky waters, its gait unbalanced. One of its wings was slump down along with its shoulder, it seemed like it dislocated it while tumbling down.


    The knife she stabbed it with was still lodged in its arm, stopping the wound from bleeding. It was a mystery to her what the monster truly was. Was it really a monster or a changed one? The monster did elicit some form of intelligence, at least its kin did.


    It stumbled down the muddy shore vomiting the dirty waters it drank. It sat on the shore and tried to pull-out the dagger that got lodged in its left arm, but it was stuck. The monster screeched as the dagger stayed on its arm.


    Orphella saw the monster''s weakened state. She knew that if the monster rested even for a moment bit it would recover much faster and she doesn''t want that. Being cornered with the humanoid creature was at best a risk for her. She could remain hidden as the beast was distracted, but without any possible exits, she would just be a sitting prey to the healing monster.


    She took a deep breath and decided on the impossible, she will fight the creature and risk it. Orphella slowly tiptoed towards the beast making sure that even her breathing was bated to not let the beast detect her as it licked its wounds.


    Unfortunately, she planned it too poorly. Just as she was about to reach the beast, the monster''s ears twitched, and it immediately turned around at her. Its maws grotesquely opened and revealed its full set of teeth in its segmented jaw. The beast stood upright but was having difficulty standing up straight with its wings on full spread. The beast''s gait was askew, it was indeed injured.


    Orphella lept back and readied herself. She knew her plan was too risky to do but she did it anyway, unfortunately now, she had to deal with her mistake. Without weapons or magic, she was nothing more than a fodder to the hungry creature, but the elf boldly stood her ground. Like a cornered animal, she knew her best way out was to fight¡ªand fight she did!


    In her desperation she took a fistful of mud on her hands and charged towards the monster hoping her other plan won''t fail her. She carefully watched the monster''s reaction. She observed at its arms, hand and body as she went on for the attack.


    The monster swung its sharp claws unto her, but the injured creature had become sluggish, and she was able to duck from it. She kicked the creature''s knee, attempting to shatter it and rend its ligaments to shreds, but her strength wasn''t enough.


    Her attack only angered the beast even more. The monster swung its wings towards her, Orphella managed to dodge it barely by the hair. Its wing got stuck in the soft mud giving making the beast immobile for a while as it tried to be unstuck itself.


    As the creature pulled its wing out of the soft ground, she immediately rode its back and slapped the fistful of mud into its ears.  The bat demon shrieked as its ears got covered with mud. For a monster born without eyes, its ears served as its sight and now with that gone, it became disoriented.


    Orphella immediate jumped out from its back and hurriedly grabbed the dagger lodged on its forearm. The monster shrieked in pain, as the dagger was finally out of its forearm. However, Orphella was unable to attack, the shriek dazed the poor elf.


    The monster''s wing was finally detached from the soft mud and immediately swung it towards her hitting her in the stomach. Orphella was thrown from the impact and landed near the elven statue. She heard a crunch as she landed and knew a rib or two broke. She got winded from the attack that she found it hard to even stand up.


    From a distance she saw the monster struggled with the mud on its ears. Orphella knew she had one shot at this. Dragging her body, she stood up holding the dagger on her hand. Blood trickled from her mouth, but she never got bothered by it. She spat some on the ground and although limping from her injuries, decided to attack the monster.


    She winced in pain as she did another dance with the monster, dodging its wings and claws from hitting her. Orphella saw a small opening went to the monster''s limped side tried thrusting a dagger on its neck, but alas the monster caught it by its maw.


    The blade shattered along the monster''s maw, along with the last ounce of hope she had of her surviving. Both of them fell down and tumbled as the creature was trying its best to dominate her. The monster was able to trap her left hand and began to squeeze it. Orphella winced in pain as she tried he best to block the monster''s maws from reaching hers.


    The monsters squeezed her hand even stronger that she heard it break. The poor Orphella groaned in agony on the ground and was finally ready to succumb to her fate. When all of a sudden, the amulet she wore began to glow and flew towards the monster, piercing its heart in the process.


    The monster halted its attack as Orphella saw the small whole burned in its chest, but the gem wasn''t finished. It attacked a few more times piercing the monsters'' hide like a butter. The monster died and Orphella immediately shoved it away from her.


    As she tried to compose herself trying to understand what just happened, the gem hovered right in front of her. Its beautiful glow seemed to shout for her attention and so her eyes followed as the gem hovered away from her and went into the metal door where it latched itself.


    Suddenly the door lit up and the closed metal slabs finally opened, welcoming the brave elf of whatever it was on the side.

 Chapter 155: Truth Seeker

    Orphella took a gamble and made her step inside the glowing metallic gate. There was no other exit anyway. The hole where she fell from was way too far and too high for her to reach. It wouldn''t be a good idea either to stay there with the humanoid creature''s corpse, who knows what would become of it after it stayed there for a while. She doesn''t want to be the first and last to know what it would be.


    But of course, she couldn''t just leave the monster lying there, just incase it has some delayed high-speed generative ability. Orphella had no choice and took the laborious task of decapitating the horrendous creature. Even with the sharpest dwarven dagger she had on hand, penetrating the creature''s thick neck proved to be a task in itself.


    She did what she had to do. She cut into its scaly hide, then sliced its tough sinew, until she nicked the bone. It took her a while, but she finally took the head out from its torso.  She flung the head into the mossy waters of the deep pond before finally leaving the rest of the carcass lying on the muddy ground.


    After washing her dagger, she hurriedly approached the glowing metallic door. As she went closer, she felt her skin prickled from the warm gentle glow of the light touching her skin. She took a step inside the door and felt a strong shiver in her spine. It was a weird sensation, but it was a good kind of weird. The energy surrounding the place beyond the door was welcoming.


    Orphella closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she entered the door. The energy began to shift and suddenly she was overwhelmed with so much pressure pressing her chest as the door shut close behind her. Her knees suddenly weakened, and her body shuddered as the felt the surge of energy coursing through her body.


    The pathway glowed a pale blue light, a color she was very familiar with from a dream she had before. After a few moments, she was able to regain her strength. It seemed like her body had already adjusted to the energy the pathway emitted when she entered.


    She stood up and dusted herself, while her eyes curiously traced the mysterious pathway for traps. She was well aware with these kinds of places; the uneven terrain could be utilized to hide a booby trap or two. Orphella was well-familiar with these places. The Indescens sect had temples set with hidden traps to protect their deepest secret that only the higher priestesses and priest knew.


    Although blind to the knowledge hidden inside their temples, the acolytes and priestesses or priests in-training were well taught with the nature of the traps hidden within their silent walls. The priests and priestess along with acolytes lived inside the temples and so knowing the traps was as important as knowing the next verse to the prayer they silently prayed to.


    She tiptoed as she made her step on the ground. The uneven terrain made her suspicious of the small bumps on her path and she simply choose to avoid the bulges altogether. She also didn''t dare to lean on the tunnel''s walls in fear of activating any traps that might have been set-up there.


    Orphella had already walked a good distance away from the door when suddenly, a flashing light passed by her right side. She immediately ducked and closed her eyes in surprise, she thought that she activated some trap while walking.


    When she opened her eyes, Orphella was surprised to see the gem in front of her. The glowing gem hovered above her head just in arms reach. She tried grabbing the gem, but it immediately swerved away from her reach, as if it wanted not to be held. She tried it a few times more, but she always ended with the same result.


    Orphella gave up on grabbing the gem, she just hopelessly stared at the gem with heaps of questions swirling her mind. The gem seemed to speak to her through its lights. The way it blinked and dimmed, was like a language.


    She took a gander out of the strange gem''s light and nodded at the gem. The gem started to move forward, Orphella followed the gem without question. She was apprehensive at first but then again, the gem did save her from the monstrous bat.


    The longer she followed the gem, Orphella noticed the terrain changing from the primitive dusty ground to a more man-made structured path filled with stones, to an elegantly elven road she never thought she would see there.


    Orphella halted and touched the marbled floor. It was indeed real and was meticulously made by elven hands exactly as how an elven artisan does. The gem hovered right unto her face as if asking her what she was actually doing. She stood up again and was ready to follow the gem once again, but the gem didn''t move. It instead simply floated right in front of her face, unmoving.


    She tried grabbing it again, but when she did, the gem glowed blindingly bright. It happened only in a fraction of time and when she opened her eyes, the gem was gone. She looked around, trying to find where the gem went but there was nothing on sight. It more likely expended itself and faded away.


    She was thankful for that gem, it did save her life earlier, but it still got her confused. Why would it lead her there? What''s its point of guiding her there? Could it be just a gem that was randomly floating around and her following it just led her to lose her way?


    "Bummer." She whispered under her breathe.


    Her eyes widened in shock as she heard that voice again coming out of her.  She covered her mouth for a while and then tried to utter a word again. But just before she did, the entire place suddenly illuminated. She covered her eyes as the glowing light engulfed her.


    When she opened her eyes a few moments later, she was shocked to see the room filled with bright lights and some writings that seemed too alien for her to read, let alone understand. She saw visions flashing out of thin air about exploding lights, flaming spheres of what seemed to be land, falling stars and seven moons.


    The visions came in spurting images too hard for her eyes to catch, yet her mind seemed to understand. She saw strobes of light melded into one and formed beings of a thousand. She saw those beings bear their own creations from the dusts and elements floating in the void. Everything she saw made her head ache until the last vision, a vision of a being spurting horns. She felt what the being felt and heard the ridicule the being suffered as he groveled at his creators'' feet.


    She had a lot more visions flashing in front of her, so much so that she finally fainted from all of it. Orphella laid on the cold marbled floor as the light slowly faded and the visions came to blur.

 Chapter 156: Shaking the Fold

    Maraus, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 57th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ----------------------------------


    "How long has it been?" 305-M asked as he sipped his warm tea. "Has it been a week already? I don''t want to discourage you here, Prince Arterius, but they might be dead already!" He put his teacup down the long table.


    Lord Prestonheim silently sat on his chair unmoving and refusing to make a comment from his former colleague''s statement. He certainly loathed the man, 305-M had always been constantly conniving and scheming with anyone the redhead thought to be interesting. This often led to his run-in with other nobles who wanted him out, but the Imperatur had been protecting him since he won the war against the rebels at the Battle of the Gorge.


    "Hmmm¡­Prince Arterius," 305-M scratched his head, "Is there any way we can also get some advice from the Lord Commander regarding this matter?" He sarcastically asked the prince while raising an eyebrow.


    Lord Prestonheim felt the pressure of their stares as they patiently waited for him to give out an opinion over their recent predicament. It was indeed true; the expedition might have already failed. It was already nearing its first week and they were yet to receive any form of news coming from anyone from the people below the surface. But rather than be pressured to talk, he was more annoyed at the redhead''s constant instigation towards him. He really wanted to keep his mouth shut at that point however, he didn''t want his godson to be left there hanging.


    "Dead or nay, our opinion won''t matter." Lord Prestonheim said. "What would matter here is Prince Arterius'' opinion. It will only be over when he says so." He nodded at the prince.


    Servus 305-M took another sip of his tea, "Well, that''s why we''re here to give him our opinion!" He faced the prince. "Truly Prince Arterius, at this point, you might as well leave that project behind and try experimenting on these that I brought. These were the same stones that other slave guy took from the tunnel."


    Lord Prestonheim''s temper was getting shorter the more 305-M kept speaking. He knew fully well that his former colleague was just sowing seeds of chaos in the prince''s mind. He knew that the redhaired slave was getting impatient to see some results. Rather than be annoyed alone, he poked at his former colleague too, as if to shake his hornet''s nest a bit.


    "Well, if you indeed had these ores, which I''m sure you ran away with them as far as I could remember¡­" Lord Prestonheim stood up from his seat. "Why haven''t you created any progress with your research those far? Are you pointing out to us that your sharp mind is getting blunt?" He added.


    Finally, he poked the redhead just right. 305-M stood from his seat; his face flushed in red. "W-what did you just say?! B-blunt?! Me? Blunt?!" He smashed the table with his hand.


    "Well, I did say it," Lord Prestonheim clarified. "You know, if you wanted to collaborate and help the prince, like what you plan to do, then share to us your initial findings of that research." He calmly stated.


    305-M stared at him intently. He knew very well that the redhead was about to spew venom at him, thus he waited. He met the slave''s gaze and the stare down ensued between the both of them. It was childish to say the least, but it was all that he could do to get 305-M spew his plans as well.


    "You are not making any sense!" 305-M pointed out. "Why would I¡­give out my research to you¡ª" The redhaired slave bit his tongue when he finally realized how he was lured into spilling his beans.


    He slowly sat down and remained silent for a while. Lord Prestonheim knew his comment was a telling of the plans he had with the aetherium ores. He wanted to expose him and let Prince Arterius claim an advantage over the knowledge he had kept. After all, Senator Lucresia wasn''t the onlyone who had something off his sleeves.


    Prince Arterius finally broke his silence. He stood up from his chair and clear his throat before he spoke. "Honorable Lords, I can understand why you bickered for my sake, but I find it unnecessary." He began to approach Servus 305-M from his seat. "Although, I would really appreciate that report as bases for our research." He looked at him at straight in the eyes.


    Lord Prestonheim could see how uneasy 305-M had become. He knew that the slave would have preferred to shut his mouth but unfortunately, the prince had personally asked him. It would be very interesting how 305-M would answer from here on out and the Commander would definitely like to know.


    "Yes, of course, my Prince." 305-M whispered and nodded at Prince Arterius. "You shall have it in your quarters by the evening."


    "Fair enough." Prince Arterius answered. "Thank you, 305-M. I will read that report and see what we can use to base our experiments on. Oh! We shall start experimenting with those ores tomorrow, so please clear your day." He added.


    "For you, it will be." The redhead bowed.


    "My Lords, I shall take my leave for now. I need to check on something¡ª" The prince paused. "Godfather, a word please." The young prince gestured him to go outside with him.


    Lord Prestonheim immediately followed his godson outside and left the seething redhead alone. Deep down he knew Prince Arterius would''ve despise that action he did. The young prince respected the man whom he considered a teacher once when he was younger. But he cannot let his godson be forever blinded with his mentor''s shadow of influence. He knew more than anyone how 305-M sowed seeds of chaos throughout his tenure. He did it with rivals and opposing nations indiscriminately. The last thing he wanted was for that same method to take root of the brilliant prince.


    Prince Arterius waited for him outside along with his ward. Lord Prestonheim hurriedly caught up with them and then paced himself to match theirs. It was a quiet walk at first. Obviously, his godson was gathering up his thoughts on what to say to him. He knew that his actions might''ve offended the young prince. But the prince''s anger was a price he was willing to pay if it means extracting information on that crazy redhead.


    "Thank you, godfather." Prince Arterius uttered, "I was trying my best to make him say that, but no matter what I do, he always was able to avoid that topic."


    Lord Prestonheim felt relieved hearing what his godson said. "He is a man of his craft." He said briefly. 305-M before he became the slave, he was today, he was a brilliant soldier known for his tactics and espionage. His methods were outright questionable, inhumane and sometimes depraved but it gets the job done. "He was a soldier who boosted the espionage and war tactics of our kingdom. Avoiding questions like that is a walk in the park for him." He added.


    "Then h-how did you¡­" His godson paused before he could end the question after he realized what the answer was. "Oh¡­I see¡­He is a bit¡ª"


    "Prideful. I know." Lord Prestonheim smiled.


    Lord Prestonheim and Prince Arterius continued their discussion as they were nearing the prince''s tent when all of a sudden, the ground shook violently. The poor prince almost lost his footing if it weren''t for him who held his godson steadily as the ground quaked in a fit of rage.


    It took a few moments for the quake to finally stop and when it did, Lord Prestonheim saw the devastation it did on the camp. Trees had fallen, the ground slightly cracked and some of the weakly built tents fell. Luckily, no one was injured.


    Lord Prestonheim was very apprehensive with quakes. The one he re-called witness involved a giant centipede flipping a lord into the air before eating him off his misery. He hoped it wouldn''t be the same, but just in case it was, his sword was already unsheathed to welcome the critters.


    He looked around as he protected the prince with his body. He looked around and felt the ground on his feet just to be sure that no one would every surprise them in any directions.


    "W-what was that?!" The Prince asked as he tried to unleash himself from the Commander''s tight defense.


    "A quake, it seems!" Stolas answered while dusting off.


    "Shhh¡­be very quiet and still." Lord Prestonheim reprimanded both men. "Something might surface!"


    They stood still for a while until a frantic knight came rushing towards them, "My Lord! My Prince! You have to see this!" He cried out loud.


    "Be still, knight! You might¡ª" Lord Prestonheim tried to warn him.


    "Bodies! Heads! I-I saw heads flying out of the hole!" The knight said as he chased his breath.


    Lord Prestonheim eased himself but was really baffled with what the knight was saying. "Did you just say¡ª"


    "Heads! Heads flying out of the hole! Bodies mutilated! I cannot explain it!"


    "Godfather, what is he saying?" Prince Arterius pushed Lord Prestonheim away from him and approached the knight. "What do you mean by heads flying out of the hole?!"


    Lord Prestonheim grabbed his godson''s arm to get his attention. "Stay here! I will let you know what it is once I''ve seen it for myself!" He answered. "You! Stay here and guard the royal prince with your life!" He rushed towards the hole, hoping that whatever the knight said was nothing more than just an illusion¡­hopefully it was.

 Chapter 157: Heads Will Roll

    Good child, good child, you better hide;


    The monster''s on its way;


    Your mother''s wails is all you hear;


    As they take her away.


    Good child, good child you better hide;


    The monster''s here to get you;


    You better hide tight neath your bed;


    And pray you''ll not be dead.


    -an excerpt from a Vridian rhyme.


    -----------------------------------------


    Maraus, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 57th day of Fall, Arenfall


    --------------------------------------------------


    Lord Prestonheim was in disbelief as the grisly scene slowly unfolded before him on his way to the hole. The ground was slick and slippery with some foul substance he was yet to know what and the baffled knights surrounding the area made it look like a scene of massacre.


    As he approached it, the heads began to show popping out from the thick mud covering it. The heads looked fresh¡­newly dead that is.


    "By the gods! Simolineos!" One knight exclaimed as he tried picking up the head of his fallen comrade.


    Lord Prestonheim rushed to him and immediately grabbed his hand before he could touch the severed head. "Don''t¡­touch¡­it" He commanded. "We are still not sure if that is the real thing or just of the many tricks this damned hole had given us!" He added while he stared intently at the bubbling muck flowing out of the corpse''s orifices.


    "Go and escort the prince here!" He commanded the young knight. As the young knight ran to get the prince, Lord Prestonheim decided to investigate on the area. "You! Yes, you there! Get me a stick, a long one at that!" He told one bewildered knight.


    While the knight frantically looked for a stick, Lord Prestonheim approached the dreaded hole. The knights surrounding the hole were jittery. Their shields were certainly put on guard while they assumed an attack position with their blades pointing at the damned hole.


    He nodded at the knights as they gave way for him to come a little bit closer to the hole. Lord Prestonheim drew his sword and slowly approached the hole, planning to take a peek at the hellhole spewing this madness into the surface.


    The ground was soft and slippery, slick with the black foul sticky liquid oozing from the well earlier. His heart began to pump rapidly as the he was approaching the mouth of the well. His mind was filled with fearful thoughts of what monster may lie beneath the hole.


    Lord Prestonheim grabbed a light rune from his satchel and activated it. He threw the glowing rune inside the hole hoping to illuminate the dark pit below. He gestured to his knights to brace themselves in case something goes awry.


    He went closer, close enough that his eyes could already see a portion of that damned hole. The portion of what he saw was just thick bubbling liquid coming off the ground. The viscous fluid glimmer at the shine of the rune, unfortunately, the light was short lived. The glowing rune was then devoured by the liquid consuming the light in the process.


    Lord Prestonheim went away from the hole after taking a glimpse at it and decided it was too dangerous to even try and peep at it from the surface. He looked around and was annoyed to see how slow the knight was in granting his command.


    "Where''s my stick?!" He shouted. The jittery knights looked at each other until one of them decided to get the knight whom the commander ordered to get the stick. The knight came back bringing a long thin branch. Lord Prestonheim grabbed the stick from the knight and scolded him for being too slow.


    After some words he imparted to the knight, Lord Prestonheim went back on the muck-filled heads and started poking them, checking if it was indeed a real head and not some illusion. As he was poking at the heads, Prince Arterius came bringing some rugged sacks along with him.


    "What are you doing, godfather?" The baffled Prince asked after seeing Lord Prestonheim poking at the heads.


    "This¡­" Lord Prestonheim poked one of the heads again. "I am just making sure that no monster in the depth would come out and crawl out these!" After poking the heads for a while, Lord Prestonheim was finally convinced they were real.


    "But¡ª" Just before the prince could finish his sentence, the ground shook once again, this time even harder.


    The slick mud wasn''t giving him any favors, Lord Prestonheim along with some other knights lose their footing and got slathered in the thick foul liquid he swore never to touch. He tried his best not to get the foul liquid into his mouth and nose. It took a while for the ground to finally stop its violent shaking, by then the poor knights and Lord Prestonheim was already covered in the slick liquid.


    "Don''t get this liquid into your mouth, no matter what." He shouted after he regained his footing.


    The liquid itself smelled rotten as it stuck on his skin. Lord Prestonheim did his best to not gag from such a foul-odor. The last thing he wanted was his men seeing him gagging over such things. He looked around and saw the Prince was doing fine, albeit shaken from the quake. The good thing was, he wasn''t covered in the same vile fluid as they were.


    "Are you alright¡­phew..phew¡­Prince Arterius?" He tried his best to avoid the liquid from going into his mouth.


    "I am¡­" The Prince Arterius replied dusting himself off. "But it looks like you''re in a total mess."


    "Yes, I know." Lord Prestonheim sighed. "Stand back, Prince Arterius! We are still not sure what this liquid is." He gestured his hand to turn the prince away from him. "All of those who''re cover in guck, please rinse yourself clean and avoid that black liquid getting in contact in your mouth and nose!" He shouted.


    The knights nodded and the untainted ones ran to carry pails of water to wash their dirtied comrades. Lord Prestonheim also commanded the other knights to retrieve the heads and get them burned as soon as they could. While the people were running up and about, a sudden sound echoed from the hole.


    "Did you hear that?!" Lord Prestonheim said as he raised his weapon. "You there! Take the prince away from here!" He commanded as he pointed the soiled knights to prepare for a possible skirmish.


    Just as the knight took the prince away from the area, 305-M arrived with a bagful of scrolls.


    "W-what are you doing here?" Lord Prestonheim asked the annoying redhead.


    "Well, the quakes! The quakes were terrifying! The earth might swallow us whole and I am just preparing to take my leave!" the redhead answered.


    "Good riddance to you then!" He said while signaling the knights to ready their shields.


    "Yes¡­and to you as well!" 305-M smirked. "I am taking the prince with me into¡ª"


    "HEEELPPPP! ANYONE!!! Help!" The voice finally broke out from the hole.


    "Someone''s down there!" The knight immediately approached the hole.


    Lord Prestonheim immediately blocked the knight from going towards the hole by standing in front of him. "Don''t go there! We are not sure whether he is¡­"


    "Alive?! Hmm¡­indeed he is alive!" 305-M declared as he peeked at the hole.


    "How did you¡­" Lord Prestonheim approached the crazy redhead.


    "It''s not like I''m not trained to do stuff that you do!" The redhead quickly replied while squinting at the hole to see clearly what was below. "Besides, now you get to play as the merciful Commander now¡­oh, wait! What do you have there in your arms?! By the gods! Is that?" 305-M turned to him with a worried look on his face.


    "What did you see?" Lord Prestonheim calmly asked while trying to control his hand from accidentally slashing the annoying slave into two.


    "Well, you have to see it for yourself." 305-M said.


    Lord Prestonheim noted how the normally arrogant slave''s tone became somber and brooding. It seemed like he''d seen something that had upset him so bad he was showing his emotions. Curiosity got the better of him, he wasted no time to take a peek at what 305-M could''ve saw¡ªat that day, he wished he never did look at what''s below the hole.


    "By the gods! NO!!! Syleon!" The poor commander wanted to jump off the hole to see if his eyes were messing with him. What he saw broke his heart; carried in the arms of a surviving naval knight was his friend, Commander Syleon Crovar dead and torn to pieces with only his torso and his head intact.

 Chapter 158: The Man from the Hole

    He who carries his blade on his shoulder;


    Shalt die with the blade on his chest;


    My young boy, when you grow up and become a knight;


    Make sure you know this one best.


    -A Knight''s Tale, excerpt from the Principalian Rhyme Collection First Edition


    ---------------------------------------------------------


    Tarsuria, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 58th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ---------------------------------------------------------------


    "Syleon Crovar has died in service of the Principalian crown. May this letter serve as an acknowledgement for his many accomplishments for expanding and defending our beloved empire. His years of service had brought nothing but prosperity to the realm and thus he will be given an honorable burial after his remains are shipped from the lonely isle of the Crescent.


    My deepest sympathies to the bereaved family. His name will be echoed throughout this land and the Senate will be requested to provide him a place in the hall of honors, his effigy will never die along with his memory.


    In Pace,


    Prince Arterius Prima


    Maraus, Year of Severus, 15, I.R. the 57th day of Fall"


    It took Prince Arterius almost more than two days to finally finish the letter he was supposed to send to the Crovar family regarding the demise of their head. He massaged his neck as it ached tremendously after a long night of thinking and drafting the letter, he''s yet to give it to the messenger early today.


    He wanted to give a more heartfelt message to the family, but unfortunately, their customs prevent him from doing so. Commander Crovar was his staunch supporter from the very start. He was a very good friend of his godfather and thus he treated him the way he treated his godfather, with love and lots of respect.


    The letter he finished just now felt like a disservice to his loyal subject who gave away his life for his cause; a cause that was now fading into the obscurity as time went on. Stolas approached him a few moments later bringing a strong tea to wash down his worries and clear his mind to ease his sleep.


    "You need a good sleep, you know that." Stolas said as he placed the tea on the table. "Writing that letter¡­for a lack of a better term, had aged you in a night." He added.


    Prince Arterius smiled at his ward''s jest, although he knew there was a hint of truth in that statement. He sipped his warm tea and sighed as the aroma took over his nose. It was an exquisite tea with a wonderful aroma all made the better in the hands of a masterful brewer.


    "I think I will." Prince Arterius answered as he sipped tea once more. "Here, take the letter and send it immediately to the Crovar household. These damned traditions, I hate it! Why can''t I say something nice and heartfelt for the family? This is ridiculous! Take it¡­or better yet read it first. I might''ve missed a spelling or two." He asked Stolas who sternly picked up the letter and read it while squinting his eyes.


    "Ahhh¡­uhmmmm¡­ohh¡­" The ward groaned.


    "I need your opinion, not your groans." Prince Arterius complained.


    "Well¡­ahem¡­as much as I admire the content of your letter¡­" Stolas remarked. "You''re writing is incorrigible." He clicked his tongue.


    "Give me that!" He grabbed the letter from Stolas and read it again. "See¡­It''s legib¡ªoh! On second thought, you''re right." Prince Arterius clicked his tongue as well.


    His lack of sleep affected his handwriting to a point that he didn''t notice how the last two lines converged into one messy blot. He sighed at the mess he made and was about to tear up the letter when Stolas stopped him from doing it.


    "You don''t have to tear it!" His ward scolded him. "Let me have it and I will rewrite it for you! All you have to do after is put your seal on the letter once its done." He snatched the letter from Prince Arterius and hid it in his pocket.


    Prince Arterius didn''t protest his ward''s idea. He needed his rest, his heart had to rest as well. His sleepless nights were caused by his worries about the result of his expedition. It was already taking a toll on him especially with what happened recently; the return of a knight who barely survived inside the hole.


    He took another sip of his tea before standing up. "How''s the knight?" He asked.


    "If you''re talking about the poor soul who carried the Commander in his arms, he''s currently detained outside in the middle of camp, exposed to the elements." Stolas answered him without blinking.


    "Couldn''t there be a tent put over his¡ª"


    "You already argued that with your godfather and he still wouldn''t budge."


    "He''s just being cautious about it. He said it might be some creature from the hole disguising as one of us." Arterius sighed as he approached his tent''s opening while looking outside. "Why is he naked now?!" He shouted to his surprise.


    "Earlier today, 305-M approached the man and ordered him to strip while they bathe him in clean water." Stolas answered back. "Much later, he asked the man about what happened down there, but the man never answered him¡ªnot even once." He added.


    "And why was he left naked?" The Prince raised his eyebrow. "Was there no clothing that this man can fit?"


    "Fitting is not the issue." Stolas retorted, "The knight didn''t want it."


    "What did you just say?!" Arterius'' eyes bloom wide open at the man''s logic. "This night might''ve gone insane already! Who in their right mind wouldn''t want to have something to wear during this time?!"


    "Apparently, that man!" Stolas pointed the naked man sitting inside the cage.


    "I must speak to this person!" Prince Arterius tried to go out of the tent but was immediately stopped by his ward by grabbing his arm.


    "I''m sorry Arterius, but I cannot let you do that." Stolas answered. "It''s too dangerous and Lord Prestonheim had commanded that no one was allowed to approach that man." He added.


    "And why''s that? Is being naked too dangerous now?" Arterius raised his eyebrow. "What''s the worst he could do to me? Bite me? Grab me by the collar and choke me to death? Or better yet, stab me with his dick?!" He sarcastically asked.


    "The commander is afraid that if this guy changes into a monster and might break out from its cage." Stolas adamantly emphasized what he said earlier. "Remember, you''re the Prince, the next in line to the throne. He''s afraid something bad might happen to you."


    "He''s still treating me like a child, doesn''t he?" He asked his ward without looking back.


    "You know he''s just trying to¡ª"


    "Protect me?! I know how to protect myself!" Prince Arterius stomped his good foot on the ground in frustration."


    "Well, you should¡ª"


    "Where is my godfather?" He asked, but before his ward could answer he already stormed out of the tent and went looking for Lord Prestonheim. He had a lot of things to say to his godfather about how they were treating the knight survivor.


    As he went out of his tent, he accidentally caught the knight''s eyes staring at him and saw something different in his eyes. For a while he thought he saw the knight''s pupils turned into slits. The sudden image surprised him and caused him to stop. He rubbed his eyes and when he looked at the knight''s eyes again, it became normal.


    It was a pair of deep blue eyes that met his, not dark eyes he saw earlier.


    "Are you alright?!" Stolas patted his back as he walked pass him. "You need to¡ª"


    "I am alright!" He answered immediately. "I will rest after I speak to him!" Prince Arterius said while he shook off the idea of what he saw. It was more likely out from his sleepless nights that caused him to see things¡­weird things.


    Hopefully there was nothing to it.

 Chapter 159: Grimace

    The Darkness rises as the moons casted its light upon the earth.


    And there I was, looking at the void from light above me.


    -excerpt from the Prophecies of Aesil of Vridian.


    --------------------


    Tarsuria, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 58th day of Fall, Arenfall


    "Godfather!" Prince Arterius entered the Commander''s tent storming. "I need to talk to you!"


    Lord Prestonheim looked surprised and baffled at his audacity to storm into his tent and demanding his audience. Not that his godfather wouldn''t permit his presence, Prince Arterius was angered of how the knight was treated inside the cage. After all, the prisoner was a knight and not just any other knight, but a knight that survived the carnage of the hellhole he ordered they enter in the first place.


    "Yes, Prince Arterius¡­what is this all about?" His godfather bafflingly asked as he placed his quill beisde the inkwell. "Is something bothering you?"


    Prince Arterius approached his godfather who was sitting on the table and asked. "What are you doing to a citizen of the Principalia?" His heart heavy with grief as he delivered the message. "I thought as knights and stewards of this realm the knights were supposed to¡ª"


    "Then he will understand what I am doing to him," Lord Prestonheim calmly answered. "If he swore to protect this realm no matter what cost, then, he should damn be ready for anything of what is asked of him!" Lord Prestonheim added while taking the quill out of the inkwell.


    Somehow that statement made Prince Arterius'' blood boil in rage. How could his godfather, an outstanding citizen and military leader of their empire say such a thing?! As his beacon of chivalry, how could his godfather give him that answer? It was cruel and a betrayal to his subordinate''s trust.


    "I am sorry, godfather, but I beg to disagree." He bravely spurted. "As a citizen of the realm, I think the man deserves better especially with after all that he''d been through! The least that we can do is provide him¡ª"


    You are young, Prince Arterius. Young, full of honor and compassion." Lord Prestonheim interrupted. "Don''t ever change once you sit on the throne. But you must trust me when I say this, that man needs to stay like that for a while. We have to make sure that he isn''t some monster in a man''s skin. "The Commander explained as he wrote something in the parchment.


    "I-I don''t understand¡­" Arterius brow furrowed again but he was keeping his temper in check. He wasn''t too sure why his godfather would explain to him the situation in riddle. "What do you mean by that?"


    "Arterius," His godfather''s tone became dire. "You don''t know what lies beyond that hole. We are not even sure if that is the same person or not. We must be sure that he is or else¡­" He suddenly looked somber.


    Prince Arterius didn''t want to ask that latter part anymore, although, he was still adamant about his opinion on the knight''s treatment. "I understand your concern, godfather, but we still need to give him some clothes at the very least."


    Lord Prestonheim sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose like he always did when something goes awry or when pushy conversations arise. "I won''t advise you to do that just in case¡ª"


    "I am now commanding you to do just that!" Prince Arterius'' temper flared at his stubborn godfather. "You will do just like what I command!"


    Lord Prestonheim looked at him shocked at what he did. He too was surprised at raising his voice. He never was the type of man whose temper usually exploded in a small confrontation, let alone a simple debate. But the man''s situation was something that he couldn''t take off his mind. The knight''s torment reflected the injustices he had to suffer just to be where he was now and that made him relate to him even more.


    Lord Prestonheim stood up from his table and bowed at him. "Your command will be done, my Prince."  His godfather said in a voice that screamed refusal to his command. "My men will gather some clothes for him." His godfather went out from the tent and commanded his men outside to dress the poor knight.


    After going back inside the tent, his godfather went back to his table and continued writing again. He took a glance at him and asked, "Do you have anything else needed of me, my Prince?"


    His godfather''s emotionless face said it all. Deep down he regretted blasting off in front of his godfather. But at the same time, he had to show his authority in the camp regardless of who he was with. He can''t be an effective leader if he cannot even command properly.


    "No," he answered. "That will be all. We shall convene later at dusk to discuss matters about this expedition. I might change my mind on¡­" He paused and bit his lip.


    "I understand. Tonight, it is then." Lord Prestonheim answered and bowed low to him.


    Prince Arterius bowed back and left the tent. He was in a stale mood; something that he hadn''t experience for quite a long time now. The sunlight was irritating him even further as the rays penetrated his eyes. He tried his best to walk while squinting and covering his face from the irritable sun.


    "It looks like the lack of sleep has take a toll on you." Stolas remarked.


    Prince Arterius had a couple of words choice words to say at his ward, but he knew his ward was speaking the truth. He was sleepless and tired; maybe sleep could finally ease his mind and put his temper at bay.


    "Stolas," He sighed. "I don''t want to be disturbed as I sleep right now. I don''t care who wants to talk with me, they will have to wait! And¡­don''t wake me up just to eat! I will eat after I¡ª"


    "Understood," Stolas interrupted. "Go ahead and sleep now, cranky head!" His ward smirked at him.


    He found Stolas'' answer was quite annoying, but he knew his ward, above all else, meant no harm. He went inside his tent and slept a dreamless sleep. He wasn''t sure how he did it, but as he closed his eyes, his mind went blank and then, sleep followed after it.


    It was already sunset when he finally woke up. He was hungry and thirsty after a long day of sleep. His body was drenched in sweat, but that didn''t matter to him. It was the first time he slept so well without the aid of his numbing medicine and he slept perfectly well, waking up energized which was something he never felt for a long time.


    He immediately called Stolas who was sitting at the corner that time, tinkering something on his table. He asked for light-flavored tea and fresh new clothes for him to wear. Unfortunately, eating dinner was a privilege he had to decline right now as he prepared for the meeting, he had with Lord Prestonheim and 305-M.


    305-M was the first to arrive, carrying a big, weird sack. He bowed at him and asked him if he had a good rest. When he nodded, his former mentor complained of how rude his ward was for not letting him enter the tent earlier today. Prince Arterius looked at Stolas with a baffled look on his face. Stolas subtly smiled and shrugged his shoulders.


    "I-I want you to discipline your ward later! That was unacceptable!" 305-M commanded. "That was unreasona¡ª"


    "I am sorry," _Prince Arterius began. "It was on my orders that I told him that I wasn''t to be disturbed by anyone.


    "Oh, is that so?" 305-M cleared his throat and silently went to his seat not mentioning the whole fiasco again.


    Lord Prestonheim entered soon after and silently sat down the chair intended for him. The meeting came soon after. As Servus 305-M tried his best to discourage the prince from continuing the expedition, Prince Arterius had a different say otherwise.


    "I will continue the expedition!" He said firmly at both men. "Seeing that there could be a number of survivors still trapped within the hole. I would want to wait for them!"


    "But, my prince you don''t understand¡­" 305-M paused and looked at his godfather. "There are monsters lurking down there. I am not even sure that the man we had right now is a man itself." The redhaired slave pointed out.


    "You too, 305-M?!" He said exclaimed in disbelief. "You''ve seen them too?" He asked.


    "Nay, I haven''t! But I was there that night!" 305-M explained.


    "He was there indeed!" Lord Prestonheim broke his silence. "He ran away along with some documents and the ores." He glared at the slave.


    What Prince Arterius thought to be another tirade of endless banter turned out to be nothing more than silence on both parties. No one reacted over what the one just said. He found it peculiar but at the same time, gratifyingly good.


    "You heard the prince, 305-M." Lord Prestonheim stood up from his seat. "I shall go wherever he takes us!" He was about to exit the tent when Prince Arterius stopped him.


    "Godfather, where are you going?" He asked.


    "These old bones are weary tonight." Lord Prestonheim answered. "Something is telling me we must prepare."


    Prince Arterius raised his eyebrow, "Prepare for what?!"


    Lord Prestonheim didn''t answer but he did go back to his seat and expressed his apologies for his audacity to leave. Prince Arterius smiled and thought nothing of such small offense.


    305-M took out something in his strange big bag. He took out a glass jar filled with glowing liquid that swirled peacefully inside the jar, as if there was a current.


    "What is that?" Lord Prestonheim''s curiosity was whet with the glass bauble shown to them.


    "This my friends, is the result of my research so far!" He bragged while he caressed the glass of glowing mysterious substance.


    The substance danced gentle in its current for a while. The pale blue glow tantalized the eyes of Prince Arterius, it was beautiful and frightening at the same time. There was something within the liquid that made the hair on his nape stand.


    "I made this¡­umm¡­mysterious substance by charging the volatile aetherite and red mercury with the aetherium ores the slaves found down there, and the results are interesting! But that''s not your first question, isn''t it? I made this by¡ªoh!"


    Suddenly the substance slightly turned its color into a dark crimson tinge. The peacefully flowing liquid became chaotic inside the jar and it began to shake violently.


    "What do you mean by oh?!" Lord Prestonheim stood up and covered Prince Arterius from possible danger.


    "By oh I meant. It wasn''t supposed to do that!" He pointed at the jar shaking harder than ever.


    Outside they could hear a terrifying wail that slowly turned into an ear shattering screech.


    A knight hastily rushed inside their tent with bated breath and a huge gash all over his face. "The prisoner! The prisoner!" He shouted.


    "What''s going on?" Lord Prestonheim asked as he drew his sword.


    "The prisoner¡­he''s..changing!" The knight answered with a shaking voice.


    Lord Prestonheim simply looked at Prince Arterius. No words were needed as his looks already implied what he wanted to express from the very beginning.


    "Calm down, knight! Bring me to him!" His godfather said while gesturing to him to stay where he was. "And you there¡­305-M! Get that thing out of here and fast!"


    His godfather rushed out from the tent along with his master. All was left was him and Stolas, shocked at the goings on outside of the tent.

 Chapter 160: Tenebrus et Lux

    The horned god met him at the center of a dark lit room while smiling at him and clapping his hands in disbelief. Adaloun was smart enough not to come any closer to the dangerous deity. He witnessed firsthand how this twisted god fashioned himself like the gods he knew before.


    His egotistical ways struck a nerve with him. His fake benevolence was only rivalled by his belief that he was the most powerful deity in the world. But even that claim proved to be nothing more than a hoax to boost his already shattered ego.


    The horned god''s smile quickly turned into a sour grin and finally stopped his annoying clap. "Welcome to my humble abode!" He spread his arms and turned around in delight. "Do you like it?" He asked.


    Adaloun hated every minute of his stay with Oyue, but his loathing towards this other one was encompassing. At least Oyue respected his silence and would often just sigh at his stubbornness. But this one would demand his attention, like a child looking to please his father. However, this one is a diety, an egotistical megalomaniac of a god.


    He looked around and obviously wasn''t impress with the darkness of the room. There was nothing to see. Nothing for his eyes to behold unlike the galactic pathway or the tunnel full of horrors he had seen a few moments prior. But he took a gander at the situation and commented anyway.


    "A nice place, Zaduriel!" He said as he shook his head. "Quite the¡ª"


    "Hahaha," the horned god frantically laughed. "Liar! You''re a liar!" He pointed at him with a grimace on his face.


    Adaloun shrugged and chose not to answer or defend himself from the allegation, after all it was true. He obviously lied in front of a deity''s face without thinking about the dire consequence from doing so. It was a dumb move, for sure, but he has doubts about this so-called deity.


    He was powerful in every single way and yet he couldn''t feel a certain something coming from him. As the deities'' dog for more than 300 lifetimes in his past life, he could easily tell the difference between their auras.


    The gods as they have this aura that could draw you into them naturally. There was reverence in their presence, authority in their voice and an indescribable feeling that he feels every time he would encounter them. Out of all the fear and wonders he tried showing him, Adaloun felt none of this sensation he used to feel if it were Oyue or the gods'' he worked with in the past. Nevertheless, Adaloun was sill vigilant against the deity just in case he had some underhand tactics in store for him.


    "Pardon me, then." Adaloun said as he gripped the scimitar firmly in his hand. "I am not accustomed to such beauty that you define it to be."


    "Bah! Arellin, I do not strike you as a man of artistry, but I suppose you''re right." The horned god crossed his arms and snapped his fingers. "How about this one? No? This one? Too shabby for your taste?" Zaduriel kept on snapping his fingers while the room kept on changing its appearance, from a dense forest to a serene isle in the middle of a river.


    The deity was flaunting his terra-shifting ability on him. It was one of the ways the so-called deity would''ve devised in order for him to look powerful. But Adaloun was already seeing some signs of the deity''s fragile self. After a few encounters with the horned one, it looked like Oyue was saying the truth after all.


    "It''s too overwhelming, really." He sighed. "Couldn''t you just pick a good one?" He asked the god who seemed to have been waiting for his reaction.


    "A good one, huh?" The god pouted and nodded. "I know just the thing¡­oohhh¡­you will like it!" He snapped his fingers.


    To Adaloun''s surprise, he was shown the picturesque view of his original world. The fine white sands of the shore that laid rest along the blanket of beautiful azure waters came into his sights again.


    "Come on, feel the sand in your hands," Zaduriel took some sand in his hands and rubbed it against his fingers. "Even in this world, we can never find a sand as fine as this!" He exclaimed as he let the grains of sand drop from his fingers.


    "Why did you bring me here?" Adaloun asked as he approached the deity. "Why here?"


    Zaduriel smiled as he saw him approaching him, "Ohh¡­so now you approach me?!" He grinned. "Are you going to slash me with that sword?" He mockingly asked.


    "Only if you give me a reason to¡ª" Adaloun answered.


    "It''s not that I am afraid of that blade," The horned god pointed out. "I might hurt you if you do."


    "Then, what''s your point of calling me out here if you''re only bound to hurt me?" Adaloun stood still and fearlessly looked at him straight in the eyes.


    The horned god seemingly averted his gaze and approached him. "You really have your way with that stare." He said. "It''s infuria¡ªahem¡­it''s quite something. I was hoping that you would work for me."


    "Work for you?" Just as what Adaloun suspected. The deity was trying his best to allure him, to get his trust and become his dog. "Like a lap dog?"


    "Lap dog?! Of course not!" Zaduriel shook his head. "You''ll be my¡­justice! My sword and shield! The hand¡ª"


    "I get the idea," Adaloun interrupted. "But it''s a no." He shook his head and tried to walk away.


    "Oooohh¡­no¡­you''re not going anywhere." Zaduriel snapped his fingers and a wall of sand appeared to stop Adaloun from going away.


    Adaloun looked at him annoyed. He raised his blade and tried slashing the sand wall in front of him but to no avail. He tried hitting it harder and harder, but the sand would only slough off and get replaced by a new batch.


    "Tsk¡­tsk¡­that won''t do you any good." Zaduriel shook his head. "Actually, that weapon is too blunt to penetrate my magic. No surprise there, that was made by a weak god!" He arrogantly stated as he snapped his fingers.


    Suddenly, the small dent from the wall of sand shaped itself into a hand and grab the scimitar away from him.


    "You don''t need that garbage!" Zaduriel said. "If you will say yes to my offer, I can give you these and more!" He smiled at him.


    The sand swirled behind Adaloun. The violent spiraling sand opted him to squint as he tried to look back at the commotion behind him. It took a mere fraction of a moment for everything to settle down and when it did, Adaloun was surprised to see his weapons. The odd-looking gladius and the dwarven blade he''s friend Ghwynmyr created for him.


    "Ohh¡­these are yours, right?" The god smiled. "Of course, it is! But I won''t give these to you as bland weapons. I can enchant them to anyway you like. Just say yes and I can even give you more!" His words whispered on Adaloun''s ears.


    Adaloun looked at the blades as it slowly transformed to something more sophisticated and more beautiful than what they already were, but he still wasn''t convinced. He still doesn''t trust the horned god.

 Chapter 161: Doubt

    "Come on, pick one!" Smiled the deity, "Actually, take it all!" He nodded to convince Adaloun.


    Adaloun didn''t move nor attempted to show interest at the deity''s offer. Zaduriel raised his eyebrow at him and was visibly annoyed by his unwillingness to take his offer.


    "Does this not suffice you?" The deity asked with an obviously annoyed tone. "I did say I could give you more. What do you need? Oh, please do tell!" He tried encouraging him to tell him what he really wanted.


    Adaloun shook his head. He wanted nothing to do with him nor the other gods. That''s what he wanted, a life without an interruption from the self-proclaimed divines. He stood in between the wall of sand and the floating weapons, unmoving and unyielding to the god''s temptations.


    Zaduriel sighed and snapped his fingers once again, but instead of shifting their scene from the current venue, it simply buried the weapons in front of him into the sand. His blades sunk down the pearly white sands and faded from existence as fast it showed up.


    "Would ruling the entire world be enough for you?" Asked the deity.


    Adaloun still wasn''t answering his question. He knew that infuriating the god might just give him some insight as to what he truly was and his motivation as to why he was very insistent of him becoming his champion.


    "I have ruled more than 300 plus worlds before. What made you think that ruling this world would make me be interested with your offer?" Adaloun said as he continuously annoyed the deity to trigger him to show his real intentions towards him.


    "300 plus lifetimes of being abused by the gods of your old realm!" Zaduriel pointed out. "Let''s not make this conversation again, Adaloun, it''s very tiring! But I will give it gander right now. So, tell me how you were treated by your gods? Were they benevolent to you? ''Fraid not!" He laughed.


    Adaloun knew Zaduriel was just mocking him out of his naivety towards the deities of his previous life. He knew that this god was trying to sell himself and promise him sweet nothings the same way that the previous gods did.


    At his point, he''s not sure whether this deity was simply playing dumb to entertain himself or he''s just that dense to use the same tactics the previous gods did. He wondered if this god had a champion before seeking him out. He wasn''t living up to the standard of the only other deity he knew and even then, he still doesn''t want to get his name entangled with Oyue how much more this one?


    "They weren''t as benevolent as they thought they were." Adaloun sighed. "But what makes you different from them? What does it pay to get your benevolence?!"


    "Weren''t you listening earlier?!" Zaduriel voice rose, it looked like his temper was already starting to flare. "I said, you only have to be my justice to do¡ª"


    "Do your bidding." Adaloun interrupted. "Does that involve killing a someone, a something or an entire race?! Because that''s exactly how they asked me for my loyalty and undying devotion to them! Is that what you want me to do?!" He gave the god a stern look.


    Zaduriel didn''t appreciate his tone and the way he spoke to him. Adaloun could see it in his eyes the burning rage. But something wasn''t making any sense, he could feel it but still couldn''t identify what it was. Nonetheless he took that opportunity to listen to the so-called god''s response.


    "You¡­do¡­not interrupt¡­a god when¡­talking!" Zaduriel gave him a stern warning. "You do know that I could end you right here and then. I would suggest you to be respectful to me while you''re still in my good graces!" His mouth contorted into a sneer.


    Adaloun stared at him straight in the eyes once more, and that''s when the god finally exploded.


    "You dare stare at me?!" His voice rumbled the dark room. "I am a god! You should prostrate before me!" He growled at him as the pressure from the room felt too suffocating already.


    Adaloun knew that he had already struck a chord against the god. He knew it was a risk for him to fight him but something deep inside him seemed to doubt the god''s authenticity. It was not a whisper from a deity, it wasn''t something he figured out the first time they met, but it was something else. It felt like this being, his soul was telling him who the figure truly was. He was still not sure if that were truly the case, but his whole being was telling him otherwise.


    "Tell me, truly," Adaloun calmly said as he tried his best to deal with the crushing pressure trying to overwhelm him. "Are you even worthy enough for me to ser¡ªI mean help you?" He tried pressing his luck even more.


    "Impertinent creature! You are nothing but filth!" Zaduriel spat. "I AM A GOD!"


    The god pointed his finger towards him and suddenly he fell into his knees. The overwhelming pressure was about to get to him, but he was just too stubborn and too bitter about dealing with deities that he just wanted to disempower them and tip them off their highchairs.


    "YOU ARE NO GOD OF MINE!" Adaloun spewed back at him. "I SERVE NO GOD! I AM MY OWN MASTER!" He flipped his middle finger on him.


    "YOU, STUPID PIECE OF FILTH!" Zaduriel''s voice cracked the walls of the room. "I SHALL END YOU HERE! I will leave not even your soul! I shall end your cycle once and for all! I will make a new soul out of yours and make it my own justice!"


    The pressure was crushing Adaloun. He prostrated on the ground spewing blood from his mouth as he was slowly being flattened. He could hear some of his bones started moving elsewhere from where they were in his body. He was running out of air and yet, he still refused to die.


    With only his will, he defied the god''s power and tried his best to get up. He had faced some of the cruelest deities in his lifetimes before and this one cannot even hold a candle against them. Zaduriel was too weak, he couldn''t even kill him instantly even with the current abilities he had, even if he was only a shadow of his former self.


    He pushed himself up, withstanding a pressure that felt like a giant stepping on him. "Is that the best that you can do?!" He felt his left arm broke as he tried to raise his body from the cold black floor.


    "Fool!" Zaduriel pointed the ceiling on top of Adaloun and was about to topple it down on him when suddenly, out from nowhere an arrow struck the god.


    Zaduriel had no time to react to such a swift arrow that pierced his left shoulder. The god stared in shock as another gleaming arrow went pass his cheek leaving it to bleed on his face.


    "AAGGHHH!!!" Zaduriel''s voice echoed as he wail in agony on the arrow lodged in his shoulder.


    The pressure finally stopped as the distracted god cowered back at the threat of the unseen attacker. Adaloun was finally able to get back on his feet with a smirk on his face.


    "I see that you bleed." He spat a dollop of his own blood and approached the god who stumbled down on the floor writhing in pain.

 Chapter 162: Guiding Hand, Binding Light

    Oyue woke up from her slumber, a feat even she thought was never possible. As her powers waned even further, she was only a breath away from being completely erased out of her existence. After almost an infinite lifetime of using her waning abilities, it was only natural that one day, her powers will fade away from the aether.


    Regardless of her fading lifeforce, she instantly awoke after sensing a familiar energy calling out to her. It felt warm and powerful that every part of her body tingled as the faint energy finally got to her.


    She opened her eyes and found herself afloat at a never-ending stream of blue gentle light, a light she considered as her own. She looked like a mortal inside a womb, peacefully floating and forever asleep until the time comes for them to be conceived.


    Oyue looked around and saw nothing but the vastness of the azure light spreading across space. She waited for the energy to come, but unfortunately, it seemed like there was none coming to her. Whatever energy that woke her up earlier could be likened to that of a dream. A longing that she to have since a long time ago¡ªthe longing of freedom.


    She was about to close her eyes again and sleep once more to conserve her remaining energy in case, she might find someone worthy of her to help in the future. But at this time, she found it best to put herself back into a deep slumber and wait for that time¡ªthat one final time.


    "Heellllp¡­" A voice suddenly broke through the serene stillness of her azure plains.


    Oyue looked around and saw nothing but the blue color all around her. She tried to close her eyes once again, but the voice persistently called out for help. Curious, she looked around once more, tracing back the mysterious voice calling out to her.


    She saw a silhouette of a woman floating directionless far beyond her reach. The woman remained motionless as her body drifted further beyond Oyue''s line of sight. She stared at her, trying to identify whose voice it belonged.


    Her memory wasn''t as sharp as it once was. With her power slowly fading out from her, the memories she had kept through all the years slowly slipped from her mind one by one. Most recently, she cannot seem to recall what she did prior to when she fell asleep.


    Even her flashbacks were nothing more than blurry faces of people she supposedly met, and a grotesquely horned man who seemed to have known her. She thought she knew him too, but his name faded along with all the others as she began to fade away.


    The woman seemed desperate to get out from where she was. Even if her body refused to follow her command, the desperation in her voice seemed to echo on Oyue''s mind. The woman''s desperation turned into a prayer of hope, and it called out her name.


    "Oyue¡­Oh merciful lady Oyue¡­" The woman''s voice quivered in fear. "It is I, your servant. I beg of you to hear me. I have brought you your tear. The same tear that he ripped away from you for his own gain!" The woman repeated, like she was going mad from her despair.


    Without any second thought, Oyue swam towards her, but it wasn''t as easy as she thought it would be.  The pressure from the beautiful azure waters pushed her back. It seemed like the swirling torrent wasn''t letting anyone nor anything get in or out. She swam harder to break the wall of torrent physically limiting her to get to the poor adrift woman.


    But as the goddess that she was, Oyue never gave up to that limitation nor be afraid of losing her remaining strength. To the ever benevolent and caring goddess, the mortal''s life was more important to her than anyone else.


    Using the last bit of strength she had, she pushed her way through the torrent breaking the water wall in between them. Oyue could see her hand slowly fading away, melding to the color of the now serene waters above. Indeed, she was already fading out of existence, but she refused to fade. She needed to save the woman, and so she did.


    She swam a little more to the surface until she finally grabbed the woman''s hand. The woman jolted as Oyue''s hand squeezed gently on her arm. The woman looked back with tears in her eyes and reached out a beautiful gem to her.


    Them gem pulsed and suddenly it overwhelmed the area with a bright warm light. A light Oyue thought she would never find again. The gem floated away from the woman''s hand and went directly inside her chest.


    Suddenly, an overwhelming warmth came over her. It felt like as if a part of her returned. It felt like a piece of her had finally came to complete her. The warmth ran from her chest then throughout her body until she felt her powers returned.


    She wasn''t fading anymore. Her powers grew anew, and it grew exponentially high as the energy sent shivers deep down her very essence. She finally realized where she was and understood what was going on. Her constant sleeping state was not caused by her powers fading away, someone took a few of it from her and made it their own.


    As her memory slowly returned, she could finally see the blurry faces she saw on her flashbacks. She saw Adaloun using her power, but it wasn''t that usage that took a toll on her, it was someone else.


    Then, Zaduriel''s grotesque face came to surface. The self-proclaimed god was the last face she saw before she started to fade and then she remembered how the horned Yldar tricked her before to gain control of her powers.


    It looked like after a few millenias, Zaduriel had still some grip over her but how? Her thoughts started to wander for the answer. Just then she recalled about the floating woman whom she forgotten for a quick while.


    The woman''s limp body drifted even farther than where she was, but with Oyue''s powers returning the goddess wasted no time to control the torrent and commanded it to bring her savior to her. The goddess took the woman in her arms and noticed the pointed ears she possessed, as well as an obvious scar at the base of her chin.


    Oyue''s memories quickly identified the mystery woman. She knew who she truly is. She''s been watching over them for quite sometime now, until that incident with the Yldar happened. She caressed her face as her lifeless limbs floated freely. She hugged her tight and called out her name.


    "Orphella, priestess of the Indescens who swore their fates to me," Oyue paused. "I call you back into this reality and command you to open your eyes!"


    Suddenly, Orphella opened her eyes and was beholden by the goddess presence in front of her. With her tears melding with waters, she opened her mouth.


    "M-my¡­L-lady¡­you''ve finally awoken." She smiled tiredly at her. Judging from worn out face, crusty blood on her hair and some fresh scratches and bruises from her neck down, it seemed she had been through a lot.


    Oyue felt the crushing pain from her chest seeing her priestess in such a bad state, but she remained collected through it all and gave her a warm smile. "I am finally awake Orphella," she said. "Come with me and let me heal you first, then we''ll talk."


    "My goddess your benevolence knows no bounds," She said. "But I have no pleasure of time to spare today about healing myself. Dear goddess, I need your help¡­we need your help¡­please."


    Oyue understood the elf''s desperation, she calmed her down by caressing her face with her gentle hand. "What is it that you need help of?" She asked her priestess.

 Chapter 163: Guiding Hand, Blinding Light Pt.2

    Orphella woke up gasping for air beside the beautiful pale-blue colored round stone where Oyue''s ethereal body was sealed. She was successful in finally waking up the goddess, after finding out where she was hidden.


    Everything was still buzzing in Orphella''s head. All the vision she saw still rang on her head like they all happened simultaneously. She swore to herself to never do it again. Seeing everything from the past and present at once was nauseating and could definitely kill someone who wasn''t attuned with her goddess'' blessing.


    She remembered everything. The moment she went inside the room and took a first glance at the secrets that unraveled before her. She discovered the tunnel was in fact part of a missing place where an old civilization used to thrive, the Labyrintheum.


    According to what she saw, the labyrinth was created by the Yldars to ward off the monsters that Oyue sealed out from the surface. The Yldars built the intricately the tunnels from the remnants of Oyue''s moon while also creating a chamber to protect the crystalized cocoon of which Oyue sealed herself after battling the overwhelming monsters she trapped along with her.


    Orphella knew that over millenias ago, an Yldar betrayed his kin out of his madness and lust for power and founded a sect which he disguised as Oyue''s. He called people from the surface to come and join worshipping the fallen goddess fashioning himself as her prophet. He was in fact feeding off the energy of those worshipping Oyue.


    He tried to legitimize himself when he tasked people to join him in finding Oyue''s cocoon. Of course, he knew where it was. But he wanted to play a game with the devotees while at the same time mock them for their fragile nature and naivete, believing in everything he said.


    When the poor souls finally found Oyue, the mad Yldar then used the goddess'' trust by waking her up and asking her to give him the authority to protect her and her people while she laid asleep. When the unsuspecting goddess gave him the authority and power he desperately wanted, he then trapped her for all eternity inside the crystal cocoon. She was still able to pass through her prison every once in a while, just for the horned Yldar to flaunt his supremacy over her.


    It took a lot from Orphella to endure the overwhelming information the place was downloading into her mind. She passed out, then woke up just to vomit from the excruciating headache, then pass out once again after a new barrage of information gets bombarded into her. But she was able to manage all of it, because she had to.


    She managed all of it because she knew she had to help her comrades get out of that hellhole somehow and learn once and for all the riddle that is the Labyrintheum. When she saw the answer to the riddle, she immediately followed the winding path of more dark tunnels and trapped corridors until she finally found what she was hoping to find¡ªOyue''s cocoon.


    She was hesitant to approach it at first believing that there might be some sort of traps set up around its perimeter. But after a few hesitations and testing, she risked approaching the cocoon where she knelt and put her forehead into the exposed glowing crystal. Orphella was afraid of what would happen next, but it terrified her more to die inside that mystical labyrinth being eaten by monsters and forgotten by the dwellers above.


    She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She breathed into the cocoon and uttered her prayers by writing the runes that were taught to her by her predecessors. The crystal cocoon pulsed with every stroke of the runes she tried to write on its surface. It took her a few times to finally synched with the cocoon and when she did, she almost died doing it.


    She went adrift in a beautiful but overwhelming sea of Oyue''s thoughts. As she went looking for her deeper and deeper, the more she realized how fickle her plan was. There was no chance of Oyue appearing before her. She was left there slowly drowning in Oyue''s thoughts and her despair.


    She shouted and cried for help even if she knew that it was a fickle try. No one was there to save her except the goddess who she was looking for. Unfortunately for her, she wasn''t able to find her.


    But just as she drifted towards eternity, a gentle hand grabbed her and as she turned around, she noticed the comely appearance of the goddess she sought for so long. She wept in her arms before telling the benevolent goddess her reason for seeking her.


    "Speak my dearest Orphella," The goddess said as she rested her in her arms. "What is it that you wished to speak about?"


    Orphella spoke to her goddess the same way she did before she lost her tongue. She awkwardly moved her mouth as the sound of her voice came out naturally from her. It sounded unnatural yet at the same time calming to hear the voice she missed hearing.


    She could''ve stayed there in the presence of her goddess speaking to her in a voice she never thought she had, but unfortunately, time wasn''t going to wait for her as her friends are slowly dying from all the monsters and insanity inside the labyrinth.


    After explaining to her what was going on, Oyue decided to see it with her very own eyes. The now, powerful goddess immediately snapped her fingers immediately scried the labyrinth within. That''s when she saw the grisly sight of the piled bodies and the monsters feeding on them.


    Oyue and her, also saw the conditions of her comrades and noted every location of where they were. Ghwynmyr along with Urfaal were currently unconscious and tied upside down on what seemed to resemble a nest at the bottom. She also saw the Orkamuus currently standing still, asleep being a few moments away from being eaten by some carnivorous plants.


    Lastly, they saw Adaloun''s conversation with a horned individual. The same person she saw betray the rest of his kin, Oyue and the followers that he personally sought out. The grotesquely looking Yldar was trying to convince Adaloun to join him, but her comrade was stubborn and even tried to offend the Yldar as much as he could.


    Both of them knew that it could spell trouble for Adaloun, even up to that point he still had the gall to offend a god-like figure like that one. Oyue looked at her with a worry-filled smile. She knew the goddess could do little of their current situation because of the seal placed in her crystal cocoon. But she had to try and ask for the smallest assistance she could give to them.


    "He needs you." The goddess said. "Go save him! I will protect the others until all of you would meet again." She added.


    Orphella nodded without any question. She believed that when a goddess asks, one must obey and thus she did. Oyue manipulated the water around her and created a portal exactly going to where Adaloun was. She immediately jumped out of the portal and saw how the Yldar was now crushing his friend like a pulp.


    She tried to run towards him, while pulling out her knives. She knew pretty well how bad her plan was, but she had to risk it, or her comrade would face an inevitable crushing death. Just before she could jump out of the portal, Oyue held her hand.


    "You cannot kill him without a weapon!" The goddess said as she passed her a beautiful silver bow. "Here, take this and use it well!" The goddess smiled at her and put her mind at ease.


    Orphella bowed down to her goddess and jumped out the portal. After that she conveniently hid in the darkness as hoped Adaloun would continue to distract the so-called god enough for her to hit him. She lifted the bow but forgot that she already ran out of arrows to use.


    "You don''t need an arrow to use me," The bow suddenly a woman''s voice spoke through her mind. My name is Papillon and all you need to do is pull the string then fire. I will take care of the projectiles!" It added.


    And thus she did. She pulled the bow as hard as she could and waited for the perfect opening. Just as the so-called god was about to finish Adaloun, Orphella saw the opening and released her hand from the bowstring.

 Chapter 164: 164 - Unmasked

    His body felt heavy and in pain from the unrelenting pressure the so-called god, Zaduriel tried crushing him with, but he still stood up and tried approaching him. Everything was a daze to Adaloun. His eyes blurry and felt puffy after the punishment he had been through. His body in pain and was constantly protesting to him that he just lay down. But he stood up and wanted to give the god a good beating from what he did to him. Unfortunately, his body wasn''t cooperating with him, he went down as soon as he took his first step.


    He looked at Zaduriel sprawling on the floor holding his shoulder where the arrow pierced perfectly. The so-called deity was in a world of pain. His grotesque face contorted as ever as the pain came rushing through his body.


    "Aggghh!" The deity howled as he tried to take out the arrow from his shoulder, unfortunately, it was too deep for him to take away.


    Adaloun on the other hand went up on one knee. The crushing pressure he felt earlier took a toll on his body. With his left arm broken and his legs weakened from the pressure, but he was persistent to stand up. He looked straight at Zaduriel''s eyes and saw the god''s fear and confusion to the situation.


    He tried going back up again, but he was still too weak or rather, he''s body wasn''t letting him. But Adaloun was tough, he won''t take no for an answer even if his body was the one protesting. He gritted his teeth and brought himself back up.


    "W-what¡­are you¡­doing?!" The horned god asked as he crawled away from room. "D-don''t come¡­near me!"


    "If I have to crawl just to get to you," Adaloun said as he was about to crawl forward. "I will!"


    "No! NO!" Zaduriel begged as he stood up and tried to run, fortunately another arrow came and pierced his through his right calf. The god screamed in pain and tumbled down on the floor.


    Adaloun wanted to look back, but he doesn''t want to take his eyes off the fallen god. It took him some time, but he finally was able to stand up again. He took a deep breath and began to approach the god, forcing his legs to take a step¡ªa very painful step.


    He limped forward dragging his body towards the god who he saw was in a pool of his black bile blood. Zaduriel''s eyes were bloodshot and filled with fear. Adaloun hasn''t seen a god''s fear-ridden eyes since he transmigrated in this world. He wanted to beat the hell out of the arrogant deity who was now begging for his life.


    He was only inches away from getting his wish, when suddenly Zaduriel tried to hit him with a beam of dark light coming out from his finger.  The light slightly grazed his cheek and burned his skin in the process, but Adaloun didn''t flinch.


    This led to the horned god firing another one and hit him in the chest. Adaloun, too tired to dodge, simply gambled and risk to take the hit. He gritted his teeth and took the beam that seared his chest. Luckily that was the only damage Zaduriel could muster at that point. It seemed like the arrows that got him also drained or restricted his exousia.


    "I-I warn you! You will die if you ever lift a finger on me!" Zaduriel threatened Adaloun with empty words.


    "Tell me truly, Zaduriel" Adaloun said. "Do you truly know me? Because you keep calling me by my old name."


    Zaduriel nodded, "I-I truly know you! That''s why I even offered to get her back. You know the¡ª"


    Before the god could finish, Adaloun went down on his knees and delivered a punch to the god''s face. Zaduriel''s head bounced on the cold stony floor. The god''s mouth bled as his lower lip broke from the impact of his punch.


    "Don''t¡­you¡­ever¡­mention her¡­name!" Adaloun said as he continued to pummel Zaduriel''s face.


    The wounded god, wailed in agony and tried fighting back but, Adaloun overwhelmed him with his strength and fury. He held the god''s neck using his broken arm and delivered vicious elbows to his face as if he intended it to cave in.


    "Not¡­so¡­powerful now, are you?" Adaloun spat as he relentlessly delivered every blow without a care.


    "Pleafffe¡­staahpp¡­ I¡ª" Zaduriel took another fist to the face.


    Suddenly, the ground shook violently and got Adaloun distracted. At that same moment, Zaduriel took his opportunity to push him away before whistling as hard as he could. Out of nowhere, the rabid giant burst from the wall and roared so loud its voice made flung Adaloun away farther from the horned god.


    "Thear ''im tho piecesh!!!" Zaduriel said as pointed at Adaloun.


    The giant growled at him and ran towards him with an attempt of crushing him. The giant leapt and was about to deliver his big fists unto Adaloun when a barrage of arrows came descending on the giant. The giant dropped just a few paces from him groaning in pain as the floor shook from his drop.


    Adaloun took the distraction and tried to ran, but the his body was too damaged for him to move, let alone stand. The giant speedily recovered from the attack and tried to go at him again when another barrage of arrows came in rapid succession hitting the giant in the face and chest.


    As the giant covered his face and chest, Orphella came out from the dark corner of the room and dragged him away from the scene.


    "W-whath are yeh stadinth ther?! Get ''em!" Zaduriel shouted angrily at the giant.


    But as the giant went on for an attack, Orphella stopped it on its tracks by shooting it and this time, it finally hit on of its eyes. The giant wailed in agony as the arrow pierced and seemed to burn a quarter of its face.


    The giant fell unto the ground once again, wailing in agony. Zaduriel stood up limping and threw curses at the giant for its incompetence. Just as he was about to spat another insult at the fallen monster, Orphella pulled her bow once again and fired it directly at the horned god.


    Luckily, the arrow was partially touched by the giant slightly moving its trajectory. The arrow only took out a portion of his horn instead of lodging in between his eyes.


    "Agggh!!" Zaduriel screamed as his horn broke into two with, he upper of it completely gone. "Giant, get me out of here!" He commanded.


    The poor giant wobbly stood up and scooped his master from the floor before jumping out of the room from the hole it burst from earlier.


    Adaloun laid motionless in the ground, his vision becoming blurry as his body had already taken a good beating from earlier. He''s eyes was slowly getting dark and the last moments he saw was Orphella''s face gesturing to him something, but he was too much in pain to bother what it was.

 Chapter 165: Open for Everyone to See

    Tarsuria, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 58th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ---------------------------------------------------------


    "Oh, no! No!" Stolas grabbed Prince Arterius'' by the arm. "You, good prince, are NOT going out there!" His ward insisted.


    Prince Arterius tried to shake away from his ward''s hand, but Stolas'' grip proved to be strong. "Stolas, let go off me! As your prince, I deserve¡ª" A blood-curdling scream suddenly distracted both men from their bickering.


    The knights outside were panicking. Their voices roaring insanely at something. Lord Prestonheim''s voice echoed throughout the chaos. His godfather seemed to be commanding his men to do a formation or if he''s heard him correctly, pacify the beast.


    He wanted to see what they were currently fighting against. The descriptions that the frantic knight given to him earlierprovided only little ideas in his mind as to what the knight could''ve become. Is it a wyrkolak? Probably, but there weren''t any howling to be heard, only a terrible blunt scream.


    Could it be one of those mandragora slime hybrids that the alchemists'' books were talking about? It seemed        too vague for this situation. His mind was filled with ideas of tentacles and horns, but it was all nothing but theories and imaginations from the books he read when he was younger.


    "Stolas, I''m still a prince, you know." Prince Arterius said. "You still have to obey me regardless, right?" He asked sarcastically.


    Stolas sighed, "If anything happens to you, my head will be lopped off my neck deliberately!" He placed his hand over his shoulder. "More than my lopped head, I cannot let my friend die!" Stolas'' eyes met his.


    He shrugged his ward''s hand off his shoulder. "I know, my friend." Prince Arterius sighed. "But as a prince and first to the throne, I must know these things¡­These horrors¡­because it is my job to know how to defend my land from them." He patted Stolas'' shoulder and went out without saying any word.


    Prince Arterius walked his way out of the tent and was met with a splash of blood from a hurled decapitated head of a knight. He froze as the crimson liquid flowed through his eyes. It''s warmness and its metallic taste filled his mouth forcing him to vomit.


    "RAAAGGGHHHH!!!" The blood-curdling roar made the hairs of his nape stand.


    The terrible screams and chaotic voices of the knights running around with their weapons, was slowly fading away. The screams and shouts started to get muffled as his vision spun and he became light-headed.


    Before he finally loses his senses, a grip seemed held him up. "My goodness! This is what I am trying to tell you¡ª" Stolas'' voice echoed in his ears.


    "S-Stolas?" Prince Arterius squinted as his blurry vision was worsened with the blood over his eyes. "Is that you? Bleeurrghhh!!!" He vomitted once again.


    "My goodness!" Stolas patted his back as he continued spewing his lunch. "Here let me clean that¡ª" His ward suddenly paused and went silent.


    "What?" Prince Arterius asked his silenced ward, but he wasn''t answering. "What are you seeing?" He snapped out from his fainting spell and wiped his face with the dangling cloth on his petrified ward''s hand.  "What are you se¡ª" He looked around immediately after he wiped his face and was shocked with what he saw.


    Huge wings emerged from the cage where the jailed knight used to be. The knights surrounded the jail in their omega formation and began to stab the creature in it from outside. The valiant knights rammed their shields on the jail and stabbed the monster once again before another set of knights followed up the attack by impaling the creature with spears.


    The weapons lodged effectively on the deformed knight''s skin, but the monster still would not go down. It instead stood upright and let out a deafening screech. Prince Arterius and his ward covered their ears as the shrill voice produced pulsing soundwaves that knocked the other knights down.


    "Men, stand your ground!" Lord Prestonheim''s voice echoed along with his command. "Immobilize that monster while we prepare the spell!" His voice sounded desperate.


    "Be careful not to damage the goods, alright?!" He heard his master''s voice from the distance.


    Prince Arterius stood up and finally saw the beast. The monster had no face, only a mouth with a segmented jaw that opened grotesquely as it tried to scream. Its skin was pale with brawny arms indicating its strength. The monster was a chimera of animals that he could identify. It had wings of a bat that burst out of the small prison. Scaly and pale skin like that of a serpent and hind legs like that of a bovine. Its horrible image completely burned into his mind that gave him a feeling of awe and horror at the same time.


    "It''s too strong!" The knight exclaimed as he struggled to play tug of war with the monster.


    The knights where able to chain him with their light binding spell but the creature was too strong for them to bound longer than 10 counts. The poor knight was pulled in by the monster before suffering the worst fate at its hands. His head eaten whole by the monster. His body fell limp on the ground twitching its last ounce of life within him.


    Prince Arterius eyes opened wide at the sight of the horrible scene. As more knights gathered around the monster and tried their best to incapacitate it, the harder it became. The beast became stronger as time went on. It was beginning to break itself from its jail, the wooden posts were already giving up at the might of its wings'' span.


    The knights tried to bound it once again, but the monster grew stronger. Lord Prestonheim remained silent at the back of the line, holding his sword in front of him whispering to the ever-pale blue blade. The bindings were no longer able to incapacitate the monster. It flung the knights around while breaking out from its prison. The remaining knights tried attacking it but proved to be too powerful for them to hit.


    As the monster stretched its bat-like wings into the open, the visage of the dirty knight it once was, had already disappeared. It opened its mouth once more and flex its jaws out for everyone to see. The bat-like chimera then turned its head towards him, as if it could see him despite its obvious lack of eyes. It pointed at him and grinned before lifting itself to the air.


    Prince Arterius froze as the monster''s horrid smile became wider. He was unable to move as his feelings of fear petrified him where he stood. His hearing became muffled once again, but this time, his heartbeat was so loud it was deafening.


    He was now face to face with the monster. It wings flapped hard as it hovered above its broken jail. Prince Arterius'' eyes widened as it began to show its long-spiked tongue at him. It looked hungry at him. It seemed to have wanted to eat him and it was ready for the kill.


    Just as the monster was about to swoop at him, a flash of light suddenly made him close his eyes. When Prince Arterius opened it, not a few moments later, the monster was no longer hovering on top of its jail.


    "Look what you''ve done!" Servus 305-M raised his voice. "I told you not to¡ª"


    "Shut-up¡­you!" Lord Prestonheim roared at his former mentor before approaching him. "Are you okay, Prince Arterius? W-why is there blood all over you? Are you hurt?" The silver-haired commander tried to check on him, holding his face with his calloused hands as he gently turned his head side to side to look for wounds.


    "I-I am alright!" He pushed his godfather away from him. "This was¡­the blood of the brave knight who risked his life to contain that monster. His head might be there, somewhere." He pointed at the eastern side of his tent.


    "It''s good that you are alright!" Lord Prestonheim sighed. "Though, I did tell you to¡ª"


    "A prince has to know these things¡­" He interrupted. "No matter how¡­"


    "Scary, is it?" 305-M approached both of them.  "I am sure, you encountered far worse than that August! Although, I understand this is your first, am I right Prince Arterius?" His former mentor asked.


    Prince Arterius nodded silently at 305-M then looked around for the beast. "Did it flew away?" He asked both men.


    "F-flew away?! Of course not, Prince Arterius!" 305-M was quick to answer. "Your godfather never gave it a chance to do so¡­although, I would''ve liked it if he only maimed it." He sighed. "It was better to examine that interesting alive rather than dead."


    "For what he did to my men, you want it alive?!" Lord Prestonheim violently reacted to the comment.


    Both men argued once again, but Prince Arterius wasn''t interested in both of their woes. He looked around until a bright shining object caught his eye. Around 20 footlings from where they were laid the corpse of the bat-like creature impaled in what looked like a pillar of light emerging from its right rib.


    Prince Arterius'' knees weakened at the thought that the beast could''ve gone away with him for dinner. He sat down on the ground and sighed, as both of the bickering old men halted, their faces filled with concern for him.


    "Are you sure you''re alright, Arterius?" Lord Prestonheim said. "You look pale."


    Arterius sighed, "I told you , godfather I am¡ª" That was the last thing he recalled from that conversation.

 Chapter 166: Never Just a Body

    Jovis, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 59th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ----------------------------------------------


    "Is anyone there?" Prince Arterius shouted. "Stolas? Are you out there?" He called his ward as he rose from his bed.


    Nobody was around to tend to him, for some reason, Stolas his trusted friend and ward was gone from their tent. Obviously, after the incident, people would be busy tending to those unfortunate knights who lose their lives fighting the winged beast. But for all he knew, Stolas wasn''t the type of person who would leave him with leaving a notice at the side of his bed, letting him know about a few errands he must attend. However, he wasn''t able to see a single letter or a note near him.


    Outside seemed to be eerily quiet as well. There was not a hint of the usual buzzing sounds coming from knights roaming around or the sound of clanging metal from the smithy a walking distance from their tent. The usual noise of neighing horses passing by their tent was also unheard of.


    Curiosity got the better of him, Prince Arterius decided to peek outside and see what was happening. He stood up and limped his way into the flap covering his tent. He swayed the flap to the side and was surprised to see everything covered in pitch black darkness.


    He couldn''t see anything in the thicket of darkness let alone a living soul. Still, he tried calling out as he tried his best to find some logic in this ridiculous place that he was in.


    "Godfather? Servus 305-M?" He looked around and tried to listen for any response, but the silence was deafening. "Stolas? Are you there? Are you hiding somewhere?" He shouted at the top of his lungs, but still there was nothing.


    In the distance he saw a glimmering light coming towards him. He squinted and tried to make sense of what it was. The figure became clearer the more it came closer to him. To his horror, the gleaming light was in fact sharp glaring teeth from the eye-less bat monster he saw killed earlier.


    Suddenly his body froze, and his heart began to pound harder than it usually was.  He tried to run away, but his body wouldn''t move an inch.  His breathing was becoming erratic as the monster got close. The beast hovered right above him. It flaunted its tongue right in front of him as its lips awkwardly curled into a sinister smile. Prince Arterius watched in horror as the monster swooped in for the kill.


    "Arrggh!" He shouted as he rose in his bed. He looked around and saw Stolas rushing towards him with ink splattered all over his face. "Stolas?!" He shouted in surprise.


    "What happened to you?" Stolas said as he held his friend shoulders trying to call him down. "You''re safe here! You''re safe! Please, calm down!" He gently put back Prince Arterius back to his bed.


    "S-stolas? I-is that¡­really you?" Prince Arterius said as he tried catching his breath. Beads of cold sweat ran down his face and his body shivered just by thinking about it. "I-is this for rea¡ª Oww!" His ward pinched his arm as hard he could to get him back on his senses.


    "What do you think?" Stolas sarcastically asked. "Is that a dream to you? Or should I slap you in the face to get you convinced?" His ward added.


    "Damn you, Stolas!" Prince Arterius hissed before laughing like a mad man. "That pinch was more than enough to confirm it." He patted his ward''s shoulder.


    His ward smiled at him and went to the table to prepare his tea. Prince Arterius looked around inside the tent, everything seemed to be in place. He closed his eyes and tried listening to the goings on outside of the tent. It was uniquely serene for the place. There were less horses roaming around and less people chattering outside.


    "What happened after¡­that?" He asked Stolas who was preparing a simple tea for him.


    Stolas stopped stirring his tea and looked at him straight in the eyes. "After you fainted," He began. "They took the monster''s corpse and placed it under 305-M''s care. He''s currently vivisecting that anomaly now¡­or may be who knows what god''s forbidden thing he''s doing with it right now!" He shrugged his shoulder.


    Prince Arterius lept out of his bed and immediately asked to be escorted to the tent Stolas have mentioned. Initially, his ward didn''t want him there. But after persisting hard about it, his ward finally gave in to him.


    They went to the farthest edge of the camp where he same a huge profile of knights surrounding the area. There were stone pillars placed at the front of the tent. The stone had elven runes written all over it, a trademark of his godfather''s skill.


    They went past the knights guiding the entrance, the men simply bowed when they saw him approaching and asked nothing about his reason for being there. After passing the first set of security, the knights standing in front of the tent met them halfway and asked for their reason of coming there.


    "Should the prince also introduce himself to you now?" Stolas asked the knights.


    The knights paled at what Stolas said and let them in without anymore questions.  Stolas smiled at him and guided him inside where Lord Prestonheim and Servus 305-M were miraculously together¡­well, at some extent.


    His godfather sat silently at the other end of the tent; his blade unsheathed. At the center of the tent laid the body of the monster. Its wings tied and stretched covering huge portions of the tent. Beside the carcass was his former mentor, whistling while inspecting the insides of the monster.


    "Ah, Prince Arterius you''re finally awake!" 305-M said while continuing to tinker the entrails of the dead monster. "Hmm¡­you missed the fun part! You should''ve seen how I opened this beast¡ªoh, I mean how he opened it up!" He pointed at Lord Prestonheim who glared at the red-haired slave.


    "You shouldn''t be here, Prince Arterius." Lord Prestonheim said. "You already fainted once¡ª"


    "I know, godfather¡­" Prince Arterius sighed. "But I still have to know these things! I have to understand the enemy no matter how terrifying they are." He explained.


    "Good! Come closer then!" 305-M asked.


    "No, he does not!" Lord Prestonheim stood up from his seat and spat at 305-M.


    "It''s okay, godfather¡­I think¡­I¡ªbleurg¡­I can do it!" He held himself from vomiting from the stench and gory scene in front of him.


    "Oh, I found something very interesting!" His former mentor excitingly told him as he brought him a basin with the monster''s heart on. "See this? You recognize this?" The red-haired slave said as he pointed the glowing piece of aetherium lodged in its heart.


    "Aetherium? How?" Prince Arterius wanted to touch it but was afraid to do so. "Was this fragment lodged in its heart while it was still alive?" He asked.


    "Yes, obviously." 305-M dryly answered. "That gives us the theory now that this aetherium can be used for transformations! Although, on that slave''s blade it acted differently." His brow furrowed at the puzzling find.


    "Who do you mean?" Prince Arterius asked.


    "He meant Adaloun and the gladius he had." Lord Prestonheim interjected. "That man apparently had his blade fused with aetherium and if 305-M is to be believed, he said that Adaloun could also control the blade at his will." He approached them and looked at the heart with disgust.


    "You might have seen him do it too?!" 305-M asked the silver-haired Commander.


    Lord Prestonheim stood silent for a moment before he answered. "No, I''m afraid I haven''t everything was a blur to me that night we''ve been attacked." He crossed his arms.


    "Well, too bad for you!" 305-M commented. He placed the basin back at the table and sat on its edge. "I am still not finished with this beast. But from what I have gather, we can initially infer what this thing is."


    Prince Arterius nodded his head silently. He wanted to hear his former mentor''s report on the carcass and its connection to the future of his expedition.


    "Well, for starters, this beast was a former person and I think you can agree with me on this, August!" 305-M pointed at his godfather. "This was no monster. His body tells me that he wasn''t some monster who changed into a human. Albeit, it''s the other way around.  He was a man who got transformed into a monster! Which leads me to my second observation."


    "And that is?" Prince Arterius anxiously asked.


    "Yes, of course!" 305-M cleared his throat. "The aetherium I found was used as a medium for him to change. I do not know how it was placed there, but whoever did it, is pretty dangerous. I wouldn''t keep my hopes up for those people trapped inside the hole, Prince Arterius. They might be like him already, but it''s up to you! One more thing and I found this very interesting, it seemed like aetherium could be used in different ways. I mean, this is where the aetherite was modeled after from and I think this has more potency than just that of lighting baubles and enhancing weapons! His former mentor smiled at him.


    "You couldn''t be more obvious with that, do you?" Lord Prestonheim spat.


    "Well, I know that I was but at this time, our little prince here, is at the brink of discovering something magnificent! Although he has to compete with the danger of finding it." 305-M looked at him with eyes filled with madness and excitement.

 Chapter 167: Saving Comrade Urfaal

    "Ghwynmyr¡­" A voice whispered in his ear. "Ghwynmyr! You can hear me, can you?" It asked.


    The dwarf tried to open his eyes only to be welcomed by the pitch darkness and nothingness of the place.


    "Psstt¡­Hey¡­Ghwynmyr!" The voice called out his name again, but the ringing in his ear made it difficult to identify who it was. "Need your help!" The voice desperately called out.


    He tried looking around again, but even for a dwarf blessed with an improved vision, the thick blanket of darkness in front of him proved to be a challenging feat for him to see as clear as he could.


    "¡­Ose ''ere?" He asked but his tongue was too clumsy to even form an understandable sentence.


    He took a deep breath and spat. He tried to compose himself to get his clumsy mouth to work while looking around to get a clue of where the voice might''ve been coming from.


    "Who''s der?!" He shouted as the echoes from his voice just made the ringing from his ear worse.


    "Shhh¡­Don''t make it too loud." The voice scolded him. "You''ll rile them up!" It said.


    "Waddyamean rile ''em up?!" He whispered in a gravelly voice.


    "Them!" Sighed the voice.


    Suddenly, a strong gust of wind began to blow in their direction.  Ghwynmyr''s mind became bombarded with the memories of their tragic adventure, reminding him of the very reason he was stuck in that unknown place in the first place.


    "Iz dat¡­Dem bats dat swooped us earlier?" He asked the voice.


    "Yes," it answered. "Hide over there, quickly!" The voice urgently asked him.


    "O''er der? ''ere do yah want me tah hide?" He quickly asked as he cursed in his breath.


    His dark vision wasn''t working still and now it was impeding him from seeing the location where the voice wanted him to hide. His ears were still ringing and now coupled by a stabbing headache; he was in such a mess as if death was doting for him to die.


    "Umm¡­what to do? what to do?!" The voice panicked as the gust of wind felt stronger. "Ummm¡­g-go farther to your left! Start crawling now!" It commanded.


    Ghwynmyr who was currently as blind as a bat, followed the voice''s behest. He crawled fervently to the direction where the voice told him to go, all the while worrying at the impending doom he was in as the gust of wind became stronger and stronger.


    "Gods'' balls! Where am I ''eadin''?" He frustratedly said as he crawled further towards nothingness. "I am goin¡ª" A hand suddenly grabbed him down a puddle of what seemed to be mud.


    The mysterious person covered his mouth, "Don''t make a fuss, my friend." It spoke. "Now, take a deep breath. I''ll submerge you really quick!"


    Ghwynmyr wanted to fight but the voice and way of speech of the mysterious person was recognizably familiar, he simply obeyed. He closed his eyes as he was slowly submerged into the thick mud. The sound was muffled but he could hear wings discreetly flapping as it approached them. He could hear their muffled footsteps and their tails dragging on the ground.


    Their growls and grunts were audible, like a conversation from hell. As the monsters made their rounds around the muddy pool, Ghwynmyr''s breath was slowly depleting. It seemed like the monsters were teasing them to come out, as if they knew too well where they were and was waiting for them to surface.


    Ghwynmyr could feel his lungs complain as he could no longer hold his breath. He was slowly losing his consciousness, but he tried his focus on surviving. His pride would not allow him to die a miserably lame death like drowning in mud or losing your breath and get eaten by the bat-like monsters.


    The other person with him patted him in the back to check if he was still alive. He patted back, albeit lightly. He was on the verge of passing out when the person pinched him to wake him up. He could hear the monsters'' wings flapping once again but this time it seemed to be fading out, like they were going away.


    His lungs was giving up on him. His body was failing him. He was at the brink of his consciousness when the person behind him, lifted him back to the surface. Ghwynmyr gasp for air as he went up to the surface. He spat the mud out of his mouth and shook his head to get himself back to his senses.


    "Are you alright, my friend?" The mysterious person said.


    He tried to answer the question, but his breath was too sparse for him to talk. He took another deep breath and vomit more muddy water out from him. His head pounding hard while his ears rang irritatingly.


    "Is he doing alright, Wahakim?" The other voice whispered.


    "I am not sure if he is, Ulfaar, my friend." Wahakim sighed. "I will check again."


    After hearing their names, Ghwynmyr felt a little sense of relief knowing that his comrades were still alive.


    "W-wahakim¡­cough¡­cough¡­U-Urfaal?" Ghwynmyr efforted a whisper. "Y-you''re both alive?" He reached out his arms to the nothingness of the dark.


    "I am here, my friend." Wahakim held his hand, "Let me give you some vision." He added.


    Wahakim whispered words in his ear from a language that he couldn''t understand. A few moments later, his eyesight became clearer in the dark. The dark cave now seemed like daylight had shone on it and there was no shadow or darkness impending his eyesight.


    "That should give you clarity over this dark veil." Wahakim said as he gave Ghwynmyr a big smile.


    Embarassingly, there was no need of such magic on him. Ghwynmyr had an ability to see clearly in the dark, but it seemed like the monster''s screech prevented him to utilize that ability. He took his time to look around to give himself an idea of the place. The craggy ceiling and muddy ground summed up everything there was to know about the place.


    "Tis a shame dat ya hafta lift yer finger tah give me back me dark vision." Ghwynmyr sighed. "But nae the least, thank yah! Tis muchofa be''er view now." He smiled back.


    "I am glad that I could help you, my friend." Wahakim lowered his head. "But, enough of the pleasantries. We still need to save him up there." He pointed at the ceiling behind Ghwynmyr.


    Ghwynmyr looked around and saw his friend Urfaal stuck in the ceiling wall, his hands bound by something he couldn''t identify what.


    "Whataryah doin der?!" He whispered as the look of surprise was written all over his face.


    Urfaal smiled weakly at him, "Long story¡­just help me out of here¡­first." The beastman whispered.


    Ghwynmyr looked at Wahakim puzzled.


    "I tried to, my friend¡­" The Orkamuu sighed. "But I couldn''t get the earth to obey me."


    "I see." Ghwynmyr answered him. "Ulfie¡­could you still hang on for a wee bit?" He asked.


    The beastman nodded but with urgency in his eyes.


    "Give me a moment¡­" Ghwynmyr nodded back. "I''ll save yah outta der."

 Chapter 168: Tactical Wipe-out

    "What''s with dis place?" Ghwynmyr asked the surviving Orkamuu while putting some pebbles on his palm.


    "It''s an odd one, my friend." Wahakim answered as he slowly rose from the mud and revealed a stump where his left arm used to be. "This place is too sensitive to sound; a little careless movement and your slight voice might turn into a shout here." He held his stump as he grimaced from the pain.


    Ghwynmyr looked around and whispered as low as he possibly could. "W-whut ''appened to dat?" He asked.


    Wahakim smiled tiredly at him, "I tried, my friend. I tried to help our friend, Urfaal but, alas, it was all for naught! I slipped and dropped myself on the ground the thud it caused caught those wretched monsters'' attention and so, they punished me and my brethren." He sighed as he looked at the deep puddle of mud.


    Ghwynmyr felt the pain and frustration on his voice. He understood that feeling since he had to go through that as well. He knew about the pain it caused him miserably for as long as he lived. He placed his hand over the poor Orkamuu''s shoulder and squeezed it.


    "A-apologies, lad¡­if only I¡ª"


    The Orkamuu shook his head and took his hand from his shoulder. "I need no pity, my friend. I need to avenge them and escape this hellhole!" He said while pointing at Urfaal. "You better hurry, my friend. Time is not on our side."


    Ghwynmyr nodded and began to execute his plan. "I''m goin tah need ya tah stay more in dat puddle." He pointed at the thick, muddy basin they submerged in earlier.


    Wahakim went back to the puddle and dipped himself in.


    "Tis goin tah be fun!" Ghwynmyr grinned. "Yah have weapons?"  The dwarf looked around, trying to find something he could use to protect himself. He knew pretty well that their hides are harder than any armor ever created.


    Wahakim shook his head, "We have nay. Our weapons have been stolen by those monsters."


    "Stole weapons, ah?" Ghwynmyr raised an eyebrow, "What''re doin'' with those?!" He asked.


    "They cut my arm using my own weapon." Wahakim answered grimly.


    Ghwynmyr nodded as he gritted his teeth, "Where dem hiding it?"


    Wahakim pointed at the cave opening just past the broken pillars, a walking distance from the muddy puddle that once hid. The nest-like cocoons hanging beyond the opening of the cave loomed a vibe of danger from the get-go.


    "Do dey bring ''em weapons once dey come in?" Ghwynmyr asked.


    Wahakim nodded, "They do." he looked at Ghwynmyr, doubting his plan. "W-what are you planning to do?"


    "Watch me," Ghwynmyr nodded at him.


    He stealthily crawled his way near the opening and placed some of the pebbles he picked up earlier. He pressed the small stones gently on the ground, while writing wards on the damp ground. He took a handful of mud and discreetly put some on the pillars before placing runes and some peebles.


    He bravely went deeper into the cave, into the lair of the beasts. Either Ghwynmyr was crazy or just a very dwarf, but his actions were gamble far too risky for anyone to think of, let alone do. However, he was confident of his skill. He was trained to do it, as a rebel he took out many Principalian knights with their sneaky tactics, as a fyrwrym killer, he easily snuck behind a dragon and stole its well-kept treasure. This was nothing different albeit it was twice dangerous.


    He went farther and saw the monsters high up the cave ceilings hanging upside down with their weapons held tightly in their arms. It was impossible for Ghwynmyr to steal it from that height and from their grip.


    He instead opted for another route. He discreetly wrote runes on the walls at the base of the cave''s ceilings and connected it with the runes he made earlier. He made a long line of runes coming back to the puddle at the opposite side of the cave.


    "What are these runes?" The Orkamuu asked. "Are these traps?" He asked as he held the stump of his amputated arm.


    "Had meself sick of dis monstars!" Ghwynmyr said. "If only tis was given a chance, we could''ve¡­" He looked at Wahakim and told what he meant through his gaze. He nodded at them signaling it was time. He instructed Urfaal and Wahakim to stay quiet while he executes his plan.


    As both his comrade waited silently in bated breath for his plan to begin, Ghwynmyr went back to the cave opening and with a pebble on hand, he started his plan. He took a deep breath and spoke to the pebbles under his breath.


    "Blhst, yhr gryt fyr grnt mh! (Your great fire grant me, explosion!)" Suddenly, the small stones lit up in his hand and threw it to the other side of the cave. He immediately hid at one of the pillars to protect himself from the explosion he planned to execute.


    "Co''er yer ears!" Ghwynmyr shouted to lure the creatures near the stones.


    "I can''t move from here!" Urfaal reminded him.


    "Gods'' balls!" He shouted back. "Grit yer teeth, lad. We haf no other way!"


    Not a moment passed, and a strong gust the strong gust of wind was approaching them. His shout lured in, he took a look and saw six of them getting towards them. Ghwynmyr grinned, he knew it was only a matter of time for them to meet their doom.


    Just as the monsters got near the glowing, hot stones, he immediately snapped his fingers creating a small explosion with the pebbles flying chaotically towards the unsuspecting monsters. The stones were small, but with his magic, it became effective enough to pierce the monster''s tough hide. The trap took down all six of them, they plummeted into their doom, while they wailed the last ounce of life in them.


    After seeing such devastation, he immediately touched the stones he placed in each of the pillars, before running towards the puddle to hide. Finally, the flock was rattled! From the other end of the cave, they could hear the screeches and wails of the monsters approaching their dead.


    The gust of wind suddenly turned into a wild storm, Ghwynmyr and Wahakim had no choice but to submerge themselves in the sticky mud so as not to get blown away by the sheer force of wind blowing towards them.


    Wahakim held dearly for his life as the puddle of mud they thought could save them from the storm was no longer effective against the strong gust of wind that approaching them.


    "H-how l¡­long¡­should we hold on?!" Wahakim shouted as his hand slowly slipped from the rock that was lodged in the puddle''s opening.


    Ghwynmyr looked at the approaching monsters. The last thing he wanted was timing the rocks to explode too earlier or too late. He knew that an error like that could spell their doom. The swarm of the bat-like monsters had finally passed the pillar.


    He grinned at Wahakim and snapped his fingers, "Now!"


    The stones blasted the pillars, leaving most of the creatures trapped while the rest of the swarm crushed beneath the dead white pillars. The impact from the heavy pillars falling to the ground caused more damage than the petty rock he planted in between the white stones.


    Some of the monsters were thrown to the puddle from the powerful impact. However, Ghwynmyr had other things in mind.


    "Skwyr!" He shouted as sharp spikes emerged from the ground and skewered the thrown monsters into their deaths.


    The monsters tried to fight their way out of the spikes using the last bit of life they had, but the sharp protrusions on the ground proved to be deadly for them. Their bodies slowly limped as they were losing their blood in the spikes.


    As their lifeless body hung in the spikes, Ghwynmyr took their weapons and gave one sword to Wahakim.


    "I know tis ain''t yers, but should this do fer now?" He asked.


    Wahakim looked at the gladius blade and twirled it around before giving him a grin. "This is not mine," he said. "But this will do!"


    Ghwynmyr looked up at his friend and smiled. "Justah lil bit longer, Urfie!" He looked at the barred cave opening. "We''ll get yah out of ''ere after we deal wid ''em!" He pointed at the remaining monsters who were crawling on the ground dazed and confused.


    "What are we going to do with them?" Wahakim pointed at them.


    Ghwynmyr grinned, "Activate the rune, now! And make sure to hide as deep as you can in that puddle!" He instructed.


    Wahakim nodded and smack the rune with his hand filled with flames. The flame ran through the runes lighting them up in a mellow red and yellow flame, racing towards the lines he created himself. Ghwynmyr looked at the flames intently as it finally reached the other end of the cave and smiled as the nests started to glow and explode just behind the downed monsters.


    He jumped back into the puddle with a content look on his face, knowing that the bat-like monstrosities could no longer be an annoyance to them.

 Chapter 169: Overture

    Death and more death! Adaloun was surrounded by dead, rotten bodies. The bodies of people he once knew throughout the ages, throughout his different incarnations now lie under his feet in heaps, dead and rotting.


    He stood in center of them all, their faces embedded deeply into his heart. Their memories kept flashing back at him like lightning striking his mind, harassing him with their emotions, every bit of their emotions.


    Their laughter, their pains, their sadness and the few haunting memories of moments before their deaths bombarded his mind and broke his heart the same way he felt when he first witnessed their deaths.


    Adaloun''s mind was quickly crumbling from everything happening all at once. He felt nauseated at the continuing flashing of visions until finally, everything went dark, and silence followed. There was a momentary peace in the darkness and somehow, it gave him a bit of relief.


    Adaloun woke up after the ground shook violently beneath him. He immediately stood up but the wounds he got from his encounter with Zaduriel anchored him on the ground. His vision spun as his eyes tried to adjust from the flickering light of the torch his comrade stabbed on the ground.


    He vomited from the flickering lights and was about to faint when Orphella caught him before his head could hit the ground.


    She gestured to him, but everything was too gibberish, too jumbled for his mind to understand. Her hands were a blur to him, his eyes stressed from the flickering lights of the torch.


    "W-where¡­are¡­we?" Adaloun asked as he closed his eyes trying to stabilize his vision.


    After a moment, he realized how silly his question was. He remembered how Orphella was mute and apparently that made him more embarrassed that he couldn''t even get it right. He bit his lip and silenced himself.


    All of a sudden, the ground shook again, this time more violently. He tried to open his eyes, but his vision swirled once more and vomited again from the nauseating vision.


    "Damn it!" He cursed under his breath. "What''s going on?" He asked.


    He felt Orphella''s warm hands as she took his. She placed her hand in his palm and began to sign.


    "Quake, seemed unnatural¡­gibberish¡­not giant¡­gibberish." Even then, the thoughtful elf tried her best to let him understand what was currently going on. Without his sight to see the situation, the elf became his eyes to the world.


    "Stay¡­rest¡­heal." She signed.


    Adaloun nodded and smiled, "Thank you, but with what''s¡ª" He felt Orphella''s finger touched his lips.


    "Not¡­a word," she signed. "You¡­rest¡­I¡­stand¡­watch." Her hands caressed gently in his palm. The warmth of her palm felt calming and trusting. He never said another word after that and went to sleep.


    Adaloun went back on his dream once again. The serene darkness that he stared at before waking up welcomed him once again. He loved it! For once, the darkness that he so despised became his comfort, away from everything. He dreamt of nothing, but a calming void of darkness and he didn''t loathe it.


    He woke up rested and without a headache which he was very thankful for. He''s vision was no longer swirling, and he did not feel nauseated at all. He sat up and saw Orphella sleeping peacefully with her weirdly beautiful bow by her feet.


    The bow was intricately ornated with silver leaves that contrasted its body made from what seemed to be a mix of iron wood and aetherium infused in the shaft. It had a thin crystal bowstring that left him to wonder how it would stand when being pulled. In the middle of the bow was a hand guard, served to protect the hand from incoming projectile as the bearer hits their target. The handguard was designed to look like an eagle''s head made of shiny, yet durable silver-like metal. In between the eagle''s head was a pale blue gem, similar to that of an aetherium but felt different, energy-wise.


    He stared at the weapon for a moment, piquing his curiosity at the gem. To say that the bow was beautiful was an understatement. It was something more than just a beautiful weapon, it went beyond that¡­it was otherworldly.


    "I might blush if you don''t blink!" A soft playful voice of a girl suddenly spoke out of nowhere.


    Adaloun stood up and looked around while grabbing the torch erected in the ground. "Who said that?!" He shouted. "Show yourself. I am not afraid¡ª"


    Suddenly, someone grabbed his arm. He turned around and was about to strike it with the torch, only to find Orphella surprised as what he was about to do. He was able to stop himself at the last moment, before the torch could touch her face.


    "Oh! No¡­dear¡­me!" He sighed in relief. "Don''t you grab me like that! I could''ve burnt you!" He said angrily as he tried to deflect his surprise.


    "What happened?!" The elf frantically signed.


    "Someone is with us!" He lowered his voice. "Be alert!"


    Orphella nodded and quickly grabbed her bow. She pulled the bowstring and an arrow made of light materialized. She held it well and pointed it around the hallway, waiting for the intruder to show herself, or attack.


    But time passed and there was no one. Adaloun even observed her firing a few arrows to get a vision of the dark corners of the tunnel, but there was nothing. It was only just both of them.


    After realizing how silly and lame he looked with his actions, he sat down on the ground, threw the torch and laughed his heart out like a madman.


    "W-what''s going on? What''s so funny?" She asked in confusion.


    "Haha..nothing," he replied as he stifled a laugh. "I might be the bumps on my head letting me hear things." He tried to mask his anger and frustration over himself.


    Orphella approached him with a worried look on her face. She touched his forehead with her other hand while putting the other on her forehead. She closed her eyes and asked him to keep silent as she tried to focus.


    "You''re having a fever." She said after her short diagnostic procedure. "You need to rest a little¡ª"


    "Save me that rest advice for later." He interrupted. Now is not a good time to rest especially with our comrades in the brink of their deaths!" He stood up once again, picking up the torch once again.


    "But you need to rest!" Orphella insisted.


    "We need to get our surviving comrades and save them!" Adaloun rebutted. "We have no right to rest here. Not without them, not within here!" He looked up and feasted his eyes on the ceiling. "Beyond this earthly prison is where we should be! The surface!"


    Orphella looked at him intently with the hint worry in her eyes, but his determination and drive made the elf helpless against him. She opted not to question him out of respect for his determination to save their friends.


    "Fine, we shall go now." Orphella sighed. "But we have to take breaks every now and again. So your body can rest too." She added.


    "Fair enough." Adaloun agreed. "Let''s get into it then! Where should we be heading?"


    Orphella nodded and pointed the tunnel at the eastern end. "I saw a door at the end of that path while firing my arrow over there."


    "Lead the way, Orphella." He sighed. "Don''t you worry about me. We shall make out of this alive." They walked towards the dark tunnel to where Orphella pointed the door was.


    Orphella took out a dagger and gave it to Adaloun, "Here, just in case we need to fight."


    He grinned at her, "This will do¡­ and don''t worry, I won''t die." He nodded as Orphella gestured him to follow her.

 Chapter 170: The Deeper They Go

    Adaloun''s arm was frustratingly bugging him the entire time while journeying the path Orphella directed. His arm was numbing and heavy from the torch he bore all the way up to that point, and the path seemed to have not changed a direction one bit. It was just a straight line, no crossroads or curves, just a damningly straight line that goes beyond darkness.


    He tried his best to keep up with Orphella who was easily making her way through the dark path. He was told by Ghwynmyr before that in this world, the faerfolk and the beastmen were blessed by the moon goddesses to see the dark as good as they could in daylight. Adaloun had a similar gift, as far as he could remember, and he used that a couple of times before. Unfortunately for him, it wasn''t working at that time. It would''ve been convenient if it did, at the very least, he could stop bringing a torch and not have a numbing arm.


    He took a big step over a debris of white stone blocks lying around the ground when suddenly his legs started to give out on him as well. He had the worst luck of slipping from a small rock before accidentally sitting on one of the blocks and hurting himself in the process.


    "OOOOHHH¡­" The only words he could say as they pain travelled throughout his body.


    Orphella looked back and saw him writhing on the floor with both his hands tucked into his crotch. She rushed to his side and tried to get him up, but the pain was too much. His knees gave up completely because of the pain and he got winded. The poor elf dragged him to the side and placed his back along the cold walls of the tunnel.


    "What happened to you?" Orphella signed as she tried to check for open wounds.


    She held his hands to check if there were any cuts but Adaloun thought she was going to check his crotch and so he pushed her away.


    "N-no¡­no¡­uhmmm¡­" He tried to breathe in some needed air. "I-I can handle myself¡­just don''t touch it¡­alright?" He said through the pain.


    Orphella nodded but her eyes still reflected a look of concern. "Your hands¡­their burning. Your fever is getting worst." She stated.


    "No! I-I am¡­fine¡­l-let''s continue our way out and find the others!" He tried to stand but his knees won''t let him. His body''s strength seemed to be fleeting from him once again. "Damn it! Work legs! Work!" He pounded them hard, trying to beat some sense into his stubborn body, but it still wouldn''t work.


    Orphella caught his hand as he was about to deliver another pounding, "What are you doing?! Let''s just rest here, please." Her eyes watery and tired.


    She placed her thumb over his forehead and closed her eyes. Adaloun felt a rush of energy flowing into his body, it felt warm and comforting like a mother''s hug. It coursed throughout his body relieving him from his pain and fatigue. Not soon after, his eyelid felt heavy, and everything went dark once again.


    He woke up later on to the sound of something grinding near him. The sound of the stone grinding against another stone made the hairs of nape stand. He opened his eyes and saw Orphella grinding something in between the stones, the flickering torchlight made it hard for him to identify what it was, but the elf simply smiled to him after noticing her woke up.


    She immediately collected the grounded white powder in a small torn cloth and gave it to Adaloun.


    "W-what is this?" Adaloun said while touching the fine chalky powder.


    "Medicine." Orphella answered. "Drink it, it should make you feel better." She signed.


    Adaloun looked at the elf''s eyes filled with confusion. How did she get the medicine? Why hasn''t she used it on me before? Is she really Orphella? Those apprehensive thoughts crossed his mind. But the elf looked concerned and cared for him the entire time he was there. Somehow, he had to make the risk of trusting her even if he felt fearful for his life.


    His mistrust came from an experience with medicine. During his previous life¡­his 28th reincarnation to be exact, he got poisoned by one of his most trusted generals. He was wounded at that time and there was no medicine strong enough to relieve him of the pain. His general and friend however, claimed that there was indeed a medication for it.


    His trusted friend prepared the medicine in front of him and asked him to drink it. Soon after a few hours, his mind began to give out and he was violently convulsing. He felt his muscle twitched and cramped while his bones broke with every contortion his body made. He died a painful death, and painfully still, it was his friend who did it.


    Orphella pushed the medicine into his mouth. He immediately swerved his head and avoided the taste of the powder.


    "I am sorry, Adaloun." Orphella signed. "We do not have water to make this go down smoothly. But please be assured this will help you recover." Her eyes filled with hope for the medicine.


    Adaloun wanted to protest once again, but it was too late. Before he could speak, Orphella took the cloth and shoved it into his mouth almost gagging him in the process. He felt the powder fizzled in his tongue and the smelled the pungent odor of its vapor as it reacted with his saliva.


    He pushed Orphella right away but by then it was too late. The medicine was already into his system. His vision began to spin once again, and his body felt numb. He dropped himself on the ground face planted.


    He woke up gasping for air. Once again, this was the third time it occurred during his time with Orphella. The elf was right by his side rubbing his back to calm him. But he panicked, just the thought of Orphella gagging him with that medication made his skin crawl. Who knows if it was really her?


    Orphella held his face as he continued to struggle for air. Without any warning, she placed her lips into his and began to blow air into his mouth. The act stunned him and calmed him down at once. The elf efforted in giving him air by all means necessary.


    He closed his eyes and felt her warm breath enter his mouth and filled his lungs. He no longer struggled and all thoughts about Orphella''s possible betrayal went out of the window. He gently caressed her neck and what started out as a life-giving kiss, became an intimate one with him kissing back.


    Orphella pushed him away and slapped him. "I was just giving you air for you to breathe! What was that?!" She angrily pointed out.


    Adaloun couldn''t explain his action. Her kissed felt familiar as if he had kissed him a thousand times before. His mind raced and thought about his dead lover from his previous life but that wouldn''t be a good answer to her question. What he did was a harassment to his comrade who only wanted to help him.


    "I¡­am¡­" He fumbled for words.


    "None the matter!" Orphella wiped her mouth and stood up. "You''re doing fine now. Let''s go!" She signed.


    Adaloun hurriedly stood up and even declined Orphella''s hand to help him stand. He dusted himself and took his torch.


    "L-lead the way." He bowed his head down for her not to see his face of embarrassment.


    Orphella nodded and walked as soon as he said it.


    As soon as he started walking, he felt the effects of the medicine the poor Orphella gave him. His body was no longer heavy and tired. His fever was also gone already. It was indeed a potent medicine! He would''ve liked to speak about it more and asked what it was. But after what happened, he knew the conversation at that point would already be awkward.


    They walked silently passing fallen blocks of white, smooth stone. The terrain was changing. The dusty ground they once treaded became more polished. The path was made of polished white stones intricately paved to the floor.


    They walked further beyond the nicely paved way and came to road filled with cracks and broken white stone. A few footlings away from it was a white stone door glimmering from the light on his torch. Orphella stopped and examined the writings on the door. She turned around to him and sighed.


    "We hit a dead end. Looks like we need to go back." She reported. "The gate had ancient runes that even I can''t decipher, let alone understand. The door is also hard to budge."


    Adaloun looked back and saw the dark long pathway that they trekked for the longest time. He felt tired just looking at it and imagining that they had to walk back again to find another way. He approached the door and examined it himself. He could not understand the runes themselves and when he tried to push the stone door, it wouldn''t budge.


    He checked the runes once again and looked at its pattern. He noticed how it swirled right down to the center where there seemed to be a handprint molded into it.  He tried to fit his hand over the mold when suddenly a sharp object nicked his palm.


    He tried taking his hand from the stone door, but it seemed to be stuck. He looked at Orphella with desperation in his eyes as he asked for her help. The elf immediately grabbed his hand and tried to yank it out of the door, but it wouldn''t.


    Suddenly, the runes glowed and both of them could hear the door tick.

 Chapter 171: The Chasm

    The door started to move. The clicking and clanking sounds became more audible as the runes continued to grow brighter. Adaloun tried pulling out his hand from the mold, but it seemed to be stuck. He tried pulling out his hand from it, but it only hurt him every time he did.


    Orphella noticed blood trickling out of Adlaoun''s hand. She looked at himThe sight caused her to panic and tried helping Adaloun to pull out his hand from the damned stone door. She grabbed his arm and place placed her leg on the door before attempting to yank Adaloun''s hand out of it.  They tried it for a few moments, but it wouldn''t budge.


    "Stand back!" Adaloun shouted. "Stand back, Orphella! Let''s just wait for this one to¡ª" He pulled out the dagger and was about to cut his arm free when all of the sudden, the door opened.


    His hand was finally released from door''s grip. He stumbled back and almost fell on the ground when she caught him before landing on the stony, cold floor. There was another awkward silence, Orphella saw Adaloun''s head resting on her chest. She immediately pushed him to the side and dusted herself.


    "Are you alright?" She asked.


    Adaloun was still confused from what he did simply nodded. There was an air of awkwardness between them, or it might just be her. Orphella still couldn''t get over from what he did to her earlier, that kiss made her felt with a feeling she couldn''t understand.


    Orphella shook off that notion as soon as it entered her mind, but every time she saw him, warmth would spread all over her face. She cleared her mind about it and just focused on what was important, tending to his wounds.


    The door left Adaloun a big wound in the center of his palm. It seemed like the door could only activate with the use of blood and it just so happened that her comrade was either too unlucky or simply just a fool to try and place his hand on that mold.


    "Your hand is bleeding." She tore a cloth from her arm and tried to wrap it around his wounded hand.


    Adaloun quickly hid his hand away from her, "No, I am alright!" He said as he checked his wound for himself.  His bled profusely, unfortunately, it was not a small wound but rather, a gaping one. "It''s jus a¡­flesh wound!" He was lying and she could tell.


    Orphella was getting annoyed at him, but she remained calm and logical with the situation. "Please, let me look at your hand." She asked. "I have to and I must, if you want to live or get out of here with your body intact." She said.


    She grabbed Adaloun''s wounded hand and tried the best as she could not to show any sign of awkwardness to stop him from feeling uncomfortable. The wound was about 3 fingerlings long that ran across the center of his palm to the base. She covered the wound with the cloth before applying pressure on it to stop the bleeding.


    After wrapping and stabilizing the wound. They set again their sights on the opened door. She gestured Adaloun to stay right behind her, while she tried and checked what was beyond the door. Her heart pounded wildly as fired an arrow. The last thing she wanted was another monster meeting them on their way inside.


    The arrow flew by the empty dark room. There were no hindrances apparently. The arrow also shed some much-needed light to survey the area clearly and rid any dark lurking monsters, which luckily, there was none. It was safe, nothing was lurking inside of it. On the other side, was another door, probably a way out but it was way too far from them and apparently, there was a chasm in between their mode of exit.


    Orphella looked down and noticed the ground below was scorched and filled with embers scattered around. Just by looking at it she realized that the chasm was caused by and explosion, a huge one at that. It seemed new, as if someone or something just exploded and took three stories along with it.


    The chasm wasn''t relatively deep, but it wasn''t conveniently easy to cross it either. Without ropes and harnesses, the entire way down would take a lot of effort and time to do. Adaloun peeped behind her and saw the deep pit in front of them.


    "Looks like we have no other choice but down." Adaloun commented.


    "It seemed so," She sighed. "I need to find a way down there first. Could stay up here and wait for me?" She said adamantly.


    Adaloun protested on her idea, "You know it would be safer if I came along with you." He pointed at the chasm below.


    He had a point, however, without them knowing how steady the remaining rocks were, it was best if one of them stayed in case the other one needed rescue or at least the other lives and find another way out.


    "I''ll go ahead and do that then!" Adaloun volunteered.


    "No, you''re injured." She answered back. "You need to recover first. I''m the only one around here that could fight with both hands." She pointed Adaloun''s wounded hand.


    Adaloun wanted to insist even further and tried to tell him that he was in the condition to fight. Orphella nodded and approached him, tired from arguing. She pulled out the knife he holstered on his waist and pressed the sharp blade on her comrade''s neck. He never got to react from her sudden attack and realized the extent of the injury he had. Right then and there, Adaloun never argued again.


    He took a deep breath and slowly moved the knife away from his neck. "Alright, I understand. I''ll just sit here and wait for you."


    Orphella knew how deeply he had wounded his pride; however, she knew it was necessary. It was the only way for him to listen and it worked.


    She look down at the chasm once more. She scanned for any other possible routes down, but there was only one route down. The stony rigid rocks at the right ledge were the only possible way down. The stones where big and stacked against each other like a piled box. Although it looked sturdy, she still needed to be very careful just in case it might collapse under her feet.


    Orphella turn around to Adaloun once again, "If I won''t make it down there, you find your own path out of here."


    Adaloun smiled at her, "You''ll make it. I know that you can."


    She smiled shyly to Adaloun and she doesn''t know why she did. She gave nodded at him to signal her descent and made her way to the ledge.

 Chapter 172: The Chasm Pt.2

    The rocks were still warm and even some glowing red.  Whatever blasted these layers upon layers of solid stone and ground was more likely of a magical variety, a powerful one at that. But who could''ve done this kind of explosion on such a grand scale? Orphella thought as she descended down the crumbly path.


    She had a lot of possible suspects that could blast away layers upon layers of stones. It could be an angry wyrm awakened from their constant use of magic. The ascending fire blast could indicate the monster''s willingness to emerge to the surface. If that was the case, they''re in big trouble! But fortunately, that wasn''t the case. After extensively looking around and checking for signs of a rampaging fire-breathing serpent, she unable to find claw marks anywhere.


    She took a deep breath of relief and continued her way down. She paused by scorched ledge and tried to check for her progress. She looked above and saw she was getting deeper into the chasm. Seeing her progress, she continued her way down, when all over the sudden, the rock she was about to step on, crumbled.


    Orphella lost her footing and slipped. She tumbled down the path of hot rocks, her skin touching hot rocks and occasionally burning her. She was half-way in plummeting to her death but was able to hold on to a rock grossly sticking out of the path. The jagged rock below that ledge would have mean a swift, yet terribly bloody death.


    Her hands slowly burned at the heat of the stone ledge, but she was not letting go¡ªshe refused to let the pain get to her. She pulled herself right back up as the smell of burning skin filled the air. Orphella gritted her teeth in pain as her hands pressed hard against the scorching rock, but she was not about to call it quits. She had a promise to keep, and she made it damn sure she''ll keep it.


    Screaming from the pain, Orphella pushed her way up and was able to save herself from her certain demise. She stood at the top of the ledge and took a deep breath of relief. However, her little celebration from warding off death was short lived. Her hands got her back to reality, the pulsating pain proved to be unbearable for her.


    She looked at her hands and saw the damage the stones caused. Her hands were scorched, the rocks burned most of her skin off and some of the flesh. The pungent odor of burnt flesh was all that she could smell.


    Taking a deep breath, she gritted her teeth and forcefully tried to move her hands around, but the pain was too much for her to bear. The damage has already been done, and now the injury had left her incapable of using her hands.


    Orphella went away from the side of the ledge and attempted to tear pieces of clothing from her arm and turned it into a glove of some sort, just to protect both her hands and continue on with her journey.  But even that was too difficult for her to do. The pain was too much for her to bear that even lifting her hands up her shoulder caused her excruciating pain.


    She stood there silently, her eyes staring at her burned hands. She looked up and saw how far she already came and then she looked below and saw how relatively far she was from reaching solid ground. Her vision began to blur, and tears came pouring from her eyes. Orphella stood there frustrated of her injuries and was too afraid to continue on her journey. Without her hands, she was as good as dead when she reaches the bottom. Who knows what type of monsters would welcome her there? Without her hands, she wouldn''t be able to fight back properly and even with a powerful weapon like the Papillon with her, it was good as nothing¡ª


    "Good as nothing?! Excuse me?!" An energetic yet soft woman''s voice shouted out of nowhere. She looked around panicking. She knew she was alone on her descent but now, she seemed to be hearing things.


    "At this point, I can''t really tell if you''re playing dumb or just plain dumb!" The voice sighed. "It''s me, Papillon! Can''t you recognize my innocent voice?!" Her weapon asked.


    She tried taking out the weapon off her and dropped it on the ground.


    "Ouch! Why did you drop me?!" The bow floated in front of her and hit her head gently against its body. "I REAAALLLLY hate being dropped." Papillon said sassily.


    Orphella looked at the bow with awe and fascination. It wasn''t the first time she thought she heard it spoke. But prior to her descending to the chasm, she thought she heard it spoke to her about a secret compartment inside the bow where a drug was secretly located and used instructed her to use it for Adaloun.


    "No answer?! Seriously?!" The bow''s glowing gem pulsated as it spoke. "You''re hopeless."


    "W-wait?! You can speak?!" She burst. "W¡­what''s going on?! Why can I speak to you in my¡­"


    "Voice¡­good dear, sister! We are linked telepathically!" The bow answered condescendingly. "Besides, I could speak freely and out loud¡­ahem."


    "I thought those things I heard were just¡­you know¡­out of my head." She gritted her teeth as the pain pulsated once again. "Argh, I hate this! It''s too painful!" She looked at her hands as blood and other liquids flowed out from her wounds.


    "You know what?" Papillon said. "Let me fix that for you, sister! Hold me tight this time, alright?" The bow landed into her hands and the weapon''s warmth soothed the pain in her hands. The warmth gently moved her skin and muscles around.


    She felt the tingling sensation as her hands began to heal. She saw how the huge burns on her hands began to slough off and new muscle and sinew began to grow on it. Papillon was healing her in a way she never thought existed. The she felt the pain ceasing incredibly as her skin regrew from her hands.


    "Done." Papillon said. "Not much of a challenge!"


    "T-thank you." Orphella replied telepathically.


    "Don''t mention it, sister." Orphella felt the bow smiled. "You know what, I want a favor from you."


    "What is it?" Orphella asked. "Is there something you need me to do?"


    "Just a teeny weeny bit!" Papillon cheerfully answered. "Carry me and don''t drop me down again, alright? I hate it when that happens! Oh¡­one more thing, carry on in your journey down there and be assured I will protect you¡­just don''t EVER drop me again." She added.


    Orphella sighed. "I apologize if I did. But do you have to repeat that request over and over again?" She asked as Papillon seemed to not get over the fact that she had been dropped.


    "I am trying to cross a point here! Plus, I want to make sure you hit the mark! See what I did there?" Papillon laughed at her own pun. "Ahem¡­ahem¡­Anyway, sister, let''s go! You only have a short time to spare! Giddiyup!" She said.


    Orphella raised her eyebrow but nodded to Papillon''s command. She continued on with her journey until she made it safely to the bottom, where she now had to scout the area.

 Chapter 173: Comes the Fortnight

    Maraus, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 70th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ----------------------------------------------------------


    "What do we know so far about aetherium?" Prince Arterius asked Stolas while eating his breakfast.


    "Well," Stolas took his bound notes out and flipped through the pages. "As far as we know, the ore could potentially be a great source of energy, as 305-M stated. Aetherium could also be incorporated in weaponry thus giving it impeccable abilities, according to 305-M ''s notes."


    Prince Arterius nodded while sipping his tea.


    "And as for the recent one, it seems like aetherium could also be converted into a substance and be used in living organisms as well." Stolas flipped through his notes and checked if there was something that he''d missed, but that was all. "That was the last of the report, Prince Arterius."


    Prince Arterius stood up after finishing his tea and spoke to Stolas with sparkles in his eyes. "Fascinating, isn''t it? This¡­this¡­ore¡­could truly become the future of our Arteria!" He smiled.


    Stolas smiled back tiredly at him, "Indeed it is, but¡­" His ward paused and sighed.


    "What do you mean by that? Why but, Stolas?" Prince Arterius seemingly furious over his ward''s comment.


    Stolas looked at him with worry, "How long have you slept? Are you even getting some sleep? I mean I can see you lay on your bed but other than that¡­" He paused and sighed. "I''ve heard some of the knights¡­are worried for¡ª"


    "Has that something to do with aetherium?" Prince Arterius raised his eyebrow. "No one bats an eye if I had slept well before, they shouldn''t be starting that now! What''s your point, Stolas?" He sat on the on the dining table, hunched and tired of the conversation.


    "Prince Arterius, you need to rest. Your mind is too preoccupied with the campaign." Stolas bit his lip. He held himself from saying something worse and hurtful to his friend.


    "Yes, what about the campaign? Are you going to tell me to pack up and go home?!" Prince Arterius glared at him, "You know that my life and honor lies in the balance here! You should know better than anyone because you were there from the very start!"


    Prince Arterius noticed that he was raising his voice to his friend. He banged his fist on the table and sighed. "Damn it! I cannot leave, Stolas. I just can''t." He gritted his teeth. "I know putting 305-M in the inner circle was a gamble, but I have expected him to be at least discreet about certain things¡­for old times sake." He mumbled a curse.


    "I know," Stolas placed his hand on his friend''s arm. "But, I think this time you gambled with the wrong person. I knew sooner or later he would betray you and he did it in broad daylight."


    He nodded and gave his friend a tired smile. "I should''ve known better." He sighed. "When did you say, the Senate delegates would come here?" He asked his most-trusted ward.


    "Within a fortnight." His ward answered. "I know that you won''t let them take this project away from you."


    "No, I won''t." Prince Arterius answered.


    "I supposed you have a bargain in mind?" Stolas went to his small table at the other side of the tent near his bed. He took out his quill and inkwell and stared at him, as if asking him to tell him what to write.


    "I have nothing more to bargain, Stolas." Prince Arterius sighed as he stood up from the table. "I am going out for a walk. I need to talk with 305-M."


    "With him? You threw a knife at him the last time! Who knows what he might do to you?!" Stola frantically grabbed Prince Arterius'' cane and coat. "Let me join you¡ª"


    "I wish to speak with him alone. I want to know why he did it!" He insisted. "Just give me my cane and I''ll be on my way."


    Although hesitant with his order, Stolas had no choice but to give him his cane. "Please be careful. I have faith that we still have this campaign. Just give them something to chew on and I know we can¡ª"


    "I appreciate your kind words, Stolas." He said to his ward. "But at this point, all we can do is pray. Just pray that the gods are listening to my pleas." Prince Arterius stepped out of the tent and was welcomed by the thick morning fog from the hills.


    The tent still buzzing around, however, everytime he would pass by some of his men, they would become eerily silent. Their eyes would seem to stab him like daggers, and they would whisper things behind his back. He could hear them from where he was. He knew the camp thinks he had been consumed by his greed and ambition. He knew they think he was going insane for not leaving the campaign all together. He knew how much lives he had sacrificed for this ambition and yet, somehow, he wanted it to continue.


    After reflecting on 305-M''s actions, he knew his mentor meant well¡­at least that''s how he wants to put it. But putting things in perspective, it seemed like his mentor was trying to save him from himself. He was trying to save him from the spiral madness of the obsession he had for the aetherium and for the recognition from the crown.


    He paused at the middle of the path going to 305-M''s tent. He set his eyes to the left and saw his godfather''s tent noticeably half-way through his journey. He wanted to talk to his godfather too, who was furious to learn the news of his mentor''s action. It had been almost 5 days now since they last spoke, and all his godfather could say was to think of his next actions very carefully.


    It was a vague statement from a man who had always counseled him through his dire times, but he did understand his silence. He walked past his tent and went on to his former mentor''s tent. The knights saluted him as they saw him coming. At times he wished they wouldn''t do it. In fact, he just wanted to pass by them as if he was invisible, but that was still an impossible thing for him to do.


    The tent was lively as he approached. Baubles and metals were clanging, he could hear 305-M''s voice faintly from the distance. He seemed to be upset about something. As he went closer, it became more apparent what he was hearing. His mentor was scolding¡ªno, beating someone up.


    "Useless, gnome!" His former mentor shouted at the top of his lungs. "Get out of here! And bring this trash along with you!"


    Prince Arterius could hear a dull metal sound hitting someone. He rushed to the tent and when he opened it, he saw the small dwarven girl getting out of the tent carrying broken glass baubles and dented bronze pots along with her. Their eyes for a moment, then she ran away.


    305-M was standing at the table where the monster''s head was placed. Surrounding the decapitated head was barrier, one of his mentor''s creations that was said to help preserve flesh for a very long time. His mentor looked at him and grinned.


    "Are you here to finish the job?!" 305-M said. "I had a dagger waiting here for you to stab me at the heart by your command.


    Prince Arterius looked at his mentor''s bloodshot eyes. He looked at his face and saw the busted lip and swelling brow. It seemed like he his former mentor had it rough. From the looks of it, he seemed to have been beaten in black and blue just recently.


    "Well, Prince Arterius," He took a deep breath as he took a swig off some wine from his jug. "What do you want from me?"


    "The truth." Prince Arterius answered. "I want to know why you did it. Why would you summon the Senate here? You know that they could take away my birthright now. You know that I haven''t sent any reports yet of our progress here. What you did just put my life in jeopardy! Why did you have to do it?!" He clenched his fist as he tried to suppress his anger.


    305-M raised an eyebrow at him and offered him a seat. "You are too na?ve, Prince Arterius!" He poured some wine on a cup and offered it to him. "Drink, you''ll need it while I speak."


    ---------------------


    JULY PROMOTION!!!Please read AUX Chapter if you want to join!

 Chapter 174: A Different Kind of Play

    Chandaea, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 69th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ------------------


    The late hour of Obscura was at hand. There were only a few hours left before dawn peeks at the horizon. As the rest of the camp slowly settled in for a night''s rest, Lord Prestonheim''s tent was still burning his midnight oil. From the outside, his silhouette could be seen moving on and about, pausing at his huge table pointing at it or throwing rolls of parchment to the ground. The old Commander had a lot on his plate and even in his silhouette, it was obvious how his shoulders slumped from the heavy burden he has and yet, he kept on going.


    It has been more than three days since Lord Prestonheim went out from his tent. The recent letter they intercepted from 305-M caused him and his godson to go ballistic on the conniving bastard of a slave. A few days prior, they learned that the red-haired slave was currently reporting their goings on to the Senate. Now that their activities were expose, the governing body was planning to inspect the camp and judge the campaign whether it should still continue or not.


    He stood up from his seat and massaged the bridge of his nose. The table was filled with red dots and formations as if they were going to war. Make no mistake, they weren''t going to war, but with Senator Lucresia leading the senators, he might as well prepare for a skirmish.


    Senator Lucresia had been the major detractor of Prince Arterius. If anything, he was surprised that he hadn''t ordered some assassin to just kill the prince, since that has always been his method when dealing with people he doesn''t like. Lord Prestonheim knew that the Imperatur wouldn''t bat an eye if his least favorite son dies.


    Lord Prestonheim stood up from his seat and stretched his back. It had been a tiring toil for him the past few days. As if the sleepless nights of careful planning weren''t enough, he was also trying to communicate with the Crovars and the few allies Prince Arterius had to ask them to join the Senatorial entourage and keep the detractors at bay. Unfortunately, none of them had replied yet.


    He went to his nightstand and took a swig of water from his jug. At times like this, a strong wine could''ve been better to help him calm his nerves, but that wouldn''t help him in this scenario. He needed his mind sharp as he had to sort out the chaotic mess 305-M had brought them. Aside from that, he also needed to boost up the morale of his men.


    He may not have told his godson about it, but his knights had been whispering about regretting being there. One time he heard a knight commenting on how the mission was a death sentence to all of them and that they had been led by nothing more than a crazed insignificant shameful son of a great Imperatur. The same weak-willed son that got 305-M in and ruined the entire campaign.


    Lord Prestonheim could''ve chastised his men for how they spoke on the prince''s back, but he preferred to remain silent. He knew that wasn''t the best course of action at this point. If he had chastised the knight or punished him for speaking bad against the royal family in their current situation, it might lead to a revolt and that was one thing he never wanted to happen¡ªnot with Senator Lucresia and Lady Bieroff looming around.


    The convoluted situation had made his head ache. Lord Prestonheim took out his coat and decided to take a walk outside. The cold breeze blew into his direction as he went out of his tent. There was not a single soul roaming around the camp aside for the guards who were occasionally manning the area.


    He walked around the camp. The silence of the camp was something that he needed. There were no horses and carriages roaming around, no clanging of metal from the forge, nor any men shouting up and about. He walked into a tree near the edge of the camp and sat by its shade. The moon peek shyly behind the thick cloudy sky giving the land a dim, gentle light that matches his somber mood.


    He tried to close his eyes and get some well-needed sleep, but his mind wouldn''t let him take a nap. He sat there at the shade staring blankly at the moon drowning in thoughts about the campaign, his godson and the damned Senate.


    His mind was filled with thoughts of the plan he had for his godson if the Senate wished Prince Arterius to end the campaign. He wrote to one of his closest allies in the far southern region of the Great Dune to house Prince Arterius there as he will try and plead with the Senate to not kill the prince but rather put him into exile at the Western Continent. Or if ever Senator Lucresia would command to kill Prince Arterius on the spot, he planned to get his knights ready to defend their prince.


    He also thought in convincing the prince to just leave the campaign behind and ran away from Arteria. That way he could save the prince while avoiding a bloody struggle with the Senate and their knights. But this option was highly unlilkely, not with the Prince''s pride. He knew Prince Arterius would simply dismiss that option. If he tried to muscle his way out of it, he knew it would dishonor his House and along side that, he will be trialed for treason for endangering the Senate, a most likely scenario.


    Every plan he had in mind for his godson seemed to be too risky and dangerous for the both of them. They could end up dead or worse, his House might be dissolved in the process like what happened with 305-M''s house.


    Suddenly he felt angry. He felt angry and frustrated with how the red-haired troublemaker caused the entire campaign to go worse than what it already was. He cursed under his breath and spat at the ground just by sheer though of how his poor godson''s fascination over the crazy slave got them to the mess they had now.


    He never trusted 305-M since the very first time they''ve met. He hated his arrogance and brilliance to fabricate stories and manipulate people into doing his own bidding. What he did to the prince was no different.


    305-M used his mentorship to Prince Arterius to get inside his head and got him to believe that most of the things he told his poor godson. He wanted to beat him senseless for what he did the moment they knew about his betrayal but his godson beat him to the punch.


    Prince Arterius punched him in the face and threw a knife right in front of 305-M. The lucky bastard was able to dodge it at the last second and only suffered a bruise from that punch. But even then, Lord Prestonheim wasn''t satisfied with that! He wanted to teach 305-M a lesson and maybe spill some of his conspiracies with the Lucresias.


    Out of nowhere, he saw 305-M emerged from his tent. Lord Prestonheim could see him from the distance and decided to hide himself behind the tree. The red-haired slave was placed under arrest and was instructed to remain in the tent at all times as what Prince Arterius commanded, but it looked like his guards cared less for that command. They still let him out of the tent and do whatever he wanted in the dead of night.


    Seeing this only angered him even more. 305-M was holding something in his hand. The red-haired slave raised his hand and released a raven out in the open. He was sending letters to the enemy once again. But before it could fly far away, Lord Prestonheim already shot it down with his elemental magic.


    305-M noticed this and frantically went back to his tent while yanking the guards in front of his tent to protect him as he pointed at him.


    Lord Prestonheim smiled and quickly rushed into his tent, even calling two of the roaming knights to follow him. When they curiously asked why he needed them he stared at them and said, "We will be disciplining some traitors. So, no more questions and unsheathe your swords!" He said.


    The old Commander grinned as he approached 305-M''s tent. He knew that 305-M will get his just desserts tonight.


    ---------------------


    JULY PROMOTION!!!Please read AUX Chapter if you want to join!

 Chapter 175: Explosion Aftermath

    Everything was spinning the moment Urfaal woke up. He had an unbearable ringing in his ear that was making him nauseous. He looked around and saw the devastation Ghwynmyr''s spell caused. The cracks and embers all over the ground only made for a compelling proof of how powerful the magic Ghwynmyr set up against the monsters. A few moments later, the ringing stopped but he was still nauseous and his vision swirling from the impact.


    The explosion blew him off the ceiling, fortunately for him, Ghwynmyr was able to create a cushioned wall made of mud. The bad thing about  itwas, he was still stuck. The cocoon was made up of a sticky substance that seemed to loosen itself to heat, but the mud wall cooled it down soon as he landed on it. Now, he was back to the same predicament he had before, being stuck.


    He tried to wiggle his way out of the tight cocoon. He moved his extended arms and tried to use his beast ability, but unfortunately, he still couldn''t get it to work. The substance used in the cocoon was too sticky, but the heat made it possible for it to loosen up. However, he still needed to make an effort for himself to get out of the cocoon.


    After another few moments of struggle, he was finally able to release his arms from the sticky substance. He then tried to wiggle his body out of the cocoon while using his claws to loosen and cut some of the sticky substance stuck on his body. A few more pushes and somehow, he finally got out of the cocoon.


    The ground was still hot, he felt it against his skin. In a normal circumstance, most people could''ve burned themselves in that kind of heat but as a Meh Teh, he had the advantage of having a thicker skin and therefore, a better resistance to heat. It was said that their tribe had the second-best fire-resistant skin among the non-humans, of course, naturally, the dwarves top them in that department. But even then, that ability was still one of a kind.


    He tried standing up, but he felt nauseous as his weight shifted from all fours to two legs. He vomited as he went back down on the ground. He looked around trying to find his comrades, but they were nowhere to be found.


    "G-ghwynmyr? W-wahakim?!" He tried calling them out, but his shout was more of a whisper rather than a booming cry.  "P-please¡­anyone? H-help¡­" He croaked.


    "O''er ''eree¡­cough¡­cough¡­" He heard Ghwynmyr''s weak voice. "L-lad¡­yah alive?"


    "B-b¡­barely..bleurgh!" His stomach flipped once more. "B-but I''ll¡­live!"


    He could hear Ghwynmyr''s tired laughter, "Good fer yah!" The dwarf coughed once again. "W-wahakim?... Are yah alright?"


    "I am!" Wahakim coughed. "I am alright¡­my friend. But¡­" He coughed violently before he could finish his sentence.


    Urfaal took a deep breath and stood up. His vision spun, but he fought it and was able to recover his balance. He walked around stumbling from the numbness of his feet, but that was not the time for him to rest. He looked around for Ghwynmyr and found him lying against the wall, covered in dried up mud.


    "A¡­are you, alright?" He asked while hesitating to touch the blanket of dried mud. "Have you broken something?"


    "Nay, lad¡­cough¡­I am alright!" Ghwynmyr tried to wiggle his way out of the mud but winced as he moved. "Gods'' balls! I broke me ribs." He spat.


    "What?!" Urfaal tore his way through the mud, freeing his friend. "Which part does it hurt?!"


    Ghwynmyr grinned, "Everywhere hurts!" He gritted his teeth as he tried to move once again. "Tis should be fine! ''Elp me up?" He reached for his hand.


    Urfaal helped Ghwynmyr up, avoiding his injured rib to stop worsening its damage. After helping his friend up, they then looked for Wahakim. Ghwynmyr pointed at where the Orkamuu was and saw him sitting against a dried-up puddle bleeding from a sharp debris impaled on his hip.


    "Wahakim¡­" Urfaal approached him in a rush. "W-what¡­what happened to you? I thought you said you''re alright?"


    "Well¡­" Wahakim answered in a laborious breath. "I am alive, am I?" He grinned.


    The twitching smile on the Orkamuu''s face became more worrisome for Urfaal especially with how cold and clammy Wahakim''s skin felt to the touch.


    "Merciful Oyue! He''s bleeding out!" Urfaal inspected the wound but was too afraid to touch the sharp stone sticking out of the Orkamuu''s stomach. "G-Ghwynmyr, w-what should we do?!" His voice quivered.


    Ghwynmyr limped towards them and saw the unfortunate injury Wahakim had. He slowly knelt down in one foot while grimacing in pain and checked the wound. He looked side to side and even tried touching the wound, but it seemed to be hopeless.


    "Is¡­he going to ¡­" Urfaal bit his lip and tried his best not to say that one word. He was afraid that the gods might hear him and in some cruel joke make that thing come true.


    Ghwynmyr looked at him in the eyes and held his hand. "Urfie, Wahakim¡­he¡­" He took a deep breath. "The stone nicked ''is insides. Tis gonna bleed him dry¡­tho slowly." He clenched his fist in frustration.


    "Please, don''t leave me to die here like my brothers. If I must die¡­I have nothing against that but let me die under Apholak''s light not in these sunless chthonic bowels." Wahakim gritted his teeth. He was expending to much of his energy just to keep himself awake.


    Ulfaar felt helpless once again. He cannot do anything about it. There was nothing they could do to stop the bleeding and mitigate Wahakim''s obvious pain. He looked at the Orkamuu with pity and tried to stay as positive as he can be.


    "Y-you¡­you¡­will be alright." He whispered in his breath. "Wahakim, you will be alright! I will make sure of that." He looked at Ghwynmyr asking him for any idea¡­or just anything to make the Orkamuu at ease.


    "Gods damn it!" Ghwynmyr cursed under his breath. "Tis I should be blamed¡ª"


    "Say not of that, my friend." He smiled weakly as his breath continued to be laborious. "That wasn''t your fault. If anything,¡­you¡­heeeellppped uuusss¡­geeettt...vengggg¡ª" Suddenly, Wahakim collapsed.


    "Oh no! Oh no! W-wahakim! NO!" Ghywnmyr immediately checked for his pulse. "Tis getting'' weaker! Urfie, tie ''im to yer back, post haste!"


    Urfaal did as what he was told, but with nothing to tie Wahakim with, he had to improvise. He took the Orkamuu''s belt and tore a few of his clothes and tied them together to create a make-shift rope. While he was doing knotting the last strips of cloth, he smelled something weird.


    He turned around and saw his dwarven friend holding the stone sticking out of Wahakim''s stomach. Ulfaar saw a thin smoke coming out of the Orkamuu''s wound. He approached his friend and was about to ask him when Ghwynmyr beat him to the chase.


    "You nay ''ave tah worry." Ghwynmyr said as his brow furrowed at the stressful task. "Tis me cauterizing the wound and stop dah bleedin."


    "Coo¡ªterzing?" He had a lot of questions in mind of his friend''s action.


    "Cauterizing." Ghwynmyr said it again. "Tis I burnin'' the flesh tah stop the bleedin. But nuff ''bout dat. Are yah ready?"


    Urfaal nodded silently amazed and worried at his friend''s proficiency. "I-is that safe?"


    His dwarven friend looked at him in the eyes and nodded back with confidence. After patching Wahakim up, Ghwynmyr then commanded him to carry the injured Orkauu on his back using the cloth as the restraints.


    "Carry ''em and follow me." Ghwynmyr handed Urfaal a short blade. "Let''s follow tis path¡­and don''t yah get killed!" The dwarf pointed at a small passage way in between two boulders leaning against each other.


    Urfaal nodded and although he trusted Ghwynmyr, he was still anxious of what his friend had in store for them.

 Chapter 176: Pitfall Pt.1

    "So, you mean to say, there''s another long path down there?" Adaloun asked Orphella as she sat in front of him after a grueling ascend to the top."Yes, there is a huge possibility that the path is open for us to go through!" She explained as she hunched her back, bearing her fatigue on her shoulders. "We should not waste our time¡ª"


    "No. We shouldn''t." He sighed. "But you have to rest first. I understand you have been through a lot of difficulty down there. I even thought hearing you shout for a moment! Please, rest up a bit first." He pleaded.


    Orphella looked at Adaloun raising an eyebrow, "I am still in very good condition to descend back there and continue our journey. But if you still need some time to recuperate, then will take the time you need." She spat back.


    Adaloun felt Orphella''s cold shoulder through her answer. Well, he can''t blame her. Afterall, it was he who misunderstood the elf giving him the gift of breath and him turning it into a passion-fueled kiss. He thought about it¡­about how she reacted and what she said, everything was wrong.


    He contemplated as to what to say to her while she was scouting the chasm below, but every scenario he managed to think of, always ended up him being at the losing end. Afterall, he kissed a good friend without her consent and that should warrant him something worse than just a cold shoulder.


    He was a lucky man; she didn''t put a dagger on his throat. He spoke nothing about it and closed his eyes pretending to rest, just so she does as well. But during all that time of closing his eyes, he never got a moment of rest. Instead, his thoughts were still filled with what to say to Orphella and it wasn''t fading as much as he wanted it to be.


    Soon, Orphella tapped his knee asking him to wake up. Apparently, he slept at some point while being on his thoughts. But now, his comrade was asking him to stand and get ready. Adaloun stood up and dusted himself, all the while being silent.


    The awkward air of silence was still between them. She wasn''t conversing with him. She only nodded after seeing him being ready and only pointed at the ledge of where they should start their descent. He went with it and found some relief in the silence. In his mind, he was alright with the silence, at least he was unable to speak something stupid or worse than what he already did.


    She stood at the ledge and pointed to Adaloun the way down, "Be careful, you wouldn''t want those hot jagged rocks pierce or burn you." She advised. "You might die on a misstep." She added.


    "I-I think¡­I can handle myself against these rocks." Adaloun smiled.


    "Good. I''m just reiterating you the danger." She signed. "It''ll be a hard dropping down for either both of us, and I don''t want that to happen." She added, all the while slowly going for the descent.


    Adaloun watched the elf descend down the chasm. He watched carefully the rocks she stepped on her way down, just to be sure he won''t step on some loose rock and plummet his way to his death. With all his accumulated injuries and without Oyue''s borrowed abilities, he had a higher chance of dying if he wasn''t careful.


    The descent was hard and needed all his attention to his footing and his surroundings. He slowly placed his foot on the rocks Orphella stepped on while trying not to touch the steaming hot rocks surrounding them.  The heat and constant danger on their descent made Adaloun profusely sweat as they were descending to the bottom. Fortunately, he and Orphella managed to descend down the chasm without any snag or accident.


    Orphella lept from the last stone at the bottom of the chasm and landed safetly on her feet. She gestured to him to do the same and so he did. Adaloun jumped from the same ledge; landing on scorching, cracked earth below.


    "The ground is still hot." Adaloun commented. "What could''ve triggered this?" He looked around and saw the big damage cause on its walls.


    "Magic." Orphella signed. "There are no two ways about it. It was a big and powerful magic that caused this." She continued to walk further into the path.


    Adaloun followed her all the while looking around at the place. The place was dimly lit from the flames and embers on the ground and on the walls. Adaloun no longer needed his torch to see the extent of damage the explosion caused.


    On the sides of the walls, he could see some scorched and burnt monsters stuck on the walls. They were gladly dead and from the looks of it, they were a lot of them living at these parts. Some of their scorched hands and other disembodied carcasses lied on the ground occasionally as they made their walk deeper.


    "Who could''ve done this?" Adaloun commented as he kicked a burnt skull out of his way.


    Orphella paused and turned around, "I don''t know, but whoever did it had an affinity to the flames."


    "Flames? Could it be one of the Orkamuus?" Adaloun answered.


    "It could be. No one is more capable of doing such a great feat like this other than them." Orphella answered. "Although¡­"


    "Although, what?" It took him some time to realized what the elf was implying, "You don''t mean it was caused by dwarf with high affinity to fire magic, don''t you?" Upon realizing what she meant, he looked around and went to check for any signs of Ghwynmyr.


    "Footprints!" He shouted to Orphella as he saw traces for footprints that might''ve belonged to Ghwynmyr and Ulfaar. "Orphella looked at these prints! This is fresh and check out the sizes of these foot. I believe this small¡ª"


    Adaloun stopped when he saw a pool of caked up blood near the footprints. He called Orphella and pointed to her the pool of dried-up blood puddling on the corner below the wall.


    They looked at each other, their eyes widened with worry.


    "One of them is injured and dying." Orphella signed as she touched the dried blood.  "This might ''ve been a few days ago but with the heat on the ground I cannot be sure." She added.


    "No, I think these are fresh." Adaloun answered. He pointed at the footprints'' trail. "Look, the prints are still fresh!"


    Orphella signed to him that it could be a trap but insisted she might be wrong.


    "Well, only one way to find out." Adaloun sighed as he took out the dagger. "Cover my back, let''s follow this trail!" He said.


    The elf nodded and took out her bow and pointed it towards the small pathway.


    "Follow me." Adalun commanded as he forwarded into the tightly squeezing path.


    ---------------------


    JULY PROMOTION!!!Please read AUX Chapter if you want to join!

 Chapter 177: Pitfall Pt.2

    "Too tight and too hot." That was Orphella complaining to herself regarding the path as she wiped her sweat off her forehead. The explosion that occurred earlier made it difficult for the both of them to continue on treading the path. The narrow path and the radiating heat from coming from the ground made it feel like a furnace. It was cooking them alive. However, they had no other way out other than the small path that cracked against the wall.


    The air of awkwardness between them still remained. Adaloun wasn''t talking to him, no that she wanted to hear his explanation¡­it was way passed that. Too late and too unimportant to care about something that happened out of a misunderstood action she did.


    Orphella had been silent the entire time while walking through the small-spaced pathway that she and Adaloun discovered. They believe it was the only way out of the chasm and they also believe that it was the path where their other comrades might have gone out. She was hopeful that it was, although her initial reaction was otherwise different.


    She looked around the dark and tight stony pathway filled with earth and debris. Up until now they still didn''t have any idea how the chasm appeared other than it was created by a huge explosion. However, the cause of the said explosion still remained a puzzle for the both of them.


    She squinted as the glaring light from Adaloun''s torch hit her eye every now and again. She should''ve taken the lead, but he insisted that it should be him doing it. He was as curious as she was with regards to cracking the mystery behind the big gaping hole that appeared out of nowhere and the footprints they found earlier.


    There were three things that came in her mind while trying to figure out how the explosion occurred. It could''ve been some other monster who had sealed its fate against the nest of monsters, or it could either be Ghwynmyr or the other Orkamuu who''ve done such feat even though it was highly unlikely.


    The footprints were already gone at this point. The well-furnished stone floor was too hard for them to leave a mark. She just hoped that they were doing fine. The puddle of caked blood was not a good sign, her heart dropped the moment she saw it. She knew that one of them was seriously injured and was losing a lot of blood in the process.


    Adaloun suddenly stopped and gestured her to do so as well. "Do you smell that?" He said as he turned around to her. "It smelled like rotten flesh." He added.


    Orphella closed her eyes and sniffed the air, there was nothing. She couldn''t smell anyhing he was describing. There was not a hint of rotten flesh in the air. She looked at him and shook her head.


    "You can''t smell it?" He asked again. He closed his eyes and approached her, sniffing the air where she was standing. "It''s there. I can smell it right here!" He raised his eyebrows.


    She reflexively pushed him away. He was getting too close for her it was making her blush. Adaloun tumbled down the stony floor. His eyes wide and his look said it all, he was baffled.


    "W-what''s going on?" He said as he slowly stood up. "Is there anything¡­Was I too¡ª"


    "I''m sorry," She signed while hiding her flushed face. "I... didn''t mean to do that. You were just too close."


    "Too close?" He blushed. "Well, I do apologize. That wasn''t my intention to invade your space¡­it''s just that scent is too strong. Can''t you not really smell it?" He asked again with a skeptical tone.


    "No, I can''t!" She answered. "Again, I apologize."


    Adaloun looked at him straight in the eyes, "No, I should be the one apologizing." He cleared his throat. "Can we...ummm¡­rest here for the time being?" He averted his gaze and sat comfortably away from her.


    He didn''t give a chance for her to answer, but she simply sat down on her own a few footlings away from him. She took out her bow and placed it on to her side while resting her back against the warm stone wall.


    "That was a bit awkward, don''t you think?" Papillon the bow said teasingly. "I mean, it''s not like he would kiss¡­"


    "Ugh! Shut up!" Orphella glared at the bow. "I have no time for this, Papillon!" She shouted in her mind.


    "Come on, sister. You don''t have to be THAT defensive¡­geez." Her bow answered back sighing.


    Orphella sat silently beside her bow and as the moment went by, she felt like the bow was pouting at her. She tried to dismiss the notion. First of all, it was a bow. Secondly, although it could speak, it was likely impossible for it to have some sort of gesture or feelings, she thought.


    "I heard that!" Papillon said. "I have feelings too, you know!"


    "Get out from my mind!" Orphella protested.


    "Oh no, I can''t we are mentally linked now, remember. What you feel and think, I can feel and hear them too." The bow responded


    "Is there any possible way for you NOT to do that?" Orphella asked. She was obviously annoyed at how nosy her weapon was and let out an exasperating sigh.


    "Well, sorry, sister but I CAN''T." The bow replied. "That''s how I was made. When you took me from Lady Oyue, your soul immediately bound with me. You know the implications of that, right?"


    Orphella didn''t answer. She knew what the bow meant and that means, there''s nothing she can do to change it.


    "Orphella¡­Hey, Orphella." Adaloun called her out. "Are you alright? You kept staring at your bow. Is there something wrong?" He asked.


    His eyes showed both worry and concern for what she did. It wasn''t normal to stare blankly at some weapon for a longtime. She shook her head and stood up.


    "I am alright," She signed. "We must not waste our time idling like this."


    Adaloun nodded. "Sure, I agree. But are you sure you''re alright? The stench was getting stronger. Are you sure you''re not able to smell that?" He sniffed the air once again.


    She shook her head, "I couldn''t smelled what you are smelling. Are you sure, you''re alright?" She flung the question right back at him.


    Adaloun was silent for a moment, "Yes." He sighed. "You know what, don''t mind me. I must be just smelling things. Isn''t it weird?"  He smiled awkwardly at her.


    She shook her head silently. She was worried about him but tried to mask it with a stoic look. "You might just be tired. Let''s get to the end of this path and rest there¡­if we can." She signed.


    "Agree." Adaloun answered and stood up.


    They continued their way into the deep recesses of the path. As they went deeper and deeper the narrow pathway began to widen. Along the way, she noticed how Adaloun became uneasy and suspicious of everything. He sniffed the air along the way and gag several times while doing it.


    She tried asking him about it but he just simply replied with, "I''m just tired."


    "Wait here." She said to Adaloun as she picked up her bow.


    She was now convinced that something was up in the air and that only he could smell it, but she''s not sure. After settling him down on a boulder sticking out at the side of the wall, she continued moving forward. Her plan was to scout the area for anyone, either living or dead then get back to him and show him the way.


    Orphella was walking a few footlings away from Adaloun when suddenly a thick fog came gushing out of nowhere. She wasn''t able to see Adaloun who was only a distance reach away from her. She tried reaching out for him, but he was suddenly gone.  Then, suddenly a putrid scent filled the air. The smell of rotten flesh.


    It was the scent that Adaloun had complained about a few moments ago, the scent she thought was just a product of his imagination. Her vision became blurry afterwards. She began to hear whispers, voices from people she knew, people that were already dead.


    They spoke to her like buzzing flies assaulting her ears, it made her felt nauseated. She fell on her knees and began to shiver violently. She knew there was something wrong with the air, with presence of the thick fog. She could feel her stomach turning inside out. The pain was getting out of control but then, as quickly as the symptoms appeared, it suddenly went away in a blink of an eye.


    Confused, she stood up and began to compose herself as if nothing had happened. She began to walk around in search for Adaloun, worried that he might have been afflicted by the symptoms as well. But he was no where to be seen. No one was around her until she suddenly heard a growling voice calling her.


    ---------------------


    JULY PROMOTION!!!Please read AUX Chapter if you want to join!

 Chapter 178: Pitfall Pt.3

    "How far do we hafta go?" Ghwynmyr asked Urfaal while treading the cold interior of the small path they went in earlier. "Think I need tah rest." He said heaving his breath, placing his arm on his broken rib.


    His friend, the beastman turned around and saw the grimace written all over his face. "I-I guess we should." Ulfaar put down Wahakim from his back and gently laid him against the wall before helping him. "Are you alright, Ghwynmyr." He asked with concern written all over his face.


    Ghwynmyr grimaced with every step as he tried meeting Ulfaar halfway, but the pain radiated with every movement. He stood still and heaved through the pain, until his friend carried him in his arms and laid him beside Wahakim.


    "Argh." Ghwynmyr gritted his teeth as he rested his back on the wall. "Gods damnit! Tis pain felt worse than that of me war injuries!" He exclaimed while trying to examine himself again.


    The explosion he planned against the bat-like monstrosities worked its charm. It blasted their entire nest and them out of existence. But the explosive became too potent that he should''ve planned for a ten-layered shield instead of a three. The impact threw him off the puddle and the rocks might have hit his abdominal area giving him the broken rib.


    Ulfaar tried to check on it, but Ghwynmyr refused. It''s not like he didn''t trust the poor beastman, it''s just that any wrong move might cause him to bleed. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that his rib might have puncture or was about to puncture one of his organs.


    "Tis alright, Urfie." He said while patting the shoulder of the squatted beastman. "Yah don''t hafta worry about me this much! How''s he doing." He pointed his lips towards Wahakim.


    "He kept on groaning along the way." Urfaal sighed. "He hasn''t been bleeding now, which I guess is a good sign. But I''m not sure how much longer can he hold with that rock in his abdomen." He looked at Ghwynmyr filled with concern for his friend.


    "All we can do is hope¡­youch!" He gritted his teeth as the pain came crashing on his abdomen as he shifted his weight. "Damn it! Urfie, yah don''t hafta worry ''bout me. Tis man''ll be fine!" He smiled to mask the pain.


    "Liar." Urfaal murmured. "I know that you''re not¡­damn it!" He punched the wall in frustration that even the dwarf was surprised by his actions. "If only I¡­" He bit his lip until it bled.


    "Stop that, lad! Tis not gonna help, Urfie!" He slapped the beastman across the face. "Yer presence¡­its already enough¡­ugh¡­gods balls! This hurts!" The pain struck him once again as he moved.


    Ghwynmyr held Urfaal by his neck and leaned closer towards him while feeling the stabbing pain on his rib. "Yah listen tah me! S-stop b-blaming yerself! Conserve yer strength and yer mind, we''re gonna need that as we go in deeper! Yah heard me, lad?!" He gritted his teeth in pain.


    The beastman nodded. He knew Ulfaar just needed a little bit of confidence in him. His friend had always been there for them through thick and thin, though he couldn''t seem to notice how much he contributed to them all this time. He understood that Ulfaar behaves like a kid sometimes and is desperate to keep his friends safe. Ulfaar was forced to act as a grown up in this situation. Fortunately, his words calmed the beastman down and with that, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep off the pain he had.


    He woke up a few moments from a ruckus happening beside him. Ghwynmyr opened his eyes and saw how Urfaal holding Wahakim''s wrist so tightly, he couldn''t move. He immediately stood up and was immediately slap with his painful injury.


    "Wuhappened?!" He asked as he gritted his teeth.


    "He¡­he¡­stop that¡ªno Waha¡ª" Urfaal tried to explain to Ghwynmyr, but Wahakim tried his hardest to wiggle his way out of the hold.


    "Death! I can smell death!" His voice echoed throughout the tunnel. "I am dead!" He screamed even more.


    "No, you¡­you''re not!" Urfaal answered as his grip slipped from Wahakim''s wrist. Listen, it''s us¡­your...fffrriiends..ow!" Wahakim headbutted him as both of them struggled for control.


    The beastman''s lip busted open after the attack, but he was still determined to hold his Orkamuu friend in place. Seeing the situation, Ghwynmyr stood up and approached them both.


    "Hold him tight!" He said. "Oi! Lad! Wahakim, tis are yer friends¡­whatya¡ª"


    "Death!" Wahakim growled. "Let me go! I am going to die here! I smell death and decay! Rotten flesh! Rotten flesh everywhere!"


    "W-what''re yah sayin? Tis no rotten flesh ''ere!" He replied in his calmest voice. We''re not leavin ya ''ere!"


    "Silence! Death is coming! It''s near! Let me go!" Wahakim growled and attacked Urfaal once again with a headbutt.


    Seeing how violent their friend had become, he had no choice but to act. Before Wahakim could do another attack on Urfaal, Ghwynmyr clenched his fist and punched the Orkamuu right in the jaw knocking him out cold. Unfortunately for him, the strain from such impact radiated an indescribable pain on his abdomen that winded him from which he passed out a few moments later.


    Ghwynmyr woke up in the arms of Urfaal. The beastman had carried them deeper into the path with him on his arms and Wahakim on his friend''s back.


    "You''re awake already!" Urfaal cheerfully greeted him. "I thought you died! You know, you just laid down on the ground unmoving. I thought you were about to¡­d¡ª" He sighed.


    Ghwynmyr nodded his head. He knew the thoughtful Urfaal was worried for the both of them, the poor beastman could''ve just left one of them but he chose to pick them both and help them get out of that place alive.


    He looked around and saw nothing but the dark and lonely path ahead of them, "Where are we?" He tried and asked. "Ah, yah can put me down now, Urfie. He asked the beastman as he tried to protect his dwarven pride from his current situation.


    "We''re in the deeper parts of the path." Urfaal answered as he gently put him down. "Does your rib still hurt?"


    "It''s nay gonna get away from just sleep." He gritted his teeth as the pain became more unbearable than before. "But, tis gonna be fine." He smiled as he tried to mask the pain.


    Urfaal nodded albeit skeptical with his answer. "If you say so, but in the instance, you feel something, please let me know right away." He pleaded.


    "I hear yah lad!" Ghwynmyr patted Urfaal''s arm and continued their journey.


    Along the way, both of them could hear the poor Orkamuu''s murmurs about death and rotting flesh. His weakened voice and limping body was a harrowing image of a man in the brink of his demise. The poor Orkamuu broke his mind in protest to his impending doom but both of them, couldn''t do anything about it.


    They wanted to help him, but there was nothing that they could do but carry him to the surface. Whether he dies or not, they could only respect his wish. His voice weakened even more until he fell asleep.


    Afraid that he might be dead, they halted and Ghwynmyr checked his pulse. Wahakim was still alive, but asleep, hopefully for the better. Their journey ended at the middle of a huge open space. They planned on taking another short break here, but the place gave them the creeps.


    Just looking at it terrorized them, they were afraid of what this all meant. After all, most of times their comrades were killed was inside the huge clearings. The headless monsters and the bat-like monstrosities all showed up in a huge, cavernous space like this.


    The thought of it made Ghwynmyr and Urfaal more cautious than ever. Urfaal took out the crescent blade from Wahakim and wielded it as they slowly treaded the new place. Ghwynmyr would have love it if he also recovered his weapon but unfortunately, the explosion melted their weapons as well.


    "Lead the way, Lad." He told Urfaal they kept their defenses up against the unknown. After scouring the entire open space, they were convinced that it was safe for them to rest. Urfaal sighed in relief and smiled at him.


    However, as they were about to put Wahakim down, a huge fog suddenly descended from the ceiling and covered them in a thick veil of whiteness. Suddenly, Wahakim and Urfaal was becoming hard to see. The fog thickened even more until they were no longer able to see each other regardless of how proximate they were from one another.


    "U-urfaal! Can yah hear me lad?!" Ghwynmyr shouted but there was no answer. "Tis I, your frend. Ghwynmyr! Please say something!" He commanded but nobody answered back.


    He took a step forward, when all of the sudden the hair on his back stood up. He knew right there, something was off. Ghwynmyr stood still in the middle of the fog and waited for a monster to come out from the fog.


    He gritted his teeth as a huge silhouette appeared in front of him. The silhouette was a towering figure with four arms. He knew that monster was his demise, but he wouldn''t just kneel down over the beast.


    "Come ''ere ya abomination!" He taunted as he cracked his knuckles. "I''m gonna beat y''all dead!"


    ---------------------


    JULY PROMOTION!!!Please read AUX Chapter if you want to join!

 Chapter 179: Pitfall Pt.4

    "Orphella!" Adaloun shouted at the top of his lungs. "Orphella! Are you there?! Orph¡ªbleurgh!" He vomited from the putrid smell of the vapor surrounding him.


    To him, the fog wasn''t as it seemed to be. The thick, white blanket of mist had a different behavior from that of a real fog. It was thick and powdery, like dust but had a color as white as snow. It was itchy to the skin and throat. It stank like rotten flesh, it stank of death. Adaloun ran towards a corner where the fog was still the thinnest, tore a piece of his clothing and covered it around his mouth and nose.


    He looked around and tried his best to get a visual of Orphella from the thick mist, but it was too much for him to see. However, he couldn''t leave her inside the fog, not with the reaction he had with it. He knew it could be fatal for her if she stayed too long in that fog.


    He walked towards the thick veil of unpleasantry, squinting his eyes and braving himself not to vomit at its putrid scent. He unsheathed his dagger and cautiously treaded deeper into the fog. All the while, feeling nauseous and itchy from the powdery substance floating in the air. He tried reaching out his hand to the nothingness, using it as his guide and shield against incoming attackers.


    "Orphella!" He called out her name once more, "Orphella, where are you? I am here. Come and seek my voice!"


    His efforts led him to nothing. No one was responding to him, and his shout ultimately strained his already irritated throat. He walked deeper and deeper into the hole until he seemingly heard footprints coming towards him.


    "Orphella? Is that you?" He treaded slowly and braced himself for what might come his way. "Orph¡ª" Suddenly an arrow of light flew out of nowhere. He was lucky enough to dodge it before it hit him straight in the face.


    Orphella emerged from the fog with her bow in hand. There was terror from the looks on her face. It seemed like someone, or something was chasing her from the fog.  Adaloun quickly approached her but was met with her aiming the bow at him.


    "Whoa! Orphella, c-calm down!" He raised his hand to show his wasn''t a threat. "Orphella, it''s me¡­Ada¡ª" before he finished saying his name, Orphella released the bow string.


    The arrow surprisingly came slow at him. At the distance of 5 paces, he knew it would''ve been a fatal blow but for some reason, it wasn''t. It was as if the arrow had a mind of its own and controlled itself from hitting him, giving him an ample time to evade it.


    He rolled to the side and closed his distance, avoiding further arrows from her. He attempted to grab the bow away from her hands, but the elf proved to be more than a match for him. She immediately grabbed his arm, locking from the elbow and slamming him hard on the ground.


    The force winded him and had him let go of both his dagger and the bow. Orphella then stepped on his chest and tried hitting him at a point-blank range on the face. Before she could release her bowstring, Adaloun grabbed her foot flipped her causing her to tumble down and let go of her bowstring.


    He immediately somersaulted forward blocking the elf from getting her weapon. He grabbed her weapon and tried to reason with her, trying to calm her down but with every word he spoke, Orphella became more and more disorientated.


    She grabbed the dagger and started attacking him with stabs and slashes. He tried his best to block and parry as many attacks as he could, but the elf proved to be more dexterous than he anticipated. He took a few slashed on his arms and shoulders before he heard an order out of nowhere.


    "Knock her out!" A gentle, yet strong female voice shouted on his mind.


    Without a choice, Adaloun parried her last attack, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards him. As she came close to her, he deliberately headbutted her causing her to collapse on the ground. He caught her before her head hit the hard floor and laid her gently on the ground.


    Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself down, but the voice came once again.


    "Don''t you just look at her like that! Leave her for now and find these flowers!" A vision suddenly bombarded his mind. It was a vision of a beautiful large flower blooming at the center of a mound in a clearing far deep in the cave.


    "W-what was that?!" He asked. "And¡­who are you? Are you one of them? Another god?!" He tried to be asked calm as possibly can.


    "Don''t you think your asking unimportant questions at this time?!" The voice said. "The flower that you saw is known as Phobos Florica Mandragora or the Flower of Fear. It corrupts the mind of those that takes a whiff of its potent pollen. Destroy it and it will heal her, make haste now!" It added.


    "You haven''t answered my other question yet." Adaloun stubbornly held his ground.


    "Fine! I am no god! How I wish I was!" The voice said. "Does that answer your question, now? The more you idle here the more you''re endangering her!" The voice added.  "If something happens to her, I will not be able to forgive you!"


    Adaloun had no choice but to follow the voice. It was either that or he risks Orphella''s life, the latter he couldn''t live down. The last thing he wanted was another comrade dying in his arms.


    "I will trust you¡­for now." He said to the voice. "But the moment you¡ª"


    "Oh! Just shut up and go already!" The voice blasted him. "You''re making this very complicated than what it already is! Go! J-just go!"


    Adaloun hesitated for a moment when suddenly the bow started lift itself from his hand and pulled him into the fog. He tried to loosen his grip, but his fingers seemed to be stuck at the bow. The weapon dragged him further into the path, while spatting obscenities at him, chastising him for his stubbornness.


    "You silly fool, run faster!" The voice said. "We are almost there!" Adaloun followed the bow''s direction until they reached the clearing at the end of the path.


    The bow stopped tugging him, "There, at the center of this fog lies a mound where a garden of that flower is currently pollinating. Burn it and you save her and them." It said.


    "Them? Who''s them?" He asked when suddenly the bow dragged him down on his feet.


    As he tumbled down, he heard a metallic clink a few footlings away from him. He looked to his side and saw a familiar crescent blade lodged on the ground. Confused, he looked around and saw a hulking silhouette to his right. He squinted his eyes and saw who the silhouette really was.


    "U-Urfaal?!" His eyes widened as his comrade glared at him and showed his fangs.


    The beastman suddenly run towards him, blinded with fury and began to attack him. Adaloun had no problems with evading the beastman''s claws, afterall, they''ve trained together. Urfaal''s movement was something he studied and worked with, to give him a better chance of surviving the campaign. He was certainly confident about dodging his every movement.


    With Urfaal turning into his primal self, it became easy for him to avoid the strong attacks. He bobbed and weaved through the wide swings the beastman gave him and was able to parry a few of it. However, he knew that he couldn''t go on like that forever.


    What the beastman lacked in technique, he made up for his ferocity and stamina. It was only a matter of time for him to finally catch up with Adaloun''s movement. Adaloun had to think fast if he wanted to save them.


    "Hey, Urfaal its¡ª" He felt the cold hard wall against his back. Adaloun''s eyes were wide-open as he was inches from becoming mined meat. There was nothing he could do to his friend. He knew that his body wasn''t at its fullest potential at the moment and so, even if he tried to hit the beastman, it would simply ignore it.


    Urfaal''s claw were only a few inches away from skewering his face, when suddenly the bow blasted a gust of air throwing the beastman a few footlings away.


    "Can''t you attack him?" The bow asked.


    Adaloun composed himself and answered. "My attacks won''t work on him¡­not in my condition right now."


    "Pfftt¡­" The bow scoffed. "Do I really need to do all of this for you? You know what? I''m just doing this to help Orphella!" She complained.


    "What does that mean?!" Adaloun said.


    "It means, I don''t care about you, but I will work with you to save her." The bow spat a sarcastic remark. "Come on let''s go!"


    ---------------------


    JULY PROMOTION!!!Please read AUX Chapter if you want to join!

 Chapter 180: The Mandrake in the Isle

    "Can''t you do a little bit better at aiming? I can only do so much!" The bow complained to him as he ran through the thick fog, aiming shots at the beautiful crimson flowers planted at the mound in the center of the clearing.


    "I am no expert at bows!" Adaloun barked. "The fog is too thick for me to see¡ªwhoa!" He exclaimed as a fireball went past over his head.


    He tumbled on the ground and ran as quickly as he could to hide for cover. The task of destroying the flowers in the middle of the mound suddenly became a very daunting feat for him, a feat that he''s closed to failing, especially with Ghwynmyr targeting him with every movement.


    Urfaal wasn''t the only one attacking him. A few moments earlier, after Urfaal got knocked out cold, Adaloun got attacked by a barrage of fireballs raining towards him. He dodged it and was able to approach the source and when he did, the truth shocked him. Ghwynmyr, his dwarven friend, was behind all the flaming projectiles. He tried calling some sense into him, but just like the othe two, he wouldn''t listen or rather, he couldn''t hear him. He was instead greeted with an earth spike and another deadly round of fireballs.


    He was lucky he had very good reflexes, enough to evade an attack only a fingerling away from his face. But just as before, he knew that this game had to come to an end, and he didn''t want his life to end because of it.


    Adaloun was able to hide in between two boulders. The space in between the rocks was big enough for him to squeeze in, yet it was small enough for someone to shelter undetected¡ªor so he thought. Before he could catch his breath, Urfaal''s strong hand grabbed him by his shoulder, bashed his face against the rock before picking him up and threw him out of his shelter.


    He rolled on the cold, dusty floor but before he could recover his balance, another barrage of fireballs went on his way, this time he was a little too late to dodge it. One of the fireballs landed a few footlings away from him. The force of the explosive fiery sphere flung him away.


    Adaloun was winded for a moment, but was luckily, alright. He took the chance to stand up and ran away from the chaos to recover as quickly as he could. He was able to dodge another round of fireballs before hiding near some broken pieces of what looked like a pillar.


    "How long do you plan on rolling around the ground?!" The bow asked condescendingly. "If this were a somersault contest or something, I swear you could''ve won!"


    "Shut up!" Adaloun frustratedly answered. "Give me time to think! I cannot think clearly with you barking around like that! I can''t think straight!" He complained.


    "Oh? So, you want your silence?!" It scoffed. "You''re wasting your time and their precious lives! Think faster! And no, I won''t shut up if you---"


    Adaloun jumped out from rocks just in time before Urfaal slammed a big piece of rock directly on his position. He looked at the beastman surprised as how his strength began to multiply more times over.


    "This is not good!" The bow''s voice shivered. "The fog is getting his body pushed to the limits! That could be the same for them!" It quickly tugged Adaloun to stand up and aimed at the broken pillar.


    "Pull my bow string now!" It commanded. "You have a clear shot at your target. Don''t worry, will just have to knock him down, once more." It explained.


    Adaloun pulled the bowstring and released a concentrated gust of air towards the broken pillar. The powerful arrow was able to hit the stones, blasting them away including his friend. He noticed the fog cleared near the stones area as the arrow landed and that gave him an idea.


    "Hey, can you do an even powerful air blast?!" He asked the bow.


    "Tch. Of course, I can! Even better than you, using me as a sword against your friend earlier!" The bow pointed out. "Don''t you ever do that to me again!" It spat.


    After their quick banter, Adaloun pulled the bowstring once more. The bow began sucking up the air around them, creating a massive sphere of air that was beginning to feel heavy around him. When he felt the air weighing down the bow, he immediately released the string and fired it near the center of the clearing.


    The air sphere burst and cleared out the white fog within its radius and finally exposed the mound from where it truly lied. Adaloun was able to see the blood-red flowers blooming in the mound, it was a clear shot from where he was.


    "There it is!" He said as he aimed the bow towards the mound. "Let''s end this!" He fired the magical arrow from the bow, hoping to end it right there.


    Suddenly, a huge chunk of earth fell right in front of the mound. The arrow collided with the earth wall and blasted most of it but kept the flowers unscathed. As the dust settled, Adaloun saw Ghwynmyr rushing towards him with Wahakim''s scythe on hand.


    Adaloun was ready to knock Ghwynmyr out with an air arrow when he was blindsided by Urfaal and got tackled down on the ground. The beastman was on top of him delivering some hard blows. His comrade''s relentless blows could''ve killed him if it wasn''t for the bow that he used to parry off the attacks.


    "Hey! I am NOT a sword!" The bow barked. "Will you stop that?!"


    "Will you stop him first?!" Adaloun gritted his teeth. "I have to deal with Ghwynmyr and his about to¡ª" His eyes widened as Ghwynmyr lifted the single-wiled scythe above his head ready to lope off his head.


    The bow controlled his hand with lightning speed, hitting Urfaal in the face with its body before hitting the poor dwarf''s groins. Both of his comrades fell down and apparently got hurt badly than the other. Adaloun had no time to check on them. It was now or never.


    He aimed the bow at the mound once again, but a white flashing light shined, hurt his eyes and temporarily blinded him. Adaloun stumbled and slid on the ground. The bow controlled his hand and tug him hard enough to avoid his head from hitting the rock behind him.


    "I-it''s Orphella, isn''t it?" He said while blinking his eyes, hoping that his vision would return.


    "No doubt!" The bow sighed, "We have to hurry! They''re bleeding from their eyes already and before you ask, yes, that is a very bad sign!" The bow tugged his hand once again and aimed it at the mound. "I have already aimed your hand at the mound, all you have to do is pull my bowstring and fire away! Simple, isn''t it?"


    "We should''ve done this earlier." He said. "Gosh, my vision is still blurry." He pulled the bow string, but before he could release it, a chain of white light wrapped around his hand and tugged him off course.


    As he battled the tugging, the beastman and dwarf rushed towards him and greeted him with punches to the gut. Adaloun got winded and before he could react, Urfaal grabbed him by the throat and threw him away from the mound.


    Adaloun tumbled as he landed on the ground. Once again, he was out of reach from the mound. With the three of them working against him, he was at a disadvantage. The three of them, retained their abilities and somehow were using them in its fullest potential. It was too much for him to handle, especially without his ability working.


    Out of desperation he asked the bow, "Do you have any other abilities aside from air blast? I can''t get into the flowers!" He slowly stood up and limped away from his attackers.


    It took a while for the bow to answer his question and it sighed when it did, "I do, but only those who know my name could use my fullest potential!" It answered.


    "C-could you tell me your name then?" Adaloun begged. He was already at his limit and his injuries were piling up once again, he knew he had to end it by the next move.


    "You''re not worth it." The bow said. "I cannot¡ª"


    "Listen here you twisted fuck!" He gritted his teeth. Adaloun wasn''t a guy known for cursing, even he was surprised by the action he did! It was his desperation talking to the bow, "You can be sassy with me later, but now I need to save my comrades! You want to save her, right?!"


    "Fine! You''re still not worthy in my books!" The bow said. "My name is Papillon, call my name and I shall lend you my REAL abilities! Just this once, I will!"


    "Fine. Papillon! I release you! Show me your power!" He called out and raised the bow over his head.


    The bow began to glow with a pale blue light. It slowly flexed its body and began to change like a midnight flower elegantly beautiful under the light of the moon. The bow created magical circles above it and began to move the circles around the clearing as if it danced. Finally, the circles locked itself in the center where the mound was.


    "Now, say moonlight glitter!" The bow said to Adaloun.


    "Moonlight glitter!" Adaloun repeated.


    The magical circle expanded, and a hundred arrows made of light descended on the mound, destroying the flower and revealing its real grotesque form. The Mandrake rose up from the mound but was overpowered from the hail of arrows descending furiously over it.


    The plant monster screeched before it finally withered and broke the control spell it brought on his comrades. Urfaal, Ghwynmyr and Orphella dropped to the ground vomiting copious amount of the white powder they have inhaled.


    Ghwynmyr looked at Adaloun smiling through the cramping pain. "Damn it, lad! That took yah awhile!"


    -------------------


    I would liek to dedicate this chapter to this awesome reader, TheBananaMan for being an avid commenter of every chapter I published. The little thing you did made me do more especially when I learned that someone was truly reading my work! Thanks!


    ----------------------------------------------------------------


    JULY PROMOTION!!!Please read AUX Chapter if you want to join!

 Chapter 181: Unexpected Guests

    Aturs, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 75th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ----------------------------------


    The Senators'' arrival was fast approaching. Days came by and went, but up until now Prince Arterius couldn''t find any solution to his problem. He commanded his godfather''s men to check the hole twice a day, hoping for any sign of progress, maybe an an aetherium lying around the muddy floor or more importantly living people.


    He prayed for survivors down there, people who could relay their experiences that would strike fear and bewilderment to the Senate. The knight emerged from the dark pit with an empty sack on hand. The muddy knight shook his head confirming his hopeless endeavor. It was the fifth day of this new strategy and still there was nothing.


    The camp had grown tired of his hopeless efforts. He could see it in the knights'' eyes. Their stares were sharp and stabbing. It felt like everytime he came by, he could hear their whispers cursing his name or ridiculing him for being incompetent. But was he really incompetent? He wanted to ask those knights straight to their faces, however, that might just add more fuel to their hatred.


    He thanked the knight and slightly bowed to him before going back to his tent. Stolas followed him, with a papyrus on hand resting at a wooden tablet. His ward was documenting the progress of his entire campaign, if he could call it that.


    Prince Arterius entered the tent filled with frustration and grief over the matter. He immediately went to his table and smack it as hard as he could. The loud thud attracted the knights outside to come in and check what was going on.


    His ward immediately diffused the tension and asked the knights to sheathe back their sword. After all, there was no threat inside the tent, just a very frustrated prince that was about to lose his birthright and probably his life a few days from now.


    Arterius gritted his teeth as he tried shaking the pain away from his hand.


    "I think your hand hit the edge of the table." Stolas commented while preparing some tinctures and salves for his possible injury. "Let me see your hand."


    "Damn it!" Prince Arterius noticed the bulging mass at the lower part of his palm and showed it to Stolas.


    "That is¡­worse!" His ward clicked his tongue.


    "Argh¡­you think?"


    "Just¡­stop squirming while I try to patch you, alright?" Stolas slowly placed a relieving salve on his palm. "Stave off from table smashing the next time." He jabbed at Prince Arterius.


    "Would you prefer me breaking my walking cane?!"


    "That would be a spectacle if you can."


    "Are¡­you telling me that I can''t?"


    Stolas'' comment was more painful than that of his swollen hand. His ward knew about it too and preferred to stay silent. He yanked his hand off Stolas'' and walked away from the table.


    "Am I that incompetent, Stolas?" Prince Arterius sighed. "Am I that hopeless that I just wait and for nothing? I mean, I should''ve ended this campaign a long time ago and accepted my fate!" He sat on his bed and hunched.


    Stolas simply looked at him, and silently arranged the salves and tinctures back to their proper drawers.


    "You''re hopeless, given the situation." Stolas went to the other table and prepared his favorite tea to try and ease his self-deprecated comment. "But incompetent¡­that''s far from the truth! You know that yourself, Arterius."


    "I''m just unlucky¡­I think¡­" He gritted his teeth. "And I don''t even believe in luck!"


    Stolas approached him with his tea on a wooden platter, "I would rather pick being unlucky over being hopeless. At least at some point, your luck would turn around but being hopeless¡­not even the gods could remedy that." He said while pouring milk over Prince Arterius'' tea.


    "I don''t know, Stolas." Arterius took the tea from his ward and took a sip from it. "I just don''t¡­know. I just hope one of them would emerge from the hole and save me from my predicament."


    "Now, you''re just pushing it." Stolas replied. "What if another monster would come out of that hole once again? Can you¡­take responsibility for that?!"


    "If it''s only about responsibility, Stolas. That''s something that I could effectively handle!" Prince Arterius took another sip of his tea, "I doubt it would come to that! 305-M and I had developed this thing¡­you''ve seen it! It should be able to detect those changelings if there are any!" He pointed out.


    "Don''t put your faith too much on him." Stolas said. "I understand that he was your mentor at some point, but I really believe that one betrayal should be enough for you to learn how rotten of a man he is! Not to mention that invention you made, it''s still in its trial stages! Are you willing to take that risk again?"


    Prince Arterius did not answer. He stared blankly at his tea, mindlessly stirring it like there was no tomorrow. He tried to find a point for him to rebut, however, he ran out of things to say. Actually, he had nothing to say, Stolas made clear of his flaws and subtly letting him know of his downfall.


    "I don''t know¡­Stolas, I need some air." He stood up and grabbed his spare cane lying on the side of his bed.


    Suddenly, a knight enters the tent, panting. From the looks of it, he seemed to have travelled far from his post. He entered with such haste that it left both men stunned.


    "My Prince!" He coughed. "A message from Lord Prestonheim! He wanted you to read it post haste!" He kneeled down and reached out a piece of parchment to him.


    Prince Arterius thanked the knight and offered him some water. Seeing how terrible the knight wheezed just to get to him made him remember the bad things the knights from the camp were telling him. Proving them wrong might be one way to lighten up his mood¡ªif ever does lighten.


    He opened up the rolled parchment and read its contents. He dropped the letter as quickly as he unfurled it. He looked at Stolas as blood drained from his face.


    "Stolas, prepare the carriage!" His voice quivered. "My brother had landed in the isle along with Commander Maceus!"


    "M-maceus?! You mean¡ª"


    "Commander Maceus Crovar. He never answered our letters to him and now he''s with my brother?!" He greeted his teeth. "Bring all of the compiled books we have and the stones as well!"


    "I thought Prince Veritus was heading to the Southern end of the Great Dunes to quell and uprising there!"


    "I thought so too. That was the last thing he told me in his letter." Arterius became very suspicious of his brother.


    "Is he taking over?" Stolas said as he desperately complied to his prince''s orders.


    "It''s not clearly stated here!" Arterius answered. "But there''s a reason why when they are both partnered, they are called the Harbingers of the End."


    -----------------------------------


    JULY PROMOTION!!!Please read AUX Chapter if you want to join!

 Chapter 182: A Meeting in the Docks Pt.1

    Aturs, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 75th day of Fall, Arenfall


    The Stone Hall was pitch black, too dark for the light to reach its far corners. Lady Bieroff woke up early to give her prayers to her beloved god. A perfect time to pray to her god without the presence of her maids and attendants. A time where she could be alone and make love with her benevolent deity. She stood naked at the door''s opening with a torch in one hand and a dagger in the other.


    It had been a while since she visited the horned god''s altar. With the death of her son and her brother''s plan to take the mines for himself, Lady Bieroff had her hands full. She had been busy grooming her dreadful abode with the jewelries and silk to make it look presentable. She previously stripped off ornaments and decorations after the death of her husband. While at the same time, letting everyone see her mourning over the death of her second-born son.


    It was hard to convince people to believe that her son''s death was an accident. She did her best to set it in a way that it looked like it was nothing more than a mishap. She planned out everything herself. The time, the place and the method of how her son died. She did what she could to appease the horned-god and grant her wish, the same way he did when she asked him the first time.


    She began to walk along the dark isle, only the silhouettes of the gigantic pillars greeted her along her lone journey towards the god''s grotesque stone image. There were no other lights that welcomed her. There was no sign of the green ethereal lights that filled the lamps beside the isle. The room remained cold and empty, and no matter how loud she sung Zado''s hymn, the path remained veiled in darkness.


    Lady Bieroff understood the genuine discontent the god had for her. After all, she tried bargaining one of her son''s life with a sacrifice of a hundred maidens, but the god declined the offer and snarled at her greediness. She recalled how their conversation went.


    "When I ask you to sacrifice your most beloved son," Zados snarled. "I asked for no substitute! Tell me, human, are you too dumb to understand that? Or should I make a sample out of you?"


    She remembered cowering in fear. It was bad enough to upset her brother, how much more a god? A being of infinite means and power. It was one of her reasons why she prayed to Zados. His unlimited means could get her to where she wanted to be¡­a ruler of her own kingdom.


    She did what she could to get her wish realized, but her reward hadn''t come after a few weeks of waiting. It seemed like Zados exactly knew her blunder, she gave the wrong son¡ªor to be specific, she sacrificed her least favored son.


    Lady Bieroff lied to a god thinking that he wouldn''t know. Truth be told, she loved her sons unconditionally despite them being a spitting image of her late husband. They were vain, short-tempered and mostly used their hearts rather than their heads. But she had to choose, she''ll have to kill the second son. He was more annoying than the other two combined. So, sacrificing him would not only appease her deity, but it would also give her a little more peace of mind.


    She finally reached the altar as the hymn reached its end. She knelt by the foot of the idol and began kissing it. She climbed on the statue did what she normally did with it but there was no reaction from the stone image.


    "Lord Zados, it is I! Your humble servant!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. "I have already done what you''ve asked! I have killed my most beloved son!" She blatantly lied.


    Lady Bieroff began to trace the knife above her chest letting the cold, sharp edge cut her skin. She screamed in both pain and ecstasy as she called out for his name, but there was no reaction. There was not a sudden flicker of light nor a cold gust of wind to signify the god''s presence.


    From a distance she heard the rooster''s first crow signifying the arrival of dawn. She immediately stood up enraged at her deity''s unresponsiveness and stormed out of the Hall. She grumbled on her way out about how he wouldn''t know the difference between her sons and berated her deceased son for being such an inconvenience until the very end.


    She made her way to breakfast after treating her wounds. It was another uneventful day. The food never gave her any satisfaction. If anything, it tasted bland, but she doesn''t have the energy to whip and punish her attendants. Her mind was too preoccupied over the silence of her deity.


    She left the table without finishing her food and decided to take a morning stroll on her recently planted garden when she saw a messenger rushing towards her castle. She hurriedly went back in her castle and rushed to her solar while instructing her servants to let the messenger follow her into her solar.


    A few moments later, the messenger came. The young knight greeted her and bowed before handing over a letter to her. She stood up from her table and walked as slowly as possible towards the knight. Lady Bieroff always took pleasure at others discomforts especially when she saw how the knight jittered uncomfortably while bowing.


    As she finally reached the knight, she decided to play a little game with him, to brighten her day. "Good Ser, I want you to read the contents of that letter for me." She commanded.


    The knight''s eye widened. "But M''Lady, this is a classified information. Lord Prestonheim¡ª"


    "Lord Prestonheim is not the Lord of this castle." She gritted her teeth. "You either read that right now or I swear to you, the next time you insist, I will have your tongue ripped from your mouth!"


    The knight took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "O-of course¡­M''Lady!" The knight opened the letter and with his quivering voice, read its contents.


    Lady Bieroff leisurely went back to her seat and nodded to the knight to begin his reading.


    "Fair Greetings Adrena," He began.


    "That''s too lengthy. DO NOT waste my time! Just get to the point!"


    "Y-yes, of course¡­M''Lady!" The knight''s eyes skimmed throughout Lord Prestonheim''s lengthy message until he finally saw what he was looking for. "Lady Adrena, I hereby request you to come to audience his Majesty, Prince Veritas at lunch today. Please wear your best¡ª"


    "Enough!" She snapped. "Does he find me for a fool?! I know how to dress great!" She threw her book at the poor knight ordering him to leave her alone.


    Lady Bieroff burst out in anger. The silver-haired commander''s letter infuriated her and for a while, lost interest in attending the event. But while angry, she realized something. Prince Veritus was the prince that her brother supports and was also the same prince that most of the people see as the next Imperatur. People, including the Senators listen to his opinions no matter how far-fetched it might be because he was the stronger, more viable candidate.


    All of the sudden, she felt elated as she realized what this day was. It seemed like her silent god has answered her prayers. Zados had brought her the key to seizing control the power of the Crescent Isles. If she could woo him over to her side, she could hit two birds in one stone¡­or maybe more. She could take her land and the Bieroff''s lifeblood for herself, the Arenfall mines.


    She suddenly exploded with laughter as she realized how her wish was starting to unravel. There were no two ways about it! Zados had accepted her sacrifice and was now working his magic on her behalf.


    After composing herself, Lady Bieroff called out her maids and commanded them to prepare her bath. She was going to dress her best¡ªindeed.

 Chapter 183: A Meeting at the Docks Pt.2

    Aturs, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 75th day of Fall, Arenfall


    It was a peculiar sight to behold seeing Lord Prestonheim as dumbfounded and confused as he was today. With his tenure as a military commander and with the recent experiences he had, he thought that not one person could get him flustered¡ªexcept someone did.


    What was supposed to be just a routine visit at the docks turned into chaos when the watcher shouted a boat approaching the dock with, the Imperatur''s banners on the sail. The old Commander quickly went to the top of the lighthouse and checked it for himself.


    After identifying the banner to be that of the Imperatur''s, he immediately commanded some of his men to look for the best bridge they had for the Imperatur to walk across while the rest of them waited for him to officially dock on the isle.


    Lord Prestonheim fumbled inside the lighthouse to look for a clean banner and pole to present while welcoming the Imperatur. After finding what he needed, he called his men and commanded them to do their standard line formation while they waited for the ship to finally dock.


    The silver-haired commander still couldn''t believe that they got a surprise visit from the Imperatur and was worried what he would say or do if he saw the condition of the lighthouse. Since, he took over the place from the Bieroffs, he still hasn''t fixed the crumbling walls of the fort.


    He hadn''t had the time to get things fixed especially because he was so focused with defending the Isle and his godson. He did the best that he could to fix what they could fix but there was still a huge portion of the lighthouse that could get him in trouble for neglecting repairs.


    At that point, he knew it couldn''t be helped. With everything that''s going on, he could only rely on the Imperatur''s benevolence. The ship was now nearing the docks. The massive transport looked like it contained more than two hundred soldiers. Surprisingly, it didn''t come with an escort which had always been the protocol when the Imperatur travels. Either way, Lord Prestonheim led his men to the formation and waited for the ship to dock.


    A few moments later, the ship finally dropped its anchor signaling its stoppage. Not long after, the door finally opened revealing the visitor or at this case, visitors. The knights lifted the heavy bridge and tried to connect it with the ship''s door, but one of the men aboard was too eager for dry land. Just before they could connect the bridge, a young man donned in gold Principalian armor and cape jumped from the door. He landed on his knee at the drier part of the port and unfortunately broke some wooden floors along the way.


    "Fair Greetings, Commander Prestonheim!" The man rose up. "I am here for my brother." He grinned.


    "Fair Greetings, Prince Veritus! If it isn''t a surprise!" Lord Prestonheim exclaimed. "I will call him right away, but first please come inside the wind''s too strong out here."


    "There?" The prince raised his eyebrow. "Pardon my¡­hesistance, but I think I would rather set up a small tent right here, rather than going inside that¡­dilapidated¡­tower."


    Lord Prestonheim could feel from the tone of the prince''s voice how he wasn''t pleased with his place of reception. He could''ve insisted him inside, but Veritus was far different from his older brother. Unlike Arterius, this younger one lived in privilege and did whatever he wanted as long as he kept in his father''s good side. He experienced quite a different life, showered with praises and slathered with gifts from the Imperatur.


    "As you wish, Prince Arterius." He begrudgingly bowed. "My men will take¡ª"


    "There is no need for that. I brought my own!" He puckered his lips and whistled.


    A huge line of beastmen came descending from the ship. Lord Prestonheim took note of their kind, it wasn''t the same as the beastman they had. These people were a foot shorter than that of their beastman. They have wolf like ears and had tattoo patterns on their faces that made them looked feral. They also had sharper teeth and judging from their body physique, they looked more agile. Their skin was fair, and their hair had either a shade of blue or grey.


    "Where did they come from?" He looked at the strange beastmen unloading the prince''s things from the ship.


    "Far North." The Prince smiled. "At the land of ice mountains. It was hard to find these invaders! I had to convince my father that the campaign would be a fruitful one. Of course, it didn''t took long for me to get his approval!" The prince bragged.


    Lord Prestonheim nodded as he tried to fake his reaction, "And you made him proud by capturing the tribe! Amazing!" He lied once again.


    "Tribe? What tribe?" Prince Veritus guffawed. "I took their entire continent, take a look again!" He pointed at the bridge.


    Descending from the bridge were beastmen of different variety lined up and chained. There was a huge smile on the prince''s face. Lord Prestonheim could see in his eyes a lack of empathy and care towards the poor captives. He saw how the prince and his men brutalized their prisoners. Some of the beastmen limped or dragged their foot, while others had welts and bruises on their faces. There were even some whose ears, were either flayed or cut.


    Lord Prestonheim had to look away as he caught a glance at a poor rabbit girl dragged by the neck in chains. Her eyes called out for help, but there was only so much that he was able to do. He should not trifle with the affairs of the state. This also include the harboring of prisoners to be used as slaves in the different parts of the Principalia.


    "D-do you really have to chain them on their necks, arms and feet?" He asked as he struggled to get over such outlandish deed.


    "I deemed it necessary." Prince Veritus answered. "It''s not that they could take my knights head on. I just want to instill some fear into them, a sense of hopelessness letting them know how wrong they did in raiding us!"


    "I think you just did," Lord Prestonheim looked in horror as his own knights'' eyes glimmered at the words of the prince.


    "Well, Lord Commander Prestonheim, I didn''t come here just to deliver these slaves." The prince sighed. "I would''ve been up to the Southern border by now if it weren''t for two things. One, I needed to see my brother. And please don''t ask me what is it that I want with him. You know exactly what it is. I need him to come home and I would like to make him an offer." Prince Veritus smiled, but his eyes were soulless and lackluster.


    "And what of the second one?"


    "Glad you asked!" Prince Veritus clapped his hands signaling someone to show up.


    A hooded figure suddenly appeared in front of Lord Prestonheim that it startled him for a moment.


    "I never knew you''ll get startled by such magic!" The hooded figured said. "Must''ve been your age or something!" The man said in a whimsical yet deep voice.


    "M-Maceus¡­is that you?" Lord Prestonheim squinted his eyes to get a better look at the hooded figure.


    The man took off his hood and revealed himself to him, "Yes, godfather. It is I! And I came here to do my own investigation."


    ----------------------------------------------------------


    I would like to dedicate this chapter to BlueCold. Thank you so much for your comment and review! I appreciate those things so much because it helps me improve the way I write and how I approach my story.


    Ad Astra et Ultra!


    ---------------------------------------------------------------


    Want to have a page dedicated to you? Or cameo as a character in this novel? See the JULY PROMOTIONS at the AUX Chapter!

 Chapter 184: Tristam

    Cold. All he felt was nothing but the cold. The same cold he experienced before, when his father imprisoned him in a small shack at winter. He couldn''t remember what he did to deserve such cruel punishment, but what he did remembered was the chilling cold prickling his skill and slowly immobilizing his fingers. He remembered how his teeth gritted involuntarily as the cold slowly froze his entire body, embracing him to his eventual demise.


    He couldn''t remember what happened after he descended from the well. His memory was in a blur and every time he tried to recall it, he gets a piercing pain in his temples.


    He opened his eyes and found the nothingness of the dark. The pitch-black veil was all he saw that he thought he was going blind, but no, it was far from it. He thought of suddenly hearing a whisper coming from his mind. It was a faint whisper, so subtle that he thought it was part of his inner voice¡ªit wasn''t.


    Slowly, the voice became louder and louder. What he thought were whispers, were clearly shouts. It called out to him, desperately pleading for him to listen. Tristam looked around once again, but he was greeted by the same darkness. There was nothing he could see and yet the voice felt as if it was getting close to him.


    He wanted to move. He wanted to run away and find safety from it, but he wasn''t able to move. He felt his arms and legs outstretched and bound by something that even with his strength, he couldn''t budge. He tried a few more times, but it was already obvious that it was too much for him to handle. He ended up panting, his arms and legs sore from his wasted effort.


    "TRISTTTAAAAMMM!" The slithery voice shouted right in his ears. "LEEET MEEE INNN¡­" It begged.


    He felt afraid and threatened by the voice. His mind was filled with the stories that Lord Prestonheim told him while he was away on a mission. He told him of the creatures crawling out from the bowels of the earth. The nightmarish monsters that even his great commander thought was nothing more than a bedtime story, became real in front of his very eyes.


    Just the thought of it made his skin crawl. He desperately tried to yank his way out of the invisible bindings, but to no avail. The loud whispers went on again, this time in a gibberish horrific voice. The guttural sound suddenly filled his mind chanting his name repeatedly.


    Tristam gritted his teeth as the whispers slowly manifested into a throbbing headache. He had to think of a solution for this mental attack and he had to make it fast. He calmed himself, breathing deep while trying to focus his mind on the training he had with his silver-haired commander.


    He recalled about the learnings he had with Lord Prestonheim while he trained under him in his estate. He remembered the stern look of the old man''s face as he was taught with the Prestonheim''s extensive knowledge for combat and magic, including defense against psychic attacks. It was one of the reasons his Commander was known for. His unwavering heart and mind at the face of adversity earning him the title of the Lion.


    "Focus, Tristam!" He said to himself. "Focus!"


    He tried muting the buzzing whispers with great effort using the meditation technique Lord Prestonheim personally taught him. With his great exertion of willpower, he was able to silence the noise in his mind. He opened his eyes but still, the veil of darkness covered his surroundings. Tristam felt something moving from behind him. A gust of wind passed to his side and the voice had manifested physically.


    "A Dhampiir!" Tristam suspected.


    He tried recalling what his Commander told him about those creatures. Those ghastly demons were said to fear the light. Mustering his strength, he mumbled a spell.


    "Bright light, descend from the heavens and smile upon the worthy!" He chanted.


    A flash of bright light suddenly appeared in front of him enveloping the darkness with its bright shine. He looked around and saw a huge empty room. The floor was filled with bones of both humans and beasts of unknown species. Little centipedes and maggots crawled on the floor, peeping from the skulls of the fallen, warning him of his fate.


    He curiously looked at his binding and was horrified to see sinew and guts wrapping tightly on both his hands and feet. The grisly rope suddenly kept tightening, hurting his wrist and ankles. It tightened so bad, that he feared his slightest movement might cost him his arms and feet. He stood still and tried thinking of another way to get out of his situation before it naturally kills him.


    As quickly as the light shone, it faded right away before he could survey the area any better. The darkness engulfed the light with such gluttony it also ate the sliver of hope he had. Darkness won over his light and right now, there was nothing more than despair for him.


    Tristam feared for his life. It was the first time for such a long time that he feared that kind of primal fear. It was the same fear he felt when his father pointed a sword towards his neck on the little mistakes he did. He could remember his father''s remorseless eyes, stabbing his soul and instilling the fear that traumatized him after all those years.


    He realized it was the end for him and he didn''t like it. He fought his way out it once again, yanking himself out while chanting magical spells but all of those options were rendered useless. Finally, he surrendered to his despair. Drowning further into the depths of his worst fear, his death.


    He wasn''t ready for it¡ªnot just yet. He didn''t want to die because he hadn''t paid his commander''s kindness yet. The silver-haired commander who had saved him from the clutches of his father. The same Commander who lend his time and knowledge to hone him to become a better person, a better man than what his father was. The man whom he considered as his father more than his real one could ever be.


    "H-help!" Tristam desperately called out. "H-help me! Please, anyone!" His voice shivered.


    He called out at the top of his lungs, but no one answered. His throat sored as he continued to shout at the top of his lungs, but no one came.


    "Please¡­not like this¡­" He said in a tired voice. "I don''t want to die! Not like this¡­not yet."


    "Tristam!" The voice echoed throughout the darkness. "Tristam¡­can you hear me, Tristam?" The voice boomed.


    "W-who are you?" Tristam asked as he felt shivers down his spine.


    The voice did not answer.


    "W-where are you?!" Tristam desperately called out the voice while hopelessly yanking the chain from his wrist. "I¡­I can hear you! Help me, please!"


    But there was nothing, only silence.


    Tristam broke down in tears as he tried to call him out once again, begging for him to hear him and help him out from that miserable place. But no one answered. He pleaded and prayed to the gods but there was nothing, until¡ª


    "Please, anyone!" He begged. "I-I will give you anything, just let me go! Let me live! I need to pay him back! I need to serve my commander! Please¡­" His voice faded from all his effort.


    He cried in the dark. It was truly the end for him. As it was, he knew it was going to be a slow  and agonizing death. A miserable death that he never wanted and never deserved.


    "Knights should die by the blade defending the citizens of Arteria. Remember that Tristam."He recalled his conversation with Lord Prestonheim during his installation to knighthood.


    "Please¡­" He mumbled. "Please, anyone! I will¡ª"


    "Did you say, you''ll do anything to live?" The voice came back once again.


    Tristam was too numb to feel anything at that point. He realized the dark was playing tricks on him. He was wallowed in despair. But he still took a gander at what the voice asked.


    "Yes¡­any¡­thing¡­" His voice faded once again.


    "Very well," The voice said.


    Suddenly green flames appeared in front of him, and a disfigured shadow started to approach him. Tristam wasn''t able to take a good look at it but everything felt like a fever dream. Its glowing red eyes met with his. Its protruding horn and appearance were supposed to instill some fear, but he never felt a thing. There was only a warm feeling of relief.


    "You¡­will be my vessel." The darkness faded and the shadow finally revealed its face.                          ____________________


    This chapter is dedicated to the one, the only Elie_Cinders! The lady who tirelessly reads and edits my work. She helped me a lot in molding my writing style and I cannot thank her enough! Thanks, Tomomo.

 Chapter 185: The Darkness Within

    The poor knight''s body shuddered as it welcomed Zaduriel inside. The Yldar slowly settled down his being into his new flesh container. He made sure to let his energy flow gradually all over the knight''s body to avoid his new flesh container from bursting. It was a long and tedious process that could potentially end him and his new container if he wasn''t careful.


    Zaduriel took his time to incorporate himself into the body while keeping his power at bay. The injuries he suffered at the hands of Adaloun and the elf proved to be a great inconvenience for the god, mainly because the wounds were too deep and needed a lot of energy to heal. The arrow wounds especially messed up his physiology so much that he thought he could die if he missed healing one of the wounds. It didn''t also help his situation, that the arrows used on him were of an anti-magic variety, a magic that only Yldars were able to incorporate on their weapons.


    The body was slowly getting used to his energy, he poured more of it, all the while going inside the memories of his new body. He saw flashes of the mortal''s memories inside his mind. Zaduriel grinned as he took every memory of the man known as Tristam to his advantage. He knew he needed to know more about his new vessel in order for him to function well without getting any suspicions from the people who were trying to save him.


    Every memory he had turned into a weapon for the god. Seeing his weakness and secrets was a potent way for him to extort the consciousness of Tristam to do his bidding. He knew he could work the knight''s fears and trauma to his advantage. Controlling the knight''s consciousness through fear would prove to be very effective against him.


    "Get out from my body!" Tristam''s voice echoed while his consciousness tried pushing Zaduriel out.


    The god laughed, "Tell me, Tristam. Is that what you really want?" He asked. "Don''t you want to become stronger? Hmmm¡­ or would you want to be the same useless piece of shit your father loathed you to be." Zaduriel snapped his fingers, controlling Tristam memories and made sure the knight remembered that traumatic encounter he had with his father.


    "Ngggh¡­" He could hear Tristam''s consciousness struggle from his attack. "G-get away!!!" Tristam commanded but he was obviously over-powered.


    The struggle didn''t take that long to control. Zaduriel harassed Tristam with the stark grimly memories he hid for so long. The visions battered the young knight''s psyche, breaking him and finally sealing the consciousness under a plethora of traumatic events. Tristam''s consciousness was left there helpless as he controlled his body.


    Zaduriel came up on top and had now controlled Tristam''s body. He took a deep breath with his new vessel and felt good with it. He was amazed to see the potential he had with the mortal body, even if it was still a fragile piece of flesh for his standards.


    He took his first step and felt his energy surge within the body. The overwhelming power began to take over, the muscles began to cramp and flex on its own. Huge veins protruded over the skin, as if to explode from the tremendous energy concealed in the human vessel.


    Zaduriel adjusted his powers as quickly as he could before the body died and explode on its own. He created a second heart inside of the body and used it to siphon his powers preventing it from going haywire. It took him a moment to readjust Tristam''s exousia pathways but once he did, it was clear that the body was indeed his ideal vessel.


    Using the knight''s exousia, he infused his own exousia and enhanced Tristam''s abilities twenty-fold. His wind magic and flame magic became so powerful that Zaduriel became confident with it. After testing his new vessel''s capabilities. He immediately put the body into good use.


    Using his new incorporated exousia, he summoned the remaining monsters inside the cave and blessed them with other abilities of their own. He also activated all of the remaining traps inside the labyrinth, setting them up for Adaloun and his comrades. He already knew that they where only a few rooms away from the exit, he would like to stop them as much as he could and try to take Adaloun''s body for himself.


    He commanded the remaining headless creatures to guard the outer gate of the innermost sanctum of the labyrinth where the exit was located, while the rest of the monsters hid to ambush them across the floors. He also took the poor blind captives into his chamber and dipped them in a green sticky liquid that would help them mutate into horrendous creatures that he could control.


    Using the earth elemental magic, he created golems and images of himself to fight against the unruly invaders and keep them at bay as he would attack conveniently from behind. As he scattered his traps and monsters to their designated places, he summoned his hidden armor inside the labyrinth''s armory vault and took out the legendary armor, Crescent Mirror.


    The armor was known to have been used by Mitrail, the Yldar who stopped the advancement of the Great Primal King, Wakan. It was thought to reflect all manners of attack back to its source with a force twice the power of the original attack.


    He donned the legendary armor from the Age of Wonders with pride. He knew that as long as he wore the armor, the damages inflicted on him will easily be directed away from him. With Adaloun and his comrade''s abilities, he knew it was his only chance to win, especially at the current state he was at the moment.


    After donning the armor, he snapped his fingers and a wall of sand appeared in front of him. The gigantic earthy defense then spat out Adaloun''s weapons, the sharded gladius and the dwarven short sword. He picked up both of them from the ground and infused his powers into it.


    His exousia flowed through the blade like water and made the sharded gladius glow in a pale shade of blue before changing its color to a tint of green, his color. He grinned as he looked with content at the weapons he had on hand. He swung both the swords and created a powerful gust of wind sharp enough to slice a stone pillar in half. Zaduriel knew he was ready for war. The only question was if Adaloun and his comrades could get pass all his traps. The god grinned once again; his blood was all pumped for their last confrontation¡ªif there was ever any.


    ------------------------------------------------------


    This chapter is dedicated to JYGT. A man of a few words, but those of what he say...truly is impactful! Thank you for your undying support!

 Chapter 186: Thicker than Blood

    Maraus, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 77th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ----------------------------------------------


    "How is the meat, brother?" Prince Arterius sipped his tea from the cup, hoping that it will help him digest the heavy meal he had during breakfast.


    Prince Veritus looked at him yawning. He wasn''t looking at his brother but rather beyond the barren landscape of the mines, ignoring his brother''s question.


    "It''s been two days, brother." Prince Veritus sighed. "When are you going back to Arteria?" He asked bluntly.


    "Arteria¡­" Prince Arterius guffawed, "You do know that I do not have a place there¡­at least not yet¡­not until¡ª"


    "I saw those weird-looking stones yesterday." Prince Veritus stood up from his seat and continued to gaze at the gray and cloudy horizon, still refusing to look at his elder brother. "Those things don''t strike me as much of a weapon unlike what your ideas did."


    "You don''t get it, Veritus." He calmly sipped his tea. "Those things ARE the much powerful weapon."


    "Well, why don''t you show it to the Senate?" Veritus turned around with an annoyed expression. "Why are you stalling? You do know that we are currently in a war with¡ª"


    "With whom this time brother?" He glared at Veritus. "The Vridian rebels? Those Northern beastfolk? Or could it be with the Ardents again? Are the borders failing once again or have they gotten another weapon that is tough for us to¡ª"


    "I do not need your sarcasm!" Veritus gritted his teeth. He approached him; fist clenched.


    Prince Arterius knew he was no match for his brother. Strength wise, he was nothing more than a speck of dust against him. If Veritus would punch him or snap his neck right there, no one would be able to stop him. With only the both of them around, he knew how easy it would be for his brother to hurt him or worse¡ªkill him.


    But he knew his brother won''t go that far. He''s too smart of that; actually, he''s too ambitious to lift a finger on him and risk his title to the throne. Regardless of how incompetent the Imperatur and Veritus think of him, killing him would still be an unforgivable crime. Fratricide and other forms of familial killings were frowned upon by their society. Aside from being heartless and ruthlessly primitive, the killings constituted the degeneration of logic and society. Being a Prima would put either of them, and the royal line in jeopardy if they ever decided to do it.


    Although afraid of what his brother might do, Arterius stood his ground calmly and sipped his tea without showing a slight ounce of fear over his stronger brother.


    "I am not being sarcastic." Prince Arterius sighed. "You and I both know how far rooted our history is with war. You''ve been there yourself, I''m positively sure that you do not want a war to drag for so long, would you?"


    Prince Veritus did not answer. Instead, they were lock in a heated staring contest. Prince Arterius knew that if he averted his gaze he would surely lose his argument and he hated the very thought of it. He mustn''t lose; he said to himself. This was the only physical contest he knew he could have a better edge over his brother.


    A few moments passed and finally Prince Veritus'' eyes got tired. His younger brother blinked, conceding to him. He wanted to relish the little victory he got, but his brother was persistent and still insisted.


    "Regardless of what you are saying, you still have to go home." Prince Veritus took a chair and sat right in front of him. "Father ordered you to go home. He knows you have failed in your wager and would not banish you, for this¡­fiasco." He explained.


    "I was never treated the same way as you do, brother. You know that!" He paused and patted his brother''s shoulder. "He will still find a way to humiliate me!"


    "So, what? You''ll still be part of the family. You will still have some of your privileges!"


    "You really don''t get it. Veritus." He stood up and took his cane. "I will lose my claim to the throne. I know it''s a long shot but, I want to claim the throne just like you do, and that down there is my ticket to get to the throne." He walked away and left his brother inside his tent and forcibly end the conversation. He didn''t want to hear the things his brother wanted to say. It was useless at that point, especially because he knew all too well how his brother also wanted the throne.


    His brother usually doesn''t care with what he does (most of the time, if it doesn''t involve him directly or if it was a weapon.) So, being suddenly there at the Crescent Isle and forcing him to go back home and face his father was unusual of him. It hinted Prince Arterius that indeed his brother would also love what he has, the birthright to the throne. The same birthright he had wagered against his father and witnessed by the Senate.


    He went directly to his godfather''s tent and found Lord Prestonheim sitting on his table, brooding over a bundle of parchments lying in front of him. His eyes were focused on a specific parchment. He read the contents of the letter without making a sound. His forehead creased; all the while, massaging the bridge of his nose.


    "Have I caught you at an inopportune time, godfather." He approached.


    Lord Prestonheim snapped out of his trance and smiled to him, "No, of course not. You''re always welcome here!" The silver-haired commander stood up and took a chair for Prince Arterius to sit on.


    Prince Arterius noticed how important the letter was to his godfather. Even while getting his chair, the old man didn''t even let go of the parchment. This intrigued him so much that he couldn''t help but ask his godfather about it.


    "Oh, this letter!" Lord Prestonheim exclaimed. "This is from one of our close allies at the Senate. He was telling me that he stalled the Senate from visiting the Crescent Isles..." He sighed and shook his head.


    "But even then, we are running out of time." Arterius already knew the rest of the letters contents just by looking at how gloomy his godfather''s mood was.


    "I tried what I can, Prince Arterius but¡ª"


    "Even you couldn''t shelter me from the inevitable."


    Lord Prestonheim tore the letter and threw it on the ground. "Prince Arterius, I wouldn''t let you suffer at the hands of your father and be ridiculed by the Senate. I can arrange a voyage for you¡­away from here."


    "I understand, godfather." Prince Arterius clicked his tongue in frustration. "But I am not running away. I know that sounds foolish and might cost me my life, but¡­just¡­be there for me, godfather when I face the music. I think I can handle it." His voice trembled at the thought of his defeat.


    Lord Prestonheim looked at him straight in the eyes and hugged him tightly. It was a gesture that completely baffled him but felt comforted. It felt like his mother''s hug, warm and full of care. He clenched his jaw and tried very hard to control his bursting emotions. He shouldn''t cry in front of him as much as he would love to do that.


    Lord Prestonheim let go of him and patted his shoulder, "Son, as long as I am around, I will make sure that no one could harm you! Not even the Senate nor your family. I swore my oath to you!"


    Prince Arterius nodded and smiled to him, "I want to thank you for that, godfather¡­" Before his emotions could overwhelm him, he decided to exit the tent. Not far from his tent stood his little brother, Prince Veritus along with Commander Maceus Crovar and some knights surrounding the pair.


    He could hear his brother''s boisterous laughter as he tried to tell the knights of his exploits, thumping his chest over his victories and sort.


    "Brother! Come here!" Prince Veritus called out.


    "What is it brother?"


    "I was just telling these knights about my experience with the wars I had been to!"


    "Oh, they¡­loved it, I presume."


    "Love? They worship it and want to join my exploits in the future¡­better yet, after looking into that hole!"


    "Hole? What do you mean, hole?!" He looked at both men with confusion and anger. "Commander Crovar what is the meaning of this?!"


    The young commander simply laughed, "Oh please, leave me out of this! I had just gotten my breakfast when I stumbled along Prince Veritus."


    "Brother, that is not a good idea to go down there!"


    "Why, who''s stopping me?!" Prince Veritus grinned. "Men, noble knights, would you care to join me down the hole?"


    The knights clamored with a big yes to Prince Arterius'' horror.


    ---------------------------------------


    Shout out to Daoistnhqzj8. Thanks for reading my book, hope you liked it!

 Chapter 187: A Slap on the Face

    Maraus, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 77th day of Fall, Arenfal


    -----------------------------------------


    "Brother! You don''t know what''s down there!" Prince Arterius tried blocking Prince Veritus from getting into the hole.


    "Oh, please, I have vanquished a lot of foes bigger and stronger than I do!" Prince Veritus smirked. "What would those little monsters do against my blade?" He pushed him off to the side.


    Prince Arterius tried to block him off once again, but his brother completely overpowered him once again. Stolas immediately got a hold of him before he dropped to the ground.


    "Stolas!" He squeezed his shoulder. "Get Lord Prestonheim here!"


    "That wouldn''t be necessary." Veracon came out of nowhere bringing his brother''s great sword and a few his men. "Lord Commander Prestonheim need not to worry himself with this futile encounter."


    Stolas helped Prince Arterius stood up and replied. "What my prince commands, I obey. When he says he''s calling Lord Prestonheim, you get out of my way." He pushed the lanky knight away and ran towards the commander''s tent.


    Veracon tried to chase him but Prince Veritus stopped him the moment he took a step. "That wouldn''t be necessary, Veracon. It would be nice to get one of our greatest commanders to witness this once in a lifetime feat conquering this god-forsaken mine!" He grinned.


    Arterius knew that it was arrogance and not honor that made his brother to decide to be there in the isles. Veritus thought that he could end his brother''s dilemma with him solving the problem. His brother''s confidence was intoxicating his knights with false courage. They marched with him across the dusty camp and into the well-guarded hole.


    He followed Veritus into the hole but suddenly blocked by his brother''s men.


    "Get out of my way!" He commanded them.


    "Let him through! For crying out loud that''s my brother!" Veritus shouted, all the while being geared already for his descent.


    Arterius approached him and grabbed his arm. "I begged you brother, don''t go there. That hole is a void full of surprises. Who knows what it might do¡ª"


    "To me?!" Prince Veritus grinned. "It''ll be lucky if it could scratch my armor!" He thumped his golden armor plate made from adamantite alloys.


    Prince Veritus tugged the rope, trying its strength against his weight. After he was contented with it, he immediately grabbed Prince Arterius by the chest and grinned.


    "Oh, brother! You''re coming with me!" He hugged Prince Arterius'' fragile body and jumped into the hole. "I will meet you there, Veracon!" He shouted as he plunged deeper into the darkness of the dangerous pit.


    Arterius'' heart leapt out from chest as he plummeted down the hole, all the while his brother howling with excitement. He had to close his eyes as he focused his thoughts on not hurling his breakfast towards his younger brother''s armor. His skin prickled as the rush of cold air touch against his skin. For some reason, he felt like they were almost close to bottom ground.


    Suddenly, they stopped. He opened his eyes and saw dimly lit ground below them. The torches the knights placed below was a comforting sight to see. The light made the hole a little less terrifying. They dangled a few footlings above the ground.


    "You can open your eyes now, brother."  Veritus said while stifling his laughter.


    "My eyes were open the whole time." Arterius tried to downplay his actions earlier.


    "No, they weren''t."


    Prince Arterius wanted to do another round of banter, but his eyes got fixed on the insides of the hole. The barren and dusty ground with some dried blood caking sparsely at some spots made his skin crawl once again. Veritus cut the rope that secured him in place and landed on the ground along with Arterius in his arms.


    "Stay behind me, brother." Prince Veritus immediately stepped forward and covered him after putting him down on the ground.


    He took offense of what his brother said, but it frustrated him even more knowing that he was indeed nothing, but a deadweight compared to his brother.


    Prince Veritus took a step closer towards the white wall. There was not a shred of hesitation in him. It was clear that his younger brother wasn''t even flinching at the caking blood on the floor, he simply stepped over them like it was any other dirt.


    Arterius tried to follow his younger brother, but fear controlled his body and froze him from exactly where he stood. He could feel his mouth drying up and his heart thumping violently on his chest, while helplessly watching Prince Veritus approaching closer to the wall.


    "Don''t touch it!" Prince Arterius efforted himself to take a single step but his fear effectively rendered him unmoving.


    "Yes, mother." Prince Veritus snickered while touching the white wall. "Ow¡­ohoh! So, it has some kind of barrier magic? Hmm¡­"


    "W-what do you mean by that?!" Arterius peeped from the safe distance. "You said, ow earlier¡­are you hurt?"


    "Just a slight tingle." Prince Veritus went back to him grinning. "There''s a barrier covering that wall, do you know that?"


    Prince Arterius nodded.


    "So, you knew about it and didn''t even care to disarm it? You have a Lord Commander with you famously known to destroy anything set in his track and still you cannot command him to take this one down?" Veritus clicked his tongue.


    "It was of our best interest that Lord Prestonheim left it the way it were."


    "Pfftt¡­I am underwhelmed with that kind of thinking." Prince Veritus yawned. "If he was concerned of protecting you or anyone else, he should''ve destroyed this wall and everything else inside along with it. You know¡­bringing the chaos to them?"


    "It worked as it is," Prince Arterius answered. "He said the monsters lurking are far too strong, even the most experienced once would cower in their presence alone."


    "I didn''t take the great Lion of the Gorge to be¡­cowardly and senile." Veritus sighed.


    "Take that back." Prince Arterius pointed at him. "Lord Prestonheim knows what he''s doing, you''ll be stupid to think about it otherwise!"


    Veritus looked at him exhausted over their banter, "Alright. I''m sorry." He said bluntly. "Now, let''s get back over to this."


    His brother looked up into the hole, "Veracon! Get me that sword!"


    "I will be there in a moment, Prince Veritus!" Veracon''s voice echoed from the hole.


    And not a moment too soon, Veracon and the rest of his men descended from the hole carrying his brother''s gigantic blade. The sword was seven footlings long and four footlings wide, a smithing marvel at best and a weird over the top weapon at worse. It was exactly what his brother specifically asked for from the dwarven smiths.


    It was a bulky blade that only he can swing and slash properly. Veracon and the rest were just bearing it for him since he found his weapon too awkward for him to carry it on his shoulder most of the time. It took about five knights to carry the blade to him but when it was brought up to him, he only needed one hand to lift the enormous weapon.


    It was one of his brother''s most prized possession. He often bragged about how it could stop armies and cleave iron gates and even magic shields like leaves. He bragged at how the dwarves infused it with powerful magic runes enough to cancel out even a dragon''s fire. Although the latter was yet to be proven, that didn''t stop his brother from looking for a suitable challenge to his blade.


    "Everybody, out of the way!" Veritus shouted as he lifted the blade over his shoulder. "Veracon, protect my brother and make sure he stays alive!" He added as he went for his stance.


    The rest of the knights ran back and went as far as the edge of it. When his younger brother saw how everyone was far away from him, he lowered his stance and swung the blade with all of his might.


    "This is not a good idea, brother!" Arterius shouted his last effort to deter his brother.


    "Shut¡­up!" His brother growled at him as he swung the blade against the stone wall.


    The metal collided with the stone. The sharp clanging sound was followed by a huge explosion like thunder clashing against each other. Prince Arterius covered his eyes as a bright light pulsed throughout the hole. That was the last thing he saw.


    By the time he opened his eyes, he was already lying on the ground. He looked around and saw everyone scattered and unconscious. He looked up and saw fragments of his brother''s blade scattered all over the ceiling.


    He tried crawling but his body was too heavy for him to move all he could do was lay there and let his eyes look for his brother. Not a moment later, heard a thud. It sounded like a something plummeted from a great height. He looked around one more time and saw his brother lying face down and unmoving.

 Chapter 188: The Endgame Pt. 1

    The flames glowed gloomily as it slowly consumed the Orkamuu''s lifeless body. Adaloun watched silently as he sat on the ground, his back slumped from fatigue and hunger. Unfortunately, the jovial Orkamuu succumbed to his injuries and died peacefully even after Orphella and Papillon''s intervention. He thought of how fickle life was as a mortal, not even the most powerful weapon could save you from death; not even Papillon.


    In his hand he held Wahakim''s scythe; the fiery one as he called it in the Orkamuu''s native tongue, a name that he couldn''t fully pronounce himself. The Orkamuu gave it to him as his parting gift to them. He whispered in his ears the name of his weapon and even then, Adaloun knew that he couldn''t use the scythe''s true form.


    He stared silently at the pale blade while the fire glistened in its reflection. His thoughts wandered on whether they could make it out there alive or not. He was filled with regret over the decisions he made up to this point. If he only would''ve stayed discreet with his abilities and kept the aetherium a secret, they wouldn''t be in this position that they were in.


    There was a part of him that wanted to run away from everything, but his heart was bound to his word. He wanted to keep the end of the bargain in hopes of getting a better life. And with that dream, he placed everyone''s life at risk. But it was too late for him to feel sorry about it. With all the lives lost during this campaign all he could do was hope for a better outcome than just dying in this unfamiliar place.


    The flames crackled as the pyre continued to burn and light the clearing. He turned his attention to his comrades who grieve for the Orkamuu in their own way. Ghwynmyr sang a dirge to him. He couldn''t understand what it was since it was sung in dwarven, but from what he felt, it was a song of goodbye.


    Orphella, kneeled near the pyre and prayed; all the while groveling in front of Wahakim. On the other hand, the beastman stood unmoving near the flames while mumbling. He knew Urfaal felt guilty for Wahakim''s death, especially because he knew he was the one who killed the poor Orkamuu while being manipulated by the plant.


    It took a while for the pyre to burn Wahakim. Even Ghwynmyr''s powerful flames had quiet the difficulty consuming the Orkamuu due to their natural affinity for fire. After the pyres finally turned his body to ash, Adaloun and his comrades sat silently in a circle as they tried to plan what they needed to do next.


    It was a bittersweet moment for them. On one hand, they were finally able to meet and go through this journey together. However, following the deaths of the people around them, it looked like they might die there without seeing the surface.


    Their brooding silence was interrupted by Urfaal''s sobbing. "We''re all going to end up like them, aren''t we?"


    No one dared to answer that question.


    "Let''s not focus on dying." Adaloun said. "One dead person is one too many for me already."


    "Oh gods! I killed him!" The beastman wailed.


    Before Adaloun could react, Ghwynmyr slapped Urfaal across the face. "I''m sorry, Urfie but you have to wake up!" He sighed. "No one is blaming you on what happened! Even Wahakim told you that!" The dwarf stood up and walked away from the circle.


    Orphella followed the dwarf and tried to calm him down. It was clear that it wasn''t only Urfaal who was upset of the Orkamuu''s death. Adaloun recalled Ghwynmyr asking for an apology from Wahakim earlier. He couldn''t hear most of the conversation they had but he heard the dwarf said he should''ve been more careful.


    Adaloun turned his attention back to the beastman who stared silently at the dry, dusty ground.


    "Hey, Urfaal." He patted his shoulder. "Don''t be too hard on yourself. You weren''t in control."


    The beastman didn''t answer.


    "Hey, Urfaal, look at me." Adaloun said. "Don''t let your feelings overwhelm you right now. We can''t have that here¡­not if you want to survive. Do you wish to see the surface again?" He asked.


    Urfaal nodded. "Yes, I would like to see the surface again with you, my friends."


    "I do too." Adaloun gently punched the beastman in the arm. "So, cheer up, my friend! We have a plan to make!" He smiled.


    Urfaal smiled back. He saw in the beastman''s eyes hope and determination. He rekindled the beastman''s will and now, he was as pumped as he was.


    Not long after, Orphella and Ghwynmyr joined in once again. After a short talk between Ghwynmyr and Urfaal, they finally settled their misunderstanding. Now with cooler heads and determined spirits, they could now focus on their escape.


    "If we go further, we can expect a lot of monsters heading our way." Orphella signed.


    "What if we go back to where we all entered?" Urfaal suggested.


    "No, there''s no use of going back at this point." Orphella explained. "There is only one exit in this hell maze, and it is on the other side of this path." She signed.


    "How sure are yah ''bout it, Phellie?" Ghwynmyr glanced at the darkness looming in their path.


    "I am sure. This bow told me that it''s the only way!" She reached for her bow and showed it to the baffled dwarf.


    "T-told yah? Yah pullin'' me leg?!" Ghwynmyr raised his eyebrow. "Cud use a good laugh, but tis not dah time." He said.


    "Believe it or not, Ghwynmyr." Adaloun sighed as he recalled his experience with the noisy bow. "She''s telling the truth."


    Ghwynmyr and Urfaal looked at Adaloun with a wide-open jaw. They were shocked about his answer and wanted to make logic out of it, but it wasn''t making any sense.


    "How could a bow talk?!" Urfaal scratched his head.


    "Yah¡­but¡­ummm¡­fuck it!" The dwarf scratched his beard and sighed. "Fine! What''s the plan?"


    "I know something is waiting for us up ahead." Adaloun said as he thought of the pesky god. "We need to strategize our plan of attack."


    "Four of us against a plenty o''em!" Ghwynmyr''s forehead wrinkled. "Cud use some runes tah minimize our exousia output."


    "I can help you with that!" Orphella signed.


    "Urfaal, how far can your beast transformation could take you?" Adaloun asked.


    "Not as much," He answered. "A hundred counts max."


    Three of them looked at Urfaal and nodded.


    "Urfaal, use it only when I say so. Do you understand?" Adaloun looked at him straight in the eyes.


    The beastman nodded and took his broken sword. "I shall have to make do with this at the mean time."


    Ghwynmyr took the broken blade from the beastman''s hand. "Lemme sharpen this one for yah!" He smiled.


    Adaloun knew that he couldn''t make a concrete plan. Zaduriel and the monsters inside the labyrinth were too volatile to make up a good strategy against. He knew his best way to fight them off is to fight them with force. But with only the four of them left, he had to act on it smartly.


    "That''s it? That was the plan?" Urfaal asked.


    "Tis no two ways ''bout it." The dwarf said. "The beasts'' ll keep on coming. We only need tah keep fightin'' to advance. Tis no smart way to do this, ''cept if we could make some traps."


    "Traps!" Adaloun exclaimed.


    "We''re makin'' one?!" Ghwynmyr was confused.


    "No, but¡­" Adaloun turned his attention to Papillon laid on the ground. "Hey! I know you can hear me! Do you happen to know where all the traps are located?" He asked.


    "W-what¡­ are you doing?" Urfaal raised his eyebrow. "W-why are you speaking to a bow?"


    "Not just any bow!" Papillon floated and approached the beastman. "I am special!" She lowered her voice as if whispering to the beastman''s ear.


    The beastman and the dwarf were dumbfounded with what they were seeing, they went speechless.


    "Ahem," Papillon tried getting their attention. "Yes, I know where most of the traps are and how to trigger them."


    "Good!" Adaloun smacked his hands together. "Now, we do have a good plan!"


    ----------------------------------------


    I dedicate this chapter to HuddleGuddle. I appreciate your comment on Chapter 18. I still had a lot of things to improve and one of them is the world building aspect. Still, I appreciate you giving your thoughts on the matter especially how their society works! Now, there''s another aspect I can improve on!

 Chapter 189: Endgame Pt.2

    "Urfie!" Ghwynmyr shouted as the beastman flung a few footlings away after being gored by one of the minotaurs.


    A few moments ago, as they were about to take on the path, a horde of minotaurs suddenly appeared from the darkness and started a stampede against them. Ghwynmyr and the rest had no time to execute their plan and ended up using the runes they were supposed to use in their journey.


    The raging monsters charged and gored them. Ghwynmyr fought off most of them with the use of the runes he was supposed to use later. He would have preferred keeping those runes for emergency, but the situation called for badly.


    "Fuck! Watch yer head, Addie!" He threw a fire rune towards the raging minotaurs.


    Adaloun ran and took cover on a boulder after cutting down three more minotaurs rushing towards him. The fire rune exploded and blasted the stampeding minotaurs out of existence. Ghwynmyr slammed the earth rune in front of him and created a solid stone wall, enough to protect him from the roaring fire.


    Orphella fired a compressed air arrow before hiding behind the dwarf''s defense. Her shot turned the flame into a fiery tempest, devouring every surviving minotaur in its path. The assault only lasted a moment, but the flame''s heat stayed like an eternity. The monsters cried and screamed in agony; their pained voices echoed inside the clearing until they finally went silent.


    "Tis everyone, alright?" Ghwynmyr asked as he looked around for the beastman. "Urfie? Lad, where yah at?!"


    "Over here!" The beastman raised his arms from the mound of dust and ashes covering him. "I''m alright."


    Ghwynmyr sighed in relief as he checked on the rest of them. He called out Adaloun and saw the human emerging from the boulder with only a few bruises and a small cut in the cheek. He checked on Orphella who hid behind him and saw she had it the worse.


    The poor elf had a huge wound on her right leg. Ghwynmyr immediately came to her aid and took out a splinter of a horn sticking out from the side of her leg.


    "Whut ''appened?" Ghwynmyr asked as he tore a piece of his cloth from his belt.


    "A minotaur got to me¡­" She signed while squinting her eyes as Ghwynmyr took out the piece of horn on stuck on her leg. "I fought it off as it gored my leg."


    Ghwynmyr quickly tied the wound in place, but the bleeding wouldn''t stop. Ideally, they needed the wound stitched. Unfortunately, his hands weren''t built to sew; aside from that, they do not have the tools to do it.


    Cauterizing this type of wound might do more harm than good. He didn''t dare do it. The last thing he wanted was dooming the poor elf to an amputated leg or worse. Suddenly, the bow talked out loud.


    "You should''ve been more careful, sister." The bow barked.


    Ghwynmyr noticed how Orphella glared at the bow. From the looks of it, she seemed to be speaking with the weapon. The bow was silent once again, but he could see in Orphella''s face contorted. Whatever they talked about, was on their own but it led him to feel a little curious as to what might they had been talking to¡­or even, Orphella''s voice.


    "Fine!" The bow floated in front of her and began to glow. "I will use this one time on you! But, I will be rendered useless for a while, so don''t expect me help you out in a while!" It began to glow as it hovered near her wound.


    From the fragments of the conversation he heard, he knew that the weapon will use its ability to help Orphella with her wound. However, the bow will be rendered useless for a while. The situation got them in an even bigger disadvantage. Without the magical bow, they won''t be able to clear out the hordes of monsters as fast as they preferred it to be.


    He knew at that point, that they needed to devise another plan, but what?


    Adaloun approached them a moment later. He helped Urfaal out from the debris of dirt and ashes, when he noticed the beastman was unable to stand up immediately. The beastman sat across the elf, holding his stomach suspecting a broken rib.


    "Gods'' damn it!" Ghwynmyr clicked his tongue as he felt the beastman''s side.


    "A broken rib?" Urfaal asked.


    "Ribs." Ghwynmyr counted three broken ribs. "Tis is bad. We can''t go forward wit these. Tis too dangerous!" He looked at Adaloun.


    "We also can''t stay here." The human sighed. "Who knows what other monsters might come here."


    "Leave me here." Urfaal pushed him away. "I''ll be the bait."


    "Nay! Nay one is leaving anyone," He replied as he tore a long piece of cloth from Urfaal''s pants. "Lemme tie dis in yer tummy. Tis gonna hurt a bit." He and Adaloun gently wrapped the cloth along his ribs to secure the injury.


    "We will get out of here together!" Adaloun replied.


    "Yes, we shall." Orphella smiled.


    "Yes, but first¡­" Ghwynmyr looked at them. "Time tah take a breather." He grinned.


    The rest of them nodded and sat quietly all the while checking the surroundings for any ambush. They knew that the longer they stayed there, the riskier it becomes for them. But with the current state that they''re at, it was a much-needed pause.


    Ghwynmyr took this time to carve some more runes. From his current condition, he knew he could only do less than twenty and that would be stretching his limits. They needed those runes; even more than ever since their exousias'' have been depleted from all the battle they had to do. And with only a few rations of stale bread and hardened salted meat, recovering their lost exousias would be difficult.


    "Can I help you with that?" Adaloun approached him.


    Ghwynmyr smiled but he knew that this skill was too much for someone like his human friend. First of all, the magic that he had used until that point were just bodily enhancements. Even at Adaloun''s level of using his exousia, rendering magic and converting it into elemental runes would be a high-level learning that takes time in honing one''s self. And time is not their friend right now.


    "Fraid, yah can''t." He continued to write runes on some rocks.


    The human sat in front of him and carefully looked at how intricate he wrote the runes on the hard stone.


    "Think, I can help you with that!" Adaloun grabbed a stone and tried writing the fire symbol on it, but he couldn''t even mark the stone.


    Ghwynmyr took the stone from his hand, "Preciate yah trying tah help¡­but tis very complex."


    He held the stone up in Adaloun''s face and poked his finger on its surface. "Tis hard tah do, Addie. Yah see, yah need tah put yer exousia while rendering the element into the stone. Tis three things at once. Yah need practice just tah render the elements right."


    Adaloun''s forehead creased, "I thought it was an easy thing."


    "Easy¡­ah?" He scoffed. "Could be¡­but tis harder than it looks. Don''t waste yerself on this. Lemme do these for yah."


    Adaloun quietly nodded. Ghwynmyr knew that he curbed his friend''s enthusiasm down by shunning his help. However, he needed Adaloun to be in his optimal condition. With his human friend''s power focused on enhancing his reflexes and strength, he would need all the exousia in his body. Especially as things may turn very grim as they move forward.


    "Tell yah what." Ghwynmyr said. "I''ll teach yah more once we get outta here. So, don''t die."


    Adaoun grinned. "You bet I wont! And you too¡­don''t die. One day, when all of this is done, we''ll laugh about this!" He confidently proclaimed.


    Ghwynmyr nodded and hoped that it would be the case.


    --------------------------------------------


    I dedicate this chapter to Jonah_Maxwell! Nice to see you''re enjoying the novel! I hope you''ll watchout for the next things to come!

 Chapter 190: Endgame Pt.3

    The path was dark and cold. After resting a while in the clearing, they decided to move on and find the exit. There was no other way but the dark, narrow tunnel in front of them. They cautiously walked into the path knowing that at any moment, they might walk into some trap. The minotaurs did came out from this same direction, who knows what lies beyond it?


    Ghwynmyr feared that they might encounter the worse. He looked around as he carefully treaded the gravelly road.


    "Tread gently," He softly spoke. "Tis might be traps ''ere!"


    Orphella nodded and tiptoed most of the way, avoiding protruding bumps in the road in fear that it might be a trap. Unfortunately, with the elf''s weapon asleep, they were walking blindly into the unknown and if by chance they make a wrong move, it might become their last.


    The elf halted and pointed a huge protruding rock on the ground. She pointed at it before walking over it. Ghwynmyr saw her mark and did the same. He then looked back and instructed the other two about it.


    "Lads, tis a bump ''ere." He said in a soft voice. "Run yah light on ''ere so yah can see it." He told Adaloun.


    Of course, he never needed one. As a dwarf, they worked inside tunnels that ran as deep as the one they are in now, so at a young age, their eyes had been trained and magically enhanced to see the dark as good as the elves and beastmen could.


    Adaloun ran the light rune over the bump until he saw it. He slowly walked over the bump while also helping the injured beastman walk over. They were able to walkover it without touching it, however, things were about to get worse.


    As they were about to move forward, Urfaal unfortunately moved the wrong way and jolted in pain causing him to go outbalance. He knocked Adaloun to the side causing him to let go of the beastman and hit his body on the wall.


    Ghwynmyr caught Urfaal but the sheer weight of the beastman made both of them fall. He was able to move the beastman''s head away just in time before it almost hit the rock. The three of them were in batted breath at the close call.


    Orphella immediately came and helped him and the beastman up. But when it was Adaloun''s turn to be helped at, he shunned them. The human''s eyes were wide and sweat trickled from his forehead. His face painted something that Ghwynmyr knew far too well. The way his forehead creased upward and how his jaw dropped, was something he usually saw in the battlefield.


    "I nudge on something." Adaloun said softly. "Don''t panic¡­I-I need you to go a little bit ahead of me and¡ª"


    "Oh no! I did this!" Urfaal exclaimed.


    "Quiet!" Ghwynmyr looked at the beastman sternly.


    Orphella stepped in and calmed the panicking beastman down.


    "Addie, tis what yah nudged?" He asked calmly.


    "I heard it click." The human took a deep breath. "Please, I need you to bring them as far as you can."


    "Nay, we need tah¡ª"


    "Trust me on this!" His friend insisted. "I will be right behind you! I swear! Just do what I say for now!"


    Ghwynmyr clenched his jaw. It was a hard pill to swallow, but it is possible that it might be the last time he''ll see his friend. Whatever this trap might be, it might kill all of them if they stayed and he knew all too well that Adaloun was just giving them time to go to a safer portion of the place. But he needed to trust him and so he did.


    He grabbed the elf and beastman and ran as fast he could, all the while watching Adaloun. The beastman, however, had other plans. He also grabbed Adaloun by the arm prematurely removing him from the wall. Suddenly, the walls began to light up and with a thunder-like rumble, collapsed starting from where the trigger was.


    Now, all four of them started running for safety as the tunnel crumbled behind them. They ran as fast as they could until they saw a glimmer of light from the distance. They quickly rushed into the light and finally exited the tunnel with just a hair away from being crushed and buried inside of it.


    The four of them tumbled into the cold, stony ground and laid down there for a few moments. Ghwynmyr sighed in relief. He stood up and saw two monstrous pillars on his left. His eyes traced the pillars'' position and saw a bridge connecting the pillars into their side.


    "Look!" He pointed at the pillars. "There''s a bridge going to those pillars!"


    "Could that be it?" Adaloun said.


    "I hope so!" Orphella signed.


    "Please, let it be it!" Urfaal coughed.


    They walked the path leading to the bridge. It was obvious that there was no other way except the bridge. The bridge was wide; wide enough for ten horse-drawn carriages to travel simultaneously. There was a thick fog covering the rest of the bridge.


    They knew that something was lurking in the fogs, but they had no choice but to brave themselves and cross the bridge. But before they go into the fog, Orphella first tried to check what''s in the fog, if there wer any.


    She picked up a pebble and threw it into the fog. They could hear it skipped into the rocks until it stopped. The fog began to glow; like there was light trapped within its thick veil, however, something was strange. The light grew bigger and glowed brighter. It looked like it was rushing towards them; and they weren''t wrong.


    A gigantic fireball came out from the fog. Luckily, they were able to dodge it before it completely torched them. Ghwynmyr squinted his eyes and saw a pair of glowing reptilian eyes staring straight back at him, before the fog glowed brighter once again.


    "Take cover!" He smashed an earth rune stone against the ground and created a thick wall.


    Fire began spraying out of the fog. They sheltered themselves as the strong jet of fire scorched everything it touched.  It took a moment of it to finally subside before they heard a blood-curdling hiss echoing from the bridge. That was when he knew, they''re going to need more than just rune stones to kill this beast.


    -------------------------------------


    I dedicate this chapter to Seneta_Collins. Your gift is pretty much appreciated! It was a timed gift that gave me a smile on my face! I appreciate it more than you ''ll ever know! I hope you enjoy the rest of the novel!

 Chapter 191: Endgame Pt.3

    "How many runes do we have?" Adaloun shouted to Ghwynmyr as another jet of flames came spurting from the fog.


    "A few left!" Orphella could see Ghwynmyr''s face contort as he tried to fight off the fire with his runes.


    Orphella grabbed some of Ghwynmyr''s runes and did her best to utilize what she had. She tried activating a water rune and countered the hiding monster with a jet of water. Unfortunately, the water simply cut through the fog and hit nothing.


    A strange glow suddenly appeared in the corner of her eye. She immediately turned towards it and saw the embers rising from the fog. The agile monster had outsmarted them. The being circled to the side and caught them by surprise.


    Luckily, Urfaal was right there on time to move her out of the way before the scorching flames fired towards them. The beastman was able to drag her out of the way and got her inside a small rocky wall Ghwynmyr made.


    The entire surrounding glowed as the flames scattered away from their small fortress. Even with the defensive wall in place, the heat almost cooked them in place. It was a dire situation that needed to be resolved as quickly as they could, or else they''ll face a painful fiery demise.


    She ducked in a shallow pit that her comrades made and waited for the right moment to strike. Even though Papillon was asleep, the weapon told her in their private conversation that she was still able to use her. But she''s going to use a lot of effort to make the weapon work. She had to siphon her exousia and magic to let the bow work smoothly.


    The flames felt like it went on for an eternity.


    "Fuckin'' wyrm!" Ghwynmyr gritted his teeth as he counted the remaining earth runes left. "We can''t go on like this! Me runes are far too few!"


    "Any ideas, Adaloun?" Urfaal asked as he tried to hide his long legs away from the flames.


    Adaloun clicked his tongue. "We can''t get through that fog. We won''t be able to hurt that monster!" He looked at Orphella with an idea in mind.


    "Do we have wind runes?!" He asked the dwarf.


    "I got me three! Tis hard to render dat element!" Ghwynmyr answered.


    "Give those to me!" Adaloun took the wind runes from Ghwynmyr''s satchel and gave one to her. "We need to sweep the fog out! Can you help me?"


    Orphella nodded and thought of an idea, "Once the flames died down, I need you to throw those two runes toward the fog. I will handle the rest!" She commanded.


    The flames finally died down, Adaloun stood up and threw the runes into the thick fog. As the runes flew mid-air, Orphella charged her bow with her own magic and created wind arrows from her own exousia. Using her accurate aim, she sniped the runes and hit them simultaneously.


    The runes exploded, releasing the sealed wind inside the stone. The blowing winds clashed and created a vortex sucking the fog and other debris out of the bridge. The strong pressure dragged the monster out from its hiding.


    The vortex unveiled the monster''s red armor-plated skin as it pulled out the air of mystery surrounding it. The monster was finally revealed to them. Aside from its distinct plate-like armor, the creature had almost the same features of a dragon, but had a head slightly bigger than its body, four legs with sharp burning claws, and a tail twice as long as its body. The beast''s tail entwined around the bridge covering half of it and blocking their way into the pillar, while its body faced the other end.


    The monstrous lizard coiled its tail into the stone bridge and anchored itself to the infrastructure. But as its attempts failed, the monster tried devouring the vortex as best as it could. This distraction gave them enough time to regroup and plan on what to do with the monster.


    "W-what is that?!" Urfaal''s voice quivered at the sight of such a large beast.


    "Gods'' balls! A Shlmhndyr (Salamander!)" Ghwynmyr exclaimed. "Thought dat species died a long time ago!"


    "Is it¡­a dragon?!" Adaloun asked.


    "Barely." Ghwynmyr answered. "Tis a distant cuzin'' of it and a wee bit angrier!"


    Orphella''s skin crawled at the sight of such terrifying beast. Legend has it, that the Saelamandra(elven) had a skin thicker than that of a dragon. She recalled reading one of the books she had as a child and cried at how this lizard leveled a mountain after burning an entire army of elven warriors in its rampage.


    "What are we going to do?!" Urfaal anxiously inquired.


    "Tis nay two ways bout it!" Ghwynmyr replied. "We hafta fight it so we could pass!"


    "But even my arrows couldn''t penetrate those plates!" She protested.


    "Trust me," The dwarf said. "Cuzin or nay¡­tis a lizard! And a lizard we could kill!"


    Orphella calmed herself down and trusted the dwarf''s confidence. After all, they were renowned in the days of old as dragon eaters. A naturally born killer for a supernatural monster.


    "See dat glowin'' hole on dah base of its neck?" Ghwynmyr pointed the diamond-shaped hole on the Salamander''s neck. "Cover dat and it dies!"


    "Better said than done!" Adaloun sighed.


    "I know¡­but tis the only way." The dwarf said. "Distract it, then¡­kill!"


    The vortex slowly faded. The Salamander had successfully tamed the chaotic wind, eating it (or that''s what it thought). The lizard let out a thunderous roar announcing its victory over the elemental rival. It was when they knew time was running out.


    Without thinking, they instinctively jumped out from their hiding place and began to execute their plan, distracting the lizard.


    Orphella charged her bow with a powerful dose of her wind magic and aimed, releasing a wind arrow hitting the Salamander right at its plated forehead. However, the lizard did not flinch. The monster instead focused its attention on her rushing comrades beneath it.


    She saw the Salamander''s hole glowing violently a shade of crimson. It was ready to spurt its flames once again and this time, it wouldn''t miss her comrades¡ªnot one bit. Orphella took a deep breath and muster all the exousia she could gather and formed it into a dense magical bow. The bow became too heavy for her to raise, but with her sheer will, she hoisted the bow and the arrow at the monster for her one last attack.


    Just as the Salamander was about to spit its flames, Orphella released her bow, the magical arrow seared into the air, crashed into the lizard''s maw and crackled like a lightning strike. The impact tipped the monster off its balance and dented its plated jaw.


    Orphella collapsed to the ground with a smile on her face. She made the lizard look up, exposing its neck for her comrades to attack and strike the final blow. As her vision started to fade, a sweet, familiar voice spoke to her.


    "Well done." Oyue said.


    ---------------------------------------


    I dedicate this chapter to Jonah_Maxwell! I hope you enjoy reading this novel!


    P.S. I love the Cat GIF!


    -----------------------------


    Announcement!


    Due to my hectic schedule, I am sorry to inform you that the updates will be changed to Monday-Wednesday-Friday.  But to make up with you guys, I shall update 10 chapters every 1st of the month beginning September.


    I hope you understand. Thanks!


    Ad Astra et Ultra!!!

 Chapter 192: Endgame Pt.4

    192- Endgame Pt.4


    Oprhella woke up to discover herself being carried in the beastman''s arms. His muscles pressed against her body and made her awkwardly blush, for some reason. Maybe it was because it resembled similarly to a certain incident with Adaloun? She wanted to forget it or at least tried to get it out of her system. She patted Urfaal''s chest and asked him to let her down, the beastman smiled sweetly.


    "No, I can''t let you do that." He said. "You collapsed earlier! You have exhausted yourself to save us. Please, let me do what I can to at least help." The beastman insisted.


    "No, it''s alright." She signed even though she felt light-headed. "I can manage, thank you!"


    Urfaal hesitantly agreed and put her down. but as soon as her feet touched the ground, she immediately felt the world spinning and almost fell. If only not for the quick reflexes of the beastman, she could have hurt herself or bumped her head on one of those jagged debris.


    Urfaal grabbed her by the waist and held her close. Their eyes met and they''re faces were only a fingerling away from touching. The thought of it just flooded unwanted memories of that kiss she swore she''ll forget, but apparently failing. She was staring deep into his deep set of blue eyes far too long.


    "Hehem!" Ghwynmyr came up to them.


    Orphella instinctively pushed the beastman away and she finally fell to the ground, hurting her buttocks in the process.


    "Hope I¡­ugh¡­nay interrupted anything?"


    "W-what d-do¡­you mean?" The beastman couldn''t hide the redness of his face.


    "No, we we''re¡­." She was trying to think of a better explanation, but her words were too abysmal. "He was helping me!" She glared at the dwarf.


    "I-I¡­was just asking¡­" Ghwynmyr felt her piercing stare and felt uncomfortable with what he did. "Yah know, Ad¡ªI mean, Phellie and Urfie¡­y-you got to see this." He pointed at the carcass of the dead Salamander.


    Orphella felt guilty of what she did to the poor dwarf, but it annoyed her the way he teased. They were her friends after all, and she wanted nothing more than that.


    She followed Ghwynmyr dragging the dazed beastman with them. The feeling of fatigue faded from her body. It seemed like the dwarf''s teasing worked wonders for her, albeit it wasn''t what she would''ve wanted. She threw it out of her system and focused on what the dwarf wanted them to see.


    The Salamander being skewered on its neck was a sight to behold. The behemoth lizard falling from a single shot was an impossible feat. She recalled the many elves that befell to this species and was proud to see her comrades took it out without risking burning or dying.


    They found Adaloun brooding in front of the creature, looking at its open maw.


    "Terrifying, ain''t it?" Ghwynmyr approached him and gently punched his leg.


    She saw Adaloun flinched and smiled at the sight of the dwarf.


    "It is indeed." He answered. "It was a miracle that we ever killed one. And that''s because of the both of you!" He smiled.


    Orphella smiled but never did any eye contact with him. She couldn''t especially with what happened earlier, she can''t look at him and not blush. Ghwynmyr and Adaloun continued their conversation. She, however, was stuck inside her thoughts and couldn''t care less about what they were saying and pointing on.


    "Now, we must climb it!" Adaloun said.


    "Agreed. Tis nay we can pass through dis bhstyrd!"


    She immediately cut-off the men. "What do you mean climb?" She signed.


    "Well, there''s no way for us to pass through the other side without going over this serpent." Adaloun said.


    "I was afraid you would say that. I really hate lizards! It makes my skin crawl!" Urfaal sighed. "But I guess there''s no other way than up¡­I mean, I could try check it once again."


    "Yah don''t hafta do dat, Urfie. Tis dangerous already." Ghwynmyr pointed at the tail. "Now dat dis beast has died, tis only gonna take a matter of time before its muscle relaxes and drops its tail. Yah don''t want to be caught by that. I assure you, tis not gonna be pretty!" He shook his head.


    After a few arguing on which spot they would need to climb, they finally settled with the front spot. They quickly huddled together as Ghwynmyr wrote an earth rune on the ground and stomped on it. The earth rumbled and quickly elevated itself to level the monster''s height. They quickly jumped off the platform and landed on the monster''s head, sliding towards its neck.


    The plates were smooth and slippery. It became difficult for them to traverse the monster''s body due to the glabrous surface they were walking on. Up close, the plates looked like mirrors, reflecting the surfaces of the lizard''s body, but was also semi-opaque which could give anyone a quick view of what''s beneath the Salamander''s scales.


    Orphella had the urge to investigate the lizard''s crimson skin and saw what looked like huge claw marks running across its nape towards its spine. They went further down its body and finally reached the coiled tail. She took a step forward when all of the sudden, the bridge began to collapse. She missed her footing and slipped, almost plummeting to the ground. Luckily Urfaal caught her by the arm and pulled her to safety.


    "Run!" Urfaal grabbed her and carried her by the shoulder as the beastman and the rest of them ran through the slippery plates, racing to get to safety.


    The stone bridge collapsed under the weight of the lizard''s carcass. Urfaal threw her to safety. She tumbled safely to the ledge of the broken bridge while Urfaal and the rest barely made their way across. They dangled at the ledge, their grips slowly slipping from the stone.


    Orphella rushed towards them and pulled up Ghwynmyr away from danger. Then she and the dwarf pulled the rest of them to safety. The four of them laid on the cold, dusty floor catching their breaths.


    "I-I told y-you¡­I..hate lizards!" Urfaal croaked.


    "We hate ''em too now!" Ghwynmyr sat up coughing.


    Orphella was too tired to banter with them. She rolled on her belly and saw the door slowly opening in front of them. She tried getting the dwarf''s attention and pointed at the door. Ghwynmyr patted the other two and showed them what she saw.


    "Another open door." Adaloun sighed. "Would this be the last?"


    Orphella shook her head, "I can''t confirm." She took a glance at her sleeping bow.


    "Regardless," The dwarf stood up and dusted himself. "Let''s get on with it!"


    Orphella nodded and hoped for the best.


    --------------------------------


    I dedicate this chapter to FreeER_atuebeacct. Hope you enjoy reading this novel!!!

 Chapter 193: Endgame Pt.5

    Urfaal placed his hand over his injured ribs. The things he did earlier aggravated his injuries and now, it felt like there''s a dagger poking at his side everytime he breathed.


    "Are you alright?" Orphella signed.


    "Y-yes." He smiled and stood as straight as he could. "I''m just hungry."


    Orphella squinted. "Are you sure?"


    "Yes, I am."


    "Fine." She took out her satchel and gave him a piece of hard salted meat. "This is not much¡­but I am hoping this will do."


    Urfaal reluctantly took the meat from her. He wanted to refuse it; from the looks of things, she needed it more than he. But refusing the elf''s offer might confirm her suspicion and he doesn''t want that. The last thing he wanted was to let his injury hinder their campaign.


    "Thank you." He took a bite of the salty meat and swallowed it as his rib jabbed his side. "I-it''s delicious¡­" He grinned.


    Orphella nodded and went back to surveying the golden hall. Urfaal carefully sat on the floor and nibbled the salted sinew. His eyes marveled at the tall golden pillars and intricately painted glass ceilings, a stark opposite to the dark and desolate place outside the doors. The wonderful images of men and beast popped out even more through the playful colors of lights and hue.


    He let his mind wander and bask at the beautiful architecture his eyes beheld. There was something otherworldly about the design and even though he hadn''t seen any other palace aside from it, he was more than willing to argue for its unrivalled beauty. It was also a good way for him to numb the pain. He needed that kind of distraction, a sort of drug to numb his pain.


    "Urfie¡­oi!" The dwarf appeared in front of him.


    Urfaal was startled at the sudden appearance of his friend. His sudden movement sent another bunch of stabbing pain on his ribs and this time, he had no time to mask his pain.


    "Yer rib isn''t it?"


    "No it''s noth¡ªow! Nothing!"


    The grimace on his face said it all. Ghwynmyr tried checking the injury and wanted to unravel the cloth wrapped on his rib, but Urfaal insisted not to do it. He shook his head as he gazed into the eyes of his dear friend.


    Ghwynmyr sighed. "Tis only get difficult from ''ere."


    "I can manage." He lied.


    He stood up and smiled, masking the pain on his ribs. The dwarf looked at him, worried. He caressed his beard and nodded.


    "Hang in there, Urfie."


    "I''m doing my best."


    "Know dat you are!"


    Ghywnmyr smiled and raised his eyebrows, they''re moving forward now and not a moment too late. Urfaal felt the stabbing pain with every step he took. He focused himself to the unearthly designs again. The hall was vast and with white stone pillars holding the beautiful arched canopy filled with colorful portraits of people and creatures he hadn''t seen in his entire life.


    There were braziers intricately made from bronze lit up in between the pillars and gold-colored flames gently shone their way. The floor was made with the same stone, etched with lines and colored with pitched. It looked like senseless lines at first, but the more he investigated it, the more it became clear to him that it was modeled after veins. The pathways of their lifeblood. It was chaotically beautiful and mesmerizing.


    Adaloun raised his hand and signaled them to a halt. He turned to them and placed his finger over his lips. Just a few moments later, they heard a loud gurgling sound. They immediately huddled with their backs against each other.


    Urfaal knew at that point, it was about to get messy. He readied his claws and bared his teeth as the serene golden lights change into an ethereal green glow. The bat-like creatures shattered the glass ceiling and landed on the floor surrounding them.


    His heart beat erratically as the swarm of monsters were beginning to close in on them. The monsters even had the audacity to step even closer with just an arms-length away from their claws. Sweat trickled from his forehead as Adaloun and Ghwynmyr exchanged tactics on what to do on this situation. His throat started to feel parched as the human told them to stay calm¡ªhe can''t.


    He stared the monsters straight in their eyeless heads as he contemplated on his doom. Ghwynmyr figured out a plan, just in time to see the bat-like creatures'' grotesque maws opened and about to attack.


    "Duck!" Ghwynmyr threw a rune mid-air and activated it using his fire magic.


    The rune exploded and turned into pin like projectiles searing the monsters surrounding them. The creatures from the front rows weren''t able to flinch at such quick attack, they burned themselves to death.


    As the flaming monsters squirmed in pain, Adaloun signaled their attack. He took a deep breath and rushed towards the monsters on his side. His ribs hurt badly but that was not the right time to complain; let alone feel it. He focused his pain on his attack and hit the first monster with a powerful punch, it flew off the ground hitting a few of its kin who stood behind its back.


    Urfaal rushed towards a ganged up Ghwynmyr and tore his way along the mob, hitting them with a barrage of punches and kicks. The pain slowly numbed away as their battle went on. As he ploughed through the remaining monsters, his mind became more unencumbered from his worries.


    He ripped the monsters into pieces and as their black bile blood squirted from their bodies, Urfaal became more unstoppable. Drunk from the blood and carnage of the battle, he let out his inner monster to play.


    It was clear that the bat-like creatures died from becoming nothing more than rag dolls to him. He charged towards the monsters Adaloun was fighting against and gored them out of his sight. Urfaal was unstoppable to the point that the monsters cowered just seeing him from afar.


    The bat-like creatures tried to retreat, but Urfaal and his comrades made sure to trap them all and decimated them all. The bat-like monsters that terrorized them during their campaign was no more. They were victorious against them, but something didn''t feel right and Urfaal could feel it.


    "Phellie, d''ya find it strange?" Ghwynmyr addressed the elephant in the room.


    Orphella nodded. "Those monsters usually attack strategically. This would have been the perfect ground to kill us." She signed. "The canopy was a good place to hold enough sound to crush us with their numbers but instead¡­"


    "They fought us head on." Urfaal answered as the hairs on the back of his nape prickled. "Is this a trap?"


    "No, of course not!" A familiar voice echoed out of nowhere.


    The gurgling sound returned once again and this time, the black ink running on the root like carvings on the floor began to flow to one single direction.


    "W-what''s going on?!" Urfaal looked at Adaloun.


    "Just brace yourself. The bastard is here." Adaloun raised his scythe and braced himself.


    The black liquid flowed towards the center of the hall and rose up, forming a body made of the liquid and muck.


    "I was just testing you!"  The liquid slowly took shape of a person. "I want to make sure you are all worth my time."


    "Have I proven that to you already?" Adaloun said.


    The black liquid only laughed.


    "Arellin, that was just a test." The young knight came out from the bile liquid donned in armor with swords on each hand.


    "Tristam?!" Urfaal exclaimed. "I-I thought he was¡ª"


    But before he could finish, the floor shook violently and suddenly two serpent-like monsters emerged from the ground; barricading them from seeing each other. Urfaal looked in horror as he saw the two missing Orkamuus on top of the monsters'' head, stuck from the waist down.


    One of them slammed its tail to the ground and flung Urfaal away just from the impact. He watched in horror as the monster began to attack his friends, while his vision was slowly fading away.

 Chapter 194: The Beast Within

    He could hear his comrade scream, but that was all that he could do¡­just hear. Urfaal couldn''t tell how long he has been out. His body wouldn''t even respond to his command; even as simple as opening his eyes took all of the strength he could muster and still fail.


    The ground shook and he heard Ghwynmyr shouting at Adaloun and Orphella to take cover. He feared for his comrades'' lives. His newfound family that had been good to him, now fading away just like what happened years back. It was the same thing, he stood on the sidelines and watched them die.


    The thought of it angered him. He wrestled his consciousness and put his might into his mind, hoping that he could open his eyes, move his body and fight one more time. He didn''t care if he''ll die fighting. His life doesn''t matter to him, but their life does.


    It felt like the darkness chained him to his body, like a prisoner looking at a bright sunny day from a small window inside his cell. He was useless¡­again. He tried to move once more, but it was hopeless. He couldn''t move and there was nothing he could do but pray.


    "Weak!" His father''s voice echoed. "You''re too weak to be a Meh Teh!"


    Flashes of his memory came flowing through once more. He recalled how cowardly he ran away as he saw his village burned to the ground. He saw how his people put to death through the spears and swords of the Principalian intruders. He wanted to race back and help them, but his body froze at the sight of the carnage.


    Then, another image emerged. It was his comrades fighting and close to losing. Orphella struggling to keep up from the barrage of attacks the serpentine creature. Gwhynmyr and Adaloun, teamed up against the duo of Tristam and the other monster, but their efforts was going all for naught.  All he was able to do was scream as he tried to lift himself up but there was nothing.


    "Please! Move!" He gnashed his teeth in frustration.


    He tried to untangle himself from the darkness that encumbered him to simply watch his comrades die. But he was no match against the darkness that bound him.


    "Lady Oyue! Please, heed my call!" He cried begging. "I will serve you with all of my life! Just grant me this! I need to help them!"


    "I appreciate your offer, Urfaal." A sweet calming voice answered.


    All of the sudden, the darkness around him faded as a blast of pale blue light appeared in front of him. He squinted his eyes as the bright light didn''t seize to fade. The light slowly formed into a being of otherworldly beauty.


    She had neck-length pale blue hair with a beautiful pair of pale blue eyes that goes in contrast with her pale, milky skin. She had ears similar to that of a fox and had tattoos painted all over her body. She wore a blue pelt fashioned into a dress that glowed as bright as the first light that shone on him. Lastly, she had nine tails from various animals which Urfaal couldn''t name all.


    He knelt at the sight of such immaculate beauty. Somehow, he felt relieved at the presence of the beautiful stranger. He felt his despair fade from her warm and comforting presence. She smiled at him and touched his forehead.


    "Urfaal of the Meh Teh tribe. The kind-hearted and loving child of Lady Arsala. I will grant you your wish. Rise up and show the darkness your never-fading light!"


    Urfaal could feel the tears rolled down his eyes as his emotions became harder to keep. He became overwhelmed with the light and finally awakened the bestial spirit that laid dormant in him. He felt a different kind of exousia flowing through his body.


    He opened his eyes and saw his body tattoos glow. He stood up from the bed of broken stones and debris, cracking his neck and feeling the newfound power in him spreading throughout his body. He took his first step felt the lightness of his feet, but he still have doubts if he could be of any help to them.


    He closed his eyes and recited their tribe''s creed to put courage on his heart¡ªit indeed did its job.


    "I am a child of the Meh Teh tribe." He began as he charged towards the serpent attacking Orphella. "A child of the great bear, Ursa. The mother who fought death to protect her young. I am part of her legacy, her blood runs through my veins¡­"


    A firebolt came to meet the charging beastman. With a clear mind, he dodged the magic attack just an inch away from his face. He swerved to the side and never slowed down from his advance.


    "Her soul guards my spirit and strengthens me to protect my family!" He dodged another firebolt from Tristam once again. "I-I am from the Meh Teh tribe. My skin is made of iron and bones of Adamantite. My teeth tears through any armor and my claws breaks swords. I will fight to protect the tribe''s honor, my family''s honor and my honor. For I am the bear that defends and guards the gates of the endless sky!" Urfaal''s tattoo glowed brightly than ever.


    As he jumped his way to ride the indomitable serpent, he felt his body''s strength enhanced a hundred times over. His arms thickened and became coated with black, iron-like fur. He caught the serpent off-guard and delivered a straight punch right into its gut.


    Air blasted out from the impact of his punch that threw the giant snake off the ground and hit one of the marbled pillars. Everyone retreated as the dust cloaked the entire hall with specks of dirt. And as the dust settled, there were in for one shocking surprise.


    "A tyh (Teh or bear)!" Ghwynmyr coughed.


    "What was that you say?" Adaloun squinted as the blanket of dust slowly revealed the silhouette. There stood at the middle of the impact, was a big angry bear donned in Urfaal''s clothing. It''s tattoo glowed ever so brightly as it roared, making its presence known.


    Urfaal felt the surging power in him, he no longer needed to hide behind his comrade''s back nor be called as a useless, cowardly buffoon. Oyue had gave him the push he needed to make it through this test.


    Before everyone could react, Urfaal already rushed towards the stunned serpent, giving it no time to recover. He grabbed its tail and flung the snake through the wall. Urfaal jumped inside the hollowed wall and began beating the serpent with a slew of punches, kicks and every other arsenal he could think of. The snake could do nothing but hiss and whimper as it slowly became immobile. The snake stopped squirming as he crushed its body with its fist.


    Urfaal emerged from the wall dragging the serpent''s limped body and threw it into the middle of the hall. He looked at all of them with a stunned expression on their faces.  He looked at Tristam who wasn''t amused with what he did and rushed towards him. He leapt forward to close his distance but before he could land a single blow, the other serpent went in between them and gore its head towards him.


    He tumbled to the floor as the serpent hissed. Adaloun, Ghwynmyr and Orphella soon joined him with a smirk on their faces. they were surprised to see his new form but kept the talking for later. Now, they have to defeat the remaining obstacles in their way.


    "I''ll take Tristam!" Adaloun said and rushed in front of the serpent.


    The three of them looked at each other and nodded. Orphella attacked the snake with her elemental arrows while Gwhynmyr activated his earth magic and skewered the snake in its place. Then, Urfaal leapt towards the monster and welcomed it with a kick on the face.


    The snake went down like a log after being axed. The ground shook as its massive body hit the floor. The serpent didn''t stand up for a while. They were about to help Adaloun when suddenly, the serpent hissed and stood back up again.


    It slowly molted away its damaged skin and healed its wounds immediately.


    Ghwynmyr sighed, "Tis gonna be a hard one!" He picked up a sword lying around from fighting against the bat-like monsters.


    Orphella nodded and readied her bow.


    "I hate snakes!" Urfaal mumbled before charging at the monster.


    ----------------------------------------------------------


    Guys, due to my busy schedule, I would have to rest stop updating just for a couple of days.Life has caught with me and needed to do some work. It''s hard being an adult! I hope you understand.

 Chapter 195: Face-Off Pt.1

    Adaloun charged towards the possessed Tristam once again, as he tried to cut his distance and challenge him into a close-range duel. But the possessed knight was far too cunning for him to catch. Everytime he caught up to him, the sly knight would have a trap blown up on his face.


    He was again almost a few footlings away from Tristam when the serpent''s tail came crashing down in front of him. The impact threw him away and gave him again the disadvantageous distance that he tried to close the distance.


    The serpent slithered in front of him and hissed, showing its sharp fangs and corrosive saliva dripping from its mouth. Out from nowhere, Urfaal jumped in and held the snake to the ground, wrestling it down on the ground for his other comrades to attack.


    "We''ll handle this one! Go!" Urfaal shouted as he pinned the serpent to the ground.


    Adaloun lept over his friend and the serpent tussling on the ground. He set his sights again on Tristam which was already out of tricks at this point. He shook his head and grinned.


    "Are we going to play cat and mouse, all day?" He pointed at the possessed knight. "Because this is getting too cumbersome!"


    The possessed knight laughed and unsheathed his blades. "I admit, it was getting a little boring."


    "I would appreciate it if you won''t use the poor man''s voice."


    "Why? Does it bother you?"


    "No, not at all." Adaloun sighed. "I just hate it when I know the one, I am facing is a terribly incompetent god."


    "How dare you!" Tristam launched his first attack.


    Adaloun was able to dodge the first slash the possessed knight attacked him with. He pivoted to the side and delivered one of his own attacks, but Tristam proved to be faster. Whether it was his body''s instinct or Zaduriel''s godly intervention, Tristam caught Adaloun''s wrist, made way from his attack and dragged him down to the ground before returning the favor with a downward blow.


    Luckily, Adaloun caught the attack on time and used the scythe to block the incoming blow. He caught the sword in the nick of time, but the impact from Zaduriel''s godly strength blasted the ground and created a crater with Adaloun buried at the center of impact.


    The Zaduriel-possessed Tristam lifted the aehterium-filled gladius and struck another blow at him. But before it could land, Adaloun already rolled out of the way. The impact of the sword hitting the ground was devastating. The poor Adaloun was thrown around like a rag doll just from the sheer force of the impact.


    Adaloun stood up slowly. Every inch of his body hurts like hell, but he couldn''t give up; not right now, not ever.


    Tristam hovered casually above him while whistling cheerfully. The possessed knight played with the swords he held, juggling them on the air while spatting insults at the downed opponent.


    "Seriously, I thought you were the gods'' champion." Tristam spat. "I can''t believe I wanted to possess you at one point in time!"


    Adaloun laughed at him. "I can''t believe you''d tell me that, especially after seeing how incompetent you are!"


    The remark angered the god hiding within Tristam and proceeded to harass him with a plethora of magical attacks. Adaloun ran, ducked and evaded a slew of fireballs, lightning bolts and air bombs while trying to figure out how to get close to the knight. He knew that the god inside the knight was of fragile ego, and more likely than not, would attack him head on if given the right push. But what would that push be?


    Adaloun thought of it as he dodged through another bombardment from the egotistical god hiding inside the knight. He tumbled while evading a rain of rocks and that was when the idea came to him. He picked up the rocks on the ground and hid them inside his satchel; now all he needed to do was to find a way to get into Zaduriel''s nerves more than what he usually does.


    He initiated his plan immediately and began to annoy the god, commenting on his fragile ego.


    "So, you''re that afraid of my punches that you plan to throw stones at me all day?" Adaloun shouted as he took a stone in his satchel.


    "How petty of you, mortal!" The possessed knight spat. "Do you think you could get me with those silly banters of yours?" He snapped his fingers.


    Suddenly, the ground shook and plummeted him upward towards the knight hovering from the ceiling. Tristam was waiting for him with a fireball floating from his hand. Adaloun knew he wouldn''t be able to dodge it, let alone block the magic spell. The knight gave him a smug look and winked at him as he was about to release the flames on him. It felt like time had slowed for Adaloun as he waited for his doom. He clearly saw the knight''s hand moved as he was about to release the destructive magic spell.


    But just before Tristam could scorch him alive, the possessed knight was swiped away by the serpent''s body flung towards his direction. Adaloun looked down and saw the height from where he was. He knew that there was no saving him from this potentially life-threatening fall. Without his powers available for him to use, he knew that plummeting from this height could kill him.  He closed his eyes and wished for the best.


    "Addie! Help is ''ere!" Ghwynmyr shouted.


    Adaloun opened his eyes and saw Urfaal approaching towards him. The beastman leapt from a stone pillar that Ghwynmyr created and made his way towards him to avoid him from falling. Urfaal caught him in his arms and landed safely on the ground were the rest of them waited for them.


    Ghwynmyr and Orphella welcomed them with a grin on their faces and a sigh of relief. However, Adaloun knew that it wasn''t the end of their battle. The hair from his nape prickled as his feeling of dread worsened.


    "Be on guard!" He said to them as he readied his weapon for the inevitable.


    The lifeless snake began to move. Urfaal noticed it and shielded the three of them from a potential attack. The snake''s body tore into two and Tristam emerged from the carcass angrier than ever before. His eyes glowed a tinge of ethereal green as he floated up in the air once again.


    "Useless mortals!" Tristam spat as his face slowly morphed into the grotesque god that was hiding inside his body. "Do you think a simple attack like that would be enough to kill me?!"


    "No!" Adaloun replied. "I was wondering when your ugly face would show up. Good thing you deliver!" He grinned at him, agitating the god even more.


    "Fools! You think you¡ª" Before the angry deity could finish, Adaloun cheekily threw a rock into his face.


    "This talk is cheap! Come on, let''s fight already!" Adaloun taunted.


    The angered god''s eyes glowed even brighter as he furrowed his brows and gritted his teeth, enraged at Adaloun''s petty insults. He raised his arms and created multiple fireballs hovering above him.


    "D''yah haf a plan?" Ghwynmyr whispered to him.


    "No." Adaloun replied.


    "We''re fucked then." Ghwynmyr grinned.


    "I don''t think so."  Adaloun replied. "But for now¡­RUN!"


    They ran and scattered at different directions as the fireballs began descending on them.


    -----------------------------


    Announcements!!


    Congratulations to the July winners of Oyue''s blessing!


    Top 3 supporters: 1. Retrion, 2. Ibrahim_aliyu, 3. Jamie_Gordon_8350. (This is not yet the shout out!) I will talk to you soon about your cameos!


    The Top 10 Supporters will also get their own chapter dedications for the following chapters!


    Frequent Commentors:


    TheBananaMan and JYGT. I will also get in touch with you soon for your cameos!

 Chapter 196: Face-off Pt.2

    Fire spread all over the floor, scorching everything in its way. Ghwynmyr looked at his back and saw the flames chasing his buttocks, licking the edge of his armor. Urfaal carried Orphella in his arms and dashed as fast as he could, while Adaloun was having the same predicament as his dwarven friend.


    "Yah know¡­Yah should''ve had a plan!"


    "I have now!" He replied.


    "Wuzzat?!"


    "Don''t get your ass burned!"


    "Gods'' balls!"


    Adaloun ran as fast as he could and tried to pick up Ghwynmyr, but instead he got a slap on the hand and a glare from the dwarf.


    "Don''t yah dare." Ghwynmyr said.


    The two of them kept on running as the rain of fire continued. In a desperate attempt, the dwarf scooped dirt from the ground and blew it towards Tristam, creating a thick blanket of dust. That was the small window of opportunity they needed for them to hide.


    Urfaal raised his hand behind a huge chunk of broken wall. Adaloun and Ghwynmyr raced over to them as the dust was starting to settle down. They only have a little time to plan their attack, with Tristam currently pausing his attacks, they knew it only needed them a well-coordinated move to bring the possessed knight down.


    The possessed knight continued the barrage of fireballs. From the trajectory of the attacks, it was clear how effective Ghwynmyr''s cloaking magic was. Even with a man possessed by a god, he was sure unable to locate them accurately.


    "What do we do?" Urfaal asked in his growling bear voice.


    "I can disable his abilities with a single arrow." Orphella signed. "Just give me a clear target."


    The rest of them looked at each other and nodded. They knew what they had to do. Adaloun took out one of the rocks from his satchel and held it in his hand.


    "I''ll go first!" He immediately ran out from their hiding place as the dust settled and surprised the partially transformed knight by throwing a rock directly at him.


    The possessed knight easily dodged the attack. He went back at Adaloun by throwing a fireball directly at him. Luckily, he dodged at the last minute. He tumbled to the ground and immediately took cover at a broken pillar.


    "A rock for an attack?!" Zaduriel mocked. "You couldn''t be anymore creative?!"


    Adaloun smiled. "Nope. But it made you look!"


    Before Tristam could ask, a ground spike emerged in front of him and skewered him on the stomach, then trapping him on the ceiling. He immediately broke the spike out of his way and was about to heal himself when an angry beastman came leaping in front of him and landed a punch on his face. The impact blasted most of the remaining glass from the ceiling.


    Tristam fell to the ground, face first. He immediately stood up and was about to attack when Ghwynmyr quickly created a trap that held the possessed knight''s arm down. Then before he could react the beastman was at it again. He appeared in front of him and attacked him with vicious claw swipes and punches.


    Urfaal made sure to hit and damage his face preventing him from seeing the next surprise attack, but before he could land another blow, Tristam''s other arm broke free from the trap and immediately caught the beastman''s arm, then punching him straight out of the way.


    Ghwynmyr came up with his earth shackles once again and trapped the possessed knight back in place.  Adaloun charged and was about to strike him with the scythe when the glowing gladius swooped in and almost sliced his neck off if he took another step.


    The blade revolved around Tristam and chipped off the earth that entangled him. He yanked his arm out once again and grabbed the gladius. The possessed knight grinned as he released himself from the hold.


    "Is that the best you can do?" He said, as his wounds slowly closed. "It would take more than just that to kill me!"


    Adaloun clicked his tongue and charged towards him once again. Both men clashed their blades and began to dance in the rhythm of death. The slashes were mere inches away from their necks. They swayed gracefully from side to side, cutting corners and attempted to break each other''s defense.


    But no matter how much he tried, Tristam was too skilled for him to cut. Zaduriel took advantage of the poor knight''s body, hijacking his skills and magic capabilities, using it against them. Ghwynmyr joined the fray and went in with an attack of his own.


    He swung his own blade, but Tristam parried the blade and kicked the dwarf away before going back to Adaloun. He choked him with his other arm and slammed him into the ground. Urfaal gored Tristam out of nowhere and smashed him to the wall. He held tight as Adaloun and Ghwynmyr went for the kill, but the possessed knight threw them away with his wind magic.


    Tristam hovered on the ground and smirked. "I was just letting you have the fun for a while." He raised his weapons and pointed it at them. "My turn to attack!"


    He suddenly teleported in front of the dwarf and slashed him across the body. Before they could react, Tristam was already in front of Urfaal and took down the bear in one slash.


    "Urfaal! Ghwyn¡ª" Before he could finish, Tristam was already in front of him and went for his neck.


    Adaloun miraculously parried the sword but was thrown away from Tristam''s godly strength.


    "See?" Tristam pointed the sword at his downed opponent. "You are nothing! You can never defeat me!"


    Adaloun coughed and stood up. "Yeah, I am indeed no match against you." He picked up his sword and smiled at him. "But¡­I made you look again!"


    "What?" Tristam asked.


    Adaloun pointed at Tristam''s leg, grinning. The knight looked down and saw a glowing arrow stuck in his right leg. The possessed knight was too preoccupied with fighting them, that he forgot the fourth one. He fell to the ground, screaming in pain. Orphella launched her own offensive. She rained arrows down on Tristam as he writhed on the ground in pain. The knight tried creating a dome to stop her arrows, but she was relentless.


    She broke the stone dome with a charged arrow and would''ve fired another round of magical projectiles when Tristam smashed the floor so hard it shook. They all lost their footing and gave him just enough time to activate a portal rune for him to exit away. He broke the rune and a portal slowly appeared from the ground.


    Adaloun saw through Tristam''s plan and immediately raced towards him, just as the portal was about to be completed. He saw fear in Tristam''s eyes as he desperately threw him some fireballs at his attacker. However, the magic attacks were simply parried by Adaloun.


    The portal was finally ready, and Tristam immediately jumped into it, hoping that it would save him. Unfortunately for him, Adaloun followed him there and was about to hit the finishing blow.

 Chapter 197: The Eve of the Two Moons

    Tarsuria, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 85th day of Fall, Arenfall


    --------------------------------------------


    "This is unacceptable!" Senator Lucresia spat as he saw Prince Veritus lying on the bed full of bandages. "Fellow senators! Look at how irresponsible this man is!" He pointed his finger on Lord Prestonheim.


    The other senators stared at Lord Prestonheim, their eyes piercing like daggers, judging him for his so-called incompetence. They whispered like flies inside the cramped tent of the injured prince, not thinking of Prince Veritus condition and well-being.


    Lord Prestonheim glanced at his brother and saw the silent and calm demeanor of the otherwise hot-headed senator. His brother simply nodded to him discreetly and remained silent the whole time. The old commander knew that his brother was a little annoyed about the current situation he was in. Especially, when the royal bloodline was involved. He could feel the cold calculating eyes of his brother judging him. But what can he do? He got too preoccupied with things, he slipped up.


    "Senators, this is not a good place for us to gossip over this." The young Commander Crovar commented as he sweated from the humidness of the tent.


    "Yes," Lord Prestonheim seconded. "If you would like to discuss this matter about my incompetence, let''s take it outside, and not here. We are overcrowding the prince.


    The Old Commander gestured them outside and offered his tent to house the angry Senator Lucresia and the rest of the Senate. Senator Lucresia glared at him. It was obvious how his last statement struck a nerve, the senator glared at him as his nose flared before storming out of the prince''s tent.


    Lord Prestonheim followed them outside as the blazing afternoon sun tortured them with its sweltering heat. He told one of the knights to bring them those big ice chunks that Servus 305-M made while researching on aetherium. He thought of giving the old hot-headed senator some refreshments to cool his head, or better yet pour some cold water over his balding head to cool him down¡ªof course he wouldn''t do the latter.


    He guided the Senators over to his camp, a comparably longer walking distance from where they were.  The Senators grumbled under the sweltering heat while some of them casually threw an insult or two at him. Lord Prestonheim just ignored this and went on his way. Behind him was the young commander speaking to the irate old senator.


    He heard the balding old man throwing curses at him. Still, he preferred not to entertain the senator''s babbles. He took a glance at both men and was surprised to see how his other godson, Commander Maceus Crovar winked at him.


    He was unsure what it meant. Up until this point, the young commander has been elusive to him. Maceus and him hadn''t had a serious conversation about what happened to his uncle. The young commander was always seen along with some of the knights in the campfire exchanging stories and mostly obscene ones at that. Every time he asked to speak with him, the young commander would make alibi just to get out of a conversation.


    Lord Prestonheim''s tent peeked among the other tents. The metallic flagpole glared over the roof of his tent. He glanced behind him once again and saw the irritated and tired faces of the Senators. He walked briskly into his tent, urging the rest to do the same; with the heat tormenting them, he knew the senators wouldn''t mind if he picked up his pace a bit.


    He immediately entered the tent where he readied a bunch of seats for the Senators. The old, balding, Senator Lucresia entered his tent while fanning his hand over his face. Maceus Crovar stayed on the tent''s opening and gestured the other senators to come in with a smile on his face.  After they seated, Senator Lucresia stood up and began his litany.


    "Dear Senators! I would like to say this again. This Lord has been negligent in his duty!" Senator Lucresia pointed his finger once again at him. "He had let our prince in danger! He almost killed the¡ª"


    "If I would be real with you, Senator Lucresia," Senator Dotlan interrupted. "Oh! Sorry for the interruption! It''s just¡­I can''t seem to help but notice there were two princes who got involved in this incident." The flamboyant dressing senator commented.


    "And your point?" Senator Lucresia raised his eyebrows.


    "Well, since you''ve been accusing the distinguish Lord Commander over here¡­you might as well blame him for both and not just the OTHER one." He smiled.


    Senator''s Dotlan''s statement caused a stir within the other circle. His words weren''t much of a help to this situation, instead, it caused more chaos. But on the other hand, the senator''s statement did made sense. And if Lord Prestonheim was correct, he felt that the well-dressed Senator was calling out the balding old one.


    The members of the senate were waiting for Senator Lucresia for his response. But the younger senator''s statement caught the sly, old man off-guard.


    "Hmm¡­ I don''t want to play an evil advocate here. But I think you just bypassed the legitimate heir to the throne and only tried to care for the younger one, is it not? Has his birthright already been rejected by our great Imperatur? Are we overturning the rules now? So far, I recall that we were here to make a verdict on his campaign. Or maybe¡­I was just¡­ I don''t know¡­going senile and forgotten or misheard about that part." The senator scratched his head.


    Lord Prestonheim tried his best to contain his laughter as the younger senator floored the wise old Lucresia, mouth ajar.  For a moment, he thought that Senator Lucresia was no longer able to rebut at the young senator''s argument. But the sly snake slithered his way out of that sticky accusation.


    "Well, you are not wrong. I am sorry, but from the way you talked, I sense you are accusing me of overriding the law, am I correct?"


    "Not really, good Senator."


    "I think that you just did." Senator Lucresia clicked his tongue. "But going back to the¡­judging thing¡­I think we can all agree how useless this campaign has been! It''s almost two months since this shenanigan started and we are yet to see results! Oh, correction good results!" He said smugly, while glaring at Lord Prestonheim.


    "Do you have any results?" Senator Lucresia reached out his hand to him and mocked him to give him the data.


    "With all due respect Senator," Lord Prestonheim sighed. "I do not have any written results to give you. But someone can."


    Senator Lucresia raised his eyebrow. "You''re going to put your trust on that crazy redhead?!"


    He wanted to react on the last comment. Senator Lucresia was blatantly in cohorts with 305-M. Lord Prestonheim knew of that very well; he beat that truth out of the mad redhead.


    "I am pretty sure you''re confident about this especially because he''s reporting directly to you!" The silver-haired commander rebutted.


    "Are you accusing me of¡ª"


    "Senators! Gentlemen!" Commander Crovar diverted their attention. "Your arguments felt hotter than the sun outside. How about if we talk with cooler heads?"


    "You stay out of this, boy commander! We are not like those ladies that you can sweet talk!" Senator Lucresia spat.


    "Oh, come on, godfather!" He smiled at Senator Lucresia. "I wasn''t exaggerating when I said that!" He opened the flap wide revealing some knights carrying cups for their refreshments.


    The knights immediately distributed ice-cold drink to the Senators.


    "Ice cold?! Such a terrible waste of Ice magic!" Senator Ordaenous commented while sipping a cup filled with the cold soured wine.


    "Ice magic? Not quite!" Lord Prestonheim said.


    "Yes. Yes." Senator Lucresia groaned. "I already know about this! This was made using those stones, right? Such a marvelous achievement! What are we going to do with our enemies using this new discovery? Make them refreshments?"


    The other senators laughed at Senator Lucresia''s jab on the matter. Lord Prestonheim wanted to say something about the jest, but he was too ill-informed about the recent discovery. He wasn''t sure how to explain those technicalities to the Senators in a way that their brains wouldn''t bleed.


    The laughing continued and more mockery was yelled at the new discovery.


    "No, we freeze them to death!"


    The laughing stopped.


    The Senators looked around and saw the injured Prince Arterius limping his way into the front table.


    ------------------------------------------------


    This page is dedicated to FolsomAvidReader. I hope you enjoyed this novel!

 Chapter 198: The Eve of the Two Moons Pt.2

    Tarsuria, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 85th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ---------------------------


    "Surprised I''m alive?" The injured prince grinned at the dumbfounded senators.


    Prince Arterius limped towards Lord Prestonheim''s table and greeted his godfather.


    "Y-you should be in bed." The old commander''s eyes widened to see his poor godson''s condition.


    The young prince had injured his bad leg once again. The unfortunate prince was clearly hurt. Aside from his reinjured leg, Prince Arterius had his left arm bruised and mangled from the impact. He also had a huge gash on his right cheek and welt on his left eyebrow.


    Lord Prestonheim could only imagine the young prince''s pain. Every inch of Prince Arterius'' body should''ve hurt, but his stubbornness and determination were pushing him through the toughest of situations.


    "I know, godfather," Prince Arterius sighed. "But I don''t want to miss this discussion with the Senators!" He grinned.


    It was clear to Lord Prestonheim how the prince was pushing himself, after all, it was his life and honor on the line.


    The young prince proceeded to sit on the table and pointed at the chunk of ice inside the glass located on top of the table.


    "Honorable Senators, have you enjoyed the fruits of our research?" He smiled as he picked up the glass.


    "Yes," Senator Lucresia replied. "We understand that...uhh¡­this¡­hmmm¡­breakthrough is going to advance us, am I correct?"


    "Indeed." Prince Arterius nodded his head.


    "You do understand that these chunks of ice are nothing more than¡­." The old senator scratched his head. "What is a good term for it? Oh! Refreshments!"


    Most of the Senate started laughing. Some of the prince''s allies whispered with each other. Lord Prestonheim couldn''t hide his dismay towards such distinguished men. Regardless of the prince''s current status, he  was still a blood of nobility and a son of the Imperatur.


    Prince Arterius simply smiled and offered the glass to him.


    "Godfather, would you care to drink from this glass?" The prince asked.


    "O-of course." He took the glass from Arterius'' hand and drank from it.


    The cold water was refreshing to say the least. It was indeed something that could relax one''s nerves under the sweltering heat. However, even he agrees, that as it was, the discovery was useless to the Principalian Senators. If it''s not a weapon or something else that could help the empire grow its borders, then, it''s nothing more than a footnote.


    "Now, with the use of your exousia, try to put some on the glass and throw it on the ground." His godson confidently said. "Oh! Please, just a little bit of exousia!"


    Lord Prestonheim was baffled with his last statement. Is the ice functional like a rune? There was only one way to find out. He threw the glass to the ground. The glass broke and the water scattered on the dusty ground. The Senators went silent.


    "What was that you were trying to say?" Senator Ordaneus mocked. "Freeze them to death?"


    "More like, wet the ground with ice!" Senator Lucresia seconded.


    Most of the Senators laughed at Prince Arterius expense. What was his godson thinking? Lord Prestonheim couldn''t help but feel pity for the prince. But he saw not a hint of disappointment in Arterius'' eyes. He remained calm and confident with what he said.


    His godson smiled and sat on the table, raising his legs from the ground. "I would do this if I were you!"


    Suddenly, the ice began to glow and scattered throughout the ground, freezing everything, it came in contact too. Even the foot of the table and stools succumbed to its frozen grip. The Senators and Lord Prestonheim were quick to react and were able to lift their foot on time before the bed of frost could harm them.


    There was a brief silence after that. The Senators had nothing to comment about it. Lord Prestonheim too, although, he had an idea of what his godson was trying to tell the rest of them. He heard his godson grunt as he lowered down his leg back to the frozen ground. They followed as well.


    "Wooooh¡­ too cold, isn''t it?" He sighed in relief. "Well, it just works wonder on my apparent injury!" He smiled.


    Everyone inside the tent was dumbfounded with what they saw. Lord Prestonheim couldn''t believe what just happened. Whatever he did was something he never saw on the report he was given from Servus 305-M. Could it be that the prince was given a different set of report? It was highly unlikely. All he could do was stare at his godson vying for an explanation at what happened.


    "Honorable Senators and Commanders, that is the real potential of this so-called refreshment." Prince Arterius confidently answered. "You see, this new technology could solve a lot of things for our soldiers in battle. Imagine the possibility where the rations could now stay longer than its usual lifespan? Less rotting of meat, less spoiling of bread, cool water to refresh them during long marches¡ª"


    "Would you get to your point!" Senator Lucresia interrupted.


    "But I would''ve loved to hear the other things he had to say!" Senator Dotlan interjected.


    "We have no time for such, Senator Dotlan! We have other matters to discuss aside from this!" Senator Lucresia spat.


    It was clear that the balding, senator was irritated with the theatrical spectacle his godson made. He knew deep down that Senator Lucresia knew the implications of this discovery towards military tactics. Lord Prestonheim himself could just imagine how easy it would be for them to cross rivers by freezing the waters with the technology or using it as a sort of projectile to freeze their enemies.


    He knew Senator Lucresia could already imagine the battles they could win with the technology, and it was because of Prince Arterius'' efforts. Lord Prestonheim expected the senator to downplay the prince''s accomplishment, but he was confident that his godson had already factored it.


    "Very well, Senators." Prince Arterius sighed. "This new technology could also be placed inside bottles and tightly-sealed earthenware and be used as projectiles against our opponents. Just imagine how we could turn the tide of battle around with these causing havoc among their ranks?"


    Senator Lucresia clapped his hands. "Impressive, Prince Arterius. But I think this research was made by 305-M and not by¡ª"


    "Are you discrediting the prince?!" Lord Prestonheim finally exploded. "Let me remind you, Senator Lucresia that this was his idea to survey the mines and look for purpose on those stones."


    "Well, that doesn''t mean that it should be credited to him just because he thought about it. That being said, if you only thought about it but was never the one to act on it makes you useless." The Senator replied.


    The other senators whispered amongst themselves while some argued over the statement. Unfortunately, the number of allies Prince Arterius had was far too small compared to that of his younger brother. Prince Veritus'' allies were trying to make sure that they get their favored prince on that throne, even if it meant discrediting the real heir to the throne.


    "Well, I supposed you''re correct Senator Lucresia." Prince Arterius calmly agreed. "But let me ask you a question, if you don''t mind. Using that logic of yours. Would you say that the Imperatur is not as competent as you?"


    "TREASON! What you''re saying is treason!" Senator Lucresia''s face reddened with rage.


    "Hear me out!" Prince Arterius tried to calm the fuming, balding man. "You see, most of the time, my father would have an idea and he usually would tell his subordinates to do his bidding. Now, from what you said to me earlier, does that mean that my father is not doing his role effectively and that you should be given credit for all that made his reign great?! I wonder, because that''s what you were trying to imply based on your logic."


    Lord Prestonheim had to bow his head down to suppress his laughter. It was the first time that someone turned his logic on the sly senator. He couldn''t forget the face of the balding old fox with his mouth ajar. The old man was dumbfounded and had nothing to say.


    ----------------------------------------


    Announcement!


    Due to my hectic schedule, I am sorry to inform you that the updates will be changed to Monday-Wednesday-Friday.  But to make up with you guys, I shall update 10 chapters every 1st of the month beginning September.


    I hope you understand. Thanks!


    Ad Astra et Ultra!!!

 Chapter 199: Night of the Two Moons

    Tarsuria, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 85th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ------------------------------------------


    The sun set over the horizon and painted the sky with its crimson streaks. The tent was back to its somber atmosphere. The senators had already cooped up inside their tents just outside the Arenfall mines. Lord Prestonheim stared into the horizon, contemplating on the events that happened a month''s past.


    The ores, the politics and the struggles that he had to endure could''ve been all avoided if he chose not to help his poor godson. But what can he do? It was too late to back out at this point. Prince Arterius had already gone this far for him to abandon him.


    If anything, he should be the one to have advised his godson off this mess, but the tenacious prince would''ve quickly dismissed him and his comments. He knew that the only thing he could do to help him was to support him.


    "Lord Commander." A knight appeared behind him and bowed. "Your tent is ready."


    He nodded back at the knight and followed him to his relocated tent. Unfortunately, the ice from the little demonstration earlier turned out to be too sturdy for just the regular heat of the sun, or fire magic to melt. They had to painstakingly transfer his tent somewhere away from the affected area and hope that the crawling ice would begin to melt come nightfall.


    He went into his tent. It felt colder than outside. The ice magic coming from those ice cubes that Prince Arterius ordered him to throw on the ground was too strong. Even after that demonstration, some of the magic lingered inside his tent making it cooler than the temperature outside his tent.


    It was indeed a technological wonder that encompassed the usage of runes and pure ice magic. As what Prince Arterius told them, it was a technology that even the common man could use with little effort. But what truly sent chilling sensations down his spine was how this technology could change the tide of battle in their war against the Western Empire.


    "Imagine how damaging would this be with the cannon I designed and this magical item as a projectile? I wouldn''t come near it, if I were you!" His godson remarked earlier that day.


    He sat on his cold chair and shook his head. "How did he even figure that out?" He said to himself.


    As far as he could remember, they received the same report from 305-M. He wasn''t able to speak with the man, let alone interacted with the crazy redhead a few days prior. So, how did he know how to use it? He smiled as he massaged the bridge of his nose. He will try and ask his godson about it once he''s waken up.


    The poor prince Arterius collapsed after the heavy debate he had with the Senators. Even though most of them were satisfied by his answers and his progress, Senator Lucresia and his allies still mumbled away for his so-called irresponsibility.


    "Quite a show Prince Arterius did back there, don''t you think?" Maceus entered inside the tent, smiling with a bottle of wine in his hand, "Care to join?" He offered.


    "I am sorry, my godson, but this old man cannot tolerate as much alcohol nowadays. But, please, do come in!" He said.


    Maceus went in and grabbed a stool with his other hand and sat across Lord Prestonheim on his table.  The young commander shivered as he sat on the stool. He smiled at him while plucking out the cork with his mouth.


    "Well, since you''re not drinking, godfather." He held the bottle up high. "Salud!" He gulped the wine down leaving only half of it.


    He put the bottle down on the table, grinning at Lord Prestonheim for reasons that were still elusive to him.


    "You seemed to be on happy mood." Lord Prestonheim said as he picked up 305-M''s research notes.


    "What do you mean by that, godfather?" Maceus took another sip on the bottle. "I am always in a good mood."


    "Hmm¡­perhaps." Lord Prestonheim said while reading the parchment. "Have you finished your investigation?"


    The silver-haired commander instigated the topic that his godson had been so elusive all this time. Maceus grin turned into a stoic brooding. Lord Prestonheim wanted to discuss his friend''s death to Maceus sooner or later. The Crovar''s had been through a lot throughout the years, with their heirs dying left and right. First with his uncle, Syleon Crovar''s son then the rest of the family line followed. His godson was lucky to have outlived them.


    "I cannot express everything I need to say to your family in that letter I sent." Lord Prestonheim began. "Your uncle was a man of honor. He wanted to be useful to his prince even though it meant losing his life." He sighed.


    Lord Prestonheim failed to stop his aging friend from descending to the hole. He had regretted the fact that he hadn''t been as much assertive as he should''ve. That death was preventable and unnecessary. He knew about it and so does his godson too.


    "I just wish that you wouldn''t seek vengeance on his accidental demise." He said.


    Maceus was emotionless. He took a swig from the bottle of wine and shook his head. He was shifting his body on the stool he sat on. Lord Prestonheim also noticed how his godson would avoid eye contact with him.


    "Isn''t just me or is your stool too cold it freezes your balls?" Maceus asked.


    Lord Prestonheim stood up from his chair, furious at his godson''s apathetic response. "Not this again, Maceus! For once, I would like to converse with you seriously but¡ª"


    "I know how you feel, godfather." Maceus interrupted. "But if you would like to get an opinion from me regarding what happened to my uncle, then you won''t like my answer." He looked at his godfather straight in the eyes.


    "Speak then, I won''t take it against you." Lord Prestonheim guaranteed him.


    "Very well, you asked for it, godfather." His godson sighed. "It was foolish for that old man to go down there. He should''ve retired already and lived his life quietly¡­but¡­no! He wanted glory and honor more than a peaceful death."


    "He did it for the Principalia."


    "No godfather, he most likely did it for himself. Not that I am angry about it. In fact, I feel relieved that he found the glory and honor he sought for all this time."


    Lord Prestonheim sighed and nodded at him.


    "I hoped he found his glory at his last living moments, no matter how difficult it could''ve been."


    "Still, he was foolish! And if you had it your way, godfather I knew you would''ve gone down there."


    Lord Prestonheim glared at the young commander before bellowing a laugh. He wasn''t sure if it was a joke intended to him or not, but it was funny because it was true. Without a doubt he could''ve took that chance to go down that damned hole if Prince Arterius wasn''t threatened to lose his birthright.


    He wiped the welling tears on his eyes, "Maybe, I could use a drink."


    Maceus grinned and gave the bottle to him. Lord Prestonheim broke his rule that night and took a swig of the ice cold wine.


    "To the fools that guise themselves as the braves!" Lord Prestonheim exclaimed.


    "Hear! Hear!" Maceus laughed.


    After their laughter, they returned into silence once more. Maceus started the conversation once again.


    "I got to say, my godbrother was spectacular earlier." He took the bottle from Lord Prestonheim and drank some wine.


    Lord Prestonheim nodded. Prince Arterius was indeed spectacular. It has been a while since someone silenced Senator Lucresia. He would never forget the balding old man''s face as it seethed with anger and frustration over his brilliant godson.


    "He was indeed." Lord Prestonheim smiled. "It''s been a while since I saw that old man''s disgruntled face."


    "When was the last time? The forging of the Crimson Order?" Maceus winked.


    Both of them laughed. The outgoing Maceus had an extraordinary sense of humor that even the hardened hearts of Syleon and himself would stifle a laugh or two because of his wit. Maceus was about to drink from the bottle once again when suddenly Lord Prestonheim felt the ground move.


    "Did you feel that?" The silver-haired commander held his godson''s hand, ordering him to stay still.


    "I-I guess I do¡­" Maceus put down the bottle on the table and stood up slowly. "Is it just me or does it feel colder than usual?"


    Lord Prestonheim''s skin prickled. His tent was indeed colder than the usual. Both men stared at each other before rushing outside with weapons on hand. Something didn''t feel right. There was pressure pressing down on the commander''s chest; a sign that someone released too much energy into the surroundings it shifted the air pressure. Lord Prestonheim looked around and saw the knights not noticing the slight shift. Most of them were huddled in the campfire while others loitered around the camp.


    The Senators were also clueless as to the situation. Haven''t they felt it? It was clearly obvious that something was about to happen. Lord Prestonheim rushed to the Prince Arteirus tent along with Maceus, but before they could take another step, Senator Lucresia came running towards them.


    "WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON?!" The senator pointed at the silver-haired commander. "Is the ground shaking?!"


    "Looks like it." He answered.


    "Is that all you can say?!"


    "I don''t have an answer for this!"


    "Where''s 305-M? Hey you! Yes, you! Get that slave here quickly!" Senator Lucresia ordered a random knight passing by.


    Lord Prestonheim could feel something big was about to happen. He turned to Maceus who seemed to be staring at the sky.


    "Maceus, I need you to¡ª"


    "Godfather, there''s another moon behind the Chandea." Maceus said bewildered at what he saw.


    "What do you mean another moon?! That''s perposter¡­ous." Senator Lucresia looked up and was baffled with what he saw.


    Lord Prestonheim looked at the sky and saw a small object peeking over the great Chandea. It was indeed another moon! It had a faint blue glow, a beautiful azure ray over the dark canvas. However, the more they stared into it, they noticed the glow became stronger and brighter.


    All of a sudden, the ground shook violently, and glowing lines began to appear with a searing pale blue light that glowed as bright as the small, timid moon behind the bigger one. That was when Lord Prestonheim recalled a story he heard from before.


    "Oyue, the brightest!" Lord Prestonheim exclaimed.

 Chapter 200: Final Confrontation

    Adaloun tumbled on the cold, stony floor. He looked around and saw the intricate glass portraits on the ceiling. The chamber looked similar to the previous one they ravaged. However, in this particular chamber, it had a huge crystal floating in the middle of an elevated platform at the center of the room. Adaloun felt the strong energy emitted by the huge aetherium crystal and had an idea as to why the deity chose to teleport there.


    Just a few footlings away from him was the possessed knight limping. Tristam sat on the floor, writhing in agony as he yanked the arrow from his leg. The possessed knight screamed as he finally took out the magical arrow, then crushing it in his hand.


    Tristam tried standing up, but the pain from his wound made it difficult for him to steady himself. Watching him from a distance, Adaloun saw how the possessed knight struggled to cast spells towards him. The once vicious fireballs became so weakened that it faded away as it traveled towards him.


    The possessed knight''s eyes widened as he felt the huge power decrease, his mouth ajar and was breathing heavily. Tristam scurried away from Adaloun. He crawled himself away from his rival with heaving breath. He made his way through the cold floor and agonizingly climbing the marbled steps.


    "You''re not going anywhere!" Adaloun stood up and tried to chase him, but the moment he took a step, his foot gave out.


    Adaloun fell to the ground. His left ankle was mangled from his tumble earlier and was now causing him some problems. He immediately stood up and did his best to catch the possessed knight, but his injury was hindering him to speed up. Tristam was slowly climbing the ladder. Adaloun limped and chase the possessed knight trying to prevent him from reaching the crystal, but he was too slow.


    Tristam crawled to the top and touched the crystal. The crystal glowed letting its power seep into the knight. The light shone shifted its color from its pale blue glow, into the ethereal green energy that  Zaduriel was accustomed to.


    He absorbed all the crystal''s energy, changing his appearance even further. His horn grew longer, his eyes darkened, and fangs protruded from his mouth. Tristam appeared more like the grotesque god now. His human appearance had faded; his body changed, contorting it into Zaduriel''s shell.


    Zaduriel grinned. "You should''ve become my emissary!"


    "N-never. Not a chance." Adaloun stood up, braving himself from his injury.


    "Even at your dying moment you''re still too proud." Zaduriel clicked his tongue.


    He raised his arms and created a dark ball of shadow. It hovered on his arm for a while and then he struck it at Adaloun.


    "Well then," the possessed knight sighed. "Die." He threw the dark sphere towards him.


    The dark sphere enveloped Adaloun. The shadow took away his senses, then slowly, his breathing. He struggled to get out of the dark vacuum, but he wasn''t sure if he was moving or not. The darkness that deprived him of his sensations also took out his sense of time and space.


    Without his senses, Adaloun''s experience with the void was indescribable. He felt nothing as he was slowly deprived of his air. Struggling was just a wasted effort; he was too numb to know if his body had moved or not.


    Adaloun wasted away inside the void. He wasn''t sure how long he was there. It might''ve been just a couple of moments passed, but it might''ve also been an eternity. He couldn''t feel anything, but he felt the air slowly being taken away from his lungs. It was a torture knowing that he couldn''t do anything to escape the inevitable. He was forced to live his remaining hours in utter despair. He knew death was imminent but there was nothing he could do about it but suffer.


    His consciousness was fading drastically fast. He could no longer tell the difference between being wide awake or passing out. Floating in the void, Adaloun was doomed. He was finally about to give up, when a strobe of light appeared in front of him. The light looked like a long thread floating towards him, lighting portions of the void.


    It was at that moment that he gained his sensations once again. The light lit up the darkness and took out the despair in his heart. Adaloun knew to whom the thread belonged to; he would''ve wanted to free himself from the dark hold alone; but it was an impossible feat. With the strength he currently has now, he was nothing more than a mortal¡ªa weak useless mortal.


    Adaloun swallowed his pride and pulled the string towards him. The thread of light twirled on his arm before spreading all over his body. The glowing lines became more defined as it embedded on his skin. The twirling patterns spread all over his body. He suddenly felt a surge of power rushing inside of him. He felt his exousia grew exponentially and his strength, a hundred times more.


    Using his fist he punched his way out of the darkness, breaking the great void doming over him. He was finally able to blast away the darkness and emerged from the void prison he was placed in. Zaduriel stood in front of him with his eyes wide open.


    "I-Impossible!" The deity''s voice quivered. "I¡­I made sure that you were¡ª"


    Before he could finish, Adaloun immediately charged and threw the scythe at him. The scythe glowed in a pale blue light and almost took the deity''s arm off if he hesitated to move. The scythe lodged itself deep in the marbled steps.


    "I missed." Adaloun clicked his tongue. "How about we finish this already, Zaduriel?"


    The deity screamed, his eyes were filled with angry and madness. He teleported right in front of Adaloun and swung blades right at him. Adaloun took a step back and evaded the deadly blow. Before the deity could attack, he grabbed his left arm and broke it, disarming the dwarven blade away.


    Zaduriel screamed in agony as he dropped the blade on the ground. Adaloun picked the blade up and incorporated his exousia into the weapon. The blade glowed and showed the same spiral patterns he had all over his body.


    "Now, we are even!" Adaloun twirled the blade in his hand. "Care for one final dance?"


    "Arrgh!" The deity shouted in reply and immediately attacked Adaloun.


    Both of them parried each other''s attack skillfully. However, as their fight went on, it became more apparent how Zaduriel was losing to Adaloun''s relentless attacks. Even with Tristam''s abilities incorporated with his, the deity proved to be subpar in combat compared to that of Adaloun.


    A lightning bolt suddenly appeared in front of Adaloun. Zaduriel desperately wanted to end the battle and casted the spell on his face. He evaded the spell with only inches away from his face. Adaloun knew at that point that he needed to end it quickly.


    The deity tried to strike him down with an uppercut slash. Adaloun moved out of the way, grabbed the deity''s hand and in one clean swipe, sliced off his hand. The gladius fell from the deity''s hand. Adaloun caught it with his other hand and stabbed the blade into the diety''s chest.


    "Get off of him!" Adaloun said.


    "Y-you¡­you don''t know what you''re doing!" Zaduriel spat. "You shouldn''t revive¡­the¡ª"


    "Shut up and die already!" Adaloun twisted the blade in the deity''s chest. "Goodbye, Zaduriel!"


    Zaduriel shouted as the gladius began to suck the god out of the poor knight''s body. The deity tried his best to grab hold of the body, but Adaloun along with his long-lost blade was too much for him. He was finally exorcised out of the knight''s body leaving the poor knight lying on the ground with a severed hand and bleeding chest.


    Adaloun knelt on the ground as he tried to catch his breath. Suddenly, the floor glowed brightly. Swirling lines began to appear on the ground before it glowed even brighter enveloping them with a blinding light. He closed his eyes and held Tristam in his arms.


    When he opened his eyes, his comrades were already there with him. They were lying down on the ground near the white stone where they entered before. He looked at them with a baffled, yet relieved expression.


    "Touch the stone wall." A voice suddenly whispered from nowhere.


    Adaloun recognized the voice, he smiled and touched the stone wall. The wall glowed and crumbled.


    "Finally, you set me free." The voice said once again.


    "O-oyu¡ª"


    "Who goes there?!" Lord Prestonheim''s voice echoed from above.


    Adaloun and his comrades looked at each other. They never noticed it, but they have managed to escape the labyrinth at last.

 Chapter 201: The Return

    Lord Prestonheim came out from his tent earlier after feeling a weird sensation in the air. Not long after that, the earth shook violently, and ley lines began to appear on the ground. It was utter chaos! No one knew what was going on. Suddenly, they heard a thunderous sound booming, coming from the hole.


    "Lord Prestonheim! My Lord!" A knight frantically ran towards them.


    "What is it knight?" The silver-haired commander asked.


    "T-the h-hole¡­ it''s¡­"


    "What are you trying to say?!" Senator Lucresia interjected. "Speak properly¡­ knight! Don''t tell me you''re incompetent!"


    The knight''s face paled from the senator''s sharp words. He took a deep breath and spoke, "The hole¡­ the hole is glowing!"


    "What?!" Lord Prestonheim and Senator Lucresia chorused.


    They looked at each other for a moment, before racing to the damned hole. Lord Prestonheim was the first to arrive. The hole was indeed emitting a pale blue glow. There were knights surrounding the hole''s opening, they held their shields forward and swords pointing towards the hole.


    Lord Prestonheim joined in and immediately unsheathed his sword, commanding the knights to form the delta formation.  It only took less than 10 counts for the knights to arrange themselves according to the formation. The silver-haired commander then went to the front of the formation and activated his compact shield from his bracer.


    "Brace yourselves!" He said to his men. "Do not lower your guard! Make sure shields overlap one another!"


    The men replied with a thunderous yes and patiently held their position. The ground was filled with markings, the glowing lines slowly filled the ground as the hole pulsated. Lord Prestonheim was still confused with the entire situation, but as the commander of the knights, he must not let them see it.


    The ground shook violently once more, the light from the glowing hole shone brighter and created a pillar of light piercing through the night sky. The darkness faded in an instant and the night became as bright as day for a moment.


    He couldn''t believe his eyes, it looked like one of those stories Lord Prestonheim loved to read when he was younger. In one of those stories, he recalled the elven scribe, Illiru, wrote about how the nights were as bright as the days during the First Age.


    "T-the sky!" A knight pointed his sword as the sky. "T-there are lines that mirrored the same as grounds! What is going on?!"


    "Calm down, knight." Lord Prestonheim tried his best to also calm himself. "Don''t lose your sight on the hole, who knows what''s going to come out of there!"


    The pillar of light slowly faded from the ground, along with the lines as well. The baffled commander waited for any trouble that might come out from the hole, luckily, there was none. After that huge output of light, it somehow relieved the silver-haired commander, and he didn''t know why.


    Suddenly, they heard a voice coming from the hole. It sounded, feminine, but it was too weak to be understood. Lord Prestonheim immediately gestured the knights to surround the hole. He quickly followed them and leaned over the stone barrier they made on its mouth.


    He saw nothing but the darkness of the pit. However, as the light of the moon slowly gleamed into the hole, Lord Prestonheim saw something twinkling in the darkness, like stars from the heavens. He took a light rune and activated it to get a better look at what he just saw.


    As the light hit against the walls, it was clear that the sparkling things he saw were aetherium ores that mysteriously appeared on the walls of the hole. He squinted his eyes and was shocked to see shadows moving at the bottom of the hole.


    Lord Prestonheim gestured his knights to be ready for possible combat.


    "Use your light runes and light magic against these things if they flew above the surfaces." He whispered to them.


    "Who goes there?!" He shouted into the hole. "Identify yourself or we shall destroy you!"


    He waited but there was no answer, instead, the shadows moved frantically as if becoming hostile. Lord Prestonheim told his knights to prepare their light magic for an attack. He gestured to them that he will try and call out to the shadow one more time before they open fire.


    "Who goes there?!" Lord Prestonheim raised his arm and was about to smite the shadows when suddenly, a familiar voice answered.


    "Friendlies, my lord!"


    "Impossible! I-is that you, Adaloun?!" He asked.


    "Yes! I, and a few of us are still alive!" Adaloun replied.


    Lord Prestonheim wasn''t convinced by it. It was possible that they could just be those impostors. If he isn''t careful, he might have another incident of those changelings once again and this time, the Principalian Senate will be there to see it. However, there was still a huge possibility that the person he spoke to might be the real Adaloun.


    The silver-haired commander was torn between trusting the man or just killing them all together, in case they were impostors.


    "Tis they nay gonna ''elp?!" He heard the dwarf''s voice echoed. "Oi! M''lord or any ''un there. We''ve got some injured men ''ere dat need yer ''elp!" He shouted.


    Lord Prestonheim and to take a chance. "Come forward, if you are indeed true! I am sure you wouldn''t mind a little light shining in your faces, do you?"


    "No, we wouldn''t mind."  The shadow peeked out from the cave.


    The man along with his companions got out of the clearing, Lord Prestonheim''s heart raced as he raised his arms to signal his command. His knights gritted their teeth as they awaited his command. The silver-haired commander knew that one signal could be the difference between life and death for both parties, at this time, he held everyone''s lives on the line.


    The figures stood dead center below the mouth of the hole. They were racing their arms in a non-threatening way but, he couldn''t be sure of it yet. Lord Prestonheim looked at them once again and decided on the next course of action.


    "Lux divinae!" He signaled to his knights.


    The knights immediately chanted the spell and casted it on the hole. The magic spell formed a circle descending on the figures and with its activation, a bright, blinding light came blasting off of it. It illuminated the hole once again, albeit not as bright as the phenomenon earlier. The light was just enough for them to clearly see the faces of the figures and also burn them to death if they had any hints of the dark monsters within them.


    To Lord Prestonheim''s surprise, not one of them got burned, instead they were only blinded.


    "Gods balls! Me eyes!" The dwarf shouted.


    The silver-head commander was dumbfounded and somewhat relieved at what he saw, that he couldn''t help but chuckle on the dwarf''s expense. He tried his best to hide the tears of joy in his eyes and was glad the chuckle hid most of it.


    He grinned at his men, "Get the platform and some bandages. We are welcoming them!"

 Chapter 202: Quandaries Pt.1

    The world spun beneath his feet. The ruckus outside awakened Prince Arterius, who fainted from the long and grueling discussion he had with the senators earlier that day. His ward, Stolas, came rushing to the tent, the man''s clothing was stained with soup.


    "Prince Arterius!" His ward approached him from his bed. "We must get out of the tent right now!"


    "W-what seems to be the ruckus?" Prince Arterius grabbed his cane and stood up wincing in pain.


    Stolas immediately grabbed his hand and placed it over his shoulder. His ward was sweating buckets. Prince Arterius could feel how tension-filled he was. His usually calm and collected ward seemed to be panicking about something.


    Suddenly the ground shook, Stolas held him tight to steady his footing. He could feel his ward trembled, but remained calm, and proceeded to evacuate him out of the tent. As they stepped outside, Prince Arterius noticed some swirling lines forming on the ground.


    He couldn''t get his eyes away from the pale, pulsating blue light, dancing on the ground. The hair behind his neck prickled in fear and excitement. Unknowingly, a smirk formed on his lips. From the distance, he saw a pillar of light breaking the night sky with its elegant light. He wasn''t sure what was going on, but whatever it was, he never felt threatened by it.


    As quick as the lights appeared, it vanished in an instant. Not a few moments later, the knights began to rally towards the hole.


    "Ser knight!" Prince Arterius shouted. "What is going on?"


    "My Prince," the knight bowed. "We have received news that, people came out of the hole! We were called to provide back up!"


    Prince Arterius couldn''t believe what he was hearing. "T-they''re back?! Y-you mean, they have returned from the hole?"


    "Yes, my Prince."


    He looked at Stolas with a sense of excitement in his eyes. He wanted to see it for himself and started to move to the direction of the hole, but his ward was quick to dismiss his wishes.


    "No! We are not going there!" Stolas shook his head.


    "B-but¡­" The prince protested.


    "No buts! You''re in no condition to be there! Let''s just stay here!"


    Prince Arterius wanted to prolong the argument and tried to sway his ward to his favor, but Stolas was adamant about his decision.


    "It''s for your own good, Prince Arterius," He sighed. "Let us get some news from them later. I will see to it."


    Although bummed out, he had no choice but to agree with his ward and started walking back to his tent which was further away from the hole. He sat on his bed ignoring his numbing headache and waited for updates from his ward; it didn''t take that long for the update to arrive.


    Stolas went inside his tent along with his godfather, and a fuming Senator Lucresia.


    "I cannot believe this!" The Senator began. "The slaves were unscathed?! Don''t you see what''s wrong in this picture?!"


    Lord Prestonheim sighed while massaging the bridge of his nose. "What are you saying, Senator Lucresia?"


    "Are you dumb?! I am calling this sabotage!" The senator yelled. "They were the reason why our knights and a great commander fell!"


    "What is your proof?!" Lord Prestonheim snarked. "Where you there, Senator Lucresia? Do you have someone in that party who reported it to you?"


    "What proof do I need? Isn''t it obvious? A beastman, an elf, a dwarf and an Ardant! Do I need to say more?!"


    "Are you basing this because they''re¡­ different?"


    "Diff- different? Are you telling me that I am judging them because of their race?"


    Lord Prestonheim nodded his head.


    "N-no, t-that''s not it¡­" The senator clicked his tongue. "They are slaves! Slaves!"


    "Regardless of what you say, it''s still the same." Lord Prestonheim sighed. "You see them as the threat!"


    The old senator and his godfather locked eyes. They spoke with their glaring eyes, unmoved by each other''s sentiments. Both men stood silent, trying to convince the other that their judgement was flawed. Somehow, no one was winning; the two relentless men wouldn''t budge until the young Commander Crovar entered the tent.


    "Ahem," He interjected. "That argument is quite petty, at this point. No matter who you want to blame for the missing knights. You cannot argue the fact that these people got out of that hole alive."


    "Are you saying we need to congratulate them for making it out alive?" Senator Lucresia raised his eyebrow. "It''s true that they managed to save that poor young knight and some Orkamuus, but one thing still remains they''re¡ª"


    "They''re not us." Lord Prestonheim said. They''re no citizens of our great kingdom and thus, can be blamed for such incompetence."


    Senator Lucresia nodded. "Yes, it is either them, or your head!"


    Prince Arterius stood up. He hasn''t been able to cope up much with the conversation. As what he understood, the old senator was trying to blame the slaves for the lost of many of the knights'' lives. This was a common tactic that the Principalia usually do when they fail; find a scapegoat and save face.


    "Do you still consider the expedition a failure?" Prince Arterius asked the senator.


    Senator Lucresia looked at him with great disdain. "We haven''t come up with that yet. Not after that fiasco you showed us earlier. Many of our colleagues are saying that it was a rather vital discovery that can be used for the war. I am still not sure if we could mine as many of those stones, those things should give us an answer!"


    "Things?" Prince Arterius asked.


    "Slaves" Senator Lucresia looked at him dead in the eyes.


    "Those you considered things, were vital to the success of this expedition. I would prefer if you call them, citizens." The prince interjected.


    "Hmmm¡­perhaps. But one thing is for certain. Regardless of the help they did, you must understand that to me, this expedition was a failure. Many of the knights have died inside those damned mines! We have lost a strong ally in Commander Syleon Crovar, and the only surviving knight is currently at the brink of death. And how about those slaves? Unscathed! That says a lot in my experience, and I won''t let them pass without punishment!"


    "Punishment?! I''ve heard you say that earlier, Senator Lucresia." Prince Arterius sighed. "I do not see this as a failure at all. In fact, I cannot understand your thirst to punish those poor souls!"


    Senator Lucresia smirked, "Then you better understand it now. I firmly believe that the number of lives that died for your vanity project was more than what the Principalia could bear. You let your elite knights die inside that hole undermining that we are currently at war and will need all the men we could get. Those knights who lost their lives here in this hell hole could''ve been used elsewhere. That''s where your incompetence come lies!"


    Prince Arterius felt his blood rushing all over his face. He wanted to nag at the old man, but he couldn''t deny the fact that he indeed lost a lot of knights during the expedition, and that didn''t include the knights who died after the monster attack.


    Senator Lucresia indeed has a serious argument in his hands. He truly was going to undermine his accomplishments with the deaths of the knights. He knew that the sly, old fox had found himself a fodder for him to feed his ego.


    "So, I will let you choose once again," The old, balding senator cleared his throat. "Them, or your godfather and birthright. Your call, Prince Arterius. After all, it''s your life and not mine." Senator Lucresia smiled.


    Prince Arterius looked at his godfather looking for answers, but the silver-haired commander remained unavailable to him. This was a decision that he solely has to make¡ªa decision that he would regret for years to come.

 Chapter 203: Quandaries Pt.2

    Tarsuria, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 85th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ------------


    Senator Lucresia stormed out of the tent leaving them speechless. Lord Prestonheim sighed and massaged the bridge of his nose. While Stolas went into his small table and prepared tea. His ward knew that it was going to be a long night for everyone involved. Prince Arterius loomed over the senator''s words, clicking his tongue in frustration at the feeble senator''s remarks.


    "Is he serious?!" He threw his staff on the ground. "He''s going to kill them as scapegoats for my gamble?!"


    "Yes, and no." Lord Prestonheim sighed. "Senator Lucresia is a prideful man. He takes pride at the Arterian Knights and takes pride at his unrivalled mind. You just overstepped on both."


    "W-what do you mean, godfather?" Prince Arterius scratched his head.


    Lord Prestonheim smiled, "Well, you managed to go beyond his expectation. Using the discoveries, you have with the aetherium, he knew very well how this would change the tide of battle. Somehow, I believe, he thinks that his tactical prowess will be overshadowed by your weapons and therefore, gain you more influence. Secondly, he takes pride of the Arterian knights that he helped mold and made throughout the years. Just think of how much big of a slap it is for him to them fail and see slaves survive the task?" He massaged the bridge of his nose once again.


    Prince Arterius knew that his godfather''s smile was filled with worry. A man of his caliber felt guilty that he has to choose between his honor and his loyalty towards the Principalia. He knew that his gamble might''ve hurt his godfather more than what he thought. But it was too late to turn back now. The only thing he needed to focus on is how to get out of this situation.


    "A new age has come upon us, Arterius." Lord Prestonheim said. "The missing moon, our forefathers had written about has now came out of the sky. You, my dear prince will also lead us to this new age. Everything was fated to come into place, regardless of what will happen next, I want you to know that you cannot turn back now. Embrace your destiny and the weight that you will drag along with your fate." He approached Prince Arterius and patted his shoulder.


    "T-two moons?" Prince Arterius never noticed that while he was out in the open. This wasn''t the time to feel curious. He reminded himself. He scratched his head and focused on the dilemma that the old, sly senator presented. "What of them? Where are they?" He asked his godfather for the freed slaves.


    "They''re being held in a cell at the middle of the camp." Lord Prestonheim answered sadly.


    "Were there anymore survivors? I heard Senator Lucresia ranted on some more." He asked.


    Lord Prestonheim nodded his head. "Yes, Tristam and two of the Orkamuus have also survived." He massaged the bridge of his nose.  "They are well cared for in the infirmary."


    "That''s good." Prince Arterius was still unsettled by his godfather''s answer. "If they were put on quarantine surely the rest should''ve been as well, right?"


    "Senator Lucresia made sure the injured ones were cared for." Lord Prestonheim answered.


    "That''s not our protocol!" Prince Arterius raised his voice. "You told me we have to be sure about them! Besides, aren''t the freed slaves hurt as well?!"


    His godfather nodded, "They''re far from being unscathed and would''ve needed the same treatment as the rest. But, Senator Lucresia was adamant with his goal. The Orkamuus needed to survive because he owed them his life, and as for Tristam, well, he is part of the Arterian knights. He''s supposed to be the hero."


    "Why are you letting this happen?!" Prince Arterius frustratingly punched his bed. "You can command your men to withdraw the order!"


    "As much as I would''ve wanted it," Lord Prestonheim sighed. "With all of the senators agreeing to him, I am nothing worth of my opinion."


    Prince Arterius clicked his tongue and grabbed the cane lying on the ground. "I am going to see them now!"


    Lord Prestonheim blocked his way, "It is not sa¡ª"


    "I am tired of this safety thing!" He exclaimed. "I am sorry, godfather, but as your prince, I order you to get out of my way!"  He glared at Lord Prestonheim straight in the eyes.


    Lord Prestonheim had no choice but to move out of his way. Prince Arterius walked out of his tent. His ward followed him and tried to reason with him, but he was far too focused to listen to his wiles. He ordered Stolas to keep silent and escort him to where Adaloun and the others were quarantined.


    The freed slaves were placed inside a make-shift prison. Logs of timber were placed around them and reinforced with earth magic to create a solid, stone-like prison. The roof was made of stone, with spikes protruding in the interior. The deadly prison was designed to not let anyone escape. The structure was hard to miss from the distance. It towered most of the tents, and the stone and wood design were truly hard to miss.


    Knights also roamed around the structure; they were heavily clad than usual. Their armor had the plated patterns of Lucresia''s guards. Prince Arterius approached the massive structure but was instantly halted by the roaming guards.


    The knight holding a spear blocked his way and pointed the spear at him. "Halt! You are not allowed to come close¡ª"


    Prince Arterius, who was not in the mood for talk, simply went past the knight. However, the stubborn knight tried to push him away. He was knocked back a few steps back before his godfather subdued the knight by stepping on his spear and putting a dagger on the clueless knight''s neck.


    "I would be very careful where you point the spear, knight." His godfather was clearly irked with the knight''s action. "I swear, I could''ve gutted you by now, if it weren''t for him!" He whispered under the knight''s helmet.


    "No need for violence!" Prince Arterius quickly reacted. "We have already a lot for the past few weeks." He passed through the knights, this time with no reprimands.


    In between the tight spaces of the make-shift cell, Prince Arterius saw the freed slaves bound in heavy chains by their ankles and slave collars were once again wrapped around their necks. He smashed his cane against the wood and blasted it to pieces.


    His ruckus didn''t go unnoticed. From the small gaps of the prison, he saw the prisoners rose up and walked towards him. Prince Arterius took a deep breath as he tried to compose himself.


    "Is everyone alright, there?" He said in his gentle voice.


    "We''re all alive," Adaloun answered with a hint of frustration and sarcasm in his voice. "Alive and well¡­and chained, I guess it''s a standard welcoming procedure."


    Prince Arterius clicked his tongue. This wasn''t supposed the type of welcoming they should''ve gotten from them, after all, they were already free citizens.


    "I apologize for this¡­" He sighed. "It''s just a standard procedure. We need to make sure that whatever impurities there were down there not stuck on any of you."


    "Is this where the chains and collar come in?" Adaloun asked. "


    "Yes." Prince Arterius lied.


    Adaloun nodded, "Hmmm¡­ I see. Does the standard procedure also state that we are to be executed tomorrow? I thought I heard these knights, and a certain man of stature garbled those things earlier."


    Prince Arterius was lost for words. The prisoners already know the fate that awaits them, and it''s eating him inside knowing that they must pay for his own incompetence.


    "Well¡­" Prince Arterius fumbled for words


    "My Prince, I trust that there is a way out of this?" The human prisoner asked.


    Prince Arterius remained silent and simply walked away from the prisoners. His heart ached at the thought of them falling for his own sake. It wasn''t the vision he wanted of his campaign. He had already put a lot of lives at death''s cradle and these innocent lives weren''t one of them.


    He stormed to the senators'' tent along with his godfather, not minding his aching leg. He caught up with the senators huddling, or perhaps scheming who knows? But he saw them conversing with each other around a small circle with his former mentor, 305-M in the mix.


    "What are you doing here?!" Senator Ordus stood up and pointed at him.


    "Well, I''m a prince! I supposed I am allowed to budge in on this...meeting you have?" He said confidently.


    The senate began to buzz. The eldest prince had suddenly barged to a somewhat secretive meeting.


    "Seriously, if this was a secretive meeting¡­" He smirked. "I must say you haven''t planned it very well!"


    Senator Lucresia stood up from the sea of faces. "No, this is no secret meeting!" He answered. "What is your goal for coming here? Are you here to tell us that you will kill those bastards who disrespected our knights?"


    "No, I came here to tell each and everyone of you, that I am setting them free."


    The buzzing whispers turned into shouts of outrage, just the way he wanted them to feel.

 Chapter 204: Quandaries Pt.3

    Tarsuria, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 85th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ---------------------------------------


    "S-set them free?!" Senator Ordus raised an eyebrow. "Clearly, you jest! They are meant to be punished!"


    "Punished for what? The deaths of our esteemed knights?" Prince Arterius answered.


    "Y-yes! What else could be the reason?!" Senator Ordus answered back.


    "Esteemed senators, I believe that this is all a mistake!" Prince Arterius walked towards the center of their circle. "We do not even have a proof of what happened down there. Can you give me a proof of this accusation?"


    "Should I tell you a long list of your failures during this expedition?" Senator Lucresia took out a scroll from one of his wards and read its contents. "According to this manuscript, you have lost more than two squads of knights and a respected commander. Do you know what that means?"


    Prince Arterius looked him at the eyes, "Yes, I do." He sighed. "It''s called a tactical mistake."


    His answer caught the senators off guard. They were left whispering around him, not sure what to think of his answer. Senator Lucresia didn''t leave his gaze. His eyes were stuck on the young prince, unmoving and coercing him to admit to his so-called fault.


    "A tactical mistake, you say?" Senator Ordus sarcastically asked.


    "Yes, a tactical mistake." Prince Arterius answered. "It was a mistake that I made not considering the terrain and lifeforms inside that damned hole."


    "More like incompetence to me." The senator remarked.


    Some of the senators laughed along his cruel joke. But what surprised them the most, was Prince Arterius laughing along with them. Their moment of laughter turned sour as everyone was left confused at the prince''s antics.


    "You don''t say." Prince Arterius scratched his head. "I wonder if that was also your comment during the third Great Dune conquest?"


    Senator Ordus was smiling no more. "W-what of the Great Dune Conquest?!"


    "Well, it was the fourth year of my father''s reign when you decided to go for a night raid, remember?" Prince Arterius paused and set his eyes on Senator Ordus. "You failed to consider that the Western Empire had specialized soldiers who guards their rear during the night¡­what were they called again, Nightstalkers?"


    Senator Ordus turned red but remaind silent.


    "I recalled how your brigade was savagely owned by those, soldiers." The young prince shrugged his soldiers. "I''ve read report. I usually sneaked to my father''s solar and I¡­umm¡­read that one¡­what was it written there? Oh, I know! Tactical mistake! My father was such a benevolent Imperatur to let it pass." He smirked.


    The angry senator tried to approach him but was luckily stopped by his fellow senators. Prince Arterius shook his head.


    "My oh my, does it look different to mine?" Prince Arterius said. "I mean death is death. Regardless of who died, it was a tactical mistake after all."


    "Are you downplaying your incompetence?" Senator Lucresia commented.


    Prince Arterius set his sights back to the balding senator. "Should I also mention about the siege of the Vridian Forest? I''ve read that you ran away as a tactical retreat leaving behind most of you brigade¡ª"


    "You¡­DO NOT MENTION ANYTHING!" Senator Lucresia was unhinged with what he said. It was the perfect reaction he hoped for. Slighting the senator may not be the bests idea he had, but he has to make it work at that time. It was imperative that he does.


    The tent turned silent at Senator Lucresia''s anxious command. Prince Arterius saw the loathing from the old senator''s eyes, but at that point there was nothing Senator Lucresia could do. The senator cleared his throat and took a deep breath.


    "What is it that you like to do, Prince Arterius?" He asked.


    It was clear that prince''s comment left the senator uncharacteristically anxious. He was now trying to control himself and wanted to end the conversation as earlier as he could.


    "I want to free the slaves after the get checked by the detector." Prince Arterius said.


    "What do you mean free them? What if they become a threat to our society? Who knows what plague they brought with them form that hole?!" Senator Lucresia asked.


    "You brought in the Orkamuus and Lieutenant Tristam to the infirmary." Prince Arterius pointed out. "Why is that? Aren''t they exposed to the same environment as those freed slaves?"


    "They were tested by Servus 305-M''s detector." Senator Ordaneus interjected.


    Prince Arterius looked at the flamboyant senator and slightly bowed to him.


    "Ohh¡­you''re going to make me blush!" Senator Ordaneus winked.


    "Oh!" The comment surprised him but Prince Arterius went back to his focus.


    "Ahem," The prince cleared his throats. "So, as I was saying, I would like to set them free but only after we checked them."


    "This is balderdash!" Senator Ordus spat. "Why should we let you do it?! We can always veto your decision!"


    "Could you?" Prince Arterius asked. "Could you the senate do that, Senator Lucresia?"


    Senator Lucresia closed his eyes. It was clear he wanted out of the situation but was unable to. He needed to answer the question and he knew exactly how the answer disappointed him.


    "No, we cannot." The old senator sighed. "It is their right as the Royal family to give clemency to prisoners. Regardless whether we like it or not."


    Prince Arterius smiled, "Thank you for you explanation, dear Senator."


    Senator Lucresia glared at him, "But it doesn''t mean that your father would approve of it."


    "Well, I just have to live by it¡­ or better yet, give him some good results." He smiled. "I guess that''s all that I have. Thank you, Senators! Oh! I would need to borrow Servus 305-M. Would that be alright?"


    Senator Lucresia''s face was contorted and filled with rage but was unable to do anything. He nodded at the young prince out of spite.


    "Well, thank you, Senator Lucresia!" Prince Arterius grinned. "If you would excuse us, 305-M come with me please bring your contraption with you. We need to clear things out."

 Chapter 205: 205-- Diaspora

    Tarsuria, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 85th day of Fall, Arenfall


    ----------------------------------------


    The exousia-limiting collar felt itchy against his neck.  Adaloun had never imagined himself wearing the dreaded collar once again after getting out of the hole. But there he was, after battling countless monsters and an obsessed god, he got back with a collar on his neck, and a chain bound on his hands and feet.


    The victory tasted bitter as it was becoming clear that they freedom the sought became nothing more than a ruse, organized by a nation that treated their slaves lower than a dog. He couldn''t look at his comrades who were also chained just like him.


    His heart broke seeing them suffer as badly as he was for the promise. He thought the Principalia would keep their word after they did the end of the bargain. He felt blood rushing to his head as his anger and frustration became more apparent. He already saw it coming, but he took the bait, nonetheless. This wasn''t his first time making this mistake either; he just got used again. Same as how the previous gods treated him. The same flowery words and the same thorny consequences.


    "I am sorry." He gritted his teeth as he tried containing his anger. "I-I¡­never imagined that they would¡ª"


    "Spare yer sorry, Addie." The dwarf sighed. "Tis was sumthin'' yah cannae do anything about."


    "I wish I would''ve." Adaloun gazed at his chains.


    "We can get through this, Adaloun." The beastman smiled.


    Suddenly, there was a ruckus coming from the distance. Some men seemed to be shouting and screaming obscenities at each other. Adaloun leaned against the wall and squinted on the little space in between.


    "Waddyah see there?" Ghwynmyr asked.


    There was a group of men approaching their cage. From the looks of it, Prince Arterius was leading them to the cage. The crowd behind the prince were an entourage of what seemed to be highly influential men, starting with Lord Prestonheim on his right, and the balding man in a toga on his left.


    "It''s Prince Arterius, but with an entourage." Adaloun answered.


    Adaloun gestured them to stand up. He wanted his comrades to look dignified and proud regardless of their current predicament. It was clear that something was afoot. He couldn''t put his finger into it, but it was clear that the prince might have shaken some feathers to gain this kind of reaction from these aging men.


    "Look sharp." He said. "And come forward beside me. There must be something in the brew."


    "Are we going to die?" The beastman asked.


    Orphella was quick to smack him in the head. "Don''t say that!" She sighed.


    "Cannae be helped, Phellie." Ghwynmyr said. "For what tis worth, I''m happy tah haffya yah, me friends!" He sadly smiled.


    Adaloun clicked his tongue. "Don''t say that! I am certain, we wouldn''t die. Not tonight. Not ever."


    Adaloun understood clearly the prince''s gestures that time they spoke earlier. The prince''s face was painted with frustration and anger as he saw them. His eyes were filled with remorse and pity towards how they were treated. It was the same look Adaloun had before towards his subjects, a long time ago.


    Prince Arterius stopped in front of the cage. His eyes met with Adaloun''s. The prince slightly nodded to him. It was a nod filled with conviction and confidence, something he thought the prince could never have pulled-off.


    The prince turned back to his buzzing entourage. Adaloun saw the reaction of the men in toga. Some of them were filled with distraught, while others filled with vile emotions and a few stoics with the decision Prince Arterius made.


    "Senators, knights, citizens of our glorious Arteria." He began. "I, Prince Arterius Prima, the first prince of Arteria, and Leader of this expedition, hereby, order 305-M to scan them for any impurities using the device!"


    305-M came forth bringing teardrop-shaped lamp. He hovered the beautiful lamp in front of them. The lamp emitted a pale, blue glow just like any other aetherium ore, however, this lamp had a few differences. The light danced slowly; up and down, up and down¡ª


    "So, what does this indicate, 305-M?!" Prince Arterius asked.


    The red-haired slave was hesitant, but he answered after glancing at the prince. "They are all clear, Prince Arterius." He answered.


    Prince Arterius nodded. "Then, there''s no need to put them in this cage!"


    "I respectfully disagree!" Senator Lucresia stepped up to the front. "What you''re doing is endangering¡ª"


    "Endangering who from what?" Prince Arterius asked. "If you''re going to tell me about how these slaves had killed those knights, you certainly have no evidence of that. Secondly, I cannot believe that I am still using the term slaves! These are free denizens of our nation! The moment they came out of that hole, they should''ve been treated like heroes, not prisoners or slaves! They have been unbound from the collars we have placed them!"


    "You are making a big mistake!" Senator Lucresia gnashed his teeth. It was clear that even he couldn''t go against the prince''s decision.


    "Mistakes? Haven''t we all made mistakes?" He looked at men. "I already know how history would treat me. The little things I do, will be considered mistakes or blunders by the time my name will be written on a book! I say, make this one of the major blunders you accuse me with when Arteria falls!"


    Lord Prestonheim stepped forward and bowed to the prince, then asked his knights to get Adaloun and the rest out of the cage and get them unbound from their shackles and collars.


    "From here on out, I, Prince Arterius Prima, the first in line to the throne hereby declare Adaloun of the Crescent Isles, Ghwynmyr the dwarf, Orphella the elf and Urfaal the beastman, free from all charges! I shall also bestow them citizenship to the realms and give them 1 gold denarii each to reward them for their troubles! We give to you our many thanks!" He made a slight bow at them. "However, I am afraid that you can no longer stay here." He handed the bag filled with Principalian currency in front of them.


    Adaloun and his comrades looked at one another as he slowly reached out to accept the reward. It was clear that they needed to get out of there and fast. Even with the prince''s intervention, it was only a matter of time before the old senator would make his move.


    "C-can we at least bring our weapons with us?" Adaloun tried to negotiate.


    "And what?! Kill us with it?!" Senator Lucresia spat.


    Suddenly, Senator Lucresia''s knights came out of nowhere and surrounded them. Adaloun and his comrades were quickly overwhelmed and had their backs against each other.


    "What is the meaning of this, Senator Lucresia?!" Prince Arterius tried to step forward but was barricaded by the senator''s knights.


    "You step out of the prince''s way!" Lord Prestonheim came in between the prince and knights. "Senator Lucresia, what are you doing?!"


    "Protecting the realm and the status quo as a good citizen should." The balding senator answered.


    "They are not the enemy!" Lord Prestonheim insisted. "No one is here to harm us¡ª"


    "That prince and these mongrels will!" Senator Lucresia made a hefty accusation against the prince.


    Adaloun saw how Lord Prestonheim''s face darkened with rage, pulled up his sword and pointed it at the senators. There was a messy verbal collision after that, both sides were accusing each other of mistakes. The silver-haired commander called all his knights and ordered the arrest of the old senator.


    As the discord slowly unraveled, and tensions began to rise, the knights surrounding them shifted their focus on protecting their senator. As they turned their attention towards the balding old man, Adaloun turned around and saw his comrades'' eyes, they were ready to go.


    Out from nowhere a bright flash of light descended from the heavens. Everyone was blinded, except for the four of them. There was no time to stand still and be in awe of such a moment. Adaloun tapped on Ghwynmyr''s shoulder as the dwarf signaled their escape.


    "Run!" Ghwynmyr shouted as he elevated the earth with a quick runic magic.


    The platform was tall enough for them to pass over the blinded knights, preventing any unnecessary clashes. They jumped from the platform and raced their way out of the camp. The knight''s and other armed men, as powerful as they could''ve been, weren''t able to stop them.


    They ran out of the gate and into the dark wilderness. They ran away from the vast open plain and opted towards the woods. They ran for who knew how long, until they finally decided to take a rest beneath the shade of a gigantic okre tree.


    "W-we¡­ finally¡­ lost them." Adaloun breathed as much as he could as he rested his back against the tree.


    "Glad we did!" Ghwynmyr said as he coughed.


    "Where to next?" Orphella asked as she wiped the sweat off her brow.


    "I-I don''t know¡­" Adaloun replied. "We''ll figure out something." He said.


    "They still might be on our tail!" Urfaal said. "W-without our weapons, we will be at a disadvantage!"


    "The weapons?!" Adaloun looked at Orphella.


    The mute elf nodded and raised her hand above her head, Adaloun soon followed.


    Before the others could react, a bow and a sword came flying back to their hands in such a high speed that it looked like it came out of nowhere.


    "Gods balls!" Ghwynmyr exclaimed. The dwarf couldn''t believe how the weapons followed its way into their hands.


    "Looks like they would always answer to our call."  Adaloun said as he looked at his shinning frankenstein of a weapon.


    "It truly does¡ª" Orphella said.


    They were about to continue their escape when suddenly the bushes rustled. Could it be a beast? Is it gutsy bandits? Or is it a company of knights? Their heart raised as the bushes continued to rustle. Orphella aimed her bow towards the bush while Adaloun and the rest readied for a clash.


    Adaloun prepared for the worst and was about to rush in when he suddenly felt a stinging sensation on his nape. He tried feeling his neck and realized a needle sticking out of it. He immediately pulled it off his skin, but it was already too late. His world suddenly started spin and he collapsed on the cold ground.


    He heard bodies thudding hard on the ground, one by one, before hearing more footsteps approaching them.


    "What''re we to do with them, Commander Crovar?" A man in a husky voice asked.


    "Take them and bag them, boys." The man answered. "We''ll end it here."


    ------------ End of Volume 3------------------


    I would like to apologize for the chapter delays. With the recent implementation of Enhanced Community Quarantine in our country. I am currently having difficulties juggling my work with my passion. I swear to still deliver the same quality of write-ups moving forward, albeit far off the scheduled dates.


    Thanks for your kind consideration!


    Ad Astra et Ultra!

 Chapter 206: After Story

    [Somewhere near the Great Dune Border]


    Tarsuria, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 85th day of Fall, The Bastion


    ------------------------------------------


    Two knights stood on top of the great Bastion overlooking the other side of the border.


    "Hey, Retrion!" The older knight shouted to his younger companion. "Don''t you think there are two moons tonight?"


    The younger knight squinted at his partner and looked up in the sky. There he saw a small round ball peeping behind the bigger moon. He looked at it for a moment and thought that he might''ve been dreaming or something, but it was there.


    "Whoa! The dunes!" The older knight exclaimed and pointed his finger at the sandy ground below. "It''s glowing! Retrion, it''s glowing!"


    Retrion looked below and got mesmerized by the swirling patterns of light dancing on the sands. It swirled and collided with each other and then turned into another different pattern once again. He couldn''t believe what he was seeing!


    The younger knight''s skin prickled at the bewildering sight. He looked up to his partner once and was surprised to see the older knight slumped against the wall. There was an arrow sticking out of his neck and was gasping for air.


    "Old man!" The knight tried to help the older knight, but before he could approach, another arrow pierced the old knight''s eye dropping him instantly on the floor.


    Retrion ducked and hid himself behind the wall. His heart raced as he feared for his fate. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down as he peeked to look for the attacker. He stealthily moved on the other side of the wall and held the hammer to sound the alarm.


    The young knight still tried to look for his partner''s murderer and saw a solitary figure in the far distance of the dune. The individual stood alone on top of the sandy hill. Retrion''s heart beat wildly as his anger slowly climbed into the surface.


    The young knight immediately rung the gong with the hammer with all of his might. But the assailant never flinched. Just as the sound of the gong echoed throughout the bastion, and the other knights prepared into battle, the assailant, raised his hands.


    Suddenly, a wave of horseback riders descended from the hill and covered the vastness of the dunes like locusts. Retrion saw the men clad in black armor charging towards them at a terrifying speed. He rang the bell some more out of fear and panic.


    But the men were already near the bastion''s gates, like lightning, they appeared out of nowhere and began banging on the bastion''s gate.


    ***


    [ Somewhere across the sky]


    "How long has it been since I last saw the world below my feet?" Oyue asked herself as she walked around her newly emerged moon.


    In front of her was that of her sister''s. She sat in a chair she formed from the surface of her celestial body and stared endlessly at the sky, all the while taking glimpses at Chandara''s huge, and overwhelming moon.


    "It wasn''t this big as I remembered." She muttered as her mind continued to wander into her memories. She recalled her glorious era as one of the proud moons that shed light upon the world. She remembered how the first occupants of the world would praise them and dance to their name.


    "Oyue the Birghtest! Chandara the Timid!" The Yldars gave their praises and offerings to them.


    Both the sister moons were considered the guardians of the night keeping the Yldars safe from creatures that lurked in the darkness¡ªthe same creatures that Chandara almost succumbed into.


    Oyue began to notice Chandara''s moon closing into hers. Oyue stood up and tried to control her moon, steering it away from catastrophic collision. But just as she was about to maneuver it away, Chandara''s moon stopped moving with barely a few reaches away from impact.


    She stared at her sister''s moon, gazing at the beautiful indiscernible color of its glow. She missed her, but she knew pretty darn well, that Chandara wasn''t thrilled to see her.


    "Why have you returned?" A familiar voice echoed from behind her.


    Oyue couldn''t help but smile. "I came back for you, sister." She placed her right hand over her chest and slightly bowed at her. "I came back to rule the skies with¡ª"


    "Have you forgotten what you''ve done?" Chandara angrily asked. "Have you forgotten it was you¡ª"


    "You know what you''re saying is far from the truth!" Oyue turned around and saw her sister, Chandara clad in her celestial armor; in her hand was her spear.


    Chandara''s eyes met hers. It was the first time since the Age of Wonder when she saw her little sister. Chandara was little no more, for the past two thousand years since the last time they saw each other. Her sister''s golden eyes shone brighter than ever. Her sweet and gentle look was no more. She was still as beautiful as she was, but her face showed a battle-hardened warrior, a far contrast from what she remembered of her.


    "Your armor suits you well, sister." Oyue smiled calmly at Chandara. "The golden glow matches your beautiful dark hair and golden eyes¡ª"


    "Enough of your flatteries, Oyue!" Chandara pointed the spear at her. "I order you to return from the place whence you came!"


    "But I am home." Oyue sighed. "This is my home."


    "Was¡­your home!" Chandara assumed her battle pose, ready to strike her sister with one false move. "You were never welcomed in the heavens any longer, Oyue, Mother of Monsters!"


    The last comment struck a nerve with her. "W-what did you just say to me?" Her patience was slowly deteriorating from Chandara''s harsh words. "Remember this Chandara, I was trying to save you!"


    "You should''ve just left me to die!" Chandara spat. "Leave the heavens now, Oyue. Or I will drag you out of here along with that tiny moon of yours!"


    Oyue had enough. "I hope you fight well as how you claimed to be." She said out of spite. "I would want to see your sobbing face once again!"


    "Why you?!" Chandara rushed on to her. Her spear thrusting towards her neck. "Prepare yourself, dear sister."


    Oyue took a step back while shedding her dress for her own battle armor. She immediately parried the attack with a spear of her own. The impact their weapons hitting each other caused the entire moon to tremble.


    Their eyes met once again and tried to stab each other with their own deadly weapons, when all of the sudden a blast of golden light came out of nowhere. In between their powerful blades was a shinning man made of gold and fire.


    He held their spears together making them unable to move their weapons.


    "ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!" He roared and shook the entire sky.


    "Apholak? Brother, stay out of my¡ª" Chandara tried to order him around.


    "No one is hurting anyone tonight!" The fiery god declared. "Lay down your weapons, I don''t want any of the remaining deities dead by tonight!"


    "But¡ª" Chandara tried to explain.


    "Either the both of you hide your weapons, or I burn them to ash! Both of you chose!


    Oyue calmly let go of her spear and retracted it. "I mean no ill-will big brother, Apholak--"


    "That remains something I must discern for myself." Apholak answered. "Let us go to my abode and talk there, now."


    With no hesitation both deities nodded and followed the sun god into his realm. Although hesitant and hurt with the entire situation, Oyue had no qualms speaking to her siblings. She just hope they weren''t as chaotic as they were a thousand years before.

 Chapter 207: Coming of the New Age Pt.1

    Tarsuria, Year of Severus, 18, I.R., the 59th day of Spring, Broken Springs


    -----------------------------


    The sun''s ray shone irritably against Nullus'' eyes. He begrudgingly stood up and covered the small crack on the wall with a few straws where the sliver of light made its way. After doing that, he lied down once again and tried to sleep once again.


    However, just before his mind could fully wander away from consciousness, the loud and reprehensible sound of the rooster blasted the air. Nullus sat up, scratched his unkempt beard and whispered obscenities under his breath.


    Not long after the rooster''s annoying crow, there was a knock on his make-shift door.


    "Big brother, Nullus!" A shrill voice called out his name. "Big brother, Nullus, time to wake up! There are still a few more crops to harvest!" His voice said excitingly.


    "Ugh! Comeback later, Squeakers!" Nullus spat. "I still need to sleep¡ª"


    "But big brother," The child banged his door louder. "Alderman Hostea told me to get you! I won''t get my lunch if you come later!"


    "Well, you do need to watch on your weight!" Nullus lied back down and rolled to his side.


    "W-what?! What do you mean by that?!" Squeakers'' voice was a key higher with annoyance.


    Nullus didn''t answer. He ignored Squeakers and his constant knocking, as he tried to get a few more glimpses of sleep. After a few noisy moments, it finally went silent. The door was no longer banging, and the child''s annoying voice was also gone. It was peace and quiet once again, or so he thought.


    Suddenly, window in front of him creaked, and not a moment later, the annoying sound of the god damned rooster filled his room. He immediately stood up from his bed and confronted the annoying rooster who shat in his small round table, chaos ensued after that.


    After tussling with the gigantic bird, he was finally able to grab hold of it. Nullus who wasn''t in the mood for a joke early that morning wanted to strangle the damned chicken to death¡­ if only it were his. He looked at his small, opened window and noticed the obvious.


    The child hid obviously below his window, not knowing how noticeable he was to them. Squeakers'' cowlick-do stick like a sore thumb popping out of from the corner of the window. Nullus clicked his tongue and grab a hair-full of the mischievous child.


    "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Squeakers rose up from his hiding spot, tip toeing as he faces the wrath of an angry sleepyhead.


    "S-squuueeaakkkkeeersss!" Nullus gently yanked the annoying child''s cowlick. "Stop bugg¡ªOW!"


    Nullus let go of the child''s hair as the rooster started attacking him. The rooster pecked his unkempt and tangled hair. When it got stuck by the hair, the rooster kicked him hard in the head. He struggled and tried his best defend himself against the chicken.


    The jovial kid ran away from him but not before calling him out once again. "Ummm¡­ Alderman Hostea will be expecting you! See yah in a bit!" Squeakers left the scene with dust trailing him.


    "SQQQUEEEAAAKKKKEEERRRSSS!!!" Nullus shouted once more as the rooster ruthlessly attacked his head.


    Nullus was still battling against the chicken that got entangled by his hair. He wrestled against the chicken until he finally grabbed his knife. Without any hesitation he cut off his hair entangled against the chicken''s neck, setting the damned bird free.


    The chicken flew out of the window and left Nullus distraught and confused. He tried to start his day with the little time he had after that chicken fiasco. He washed his face and took the decent looking clothing he had, carried his shovel by the shoulder and went into the town square where the Alderman and a few of the town''s folk gathered.


    "A beautiful day, Nul¡ª" The alderman squinted. "What happened to you face, good sir?!"


    Nullus remained silent and looked into the gathered crowd, squinting his eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of that stupid cowlick.


    "The boy," He answered. "Where is Squeakers?" He said in his monotone voice.


    The alderman instantly knew what was going on. "Squeakers! Come''re you stupid brat!"


    The crowd moved away from both men''s gaze and pointed at squeakers hiding behind a lady. In anger, the alderman stormed towards him and twisted his ear. The poor child was dragged in front where Nullus stood stoically waiting for him.


    "What did you to him?!" Alderman Hostea asked the shaken child. "What mischief did you¡ª"


    "He didn''t do anything." Nullus said, as he saw the numbing fear in the child''s eyes. "He just wanted to partner up with me." He added.


    "Oh, is that so?!" The alderman said. "Very well. Squeakers, make sure you obey the good sir''s command! Do not be a dead weight to our savior!"


    "Alderman Hostea," Nullus sighed. "Please don''t call me that. You saved me as much as saved your town."


    The alderman grinned and slapped his back. "You don''t have to be so modest about it."


    Nullus awkwardly smiled and nodded at the old man while at the same time, holding Squeakers by the arm helping him stand.


    "P-pplease¡­" The child''s voice trembled. "Don¡ª"


    "I am not going to hurt you." Nullus patted his back.


    "But I¡ª" Squeakers tried to reason with him.


    "You''re annoying, yes." Nullus sighed. "But that doesn''t warrant me to hurt you. So, come on, let''s be on our way!"


    Although hesitant, the child nodded and followed him out into the field.


    The sun was blazing hot as they walked towards the field, but the townsfolk ignored the scorching blaze for something they were all excited about. Just three years ago before Nullus came into their town, the people of Broken Springs were at the verge of death and starvation.


    With no water flowing to their crops, the people were met with the dilemma of their townsfolk dying from starvation. It was only after they had nursed Nullus that they were able to gain the advantage they need.


    No one knew who Nullus was and where he came from, but no one cared about it. He was simply a man they picked up from the road one day tired and dying from thirst. After helping him recover, he immediately worked their fields and toiled their soil in such a way that they never thought it was humanly possible.


    But his knowledge and skill for irrigation and farming greatly overshadowed every farmer in town. To combat the drought, Nullus made huge wooden screws encased inside a cylinder to efficiently fetch water from the river source below the hill. Its efficiency was so great that town began to prosper from the simple machine he created for them.


    He also gave some techniques in farming and fertilizing the land more efficiently to gain more yield by putting some crushed river shells over the toiled ground to optimize its potential, a knowledge that no one in all of the Principalia knew about!


    Nullus'' innovations were way ahead of his time and as of currently, the fruits and crops he suggested them to plant has been working perfectly in their advantage. Today was their harvest of their first summer fruit, the melon, as what he called it. A plant which he saw growing at the edge on the other side of the river.


    The people gathered anxiously as the Alderman spoke.


    "My fellow townsfolk, this harvest wouldn''t be possible if it weren''t for Nullus. The man who made our barren soil into the fertile land it is today! His knowledge is truly God-given and I cannot imagine our town without him. To that, we give him thanks and to all of you who trusted his wisdom!"


    The people cheered and clamored for him as the alderman pushed him forward to make a speech. He looked at everyone who waited for him to begin. His heart pounded rapidly; it was the first time in such a while when he spoke to this many people. He never wanted this much attention, but the alderman won him over.


    Nullus closed his eyes and cleared his throat as he composed his thoughts. "Thank you, townspeople of Broken Springs, for trusting me in this tough endeavor. I know you wanted me to speak more about it or what to do next, but let''s just part it all for now and just focus on harvesting these fruits, do you agree?!" He exclaimed.


    Without second thought the people cheered. Alderman Hostea cracked a smile on his lips and gestured the start of the harvest. People rushed in and intricately took the fruits as gently as they can as instructed by Nullus. The affair went on for the entire day until sundown came and everyone went home bringing their harvest into the city square, where they shall offer their bounty to their moon goddess before eating or selling it.


    Nullus would''ve preferred eating the fruits immediately, but he wanted to be respectful towards the townspeople. Later that night, he went back to his small hut and took a good hot bath before lying in bed, counting the fun memories he had the during the day.


    The townspeople smiles and laughter made him remember of the good times he had before he made his way into this world. It made him remember those time when he ruled a couple of civilizations back, before his 365th reincarnation¡ªthis reincarnation.

 Chapter 208: Coming of the New Age Pt.2

    Tarsuria, Year of Severus, 18, I.R., the 60th day of Spring, Broken Springs


    ------------------------


    The night breeze was far warmer than it was yesterday. Nullus woke up sweating and breathing heavily as his head pounded from the nightmare he woke up to. He stood up and drank water directly from the earthen jug he stored just beside his bed.


    This wasn''t the first time this had occurred either. Nullus has been dreaming the same dream more than he could count. The dark water smashing against him, the glowing eyes of the serpent showing beneath the water, the dark tunnels and bat-like monsters he encountered returned to him every single night. But that wasn''t where the nightmare was. The nightmare came in the form of his comrades slowly being killed and devoured in a thousand ways he had lost count of them. Just this night, he dreamt how the dwarf and beastman got torn to pieces by giant serpents they fought inside the cave.


    He and the elf watched in horror as the serpents gobbled up their comrades'' dead carcasses, all the while their dead eyes met with his, asking him questions about why he wasn''t able to save them. He usually woke up every time they would come to ask the question, and it frustrated him.


    Up until now, he still wasn''t sure what happened to them after that fateful night three years ago. All he recalled was the aftermath of waking up by the edge of the river, cold and alone with pieces of a broken boat surrounding him. He could no longer recall anything before that except the night they managed to escape the camp.


    He heard a loud thud from his makeshift drawer; something fell to the floor. He stood up and saw the glowing sword unraveled from its linen cover. The sword glowed the same pale, blue light. He picked it up and felt it pulsating as if it was calling to him. He immediately wrapped the sword and hid it back inside the drawer, buried in mounds of torn clothing and unused linens.


    He should''ve thrown that weapon out when he had the chance, but something inside him was stopping him from doing it. A gut feeling that up until now he couldn''t understand himself. It felt like the blade was speaking to him, begging him to let it stay by his side. Maybe it was all in his mind and the logical explanation for it was that he never had the heart to throw the damned thing.


    He laid back on his straw bed recalling the good times he had with his missing comrades, wishing and hoping that they''re still alive, wherever they might''ve been. He closed his eyes once again but not before seeing a familiar glow from outside his window. He knew who it was but chose to ignore it. After all the things that happened to him, the last thing he wanted was some persuasion from a moon goddess who now sits high and mighty in the heavens.


    Nullus closed his eyes and went back to sleep a dreamless sleep; a peaceful sleep he wished he could have every single night.


    Morning came once again. Nullus sat up from his bed earlier than the damned rooster could crow. He opened his window and gazed at the rising sun slowly breaking the dark veil of the night sky. Just a little above it, were the two moons constantly competing for its existence in the sky. So far, the bigger one was winning, but Oyue''s moon shone ever brighter as the years gone by and was slowly moving its opposite direction of the main moon.


    Nullus spat at the sight of Oyue''s moon. Up until now, he still hated the goddess and her kin. He had a lot of reasons for that, mainly because he had worked with gods more than a hundred lifetimes before and knew how selfish and self-absorbed their kind were.


    Squeakers bobbed his cowlick on the window a few moments after breakfast. The young plump kid was excited to greet him as he readied for the day. The child was excited with what he told the alderman last night about how the melon was supposed to be eaten, apparently, the child couldn''t wait to taste such succulent fruit.


    They went into the square where the alderman and the rest of the town people waited for him eagerly.


    "Finally, you have arrived!" Alderman Hostea greeted him with excitement written all over his face.


    He bowed to the old man and smiled as he caught a glimpse of the watermelons'' shiny skin glistened in the sun. He picked one up, placed it near his ear and knocked on it. After hearing the blunt, yet full sound of the melon, he nodded and smiled.


    "This one is ripe already!" He declared.


    The townspeople whispered to each other. They weren''t sure how to react to what Nullus had just said, after all this would be the first time, they would be tasting the fruit out. He let them watch as he cut the fruit into halves, then quarters, then into eighths.


    The townspeople gasped as they saw the red fruit glistened under the sun. He took a slice and ate it for himself. He smiled as the sweet, refreshing taste of the melon filled his mouth. He offered one to the alderman who never hesitated to grab a slice.


    Alderman Hostea bit a large chunk of the melon, the old man''s eyes glowed and teared up as he consumed the fruit.


    "It so sweet!!!" He exclaimed. "I-is this what you want us to sell in the city?" He asked wiping the tears off his face.


    "Yes, and there''s so much more." Nullus said.


    He then took the rinds and showed them how to make it into yeast.


    "Yeast?" A townsfolk asked. "What do you need that for?"


    Nullus smiled. "Two things, better bread and fine wine!"


    "Wine?!" The Alderman reacted. "But we don''t have grapes! And even if we do, we can''t compete with the lush valleys of the Northern Cities."


    "Alderman Hostea who says about grapes?" Nullus smiled as he patted the old man''s shoulder. "We are using watermelon and get it on the market!"


    His comment made the townspeople whispering. Was it even possible?


    "We can''t go on like this!" Nullus said. "We can''t just farm in the warmer parts of the year and die in starvation during the colder seasons! We have to find a way to earn a coin in those cold days and get some warm food on our table! I believe this would be our best step. Believe me, we can do this!"


    Alderman Hostea looked at Nullus with hope in his eyes. "If you say so, Nullus. Then, please teach us."


    Nullus nodded and showed them the process. He began by placing water in a small jug then place some soured wine vinegar into the water and a few cups of crushed watermelon then covered it. He then told the people to stir it every couple of days and check for bubbles.


    "Would that be bad if there''ll be bubbles?" A townsman asked.


    "No, that means its growing good. Just make sure to put it in the dark, away from direct sunlight." He added.


    The townspeople quickly took out their own containers and repeated the process. It became hectic following that morning''s demonstration. While the others were making yeast, some of them were sorting melons for the market for the next morning.


    The watermelon was a new product they wanted to introduce to the bigger towns and thus, they had to make sure that they sell the best quality of fruits they could offer. The day ended with everyone sweaty and exhausted, sorting the melons and placing them into the carts for tomorrow''s market in the next town of Lucresium.


    Night came and everyone went back to their houses, that included Nullus. As he arrived to his house, he noticed a pale blue glow through his window. He immediately hurried, worried that his cover might be blown because of the strange glow inside his house.


    He rushed into his house and opened his door, only to find out a familiar face sitting by his bed.


    "How long has it been since I saw you last, Adlaw-on? Or is it Nullus now?" She spoke in her sweet, gentle voice.


    "O-oyue¡­you''re not welcome here!" He spat as his sword flew into his hand.

 Chapter 209: The Missing Years Pt. 1

    Oyue''s Moon, Three years ago


    ---------------------------


    Oyue stared at the world below as the blanket of night slowly covered the land. She never realized how beautiful it was to see the sun''s crimson light scattered at the horizon as it finally gave its way to the moons. The experience was cathartic, even for a goddess like her. Maybe it was because she ignored this scene millennias ago and was missing it during her stay underneath the labyrinth.


    She gazed over the sun setting in the horizon and her sister''s moon lighting up in the sky in contrast to the darkness of the night. It was almost time for them to convene once again and speak about the terms on her stay in the surface.


    Oyue hated every moment of it. She hated the idea of her, a goddess and savior of the world negotiate the terms of her existence in the sky just because her beloved siblings suddenly became insecure with her presence.


    Her brooding was soon interrupted by a hissing sound behind her. She looked around and saw her brother, Apholak appeared from a portal out of thin air. His stern face peered in the portal, before he stepped out from it.


    "Fair greetings, dear sister." He placed his right hand in his chest and bowed slightly. "Are you ready to convene?"


    Oyue greeted back and nodded. "Yes, I am, dear brother. Let''s go!"


    Apholak reached out for his sister''s hand as he went inside the portal. Oyue shook her head and simply entered the portal without taking her brother''s hand. She entered the portal and was immediately teleported to his brother''s abode.


    It was a nostalgic sight to behold. The golden floors lined with glowing flames patterned in squares overlapped each other creating a hypnotic crimson glow, like a sun setting under your feet. She looked around and saw how much of his brother''s abode has changed. The once bustling home filled with Yldar servants was reduced to flame constructs constantly roaming around his home.


    The golden garden his brother had bragged about before was no longer there. Only a dead golden tree served as a remnant of his once lush and beautiful garden. The golden fountain that once spurted liquid gold, no longer functioned and instead it just stood there like a reminder of the glory days of the gods.


    "What happened to your beautiful garden?" Oyue asked her brother.


    His brother paused his stride and looked back towards her. "Things changed, Oyue. Years came and went, beauty faded along with time." He sighed.


    Oyue spoke no more of it. She could feel in her brother''s voice how pained he was just answering the question. She quietly followed her brother into his hall where a stern-faced Chandara waited for them tapping her fingers on the golden round table in the center of the hall.


    "Finally, you''ve arrived." She stood up and greeted them both with a slight nod and her right hand on her chest. "Fair greetings to both of you. Can we go ahead and speed this through? I have a moon to attend to."


    Oyue wasn''t sure whether to be hurt by her sister''s hasty and insensitive remark or just go along with it. Either way, she wasted no time and took a seat at one of her brother''s long golden chair. Her other siblings did the same and now, the three of them locked eyes on the table.


    There was an eerie silence in the air, like a storm was brewing and about to land. Oyue wasn''t sure what the discussion would be all about, after all, she was still confused on how her beloved sister acted towards her days prior. She wasn''t sure what was going on, but she was too hesitant to ask.


    Her siblings aura leaked from them like a small spring breaking a rock. Instead of an intimate reunion, it became more of a high-stake staring match were the parties are too hesitant to budge in fear of losing the game. Somehow, someone has to give way for them to start, and Oyue took it upon herself to open up first.


    "Dearest siblings, what is the reason for this meeting?" She began. "I have just barely resurfaced from the labyrinth, and I have already gotten the notion that you do not want my existence in the surface."


    "It''s not that we want to keep you down there," Apholak sighed. "It''s just¡ª"


    "It''s just you''re ruining the order of which we have built." Chandara interjected.


    "W-what do you mean?" Oyue asked. "I-I¡­"


    "It was because of you that the Age of Wonder was created. The ley lines that changed the physiology of every being on the planet and created the advent of magic became a problematic time for us. Wars, famines, monsters they all came out of that selfish mistake you did!"


    "Selfish?!" Oyue tried to calm herself down by taking a deep breath. "How is it selfish saving you?"


    "That was your problem," Chandara looked at her in the eyes. "You''re too merciful. You should''ve done the right thing, and this wouldn''t have happened. I would''ve done it differently if I¡ª"


    "I can''t lose any of you anymore!" Oyue interrupted. "I saved you because you have to live. This world needs us to balance it! I cannot afford to lose any of you."


    "And yet you afforded to stay under the ground sleeping and conniving with some Yldars to destroy the very world you have sworn to protect!" Chandara hit the table with her fist. "I was there, sister! I was there when our creations birthed their own creations. I was there when they discovered and used magic. I was there when they tried to kill each other! I was¡ª"


    "I gave them magic to help them defend themselves against the remnants of the Crawling Darkness!" Oyue raised her voice. "I cannot stand them being eaten by those¡ª"


    "Those monsters that you created!" Her sister pointed her finger at her. "The monsters you spat out from your mouth when you bit the Crawling Darkness!"


    "I was trying to save¡ª" Oyue insisted.


    "You weren''t saving anyone with your actions!" Chandara said. "That''s why I never dared and spoke to you all these years it''s because this world''s suffering, was something you have caused! You''re ruining our father''s legacy!"


    Oyue screamed and flipped the table away from them. "You take that back! I loved our father as much as you did, and I have never done anything to spoil his legacy! I am trying to--"


    "Save our father''s legacy? With what, sister? With your champions? Wakan? Haeberion? Or this other worlder?! You best not intervene! You have already caused too much suffering! I cannot afford to let you do any more of it! That''s why I want you to go back to that labyrinth and sleep for all eternity!"


    Chandara''s words poignantly pierced Oyue''s pride and character. It pained her to see how her beloved sister was treating her as if she was the problem. She only wanted to help her and save her from the Crawling Darkness that almost took her life. She looked at Apholak who calmly listened to them while sitting still on his chair. Her brother''s eyes portrayed no emotion, and it made her felt uneasy looking at him.


    She got her attention back to her sister. Who angrily stood up from her chair, sizing her up. Her sister wanted to prove her point through a grueling battle.  It was clear from the get-go that Chandara was prepared for a fight¡ªOyue wasn''t. But she was willing to butt heads with her if that was necessary to get her sister to wake up from her trance.


    "What if I won''t?" Oyue asked.


    Chandara''s armor began to wrap around her body and her spear began to appear. "I am afraid I have to¡ª"


    "ENOUGH!" Apholak''s booming voice shook the halls.


    Both goddesses were surprised by their brother''s sudden outburst. They took a step back trying to control their own anger from bursting.


    "I thought it was a good idea to talk this out." Apholak sighed as he stood up from his chair. "But now it''s clear to me that this was a mistake." He clicked his tongue all the while raising his hand and commanding the golden table to go back into previous position.


    "I would have rather made you talk to settle your animosity, but that is something both of you could never do." He turned to Oyue and met her eyes with his. "Dear sister, I am afraid Chandara has a point. Your constant intervention towards these beings has caused a lot of problems in the past. I am afraid I cannot let you do that any longer."


    "W-what do you mean, brother?" Oyue asked.


    "You can no longer interact with the beings below. If you would like to keep you place in the sky, I would like to request that you no longer contact your chosen beings."


    "But they need¡ª" She stuttered.


    "They just have to make do." He sighed. "I am sorry, little sister. Chandara and I have made an agreement after the end of the Age of Wonder to no longer interfere with the businesses of these mortals. To avoid the cataclysm that happened during the Yldar''s wake. If you won''t agree with it, I swear on our father''s legacy, that I shall personally send you back to labyrinth or worse." Apholak slowly unleashed his weapon, their father''s spear for Oyue to see.


    Although she cannot agree with his brother''s decision, Oyue was far too weak against his brother and the spear. She silently nodded as she repressed her frustration from showing.


    "I am glad that you agreed." Apholak smiled and tapped the spear three times on the ground. "Very well, we are adjourned. Good night, dear sister." He bowed and snapped his fingers to summon a portal for her.

 Chapter 210: The Missing Years Pt. 2

    Chandara''s Moon, 3 years ago


    ----------------------------


    After storming out of her siblings'' presence, Chandara went back to her abode gritting her teeth as she threw her spear into a clear wall. The weapon lodged into the gray, marbled wall but not cracking it. It only proved that even in her anger, the goddess Chandara was graceful and delicate with her attacks.


    But why didn''t she feel that way? She was beautiful, powerful and a goddess of no equal when it comes to fighting. However, just a mere look at her sister, she realized that she couldn''t even measure up to her. Everything she built during her absence now seemed to be ignored. Even after what her sister did with their father''s creation, there where still a lot of mortals and Yldars from years ago that worshipped Oyue fervently.


    Chandara approached the damaged wall and pulled out the spear lodged into the wall. The spear glowed a tint of that indiscernible color; the same color her moon glowed above the night sky. She loathed her sister for her moon''s beautiful pale blue glow. She hated the gift her sister gave to her, a spear made from the root of Oyue''s crystal tree. She recalled how she purposefully let the Crawling Darkness devour the spear. It was a wonderful sight to behold how it crumbled under the maws of the void monster.


    But even after her sister fell, and became the mother of monsters, many people still came to worship her. The beastman, dwarves and the elves clamored at her sister''s heroic deed. It was something that she couldn''t move on from. She was there as well. She helped fought the Crawling Darkness.


    Chandara couldn''t believe that her sister got almost all the credit for saving the world. She knew that wasn''t the case. She knew it was because of her sister that the world almost got destroyed and most of the mortals killed, but she was still considered the Bright Light Oyue.


    It took her an end of an age, an Yldar revolt and, a few millennia just to erase her sister''s memory from the world but even then, she couldn''t delete everything of it. Some sects survived and with abiding to his brother''s rule, she can no longer interfere with them.


    Chandara knew her sister had returned. She knew it from the start. She and her brother felt her presence one day while they were peacefully seating in their thrones. She felt uneasy and wanted to intervene right away, but because of his brother''s mandate she was unable to do anything. The mandate she and her brother both agreed to never interrupt with the mortal world¡ªnot again, not anymore.


    She walked past by her luscious garden filled with otherworldly trees and flowers of various color spectrums and went to her throne room. Chandara''s throne room was vast. Her floor was made of white sparkling rocks engraved with spherical lines and triangular patterns that converged into a pattern undiscernible, even to her siblings. It was of her own design. A language that she used to create her moon and other weapons, far different from theirs.


    She grazed into the hall passing by her huge spiral pillars, then her flaming braziers and finally climbing the obsidian stone steps to her throne. She sat there brooding on her sister''s re-emergence and how it could affect her influence in the world.


    The night was getting deeper and Chandara was getting more frustrated about her new situation. She hated how her brother stayed neutral all throughout their brief meeting. She grumbled how Apholak never seemed to care about it.


    Was he not threatened about how their sister could cause havoc to the world they mended after the Age of Wonder? Why would he risk their order over her sister''s volatile nature? Just the thought of it annoyed her.


    She thumped her fist on the throne before storming out of the room. She went back outside and tried to cool her head. Everything that happened the past few days was triggering her. She wanted to smite someone just to blow off some steam but, she was still bound by her brother''s rules.


    Chandara walked to the edge of her garden and glanced at the vast wretched waters her sister had created.


    "Oyue''s sea, huh?" She spat.


    Chandara had places named after her, but this big lake felt different. The big lake was directly created by her sister when her moon crashed into the land. It broke open the water hidden down below and with Oyue''s massive exousia, it turned the reservoir into an endless source, thus creating the biggest in the land.


    She sighed and shook her head. Suddenly, she noticed a commotion from below. She saw four boats racing separately into the furthest corners of the lake. She was supposed to ignore the men below when something caught her eye.


    A pale shining light caught her attention. She squinted and focused her sights on the boat at farthest right. The pale blue glow was making her eyes sore. She focused her sights on it and finally saw who the person on the boat was.


    "Adaloun!" She whispered under her breath.


    She felt her rage about to explode. She never liked him. The otherworlder was once a dog of the deity who betrayed them and ran away during the invasion of the Crawling Darkness. She wasn''t sure what got into her at that moment, but she suddenly pointed her finger at the boat and released a quick energy bolt on the people below.


    Just as her attack was about to hit the boats below, a pale blue beam instantly hit her bolt and exploded in the air. The explosion created a massive wave that blasted the boats away. Chandara turned around and saw her sister, Oyue, glaring right back at her from her abode.


    "AAAGHHHH!" Chandara donned her armor and rushed towards her sister.


    Oyue did the same and donned her battle armor and released her weapon out in the open. Chandara took out her spear and was about to clash with her sister when suddenly huge golden hands appeared out of nowhere and prevented her meeting her sister.


    To Chandara''s horror, Apholak descended from the sky. His stoic look cannot mask the anger in him. He immediately glared at her and at her sister before grabbing the both of them with the golden hands.


    She tried to free herself out of it but no matter how powerful she exerted, the fingers wouldn''t even budge to open.


    "It is no use, Chandara." Apholak said sternly at her. "I am very disappointed at the both of you¡ª"


    "Dear brother, I was trying to¡ª" Oyue tried to reason out.


    "SILENCE!" His voice roared like thunder cracking in the sky. "I will not hear a word from the both of you!"


    Chandara suddenly felt a wave of searing heat in her body. She tried fighting it, but the more she did, the hotter it became.


    "AAAGGGHH!" She shouted as the heat slowly burned her inside the golden gripping hand. "W-what are you doing, brother?!" She spat.


    "Teaching both of you a lesson." Apholak raised his fist and ray of golden light descended on both of them burning their powers away. "Since the both of you wouldn''t honor the rules, I will take some of your powers away from you!"


    The heat intensified and slowly burned portions of their skins and armors. She looked at Oyue and saw her sister struggled with the punishment as well. Her sister squirmed in pain as the light slowly eroded her power and armor.


    For some reason, it gave Chandara a sense of satisfaction seeing her sister suffer, albeit it also costed her the punishment. She grinned and laughed in agony as the punishment was being administered.


    "I, Apholak, the Sun god, hereby punish the Moon goddesses, Oyue and Chandara to be stripped of their powers until further evaluation is made! May the light cleanse you both!"


    The golden light intensified and poured hard on them like storm. There was nothing more they could do but scream in agony as the punishment continued on.

 Chapter 211: The Missing Years Pt.3

    Chandea, Year of Severus, 16, I.R., the 1st day of Winter, Broken Springs


    Water. There was no one around him but the cold, freezing water as he slowly sunk deeper and deeper. It was getting harder to breath, as the icy liquid filled his lungs refusing the air to go back in it. Adaloun looked up from the depths and saw a ray of golden light dancing in the surface of the water, as his body slowly went numb.


    He could''ve just closed his eyes and sunk deeper into the dark, cold depths of the unknown waters. He could''ve surrendered himself in death''s embrace and end it all for good but he still wanted to live. He opened his eyes and fought back his numbing body. He moved his arms violently and paddled as hard as he could while using the last air in his lungs for one powerful struggle.


    He pushed through the wild swirling current, and out into the surface as the last ounce of air was about to be consumed. He finally made it to the surface just enough for him to choke from the liters of water he drank. He spat some and coughed as violently as he could. Before he could gasp for that sweet air, he much needed.


    The sea had an ominous golden glow right above the surface. He turned around and saw nothing but floating wood and some other flaming debris. He looked up and saw two golden orbs slowly fading from the sky.


    "A-anyone there?!" His legs stiffened as if someone was tugging him down. He vigorously flapped his arms to keep him afloat. "G-g-g-ghwyn¡­myr? U-urfa-al? O-orph¡­ella? Anyone?" His voice slowly cracked and faded from the cold, but no one answered.


    "Oyue!" He called out. "Oyue!" He shouted as he lost his voice.


    He tried to keep himself afloat a few times, but the fatigue settled in, and his body surrendered to the numbing cold. Adaloun slowly sunk in the cold, dark waters. He felt something pulling his legs as he tried to struggle with the remaining strength he had left. Alas, it was all for naught!


    He looked down and saw pale withered hands pulling him down the abyss. He struggled to get out of their grips as quickly as he could, but his legs were too weak to make the effort. He flapped his hands harder to get back into the surface, but the cold hands of the death were gripping him tightly.


    In his last-ditch effort, he looked down and wanted to stare at the death straight in the eyes. But what he saw terrified him. As he looked below, he saw the glowing eyes staring straight at him. Their faces were slowly unveiled from the dark waters and to his surprise, it was his comrades. Their pale, lifeless faces struck him with fear.


    He tried shouting but water filled his lungs. He tried swimming once again, but his body is saying no this time. Adaloun''s body finally shut down and slowly sunk deeper and deeper into the darkness¡ªinto the abyss.


    "AAGGGHHHH!" Adaloun woke up from his dream covered in sweat.


    He looked around and saw nothing but the darkness in his room. His head was pounding violently as the sweat dripped from his body like he was bathing in water. He cursed under his breath and got out of bed. He staggered towards his kitchen and took a drink of sour wine from a gourd.


    It tasted bad, but it was good in drowning his sorrows, forgetting the worst times of his life. Forgetting his long-gone friends and the life that was supposedly promise to him after they got out of that damned hell hole.


    He chugged some more, before the sour wine filled his belly and came back up his mouth. He threw the gourd as he spewed the wine all over his kitchen. After vomiting, he wiped his mouth and simply went back to bed.


    Adaloun was a broken man. He lived while his friends died at the hands of the people he trusted. Just as he expected, he was simply used by the people who promised him their freedom and the so-called goddess who promised them their protection.


    He went back to bed as his head throbbed violently. The moment he closed his eyes, he noticed a pale blue glow shinning in his eyes. He opened his eyes and saw the small moon peering from his window. Out of spite, he opened his window and shouted at the moon.


    "Fuck you, Oyue! Fuck you, and your kind!" He gritted his teeth. "Why can''t you just let me die?!"


    He slammed the window and laid down back on his bed.


    Ever since he survived the drowning, Adaloun had been tirelessly trying to kill himself. However, he every time he did the deed, it always got interrupted. When he tried to hang himself from a tree, the branch suddenly broke. When he tried to drown himself in the river near the village, he was quickly washed up on the bank by a mysterious wave. He tried jumping on a cliff, but his fall got cushioned by a well-placed thick bush and soft tree branches on his way down. His last attempt with ending his life also failed horribly when the dagger he was about to slice his throat with, shattered when Adaloun''s gladius prevented it from touching his neck.


    Adaloun had to wash his sorrows and frustrations away through the hard, bad-tasting liquor because Oyue wasn''t letting him kick the bucket just yet. Now, he was stuck in this impoverish village plagued with famine and death. A more depressing scene that contributed nothing to his well-being.


    Most of the times he would rather get drunk and only preferred being sober if he needed to cry or ran out of wine. He spent his days toiling the bone-dry fields, plowing the withered vegetables, or plucking mushrooms at the edge of the dry field for him to consume.


    It wasn''t a life fit for him, he thought. But on the other hand, he also thought he deserved the life he had now due to arrogance and pride. The same thing that killed his comrades in the first place.


    The cold winter winds blew from the outside. Adaloun shivered from the chilling air and covered himself with his tattered blanket while closing his eyes hoping that sleep will come for him once again. It never came to him, and on the wee hours of the morning, before the rooster crowed, he heard a wailing woman from a distance.


    Adaloun cliked his tongue, "Death has taken another life." He sighed. "Why can''t it be mine?"

 Chapter 212: On that Cold Winter Day Pt.1

    Chandea, Year of Severus, 16, I.R., the 1st day of Winter, Broken Springs


    -----------------------------


    Snow fell from the sky, like cotton floating from the heavens landing into the barren earth. Adaloun stared blankly at the sky, his mind was away from everything else happening around him. The cold breeze blew but he never bothered to cover himself with any extra protective clothing. He sat in front of his dilapidated house that was given to him by the generous alderman who found him walking endlessly on the forest one day.


    His skin prickled as the cold; north wind blew once again. He was never bothered by the cold. He sat on his porch, bare chested, drinking his sour wine, and drowning his sorrows. People went pass by him holding thick wools, covering their bodies.


    He drank some more and laid his back against his wall. From a distance he saw a little child creeping from the thick snow. The child seemed to be carrying a huge pile of firewood on his back. Adaloun looked away and tried to ignore the child walking in front of him. But the young boy''s heaving was audible from where he was.


    The young boy was breathing heavily as he slowly sunk in the snow. Adaloun took a glance at the boy once again and only saw his glaring cow lick popping out from the thick snow. The boy was no longer moving. Only the cow lick swayed in the cold breeze as it was slowly being buried by the falling snow.


    "Boy!" Adaloun shouted. "Boy, get up!" But the child was motionless, face down on the snow.


    Adaloun quickly stood up and staggered towards the boy. The thick and uneven snow was making him fall, but he still pushed on until he finally grabbed the boy out from the snow. He went back inside his house and quickly started a fire using the boy''s firewood on his hearth. He covered the boy with the little clothes that he had along with some hay and boiled some water on his hearth as well.


    The boy was still cold. He took the pot out of the fire, scooped some snow outside through a small bowl and poured the hot water on it. Once he was able to get the temperature he wanted, he took a small torn cloth, dipped it in the bowl and placed it on the boy''s forehead.


    The child was still shivering. He took some of his sour wine and placed it in a pot to heat up. After heating up the wine, he then placed it in a mug, cooled it down a bit and let the child drink it. As the wine went down the child''s throat, he immediately woke up and spat the obnoxious liquid out, before collapsing back on Adaloun''s bed. Adaloun on the other hand felt relieved seeing the boy animated and sat down on his cold floor watching the boy for any changes in his condition.


    Night came, Adaloun woke up lying on the cold floor. He sat up and checked the child lying in bed. He touched the child''s forehead and felt his warmth. He sighed with relief and stood up to get some sour wine of his own, but he already finished the last jar of it.


    He threw the jar to the kitchen and clicked his tongue forgetting the child sleeping behind him. He gathered the shattered pieces of clay on his sink and gathered it on the side. That was when he heard the child groaned.


    "Ohhh¡­" The child sat up from his bed. "W-where am I?"


    "Safe." Adaloun answered in a gruffy voice.


    The child looked around and saw his shabby room. The pale glow of the moonlight peeked in the little opening of the window of his room.


    "Your room stinks!" The child said as he covered nose. "Your bed stinks!"


    Adaloun stood in the kitchen with a wide-open jaw.


    "What an ungrateful child!" He said to himself.


    The child stood up and rubbed his tummy. "I''m hungry." He went to the hearth and checked the pot, but there was none.


    "There''s no food, there¡­ boy!" Adaloun said.


    The boy sighed and sat back on his bed and gave a disappointed sigh.


    "My mom would always¡ª" The boy suddenly stood up and ran towards him. "Hey, mister¡­umm¡­I am not dreaming, am I?"


    Adaloun raised his eyebrows, confused with what the boy was saying.  "What do you mean by that?"


    The child''s voice shook, "How¡­long¡­have I slept?"


    "Half a day." Adaloun answered back.


    The child became anxious and looked around the room.


    "Hey, mister, have you found my firewood?" The child''s voice was shivering.


    "Firewood." Adaloun nodded. "I''ve used it to warm you up."


    "NO!" The boy knelt and began to sob uncontrollably. "My sister!"


    The boy stood up and ran around his house looking for the door. Adaloun calmly walked towards the door and unlocked it for the child. As the door opened, the child immediately rushed outside before Adaloun could warn him of the thick snow gathered outside.


    The child stood in front of his porch looking around the pale white ground. "I need to go back home!"


    "On this thick snow?" Adaloun scoffed. "That would be impo¡ª"


    The boy suddenly jumped into the chest deep snow and walked away into the wilderness.


    Adaloun watched the boy leave and wanted nothing to do with him anymore. However, the farther the boy went the more unsettling he became. The boy stumbled in the snow a couple of times before finally sinking into the thick white blanket of snow.


    It was getting unbearable for Adaloun to see. As much as he wanted not to care, something inside him was pleading to help the child. The child stood up once again and walked another step or two before collapsing.


    Adaloun clicked his tongue and ran towards the kid. Pulling him out of the snow and carrying him back home. The kid was unconscious for a while but went all violent as they were nearing his house.


    "No! Let me go!" The child shouted. "I need to go home! Help me!"


    "Not in this snow, you can''t!" Adaloun answered back.


    "No! No! You don''t understand! My¡­sister! She needs the firewood!" He struggled on Adaloun''s shoulder, kicking and punching him as hard as he could.


    "S-stop s-struggling¡­ow!" He dropped the dropped the boy from his shoulders after he was hit in the face with a well-timed punch.


    The boy cushioned his drop in the snow, but he was too tired to stand up. Adaloun took a moment to pick him up again just in case he fought again.


    Adaloun took a deep sigh and picked him up by the waist. That''s when he noticed the child sobbing.


    "Pleath¡­" The child''s snot bubbled in his nose. "M-my sister needs help!"


    -------------------


    I would like to apologize for the chapter delays. With the recent implementation of Enhanced Community Quarantine in our country. I am currently having difficulties juggling my work with my passion. I swear to still deliver the same quality of write-ups moving forward, albeit far off the scheduled dates.


    Thanks for your kind consideration!


    Ad Astra et Ultra!

 Chapter 213: On that Cold Winter Day Pt. 2

    Chandea, Year of Severus, 16, I.R., the 1st day of Winter, Broken Springs


    ------------------------------


    "It''s too dangerous to go out now, kid." Adaloun sternly answered the distraught child.


    The child wiped the snot dangling from his nose all the while looking at the far end of the dark vastness of the forest.


    "B-but my family¡­" The child''s voice trembled. "T-they would¡ª" He bit his lip and without saying another word, he went back to the snowy path, digging at the snow as fast as he could to advance his distance.


    But he was just too weak to move another footling further. The child collapsed on the ground once again, Adaloun had to pick him up in his arms once more. The child felt cold. The poor boy shivered as the harsh winter breeze blew its icy breath.


    Adaloun''s skin prickled, albeit he was never bothered by the cold. However, he couldn''t jeopardize the child''s safety out in the cold.


    "We have to get inside and get you some warmth." Adaloun commented sternly. "You will freeze yourself to death here."


    The boy gritted his teeth and wanted to oppose his suggestion, but he was too weak to do anything at that point. Adaloun carried the boy back to his shack and placed him in front of the hearth. The fire cracked gently as the boy silently sobbed by the fire.


    Adaloun scooped some snow outside and boiled it in the hearth.


    "I don''t have much," he said as he poured the melted snow on a cup. "But this should warm your body."


    The boy simply stared at the steams in the cup for a moment before sobbing once again.


    "Kid, I am certain you will die if you risk yourself out there." Adaloun sighed.


    "B-but my sister would die tonight if I wouldn''t deliver the firewood." The boy''s mouth twitched in frustration. "I can''t let her die¡­not tonight¡­not ever."


    Adaloun silently listened from the kitchen, sipping on his melted ice. The boy sobbed once more and helplessly stared at his window, into the snow-ridden ground outside.


    It frustrated Adaloun that the child had to go all of that to save a life. The child reminded him of an aspect of himself that he wanted to kill, all along¡­ being selfless. The least he could do was to not let the child experience that traumatic event as early as now.


    "You''ll die before you get to them." Adaloun said. "It''s no use to walk on this thick snow. You should know that yourself, you did it twice and failed miserably. The third time wouldn''t be a charm either, it will only cost you your life. Better do it tomorrow, once it clears." He went to his bed and fixed it for the child to sleep on once again.


    "She''ll need the firewood now! She''s freezing to death!" The child shouted hysterically. "Please, she''ll die." The child knelt in front of him. "Help me, save my sister." He begged.


    Adaloun quietly took a sip at his boiled water. "There''s nothing that I can do against this¡ª"


    "Liar!" The child said. "You never flinched when the cold air blew earlier. I have lived here all my life and most of the people here would shiver at that breeze that blew earlier. You didn''t! Not even a sneeze!"


    The child''s comment shocked Adaloun. He had never seen a child that was as observant as that child was. Adaloun clicked his tongue and approached the child.


    "You have nothing to offer me." Adaloun said. "I am a former mercenary; you will have to pay me in coin if you want my services." He smirked.


    The boy stared at him with his big bright eyes. The boy''s mouth twitched as he began to pat himself looking for coins that Adaloun knew he didn''t have.


    Adaloun clearly knew how underhanded he was to the child. Of course, he knew the child didn''t have any money in the first place. But he urged himself to say it to the child in order to deter him from heading outside the snow.


    The child was still patting his clothes, rummaging the brittle cloth he had to find any form of money he could find.


    "See?" Adaloun said sarcastically. "If you can''t give me a gold coin then, you stay here for the night. I will give that to you for free."


    "But, Aelia will¡­" The boy mumbled as he looked at the hearth longingly.


    Adaloun sighed. "So, I advise to you stay¡ª"


    "I can pay you!" The boy said without any hesitation.


    "Oh? So, you''re giving me a coin upfront?!" Adaloun sipped his water.


    "No, I don''t have any coin." The child said in a soft but willful voice.


    The child suddenly grabbed a thin twig of glowing ember and pointed it at Adaloun. "But I can be your slave."


    Just as the boy was about to burn his arm, Adaloun, rushed over to him and quickly grabbed his arm before he was able to brand himself.


    "ENOUGH!" Adaloun threw the firewood back to the hearth. "No one needs to be enslaved tonight¡­ or better yet, not ever!" He said as his memories of being a slave came flashing back.


    "I will do anything for my family!" The boy''s voice was filled with conviction.


    "You would." Adaloun nodded. "Obliviously." He unhanded the child and clicked his tongue.


    The boy caressed his arm. It seemed like he unfortunately squeezed the poor boy''s arm too hard. But the boy never seemed to mind the pain. The boy''s eyes met with his. Without uttering a word the boy''s gaze meant a thousand thank yous to him.


    "Are you willing to help me?" The boy asked.


    "Yes." Adaloun took a deep breath as he began picking some left over firewood he had stored. "But are you sure you can take on the cold?"


    The boy looked at him. "Yes. For her, I will."


    Adaloun shook his head as he cracked a grin. "What''s your name, kid?"


    "Squeakers." The child answered. "People call me, Squeakers."


    "Weird name you have." Adaloun answered while taking his stinky blanket and offering it to the child.  "Wrap this around you. You''ll going to need all the warmth in our journey."


    Squeakers nodded and wrapped the blanket over his body.  After finishing that, Adaloun opened the door and place the bundle of firewood on his back. He called out Squeakers, who rushed out of his house as quickly as he called him.


    "Where to, boy?" Adaloun asked as he gazed at the two bright moons hovering over the sky.


    "It''s east of here." Squeakers pointed at the direction. "Right past those tall withering trees."


    Adaloun raised his eyebrows. "You live there?"


    "Yes. I do, mister!" He answered.


    "I have a name, Squeakers." Adaloun answered back.


    "Oh! Sorry, mister but I don''t know yours." The kid said.


    Adaloun thought about for a second and realized how ridiculous he was at that moment. He should''ve agreed to the child''s plea in the first place, but he couldn''t resist it. There was something in the boy that reflected a piece of him and hated that he wasn''t able to control himself in his presence.


    The boy''s eyes pierced into his as the child waited for his answer. What should he call himself this time? He was certain that Adaloun wouldn''t be a good fit for him. In fact he wanted to erase that from his memory.


    After a long thoughtful moment, he finally thought of a name.


    "Nullus." Adaloun said.

 Chapter 214: On that Cold Winter Day Pt. 3

    Chandea, Year of Severus, 16, I.R., the 1st day of Winter, Broken Springs


    ---------------------------------------------------


    The cold winter wind blew once again as Nullus took another step into the thick snow. It was a difficult trek for him especially because, he had to carry the firewood on his back and the annoyingly noisy boy on his other arm while holding the torch on the other as they further into the eastern forest.


    Another icy breeze blew in their direction and finally extinguished the torch he held. Nullus clicked his tongue before dropping his torch because of the thick snow covering it.


    "We take a left here." Squeakers pointed at the fallen tree blocking their way.


    Nullus took a quick look at the gigantic trunk blocking their way and thought to himself how the child crossed such big obstacle or better yet, how he came by his house? Did he lose his way back and ended up in front of his house? This was way too far from where his house was.


    "Do we go over this trunk?" Nullus pointed at the dead tree.


    "Yes, umm¡­mister¡­ Nullus." The child answered. "You really have a weird name."


    Nullus scratched his head on the comment. "Did your mother ever tell you it''s bad to criticize a man for his name?" He asked. Although, he got to admit that his name was a little odd since he rushed for it.


    "Oh! My mom didn''t." Squeakers answered. "She was too busy caring for my sister that we barely spoke."


    "I¡­ see." The child''s answer clenched Nullus'' heart.


    Nullus tried to keep silent after that and just focused on finding the way to Squeakers'' house after that conversation. He climbed the enormous trunk blocking their way and went over to the other side of the forest.


    Strangely, the other side of the forest had a sparse amount of snow on the ground. The inner forest was darker than usual. There was a whole slew of supposedly white, dead trees and their snow-ridden canopies cover the forest ground preventing excessive snow and light from passing through.


    There was one more thing Nullus noticed while passing by the forest. It was too quiet. A dead, calm silence that reminded him of the hole. He looked around and saw nothing but the white withering trees, lit up by the pale glow of the moons.


    "Squeakers¡­" Nullus said while looking around the stillness of the forest. "How did you manage to get in front of my house from this forest?"


    It took a while for the child to answer him. He felt the child became distraught, moving uneasy on his arm.


    "W-well¡­" His voice suddenly trembled as if he remembered something scary. "I-I remember p-picking up some firewood¡­ then a growling noise came out of nowhere and¡­"


    Suddenly, Nullus heard a movement in the dark part of the woods. He put the child down from his arm and asked him to hide as he readied himself for what was about to come.


    A group of glowing eyes surfaced from the darkness of the trees.


    "One¡­two¡­three¡­" Nullus counted the pair of glowing eyes approaching them from the darkness. "Ten." There were five of them approaching.


    Nullus immediately turned to Squeakers who was standing behind him frozen in fear.


    "What are you doing?!" He grabbed the child''s arm and pushed him inside a small crack in the giant trunk for him to hide. "Hide and don''t move." He pushed him even further into the hole to avoid being seen.


    Nullus immediately met the monsters in the middle of a small clearing, holding a broken medium-sized tree branch as his protection against the unknown beasts that was coming his way. The glowing eyes finally showed their faces.


    It was a pack of hungry wolves bigger than him with fangs as big as daggers protruding from their overbite. The hungry packs snarled at him as their silverback slowly came forward, greeting him with a snarl.


    Nullus took a deep breath. "I have no time for the likes of you!" He clicked his tongue and rushed towards the beasts.


    It only took a blink of an eye to start his attack. The unlucky beasts met their end in his hands with the tree branch. He cracked the silverback''s head open before battering the rest of them. The wolves didn''t stand a chance against his lightning-fast attacks and within mere moments, everything was over.


    After disposing the carcasses, he immediately went to Squeakers who was speechless as he helped him out of the hole.


    "The coast is clear, kid." Nullus said as he threw the branch to the side.


    "M-mister¡­Nullus¡­ y-you killed them all?" The child couldn''t believe what he just saw. "T-those are dire wolves¡­ my uncle and his friends of 10 men couldn''t even kill one of them. But you¡ª"


    "Enough talk, Squeakers!" Nullus dismissed the child''s praise. "We still need to save your sister!"


    "Oh! O-of course! Ummm¡­ Let''s go straight here." The child pointed at another road just next to the clearing.


    Nullus followed the slippery trail while carrying the kid on his arm. After almost half-an-ildwyrm distance, they finally arrived at a dilapidated village in the middle of the forest. Squeakers told him that his house was just a few houses away from the entrance.


    As they walked past the houses, there was not a single soul living in that village aside from the two of them walking around. Nullus wanted to ask the child about what happened to his village but dared not to. He silently passed by the ruined houses all the while smelling a constant scent of rotting meat.


    Could it be possible that the people just died and rot inside their homes? Nullus'' curiosity was just itching too much and was asking to be scratched. But he still preferred not to ask anything.


    "We''re here!" Squeakers excitedly jumped from his arm, tugged his arm and ran inside a broken wooden gate. "Come! Let''s hurry, my mother and sister might be too worried about me."


    Nullus looked around trying to make sure there were no beasts lurking around. The moons shone brightly in the sky and cast their light on them below. When he realized it was safe, he immediately followed the child inside their house, but not before spitting on the ground, expressing his disgust on both heavenly bodies.


    The door creaked as he entered the dilapidated house. The inside stank of death and rot. Nullus held his guts as he tried his best not to vomit. He could hear Squeakers in the other room speaking to someone. He followed the child''s voice leading him into the other room.


    Squeakers was hunching on the hearth, trying to light a fire. Nullus looked around and was shocked to see a skeleton sitting at a far end corner of the room. He said nothing about what he saw instead asked the kid about his family.


    "Squeakers," He started with a deep breath. "Where''s your mother and sister?"


    "Oh! My mother is over there at the corner." The child smiled. "Shh¡­she''s asleep."


    Nullus''s heart dropped. "A-and your sister?"


    "Oh, right!" Squeakers stood up and took her sister from the crib near his mother''s bones. "Her she is!"


    Squeakers showed him a rotting corpse of an infant wrapped in tattered clothing. Nullus took a step back. He noticed the corpse had a small blooming red flower on its empty socket. It was the same type of flower he saw inside the hole. He saw small pollens spreading in the air being inhaled by the poor boy.


    Nullus nodded and immediately covered his mouth and nose by this hand.


    "Why are you covering your face, mister Nullus?" The boy squinted at him.


    "I-I was about to cough." He lied. "I don''t want to cough at your sister."


    Squeakers grinned as he turned back and returned the corpse in its crib. "You''re too kind, mister."


    Nullus nodded as he worried about the child''s health. He knew it was only a matter of time before the flower will lay claim to Squeakers'' body. He pitied the boy for his unfortunate and heartbreaking fate. To be manipulated into thinking that your family was still alive while the flower was placing spores in your body for it to propagate was utterly cruel.


    At that point, Nullus could''ve just walked away and left the child to his impending doom. He should''ve done that, but he didn''t. Clicking his tongue in frustration, he approached the child, and in one swooping move, Nullus knocked out Squeakers.


    He then carried the child on his shoulder before taking a scorching firewood. He drew the fire rune on the walls outside the house before activating it. As the house went a blaze, Nullus took pieces of firewood and threw it to the neighboring houses as well.


    Nullus knew it was the only viable option. He had to kill the flower. He exited the town with a blazing cloud of crimson and smoke behind him.

 Chapter 215: Scorched Earth Pt.1

    Jovis, Year of Severus, 16, I.R., the 4th day of Winter, Great Dunes


    --------------------------


    It was supposedly winter by now and yet all they had was the sweltering heat from the dessert winds. There wasn''t a hint of the cold winter breeze in the Great Dunes. Only the warm air and roaring flames kept the land hot and ablaze.


    The silver-haired commander had aged a lot during those missing years. With war constantly threatening the border, the silver-haired commander was assigned to lead the charge against the barbaric invaders. But the so-called honorable task felt like a punishment for his insubordination more than anything else.


    The stress and sleepless nights made his skin withered. His previous old yet strong appearance was gone. Now, he had more lines in his face than he could ever count, and his thick, silver mane was thinning as the days went by. But this never stop him to perform his duty as a commander of the 5th Battalion! Far from it, he went nights on end devising plans and intercepting messages from the other side was his business. And now, it all came down to this.


    Lord Prestonheim took a sip of water from his canteen as he rode on his horse, standing on top of an elevated sandstone. He was looking over at the battlefield were most of his cavalry fought. Even from that distance, it wasn''t impossible for him to hear the sound of clanging metal swords and agonizing screams of the men fighting below.


    He could hear his lieutenants screaming out orders while clashing swords with the foreign invaders. The old commander wanted to be down there with them. It was becoming too stressful for him seeing how tides of battle remained at a stale mate against their opponents. After sipping a few more of the water, he immediately tossed it to a squire who eagerly waited for his command beside him.


    "The third and fourth regimen has advanced into the enemy lines!"  A panting messenger reported. "We are finally getting some great results.


    The silver-haired commander gazed into the battlefield once more, looking at their Principalian banner advancing into enemy lines, destroying the enemy forces. The old commander massaged the bridge of his nose, as he set his eyes on the horizon.


    "It''s far too late for them to advance further." He clicked his tongue. "Messenger, I appreciate your dedication in reporting the scenario below. Unfortunately, your report was something I have already foreseen." He gestured his hand and dismissed the baffled messenger.


    Lord Prestonheim looked at the horizon once again and saw how the sun setting below its sandy line. It would''ve been a good idea to commander the advancing regimen to move further into the enemies'' ranks and capture their knights or kill a commander or two, but he couldn''t risk his men, especially after hearing from a report that the Ardants had created a device said to extract your memories. The last thing he wanted was getting their information leaked from that hellish device.


    "Call for a retreat." He commanded one of his lieutenants. "The sun is about to set. Make sure nobody gets left behind."


    The lieutenant nodded and left with a salute before blowing the horn to signal the retreat. Lord Prestonheim saw his knights change course the moment they heard the sound of the bellowing horn. They immediately covered their rear and headed for retreat into their base just behind the protruding sandstone where he stood.


    The sun had already set when all the knights and other commanders were back into their camp. Lord Prestonheim looked at the bloody crimson tinge smearing the horizon. It made him shuddered knowing how the color represented the carnage of the war brought.  He rode back to the camp where the rest of the knights and officers waited for his arrival.


    As he entered the camp, he passed by some knights and the local militia. Some of them were sitting on the sandy ground while others were still walking, slumped on their backs as the fatigue from the battle became very obvious on their facades.


    Upon seeing him, the knights immediately stood upright and gave him a salute despite the injuries and wounds the poor men had. Lord Prestonheim proudly saluted back to them. Their courage and actions had gained them his respect.


    Continuing his way into his camp, he also met the massive pyres burning on each side of the road. Bodies of their men laid on the sandy ground covered in cheap cloth stained with blood and dirt, awaiting their time in the flames.


    Lord Prestonheim was finally able to see his tent from the distance.  The massive red structure stuck out in the middle of the camp like a sore thumb. It was clear from the number of horses placed outside, that the rest of the commanding officials have arrived safely and was possibly demanding an explanation for his early retreat.


    As he entered the tent, he was met with angry glares from the furious officials because of his premature withdrawal from the battlefield. He passed by the officers one by one until he reached his chair at the tip of the long table.


    Before he could sit on his chair, Commander Mauritious from the Lucresian legion stood up and confronted him.


    "Lord Prestonheim!" The young commander stood up from his chair and punched his hand on the table. "What kind of cowardice was that? Why have you called us before sundown?! Have you gone senile already?!"


    Lord Prestonheim sat down calmly and glanced through the commanders frustratingly waiting for his reply.


    "Commander Mauritious, I presume?" Lord Prestonheim asked.


    Before the young commander could confirm his identity, the silver-haired commander immediately began speaking towards the commanders.


    "I understand how you felt about getting prematurely called back from the battlefield was frustrating." He took a deep breath. "But I have reason to believe that my decision was for the best interest of everyone."


    "B-best¡­interest of everyone?!" Commander Varatella of the Ordian legion interjected. "We were prepared to die for honor and glory! We do not run like a beaten dog, especially during that victorious endeavor! Let me remind you Lord Prestonheim, we are winning this¡ª"


    "This war? Or just this battle?" The silver-haired commander raised his eyebrow on the hot-blooded commander. "Let me remind you that wars aren''t won by just small victories. Especially not that one!"


    His comment created a buzz with the other commanders who were now eager to know what he was trying to say. Lord Prestonheim noticed the difference in experience with the commanders at the table. The older and battle-hardened ones remained silent with only their eyes piercing through him with every moment. The younger ones were louder and were more vocal about their thoughts, not knowing how their actions were breaking the hierarchy and order of the commanding officer.


    "Tell me, Lord Prestonheim, what made you think of retreating as our best option? Because in our eyes, we have them beat in position already." Commander Mauritious asked sarcastically.


    "To be clear, I am sure you''ve heard about the Ardants'' technology." He glanced at the crowd. "I am sure you were aware of the mind extracting machinations they had."


    "That''s rubbish!" The younger commander spat. "I am sure you jest! Why are we afraid of a rumor?! Surely, we have some same tactics like theirs¡­spreading misinformation to illicit fear towards our knights and the masses." He raised his eyebrow.


    "You are correct. But are you going to risk our stratagems for their own gain?" Lord Prestonheim asked. "If such machine truly exists, we have to change our stratagem!"


    "Ridiculous!" Commander Varatella spat. "We have no evidence of this thing! It''s not there, fellow generals! I am disappointed at you Lord Prestonheim for believing such." He pointed a finger at him.


    Lord Prestonheim massaged the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I have seen all of these things already. Don''t you find it strange that about a week ago, we were unable to break their defense? Then, just now we''re able to and strangely enough our tactics weren''t changed! Not one bit!"


    Commander Varatella scoffed at his observation. "You are going senile, Lord Prestonheim! I believe that this¡ª"


    "He might be right." Commander Luxema from the 7th Battalion agreed with Lord Prestonheim. "Commander Prestonheim might be seeing something that we don''t."


    "And you trust him, Commander Luxema?!" Commander Varatella spurted in anger. "With all due respect¡ª"


    "I would rather trust a veteran''s instinct than that of a greenhorn!" Commander Luxema rebutted.


    "You''re all preposterous!"  Commander Mauritious clicked his tongue and sat down fuming with rage.


    The other commanders sat silently, listening to the younger ones'' woes. It took them another moment for everyone to settle and listen to him.


    "We are changing the course of our fight." Lord Prestonheim said. "Instead of battling them head on like what the stratagem intended us to do. I suggest moving a three-pronged¡ª"


    "I won''t let you insult the great Senator Lucresia by changing his plans!" Commander Mauritious said. "Even you consider me as a greenhorn, I firmly believe that his stratagem has no holes and therefore, needed to be followed down to the tee!" He added.


    The older commanders were about to explode by the younger''s audacity, but before they could blurt out their sentiments, Lord Prestonheim, beat them to the punch.


    "I understand your unwillingness to changing tactics." He sighed. "How about this. Show of hands those who want to use the previous tactics we have!"


    The younger commanders raised their hands proudly and thumped their chests in answer to the question. Lord Prestonheim shook his head.


    "Very well, that settles it." He massaged the bridge of his nose. "You''ll make your own squad and follow that stratagem. Then we burn the candle tonight!"

 Chapter 216: Scorched Earth Pt.2

    Vener, Year of Severus, 16, I.R., the 5th day of Winter, Great Dunes


    ------------------


    Dawn broke the night sky like a chick emerging from its egg. Lord Prestonheim and the rest of his allied commanders, set-up their formations from the stratagem they made all night. There were black circles on the bottom part of their eyes, a sign of the sleepless night they had to conquer in order to execute the proper counterattack against the sly Ardant tactics.


    Lord Prestonheim rode his horse and went into the protruding sandstone overlooking the sandy plains. He saw both his allied commanders and the younger commanders formed their formations. The younger and feisty commanders followed the stratagem laid out to them by Senator Lucresia.


    He looked at the foolish commanders with disdain. He knew that these young commanders and their allies had just signed themselves to their deaths. Lord Prestonheim knew that even if Senator Lucresia was a brilliant tactician that won many decisive battles, he knew that his stratagem had already been figured out by the enemy.  It was clear since the beginning of the week how their enemies were luring them deeper and deeper into their trap.


    Nobody wanted to mention it, but since the previous day, their battalions were missing important officers. Some dismissed it as a natural occurrence since there was a war. Some even argued that the missing officers were deserters. It was impossible. If they were deserters like the other claimed, they would still easily spot them because of the terrain that they were on. The mountains of sandstone surrounding the battlefield meant that every little movement would be visible from where he was looking. Aside from that, the confined space of their battle meant that there was no going out of there.


    The jagged sandstones were difficult to climb and there were no crevices for them to hide either. It was the primary reason why the Arterian forces wanted to fight there, the sharp and jagged rocks became a natural fortress for them to take the higher ground advantage all the while controlling their opponent''s movement¡ªor so they thought.


    Lord Prestonheim always had a bad feeling about the entire situation. He tried to warn the others, but the younger generals were too proud to listen at the rambles of an old man. An old, battle-tested veteran of a man.


    The battalions were marched towards their mark. The vanguards were on the front row. They wore a lighter kind of armor made of linked chains to fight off the excessive heat from the unforgiving dessert sun. The next row was followed by the spearmen that they separated in units. Each unit was composed of 150 men. The first two units in the front formed a tight square formation that allowed them to attack on all sides while the unit behind them formed the delta formation.


    The basic triangular formation that Lord Prestonheim implemented to break their ranks easily while also giving them an easier way to disperse whenever necessary. The formation also prevents the deadly Ardant Cavalry and battle chariots from breaking their defense. It would easily trap the attacking forces and give them the advantage.


    The row behind the spearmen where the footmen unit of 150 men fashioned the same way as the spearman except the backrow had chain nets and short blades along with them, instead of the usual sword and buckler. Lastly, the cavalry was placed at the last row to properly support the other rows in case there was a need for back up or entrapment.


    The formation wouldn''t look anything different from the one, Senator Lucresia planned for them. However, the major difference came in the backrow. Lord Prestonheim prioritized the cavalry''s mobility for their multiple angular attack.


    The younger commanders were already in their positions and was about to begin the battle. Lord Prestonheim sighed for the last time and hoped that they survive this day''s bloodbath. But he doubts it. After a careful consideration, the older commanders came up with an agreement that in the event of a commander getting captured, he must face death on their blades rather than be milked out with information from the opposing side.


    The sun had fully shone in the sky when their battery units dragged out the cannons into the battlefield. On the other side of the battlefield, the Ardant were already finished with their preparations. The sound of marching men stopped and all of the sudden, there was only dead silence.


    The warm desert air blew on his face. Lord Prestonheim knew that it was going to be another bloodbath, but he was confident about his victory this time around. He looked towards the horizon and whispered a prayer or two, before signaling the start of their attack.


    The war horn sounded and echoed from below. Cannons from the opposite side boomed like thunder clashing in the heavens. The sky began to darken as a hail of arrows rained down on them. The younger commanders'' forces rushed their advance, ignoring the projectiles falling down on them. While Lord Prestonheim and his allies marched slowly towards their opponents, blocking the incoming projectiles and magic with Aetherite infused thick shields, piled against each other creating a solid turtle defense.


    As the attackers clashed with the vanguards, the first row of defenders pushed back the attackers into a compromising position just in time for the spearmen to lunge their spears in between he spaces of the vanguards'' shield.


    The spearmen stabbed as much as they could as the vanguards pushed and opened up a space for the reserved units to dash into the center and plough everyone in their tracks. No number of men and beasts were able to stop them on their tracks. They continued pushing their way in, until they were met by the cavalry units from opposing side.


    The spear unit immediately went to the side and let the delta unit handle the beasts. The cavalry was immediately stopped on their tracks and was immediately leveled down by the spearmen, stabbing the cavalry in all sides.


    The tides of battle were getting into their favor. Lord Prestonheim checked on the young commanders and saw them taking the same position as they were yesterday, however, he still felt uneasy with their formation.


    "Arrows!" Lord Prestonheim''s ward shouted and pointed at the blanket of sharp projectiles descending upon his men.


    The vanguards were quick to respond into it, however, some weren''t so lucky than the others. A few arrows managed to pierce their defense which costed a few lives on the vanguard and spear units. Nonetheless, the formation was still intact; the young commanders'' formation, however, was breaking apart.


    Lord Prestonheim had no time to salvage the other broken formation. He might''ve, but only if they''d listen to his stratagem. Unfortunately, the audacious greenhorns were now seeing the consequence of their blunder.


    As the other formation broke, Lord Prestonheim''s knights managed to hold their positions and retreated deeper into the vanguard lines, collapsing the formation as planned. The pursuers pushed a little more to the inside of their trap and was far too late when they realized the ensnaring lure.


    As the Ardant pursuers came to the designated spot, the Principalian cavalry leaped into action. Like herding sheep, they immediately established their dominance and pushed the pursuing barbarians into the center of their formation, trapping them.


    The footmen then emerged from the dusty air and threw their anti-magic nets around the Ardant invaders sealing and binding them into submission. As Lord Prestonheim''s unit retreated with their haul, a few of the invading warriors shifted their direction of attack over to them.


    The Ardant warriors took it upon themselves to attack the outer vanguard defense, trying to overwhelm them with their numbers and magic. The poor outer defense stood no match against the relentless warriors from the west. But as their defense crumbled, Lord Prestonheim was already prepared for the counter measure.


    "Fire the cannons!" The silver-head commander yelled as the cannons were perfectly aimed at the direction of the outer formation.


    The cannons boomed and sounded like a giant toppling down. The exploding projectiles easily hit its target at the outer area of the vanguard formation hitting the Ardents with iron and fire. The barbarians weren''t able to follow through with their counterattack after the heavy bombardment.


    Lord Prestonheim''s plan worked like a prophecy fleshed out. Soon, his knights were hauling prisoners from the Ardent empire in droves. It was a clear victory for him and his allies. But it couldn''t be said the same to the younger commanders.


    With their lines broken and their men killed or captured, the commanders made their last-ditch effort to fight the overwhelming forces, but they were far too few of them left. Lord Prestonheim pitied them.


    "If only they''ve listened." He massaged the bridge of his nose as he watched the feisty Mauritious and Varatella were taken by the enemy warriors. Their necks were tied into a chain as they were mercilessly beaten by some Ardent grunts.


    "W-what should we do from here, Lord Commander?" His ward asked.


    Lord Prestonheim looked back at him in a stoic look, "We follow the plan." He went back to looking at the events below before ordering the final command for the day. "Cannons be ready! Scorched the earth and turn it to hell!"

 Chapter 217: Of Iron and Progress Pt.1

    Aturs, Year of Severus, 16, I.R., the 7th day of Winter, Arteria Capital


    ---------------------------------


    The sound of clanging iron coming from the workshop was deafening. But it was just another day for those who had lived and slept near it for a couple of years. Prince Arterius had been living near the Arterian Workshop for more than 2 years now. The obnoxious sound of metal was nothing new to him. To him, it sounded like heartbeat waking him up for another creative day inside his cramp-spaced office.


    He rose up from his wooden bed, a far cry from the lavish cushioned bed he had in the palace. There were no aetherite-lit baubles or fancy machinations on his floor and ceilings. The room was just another room. There was a small table on the side of his bed where he could do his writing, a small lamp to light his dark room at night and a shelf overflowing with books and scrolls he compiled from his research.


    It was a different world that he woke up to, far from the sheltered world in the palace. There was no Stolas there, no Lord Prestonheim, no emperors, no politics and most importantly no detractors. He had lived like this for quite a while now, a quiet and contented life away from the world and near to the one thing his heart was fond of, his research.


    After the incident he caused at the Arenfall Mines, Prince Arterius went back to the capital with his tail in between his legs. The balding Senator Lucresia arrested him for conspiring against the enemies of the kingdom. He was put into trial and was imprisoned in the dark dungeon lying below the palace. It was only after he agreed to the terms set by Senator Lucresia and the Imperatur was he allowed to leave the dungeon.


    He could still remember the terms of his freedom like it was yesterday. It was disgusting and degrading but he didn''t have a choice. It was his only way to keep his sanity intact more than everything else. Prince Arterius sat at the edge of his bed while opening the book he placed near his dimly lit aetherite lamp. He laid open the folded pages and read.


    "One. You will apologize in front of the Imperatur and the Senate. Two. You will surrender all your research to the Senate, which includes A.R.T.E.R.I.U.S." He paused at the next couple of numbers as he tried to take a breather at the painful words he was about to mutter. "Three. You will no longer involve yourself with any political decisions inside the kingdom. Lastly. You will no longer mention any interest of contention towards the throne." He closed the book and took a deep breath.


    Those words, no matter how painful they were, was something he remind himself every day. He never wanted to forget their faces and how they ridiculed him, no matter how much it pained him. He wanted to remember it all because he was confident that he would  take what he''d lost back. Maybe one day¡­ definitely someday.


    After his humiliation in the hands of his own father and the Senate, he immediately requested to be let go from the palace. He went away leaving his things and loyal ward behind. He went to the Arterian Workshop and begged to work there as a craftsman''s apprentice.


    Prince Arterius'' brooding was interrupted with a loud knock at the door.


    "Who is it?" He asked.


    "G''morning, Arterius! Tis time tah work." A familiar dwarven voice answered back.


    "Oh! Master Smith, I will be there in a moment." He grabbed his cane and stood up.


    "Yah bettar hurry up, Arty! Brekkie''s almost out and we hafa lot tah do today!" The Master Smith answered.


    "Of course! Of course!" He limped his way into the door, opened it and greeted the stout Master smith grinning at him.


    After a simple meal of bread, mushroom soup and cheese, Prince Arterius went to his small working table at the other end of the workshop. He walked past the huge turning gears placed on the walls of the workshop. Up to this day, he still wasn''t sure what those gears were for, even after two years of working there. Some of the smiths told him that the gears were link to a device that handles the never-ending flames of the great furnace located near the Master Smith''s workshop.


    His leg still ached as he limped his way into his workshop. His leg never healed after the blast from the hole made by his obnoxious brother. The long pathway had always been his calvary, however, it was also his salvation. It kept him occupied. It kept his mind sharp and his skills sharper. The ideas he made and the inventions he helped create has made a huge impact on the Principalian society, especially their war efforts.


    But with each invention he birthed, it became clearer to him that the Senate and his father wouldn''t credit him for his fine work. Not that he cared at that point, instead of sulking and be bitter over such injustice, he decided to give them lesser inventions. After all, they would never care about it. As long as he delivered with his inventions, no matter how basic they were, the Senate and his father wouldn''t try to kill or hurt him.


    He sat on his work desk working on his magnum opus. A ship capable of propelling into the skies with the use of wind runes and aetherium. It was a grandiose project, something that he had thought of for a very long time. The technologies and researches he provided to the kingdom couldn''t compare to the sophistication and elegance of this concept he has made.


    His dream was to get the invention realized and given free to the people for their everyday use. To further the push of the Arteria towards the world and create collaboration between kingdoms instead of the constant bloodshed going on right now.


    He began to work on his design once again. He took his ruler and lined the equal cross-section of the ship, where he will divide into chambers to put the gears and machinations inside. The sound of clanging metal and hissing water was audible in the background as he continued on with his work.


    With every line he did and every measurement he took, he felt his invention coming alive. He closed his eyes and felt the imaginary air blowing as he flew in the sky with his massive air chariot. He knew that with that kind of technology, it could truly change how Arterians would do their business and politics. He couldn''t help but crack a smile as he hummed in delight.


    Suddenly, there was total silence. The loud clanging metal and hissing noises from the fire all went silent. It took a few moments for Arterius to notice what happened. The clanging metal was instead change into the sound of heavy footsteps approaching.


    Prince Arterius ignored it and continued to do his design.


    "Are you not going to be bothered to face me?" His father''s loud voice filled his room.


    Prince Arterius looked around and saw his father along with Senator Lucresia standing on his doorway. He immediately stood up, surprised at what he just saw. He looked at the Imperatur dead in the eyes. He wanted to speak to him but there were no words coming out from him.


    "Cat got your tongue?" The Imperatur said as he entered his room. "Listen well, son. I wouldn''t be here if I¡ª"


    "Very well," Arterius interjected. "What is it that you want?"

 Chapter 218: Of Iron and Progress Pt.2

    Aturs, Year of Severus, 16, I.R., the 7th day of Winter, Arteria Capital


    -------------------------


    There was a heavy tension in the air as his father and Senator Lucresia met up with him in the room. Imperatur Severus gazed sharply at him after he interjected. The Imperatur raised his eyebrows and cracked his crooked smiled.


    "Well, well." The Imperatur nodded. "Getting exiled grew your balls exponentially now! You now have the audacity to¡ª"


    "I beg your pardon, father." Prince Arterius coughed. "I believe you came here not to talk about my gonads or your gonads, or anybody else''s gonads for that matter." He sighed.


    "You dare say that to the Imperatur?!" Senator Lucresia pointed with a reddened face.


    In some weird way, Imperatur Severus suddenly chuckled uncontrollably. Prince Arterius and Senator Lucresia was taken aback by the Imperatur''s outburst. They were left dumbfounded as they tried figuring out what to do from there.  It took a while for Imperatur Severus to gather himself. He took a deep breath as he wiped the welling tears on the side of his eyes.


    "Didn''t know that dungeons also improve your humor." Imperatur went back to his stoic face.


    "It changed a lot in you." Prince Arterius answered, all the while trying to stop himself from saying something too irresponsible in front of his ruthless father.


    The Imperatur nodded and took a glance at Senator Lucresia. "Senator Lucresia, could you give us a moment? I need to talk to him alone."


    Senator Lucresia looked back at the Imperatur with a look of astonishment and defiance, "But¡­" He immediately composed himself before saying anything out of the line. "A-as you wish, great Imperatur."


    The old man immediately bowed down and left the room, leaving the Primas alone. The Imperatur looked around at his small, yet tidy workshop. Prince Arterius stared at his father as he curiously looked at the sketches and equations he posted on the walls. Imperatur Severus squinted his eyes and seemingly tried to read it. Luckily, Imperatur Severus couldn''t read the equations on the wall, it would''ve been disastrous if he did. Especially because it involved the equated alchemic reaction of Aetherium to a highly reactive elemental compound he was creating for his ship''s propulsion.


    His father then wore a white glove and tried to scrape the surface of his shelf and was impressed to see not a spot of dust on it. He noticed his father''s body language change. The Imperatur seemed to approach him closer, but somehow restrained himself from doing so. It was as if a crime to go near to him.


    It''s not that he made anything wrong. It was just the twisted perspective of the old and sly senator that got him into trouble. He could still remember how Senator Lucresia ridiculed him at the Senate court and muscled everyone to get into his bandwagon. If it wasn''t for the quick thinking of his godfather and his brother Senator Prestonheim, he would''ve gone worse. His birthright would''ve been taken away from him.


    It was a weird situation he was in at the moment. He was the first-born prince currently exiled from the palace but still lived within the capital. Has been working for the Smithy of Arteria and has still been designing inventions for the benefit of his people who never gave a damn for him. He could''ve run away further from the capital, but his love for his people and his pride chained him to stay.


    "Impressive¡­" His father said. "You certainly made this shabby place tidy."


    Prince Arterius stood up from his chair, faced him and sat on the table. "I believe you''re here for something else entirely."


    His father cracked a grin. "You bet that I am. But couldn''t I check the welfare of¡ª"


    "Of me?" Arterius scoffed. "Last time I recalled I was in front of you in the Senate being chewed over a decision that you and I both know was within the limits of our laws."


    Imperatur Severus went silent and glared at him, his crooked smile gone from his face. "If I were you¡­I would tread very gently at this point. You know that I have the power to officially remove your birthright and with that the contention to the crown."


    "I thought I was never allowed to mention my contention to the crown. You do know that leaves you with just one heir." He said bitterly.


    "Don''t be ridiculous." His father shook his head as he scoffed. "And here I am thinking you were the smarter one!"


    Prince Arterius raised his eyebrow, "W-what? ¨C"


    "There''s a difference between being silent and being completely removed from the succession." His father explained. "You still have your birthright with you. Do you know what that means?"


    Prince Arterius soon realized what his father meant to say. Truth be told, Senator Lucresia made him swear that he wasn''t allowed to announce his contention to the throne. It was never stated that he was taken out of the line nor was his birthright taken away.


    He looked at his father straight in the eye, while trying to maintain his emotions in check. "I know what it means, father." He took a deep breath. "I am not sure why you''re mentioning that. It seems like you want me back?"


    "Far from it." The Imperatur made his signature crooked smile. "I would like to personally hire you to help in the research of weapons of war."


    "W-weapons of war?" The word was an insult to Prince Arterius. Has he not done enough for the Arterian forces? He already made powerful cannons and enhanced their weapons into becoming one of the best weapons anyone could forge! He did it all without taking any credit for the inventions and researches he did. And yet his greedy father wanted more from him.


    "You heard me, Arterius!" Imperatur Severus became impatient with him. "Weapons of war!"


    "Were my research and inventions not enough for you?" Prince Arterius spat in disgust.


    "We need to win the war!" His father rebutted angrily. "Your inventions were not enough!"


    "Then, why don''t you use the A.R.T.E.R.I.U.S team for that? I''ve heard they had a new brilliant director!" He rolled his eyes.


    His father went silent for a moment. It was clear from the get-go how annoyed his father was to see him. Prince Arterius could see it in his eyes since they began speaking. It was clear his father was about to explode but was trying to be patient with him as much as possible.


    Imperatur Severus was in dire need of a clear victory. Prince Arterius could sense his father''s frustration. It has been 3 years since the war began, and even with Veritus on the battlefield, the tides of war never seemed to go on their favor, or anyone else for that matter.


    "Aren''t you afraid of what the Ardants might do to us if they''ll win." His father tried his luck in stirring his emotions.


    "Afraid?!" Prince Arterius scoffed. "A Prima is never afraid to die or live in hell!"


    There was complete silence after that. Prince Arterius could see his father gnashing his teeth while the veins in his temple were about to explode. Somehow, he controlled himself and met his gaze. That''s when he knew how desperate his father was to win the war.


    Prince Arterius saw this opportunity to take back what was his. The young prince smiled at him.


    "Tell me father, what are your terms?"

 Chapter 219: About Machines and Watermelons Pt.1

    Tarsuria, Year of Severus, 18, I.R., the 60th day of Spring, Broken Springs


    --------------------


    Oyue sat on his bed. Nullus pointed the sword at her, ready to attack. Suddenly, his sword became too heavy for him to hold.


    "You know it''s bad manners to point a sword to a guest." Oyue calmly said.


    "Well, try telling me that before abandoning me three years ago." He spat.


    Oyue simply looked at him with frustration written all over her face. It seemed like the goddess had a lot of things she wanted to talk about but chose to only speak a few choice words.


    "There are things I dare not say because¡ª" Oyue took a deep breath.


    "Because you''re a goddess and the deity''s plans are incomprehensible to mortals." He mockingly answered the goddess. "I''ve heard that nonesense before, Oyue. You should know that more than I. You saw it."


    Oyue silently stared at him before choosing to stare at his dirty wooden floor. Even as a goddess, Nullus couldn''t help but admit how different she was from those other deities he encountered during his previous lifetimes.


    She was empathetic and caring towards him in a genuine way, although he couldn''t help but doubt her. She gave him powers without anything in return; a trait that any previous gods he encountered wouldn''t do for him.


    But even then, there was a little space of doubt in his heart about the goddess'' fa?ade and it all culminated three years ago when he was left for dead. That unseen attack which he figured could only be the work of a supreme deity that killed his valued comrades. He could still see their faces as their poor bodies slowly sank under the cold, dark lake of the damned goddess in front of her.


    "You can take away my weapon or my powers, but that doesn''t mean I would kneel down to you!" Nullus spat.


    Oyue looked him in the eyes and shook her head. "I didn''t come here to bring you such misery."


    "Misery? So, you talk about misery?!" Nullus'' face reddened in anger. "You could''ve let me die that moment I drowned in your damned waters! But no! You wanted me to suffer!" He pointed at her. "I tried¡­I tried so many times to end my misery but you won''t allow me to die. What kind of sick deity does that?! Oh, wait! Each of your kin are like that! Manipulative and---"


    "Enough!" His house rumbled at Oyue''s voice. It took a moment for the goddess to compose herself. "There are things I would like to tell you¡­ but now is not the time, Adlaw-on." She stood up from his bed.


    "W-what do you mean by that?" Nullus raised his eyebrow.


    Oyue''s eyes met his one last time. "Now that the leylines had been unlocked, be ready for drastic changes. You will meet one sooner than you expect." She faded away in thin air.


    "What did you just say?" He shouted at her, angrily but she was already gone.`


    Nullus'' sword lit up once again and floated back to his hand. He immediately threw the sword over to where Oyue stood. The glowing blade lodged itself on the wooden wall. He cursed under his breath and took out the blade from the wall before going to the kitchen. He sat on a chair and stared at the bed for hours, daring himself not to sit or lay on the bed that the goddess'' sat on.


    Enraged at the idea of the goddess sitting on his bed, Nullus did an illogical move. He threw away his bed in the dead of the night out of his house and burned it as a sign of his disgust towards Oyue. After the bed turned into a burning piece of wood, he went back to his house. He took a bottle of water and drank it before continuously staring at the bed until he fell asleep.


    He woke up the following morning by Squeakers annoying wake up call. Nullus grunted and grumbled as he woke up from his chair. His eyes were welcomed by the sight of an empty bed, a reminder of his conversation with the goddess.


    Nullus immediately stood up and greeted Squeakers who was about to thrown pebbles at his window. Seeing how the kid was likely to hit him with the tiny stones, he immediately nagged at him, prompting the child runaway.


    After a quick breakfast, he immediately went to the town square and met with Squeakers and the rest of the townsfolk who were surprised to see the watermelons seemed to have increased in size. The alderman was running towards him to tell him about the great news; a phenomenon that he already knew who did it.


    "Nullus! Nullus!" The old man shivered in delight. "T-the melons! T-the melons are huge! Thank Oyue for these big melons!" He prayed.


    Nullus squinted at him as he tried not to burst the old man''s bubble. "I-indeed." He cursed at his breath.


    The old man turned around and excitedly announced the miracle to the townsfolk who were as bedazzled as he was.


    "My fellow townspeople!" The alderman called out at the top of his lungs. "Oyue has blessed us with these big watermelons! From this day moving forward, we shall call this fruit as Oyue''s melons!" The crowd cheered as they chanted a horrendous name all over the place.


    Nullus wanted to correct the old man for using such an inappropriate name. However, since it was describing Oyue, he resorted to not care about it. He might as well milk the mockery as much as he could. He tapped the old man''s shoulder and asked him to continue with the program that morning.


    "Alderman Hostea," He slightly coughed to get his attention. "I think it is time we begin the process of yeast fermentation."


    "Oh! Indeed!" The alderman answered and took a glance at him. "Yes, please. Go on."


    Nullus took the stage and instructed everyone to gather the smaller watermelons for their procedure. He showed everyone how to peel the watermelons without losing too much chunk of its fruity meat and separated the fruit meat from the peeled skin.


    He then instructed half of the townsfolk to boil some water and clean the jars that they would place the peelings and juices on. Nullus instructed them to cut the peels into sizeable shapes and labeled the jar where they placed it. After putting the peels inside the jar, he then instructed them to fill the jar with water until it filled three-fourths of the jar before sealing it tightly. He then asked them to place it inside a dry, clean place away from cretins.


    "What are we going to do with the meat?" One of the townspeople asked.


    "Good question." Nullus smiled. "Get me the biggest bucket we have."


    It only took a moment for the people to procure him the largest bucket they could find. He instructed Squeakers and the rest of the children to wash their feet and climb inside the bucket while the skinned fruit filled the bucket until their ankles.


    "Alright," Nullus grinned. "Now for the fun part. I want you to stomp Oyue''s melons as strong as you can until it turns to pulp!" He noticed enjoying his command way too much.


    The children smiled and began to crush the fruit by their feet. He encouraged others to do the same as well and everyone obliged. There were a lot of melons selected for their winemaking. The alderman asked the village minstrel to sing to them a song as they went on their way.


    Nullus sat down at the shade of an okre tree delighted with what the townspeople were doing with the fruits.


    "Well, Oyue." He mumbled. "Try getting stomped once in a while, will you?" He smiled as he looked at the orange-colored horizon. Thinking about his petty payback to the goddess. He knew it wasn''t enough, but he couldn''t neglect the people to starve as well, especially with the Fall season coming up soon.


    It would''ve been better if he trashed the fruit altogether and left the damned town, but this wasn''t their problem. It was his and the goddess. No matter how much he loathed her, he couldn''t just leave the people to their own devices, not now.


    Nullus took a sip of water from the gourd the alderman offered to him earlier and stared blankly once again at the horizon, waiting for the people to finish stomping at Oyue''s melons. He cracked a smile another smile. He just couldn''t help how funny the name sounded.

 Chapter 220: About Machines and Watermelons Pt.2

    Tarsuria, Year of Severus, 18, I.R., the 60th day of Spring, Broken Springs


    ------------------


    Nullus hadn''t noticed his eyes closed shut as he continued to stare at the horizon. He felt his back laid against the okre tree and slept with the little time he had. The day wasn''t as grueling as that of the planting season, but his encounter with Oyue last night proved to be draining.


    Just as he was about to drift further in his sleep, he felt the ground move. He immediately opened his eyes and was welcomed by a giant shadow looming over the horizon. The silhouette looked like an enormous spider. Its dome-shaped body accompanied with its long stick-like legs rowed in a pair of four was a daunting sight to see.


    He leapt out from the shed and hurried back to the townspeople who couldn''t help but stare at the enormous entity coming their way. He shouted at them and told them to run for their lives, but the townsfolk froze in fear.


    He looked at the monstrous silhouette and saw it move its spidery legs, taking another step closer towards them. The monster''s wiry legs suddenly shook, and hind legs broke, causing the behemoth to topple down.


    The ground rumbled as the monster dropped on the ground and a puff of smoke rose from the forest where it fell. Nullus arrived at the townsfolk who were confused about the situation.


    "Everyone, run! Run!" Nullus'' scream snapped them out from their fear-induced stillness.


    The townsfolk started running around knocking some of the jugs and buckets that were already filled with watermelon juice. Nullus asked the townsfolk to evacuate the town as he ran towards the fallen monster.


    He rushed towards the forest jumping through the fallen tree trunks and unearthed boulders. There was a blanket of dust spread throughout the forest. It took Nullus awhile to go further inside the forest as he waited for the dust to settle.


    He raised his arm, summoning his blade over to him. The gladius flew over from his house and into his hand. The blade glowed like a torch in the thinning blanket of dust as he advanced further. In the distance, the shadow of the fallen monster.


    The monstrous shadow was the size of two medium-sized houses clumped together. It wasn''t as big as he thought it was, however, it was still a daunting thing to slay, if he''s forced to. He crouched and slowly approached the monster, taking slow quite movements to avoid the injured beast from detecting his presence.


    The beast never made a sound and from the looks of it, some of its broken parts were glowing a spark. He paused and hid himself behind a protruding boulder a ten footlings away from the monster. He slowly peeked and saw a shadow of a person crawling out of the monster.


    "Must be a survivor." He thought.


    He could hear the audible coughing from the person. Later on, Nullus heard the person mumble. He stealthily came close until the person''s mumbles became audible.


    "Drat!" The woman said in a rough, musical accent. "Cough¡­cough¡­The gears jammed!"


    "Gears?" Nullus said to himself as he went closer.


    "Nullus!" Squeakers voice echoed throughout the forest.


    "W-who''s there?!" The woman shouted back. "I-I can¡­ hurt you!" He heard her picked something heavy.


    Nullus facepalmed as the situation worsened. The woman''s shadow was starting to get clearer. She was stepping away from the monster while raising her hand-held weapon above her head. He looked around and saw Squeakers moving towards the voice, unaware of the danger ahead of him.


    "Nullus!" Squeakers called out again. "I''ll be right there with you in a moment." He excitedly said.


    Nullus followed Squeakers'' movement with his eyes, all the while being vigilant with the woman. Suddenly the woman shouted.


    "Fuck it!" She immediately ran towards Squeakers about to strike.


    Nullus was quick enough to intercept the attacking woman. He immediately tackled her to the ground, disarming her of the weapon before planting her face first on the ground.


    "Don''t move!" He warned the woman squirming on the ground as he grappled her arm. "Don''t move or I will end you!" Nullus stabbed his glowing gladius on the ground near the woman''s face.


    "W-who are yah?" The woman''s voice shook as she stayed still.


    "I should be asking the questions!" Nullus answered back.


    Squeakers approached him a few moments later, confused with what was happening.


    "Stay back, Squeakers!" Nullus shouted.


    "I-I was just¡­" Just before the kid could finish his words, the monster suddenly moved and exploded.


    Squeakers immediately ran away as the booming sound echoed.


    "Oh no! My machine!" The woman struggled and wiggled out of his grip but was unable to.


    "Machine?" Nullus asked. "What do you mean by machine?"


    Another explosion echoed through the air.


    "Oh no! No!" She wiggled violently. "Let me go! I can''t let that machine explode! Prince Arterius¡ª"


    "Arterius?!" Nullus let go of her, shocked to hear the prince''s name after some time.


    The woman wiggled out and ran towards the machine, while cursing at the sparking chunks of metal scattered all over the crash site. He immediately followed her and saw the spider-like silhouette he saw towering the sky earlier was nothing than plates of metal and gears.


    The sound of clanging metal was audible as the woman entered the huge dome-like thing. Nullus took a gazed at the monstrous dome when suddenly he heard an explosion from the inside of the machine.


    Nullus heard a loud thud like a body hitting on the floor before a stream of fire erupted out of the door. He took a step back and assessed the situation.


    "Cough¡­Cough¡­Help!" The woman''s voice echoed from inside the flaming dome.


    Without any hesitation, Nullus charged inside the burning cage of metal. The flames licked his skin as he entered the infernal dome, but it never hurt him, let alone scorched his skin. He went deeper inside the chamber pushing metallic plates and burning wood.


    A ball of dark smoke instantly blew towards him as he went into its deeper reaches. Nullus felt light-headed as he continued to inhale the smoke, but still continued his way.


    "A-are you¡­cough¡­cough¡­ there?" Nullus called out.


    "Y-yes..." She replied but her voice was fading away.


    He immediately traced the voice under a ton of fallen debris composed of metal and wood. Nullus immediately touched the hot surface of the stacked debris and realized how heavy it was. He tried pushing it as hard as he could, but it won''t budge.


    The dome was becoming an inferno, burning them from the inside. If he won''t use it, he knew he would be far too late to save the trapped woman. Nullus cursed under his breath and activated Oyue''s blessing.


    For the first time in such a long time, he felt his body tremble once again as he welcomed the surging exousia inside his body. He felt his strength doubled as he saw the swirling lines on his body. He was finally able to push away the debris and save the mysterious woman but before he could lift her up, the place lit up so bright it blinded him.


    Another explosion blasted the air. Then everything became silent...

 Chapter 221: The Cold, Bloody Seas Pt.1

    Tarsuria, Year of Severus, 18, I.R., the 63rd day of Spring, The Ardantean Strait


    ----------------------


    "All hands, on deck!" The man from the crow''s perch shouted as a fleet of Ardant ships came crossing their way.


    Commander Crovar smiled as he viewed the massive fleet from the quarter deck.  "Look alive, men! It looks like we have company!" He threw the telescope to his first mate and took the mast from one of his crew. "We are about to taste salt and blood once again!"


    "Aye, Commander!" His crew shouted.


    He immediately twisted the mast and made the ship change its course. Instead of going straight towards the fleet barricading them, he made his ship face sideways with cannons pointing directly at the Ardants.


    "Cannons on standby!" Commander Crovar shouted at the top of his lungs.


    The cannons popped out of the side of the decks. Their ship wasn''t the only ship that did the maneuver, the first 20 ships also did the same and waited for Commander Crovar''s order. The opposing fleet seemed to have seen this and stopped their advance.


    "They ain''t moving commander!" The first mate said.


    "Indeed." Commander Crovar smiled. "Are the bombardiers in position already?"


    The first mate looked at the sky and counted his fingers. "Given how dense the forest is from the shore, they should be there by¡­noon." He clicked his tongue.


    Commander Crovar smirked. "Shouldn''t I have listened to you instead of them?"


    "Yes." His first mate answered. "With all due respect, commander. I told you the plan would fail from the get-go. This battle is at an impasse from the beginning. How many times have we tried to¡ª"


    Suddenly, their conversation was halted by a loud blast coming from the opposite side of the strait.


    "Give me the scope!" Commander Crovar shouted. The crew immediately threw the telescope to him.


    As he was about to set his sight on the opponent''s fleet when a huge mushroom-like cloud came out of nowhere. The Ardant ships were trying to change their course, but unfortunately, a number of flaming debris and other pieces of the vessel barricaded their escape.


    Commander Crovar grinned. "That dwarf is a crazy son of a bitch!" He shouted in delight as the flaming projectiles came firing out from out of the cliff. "I am sorry, Jonas but it seemed like the bombardiers came in too early before the Ardant fleet could detect them!"


    The first mate shook his head and laughed hard. "I shouldn''t have doubted him! Now, I owe him a drink or two!"


    "Ohh¡­you''re going to need more than that!" Commander Crovar smiled and threw the telescope on one of his crew. "Men, set course for the formation!" He commanded.


    He immediately twisted his mast going to the right, setting his ship to face the chaotic, flaming Ardant fleet.


    "Ready the trebuchets!" He commanded.


    His first mate echoed the order to the other ships. The ships from the third row readied their trebuchets and anchored their ships for the attack. The other commanders from his fleet signaled that they were ready.


    "Trebuchets be ready!" Jonas shouted as he heard the other officers'' signal.


    "Too loud, Jonas!" Commander Crovar spat. "I like it! Fire the load!" He shouted.


    "Fire away!" Jonas signaled.


    His ordered echoed through the fleet. The other officers heard his command and shouted their confirmation. Not a moment passed and the ships on the third row fired their flaming projectiles. The impact of the throw sent huge waves that rocked their ships, but that didn''t budge them, in fact it was good sign.


    The flaming projectiles went into the enemy lines like a rain of comets coming from the gods, smiting their opponents and punishing them further. The skirmish ended by sundown and by that time, the islands facing the Ardantean Strait was filled with flaming debris and dead bodies washed ashore.


    Commander Crovar and a few of his fleet landed on the shores of the island where his bombardiers hid. He camped near the bloody sandy shores just in case they get attacked.  The young commander and his crew sat around a bonfire while they watch vigilantly from the shores.


    The young commander commanded his men not to drink and celebrate in fear that the enemies might still be lurking elsewhere. They sat silently around the bonfire enjoying the salted dried meat and mushy porridge over a cup of watered-down wine.


    "This is a boring celebration." Jonas clicked his tongue.


    "Who says that were celebrating?" Commander Crovar asked as he sipped his abysmal-tasting wine.


    "At the very least we get some good food." His first mate scoffed as he gnawed at the jerky.


    "I wish we could have one too." The commander clicked his tongue.


    "Well, yah lads, say no more!" A familiar voice echoed from the dark bushes.


    The bushes shook and revealed a handful of silhouettes. The bombardiers got out from the forest, marching with their gears and cannons carried on their backs. The dwarves and their human partners looked exhausted albeit grinning from a successful job.


    "Do you have anything else you brought with you aside your smiling faces?" Commander Crovar addressed the jolly bombardiers.


    "Bah! Yah bhstyrd! Yah couldn''t let us rest, ah?" The familiar voice answered.


    "Oh, there you are!" Commander Crovar stood up and sipped wine from his cup. "I thought you were blasted from force of those damned cannons, Ghwynmyr!"


    "Hah! It''ll take''t more than juz dat!" Ghwynmyr chuckled. "Lad, we''ve did good! Now, where''s the ale?!"


    "Hahaha! You little twat! You know our men would get drunk without meat on their stomachs!" The young commander grinned.


    "Meat? After a hard day''s toil, yah ask me fer meat?!" The dwarf asked. "Lad, I thirst fer ale so¡­I brought yah a bunch. Urfie! Get dem meat here!" Ghwynmyr called out the beastman.


    "Did anyone said meat?!" Urfaal jumped out of the bushes carrying two enormous wild boars on his shoulders.


    The rest of the men by the fire stood up and cheered. The beastman dropped the boars near Commander Crovar''s feet.


    "Now, tis gotta feast! Permission tah roast ''em boars?" Ghwynmyr grinned.


    Commander Crovar sipped his cup and raised it. "Permission granted!"


    "Lad!" He called out Urfaal. "Take ''em dah blades. We''re in fer a feast tonight!"