《ELECTUS - A tale of Peaceful Demons.》


 Bouncing over the Roads!

    "Do not turn back. Run forward BlackWind, do not stop at nothing. Run as fast as you can! Our lives depend on you now boy." Woldemir shouted from the top of his lungs, encouraging his Horse to run faster.


    You might be wondering who they are running from? A Natural enemy, and I''m being literal with that, Black Wolves! Standing about 50 meters in front of them with their teeth shining and lips foaming for a big large snack.


    And of course without hesitation, Black Wind first blows air out of his nose, with flesh ripping fury visible behind his eyes, making him look like a true fearless beast. He went from being stopped at his spot to fast ground trembling speed.


    The Wagon behind Woldemir shook harder upon every little bump through the muddy road penetrating the Forrest, due to the intensively accelerating speeds there is little one wooden little thing can handle.


    BlackWind, although a bit fearful towards Wolves since a wound on his hip is caused from one of them since he was a newborn, he did not fail to charge towards these Wolves in punishing speeds!


    Fear isn''t an option here, it is either run fast or die fast. So Woldemir continued with his encouragement, "Come on boy, faster faster!"


    At this point, going faster is being ruled out as an option. The Wagon behind them is heavy since it is filled to the top with farm crops, that''s what''s weighing BlackWind down!


    At such a situation, Woldemir can cut the Wagon off and hop on the horse right. For the sake of safety! Wolves won''t eat Carrots after all, so why not cut the Wagon off and come back for it later?


    Well he can''t cut it off because the young 15 year old Eric is sitting over the cabbages, at the back of the Wagon. Cutting the Wagon off inevitably means cutting his son off, no one in their right mind would do that for the sake of safety!


    Finally reaching the wicked wolves, ignoring how one was giving BlackWind a dead stare up until the point where they made contact, BlackWind the astonishing black fured Horse kicked one of them on the face which made it fly away on the side of the road with a few broken teeth as an aftermath.


    A couple more wolves were taken Victim first from the 400 Kilogram heavy BlackWind and his steps on them, afterwards taken victim by the wheels of the small but heavy Wagon. At this rate, those victimized Wolves are lucky if they die quick now.


    While another Wolf, who apparently was the leader of this little pack just skipped on the side of the road to avoid being crushed. The wisest decision although the most cowardly, unlikely for a leader to be scared of prey aye?Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    BlackWind ripped through the Wolves like a Fire Tornado through the forest, big accomplishment for a Horse found wounded in the wild as a new born right? Finally able to kill Wolves, it''s a moment worth celebrating if they weren''t gambling with death right now.


    The battle worked for Woldemir''s favour, but it''s not over yet! Three wolves were taken victim, but five more are still standing, healthy and ready!


    The Black Wolves charged after the Wagon, with their speeds astonishing! Although BlackWind got a head start, it wasn''t enough to outrun them!


    In less than a minute, they''ve already made their way close to the Wagon, one even tried to jump and climb on it but I guess as a Wolf it forgot that moving prey is hard to catch.


    It''s head just hit the Back of the Wagon and afterwards the Wolf fell straight to the ground, not killed or completely knocked out as a result, just dizzy. This makes it a bit funnier when you consider that the Wagon is only a meter and a half tall, it shouldn''t have been that hard for a strong legged Wolf to jump over it!


    Well at least now there is one Wolf less to worry about, at least for a little while. Now to handle the four others!


    One of them started running close to the right side of the Wagon, and the other on the left side. The soul intend of the Wolves here is to catch up with the prey enough to pounce on it, and bite its neck until BlackWind is no more. If the Horse stops, the two other Humans become easy targets and therefore a big feast can be held.


    Noticing the Wolves on the side, Woldemir pulled out his Dagger from the little bag he has close by, without even aiming he swung the Dagger against the Wolf on the left and nailed it through the animal''s head!


    It worked, the Wolf stopped it''s momentum and started tumbling through the dirt road with a blood pool slowly following after. But as Woldemir thought the situation through a bit further, he murmured to himself. "Damn, why did I throw my Dagger?"


    It was a stupid move, especially after considering all the loot he has on his Wagon, like throwable Cabbages. Turning around to get a cabbage became especially difficult considering how much the Wagon is jumping around thanks to the bumps.


    But with a bit more effort he got one twice bigger than his small jawed Ignite Head, just in time as well because the Wolf on the right was already close to BlackWind''s belly.


    With all of his power and with a little bit more effort in accuracy this time, Woldemir hit the Wolf right on the gut with that 5 Kilogram heavy Cabbage which felt even heavier once tossed. Would you look at that, farming is paying off in more than one way!


    That will likely not kill the Wolf, but it will be enough to slow it down. An endurance of a Wolf is surprisingly large, and it might take a Wagon full of Cabbages to completely fight them off since they can even take an axe to the spine without immediately dying.


    Looking behind, he noticed that Eric is somehow sleeping through all of this. Crazy, but at the same time understandable since they have been travelling for 5 hours now trying to reach Crutal Town. Boredom is one of the biggest enemies at cases like this.


    Behind his son, Woldemir could see that a Wolf has actually managed to latch on the back of the Wagon. Woldemir can see it''s head and front paws only, in no time it can climb on to the Wagon and take Eric as a victim, as a snack.


    He grabbed another cabbage, put in a little bit more effort to turn his body around for the sake of being able to toss better, and started aiming at the wolf!


    "Stay away from my son you fancy dog!" Woldemir shouted from the top of his lungs, and tossed the Cabbage towards the wolf!


    The cabbage hit the wicked wolf on the head, which forced it to tumble through the road with a broken neck actually! The cabbage was heavy and the gained momentum made it even heavier, at least he permanently doesn''t have to worry about this particular wolf now!


    He noticed that after he bested this third wolf, he didn''t see any more of them for nearly a minute now. Could the Wolves have given up on this rewarding prey? Hard to tell, really hard to tell.


    Thinking the situation through in the heat of speed, Woldemir murmured to himself once coming up with a conclusion. "Wait a minute..."

 First blow

    Eric is on the ground at the moment, the rough bumpy ride made him fall from the Wagon and down to the dirt, that impact thankfully helped him wake up. As if the roles reversed, Eric feels like he has woken up to a nightmare.


    The reason? Well it is because he found himself surrounded by not one but seven Black Hungry Wolves!


    The Wolf pack leader was slowly approaching Eric closer by the second, with his yellow bloody teeth shining and his mouth watering, the leader just kept growling in a soul trembling freakish way and suddenly stopped after he pushes Eric down to the hard ground with his paw, having no trouble to pin him down.


    The Leader''s paw being as big as an adult human''s hand aided that move. After that the Leader leans down to bite Eric''s neck, to end his life. But is stopped as Eric literally slapped the Wolf, yelling at him to get the hell back. But it had little effect and it pissed of the Wolf, making Eric''s death likely more brutal now.


    Trembling in fear even though he had the courage to slap a Wolf. Sweating enough that he would have easily been mistaken as a person who just came out of a river, if he was seen by anyone. His heart beat rapidly increases as he noticed Wolves approaching closer at each side as he fears to lose his life at that moment.


    With that fear possessing his soul and body, he was forced to push himself into new abilities, abilities he never thought possible for him to have. He even tested himself before after hearing all the stories of Slaughter.


    Eric suddenly uses one hand to grab the Wolf Pack leader by the neck and pulls him down to the position where the leader and Eric are looking at each other''s eyes. But this time, the Leader was in fear.


    A split second after that, Eric used his other hand to grab the leader''s chest which was a grab strong enough to make the Wolf scream in pain and fear.


    Afterwards Eric blasted what seemed to be a small Fireball out of his hand. But not just a normal rapidly spreading fireball. This one was different.


    It was Fire shaped in a compressed like way. Fire that seemed to rely on its ability to pierce skin, more than it relied on its ability to brutally burn.


    It was shaped like a long, slender, rounded piece of metal which first of all pushed through the leaders skin and reached out to his heart, burned it whole and pushed through the leaders back in a blink of an eye, ripping the Leader in two.


    It didn''t take much until that slender fire turned in to an actual typical fireball which exploded into a bigger size, enough to blast the remains of the bloodthirsty leader ten feet up in the sky, tossing one part at the forest and one part at the road, left there to burn.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The "all mighty" leader is dead, but Eric is still in grave danger because the pack still remains standing around him which was a surprise, they didn''t scatter. Eric has killed the leader, yes. But he has no idea how he did it and he isn''t sure how to blast more fireballs out of his hand again.


    Several wild Black wolves started ignoring the fact that their leader just got burned to death and without fear they are approaching Eric closer and closer, perhaps the rest of the pack arrived because a moment ago there were only three Wolves remaining.


    At this moment, all Eric thought of doing was to cover his head with his arms and hands and just wait for his death.


    In a second, a sound... much like a blazing burning fire was easy to hear from a far distance. It didn''t take long to feel that the sound was approaching closer every moment.


    The Black Wolves ignored that sound, like the wild animals they are. Their main goal is food. It was always food. And Eric is their bite sized target right now.


    But that fire like sound turned into something that was impossible to not pay attention to at the moment. Even though the wolves weren''t the best at paying attention, this time they had no choice but to glance.


    It was clear to see that this sound came from a way bigger Fireball as a Source, it''s round blazing shape measured six feet wide.


    And this Fireball, unlike the one Eric blasted. Hit one Black Wolf, pushing it against another one that was close to the first and when it reached the third Black Wolf, it pushed all three of them about twenty feet away from Eric and a heart trembling explosion followed, leaving Eric''s mouth wide open.


    The explosion was Loud enough to be heard half a mile away no doubt. After that explosion, the fireball just disappeared into thin air. And those three Black Wolves were nowhere to be seen either, reduced into nothingness.


    All that remained out of those three wolves was a tooth that flew and bounced it''s way near Eric''s feet. No ash, nothing.


    After that lethal blast, what seemed to be an old mysterious looking man appeared and was slowly approaching with a cold look on his face, walking towards Eric and the remaining four living and breathing Black Wolves who are still considered a threat to Eric, but the old man doesn''t seem to fear them at all.


    After the old man made a stunning entrance, the Wolves quickly lost their attention from Eric and didn''t target him anymore. They turned all their attention away from him and ran towards the old, obviously bigger and taller looking human.


    Wolves have simple instincts! they hunt whats bigger. But if they can''t hunt down what''s bigger, they at least keep it away from their meal(Eric). Even though the old man wasn''t obviously going to eat the young boy, the short minded wolves protected their meal.


    All the remaining wolves from that pack were running towards the old man, but they did not understand that they aren''t just facing against a normal or easy to tackle Human such as Eric.


    Quickly taking a breath and blowing blazing hot fire out of his mouth, the old man easily managed set all the four remaining wolves on fire.


    Leaving them to howl in pain as they randomly ran from the road to the forest and from the forest to the road out of panic, hoping they are put out of their misery and hoping that they never tried to eat a kid.


    Scared of the old man, Eric asked with his voice trembling. "Wha... what are you?"

 The strange Fire Wizard

    The wizard helped Eric get up without saying a thing at first. But as he did so, he also noticed a rather uniquely shaped mark on Eric''s hand, however at the moment he didn''t question him about it.


    "What are you doing here in these woods alone child, do you even realize how dangerous it is to walk in actual groups around here." Exclaimed the Strange Fire Wizard but not loud enough to further spook Eric.


    Eric, who was still in shock and of course terrified to the maximum replies to the Fire Wizard with a trembling voice. "I...I...was heading towards Crutal Town with my f-father. I was asleep and m-most likely fell off of the Wagon and here I am now."


    Worth noting that due to avoiding communication with a lot of people, Eric isolated himself to the point where he has trouble speaking. He often mumbles, as if his mouth can''t catch up with his brain.


    The Wizard looks at Eric with a lot of curiosity and with a different, more calm comforting voice he says. "I suppose that makes sense, but now you should calm down as there is no Danger in sight. I do have some questions about that mark on your hand."


    Eric takes a deep breath and lets it all out, his heart beat started stabilizing by the second and right at the moment when the Fire Wizard was about to ask further questions about the mark. Eric''s dad, Woldemir with their horse BlackWind reached the scene.


    He jumps out of the Wagon and runs towards Eric and hugs him tight. After that with a shaking terrified but in another way, a relieved voice he says. "Son, I am so glad you are alright! I didn''t think that I will see you in one piece again. I prayed for the best but the fear of losing the only family member I have left, o-overwhelmed and got the best out of me."


    In a gentle low volumed voice Eric cites, "At first, I killed a Black Wolf with a FireBall. I''m not sure how though... but a Fireball blasted out of my hand and pierced the leader to the point of cutting him in two."


    Woldemir doesn''t seem to be in shock of his son''s newly discovered abilities though, which raised suspicion from the old Fire Wizard''s point of view.


    "I k-know how you got those powers, I promise I will explain everything to you. Right now I j-just want to appreciate and treasure the fact that you are alive and in one p-piece." Gently said Woldemir as he started leading Eric towards the Wagon.


    "Father, I''m alright, there is nothing to worry about. But this old man is to thank for that, if it wasn''t for him I would off been dead by now. He saved my life." Explained Eric as he gently got away from his Father''s grip and pointed towards the Fire Wizard.


    Woldemir turns his head towards the old man, noticing how he doesn''t seem like he is from around here but ignores it, he saved Eric after all. The last thing Woldemir would care about now, is appearance.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "I owe you a life, you have my deepest respect and gratitude, please tell me how may I repay you? We don''t have much but, we can figure something out." Said Woldemir trying his best to offer assistance, seeing the old man travelling alone, he figured something is up.


    "There is no need to thank me or to be in debt to me, I did it because it was the right thing to do. But allow me to introduce myself, I am Mogranius, an Expert Fire Wizard." A Fire Controller or Blaster, interesting to see at best.


    Mogranius continued towards another topic, seeing that they are carefully listening. "May I ask where are you planning to go? I''ve been looking for a specific Town for days and I wasn''t successful in finding it. I don''t have a map and I started at a point I don''t recognize."


    The reason why the two are listening carefully, it is because they are wildly confused. They are quite certain that Magic of any kind is strictly forbidden throughout the entire continent of Ignis.


    At least it became that way after the illustratian race invaded what was left of Ignis, Meridionali Ignis [A country in Ignis] was apparently not enough for that race.


    Apart from that, Mogranius claims that he started to walk from a place he didn''t recognize. How would he end up at that place to begin with? This sounds nothing less but suspicious and confusing.


    Catching the geezer''s attention, Woldemir utters. "First of all, I would like to thank you again for everything and second, me and my son have been planning to go to Crutal Town." A nice kind way to talk indeed, it shows a kind soul.


    Happy, with a wide smile across his face Mogranius answers and asks. "Well this is an interesting coincidence, I was looking for Crutal Town all these days! Will you at least point me towards it?"


    "Yes yes." Woldemir nodded but now he wanted to enter more sensitive topics.


    He started becoming more careful with his words so he doesn''t anger the man who can burst fire from his finger tips. "But may I ask, how many of your kind are there? How did you survive? You do know which continent you are on, right?"


    "Yes, on Ignis. Crutal Town alone has thousands of Fire Blasters so I have a hunch that you have never been there before!" Mogranius answered, still fuzzy about what Woldemir is trying to say.


    To make the situation much harder for Mogranius to comprehend, although with no intent like that to begin with. Eric jumps in the conversation and says. "Father, weren''t all witches and Wizards killed by the illustratio? At least that''s what you told me."


    Ignoring Eric''s question, Woldemir focused on Mogranius primarily. Continuing to ask, "Mogranius, are you familiar with the fact that Magic is banned throughout all of the Continent of Ignis?"


    A shock occured instantly on Mogranius as he heard about this, and he started yelling out his sentences. "But that is impossible! How would magic be banned when even the Queen of [Country] Occidentis Ignis is a Witch? I''ve been gone only for a few days, when did all this change happen?"


    After Mogranius finished that sentence, Woldemir found it appropriate to ask. "Magic of any sort has been banned ever since the illustratio race invaded this country about 200 years ago and enslaved us with taxes, hunted down and killed everyone who practices magic."


    Finding this bit of information unbearable and firmly unbelievable, Mogranius'' tone started trembling. "H-Hold on!! I know nothing of this invasion!! How is it even possible? You two must have lost your minds!!"


    Woldemir replies to him with a rougher tone this time although leverage isn''t by his side, "Slow down there man, you can''t talk to us like that! If you don''t believe us, why don''t you come with us? We can show you the truth! We are going to go to Crutal Town together."


    Mogranius replies with a bit of regret now, seeing that this man has pure intent. His tone lowered for the best, "My apologies, I lost my manners but what you are claiming sounds bizarre. However, I will take that offer to join you, I need to see this with my own eyes otherwise I will never believe it!"


    Uttering his sentences, Mogranius stroked his own beard in the process, thinking of one theory after the other on how the illustratio would win, but he got no stable theory.


    Calming down as well, Woldemir stated. "Okay but you will need to blend in, use "Garther" as your name and I will give you some spare clothes as well or we could all lose our heads."

 New Electus

    Getting ready for the road, with Mogranius putting those clothes on as a first step, one conversation after another broke but this time the debate is less heated.


    Mogranius started it off, forming the conversation towards the fact that Ignites were practically untouchable. "How did all this happen though? Our country [Occidentis Ignis] was always able to withstand invasions because of the Powerful Witches and Wizards on these lands. How did we fall?"


    Well at least Woldemir is educated enough to be well informed with this topic, he simply explained. "As far as I''ve read, this disaster started right after the so called "Electus" passed away. Akareas was her name If I remember right, she held this Country together."


    Garther fell in even deeper shock right now, the Debate wasn''t supposed to be heated. He shouted, "What?! Akareas died two hundred years ago? Either you are insane or I went insane."


    "I don''t think that anyone here is insane, but something strange is definitely going on." Woldemir pointed out, getting more confused than Mogranius come to think of it.


    "I mentored Akareas." Exclaimed Mogranius so loudly that it almost made Eric fall off of the Wagon. If Cabbages weren''t to be sold, he would hit him with one.


    Thinking about the insane part, Woldemir started rethinking what he said earlier and found it appropriate to ask. "Does shooting those hot fireballs drain your noggin? How could you possibly mentor Akareas? She passed away two hundred years ago, I can even find you a history book so you can read it with your own eyes."


    After that Woldemir grabs his bag and inside of it were several books. One was titled "Death of the last Electus".


    Grabbing that book and handing it to Mogranius, he says. "Here you go, read for yourself. I don''t know how else to convince you at the moment."


    Mogranius opens the book, and after reading it a bit he figures that the text was copied from a Diary that was written by her second in command.


    The writings spell out, "I am writing this journal with great despair as last night our Queen, our beloved Electus passed away as she was peacefully sleeping on her bed, she died at a stunning age of ninety three. She is no longer with us, but her spirit will always roam this great Castle. Crutal Town will remember the great Akareas as a fearless Hero, she was a worthy ruler indeed, a fair honest Women without doubt. But more importantly, I treasured her as my close friend. Akareas will be missed."


    After reading this rather extensive but at the same time convincing part of the book, Mogranius got more and more convinced that Akareas actually did die so long ago!


    "But how? I literally had contact with Akareas a few days ago. I left Town only for a few days, when did all this happen? This doesn''t make sense!" He grabbed his head, letting out a deep sigh to ease his burden. It''s not easy to lose a friend in such a way.


    "You aren''t the only one confused here old man, but if you seek deeper knowledge in this topic I can lead you to a Library ran by one of my friends, he is an Ignite and won''t cause us trouble." Gently told Woldemir, trying his best to offer help to this kind-ish old man.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    "Very well, that idea sounds reasonable enough. And I do have a theory about what happened, how I got here and maybe even how to fix this mess. But I do have another question." Stated Mogranius point by point, suddenly putting burden aside and going towards hope.


    "Very well I''m glad we finally reached an agreement. And yes, ask as many questions as you please." Said Woldemir with a warm smile on his face, trying to remain calm as much as he could.


    Having hesitations about asking this, since Woldemir seems to be in enough burden, Mogranius decided to skip it for now. "I will, but later! Now I need to think of a more well forged plan."


    After 2 hours passed, Mogranius glanced at Eric once more and noticed that as time passed Eric fell asleep due to boredom yet again, as if he didn''t see Black Wolves being burned to death a moment ago.


    A perfect time for Mogranius to get his questions answered without freaking out a child. "I waited for your son to fall asleep, I did not wish to burden him with a huge question mark on his mind. But may I ask, how did he get his powers?"


    Woldemir''s face turned pale when he heard Garther utter those words. Hesitant, fiddling with that book he slowly explained with a whisper. "I am not ready to talk about that yet. It is a long story, that ended up with misery. I do not yet know where I will find the strength to explain this to Eric, it is a sensitive topic as he already hates me about it."


    Trying to show sympathy, but also dying to get his questions answered, Mogranius decided to ask another question. "But can you at least tell me more about the mark on Eric''s hand? There is a black mark that starts from the surface of his hands and runs down his fingers much like veins. How did he get that mark?"


    Woldemir replies with a confused voice, "That mark on his hand, is a birthmark. He had it when he was born." Well at least that question was easy to answer.


    "What? It is a birthmark you say? Well that is most interesting. This just gave more light at this dark cloud of questions on my head. This started making more and more sense now." Exclaimed Mogranius as he stroked his beard.


    "What? What started making more sense? Be more clear!" Asked Woldemir in great curiosity and concern the most.


    The relief was quite easy to be heard on Mogranius'' voice as he continually repeated. "This makes a lot of sense".


    But of course he has more to say about this topic, and his tone arose in enthusiasm as he explained. "That mark on Eric''s hand isn''t a coincidence, that mark can only appear on one person. Your son... your son is the new Electus! Our new hope!"


    Woldemir''s face turns even more pale at this moment, you''d think he would be happy. He is surprised how Eric is blessed with such unbelievable power but yet he is terrified. He feared for Eric''s life.


    In an Entire Continent [Ignis] where Magic is banned, where any being who practices magic is either hung, burned to death or beheaded. His son, Eric is born as a Wizard.


    Not a normal Wizard either, so the risks of Eric getting killed are even larger because of the special attention he would get.


    Woldemir then utters with a tone signifying fear, sadness, shaking. "But..But, it can not be! Out of possibly tens of thousands of people here on Ignis, why my son? Oh my god. Those monsters are going to burn my son alive, much like they did with his moth..."


    Mogranius can notice all the burden on Woldemir''s voice and his eyes too, as he can hear his voice trembling and his eyes tearing up from fear.


    It was up to Mogranius to comfort this time, he has to do it for the sake of Woldemir''s sanity. "Man, calm down, you should know that your son is steps away from becoming the most powerful human to currently walk the earth. He can change the fate of so many people!"


    In a low whispering tone, but definitely intense, Woldemir tries to explain. "But you don''t understand. No matter how powerful he is, he can''t go against an entire Continent. The illustratio owns this hellhole, they are in charge."


    Trying to bring reasoning back to the conversation, Mogranius explained. "But you know the only reason we got invaded is because the previous Electus died, without Akareas our Country was just like a flightless duck."


    "But still, Eric has no experience. He doesn''t know what to do or how to do it. He doesn''t even know of his powers, if he gets attacked by a illustratio group he has no chance of surviving it." It is well determined here that Woldemir has no faith in his son, rough but understandable.


    With an attitude fearsome like a Source Bear, Mogranius doesn''t have giving up in his agenda so he stated with all of his guts! "That''s what practice is for, Heroes aren''t made in a day. I personally want to train him, I want to help him unlock his true potential."


    Thinking this situation through as Woldemir was mentally struggling in silence, Mogranius found it comforting to add. "Maybe I was sent here to help bring balance to this Continent again, maybe it is my destiny."


    Woldemir finds slight relief, but his curiosity is at its peak. He asks with is maners sharp, "Alright, I appreciate the thoughtful offer but where exactly will you train him? If one person runs into us, the only thing you can do to silence them is to kill them. Even if they do want to stay quiet, they fear the illustratio."


    Confident, Mogranius answered. "Leave that to me."

 The Time Traveller

    Puzzled, trying to figure out what makes sense and what not for the past ten minutes, Woldemir found it appropriate to ask now. "I have a question. How... just how did you end up getting lost in the woods and miss two hundred years of war?"


    The color on Mogranius'' face turned rather pale as Woldemir seeked a deeper explanation of this predicament. But yet he found the nerve to answer. "I was with Akareas, the previous Electus. We were researching more about the most unknown power to any Wizard or Witch, the mysterious powers of Teleportation."


    These powers ring a bell, but just to be sure Woldemir asked. "Correct me if I''m wrong but as far as I''ve been told, teleportation is where you disappear into thin air and appear somewhere else."


    Nodding in agreement as he thought through some other points, Mogranius clumsily replied. "Yes yes, you''ve heard."


    "How does it equal to you skipping two hundred years?" Scratching his head, Woldemir couldn''t comprehend this theory.


    What Mogranius is basically referring to is teleportation and above that, he is talking about Time Travel as well. Teleportation is a blur to most, explained as a fairy tale but considered as a magical power that every Electus should have. While Time Travel isn''t even one of the 8 powers. The theory keeps getting crazier by the second.


    Thankfully Mogranius is willing to shed more light through this mountain of confusing darkness. "See, before I found myself in these woods, we were tipped off by an adventurer that a book about teleportation is deep down an underground dungeon."


    Instantly seeing this as a bad start, Woldemir couldn''t help asking. "And you believed him? Adventurers are full of malarkey, they robbed so many rich men for elixirs that apparently grant immortality."


    Shouting his sentences, his neck hair up thanks to recalling the scene, Mogranius butchered. "Oh an Adventurer tricking us became the least of our concern, although he didn''t lie about the book!"


    "So I''m assuming something went wrong?" Asked Woldemir, he figured out a bit where this is going.


    "It did!" He yelled again and continued. "Right after we found the book, managing to read a few pages of it too. But the dungeon was abandoned a couple of centuries ago, it didn''t take long for a disaster to follow."


    His attention given entirely towards the storyteller, Woldemir asked with his eyes wide open. "What happened?"


    "Out of nowhere, part of the dungeon collapsed." Mogranius shouted once more and raised his arms towards the sky to add a little drama.


    "So that''s how you got here? Did the dungeon kill you or...?" Asked Woldemir while still having it hard to put two and two together.


    Time Travel doesn''t link here and he is getting convinced that Mogranius is a ghost, well Chapels would describe anything unusual as demonic or paranormal so why not aye?If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    A bit pissed, Mogranius added. "You would have known if you stopped interrupting my story!"


    "But I didn''t..." Woldemir tried to speak but got interrupted, ironic ha?


    Becoming a bit of a drama queen, Mogranius explained. "I was exactly at the area where the dungeon collapsed. A second before large boulders and dirt were about to crush the soul out of me, Akareas casted a teleportation spell on me. That might explain how I got here."


    Now continuing to be confused, but also shocked, Woldemir pointed out a little fact. "But didn''t you say that she didn''t know anything about Teleportation Powers?"


    "That could be the reason why I am here now, that''s my best theory. I don''t know what else to think." The situation is complex, it is a drag when you put an all powerful Electus behind an unknown spell.


    Since books became the topic again, Woldemir pitched. "My best advice would be to look for that special book in the Crutal Castle, maybe Akareas took it with her since she clearly survived that Dungeon collapse."


    His eyes sparkling with hope, Mogranius looked at Woldemir as if he fell in love and expressed. "And with Eric as the Electus, surely I can teleport back in time somehow?"


    "It is settled then, we will try to find that book." Woldemir smiled, but wanted to end that topic as well. He pointed forward and said, "Look where we have arrived!"


    The second Mogranius looks forward, he sees the big and beautiful Crutal Town after hours and hours of travelling, they even had to stop and set up camp last night for the sake of not collapsing.


    His mouth remains open for a little while, he is amazed to see his home again and we can''t deprive you of the fact that Crutal Town is majestically beautiful.


    There are roots of plants spreading out everywhere, each stretching several meters through thick stone walls and colorful flowers blooming on those roots as well.


    The Town is large itself as well, from one end to the other it surely held around five hundred houses. Most of the houses weren''t exactly small either, it is indeed the wealthiest Town in [Country] Occidentis Ignis.


    A tear dropping from his left eye, surfing down his cheek before it met the ground, Mogranius stuttered. "So much has changed, yet it changed in a good way. This place looks more beautiful than ever."


    Accidentally ruining his moment with the Town, Woldemir agreed. "I agree it is beautiful, this race has a fancy about decorating buildings or anything in general with plants. Most likely supported from the money that they force out of our race though."


    Mogranius isn''t in the best emotional position to talk, so Woldemir used this opportunity to get some things straight. "From this point, you have to be careful of what you say and do. The illustratios have a thing about throwing fines over Ignites for ridiculous reasons."


    Raising an eyebrow, curiosity overwhelming. Mogranius asked, "What sort of reasons?"


    Trying to define stupidity, Woldemir shared a little case of his own. "Last summer I got fined for reading a book that wasn''t about the illustratio, the finnes are outrageous as well."


    "I knew illustratios weren''t particularly bright, but this tips the bucket." You can''t blame the old man here, who in their right mind would fine you for reading a book?


    "They are more brutal than they are stupid, If you can''t pay the fines they''ll throw you in the dungeon and beat you until your back is softer than your stomach." Woldemir lifted part of his shirt from behind, showing the scars that didn''t disappear for over a year.


    As they approached Crutal Town closer and they reached the main gate, they immediately got approached by a couple of illustratio gatekeepers.


    Truly devilish looking characters, not literally though. Their skin color doesn''t look like a typical stereotyped devil.


    Their skin color is green and one other eye catching feature are their blood veins. From head to toe their veins are covered with a darker shade of green and a light dark shade of red as well here and there.


    But most of the blood vein color running through their body is green.


    Their eyes are the most devil like part about them, they have these freakish completely red eyes! Difficult to look at without getting uncomfortable especially if one is yelling at you.


    These gatekeepers have fairly long hair too, much like every other race in these medieval times but theirs is green in colour. These body features however weren''t nearly enough devil like compared to their tongue and behaviour.


    As soon as the Gatekeepers approached the Wagon, one of them pulls out a longsword and turned towards Mogranius, shouting. "State your business here you diseased devilish Ignite or my sword will be meeting your neck."


    Before Mogranius utters a single word, Woldemir jumps in the conversation and shouts. "Do not hurt him, he is my cousin. He comes from the other side of our Country [Occidentis Ignis]."


    The other gate keeper replies with, "Oh so basically he is a worthless rag from Gaster Town?"

 Bookworm Stefan

    "Yes yes, he is that type of Worthless. He came for a visit a few moons ago and now he is going to help me sell my goods." Explained Woldemir trying to avoid uncalled for punishments, these people are notoriously known for double standards.


    "Very well, you may enter. But if you commit a crime this time, you won''t get so lucky. Either one of you. Understand?" Told one of the Gate keepers as they were abnormally laughing with each other. Afterwards he turns his head up and shouts, "Open the Gates!"


    Afterwards the great wooden gate started opening. It was quite flattering to see a ten meter tall gate open, showing a 500 house Town bit by bit along the way.


    The strength and people needed to open it isn''t exactly small either for a door that is 16 meters across, one simple Guard can''t ever open it regardless of his strength.


    Upon entering Crutal Town, Mogranius was dumbfounded on how much the city expanded behind these 10 meter tall walls. Last time he was here there were roughly 200 houses.


    Now he is witnessing well above 500 houses! More than the eye can capture at once, it is just a miracle. Crutal Town couldn''t get more beautiful, it will likely never fit the description of an eye sore.


    They made their way towards the Town center after walking through a 5 meter wide alleyway for a while. It was very populated, far exceeding the number of people this Town can hold, especially this month when it is harvesting season.


    People from everywhere who aren''t living in this Town come to sell their crops, the competition is rough although it is bursting with buyers since this domain holds over 3,000 people.


    When they reach the Town''s centre, they see a lot of men and women trying to sell their crops. Some carrying them with carts and some have settled in a small wooden booth, dragging more attention.


    "Fresh wheat grains here."


    "Get your potatoes here."


    "Get them while they are fresh."


    "I have the most orange Carrots."


    Shoutings like that were heard over and over from people going an extra mile to sell their crops, it shows motivation in a way but at the same time it can become ear piercing when so many are yelling at once, not to mention customer murmurs.


    Taking a left turn away from the Town''s centre, the bookshop they were aiming to reach was very close by. It only took half a minute of walking to reach it.


    When they entered the bookshop, The bookseller instantly notices new "Customers" since he isn''t used to illustratios or Ignites being crazy about reading, it isn''t so popular yet.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    He gets a little disappointed when he sees Woldemir and Eric walk in but still welcomes them with a good greet and after asks, "Who is your friend there Woldemir?" Thinking it''s a book buyer.


    Knowing that this topic is rather delicate to talk in the open, and of course trying to avoid any trouble coming from the illustratios, Woldemir replied. "He is a friend, here to talk to you about something very important. We need to talk privately or else we can be as good as dead if anyone else overheard."


    His eyes jerking open, comprehending the importance of this situation, Stefan answered. "Of course, let''s go to the storage room in my basement. No soul could hear us there."


    Eric can''t be a part of this conversation, or else he will be exposed to topics he isn''t yet ready to handle so Woldemir assigned him with a little job. "Eric you stay here, knock three times if anyone walks in the shop to alarm us."


    Swiftly noticing that his father is trying to hide something again, similar to everything else he hid for the past 15 years, Eric just nodded in agreement and grabbed the closest book for comfort.


    Making their way down to the basement, they didn''t find much to see down there. Only wooden crates who were either empty, cracked or filled with books halfway, rarely full. Some half full bookshelves were here and there, forced in to fit in this small storage room.


    Taking a seat above crates, lighting a little candle over a big crate in between them after, now they set a better atmosphere to hold a proper conversation.


    With his tone staggering quiet after his first word, Woldemir started shedding light upon this abnormal situation. "I''m going to sound like a madman right now for saying this but, this man skipped two hundred years and appeared here in our time and year."


    Pulling his head back, highly doubting he coughed once and expressed. "You got the Madman part right! How on Earth would he skip two hundred years and appear here?"


    Stefan isn''t buying this of course, he finds himself smart enough to not believe everything anyone says but of course he had to crack a little joke about it. "Seriously, how? I wanna do it as well to get out of this illustratio infested place."


    Pulling a little golden feather in this conversation, Woldemir replied. "I still have doubts myself but Eric saw him in action blasting Fireballs, we both know that Eric never lies and we both know that there aren''t supposed to be any Witches or Wizards anymore!"


    "You have a point there, that kid barely even speaks and Magic is banned. But can you at least explain how you "skipped" these two hundred years and came here? I''m sure being shot from a Catapult wouldn''t do the trick." Stefan spoke, again with never ending sarcasm and jokes. For a bookworm he sure has a big mouth.


    Trying to push jokes away, even from Stefan, he got straight to the point. "Mogranius survived because he skipped through the entire war when Akareas unleashed a teleportation spell towards him."


    Unwilling to drop sarcasm, Stefan added. "Right and I''m the Queen of Fruit tarts."


    Turning his head towards Mogranius, who hasn''t yet spoken since he got here, Woldemir pointed out the obvious. "This man won''t believe us no matter what we say, so show us a little Fire."


    "As you wish but I hope you know what you are doing." Gently told Mogranius who has been holding in a lot of sarcasm outbursts, if Stefan is the Queen of sarcasm then Mogranius would be the King.


    After that Mogranius breathes in and as he breathes out delicately, fire bursts out of his palm and grants proper illumination to the entire room.


    This isn''t a fireball to be clear but just a small amount of fire rising above the palm of his right hand.


    After it starts off from the palm, it goes down to the back of his hand as well. Reaching down towards the fingers after, Mogranius'' right hand became completely surrounded by that fire that started off like a little pimple in the beginning.


    His face turning pale which is weird because he is close to a hot fire, Stefan asked. "You are a Fire Blaster alright, but how can I help you?"


    Thankful that Stefan wants to help, Woldemir explained slowly and quietly. "My friend, you''ve spent your entire life buying and selling books, I''m sure you can help us get unique books that will prove useful, maybe about Teleportation? And a bit more knowledge on how the war happened would be useful too of course."


    Breaking another sweat, still unable to forget that already shunned Fire, Stefan spoke swiftly. "With those I can be useful up until a Certain point, help yourself with any book you please sir Mogranius. And about the unique books, what exactly are you looking for?"


    Smirking, happy that he started asserting dominance here, Mogranius answered. "Teleportation books, or Akareas'' Journal maybe?"


    Stefan backed up Woldemir''s words although he didn''t know. "The Gaster Castle likely has those, if they didn''t burn them that is. They don''t really show stuff like that in a gold coated display."


    Seeing that everything leads to the Gaster Castle, Mogranius replied. "I guess I need to cast an invisibility spell on myself and sneak into the Castle, other options seem to be nonexistent."


    Knock knock knock!

 Trouble

    Stefan didn''t waste a second once hearing the three knocks, he took charge of the situation right away while remaining calm but yet again urging the two to follow the plan. "Quickly now, both of you grab a small crate and act like you are carrying them up to the store."


    Mogranius and Woldemir did so right away and started following Stefan who was walking upstairs empty handed, as if he hired these two just to carry. And the moment they got up there they walked into five illustratian guards.


    Calmly, trying to avoid trouble Stefan asked. "Welcome. What do I owe the pleasure of this visit Guard Commander Chan."


    Chan, with a strongly weaseling tone replied. "That''s Guard Commander to you bookworm. I never said you can call my name."


    "My apologies sir. How may I serve you." Added Stefan aiming to raise Guard Commander Chan''s ego, playing with his mind like a toy.


    Trying to find a problem, Chan asked with his tone rising. "I will ask the questions here! What were all three of you doing in the basement and left a child up here? What are you up to?"


    Forming a believable lie in a matter of seconds, Stefan answered with his tone calm. "I paid them to help me bring some crates up, I pulled a muscle earlier so I can not lift. I need to sell more books in order to keep up with the taxes. Taxes aren''t cheap as you know."


    Afterwards, Guard Commander Chan turns to the other Guards and yells a command. "Crack those crates open and search them. There better not be any books that teach magic there, or else you will lose everything."


    "I''m sure there aren''t. They come from Meridionali Ignis, meaning no magic books." Confidentiality added Stefan. Knowing what to expect in those crates.


    After that the Guards cracked open the crates, they weren''t gentle at all with the crates. They damaged multiple books in the process but no one said a word because the illustratio are clearly in charge, they are indeed brutal if someone opposes them, even with an argument.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Noticing there is no book that would break any law, Chan went back to his reason why he came here in the first place. "Alright, it seems like the crates are clear. However I''m here to inform you that the Merchant tax increased. You paid three hundred gold pieces this month, you need to pay another one hundred, King''s orders."


    "But I''m broke, I can''t afford it right now. I gave everything three days ago." Gently told Stefan, using reason over yelling but inside deeply suppressing his rage and hate towards the illustratios.


    "That does not concern me, pay the tax or suffer in the dungeon peasant." Being unreasonable isn''t something unusual coming from Guards or Guard Commanders. Stefan can die for all Chan Cares, it would be "one demon less" on his sight.


    Losing his patience once noticing Chan''s smirk, Stefan shouted. "Is this your king''s continuous attempt to put the Ignite Merchants here out of business?"


    Guard Commander Chan replies with continues smirk, practically taunting Stefan and furthermore making him feel small. "Again, this is not my concern peasant. Pay up."


    Insisting on his points, Stefan shouted. "I''m broke, how am I supposed too?"


    Getting his way, Chan pointed towards Stefan. "This way, Guards. Arrest the peasant. Six months in the dungeon for refusing to pay the tax and calling me by my name. Your worthless book shop and your house now belongs to the King."


    Refusing to be savvy with his shouts, Stefan insisted. "But you can''t do this. This is insane, this is insane!"


    Unwilling to tolerate this situation any longer, Eric caught their attention with a low volumed demand. "Let him go, while you still have the chance."


    "What are you going to do about it you filthy dog? Have your mother to spend a night with me. Oh wait..." Chan was well aware that Eric lost his mother, he knows... He damn well knows.


    "Oh no!" Murmured Woldemir, sensing what''s about to happen next.


    Eric tightens his fists, anger overwhelming his logical judgement as a tear broke down along with another!


    Walking one foot forward and then proceeding to move his arms in front of his torso as well, Eric blew out a short tailed two foot wide Fire Ball towards Guard Commander Chan, which both gave a physically strong strike on his chest and lit him on fire.


    Chan was down screaming and burning 6 feet away from his former spot while a Guard yelled. "Get the kid."


    Right after that, Mogranius shouted, "No you don''t."


    And blasted concentrated one foot wide Fire towards the Guards from both of his hands, which both broke the two guard''s ribs, penetrating every organ after the ribs and pushed them right through the store walls and twenty feet away from the place they were first shot at, leaving them split in two.

 Debris

    The two remaining guards were in shock, and were trembling on their feet as they glared upon a teenager taking down a Guard Commander with ease.


    "Just where did these Wizards come from?" They both thought but were left swallowing their spit, being rendered out of words.


    Mogranius connected his hands with a clap, moved them on top of his shoulders and swiftly waved them to the bottom of his hip, unleashing a thin formation of fire that started off from two feet long and became six feet when it reached the two remaining guards.


    The Fire was so thin, that if viewed from a specific point it would only look like a very thin string raging through the air, but if viewed from below or above one would be able to see a one foot wide plate like Fire flying.


    The fire cut through the two remaining guards like a hot Silver sword through a rope. Breaking through their chest armour, piercing their skin and even breaking their spine in two, these Guards were pushed 10 feet away, their corpses slowly burning into a crisp near a next door store.


    The store next door wasn''t a store anymore, because that last fire that Mogranius shot, broke one support beam which forced the whole thing to wobble.


    Fire rapidly spread through the building, leaving it no chance to be shut down with water and now the other Houses are at a risk to catch on Fire.


    Raising his right hand up, blasting Fire from his palm and watching the rest of his hand being surrounded by it, forming into a Bear claw like Fire Figure, Mogranius shouted. "Follow me."


    Without a moment to spare, he walked out of the book store, and started running towards the main gate right after they passed the city center.


    The center who was crawling with people before, was now empty due to everyone noticing the disaster, leaving their crops behind without thinking twice, none would be willing to sacrifice themselves so easily.


    As soon as this little group passed the empty city center, tens of illustratio guards were already heading towards them with weapons flashing thanks to the sunlight.


    Trying to fight bundles of enemies one by one at such a vulnerable situation would be nothing but stupid! So Mogranius decided to buy some time, by giving the Bear Claw an arm as well and stretching it all the way to a big house close by.


    The bear claw alone rapidly expanded once reaching the house, enough to recklessly split one third of the building with complete ease and dragged the rubble down the road to block the way.


    This move ended up victimizing several illustratio Guards in the process but most importantly it gave them a little time to think of a plan or just run.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Mogranius turned around and saw his group gazing in shock, not used to such scenes of course. Breaking the silence, he shouted. "Eric we need to fly out of here, otherwise we will die. I can only carry one person. I will carry your father, you will carry Stefan since he is lighter."


    Hopeless of his own capabilities, anxiety rising and his tone cracking. Eric shouted, "But I can''t fly, how am I supposed to do it?"


    Angry, not appreciating this loser attitude, Mogranius shouted back. "Then figure it out for fuck''s sake, this isn''t the time to hide under your father''s ass."


    Turning his gaze towards the Debris, Mogranius could see several Guards climbing over. At least this time it is the perfect opportunity to burn them one by one, one can''t run fast over broken planks.


    Smirking first, shooting three Fireballs at the same time once being sure that he targeted them properly, he witnessed meat and Iron off their chest being blown up and their bodies rag dolled for a few feet.


    Now he bought a little time, he turned around again and noticed that Eric is still not doing anything. Wildly pissed, Mogranius shouted once more. "We don''t have much time? Why are you standing there like a flagpole?"


    Woldemir grabbed and shook Eric''s shoulder and tried to motivate him. "You can do this, common! Just concentrate, you can do it."


    Blankly and lifeless through his tond, Eric answered. "If you say so."


    While Eric was focusing, Mogranius already started shooting six feet wide and two feet long Fireballs towards illustratio guards.


    It had a little push once hitting a target, but the incredible heat made death inevitable. One Guard was unlucky enough to be blown 10 feet on the air, because he stood on top of the Debris at that time!


    The rest of the group started understanding why Mogranius is so insistent for Eric to fly, because the more Fireballs he blasted, the more Guards rushed over the debris.


    Hearing screams of pain and Fireballs bashing against wood made it easy for these enemy Guards to locate the battle field and join in. Eventually, it will be hard to fight them all off!


    Eric looked at all the Debris in front of him, and noticed how over twenty Guards rose above it, Mogranius took out two in a break of a second but it still can become overwhelming for that old man to handle.


    Putting the fact that he has to fly aside, with rage focused on his palm Eric blew a one foot wide, short tailed Fireball and knocked one of the Guards over.


    Mogranius noticed it, but he was not a fan. If he had a second, he would turn around and shout at Eric again.


    "Son, that is not your job." Mogranius grabbed his shoulder again, and encouraged him. "Fly."


    Killing all thoughts that could lead to a lack of concentration, and focusing his energy towards his feet, Eric started breaking one sweat after the other thanks to that stress that won''t fade away.


    Concentration became extraordinarily hard to do, especially since Fire is usually blasted from hands. But after the toughest attempt of concentration, he managed to burst fire out of his feet.


    He blew a couple of meters high, but immediately dropped down and hurt his knee too. His attempt to fly here just wasn''t enough.


    "I can''t do this." Eric buried himself in self hate, looking at himself as incapable.


    Seeing that this isn''t working, Woldemir decided to move to a darker method, triggering his son''s emotional trauma. "You can do this son, you have your mother''s bloodline! She would be ashamed if you give up!"


    A fire like glow started from Eric''s pupils, spread through the rest of his eyes and even broke loose out of his eyes, rising a foot upwards which torched his eyebrows a little bit and his hair as well!


    Fire blew from his feet once more, leaving a foot wide sphere hole behind him as he flew 40 feet up in the sky in a break of a second!

 One eyed man beast

    Stopping in mid air, Eric felt how he started losing control of his own body, as if he was just a passenger in a Wagon he can''t drive!


    The Fire blasting through his eyes rose higher and higher until it became 2 meters long, sparing his eyebrows but he could feel his hair sizzling from time to time!


    Spreading his arms wide, maneuvering his feet good enough to spin in mid air at the same exact spot, starting to break fire from his palm after, a base for a tremendous force has been set although he has no control of what''s happening right now!


    "What''s he doing?" Stefan complained with a little shout, once he noticed that Eric isn''t flying back down.


    Being overwhelmed already by the approaching enemies, Mogranius started shooting three Fireballs at once over and over to tame the masses.


    Buying himself a second to gaze upon the sky, Mogranius immediately noticed what''s happening and with a high pitched tone he yelled. "Aaah shit."


    A lot of Guards were shocked but yet interested towards the Fire expanding on the sky, they stopped on their spots although they already climbed on top of the Debris!


    This gave Mogranius an advantage, because he had more time to shoot down the Guards who didn''t stop because a little show.


    Eric felt himself getting surrounded by cone like walls, or we can better call it a Fire Tornado! Although not in control, he is forming a freaking Fire Tornado!


    It didn''t even take a quarter of a minute for the Tornado to explode in size, stretching over 20 feet tall in one second and becoming over 60 feet a blink of an eye later!


    Back on the ground, Mogranius started walking a step backwards by every Fireball he shot, sensing what''s about to happen next!


    Eric stopped spinning and stopped blasting Fire from his hands as well, giving a bit more power to his feet in aims of flying out of the Fire Tornado, now it''s time to put this thing into use!


    Eric stopped blasting fire out of his feet once he reached the top, clapped his hands and started falling down from the sky, with his hands deep in the Tornado!


    Forcing the whole thing to split in half by each second he fell down from the sky. The Tornado''s momentum deformed heavily as it split, but Eric remained unharmed!


    In just a few moments, the Tornado went from spiraling elegantly in the sky to deforming into a more wild, spread out and even a considerably more dangerous form.


    Imagine a Tornado being split vertically in half like a fruit tart.


    That''s how he split the tornado with his current hand positioning, which sank down deeper every second he reached the smaller areas of the Tornado as if he was sucked in although that wasn''t the case at all!


    He lightly fell on the ground as if angels carried him down, the aftermath of the split Fire Tornado following him down as well, under his control as if it was easier than swinging a sword.


    Eric connected the two raging pieces of fire together and like an ocean wave he led it against their enemies, blasting through the rumble Mogranius caused and completely obliterating everyone who dared to stand in front of the Fire.


    Howls of pain haven''t become an option, because the Fire is so hot that it doesn''t even allow the enemies a second to live. Their armour gets burned off, their bones and flesh too as well as their ashes, all in a second or two!


    That wave of fire singularity burned over a hundred illustratian guards in seconds!


    The Fire rolled down across the entire main road, at the edge breaking the big wooden main gate down as if it was nothing.


    The young Electus burned every living creature who dared to oppose him, except one.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    One illustratio!


    This one didn''t seem to be an ordinary guard, not at all.


    He was even wearing a thick Silver armor which was not what Guards are clothed with.


    That extreme fire Eric released couldn''t burn that man, or is he a man?


    In a split second that man who seemed to be almost a hundred yards away, now was in front of Eric which forced everyone in the group to take a step back in shock except Eric who was forced to stay, he can''t control his body after all.


    Looking eye to eye or dare I say eyes to eye, one powerful person met another!


    Hesitant to yet speak, but curious towards Eric''s burning eyes, speaking became irrelevant and the sounds of sizzling Fire around them gave a stronger atmosphere.


    Although unable to speak, Eric felt convinced that he burned this man with that wave of fire a little earlier.


    Because this manbeast only seems to have one functional eye, his lips were burned and full of scars. His nose seems to be completely cut off, and he didn''t have hair on his head.


    Although some green colour on his skin visible, his head looks like a chunk of coal!


    Eric didn''t hold back, or whatever controlled him, didn''t hold back.


    He continued to blast fire out of his hands, slapping much like a bear he kept throwing left and right slaps.


    Those fire strikes seemed to light houses behind the burned man on fire but Eric''s target remained untouched. How?


    So Eric stopped blasting Fire, glancing at the Manbeast!


    The oddly overpowered creature said "I''m your superior, child. Stop trying."


    Feeling control of his own two arms and legs again, seeing the Fire lit on his eyes delicately shun down in three seconds, Eric immediately asked. "Who in hell''s name are you?"


    Turning around and walking away, the Manbeast answered with a gasp for air. "Your heart will be mine."


    Afterwards the creature disappears in the blink of an eye, like he vanished completely.


    Snap!!


    Just like that, gone!


    As the creature disappeared, so did the fire Eric alighted when he kept throwing shots but kept missing his target and hitting houses instead.


    Eric turned to Mogranius with his eyes widened up in shock and yelled "How is this possible? Who was this man?"


    Still not understanding how Eric would stop to hold a conversation in such a situation, Mogranius found it decent to shout. "Grab Stefan and fly the hell out of here!"


    As soon as they hit the sky, illustratio archers and spearmen did not miss the chance to try to shoot them down.


    That man beast distracting the group, was all that the Guards needed to gather up.


    With waves of spears and arrows shot against them, Eric had to rely on his senses to dodge arrows especially, because if he just kept flying in the same direction, he wouldn''t have gotten hit once but several times.


    The spears and arrows flew up so rapidly and constant, that one would think 1,000 Soldiers are underneath. But there are merely above two hundred although more just kept coming.


    Behind Eric flew Mogranius, looking down and blasting unholy Fire through his mouth to burn arrow tips so they won''t get shot down.


    All while trying not to torch Woldemir, who is taking shelter on his arms as they are escaping this hole!


    "Shoot!" Yelled the Guard Commander of the Catapult operator Platoon.


    As Eric was flying up towards the sky, he noticed several rocks fly above him. Glancing down, he could see a lot of Catapults!


    30? 40? 50?


    The numbers are not certain, but Catapults have a far longer reach. Something has to be done immediately for the sake of survival, flying away is not enough!


    Eric threw Stefan on the air for a short bit, bursted out fire out of his hand which shortly transformed and shaped much like a bear claw after.


    With that claw he caught Stefan and without waiting long he tossed the man further than the eye could see.


    The little fire on Stefan''s clothes caused from the Bear Claw got slowed down and shunned thanks to the intense speed, however the man didn''t stop flying up, who knew Bear Claws were so strong!


    Eric turned upside down, opened his arms wide and spiraled on the spot blasting fire out of his palms too and forming yet another Fire Tornado, but this one is forming upside down!


    This tornado sucked in the closest boulders shot by the illustratian Catapulters, like a sea sponge.


    If the shots were out of the Tornado''s physical reach, the Tornado sucked it in and blasted it downwards!


    Those Boulders who were too far away lost their momentum and started flying down again, making the Boulders hit the illustratio ran kingdom.


    These Boulders are a meter across each, they can completely demolish a House!


    A young kid used their weapons against them, destroying tens of houses and giving anyone hit by the boulders, no chance of survival. What an embarrassment for the Capital Kingdom of [Country] Occidentis Ignis.


    Without waiting for the illustratio to shoot the third wave of ranged weapons, Eric stopped spinning, turned right side up and with a downward hand wave he made the inverted Tornado fly in lighting speed towards the hard ground of Crutal Kingdom.


    When the fire Tornado met the ground it spread around everywhere.


    Transforming into a shape much like a large piece of wheat dough falling from a high distance.


    As satisfying it was to see from above, it became tremendously dangerous.


    Apart from burning 1/6 of the Kingdom, it caused an earthquake. Enough to shake the entire Domain hard enough to leave the illustratio dumbfounded.


    While the illustratio used tens of seconds to analyze what just happened, Eric headed towards the sky.


    Shortly after he saw Stefan falling down from the heavens and screaming at a high pitched voice.


    Fortunately Eric caught him and the gang flew away from Crutal Kingdom, leaving the fruits and vegetables behind, but what else was missing?

 Asking the big question

    They''ve made their way far out of the Kingdom, and sunk down in the Forest to attain camouflage, ain''t no one going to find them if they fly away just 10 Kilometers from the Kingdom.


    Now they have time to catch their breath, and most importantly get some shit straight!


    Woldemir tried to form the best sentence to break the news gently, this can come in quite as a shock. "Eric. Mogranius discovered something unique about you, you are a Wizard, yes. But not a normal one."


    Feeling massively perplexed as his cheeks rose up, forcing his eyes to close a little bit as he pulled his head back in confusion, Eric asked. "What do you mean by that?"


    Grabbing his son''s hand, and rubbing it a little bit, Woldemir shed more light upon this cloud of mystery. "Eric, you see the black veins running down your hand? Only one person has those veins, the Electus!"


    Still confused, Eric had to ask. "What''s an Electus?"


    "You''ve read about an Electus before, how don''t you remember?" At this point Woldemir feared that such power can mess with memory.


    But thankfully, Eric answered. "I might have toned you out."


    "It''s okay." Woldemir let this one slip for the sake of the situation and added. "Well you are powerful, very powerful. You have been gifted with the capability to wield all 8 Magical Powers!"


    Looking at his father''s face, trying to determine if he is messing around, letting the silence stretch a few seconds, Eric started understanding that his father might not be lying this time. And answered, "Did the veins tell you all of that? How can I be the Electus?"Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Jumping in the conversation, finding that little comment offensive, Mogranius stated with a firm tone. "Those Veins can''t in no way appear on someone else as a birthmark, it absolutely certifies that you are the Electus."


    Aiding the old man in this debate, Stefan added. "Eric just try to trust them, how else would you wipe out so many illustratios and escape without a cut?"


    "This is a lot to take in." Eric roughly pulled his hand back, making his father let go.


    Another question has been puzzling his mind, so with a sharp edge on his words he continued. "If you are done cussing me now, who the hell was that man I couldn''t burn?"


    Uncertain who he was, but certain enough to answer, Mogranius swiftly spoke. "I''m not sure who he is, but this situation ain''t normal. He completely redirected your Fire!"


    "Which means...?" Woldemir decided to interrupt and ask the question his son wanted to ask.


    Raising the severity of the Rabbit hole they are in, the old man answered. "Which means that man is a Grand Master in Fire Controlling at least!"


    "But why didn''t he kill me? He seemed powerful enough to do it!" Eric asked yet another question, feeling a headache already developing.


    "That I do not know. The only thing I''m completely sure about is that you are the Electus, the new one." Trying to show some care and sympathy, Mogranius felt it appropriate to add. "Normally I would want such annunciation to come along with a big celebration, but you see the trouble we are in."


    Trying to comprehend this situation, Eric answered. "If what you say is true..."


    "It is true, and you should start taking it very seriously. I fucking warped through 200 years only to be in this hell hole, I want to help reverse this war but you will put in work as well." At this point Mogranius is coming out as demanding but Eric is coming out as stupid.


    Trying to ignore Mogranius'' attitude, Eric Expressed. "I hate how right you are about the War, I couldn''t do anything alone anyway, I have no idea what I was doing earlier. I had no control."


    "I will teach you how to progress as a Fire Controller, it wouldn''t be so beneficial if you die in some battle." Here the old man is showing that he will help, rough but nice.


    With that topic aside, Eric decided to ask something very important to him instead of going on with these other conversations. "Father, was my mother a Witch?"

 The truth behind Erics mother

    Hearing that question, Woldemir immediately sunk into sadness as if Eric flipped a Lever. Although his tone shaking here and there, Woldemir still managed to explain a little bit. "Eric my son, your mother was definitely unique but..."


    "But was she a witch?" Eric asked once more, becoming sadder by the moment since the topic is about his mother.


    Seeing no reason to hide this anymore since thicker facts are visible, Woldemir answered. "She was... Yes she was a witch! A fire witch!"


    Eric expected this answer and even if Woldemir chose to lie again, Eric would still believe that his mother is a witch although he never met her. Having all these powers explains it all, Woldemir can''t blast fire either so that points out towards the fact.


    Keeping calm, hoping to squash more information out of his father, Eric decided to ask. "What happened to her? I think I''m old enough to know now!"


    Willing to be honest, but trying to break it down easier, Woldemir sunk in the war a tad bit. "One night, I woke up to flames and smoke. Those illustratios found out that your mother is... a Witch."


    Able to put two and two together, basing it from countless stories he heard about witches and wizards being murdered and excuse slaughter by labelling them Demons, A tear broke out of Eric''s eye as he tightened his teeth.


    Standing strong, refusing to cry no matter what, holding himself together which feels like an entire exercise, the only thing he could speak was one word. "And?"


    Finally getting to the point, Woldemir explained. "It''s hard to tell you this but the illustratios killed your mother. In Fact they tried to kill all three of us."


    Grabbing Eric firmly by the shoulders to show comfort while telling the story, Woldemir continues with the hardest to hear part. "I woke up to flames and smoke but I wasn''t on my bed. The smoke put me in a deep sleep, but it didn''t take down your mother though."


    As he explained this sensitive matter, all Stefan and Mogranius could do was stand and watch. Them commenting in this situation can add more stress to the young Eric, it''s better to listen or just sit on a stump.


    Woldemir continued to explain, "When I was awake she already dragged me all the way through the room and threw me out of the bedroom window."


    Pushing away these strong feelings, Eric forced himself to speak a bit more this time. "But she should have survived along with us right? She was a fire Controller after all! How did she..."This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Eric failed to finish one sentence, but thankfully his father understood and continued. "Right after I woke up, I crawled up the window and saw your mother approaching with three month old you in her arms. But... right after she handed you to me, the building... collapsed and your mother got crushed because of it."


    Breaking down, Eric let it all out with a shout. "So it is because of me? She died while getting me out of the house?" Several tears followed after, he had no chance to stop them anymore.


    Woldemir shouts from the top of his lungs. "Neither you or I or your mother are to blame. If those bastards didn''t lit the house on fire, none of this would have happened."


    Eric murmured, "But..."


    "There is no but." Woldemir shouted again, and pulled his son into a hug.


    This at least helped, Eric won''t see his mother ever again but at least he has Woldemir. His presence, his hug is helping more than Eric expected. All the young man could do was keep his arms down since he isn''t used to hugs, but it sure felt nice.


    Detaching from the hug, Woldemir continued to try and comfort. "It''s hard to swallow but your mother is dead. However with you as the Electus we do have a chance to fight back!"


    Seeing that the father son moment is close to an end, Mogranius jumped in between their conversation and asked. "Wait, where is BlackWind?"


    "Oh no."


    "Well we can''t carry a horse."


    "We left him back at..."


    "Looks like we didn''t leave him there after all."


    After that they see BlackWind running through the woods breaking branch after branch and bush after bush. A six foot tall half a ton horse would leave landmarks like that easily. But they all were happy that BlackWind made it. He is part of the family after all. Now all of the Gang members are together.


    The moment BlackWind reached them(with an illustratio guard''s helmet tangled on his hair), they were all happy to see BlackWind in one piece. And all of them ran towards the beautiful horse, and rubbed his fur and with big smiles on their faces they kept repeating.


    "HaHa that''s our horse."


    "That''s our beauty."


    "He is our soldier."


    "The illustratio he ran over will have nightmares."


    "If he is alive that is."


    "He is a good Horse."


    "A good strong boy."


    But apart from all the compliments Black Wind got, he turned towards Woldemir and blew his hot nose air on his face in an angry manner.


    Obviously the Horse didn''t like how he got left behind, especially from Woldemir. Horses got feelings too, but loyalty even more.


    Speaking to a Horse, Woldemir tried to comfort. "I know it was unfair to leave you behind, but at least you are alive hehe."


    BlackWind yet again blows hot air through his nose towards Woldemir''s face and walks away, not far away though. Just a few feet apart from the gang to chew on a bush.


    "Well since the whole gang''s here, how about we move on?" Pointed out Woldemir but met himself seeing many perplexed faces.


    Adding a bit of sass, Stefan added. "Move on? Move on to where? We can''t live under a bush."


    Used of exploring, and used of living in the wild. Mogranius explained shortly while feeling a bit annoyed too. "A moon away there is a cave, perfect for meditation and no one can find us there."


    Pointing out the risk factors, since it has become usual for him throughout his lifetime, Mogranius slightly complained. "Is it safe to be just a moon away from this spot? Eric caused a lot of damage, the King would do anything to massacre us."


    Pointing out stupidity, Mogranius butchered. "Nono, it''s far from the road, plus the illustratios wouldn''t know a cave which has spiritual value."


    Liking how illustratios are getting cussed, Stefan answered. "Good point, let''s move."

 Lan Zhe. The once great Underground Town!

    After a long while of travelling through the thick forest which branched widely through the Continent [Ignis], the gang finally reached their destination.


    They had to camp for a night, and most definitely had to convince Black wind to stop chewing random bushes many times along the way, but with a little hustle they made it here.


    The great underground town of Lan Zhe, or at least that''s what Mogranius called it along the way.


    It''s entrance wasn''t eye catching at all, it just looked like an entrance to a normal cave. The entrance was just ten foot wide and six foot tall.


    Even BlackWind was able to touch the top of the cave with his head, which he enjoyed rather a lot since it felt like a soothing massage. Tiny rocks causing a bump in the way made it feel even better.


    Looking at what was in front of him, Eric wasn''t so amused. He wasn''t sure what to expect but he didn''t expect the cave to feel so, Blank! "This is the great town of Lan Zhe? Seems quite ordinary to me."


    So hearing what Eric had to say, the old man got rather triggered but understood what the youngling meant. This place is indeed blank but Mogranius got confused about what more Eric expected?


    Giving Eric a glare, Mogranius spoke. "This cave is over 6,000 years old! It''s a miracle that this is still standing."


    Remembering that Eric is still a kid who doesn''t quite understand the importance of relics, Mogranius calmed down quickly.


    Eric asked, stating a half fact as well. "But where are the houses? You said this is a town."


    "It was a town, but if there actually were any houses outside of the cave, time would long ago erase those tracks." Mogranius explained, giving everyone a vibe that he could be talking fiction here.


    Unwilling to debate about this any further, Mogranius decided to enter the cave.


    He went in first, and the gang followed after him in a single filed line for the sake of letting the most knowledgeable take the first steps.


    Although the entrance small, the gang became bewildered once noticing that this cave is big enough for everyone to live in for a while without invading each other''s personal space.


    The Cave is 8-10 meters wide, sort of has a round shape and seems dry enough to sleep over even without a sleeping bag although no one intends to sleep over dirt!


    Apart from the cave being big enough, there also is one short tunnel on the bottom right of the cave across the other side, leading to a dead end.


    That tunnel was barely 3 meters long but one can probably find more warmth there.


    September started a few days ago, soon the weather will become too cold to handle, warmth is one thing they need, but it will likely not be a big problem with 2 Fire Controllers in their arsenal.


    Trying his best to show gratitude after looking around for a bit, him being a man of knowledge able to appreciate such a relic of a cave, Stefan decided to break the silence by saying. "It''s not a Vacation home, but at least this place is well hidden."This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Recalling the dry dead branches he saw near the cave a little while ago, Woldemir pitched. "It''s a cave, but it doesn''t mean we have to live rough. We need to start a campfire and get some food too."


    Thinking about what they went through last night, Eric added. "Making a few beds out of branches and leaves isn''t a bad idea either. Unless any of you prefer the cold dirty ground."


    It took them about 2 hours to prepare everything so this cave feels more like a home. Making the campfire was the easiest part while making the beds was the hardest considering they don''t have an axe or any metal tool to aid in their progress.


    Not to mention, all the bugs they had to shake off from the bigger leaves. There were a lot of them and a few still remain on the branch and leaves beds although the team doesn''t know about it.


    With all that work done, compared with all the travelling they went through early in the morning. They crashed asleep right after finishing and napped for a couple of hours.


    They thought that they are alone here, and this cave sure portrays that feeling but Eric still managed to hear strange voices although asleep.


    Mogranius did mention something about this place being more spiritual, let''s hope he was being as less literal as possible about that.


    That strange sound, It actually started whispering a few times but  stopped after.


    You would think it''s the wind, but the wind can''t form a sentence.


    The voice came back 15 minutes after! Stronger, louder, something that would push an aware and awake person through a slight trauma.


    That voice moved from his ears to his dreams. Every dream started off randomly, and ended up with a black and golden cloud repeating foreign words.


    He didn''t understand a thing but it sure gave him discomfort. He was sweating as if all the Black Wolves of Ignis were chasing.


    "Graza Ho Dofet."


    "Graza Ho Dofet."


    "Graza Ho Dofet."


    Those three words were repeated in Eric''s dream so much that he woke up with those words completely memorized and soaked in his own sweat.


    That voice shunned away once Eric woke up. He saw Mogranius meditating, feeling the semi-gentle rays of the midday sun on his face and clothes, breathing air in and letting it out.


    Standing up on his feet, grabbing his shirt and shaking some sweat off from himself, and approaching the old man after to explain. "There was this voice in my dream, Repeating these same three words over and over. What do you think this means?"


    Mogranius while still remaining on his meditation pose replies with a delicate tone. "I expected for something like that to happen, especially here. You are the new Electus and we are here in an ancient place that belonged to Lava Controllers. Maybe some ghost just taunted you."


    Shaken a little bit thanks to this paranormal topic, Eric couldn''t say a word. The last thing he wants right now is to deal with potentially dangerous ghosts.


    A possible ghost did torture Eric mentally for an hour or so, how dangerous could one Ghost be physically?


    Noticing discomfort on the young man, Mogranius said. "Why don''t you come meditate with me kid?"


    Without hesitation, Eric sat down and started mimicking Mogranius. He seated himself in the same position Mogranius did, but what now?


    A bit confused, after about 15 seconds Eric asked. "It''s not working. What am I supposed to expect or do?"


    Mogranius replied with a rough voice. "Meditate."


    Sounds of birds rushingly flying off of branches were heard from the outside after, his meditation has been interrupted enough for a minute don''t you think?


    But yet Eric wasn''t scared like the birds are, he asked another question with a slightly high tone. "I am, but I''m only breathing. I breathe all the time! What''s the point?"


    "The point is to focus on your breathing, let go of everything else. Let go of your thoughts. Like the dirt here who is dedicated to be firm and one with the cave, your dedication should be to stop thinking and start listening." Beautiful saying, but what will a kid understand from it?


    Pulling enough strings although unintentional, Eric once again asked. "Alright. But what should I listen to?"


    "The Cave!!" Black Wind stood up in panic, glared from left to right quickly to scan the territory for danger.


    But he saw nothing, he blew air out of his nose, assumed it was nothing and fell back asleep. Not knowing that Mogranius is the one that spooked him.


    Seeing no particular value in this meditation thing, still confused on its fundamentals as well, he gave it an hour or so with no good result until he said. "This isn''t for me."

 Levels of Magic

    A while later, with meditation or sleeping not much of an option, Eric asked another question that has been puzzling him for a while. "How many Levels are there in magic?"


    Seeing it as an easy question to answer, Mogranius immediately answers. "Six." As he raised his hand high showing 5 fingers.


    A few seconds after the old timer recognized his mistake and embarrassingly raised one more finger in the air with his other hand to assure that it''s 6. "There are six levels, on any kind of magic there is. There are six levels."


    "Do those levels have specific names or do they just go: 1,2,3,4,5,6.?" A rather insightful question for a child, maybe his new powers are changing him?


    Nostalgia hitting here and there, Mogranius described. "Of course you can shortly describe them with numbers, but there are specific names for each level which we used in Magic schools."


    Looking at the sky (Cave ceiling) while stroking his long dark and grey beard, trying his best to remember the first levels, he got Eric watching a rather interesting show at the break of noon.


    Shouting after with no apparent shame, the old man described. "Aaaa right! I remember the names now. Level one is named Hatchling."


    Enjoying how the young man is listening patiently, Mogranius continued to explain. "Hatchlings are ordered to read tens of books before trying any magic at all because they need to understand the basics, the more they know the safer it is for them."


    Sharing partially uncomfortable memories after, Mogranius spoke. "I saw Fire Wizards and Witches blow their fingers off due to how impatient they were."


    Noticing that Eric got uncomfortable, the geezer added in a speed talking sort of way. "But most never blew their fingers off!"


    "In that case, I''m glad I didn''t do the first level. Both because I don''t want to lose my fingers and of course I don''t want to read a bunch of books." Well this sounds more natural coming from Eric. You would think that books are his greatest enemies, not the illustratios.


    Ignoring Eric''s idiotic comment, Mogranius continued explaining the prime topic. "Moving on, the second level is called, Young Cub."


    Treasureing how Eric is still remaining silent, Mogranius didn''t waste a second and continued. "The name represents a Witch or Wizard who didn''t yet give up."


    Leaning out towards Eric, raising his hand and grabbing the kid''s little jawline and whispering to his ear after. "This is you."


    Rather confusing why he whispered though, what would anyone do with this information?


    Afterwards continuing to speak with a normal tone as he leaned back, Mogranius said. "It represents someone eager for more knowledge and they have to study a lot more, this however is not you."This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    "Is this the level I started off?" Trying his best to catch up with this mildly insane man, he of course had a lot of questions.


    But before Eric asked one, Mogranius continued with another sentence. "No, not at all. You obviously never finished reading a book before hehe."


    A little pissed, Eric answers. "Yes yes. Now can you not be sarcastic just for a moment and tell me what level I am?"


    Catching up with Mogranius is hard enough. But Eric needs to catch up with his sarcasm as well, which is often light and understandable but still causes minor headaches.


    "You Actually started off at the Magician Level when you shot that wolf, I didn''t expect you to start with such a level at all." Stroking his chin again trying to figure out why Eric is so powerful so early, he still had no theory.


    "What level is the Magician level though?" Acting as the barrier who keeps Mogranius from wandering off with his thoughts too far, Eric kept bringing him back with questions he had to ask.


    A bit too descriptive, but proving valid points the old man explained. "Oh right! That is the third level. Students who reached this level were guided to actually do magic. As they were considered responsible and smart enough to cast basic magic spells without blowing off their fingers. Or their hair, or other people''s hair."


    Finally getting the opportunity to tease the old man, Eric asked with a following giggle. "That explains the bald spot on top of your head? haha!!"


    Mogranius replies with an irritated face, in aims to throw sarcasm back towards Eric. "Yes Yes an impatient student like you burned my hair. But luckily I didn''t have to guide you through the first two levels, the 8 sources blessed me."


    Pleased of his own sarcasm, Mogranius pointed out a firm fact. "But you are actually considered an Expert now, you are easily a level four fire Wizard. I mean you already were able to create Fire Tornados."


    Happy, with a smile across his face Eric leaped up and said. "Perfect then, only two more Levels to go!"


    Ignoring Eric''s enthusiasm, Mogranius explained a side topic. "Your powers are based on your stamina, I''m not even kidding this time."


    And as he said that last sentence, Eric went silent and listened with a serious look on his face. "The more you blast, the more stamina you use. I did Fire Tornados before but I passed out on my first three tries, accidentally burning down a few houses too."


    Wait. You passed out and I didn''t? Looks like the student becomes the teacher." Said Eric with a Cocky voice which obviously irritated Mogranius.


    With his eyes unblinking, his lips flat straight and his eyebrows very low, His face was frozen in irritation. "You couldn''t teach a dog to bark."


    That''s probably the appropriate thing to say to someone who has become a bit over confident. "However, you are the Electus and you seem to progress on your fire power extraordinarily fast. Which is kinda normal for an Electus, but still a bit too fast.


    Being lazy to describe the last two levels in great detail, he swiftly added. "However. The two last levels are Master and Grand Master."


    Trying to explain another topic before the kid starts yapping again, Mogranius swiftly spoke. "That outburst you had in Crutal Kingdom happened to every Electus before. But not necessarily on their firepower like you."


    "You mean when my eyes lit up on Fire? My beautiful hair..." Eric didn''t like that bit at all, he hated the lack of control over his own body.


    "Um yes Fire from your eyes tends to get random but as far as Akareas theorized, that Fire presents the levels of your Fire Magic." A good theory, hopefully other powers are represented differently.


    Rushing through thoughts, Mogranius decided to clarify. "However we have no solid information over that, there is no book about it."


    Attempting sarcasm, Eric added. "That''s comforting."


    "Likely yes. But let''s continue with an important magic spell." Well Mogranius can sarcasm even better.


    Shooting a small fireball, towards the campfire and gently lighting it up, small hard to see smoke arose above the fire shortly after.


    Walking towards it, Mogranius butchered. "Now, I will show you how to become invisible using nothing but smoke."

 The Invisibility spell

    Mogranius positions his legs wide apart from each other, to the point where he almost looks like he is squatting. Rather interesting to see if you are up for a laugh!


    He straightens his right arm forward and his left arm down towards the ground. On both of his hands he posed his fingers much like the peace sign but the two fingers were connected to each other.


    The light smoke that was just randomly spreading above the fire, suddenly started maneuvering towards the old man.


    Thin grey smoke started twirling around Mogranius'' feet at first but turned thick black in colour once it elevated above his knees.


    After a few moments, it looked like an upside down Tornado of Smoke appeared and Mogranius was in the middle of it.


    But how dangerous could a Smoke Tornado be? Eric could not predict so he indeed felt uncomfortable about it just a little bit and took three steps back.


    The Tornado like smoke of course did cause light effects that a normal Tornado would do. Such as dragging Eric towards it just a little, caused the dirt in the cave to cause a small fog and of course it shut down the Campfire.


    Right before the Smoke Tornado became too much to handle, it''s effect started lightening.


    Deforming, spreading unpredictably in all directions but of course being harmless at the same time and eventually disappearing.


    Along with the Tornado, Mogranius disappeared as well!


    The most interesting fact about this, is that Eric can''t even see smoke anymore. The slight disruption the Tornado caused in the cave almost disappeared as well.


    Across mid air, Mogranius'' tone spread. "You see Eric, smoke has different forms. From large impossible to miss forms to smoke so light to the point where it''s impossible to see."


    Mogranius described this spell by using a lot of hand and even foot gestures to portray the best demonstration possible. Odd considering that Eric can''t see him at all!


    Putting all this knowledge aside, seeking what''s more appealing to his young little eyes, Eric dared to ask. "So you can actually make a big spooky smoke cloud too?"


    Letting out a big 15 second sigh and palming his forehead, Mogranius barely found the energy to answer to such a question. So he didn''t  say anything, and put out a good show instead.


    In a break of a second the crystal clear air in the cave turned so foggy that you would think a village is set on fire inside the cave.


    It became impossible for the young Eric to even see his fingers even though he placed them an inch in front of his eyes.


    Of course his eyes are burning, in tears because of all this thick black smoke, however a point can be proven. Everything turned black for everyone except the caster.


    "I wonder how much Stamina this would consume." The young Eric thought to himself for a split second before he started coughing from the bottom of his lungs with such a force that you would think he could close a door with it.


    Normally, thick black smoke would push a person sound asleep. But was that the case today? No, hell no!


    They saw Stefan running out of the cave, shouting under his breath with his arm covering his eyes. "Fire Fire! This cave is on Fire!"


    Obvious that the situation has gone a bit out of control, without taking much time Mogranius made the smoke completely disappear in order to stop this nonsense.


    Seeing the smoke completely disappear in front of him right before he was about to leave the cave, Stefan stopped on his spot and swiftly turned around in shock, absorbing this unique situation.


    Turning around he only saw Eric Giggling, Woldemir sleeping stiff as a rock and eventually Mogranius who caused a bit of smoke before reappearing.


    The smoke the old man left behind once reappearing, looks like a big 9 foot tall mushroom. Harmless at best, but certainly meant as a dramatic effect.


    Uncertain of what to think about this whole situation in the midst of this beautiful day, the best response Stefan could think of is clearing his own name! "Before you say anything, no I didn''t smoke tree root again. I saw smoke coming out of the cave!"


    "What''s the deal with him and tree rots?" Mogranius thought but refused to ask about it.


    Instead he gave a brief explanation, a smirk across his face. "Yes yes we believe you don''t worry. I caused the smoke to demonstrate a spell for Eric, I forgot you two are here though."Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    They heard Woldemir snore after, kinda loudly right before Mogranius was even about to finish his sentence. But it proves how sleep matters to some people more than running for their own life.


    Or could it be that Woldemir has more experience when it comes to sleeping around smoke? Who knows how many spells went wrong if Isabel had to train her Fire Controlling abilities inside of their wooden house.


    "Well. Next time you cause a giant smoke fog, can you give me a heads up?" Replied Stefan in both irritation and embarrassment as he stomped away to his bed made from branches and big leaves.


    Cracking a joke, giggling his way through it, Mogranius recommended. "Maybe Eric should use the bear claw spell to toss your ass somewhere else before we cause smoke fogs."


    But still being mostly irritated of being woken up for nothing, not having energy to think of a comeback joke, Stefan stuck to being a little sassy. "That won''t be necessary, I can walk by myself or at least Black Wind can give me a ride."


    After Stefan sat on his bed, Eric and Mogranius saw Black Wind rushing in the cave with a branch in his mouth, chewing on its leaves. Coming to the rescue I think, looking for Woldemir primarily.


    Imagine how a horse felt after seeing that large smoke just simply disappear. He must have felt more confused than Stefan.


    Trying to calm down his Horse, with a smile across his face Eric explained. "Black Wind got worried, he wouldn''t stop eating for anyone before."


    Being face down on the bed, Stefan gave out a partially thought out reply, already being half asleep. "Well I can find a way to appreciate the concern. But I can not find a way to appreciate how you interrupted my beauty sleep."


    Seeing the opportunity to be sarcastic, Mogranius replied. "Sleep won''t be enough for you my man."


    Eric started laughing from the top of his lungs, understanding the joke and being generally happy mostly because of Black Wind.


    Seeing that Eric is laughing, Black Wind tried to laugh as well although he is a Horse. "Mihihihihihihihi."


    "Ha ha ha very funny." Replied Stefan sarcastically with a sleepy tone and added. "Now don''t cause anymore smoke fogs before I wake up."


    Mogranius started to get another campfire going, but how? He blasted a four foot across Fireball on the Campfire, which made an irritatedly loud sound.


    Smiling, proud of himself too. Mogranius butchered, "Well he didn''t say to not blow Fireballs."


    Taking a few seconds to comprehend what happened, Stefan managed to put two and two together and didn''t say a word but just kept a very irritated look on his face.


    Trying to encourage the young Electus, with a comforting tone Mogranius asked. "Well Eric, are you ready to try the spell."


    "I''m always ready." He replied rather over confidently with a slight smirk on his lips.


    Confused, Eric immediately asked after. "So I should pretend like I''m sitting on a chair for the spell to work?"


    "Ha!" Shouted Stefan of course in aims to tease Mogranius.


    Slightly irritated, the old man yells. "No you Goblin. The stance represents a source that sucks down energy, the way you position your hands represents the way you direct the smoke."


    Yelling through his words, while flapping his arms around like a bird, trying his best to describe what he is trying to say. The Geezer lost the sense of encouragement and was loud talking.


    "So just by doing the stance, the smoke will come towards me?" This however was meant as a joke. Eric saw how irritated Mogranius gets when a spell is misunderstood. So why not have some fun with it?


    ...


    "Breathe and concentrate. When you breathe in, imagine the smoke coming towards you and when you breathe out, imagine you took stronger control of the smoke." Yes, this training session has been finally put into motion.


    However, to start off this session in the first place, Eric''s ass had to be lit on fire with a heatless or differently called "blank" Fireball.


    The kid wouldn''t stop cracking puns and Mogranius doesn''t like bullshit like that, especially when he is trying to help the kid. Well thankfully Eric isn''t damaged, but his pants around the bum are.


    As for Stefan, he is sleeping over a tree somewhere, tossed by a Bear Claw since he kept encouraging Eric''s puns.


    Getting back to training.


    Eric breathes in and the fire close by moves around a bit, nothing that would cause damage but interesting to witness Fire moving in such a way, unnatural.


    He is managing to drag the fire a little bit towards himself but not the smoke, at all.


    Seeing that Eric is trying to progress, Mogranius couldn''t help but encourage with guidance. "Good progress but focus on the smoke, not on the fire."


    Eric breathes in again, strengthens his concentration, focusing on the smoke.


    The smoke looks hypnotic once focused on it for a while, could make one forget what the point was.


    He breathes in a few times slowly until he actually manages to maneuver the smoke towards himself a little bit.


    But the control he had on the smoke was short lasting.


    The smoke dragged towards himself kept randomly spreading and disappearing, while the smoke above the Fire kept doing what it is supposed to do.


    Seeing how displeased Eric became due to this failure, Mogranius tried to encourage even more.


    He can''t have the Electus quit mid lesson, that would never lead to progress. "Not to worry, this is all part of the process. No one got this at first shot."


    Aiming to be more descriptive about breathing, Mogranius explained. "The deeper you breathe in the better and when you breathe out, let it out all at once. Not slowly but all at once."


    Eric of course tries again but with a little bit less willpower. And throughout deeper breathing, this time he actually managed to maneuver the smoke halfway to where he was standing without passing himself out due to the interesting form of breathing.


    When Eric puffs his deeply taken breath out all at once, the smoke stays in one place as if it froze.


    It just floated in mid air as if it were waiting for Eric''s next command.


    Seeing how much breath matters in this case, he was dumbfounded. He wouldn''t have ever expected it.


    Eric takes a last deep breath and  concentrates twice as hard.


    The smoke reaches him this time and started surrounding him all over like a snake.


    The smoke just keeps getting thicker and thicker until to the point where Eric is surrounded completely by it, forming an upside down smoke Tornado like Mogranius did Earlier.


    Seeing that the Electus is one more step away from successfully casting this spell, he shouts. "Alright Eric now clap your hands to interrupt the Tornado or else you will be standing there all day."


    Barely hearing what Mogranius yelled due to the smoke making it hard to hear, the young boy did filter one word that would help him put two and two together. "Clap"


    He proceeds to clap his hands and the smoke Tornado gets disrupted and just bursts out towards aimless random directions.


    The smoke that surrounded Eric wasn''t there anymore, but guess who else wasn''t there anymore either!


    Eric! He managed to successfully cast this spell!

 The Bloodlines Curse

    Sitting on his throne, the King commanded. "Bring me that...worthless Guard Commander. Chan is his name...I think. If not, look for... recently burned Guard Commanders."


    One of the Guards gathered the guts to reply, stuttering his way through a sentence, but no doubt shaking on his combat boots. "But Sire, Guard Commander Chan, is... well he is still healing."


    Not giving a flying fuck about Chan''s well being, the King repeated his order for once instead of killing those who oppose his words. "Then Drag him here. Unless you... want to suffer a similar fate."


    The fact that this King seems to be having breathing problems, makes him sound even more captivating, causing nervousness on any person who talks to him, these guards sweating it all out through a conversation proves a point.


    Another Guard who was simply putting his life infront of anyone else''s, cut the conversation short so he can simply escape the King''s sight along with the one who keeps questioning the King''s orders. "Yes Sire, we will bring him here immediately."


    Grabbing the Guard by the arm and leading him towards the Castle''s main door, he couldn''t help whispering. "Man what are you doing, I don''t plan to be burned alive anytime soon!"


    Seeing the two Guards exit the Throne room running, the King found ways to calm down. Perfect timing too, he was on his last nerve. One more question and he would have split both of them in two!


    Smoke lightly blew out of his nose as a form of relief. Smoke covered his face entirely before it reduced into nothingness, rising closer to the ceiling.


    Is he a human or a campfire?


    Waiting for about half an hour with all the patience he could gather, finally witnessing Guard Commander Chan being dragged through the castle hallway by the two previous guards.


    They aren''t paying much attention to Chan''s well being either, they prefered focusing on possible outbursts from the King which could end all of their lives, they don''t want to trigger the Sire.


    Preferring his personal space, before the Guards even were 10 feet near, in a cold but harshly projected tone, the King didn''t hesitate ordering. "That''s close... enough, leave the room."


    The two Guards of course responded to the order in a heartbeat, speed walking their way out and even bumping to each other, almost falling down on the hard plank floor.


    Not wasting a moment, The King stood up and started approaching Chan step by step, taking his time.


    Seeing the King being near, with his last bit of strength Chan managed to let out a few words. "Please Sire. Have mercy."


    Not even feeling slightly bothered by the scene of pity and suffering in front of him, the King just glared upon Chan. Not feeling sympathy, but indeed feeling disappointment.


    Squatting down, he reached for Guard Commander Chan''s forehead with his right hand.


    Grabbing Chan''s forehead slightly hard and concentrating after, a dark green light appeared an inch above Chan''s forehead and continued glowing most violently above Chan''s Chest.


    Noticing the tingling feeling on his chest at first, and after feeling his own skin forcingly detaching the burn marks away for new skin to rise, like a new tooth pushing out the old one.


    That last part of the process was something he didn''t enjoy, it was tremendously painful but at least the burned skin ripped out of his body.


    Suddenly finding the strength to at least sit normally now, he held the burned detached skin a foot away from his own face and murmured. "Well this is interesting."Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The glow above his chest lasted a moment, glowing even while Chan was holding his own burned former skin up, taking its time before it disappeared completely.


    His severe burn marks disappeared along with the green glow above his chest, as if they were never there. The strength of the spell the King unleashed upon Chan, was indeed that strong.


    Chan lost his balance as soon as he triee to stand up, almost falling on the hard flooring. But he was prevented from meeting those planks once more, by the King. Using his right hand to keep Chan strongly balanced.


    How strong could the King''s strength be? His left hand is behind his back yet he is holding half of Chan''s body weight up with one hand.


    Seeing Chan''s puny chest, the King proceeded to be disappointed, but didn''t say a word about this topic. He had other things to talk about.


    Feeling the amazing sensation of relief on his body, Chan found the capability to focus on something else now, instead of strictly feeling pain, he felt stable again. "I feel great! No more pain, no more burns. I thought that I won''t make it."


    Finding it the best time to ask an obvious question, Chan spoke." But why did you save me Sire, why did you save me, King Xakro?"


    Turning his back on Chan, the Sire walked towards his own throne, sat down on it comfortably and said. "Chan...I didn''t put you out of your misery...yet. Because I require your...let''s say assistance."


    Encountering a tremendous shock when he heard the King ask for assistance, Chan was left speechless for a moment but remembered how to be a boot kisser too. "Anything for you Sire, you never ask anyone for assistance. I would gladly risk my life for you."


    Being used to such boot kissing, and somehow even expecting more, the King proceeded to say. "Good. Although I didn''t ask... if you agree or not. You either do as I say or... die."


    "Yes sire. My mistake. I got excited. I mean to be asked for assistance from the all mighty Grand King. Its an honour." This is the first smart approach Chan did in a long while, even though he is steps away from kissing the King''s ass.


    Finally putting pride aside and focusing on his main problem, King Xakro proceeded to say. "Good. See...the Electus has returned and I need you to find him....and slaughter him."


    Seeing this task as a major danger factor, Chan decided that it''s best to weasel his way out of this situation. So he asked, "How can I kill the Electus Sire? You are the only one powerful enough to do that!"


    Trying not to shoot this Coward, Xakro tried to reason instead. "He would be useless... to me if I killed him, that''s the word my Grandfather... passed down although I don''t understand it myself."


    Noticing how Chan is listening quietly, the King used this opportunity to continue. "My great Grandfather, Xakro illustratio l. Obtained the powers he needed to...to invade this land.... By tearing out the Electuses... heart and eating it."


    Pulling his head back in shock, Stefan murmured. "Wuh...what?"


    Seeing Chan no doubt uncomfortable, and likely even scared. It didn''t stop the King from giving a thicker explanation. "By eating her heart, he obtained... all eight of her powers. Making him... unstoppable. Making him an... Electus, but stronger."


    Still confused, Chan felt brave enough to ask. "So if you eat his heart, you gain his powers as well? Like your Grandfather did?"


    The King doesn''t like how Chan is so dumb, but he doesn''t mind talking about how powerful his bloodline is. "No...When my grandfather ate her heart, it also... came with a curse. Although the curse was beneficial, it also came... with side effects. He got all her powers, everything he needed to mind control the... Kings of our motherland. He became... the Grand King and launched the... attack against all other countries."


    Direct enough, Chan asked. "What side effects does the Curse have?"


    Giving little effort to answer Chan''s question, the Sire continued with his own points only. "It was a horrible battle. Xakro illustrario l... got burned all over. His face, his body, chest, arms. It was... like he got burned up in hell. Specifically, I share the same wounds... with him due to the curse. But also, the same Powers!"


    Confused, but at the same time happy about all this power that the illustratios have, he asked. "How is that even possible?"


    "That is beyond my... explanation." Now aiming to finish his story with no apparent aim to answer all of Chan''s questions, King Xakro illustratio lll just added a big piece of the puzzle. "As the Electus... was about to make the final blow upon... Xakro illustratio l, he slit her throat which killed her... almost instantly. She died gasping for air. He ate... her heart, obtained... her powers."


    Not knowing what to say, Chan just kept mumbling to himself. "I...I... Well that''s..."


    Completely cutting to the case, the King pitched. "I have the ability to grant you magical... powers."


    Hearing the word magic, Chan instantly asked. "What? But the devi...."


    Ignoring yet another question, the King continued with his own points he wanted to make through the conversation. "It''s no easy task and it... will be very painful for you. But once obtained you... will skip all five levels of magic and become a level six Grand... Master Wizard."


    Confused ever since he went into this Castle, Chan asked yet another question. "But how can I gain Magical Powers?"


    Smirking, cocky that he knows so much about such rare topics, this time the King asked a question. "Have you heard of the Lava Controllers, the Calidum Lutum race?"

 Deadly Ghost Tree

    "The Calidum whatum now?" It isn''t surprising for Chan to not know who they are, typical really as barely anyone knows of these rare beings.


    King Xakro had a bit of motivation to explain more in this topic, let''s hope Chan doesn''t forget such valuable information. "They are a race... who disappeared from Ignis before the first Era began... because they wanted to avoid War."


    Bewildered, Chan asked. "And they can give me powers?"


    Cutting to the case right away since more ingredients have to be mentioned, King Xakro explained. "Them alone no... but they are the source of our first ingredient. You must kill one of those... and bring back his or her heart."


    Not willing to debate the risks of this tasks, or how will Chan get that Heart. The King shifted his topic towards the second ingredient, "The other thing we need... is a branch from a...special tree. Yes, the Ghost tree."


    Facing a mild shock right after he heard the word "Ghost", it barely took a moment for Chan to start hating this second part of the overall plan specifically.


    Still standing a bit frozen in fear, throughout a self forced effort Chan managed to let out a few words. "G-G-Ghost tree? Why is it called a Ghost tree?"


    Trying to find the best way to dumb this explanation down for a unacademic man like Chan to understand, he decided to use the basic sentences the "illas" would use when they explain something "evil". "Because, the tree is... possessed. Well...more like, ghosts live inside it."


    Remembering what he studied about ghosts, through the little pieces of information one could study upon this subject, the King sighed in satisfaction. Let''s just say, he likes paranormal figures.


    Explaining why this ingredient is required, the King spoke slowly. "Ghosts, the soldiers... of hell. A ghost from that specific tree only can...it can carry all the power. Without causing colossal... damage to you, me or half the kingdom."


    The fear of ghosts keeps overwhelming Chan''s ability to focus. Why would he fear something he never saw? Well it is simple, he saw them once or twice. The trauma caused from them remained deep down his soul, even though those ghosts didn''t actually physically attack him.


    Just seeing one is terrifying, imagine being beaten by one.


    Realizing he has been staring blankly for way too long, zoning out and sinking into memories. Chan blinked his eyes and came back to reality, no doubt struggling to speak properly due to the recalled traumas. "But how? All of this seems... well, no it doesn''t seem. This is unnatural and traumatic." Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Finding the capability to recall most of the information the King literally just told him, Chan only managed to find more fear, nothing else. "How could a branch carry Magical powers?"


    Seeing Chan being halfway there from receiving a strong trauma, the King tried to actually help Guard Commander Chan calm down. But, he isn''t used to this helping thing, at all. "Coward... scared, aren''t you? Well you should be. That...that tree is incredibly dangerous. Life ruining even. But I have a plan."


    A form of help, is assuring the errand runner of the possible danger in front of him. At least that was considered help in the King''s eyes, but it didn''t help with the possible phobia.


    Chan isn''t asking questions this time, which in many ways is good because he will listen instead. So this all powerful King continued to pitch, "I have a rather... strong theory, which could give you immunity towards these specific ghosts."


    Instantly smiling, his enthusiasm rising as well, Chan spoke. "Immunity. That''s actually possible?"


    Wanting to smile, but resistant because he wouldn''t look so good thanks to the scars all over his face, the King just said. "Yes. The Calidum... Lutum are the key."


    Let''s just say that the amount of power he is carrying in his own body, doesn''t let him focus that easily. The deeper reason behind it, rather "outterwordly". But yet again if he managed to focus enough to form such an advanced plan, he is doing well.


    Finally able to understand and accept the inevitable dangers this quest can bring upon him, it helped Chan calm down a little bit so he started pointing out the obvious instead. "Well it sounds like both ingredients are equally dangerous. At one side, I can get my skin ripped off of my body by a lava controlling freak. On the other side I can get possessed by a ghost."


    Strangely knowing both species enough to form a stable statement, the Sire yelled out a word grabbing all of Chan''s attention. "False!"


    Afterwards continuing with his normal lower tone, the King spoke with a small amount of concern (fascinating). "The ghosts are... way more dangerous...than you claimed. The tree is a part of them. Breaking... one of their branches means you damaged them."


    "B-but they can''t do anything about it, right?" Hoping to finally hear a positive reply regarding this quest, he had a feeling of what the king would reply.


    "They will take revenge if you...damage them." Well that made it clear. Now it sounds more natural, ghosts doing the hurting.


    Guard Commander Chan replies with the strongly spooked out feeling he just snapped out of earlier who rearose in his heart with accelerating speed. "Revenge? What sort of R-Revenge?"


    Slow, so Chan can comprehend every word, the King continued to explain. "Disastrous consequences. They could beat the... life out of you on the spot or..."


    "Or?" A question Chan did not want to ask with upcoming answers he did not want to know, but yet still curiosity managed to get the best of him.


    "Or follow you and beat the life out of your loved... ones." This part seems a bit less threatening because Chan''s parents are long dead.


    Hoping for this topic to end, Chan murmured. "Please tell me that''s all!"


    "Almost. If you get attacked and manage to... survive any or all of the above, you... will likely end up insane." At this point, King Xakro illustratio lll had an extreme urge to smile in satisfaction as he pointed. "But as I said, the Calidum Lutum are the key."


    Leaving aside the fact that Chan is frozen in fear, the King spoke about the third ingredient. "The last and final thing we need is of course... the source of power. Without the source. The other two... are useless."

 Giant

    "Yes. Without the source, the two... other ingredients are useless to us. Where else will you... use a ghost possessed branch or a heart from a thought to be... extinct species?" The King proves a point, after all no Alchemist would tamper with these ingredients.


    "You have a point there Sire." Answered Guard Commander Chan with bootkissing aims, he even slightly tooned out the King but it escaped unnoticed. "But what is the source of magic, so we can get the staff ready and get this over with!?"


    Puzzled in his own thoughts, having it hard to decide, the King answered. "It depends on what... power we want."


    "Which one do you think is more effective?" A rather smart question from Guard Commander Chan, finally.


    Thinking about the Electus, the King managed to narrow down his decisions. "The boy, the Electus, seemed to heavily rely on... his Fire Powers. He is so young yet he casted Fire Tornados, those are expert level spells. He is already... level four."


    Feeling slight trauma from the Fireball he [Chan] took to the chest, it taught him one valuable lesson. Never underestimate. "The boy took out half of your Kingdom, what are the odds of him already being in the process of learning different powers?"


    Taking a second to think a bit deeper around what the King just discussed, Chan also added. "But fire has a weakness, am I right Sire?"


    Finding relief as a golden thought went through his mind, he [Xakro] decided to express it. "I have a feeling that he just recently discovered his... powers."


    Afterwards aiming to reply at Chan''s question, the King said. "The opposite of fire...is ice. But that of course makes everything... more difficult."Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    This is possibly the most confusing day in Chan''s life, barely anything makes sense. "Why...?"


    Failing to make everything less confusing, the King replied. "Well...to obtain Fire Controlling powers... for example, you need a burning source of pitch... dark flame. Which is twice as hard to get. But... for Ice Blasting we need, A toe."


    "A toe?" Struggled Chan to hold his laughter in. He curled his lips as if he was struggling to keep a burp in.


    Noticing Chan''s urge to laugh, the King continued speaking with his thick low tone which brought Chan back to his senses, scaring the humor away. "As humorous as it sounds, it''s almost... impossible to obtain."


    "I never heard of Dark flames before and I don''t even want to know how to obtain them, but a toe sounds more doable. Does it have to be a random toe or something specific?" Obviously getting a random toe won''t do the trick, how is a toe a source of power?


    Noticing the clear misunderstanding, and knowing for sure that Chan couldn''t possibly know more of this topic, the King spared Chan''s thoughts by answering. "Frozen Toe Kingdom which is located... on the edge of the Continent, it has that name for a...reason."


    Chan''s overall knowledge isn''t exactly big, but at least he has a reasonable amount of curiosity. "What''s the reason Sire?"


    Finishing all ingredients that the Staff requires, King Xakro illustratio lll answered. "It represents the Frozen toes of the Giant illustratio. Once... that toe is obtained, the Staff...can be completed."


    The Staff they need is in all way interesting if you think about it, just considering its dangers make it more intimidating since they will be toying around with mass amounts of power.


    Furthermore, the very thought of an illustratio obtaining powers is in many terms hypocritical considering how much Chan alone has cussed and mistreated Ignites, labelling as "Demons" because there were Ignite Witches and Wizards before.


    This situation needs a bit of time to comprehend, Chan does feel weird about this task considering that Ignites killed his parents in a small revolt over a decade ago.


    Seeing that this last part of the quest is also a huge risk, Chan complained. "Please tell me you have a plan instead of just me hitting it with a sword."


    Landing another tremendous piece of information, King Xakro pitched. "Fire can and will help you, but of course... you need to be a Fire controller, or not. I didn''t wipe out all the Witches and Wizards... because..."

 Bear Claw

    "Because??" Pulling his head back in shock, no doubt rattled. Chan didn''t really know what to expect, he is more clueless than ever.


    Recalling his victory over the Ignite Fire Controllers, he couldn''t help giving an internal smile and answered shortly. "Because... I found use out of them."


    In all ways not able to understand this nonsense, being raised to hate Ignites and never spare Fire Blasters, with his tone raising word by word Chan asked. "But... those Demons! They will betray you!"


    Trying to set a base of what happened, for this not so informed Guard Commander, King Xakro pondered. "They are but they do... not pose a threat. They are my loyal... slaves. Just like you but not quite."


    Still confused as hell, and noticeable all over his face since he has his eyes closed and his head pulled back.


    Noticing the puzzle that Chan is facing, the King continued to give a brief explanation. "They are under my mind... control, for example Bear Claw... she is a battle expert."


    Having no clue who Bear Claw is, never even hearing about her in rumors or banter usually spread in taverns, he finally found a way to be flexible with his wordplay. Found other questions to ask instead of making it clear to the King that he had no idea who Bear Claw is.


    At this point, he might actually get shot if he doesn''t know anything again. "You let her survive? I can''t understand why you did that, but Ignites can''t be trusted even when under mind control!"A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Noticing right away what Guard Commander Chan tried to doo, the King felt satisfied for indeed fear is one of the best teachers.


    The King decided to not say a word about it and stick to the main topic instead of wasting more time. "She wasn''t allowed to use her powers... at first. But... I saw her in action. She took out two hundred Guards... using Basic level Three spells."


    Hesitating to shame his own Platoons of Soldiers for a little while, he found a way to do it while shifting the blame on Bear Claw. "She was toying around... with the Guards. As if they were no threat at all.. Used every bit of her ability... demonic."


    Triggered and slightly yelling, Chan added. "She took out two hundred Guards. Did you punish her sire? She killed a lot of our own. That shouldn''t be left unpunished."


    Even though a basic illustratian mindset, King Xakro enjoyed these words a lot. It shows that Xakro''s father and his grandfather''s work proved useful.


    But of course the all powerful King does not like how a simple Guard Commander questioned his decisions, so he bashed his hand on the throne''s support arm, broke it off and shouted. "I do not need a Citizen to show... me how to be a Grand King."


    Trying not to get himself killed, Chan''s tone shook as he begged. "My apologies Sire."


    Finding an excellent idea since Mind Control has become a topic, Chan pitched it in order to excuse his stupidity. "Why don''t you use mind control to bring the Electus here?"


    Surprised how Chan managed to think this much right after fear even, the King decided to not blow a fuse and explain as a form of appreciation from his side. "I would need to... grab his head for that but he is also immune... to mind control."


    Cutting the conversation short, since the all important King doesn''t want to talk to this fool all day, he ordered. "You will go and find Bear Claw... and have her kill that child."

 Man Versus Volcano

    Meanwhile, back in the cave which used to hold the underground town named Lan Zhe, the Gang faced a different problem.


    Although now they are tight asleep as the moonlight granted them with a dim light throughout the cave''s entrance, using dirt and edges to filter single threads of light on the edges of the Entrance. Those small threads acted as barriers of light and darkness, splitting illumination be it low or brighter.


    "Graza Ho Dofet."


    "Graza Ho Dofet."


    "Graza Ho Dofet."


    "Graza Ho Dofet."


    "Graza Ho Dofet."


    Yes, that voice with its source unknown made its presence known again.


    Panicking, trying to figure out where it''s coming from, Eric bounced out of his bed and spun around trying to find the owner of this horrendous tone.


    But regardless of effort, all he can see is pitch black darkness. No light, no different colors. Nothing else, just never ending darkness all around him.


    He can''t find the moonlight no matter which direction he dashed to a spin so why bother looking around furthermore and increase stress?


    Remembering Mogranius mentioning something about meditation bringing calmness, he sat down and started taking quick deep breaths.


    Although poorly thought out, somehow his subconscious linked meditation with finding the moonlight as a reward.


    As his breath started stabilizing, the situation did not cease to turn for the worse as that tone words aren''t foreign any longer.


    "Leave this place."


    He woke up terrified. Not wasting a second, he stood on his feet posing a battle ready form, feeling the earth starting to rumble in a blink of an eye later.


    "It was all a dream?" He thought as he started touching himself to assure he is awake and alive.


    "Yes. I''m awake!" He whispered swiftly and ignited light fires from the palm of his hands. Getting a much brighter view of his surroundings.


    Everything seemed normal at first, the Campfire seems to have burned out, Stefan''s sleeping, so is Woldemir and Mogranius was listening to one of the Cave walls. Strictly normal, nothing new.


    "Did you... the Earthquake. Did you feel it?" Eric asked trying to form a sentence but mumbled heavily. It isn''t easy to form a sentence right after waking up to a voice telling him to leave this place, feeling as if he is drowning in his own sweat.


    "No, I''m just casually listening to the cave, like I usually do." Even at such a situation, with dawn a couple of hours away, he still kept his signature Characteristic. Sarcasm. "Of course I felt the EarthQuake, why else would I be up this late listening to this tunnel?"


    Knowing how to throw sarcasm as well, thankful that there are no enemies attacking which helped the young Electus relax a little bit, he spoke. "It isn''t the weirdest thing you did so far."


    Mogranius however, his eyes widened in shock topped with strong nervousness, he shouted. "We need to get out of here. Now!"This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    The cave began to shake once more, fearsome enough to wake up everyone else, even Woldemir!


    When Woldemir felt this tremendous shake, he quickly orientated himself and his first goal became to grab Eric.


    Fair to say, his father instincts kicked in but his efforts were forced to become worthless.


    He stood on his feet swiftly, and as soon as he located Eric and took a step towards him. Lava was to be seen, breaking out from the end of that dead end tunnel, right where Mogranius was standing.


    The sudden impact forced Woldemir to take 3 large steps back by instinct. His heart sunk to his sock when he realized how close to the outburst of Lava Eric was standing.


    But what about Mogranius? He was right in front of the lava. A foot apart from it when it broke out! The lava was large enough to fill the entire Tunnel, no gasp of air would be able to escape from any edge.


    In that split second, Mogranius broke out a small Fire Shield and stretched it enough to protect his body.


    Using the second he bought to himself, he stretched the Shield enough to surround himself with it. Lava isn''t to touch him, at least for now.


    His Fire Shield is a couple of inches thick. The edges at the bottom have small flames burning lightly.


    While the rest of the Shield is a light shade of fire which looks very polished, while the top of the shield is spheric.


    Although the shield saved him from being burned alive, it did not stop the Lava from spreading around him.


    The Lava he can''t yet barricade isn''t enough to fill the entire cave and boil the rest of the Gang alive, but it did manage to break out and spread in the forest a bit like a small creek.


    However the Lava isn''t gifted with the chance to spread for long. After Mogranius assured himself safeish and alive, he started working to save everyone else and prevent the Lava from causing an uncontrollable forest fire.


    He stomped his right foot on the ground, squatted down and quickly arose on his feet again, standing straight.


    As Mogranius stood straight, the Fire Shield started spreading slowly but surely.


    First it spread 3 feet wide, which stopped a lot of the Lava''s impact. But it wasn''t enough to stop all of it, and that''s what bothered him.


    Still surrounded by Lava and even taking a second to look around, glorifying the magnificent sight in front of him, although his ass cheeks are collecting sweat.


    The Shield is becoming harder to maintain the more sweat he gathers up, since he is opposing Lava that now has more impact considering the bigger mass he is going against to protect his friends.


    Having a bit more space to move around now, he spread his legs wide and proceeded to do another squat.


    He clapped his hands rather loudly which made the Fire Shield around him tremble or wiggle if I may. As if it was ready to upgrade.


    The disadvantage from this clap, is that it just made the Fire Shield half the time weaker, meaning the shield thins down by an inch.


    He even saw the Shield breaking from several sides right after he clapped, breaking like wood under insane compression.


    Not planning to be burned alive today, he disconnected his hands from the clap and spread his arms wide towards left and right without wasting a blink.


    The Shield bounced back to 2 inches thick, now wide enough to spread on each side which started preventing the lava from spreading, leaving no gap to the opposer''s advantage.


    The Fire Shield however, has become far too lumpy to be considered spherical or circular anymore but it''s little to no sacrifice if it compensates with safety and offers Mogranius to use the term, "It fits like a glove now."


    Seeing that Mogranius regained control of the situation with little damage to fix, Eric came back to his senses and began to use his mind for the better.


    There''s no time to waste, he turned to his father who seemed no doubt terrified for Eric''s safety and had to yell since the Lava was being a bit loud.


    Feeling capable, Eric pitched. "Father. You climb on BlackWind and run to the east as far as possible. I will carry Stefan and blast out of here right after you."


    The plan is good enough, but Woldemir still stands shocked. At a loss for words he just nodded in agreement, grabbed BlackWind by the lead and carefully pulled him out, guiding him to avoid Lava pots here and there. It would sure hurt to step on any of those.


    Seeing his father walk out of the Cave with BlackWind, Eric turned to Mogranius and started yelling. "Don''t let the lava reach the Forest, I will be back as fast as I can."


    To assure Eric that he heard the request, Mogranius simply nodded his head in agreement.


    Although agreeing, the old man doesn''t liked this plan. He has the stamina to keep this Fire Shield up for a while, he knows that.


    But he is scared of the possible stronger amount of lava which might randomly burst against him, that could break his Fire Shield and roast him like a Venison.


    If all goes wrong, he needs a powerful Electus backing him up.

 One Eyebrow less

    Since Mogranius blocked each and every gap of that tunnel, the Lava became tremendously heavy to withstand!


    At first, he noticed a sudden spike in his Stamina as soon as he filled each gap of the tunnel.


    After he took that spike, he quickly adapted to it and felt like he can hold this Shield long enough. Well at least until Eric returns... but now ke knew that he underestimated the Lava''s power.


    Normally, once the Fire Shield is casted, the Caster only needs to focus on keeping the shield going.


    Having a firm grip to the ground is just a minor mostly unnecessary trait. Because the shield itself holds back any strong pushing force opposing it. Even if the opposing force is too strong, the shield starts breaking. The grip to the ground isn''t affected.


    But here! It wasn''t the case. The Shield isn''t braking so that tension has to go somewhere else, seeking a weaker spot.


    Mogranius felt his feet slowly sliding through the ground. Although not fast enough to tip him over, his feet are still slipping.


    Slipping might not be the best description, they were being pushed against the hard dry ground come to think of it.


    Feeling that he was being overwhelmed, he knew he had to put more power against this lava!


    The Shield has to be stronger in order to prevent this... sliding. Because if this goes on he will eventually meet the end of the tunnel and then burst in the Forest causing colossal damage!


    Moving his right foot forward swiftly before he lost balance, digging it to the ground, he leaned forward at a 65¡ã scale and started opposing such great force.


    Afterwards taking a left step forwards, he was able to reach his former location even though his feet kept sliding across the ground along the way.


    As the tingling of Victory surfed down his spine, what he feared the most poked its ugly head out. The Fire Shield started cracking!


    A minor crack on the top left side appeared, then a slightly bigger crack in the middle followed.


    In a blink, another smaller crack very near the middle one appeared, continuing to psyche Mogranius out!


    If these cracks keep popping up, the Shield will break and disaster will shower across what he tried to protect.


    Tightening his fists and letting out a violent bit of fire through his nose, the cracks on the shield were forced to disappear but Mogranius'' Stamina wasn''t any luckier as the Shield became thicker!


    It became thicker by an inch! Thankfully the Lava can be withstood easier now... giving him a breath to think about where this Lava is coming from. Volcanoes can''t be this fearsome!


    But remember that spike in stamina he had to withstand once he covered every gap of the tunnel? Well, the spike has doubled in size now.


    At first he felt weak to the knees but adapted to it quickly and took charge over the weakness, afterwards he felt his lungs burning harder and harder which forced him to heavy breathe.


    What this signifies, is that he burned 60% of his stamina already! To make it worse, a couple of cracks reappeared on the Fire Shield!


    This shows that in order to beat this terrifyingly powerful Lava, a 4 inch Fire Shield has to be casted. Especially since he is still sliding across the ground, but half the time slower.


    With such a thick shield, it can be unpredictable how long it will stay active for a level 4 Fire Wizard.


    He is in second and even third thoughts about unleashing such a thick Shield, but from the looks of it his choices are limited.


    Two more cracks appeared near to each other at the top right. First the Lava favoured the left, and now the right. It really is unpredictable, which makes it all the more dangerous.


    "Where the hell is that kid?" He whispered to himself as he let out a strong breath and felt countless sweats dropping the ground.


    He decided that forming a 4 inch Fire Shield at such a situation would be too dangerous and unpredictable.


    Instead, he decided to do an even more advanced and powerful move that might be able to vaporize the Lava in front of him and cause a strong blockade.


    The bad side about this spell, is that it can drain what''s left of his Stamina. Good if it works but what if it doesn''t? He will be toasted.


    To unleash a spell that can possibly fight off such force, he has to prepare the attack while still keeping the Fire shield going.


    On his right hand, a Fireball started to form. Roughly Sphering around his hand, growing bigger by the moment.


    But he feels like it isn''t enough. "I need to put more power into this. This shield won''t hold long." He thought to himself, his breath becoming heavier as time passed.


    Not wasting a moment, fire started breaking out of his nose and heading towards his right hand, giving more power to the forming sphere.


    More cracks on his Fire Shield popped up, as if shouting for the old man to hurry up with whatever he is doing.


    Giving a quick glance and counting them, he found out that there were 9 Cracks on it already!


    His legs shaking, sweat enslaving his face, he whispered. "I need to do this faster."


    In a blink, Fire broke out through his mouth, hit the Shield and bounced of it towards his right hand. That small spheric Fire, observing all of this power.


    Two more cracks appeared on the Fire Shield. And on one of them, Lava was breaking through, slowly falling near his feet.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Giving out a final burst towards the Spherical fire around his hand, he tightened his fist hard enough for his fingers to start burning, feeling numb.


    He stopped blasting fire throughout his mouth and nose, now his hands shaking to the bone and it''s not because he is tired.


    There is too much Fire concentrated on one spot, he wasn''t sure at all if he can keep this sphere for long on his hand.


    It can erupt before he can even unleash it. This spell is ridiculously unstable and packs a death promising blow. Luckily he didn''t have to hold it in his hand and wait to see what happens.


    Pulling his right elbow back, and throwing that spheric Fire against the Shield and Lava as if he threw a rock.


    It managed to push through the Fire Shield without trouble thankfully.


    The concentrated spheric Fireball broke through wind so easily, that it even pushed through the lava as if it were nothing, as if it was still breaking through air.


    Thankfully the lava didn''t bring the spell back either. If it did, death would be certain.


    Knowing what he had to do as a last resort, with his arms already spread wide he clapped his hands and the Fire Shield instantly expanded in Thickness.


    3/4 of the cracks disappeared in a blink of an eye, the ones still remaining on the shield thankfully didn''t pose a threat at all.


    But with so little stamina left, how long can he keep a 4 inch Fire Shield going? This specially formed Fire sphere was his last hope.


    That Fire sphere reached the end of its road, but its effects were sure far from meeting an end! A large explosion was heard a couple of seconds after Mogranius made the Fire Shield Thicker.


    The blast is worthy to be memorized with song! It completely vaporized every bit of lava which dared to swim around its radius.


    A lot of lava that was near Mogranius, wasn''t there anymore but he had no chance of noticing that due to all of the dust, rocks and dirt, flashing around him and the strong shake as the aftermath of the explosion.


    It is very likely that a lot of Lava from the other side was vaporized as well. Imagine burning super hot lava out of existence with super hot fire! That''s how strong a concentrated blast can be.


    The radius of the Blast however still reached Mogranius with ease, it rushed towards the Shield with such a bullying force!


    When it hit his Shield, a large rivering singular crack appeared from the left top of the Fire Shield and ranged all the way down to the bottom right. But, that crack was only to be seen for a blink.


    Smaller branches of cracks spreaded near the first large one with no sign of stopping, forcing the shield to inevitably brake! It all happened too fast!


    A four inch Fire Shield which can wipe out his stamina in a few blinks, seemed nothing more but a minor barricade in front of that concentrated blast. Piling up power all in one place, can''t always be the best idea.


    If breaking the Fire Shield in 2 seconds isn''t bad enough, he was tossed all the way through the cave, landing near the entrance and even was forced into a backflip in mid air.


    His strong grip to the ground caused such backflip. His back even hit the cave wall above the entrance before he fell on the ground.


    Thankfully there isn''t lava where he fell, as if that spot was reserved for him.


    He raised his head up with the toughest effort and saw the tunnel collapsing, dust spreading wide through the cave.


    As if him being tossed through the cave worked to his advantage, he noticed that the former tunnel of Lava has been shunned. Dirt and rock barricading in and around the Tunnel.


    Giving out a last blink around, his eyes closed as he reached unconsciousness. Stamina did its part and so did the damage he took when he hit the walls of the cave, hard dirt and rocks after too.


    But to his ridiculously large bad luck, after an exact minute Lava broke out through the tunnel once more.


    Just before the lava was about to turn Mogranius into an over cooked kebab, Eric jumped against the burning force!


    He unleashed a terrifyingly large amounts of fire against the raging hot lava. Enough fire for the ground to start shaking beneath his feet, the second he unleashed the fire from his palms.


    The Fire he unleashed spread so large, that the beginning of the blast forced him to lose grip of the ground in mere seconds.


    It threw him through the entrance and made him tumble down through the hard dirt and rocks outside of the cave, like a tumbleweed.


    While Eric was just thrown all the way out of the cave, he kept the spell going even while he was in mid air, but still he wasn''t able to maintain the spell going for more than 4 seconds.


    The Fire. Dear God. The Fire was terrifying. It measured 5 feet wide once it left Eric''s palms and expanded ten feet when it reached the Tunnel. It''s length behind tailed 6 feet long, and it''s strength remained unmatchable.


    It had such a strong push that it didn''t just overpower the lava but it also expanded the used to be dead end tunnel to a ten foot wide and high seemingly endless hole, ignoring Dirt and Rock!


    It went through the tunnel so easily that it didn''t shake the rest of the cave down in the process. A win win.


    The heat of the fire was unbearable as well. Just by being the caster, Eric slightly burned his hands, burned his left eyebrow and even a bit of his hair.


    As we mentioned before, his magic is linked to his stamina. The more he blasts the more stamina he loses. And this huge blast was way too much for someone who just discovered magic a few days ago. He didn''t yet figure out how to make the best out of his stamina.


    Surprisingly waking up half a minute after, crawling his way up to the cave which took a few minutes but for him it felt like forever. He finally managed to reach Mogranius.


    Glaring upon the tunnel, he saw quite well that he has won!


    He managed to gently wake up Mogranius up with a slap into consciousness, under breath the old man said. "Morning already?"


    They both are tired. All Mogranius is strong enough to do is sit and Eric burned out so much Stamina that he can''t even stand up yet. He would need a few minutes or an hour to catch his breath and get his energy back enough to stand up.


    Until that time comes, they are quite defenseless. But unfortunately, time isn''t on their side now.


    Because from that tunnel where all that lava came from, now emerged something possibly more deadly. Something everyone expected dead.


    The Calidum Lutum! Three of them came out of that tunnel. One who seemed to be the leader, standing taller than an average ten foot Calidum Lutum, was in the middle of the three.


    His strong black biceps were twice the size of Eric himself and the lava like veins that covered their bodies made each of them twice as intimidating. Luckily they were wearing grey breachers as well or else it would be really terrifying.


    The two other Calidum Lutum near him, seemed smaller, weaker but if the two of them were put together, they would be equal If not stronger.


    You would expect the Calidum Lutum race to be peaceful. Apart from their obvious numerous war advantages, they avoided war.


    But yet again they didn''t seem peaceful when they blasted all that lava towards the unsuspecting. The leader, forged his hands together, making them a large fist and was about to crush the life out of both Eric and Mogranius.


    A second before he was about to crush them, he heard a voice yelling in from behind. "Aki!"


    The seemingly giant Calidum Lutum stopped on his spot, as if he froze and separated his hands from each other, stepped a couple of steps backwards, sparing their lives. Even though he was the leader, there seems to be a leader above leaders.


    The three large Calidum Lutum stood aside and what seemed to be a shorter woman is approaching. Well at least small compared to the other three.


    She is a bit over six foot tall, seems like an Ignite but not entirely. You can define an Ignite apart from similar looking races from the jawline and how wide their faces is.


    But the woman that just approached Eric and Mogranius has the complete opposite features.


    Wider face and a sharp Jawline, six foot tall, while most of the other Ignite women are around five foot tall.


    But a big feature that defined her best is that she has no ears! And I''m not using this as a metaphor, she had no ears. At all.


    There weren''t any holes around where the ears should be either. Nothing. Straight out flat. But oddly, she could hear everything. Apart from that, she was undoubtedly "otherworldly" beautiful.


    Her black hair reached all the way to her elbows and she is noticeably physically fit, her body toned enough to be used as a military motivation, arm muscles a bit above average.


    Mogranius who a minute ago was laying on the ground gasping for air, in less then a split second stood six foot tall although still a bit shorter than her.


    In a flirting like manner he said to the lady, "Who might you be, let me guess.... They call you Dandelion. Because you sure look as beautiful as one."

 The Earles Woman

    Without even the slightest fear in her heart and with a strong boldness on her tone, she proceeded to reply with. "I step on Dandelions."


    The six foot tall earless woman, seems to have heard every word Mogranius said, despite her clearly different features.


    And with a rough tone she proceeded to ask the two Ignites, well it''s more like an order. "You two have to leave this place. It isn''t for you to use as you please."


    But to who is she talking to? It is not like either of them are paying attention, Eric is close to losing consciousness due to how drained out he''s feeling, and Mogranius...


    In nothing more but a blink, the women and the rest of the Calidum Lutum weren''t able to see Mogranius, well Eric can''t see him either.


    No one knows where he is going with this odd enough... self introduction! But I think we are about to find out.


    One of the Calidum Lutum growled and pointed his finger towards Mogranius who seems to be standing on his feet with his back against the cave wall and with one foot against it as well, tipping his hat downwards.


    You would think that he wouldn''t be able to find his hat after such an explosive battle but no!


    Not sure of what to expect from this old goof, the woman turned to the young Eric, seeing him as a bit more responsible. A bit concerned, she proceeded to ask. "What is he doing? Is he sane?"


    Eric however, is shook to blazing confusion, more than the rest of the people even though he knew Mogranius way longer than anyone else in this cave.


    There is just too much to explain here, too little of what Eric knows and barely any energy on his body to hold a simple conversation. After a short thought, the best thing the young Electus could say is. "I don''t know, don''t move."


    Mogranius however, started shedding a little light to his nonsense. "I''m Mogranius. Level Four Fire Wizard, fairly a time traveler and the eye candy in the group." Looking at his own nails through the introducing, as if his accomplishments were no big deal.


    The old man proceeded to brag about a topic that screams for attention. "Used to mentor the previous Electus and now I''m mentoring the new one."


    Finishing that little sentence, he''s suddenly seen close to Eric, pointing at his head and assuring. "This is the Electus." It''s odd how he got here in a second, considering being 15 feet away.


    The lady changes her facial expression once hearing the word Electus, but not for the better.


    She became even more grumpy, if you can believe that! With a rougher tone she proceeded to say. "One Electus long before you, separated this good continent to many countries. Every Electus lost our support ever since. Or would I say they lost the support from the Calidum Lutum. I have been here for about two hundred years."


    Rather odd that she was revealing her personal information to people she wanted to kill a while ago. But it made it rather clear which race the men behind her belong too.


    Hearing the words "200 Years", Mogranius suddenly turns less flirty and uses his common logic to process this situation. Rather interested, he asks. "Two Hundred years you say? That''s exactly when I got teleported here by the Electus herself. Fair to say it was a spell gone wrong."


    Not expecting such words from this Ignite but yet not surprised by it, she replied with ego as her motive. "Any Basic Electus wouldn''t be nearly smart enough to handle teleportation powers, teleportation isn''t about brute Fire."Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Glaring at Eric, who''s still lying on the ground. Letting silence stretch a few seconds, she stated with her tone firm. "Every Electus prefers war, suffering and power."


    Quite offended by what this woman is saying, the young boy managed to focus enough and form a dew reasonable sentences.


    At this war, the Ignites are the victims after all. "What nonsense are you talking about? A huge war started right after the previous Electus passed away. If there wasn''t a war before she died, it was because she held everything together, at peace."


    A bit unaware of Ignis'' recent history due to the obvious insulation, ego was still by her side. "Ha. That''s all the races in these countries know. War. Endless war. This is why the Calidum Lutum disappeared thousands of years ago."


    Her claims of war feel almost like without a base, irritating to be exact. Pulling his way near the Cave''s wall so he can sit straight, he expressed with his tone vary. "I will not accept to be taught peace and honour from someone who attacked a group of people with lava while they were sleeping."


    Noticing how his claim there struck a nerve, and rendered the lady speechless. Eric used the golden silence to continue cussing them out. "You are a coward! That''s why you and the rest of you hid underground for thousands of years. You hid instead of fighting for what rightfully belongs to you. You all are a disgrace. All of you."


    With such rage and words to match it, he touched the short tempered women''s every nerve.


    It is a surprise that she didn''t attack him yet, because anyone else would. Having the urge to correct such nonsense, she said. "You call this bravery? You can''t even stand on your feet but you dare to try and oppose me. This is stupidity, not bravery."


    Refusing to reply with anything to her sentences, Eric remained seated with fury burning through his eyes, although not literal fire like before.


    The chances of him stalling these enemies enough to replenish some stamina, are large. So it is best to lengthen the conversation, probably not the best idea to avoid talking.


    Seeing such fury, she felt intimidated, surprised and actually thought that she said a few things that weren''t for her to say. It is interesting to see the egoistic find sense.


    In aims to loosen the tension in this situation, she added. "I suppose you can teach us a thing or two about bravery. But definitely not honour. All you know is war." Well she has her limits of kindness after all. Every person does, but hers is tremendously short.


    Putting up a strong struggle to try standing on his own two feet, using the cave wall to help himself up and with a bit of Mogranius'' help as well, help from the same man who forgot that his own stamina depleted and is at a loss for words towards this conversation. He''s too focused on her!


    After putting up such strong effort, he brought his attention back towards the woman and proceeded to say. "I can''t stand on my feet because I burned my stamina undoing what you threw against us. You keep yapping about peace but you could have killed hundreds with a forest fire. It isn''t peace if only your kind is at ease, watching others suffer. It especially isn''t peace if you cause the suffering, that''s racial dominance."


    Although confused how such words came from a young Ignite, she still had many other reasons to stand for what she believes in. Which made it easy for her to give another reply. "So you say, making sure my soldiers aren''t killed in battle started from people who couldn''t care less about my soldiers or theirs, is a crime?"


    "No one was touching you or any of your soldiers. You attacked us!" Replied Eric, pointing out a detail this woman kept forgetting, shouting his way through even.


    Ridiculously, she still stuck to her self feeding ego and ignored everything else. "How could you possibly oppose all the lava that Hundreds of Lava Blasters just released. You are nothing but a small child."


    Although they attacked the group, he still agreed about one fact with her. The rulers don''t care about the soldiers who died in battle as long as they get what they "fought for".


    So he ignored her terrible character and tried to show sympathy to this race, even gave a final attempt to reason with her. "I am not quite sure what the Electuses before me started and ended but I''m fighting this war so innocent people don''t get killed be it in the battlefield or in their houses, I want my race to taste peace."


    Getting a strong vibe that Eric isn''t a stereotypical Warhead, she finally put ego aside and tried to befriend people she wanted to kill. "You have to forgive me. I misjudged you. You clearly are a honourable... man? You are still a child. Me and my Guards will gladly assist you. But under one condition."


    Seeing that Eric is more powerful than she ever imagined, she had to try and get something out of this. "After you win the war, you will do everything in your power to make Ignis one. No countries, no borders. Everyone living together, peacefully. As it should be."

 Last of the Kastarian race

    Eric started calming down after he yelled out what he stood for from the top of his lungs, his courage was made certain.


    Against all odds he argued with this woman who had a clear upper advantage at that specific moment. He literally could have been killed just because of an argument but he still stood his ground.


    Anyone can take your life but not what you believe in.


    Although uncertain if he can destroy the borders and make Ignis one again, it is great to have the Calidum Lutum aiding him.


    So his tone descending towards calmness, Eric decided to give his word. "You have my word, we will make Ignis one again. But right now we are scraping to survive, we ran from a beast like person back at Crutal Kingdom."


    The Women stood in confusion, not understanding how a Fire Mage who out battled hundreds of her men, failed against one person. "The all powerful Electus failed? What possible force brought you to the point of fleeing?"


    With the conversation gradually forming softer, Eric focused less on rage and more on how beautiful this lady is.


    So shyness started taking root in his conscious, mumbling through his sentences. "Well technically I wiped out half of Crutal Kingdom, so I didn''t flee without landing killing blows."


    Although struggling just a little bit to understand Eric, this Woman furthermore became impressed by his Fire Controlling abilities. "It looks like a battle worthy of song."


    Not wanting to lengthen this conversation here, on their feet. She offered, "We will escort you to our great underground Town. Do you have more people in your little group here or is it only you and this old goof?"


    Replying in a tremendously cocky voice, clearly putting in an attempt to flirt. Mogranius added, "You mean the old goof you already love?"


    Grabbing Mogranius'' attempt and as if tossing it against the ground and stepping on it with both feet, she boldly replied with a face as stiff and serious as a plank. "No!"


    Used of Mogranius'' nonsense, Eric focused on the current most important matter. "There are two more of us, well 3 if you include our Horse BlackWind. The other two are my father Woldemir and our friend Stefan."


    Jumping in the conversation like a Chicken, Mogranius added. "Okay Dandelion, lead the way now."


    "Call me Alia. Commander Alia." Replied the Woman with half a smile across her lips, displeased of this old goof.


    Not understanding how Mogranius asks to lead the way considering the two friends not here yet, Eric pointed out. "Go and find the rest first, then we will move."


    "That won''t be necessary, my men will hunt them down and bring them here, you two relax and just follow me." Seeing what her Town put both of these people through, she didn''t find it fair to make any of them work more after this.


    Trying to find the words to explain the situation, his face became redder by the second and he started mumbling his sentences again. "Oh well in that case, tell them to look... deep in the forest. We made plans to meet up... Horse. No, there meet once."If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Making his social anxiety and overall shyness towards new people even worse, Commander Alia turned towards Eric, grabbed his cheeks and squeezes them like she would do to a child.


    With a playful tone she proceeded with a small session of teasing. "Look at you. All grown up and planning battles. Adorable, simply adorable."


    She finished off squeezing his cheeks strong enough to lift him off the ground by an inch. I suppose her weakness are children, she can''t resist teasing them and or playing with them.


    Feeling a bit of jealousy, no doubt wanting that attention from Commander Alia all for himself and himself only, he didn''t hesitate for a second to interrupt the teasing by saying. "Hey I''m adorable too."


    Ignoring his nonsense, she turned to the ten foot tall Calidum Lutum guards and with a foreign language, she fills both of the Ignite''s heads with question marks. "Ta Astek yi sa garam ai er capit sada, asta ersa sadpu kempos."


    This translates to, "Two People can be found at the main road, bring them here alive."


    ...


    Breaking the silence as they''ve ventured deep into the Tunnel, Eric proceeded to ask. "So Commander Alia, how did you end up here with the Calidum Lutum? I never saw someone like you before, what race are you?"


    Feeling like a horse kicked her heart as soon as he heard that question, Commander Alia stops on her spot and with a rough tone she answers. "I come from another Continent, or at least it used to be a Continent. About two hundred years ago, I got here for a reason. Rather desperate."


    Sprinting towards her, blocking her path with his hands raised in front of him in excitement, Mogranius asked. "Precisely two hundred years ago you say? Could it have any connection with me appearing here. I mean I teleported here after a spell gone wrong."


    Not favouring his behaviour, but willing to cooperate. She shed light in this darkness of a puzzle, leaving the two at shock. "It might have, everything went wrong after...the source of Teleportation died out."


    Thinking this is some sort of fiction rather than reality with a firm base, Mogranius stated. "But that''s impossible, the Divine Sources can''t die out. Who would possibly be able to kill a God?"


    Finding it hard to believe, even now after 200 years. Commander Alia answers, her eyes tired and her tone sharing the same fate. "You tell me."


    With no means to debate this any further, the old man focused towards another perspective. "You mean to say, that you accidentally teleported here as well?"


    Finding it a trauma to talk about this tragedy to begin with,  she has enough mental energy to give this brief explanation. "No. When the source died, so did my Continent. The earth greatly trembled, trees turned from rich with life to dead dark and the wind took them away in crumbled pieces! Mountains literally falling down into nothingness."


    Eric asked the obvious question, "Then how did you escape such disaster."


    Closing her eyes, fire emerging in her memories. She stated,  "I made a run for it and hit the ocean. A sudden explosion appeared on the continent, It knocked me out. And I found myself beached on another continent, Ignis."


    Shocked by this disaster, the two sunk at a loss of words and have no clue how to react to this misfortune or to this woman who''s shivering beyond control after recalling the whole disaster. I suppose she miscalculated her mental energy.


    Trying his best to comfort her, trying to calm her down. Mogranius spoke, "It must feel terrible losing an entire Continent just like that. Your family, friends, everyone. I could never relate to your pain, it''s unbearable. But I can see that the Calidum Lutum filled the empty spot of friends and family in your heart."


    Subconsciously reaching in for a hug without even realizing it herself, she held Mogranius very tightly and uttered. "Indeed they did. But that won''t change the fact that a Continent of 400,000 people died that day. I am the last of the Kastarian race."


    Upon realization that she actually hugged Mogranius even though she didn''t aim too, she quickly backed off, slapped him lightly and yelled. "Don''t ever hug me again."


    "Wow that woman can slap!" Yelled out Mogranius, beating her shout.


    It''s fair to say that Alia''s heart is pounding strong in embarrassment now, even though she would never admit upon it and kept a strict face with a small little blush forcibly breaking above her cheeks which was quite beyond her control.


    She turned around and started walking forwards, so no one can see her blush. Her tone light, delicate. "Shut up and follow me."

 The Underground Volcano

    Ignoring the Drama and trying to figure this puzzle out, as they''ve walked deeper in the Tunnel he asked. "How do you think the source just disappeared? Snap! Like that? Does it fade out? I doubt it ages, it''s the Source!"


    Shrugging her shoulders, her tone descending lower. "I know less about the Sources than you do, I was hoping that you know more."


    Snapping out of his love bubble, able to use logic again. Mogranius asked, "Do teleportation spells have time travel included? Because I literally teleported two hundred years into the future."


    Being grown up around Kastarians, she of course had a couple of things to say, at least about time travel. "A small portion of Grand Masters could time travel, but I''m guessing that while the Source dying out, even Hatchlings could have done it accidentally."


    Although talking won''t solve such a problem, he feels a tad more relieved to figure out what happened. Expressing, "Believe me, I don''t want to live in this Hellhole of a time zone. But it has good things too, like I got to meet you."


    Liking that, but looking at the ground to hide her blush. She decided to fight everything off with a tease. "This isn''t right old man, I''m only three hundred years old. You look older."


    Smoke came out of Mogranius'' ears, his tone cracking as he yelled. "I''m only fifty eight years old. How can you be three hundred years old? And why didn''t I ever hear about the Kastarian race before?"


    Noticing clearly that she managed to piss off Mogranius greatly, she reacted in a calmer tone to add more wood to the burning fire. "Well a Kastarian''s average life span is 700 years, so I''m quite young. And you never heard about us because we chose so."


    Asking a question that any individual who has a fancy for another would ask, " 700 years!? How many men did you meet that were worth your time?"


    Finding the courage to finally make eye contact with Mogranius after her blush faded, she boldly replied with. "One."


    ...


    Upon entrance, a huge hole was to be seen in the middle of this extensively large cave. The hole itself seemed around half a mile wide, as if an actual Volcano sunk down underground and its form remained unchanged.


    Inside the Volcano walls, hundreds upon hundreds of tunnels leading to likely bigger caves, personal rooms, natural resources, storage rooms, and the 7 Sources know what else would be there.


    The point is, there are a lot of entrances and space management seems superior.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Six foot wide walkways are to be seen, spiraling down the volcano. So its people could easily walk where they please, making living in a Volcano easier.


    And at the very bottom, Lava is of course to be seen. Half a mile of boiling hot lava, providing enough heat for the Hundreds of people here.


    Who knows how deep that lava pool goes?! Could be a couple hundred yards, could be a couple miles. There may even be many branches the further they sink down or of course it could be just 10 meters deep. Hard to tell.


    The lava is so boiling hot that Eric and Mogranius are able to feel it even though they are half a mile away from it, making one think if Lava is supposed to have such an effect. Giving the feelings that something Holy is going on here.


    Eric speaks out with a tear on his eye, tad funny to watch. he''s filled with admiration. "I''ve never seen something so beautiful. I want to jump in but I''m afraid that It would turn me into a fish stick. And I hate fish sticks."


    Trying to set some boundaries to these plausibly troublesome people, Commander Alia approached closer and kindly explained. "Amazing isn''t it? But we shall not go all the way down, the bottom of it can boil your blood. Only the Grand Masters can handle being a foot apart from the lava."


    Having it tough resisting to admire such amazing race, culture and powers. Questions kept popping in the kiddos head, but only a few felt appropriate to ask. "Grand Master you say? So their levels of ability is measured on literally how much heat they can handle?"


    Alia''s replies remain with a calm tone, likely a bit tired from having to explain everything to practical strangers. "Yes yes, heat endurance is based on Levels but there is another reason why the Grand Masters are down there."


    Eric speaks out with curiosity, actually willing to know more, fascinating. "Another reason you say? Well do tell. I never enjoyed learning this much."


    Mogranius follows in a mocking manner. "Believe me, he is speaking the truth."


    On her last nerve, not enjoying this little Banter. Commander Alia yells out, "Silence!"


    But right after, she proceeds to speak under a sweet tone. "Let''s continue. In case of attackers, Grand Masters provide the troops with lava enough for hundreds of the Calidum Lutum to control. Even though there are only five Grand Masters."


    His mouth hanging open, shocked at such capabilities. All the old man can say is, "Only five Grand Masters capable to provide enough lava for hundreds of people to control? Astonishing."


    Wild ideas going through his head, Eric added. "One of those Grand Masters should mentour me. But do they control the lava upwards straight from the Volcano or do they blast it out of their body like Fire Blasters do?"


    Looking at the lava beneath her, smiling and enjoying their excitement a bit more now, Commander Alia replies with. "They are actually able to do both, blasting Lava out of one''s hands is only a skill Grand Masters have though."


    Mogranius speaks out again with yet another question, if he had a piece of parchment to write all of this valuable information down, he wouldn''t drop the quill until the last drop of ink. "So the Grand Masters are like the source of Power. What do the Witches and Wizards in other levels doo?"


    Hopping that all these questions will soon meet an end, her explanation became tad extensive. "Everything here is balanced. The Grand Masters are the source of Lava while the Masters on the other hand are able to pick up all of that terrifying amount of lava and filter it. They seperate it in tens of pieces and fly it up to the Experts."


    Eric follows through and asks yet another question, "The Grand Masters provide all the lava but the Masters seem to hold greater responsibility. Or am I wrong?"

 A Human Staff

    With no aim to agree, Commander Alia corrected. "Every Lava Controller holds a big responsibility, regardless of Level. If one group of levels is missing, the rest can''t perform the main impenetrable defensive attack."


    "So it''s all about Teamwork." Eric pondered that fact wit himself, murmuring.


    A question popped in his head, so the young boy has to ask. "What do the Experts and Magicians do?!"


    Giving a small smile towards the fact that Eric understood what the point was. Unintentionally ignoring his question though, she winked and stated. "It is teamwork that offers an unbreakable attack to this Town and it is teamwork that will help us reclaim our first kingdom."


    With perception not his best friend, Mogranius didn''t exactly hear the war talk and decided to talk about something that would feed his ego furthermore. "But I held a shield against your unbreakable Attack for quite a long time."


    Raising his hands up and gesturing as if he was calming down a huge crowd, with a cocky tone the old man continued to boast. "Yes yes I am that powerful, please settle down! Also Eric pushed back everything you had to launch against us so... your attack isn''t exactly unbreakable."


    To such sentences, although cocky and mostly true, she didn''t bother arguing about them. These two Fire Wizards are no doubt powerful even though they would be torched if the Calidum Lutum continued with their attacks earlier. No one managed to break the main attack before Eric did. Except one.


    She took a few steps towards Mogranius, close enough that they were only half a foot apart. Calm and slow, she chirps. "I usually toss loud mouths like you, all the way down that Volcano. But you''re lucky that I don''t hate you."


    Although it was more of a threat, the Geezer understood it as a flirt. Which is what forced him to drip sweat followed along by heavy breathing. He feels frozen on his spot and shortly after falling on his back, quite of a Love coma.


    Not trying to be heard, Eric murmured with himself. "Alright I did not come here to see old people flirt."


    He noticed Commander Alia taking steps back from Mogranius and giving Eric a, "I will throw you down the volcano look."


    Noticing her facial reaction and a possible upcoming head smacking, Eric covered up his words with. "I mean... beautifully old people flirt."


    Letting out a joyful sigh to such cute acts, she proceeded to mock Eric. "Fear does speak louder than reasoning to some."


    A question still sticking with him and another one just emerging, Eric found it as the best time to ask. "I have two questions. What do the Experts and Magicians do in this so called Teamwork and how are we going to reclaim our first Kingdom?"


    Jerking her head back, surprised to hear such questions from a child. She cut it short, "Experts just make sure that Magicians don''t get burned alive, there is only so much they can handle so the Experts split the Lava in many pieces as well while Magicians aim at the target."


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Astonishingly able to catch up to everything, he stated the facts better than Alia did after receiving a brief explanation. "So basically this large team of Lava Controllers is like a human staff, branching lava from the bottom to the top."


    Curling her lips, too tired to argue. She approved. "Odd way to describe it, but you have a point."


    Not noticing that he left Commander Alia in a bit of a shock, the young boy simply repeated his second question. "What about reclaiming a Kingdom though?"


    Noticing that she has been accidentally ignoring his questions, she gave half a smile and asserted. "Have you ever heard about Gaster Kingdom?"


    Waking up from his love coma the second he heard that name, Mogranius hollered. "I know this one, actually I was born there and I moved to Crutal Kingdom to further my studies. But why attack my home?"


    Before continuing such a time worthy conversation, at first she has to do something of higher importance, which is teasing Mogranius. "Look who finally woke up. Having nice dreams I suppose?"


    Knowing that there is at least a little feelings in her heart for him, he went into another level with the flirtful compliments. "Indeed. Dreaming about you is never a bad dream."


    Trying her best to avoid a visible blush, she stuck to war talk. "I personally scouted Gaster Kingdom. I lived there for a few months for research similar to this plan, looking for their weak spots."


    Curious, knowing that Mogranius can''t ask such a question. Eric inquired instead, "Did you find out anything of use?"


    Bold, she replied, "Yes."


    And continued to state facts as if she sat down and tried to memorize everything before. "That place is too far from most domains, not to mention the income is flat due to the land there being too harsh for anyone to start a farm."


    A bit puzzled, Eric tried to question. "But what does that have to do with..."


    Mogranius interrupted, "Yes Yes. Keep on offending my place of birth, I love it." Although not pissed enough to be considered angry, he still doesn''t like how his home Kingdom''s name is slandered.


    Noticing that Mogranius wasn''t exactly angry, she proceeded with a bit of sarcasm. "You''re welcome."


    Afterwards turning to Eric who''s practically the only one worthy to talk about such a topic, she continued. "Since there''s no profit there, the illustratian Alliance aren''t there either and neither are the illas they finance. These facts alone should make invasion a breeze, Gaster Kingdom is weak."


    Eric follows up, seeing the plan reasonable and of course doable. "This plan sounds flawless. But exactly how many Soldiers do you think we need?"


    Right after Eric finishes his question, he sees the two previous ten foot tall Calidum Lutum bringing in Woldemir and Stefan.


    They''re carrying them on their shoulders though, signifying that the two tried some sort of resistance against the Calidum Lutum, one of the large men even has a fresh cut through his chest.


    Likely the work of Woldemir with the help of his trusty Dagger, it doesn''t seem to have been enough though.


    Looking at the fact that Woldemir actually managed to cause damage on one of the Calidum Lutum, she states. "Looks like you have all the soldiers we need."

 The Great Extinction

    "I''m sure all of you must be hungry. I doubt that you were able to pack food while being chased by hundreds of guards. Let us eat." Offered Commander Alia as she gestured to a few Calidum Lutum Guards to bring food here, speaking their own language.


    With the little invasion plan put behind them, choosing Eric''s little team only to invade Gaster Kingdom. Food would be the most polite thing to offer right now.


    Mogranius had an instant reaction the second he heard the word "Food".


    Standing up, he hollered, "Food?!. Finally. We have been eating plants and nuts for the past two days! I need freshly cooked, delicious meat!"


    Understanding the need, but having no way to provide it, Alia enumerated. "We don''t have meat, quite difficult for 10 foot tall people to hunt and we choose to stay here so we don''t attract new people, far too many met Lava already."


    Pushing away that odd feeling where everyone will look at him once he talks, Eric appealed. "If you can''t hunt, how do you feed all of these people? Doubt that Gods would help this way, like everything it needs work."


    To this at least, she can reply with pride. A smile on her face stretched and she even rose up on her toes in enthusiasm! "Our Indoor farm! We have a big one."


    But sadly, her enthusiasm met an end when she recalled the farm''s current condition. "Sadly, our food is barely half way through from growing and our supply from last year is almost at its end."


    After finishing that sentence, she continued with a calming matter. "But let''s not worry about that now. Now we shall eat."


    After finishing her sentence, a guard approached with what seemed to be a two foot long and wide bucket of food. It had a lot of vegetables in them. Melons, bread, corn too, etc and of course precious water.


    The bucket also carries a few fruits that are growable deep underground, such as grapes and oranges.


    Eric''s tongue drops down after seeing so much taste filled food but his curiosity is growing greater than hunger. "You were able to grow all of these, underground? You said you were short on food!"


    Not used of the Ignites eating habits, wearing a perplexed look on her face, she answered. "I did and we are. This bucket who could feed four of you, can only barely feed one Guard although they can extract energy enough to last a week without food."Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The Gang didn''t exactly have the chance to count how many people are here. Basing it only on how many people he saw, Stefan foretold. "Well, your farms must be miles long."


    Commander Alia proudly answers. "They are, each farm is a mile long, although not so wide. Except for the fruit farms. They are half a mile long, each."


    Woldemir being a farmer himself for quite over a decade, insisted. "You have to give us a tour later."


    But before Commander Alia was able to say a word, they were hearing Mogranius doing a... painfully shameful act.


    Not shameful as in running around naked, but still. The Geezer doesn''t seem to mind that there''s no meat.


    And has curled around the Food he stole from the bucket, laid 5 meters away from everyone elsea and now he''s flirting with his food. "You are a beautiful, juicy food aren''t you. Oh yes you are. Oh yes."


    After that he proceeded to chuck down as much food as humanly possible, bashing his teeth through an entire Melon... even eating the hard parts.


    Now, he''s laying on his back with his belly large, mumbling under his breath. "Now that''s a meal..."


    Commander Alia after witnessing such an animal eat, an urge to ask a question arose. "He has a big appetite, that''s for sure. But yet he doesn''t seem overweight, I wonder if Akareas put him on a diet."


    Under his breath as he raised his finger on the air to grab attention, Mogranius sighed. "Yes. I was not on board with her plan though."


    Paying less attention to the disgusting scene his Mentor brought, Eric quizzed. "You know Akareas?"


    Shaking her head from left to right, disagreeing, Alia clarified. "No no. personally I did not meet her, but the Guards talk about the great Extinction a lot."


    Stefan follows up while chewing down on some wheat bread and boiled potatoes. "The great extinction you say? Are you talking about the Blue Goblins?"


    Happy that these Ignites know about such rare to come upon knowledge, her entire face smiled as she repeated. "Yes Yes."


    Afterwards dictating. "Like my men and women, the Blue Goblins were Lava Controllers. But unlike my people, they didn''t plan to burn everything to the ground."


    Eric follows up in disgust but he did not stop eating of course, he''s too hungry to be dramatic. "In that case I''m glad they are gone! Less work for me. But how does Akareas connect to this."


    A second after they saw Mogranius standing near the edge of the Volcano, looking down at the lava. As if he wanted to look badass, which kinda worked.


    But yet again no one saw him stand up and walk his way there. Perhaps he used the invisibility spell because of the Volcano providing little or no smoke?


    Slowly but surely, he recited. "It''s where Akareas discovered her powers. As a fan of nature she was just happily running across a field, Only sixteen years old. A hole suddenly caused by the Blue Goblins made her slide and tumble all the way down to their underground Town."


    Commander Alia decided to add a few words of her own towards this topic. "Indeed, it was a few miles down actually. It is a miracle how she survived, but it''s good that she did. Legend has it that she tumbled down a day before the Blue Goblins were about to burn everything to the ground."


    Then Mogranius was suddenly a foot apart from Alia, staring directly at her eyes, slowly demanding. "I''m telling the story."


    After that he walked his way to the edge of the Volcano again and yammered. "A Blue Goblin who opposed her own kind''s plans, rescued Akareas and got her back on her feet. But once the Blue Goblin King discovered that his own kind aided a non Blue Goblin, he executed the one who rescued her. Dumped her down on Lava!"


    Relating to his past experience, Eric asked. "That''s what triggered her powers? right?"


    Contradicting, Mogranius cited. "No, it was something else. The Goblin King was ten foot tall while his troops were five foot each, he saw it fair to duel Akareas one on one. After throwing her a vicious beating, Akareas discovered her powers out of desperation. Without an outburst that is, she started controlling lava. Putting an end to a five thousand people civilization."

 A Farm half a mile Underground

    To add some humour to the massacre talk, Stefan mocks the Blue Goblins with little hesitation. "It''s ironic how Lava controllers found their end around Lava."


    Woldemir doesn''t really like the Blue Goblins either. He barely heard anything about them until now, but they definitely aren''t allies. So after he swallowed a bite of wheat bread, he expressed. "Well it is a good thing that they met their end. They sound worse than illustratios."


    Focusing on other matters, the Electus'' usual low tone is being overcome by, enthusiasm! He requested, "Enough about Goblins. Can we go see that big farm now? I still have doubts."


    Enjoying Eric''s unexpected burst of enthusiasm about a farm, Alia didn''t waste more time, replying. "For sure, won''t be much of a scene though. Most crops aren''t yet grown."


    The gang stood up and started following Commander Alia who seemed to be leading them downwards the spiral like roadway going down the Volcano.


    After going around in one spiral, they reached a small entrance by comprehension. But that small entrance was just an illusion to something extraordinarily big.


    The lava half a mile underneath their feet while they were walking down the Volcano, captured most of their attention. Commander Alia had to slap... I mean snap them out of it once they''ve reached the not so stunning entrance.


    As they''ve entered, several types of farm fields captured their attention, all practically merged together to form what we can easily call a super farm.


    This farm fitting several sorts of fruits and vegetables reached half a mile wide and a mile long. Simply magnificent, and big as you can guess.


    But the second Eric saw the farm he noticed something which could have both slowed down or terminated the production rate. Light!


    This huge farm is lacking light. It''s a surprise how they got any crops to grow here. At this point, Eric did not hesitate to point out the problem, although feeling nervous.


    He cited, "This farm would grow watermelons as big as I am if this place has more light."


    Woldemir of course Complimented his son''s words. "Yes I noticed that too, this place needs light. Also, it''s so warm in here. I''m guessing you grow crops twice a year?"


    The warmth is noticeable, the lava half a mile underneath their feet maintains enough heat for everyone to feel cozy even in Winter!Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    But neither of them like the lack of light here, in one way it even makes the farm appear a lot smaller.


    Hearing what both of these Ignites had to say, Commander Alia replies with both confusion and raw strong curiosity. "So let me get this straight! You are saying that light can improve the production rate. Also, what does heat have to do with farming?"


    Confused how a woman coming from another civilization who succeeded to stand and perish in silence, not knowing something so simple, Woldemir was dumbfounded. The rest however, found the freedom to explore the farm.


    So Woldemir was left alone to describe these basic things to such a stunning lady. If Mogranius understands this the wrong way, he would chase Woldemir with Fireballs!


    But Woldemir put the Man Woman tension aside and explained it calmly. "Yes. The more light, the bigger and faster the crops grow. That however can come expensive unless you have a massive storage of coal or Charcoal."


    While explaining such matters, Woldemir found an excuse to walk a few more steps away and inspect some Watermelons closeby. His primary aim was of course to give her personal space.


    However, she didn''t see Woldemir as a man who would try anything inappropriate, or best described, "Try his luck".


    So she comfortably walked closer to understand more what he means. It forced Woldemir to become more anxious considering that he has strong gentleman etiquettes. Overdone no doubt, but he likes to respect personal space on a different level.


    Giving the growing wheat nearby a quick glance and returning to Alia, elaborating on his father''s earlier words. Eric narrated, "And about heat. During the winter months, no one plants anything because the crop can''t withstand the cold harsh weather. Here you have heat all year around, so you can plant in winter too."


    At such explanations, Commander Alia finds relief. Not only the food situation has been given a solution but it has found a permanent fix.


    Now the entire Calidum Lutum civilization will be able to be fed without having to worry about being savvy. Or at least, that will be their life after they figure out how to light this place up.


    She recalls some men avoiding food for weeks at a time for the love of their people. They did not wish to see them suffer hunger. Food is the strongest sacrifice one can make in these times.


    Although the food shortage is far from being behind them, she couldn''t help but show gratitude for these two Ignites. "I don''t know how to reward such knowledge. I''m very grateful but our current food problem isn''t solved, harvest season is here but everything is barely over half grown."


    Seeing that this situation is only fixable if they obtain another source of food, Woldemir decided to step up for these people. With confidence he states, "Get me a Sword, any kind. I have some scores to settle with illustratios at Crutal Kingdom, there are plenty of wealthy fools I can force gold out of."


    Alia replies with further relief in her tone, trusting Woldemir''s abilities greatly although she doesn''t know much about him. "I''ll have my men get you a Sword that other races can actually lift off the ground, I trust you will not disappoint."


    Now, Stefan had something to say about what this farm lacks as well. Odd considering that he doesn''t actually farm. "Now let''s go back to fixing this farm. I noticed that over time, it gets difficult to breathe in here. That''s not good for any living kind and it''s not good for plants either. But I think I know how to fix this."


    Commander Alia adds up in a bit of a sarcastic tone. "Looks like a few thousand years of knowledge is helping out quite well. What do you suggest oh wise one?"


    Stefan ignored the sarcasm as he''s too focused. He is used to tuning people out as soon as he met Mogranius'' sarcasm, it''s inevitable to learn tuning out.


    Stefan queried, "Can you get one of your Grand Masters up here. And how deep is this cave below the surface?"


    Struck at such a reply, Commander Alia answered although uncertain why she needs to answer. "How could a Grand Master be of help here? And this cave is about less than half a mile below the surface. Depends where you stand as this whole town is built under a small mountain, it''s more of a bump really."


    Stefan ended up explaining this more, but confusing everyone else. What could possibly be going through his head? "A Grand Master provides a raw source of lava. This cave isn''t so deep below the ground so we can make this work."

 Fresh idea

    Dumbfounded, not having a clue what Stefan wants to accomplish. All she could do was ask for an elaboration, "Make what work?"


    Recalling how they were attacked a few hours ago, he understood one concept throughout the chaos witnessed once he woke up. "The dead end tunnel at the main entrance, I''m guessing it was barricaded by a short layer of dirt and rock."


    Glad that he cut it short instead of yaping all day, Alia recited. "The barricade is mostly 50 meters long, makes penetration easier."


    Light struck his eyes after that answer. It proved his theory about the dead end correct, it can even prove his plans possible. "Fifty meters of barricade you say, well I..."


    Right before he was about to explain his plan in further detail, he bursted into a giggle. Well this has a reason of course, he isn''t a maniac. He just saw BlackWind chewing on half grown wheat plants.


    Noticing his sudden Glance of what was happening behind her, Commander Alia was quick to catch on. She turned around to face what Stefan was glancing at, but BlackWind''s actions didn''t really bother her.


    Woldemir found the decency to comment on his horse''s acts. Rubbing the back of his head, tad embarrassed he weighed in. "I apologise for my Horse, he likes to eat a lot."


    But as mentioned a bit earlier, she didn''t really mind it. "Let him eat, Horses need food more than we do. Please continue Stefan."


    Stefan puzzling with his own mind, comes back to reality a while after Alia asked him to continue. Mogranius had to slap him back to reality, but still. "Aaaaaaa yes. The Tunnel was barricaded, but with Lava you penetrated it. That''s how we are going to get air down here."


    Eric was just listening in the Background, looking at these Ignites talking at each other, interesting if you saw it from his eyes.


    A question popped on his head which he was dying to ask, shortly after Stefan made a brief explanation of his plan. But everytime he started a sentence, trying to ask his question.


    These people keep interrupting his word, some not even hearing him at all, as if he never spoke.


    For a moment it appeared like a pack of Wild Boars were arguing with each other, but it was just enthusiasm for this plan.


    Luckily, Commander Alia asked the question Eric wanted to, helping him cure his curiosity without even noticing it. "So we are going to make a tunnel out of this side too? Breaking all the way to the surface?"This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Stefan replies with a tone that shows he is getting rather irritated explaining everything in detail. "No, not a tunnel. It wouldn''t be of much help because wild animals would wander down and eat these crops."


    Commander Alia felt perplexed. Because if a new tunnel isn''t his plan, then what is? She couldn''t think about any plan that can bring more air down here.


    So in a way, he has no choice but to explain if he wishes to execute this plan. "Then what do you have in mind? Please elaborate."


    "I''m talking about foot long holes! A Grand Master has to get up here and blast Lava out of their hand against the Cave''s side walls, carving towards the Surface." After explaining his entire plan, the looks on everyone''s faces made him feel self assured.


    Those who heard out his plan, were either confused, interested or amazed of his plan. He really proved himself worthy of the title as the group''s brain.


    After hearing out his plan, Commander Alia felt the urge to yell her thoughts out in joy. "That is Genius!"


    Eric, Woldemir and Mogranius add a few words too since they saw her agreeing to this plan. She can be rather strict, so if she approves of the plan, it has to be a good one. They congratulated Stefan with a few short but truly meant words.


    "Well done."


    "That''s our strategy guy."


    "Ehh, not bad."


    Since the force of brutal pushing is made clear as the main tool of making this little project possible, Eric explained "I blew away lava and made the tunnel wider too, can I help?"


    Stefan replies with great enthusiasm and a smirk on his face. "Oh Yes!"


    But before he got the two hotheaded Ignites too excited, Stefan felt the urge to set limits. "But you need to blast less or you will shake the cave down. Meaning your powers will likely take twice as long to reach the surface."


    Turning his attention towards Commander Alia, Stefan stated with a bit of tension. "We might need every available Grand Masters up here if we wish to finish this task today."


    "This plan seems almost flawless, but I have a strong concern." She was able to catch up on his ideas enough to find a possible flaw.


    Her question or best described her concern, should be good to hear out. Or it could be a form of misunderstanding. "Won''t us forming so many holes cause a collapse?"


    "Well I most certainly hope that won''t happen. A hole dug up every twenty meters should be enough to not cause any trouble." He felt quite sure of his words, he never tested this before but it feels reasonable.


    But to fill in for the manners that Stefan lacked throughout portraying this plan, Eric reminded. "I hope it is not a problem to bring all five Grand Masters up here."


    Commander Alia appreciated his manners a lot, but she didn''t say anything about that in order not to make Eric or Stefan feel embarrassed. Although Stefan wouldn''t mind.


    She directed her wordplay towards other facts. "It isn''t a problem at all. No one knows we exist, so us being attacked with the Grand Masters mid work is unlikely." She finished her sentence in a joking manner and it was quite uplifting.


    But it got a bit more interesting when she started talking to one of the Calidum Lutums, their language is nothing less than interesting.


    She turns to a Calidum Lutum Guard and orders. "Asta zat qi er Kap Hukaerto le sadpu. Rakzipat''h pafe."


    This Translates too, "Bring all of the Grand Masters up here. Captain''s orders."


    Noticing everyone focused on their language, she Ignored it for now and focused on the task and gratitude too. "I know we didn''t put this plan into motion yet, but I feel positive that it will be successful. Our people will always aid you and of course the rest of you as well thanks to this historic act."


    Stefan not knowing how to reply because he was never treated with such kindness obviously because of the illustratios, tried to avoid most of this kind attention. "It''s nothing really, I just told you the idea. The Wizards will be doing all the hard work."


    Commander Alia smiled at his kind hearted attempt, but also had to correct him at something very important. "Well, Witches and Wizards. Three of them are Witches and two of them are Wizards, but it doesn''t matter. You will see for yourself soon."

 Grand Masters of Lava Controlling.

    Her way of describing the man woman ratio, a bit intimidating. Even creepy with certain aspects. She might have become a little mad, but that''s not something anyone needs to focus on at this very moment.


    Why? Well it''s because Shortly after Commander Alia finished explaining her statement, the Grand Masters of Lava Controlling already seemed to have made their way up here.


    Confusingly fast, I''m aware. Everyone in the gang shared one thought after seeing them walk in. "They arrived up here this fast?."


    And I''m sure that you as a reader thought it too! These leaders made their way up here from the very bottom section of the Volcano. That''s nearly half a mile of Distance in between the two described locations.


    So after taking a peek at their confused faces, she gave a small explanation to avoid further unnecessary questions. "I know what all of you are thinking, let''s just say they had Lava''s assistance."


    The first Grand Master to walk in the Door was a man, an eye catching characteristic was noticeable at first view, he isn''t young!


    His White semi-slim beard beautifully and smoothly growing down two feet long downwards his torso. An interesting Beard length indeed, but in their case its normal.


    But he doesn''t seem to have a single hair on his head, his baldness however matches with his beard perfectly. He even looks a bit attractive for a man with one foot in the grave.


    Since these Grand Master''s can''t communicate with the Ignites due to language differences, It is left up to Commander Alia to do short introductions.


    She can speak both languages, Kastarian too. But now that wouldn''t prove useful at all. "This is Grand Master Xalk, he recently reached his 1,300 hundred. Apart from his stunning age, the skill level he reached should be praised as well, it is worthy of song. He advanced with his powers, he can form a Volcano out of nothing, in a matter of weeks!"


    Mogranius looks at Xalk with the utmost amazement, his admiration as pure as the steam of boiling water.


    Of course, he isn''t one to keep his thoughts inside around people he feels even a little bit comfortable near. He expressed, "I can''t decide which part is more amazing. The fact that he is thirteen hundred years old or the fact that he can form Volcanoes."


    "Indeed but be amazed later, now let me introduce the rest of the Grand Masters." She has respect and admiration for Grand Master Xalk and his contribution towards the town of Lan Zhe, but she admirers the next person entering through the little entrance a tad bit more.


    When this Woman entered the farm through that little entrance, the one thing everyone instantly noticed is her stunning beauty.


    Although some women don''t want beauty to be their key characteristic, which is very understandable.


    Here the case was different in almost every aspect, because her abilities far outmatch her beauty. Which proves a lot, because she is stunning.


    Her gold and black hair going down her tightly exercised body showed that age doesn''t necessarily equal to a lack of beauty or fitness if enough effort is put in.


    Or this could be from genetics? The group didn''t yet see a Calidum Lutum that is out of shape, unusual but it seems very beneficial.


    Her face seemed so youthful and gorgeous that it became hard for everyone to keep their eyes away from her no matter what Gender they identify with.


    But yet again they should look away because looking at her gives be it both male or female, butterflies in their stomach.


    With a wide smile on her face, Alia got a big spike of motivation about introducing this great Woman. "This is Altacin, she is nine 983 years old. Like Xalk and every other qualified Grand Master, Altacin is a natural Lava Generator. She also has recently begun her training on forming Volcanoes. She is a true force to be reckoned with but she is also my best friend."


    Afterwards she walked near Atlacin and gave her a wholesome hug. "People, this woman accepted me in Lan Zhe 200 years ago, she changed my life for the better. Do not let me catch you disrespect her in any way, even with a thought. By the 7 standing Sources I will throw you down the Volcano without blinking an eye."Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Commander Alia seemed to be done with this little introduction targeted at Atlacin, and the Gang isn''t disagreeing with anything Commander Alia is practically ordering them to do. Perfect timing, because the Third Grand Master arrived.


    The Third Calidum Lutum to enter the Cave, seemed rather different.


    She looks smaller, standing only seven feet tall, which is just a bit taller than Commander Alia herself.


    Her pitch dark hair are tied up into a bun on the top of her head and like Grand Master Altacin, she looks just as youthful.


    Commander Alia separated from the hug with a blush on her face and was swift to form a quick introduction. "This is Laza  the youngest of the five and proudly one of our overachievers. Her nickname is "Er Atnopes" which translates to "The Beast". And quite frankly, we prefer calling her by her nickname instead."


    Concerned about his own safety, Mogranius moved a couple of feet back at a slow pace and had the decency to ask. "Why is she called the Beast? I''m sure it isn''t just... random."


    A 7 foot tall lady wouldn''t be previewed as intimidating compared to a 10 foot tall one, but to Mogranius it didn''t matter a bit.


    Alia is more than happy to elaborate, she even became mildly cocky when she noticed his fear. "As you already saw or will see, her arms are bigger even compared to the men Guards or men Grand Masters when you think about. She is the only one able to break a large boulder in half with a single hit."


    But being close to possibly developing a phobia, Mogranius had to clarify for his own sanity and safety concerns. "You mean hit a rock with lava. Right?"


    Carrying a smirk Alia replies. "No!"


    Enjoyed the fear on his face, the confusion on the others. She gently continued. "Unlike most of the Calidum Lutum who became Grand Masters at around their 900s, she became one in her sweet 400 and has held that title for a hundred years."


    The gang viewed partially in amazement but mostly in fear, Mogranius however contributed the most to this fear rate. Stefan on the other hand kept being amazed, kept admiring these precious Grand Masters.


    Specifically because the seven foot beast was standing quite close to him, the Grand Masters didn''t bother to line up after the introduction.


    Laza doesn''t have a sense of personal space even considering her academic skills.


    It''s odd how he doesn''t fear her like Mogranius, he even wanted to shake her hand but Laza didn''t understand what Stefan''s trying to say and Commander Alia didn''t translate intentionally to see how it plays out.


    The Fourth of the Grand Masters to enter the cave seemed to be yet another woman.


    Unlike Laza, this one seemed to struggle to crawl in. Not because of the size of her muscles but because of her length.


    She seems to be an astonishing 15 feet tall! That''s almost triple the size of anyone in the gang.


    Her Gold like Hair reaching all the way down to the edge of her spine, which probably are around eight foot long.


    They shone as if a small amount of water was on her hair and was struck by the sun''s beams.


    But yet again they are all underground near lava. Like the other two females, she as well looks quite youthful.


    As if the entire race of the Calidum Lutum was immune to the effects that age brings along.


    Commander Alia took a minute to form a proper introduction for this lady, there is quite a lot of things to recall. "This is Pezik. Commonly known for her record breaking height. Her height of course equals to an abnormal body strength. She is not as strong as the Beast of course, but close."


    "Nice, another Beast." Whispered Mogranius for once while taking another step backwards.


    Not noticing Mogranius'' whisper, Alia continued with the introduction to get this plan into motion as fast as possible. "Pezik recently reached her Sweet 1,100. Making her the second oldest GrandMaster alive. Pezik is half way to mastering Volcano Creation, a difficult skill to tackle but she is progressing abnormally well."


    The introductions became extensive, Eric was forced into a yawn even though he didn''t let out a comment in general since he doesn''t want to sound negative.


    Woldemir noticed his son''s behaviour and carefully gestured him to knock it off without anyone seeing him doing so.


    Commander Alia seems excited to talk about these Grand Masters even though she is rushing it a bit. And it''s never nice to kill someone''s enthusiasm with negativity.


    To Eric''s luck though, the fifth and final Grand Master walked in through that entrance.


    Standing ten feet tall, the sense of leadership was instant as soon as he entered the cave.


    This one has short Blood Red hair slicked back down to the back of his head, seemed rather unnatural for hair to look like that. But here you can''t fake hair colour.


    The size of his muscles didn''t seem to be much different from an Average guard, but his strength is proven differently.


    On his hands are two large Swords. Each one starting off one foot wide and ending up two foot wide at the top of the Swords.


    They look more like Warhammers, the two sword''s length from bottom to top are five foot, each. That''s half of his body length and he''s carrying two of them, that''s a lot to catch up with.


    It''s unusual for a Grand Master of Lava Controlling to carry Swords. As he is clearly powerful enough to provide lava for hundreds of Lava Controllers to handle. Why would he carry swords?


    Luckily, Alia is swift to do an introduction. "This my dear friends is the leader, Kazer. See in this race, a leader is declared from the natural colour of one''s hair. Blood red declares that he is one of a kind, Incomparably  intelligent."


    Taking a little brake so everyone has a few seconds to comprehend all of this, she also weighed in. "He proved himself more than worthy of his title, the leader of the Grand Masters. He''s 598 years old but like Laza, he too is an overachiever. Able to form Volcanoes with his swords, it is the main reason he uses them."


    As Commander Alia finished this last introduction, she proceeded to ask. "Does anyone have any questions?"


    Everyone was at a loss for words. Both because they were amazed to witness the five Grand Masters and because the very leader didn''t stand in silence but proceeded to walk towards Eric until he was a foot apart from him.


    At everyone''s surprise, including Commander Alia''s. He started speaking in the Ignite language. Slowly butchering, "Welcome¡­Electus. You visit. Bless us all. How we assist?"


    Everyone proceeded to look at the leader in great shock including the Gang, Commander Alia, the rest of the Grand Masters and Black Wind!


    Trying to beat this awfully awkward silence, Commander Alia recited. "As I said, the leaders are blessed with intelligence. You aren''t the first to accidentally stumble here. I assume that as Kazer saw those visitors explain themselves, he picked up a few words of their language. Right Kazer?"


    Kazer gave a short but yet straight reply. "You... right."

 The Snake

    Extensively willing to get his plan into motion, Stefan approached Kazer with a sprint on his step and managed to successfully shake his hand.


    Considering the two clearly different physical differences, Kazer shook Stefan''s arm along with his hand, even lifted him off the ground just a little bit.


    With introductions out of the way, Stefan found it reasonable to start explaining the plan right away so the Grand Masters are well informed on what they are supposed to do.


    ...


    After the plan was laid out in detail, Kazer simply Grunted and walked towards the cave wall and while everyone was focused on Kazer, no one seemed to notice that the rest of the team already Found their position.


    The rest of the Grand Masters stood approximately twenty meters away from each other. Their speed is abnormally fast, no one saw any Lava coming out from them yet so what assisted their speed this time?


    Kazer positioned himself to unleash the Lava by basically doing a Sumo squat and proceeded to give a light punch to the cave wall with his right hand.


    The punch was light enough to break just a few small rocks. But what came after is... different.


    His right, pitch black hand started lighting up and becoming boiling red in colour. As if he was holding a chunk of burning coal.


    However what he unleashed out of his very hand can melt dirt and rocks itself into nothingness.


    It''s obviously molten lava.


    Starting it off with a bash, it penetrated the cave wall in a blink and the glow on his hand didn''t disappear after it either.


    He kept blasting Lava out of his right hand, trying his best to control it, trying his best to not let it spread wild even after the tip of the attack reached far from his palm.


    Considering the fact that the surface is approximately half a mile apart from the farm, it sure proves difficult to keep the Lava under control even for him as a Grandmaster.


    He is just used to blowing Lava to the close by Masters as they form this town''s main attack, he isn''t used to this.


    When thinking about the distance, it did take a minute or two for the lava to break through the surface. Somehow, Kazer has noticed when the lava broke out.


    Now about to form a different pose, he felt certain that now he can gain better control over the Lava.


    He pulled his fist off the Cave''s wall and positioned himself towards Pezik, literally.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    And as he removed his fist from the wall, a foot wide hole was of course to be seen as the aftermath of this power move.


    Pezik too did a Sumo Squat but unlike Kazer, she raised her left hand and slowly raised it above her head which gesture that she has gained control of the Lava half a mile away from them.


    The power of a Grand Master, astounding.


    Afterwards putting her right hand near her waist and starting to walk backwards, even stepping in the farm fields a bit but it won''t prove to be a problem.


    While the rest were witnessing this move, Commander Alia explained with a soft tone as she was standing near these Ignites. "This is called the hook maneuver."


    No one replied to such a short explanation as they were too focused on the Lava Controllers doing their work, but it sure made this show a bit more interesting.


    After a minute the very Lava that Kazer blasted, poked out it''s boiling hot head.


    Stretching seemingly 15 meters long once it came out of the newly shaped hole caused from Pezik, it floated its way to Laza.


    It''s truly astounding to see! Who would think that such an uncontrollable substance can be put under this strict control?


    Pezik let''s go of it''s control with her arms let loose. And allows Laza to take over, perfect and delicate teamwork.


    Laza continued this snake like formation using the Hook maneuver to her advantage, since it worked with Kazer the odds of this move working with the rest of the Grand Masters are high.


    These powerful Lava Controllers are using the same bit of lava without causing a collapse and they are just slightly burning whatever the surface half a mile above their heads includes.


    I suppose they can''t all be winners, but there isn''t any serious damage above.


    While down here the crops aren''t getting damaged at all, these lava controllers kept their hot work around 5 feet above the ground and not even a speck of it managed to escape their control.


    Kazer and Pezik started walking deeper into the cave since they don''t have any Lava to handle at the moment, they''re taking their time as it will be a while for the fifth Grand Master [Xalk] to take the lava under his control, he is the very last in line after all.


    To continue the snake like maneuver, Kazer is supposed to stand twenty meters away from Xalk and Pezik of course standing twenty meters away from Kazer.


    The rest of the Grand Masters will continue in that matter until they reach the very end of this elongated wall, approximately less than a mile away, thus keeping the snake formation going.


    Although it''s entertaining to see these Grand Masters work, the Ignites need to get into work as well.


    So Stefan turns to Eric and Mogranius to advise them. "You two on the other hand have no need to do the snake. Let''s reach the right side of the cave so you can start working on that wall."


    With thankfully no disagreements, they proceeded to walk there and at their luck, they found that the cave wall on the right side is slightly softer. Giving them a slight upper advantage.


    "Eric, Mogranius. Fire seems to have less of a push and melting ability compared to lava, you two need to blast two foot wide and fifty meters long fire instead. It should equal to a foot wide hole breaking through the other side." Odd how he knows that, but he saw Eric''s work before and had good ideas.


    "That''s going to take a lot of stamina." Pointed out Mogranius and it is true of course.


    They are two people after all and neither of them is a Grand Master, they can''t tackle this portion of the cave alone.


    Showing sympathy, Stefan cleared out. "I''m aware, so dig up as many holes as you can. When you can''t work anymore, pride apart the Grand Masters will finish for you."


    But of course Mogranius is all about pride and sarcasm too. However, he ran back about forty meters and under his breath shouted. "Can the Grand Masters do this?"


    Afterwards he proceeded to let out three Fireballs at once with the required size.


    Losing Control of the Fireballs he just unleashed, he went down to a sumo squat.


    Clapping his hands after and gaining control, in an adrenaline rushing speed the Fireballs proceeded to dig their way up to the surface.


    Slower, but he is bashing against three holes so technically he is doing everything faster, although completely reckless.


    But his pride was at an end when the fire reached the surface, therefore making it easier for the fire to set free, dodging dominance.


    He also lost control of his balance, which sent him face first to the mud. In his head he thought, "At least Alia didn''t see this."


    Eric on the other hand didn''t think he''s skilled enough to unleash three fireballs at once and not burn down part of the farm in the process.


    So he started working with one fireball only. But in his case, he''s able to melt his way through dirt and rocks faster than Mogranius and even the Grand Masters.


    Half the time of which the Grand Masters took, to be precise time-wise.


    He is the Electus after all, who knows how much capability he is caging in his body.

 Ignite Gems

    After approximately half an hour, all of the Grand Masters were done blasting holes on the left side of the cave.


    They reached all their way to the edge of the mile long wall, barely breaking a sweat throughout the way there, expectable from Grand Masters of such a valuable power and melting capability.


    Mogranius and Eric on the other hand, made it only halfway through. More precisely they finished the fruit part of the right side which is half the length compared to the vegetables and plantations.


    But since these farms are all connected, there is still half a mile of the Cave''s right walls that they will need to burn holes through.


    It''s just that it isn''t too noticeable from their point of view, they would need to walk a hundred meters to the left in order to find the rest of the walls that need puncturing.


    These two Ignites seemed to have forgotten that particular fact or maybe they just weren''t paying enough attention at that specific portion of Commander Alia''s explanation, maybe they were distracted by the crops?


    So they thought that they were done with their part of the job and sighed in relief, feeling strongly exhausted. "Finally, we are done."


    Commander Alia approached the two along with the Grand Masters, glancing at the work they''ve contributed.


    Noticing both of them heavy breathing, she showed gratitude to their work. Holding her hands behind her back, "Why don''t the two of you take a break, It seems like you had enough fun."


    Before letting any of them talk, she approached Mogranius and gently wiped the mud from his face.


    Altacin realised what Alia is intending to do with this form of gratitude, so she gave a forced cough in the background in aims to tease her about it.


    To such an act of kindness coming from a woman he fancies, all of a sudden the geezer felt frozen but his heart surely isn''t.


    It beat as fast as a rabbit''s heart and he wished for this moment to never end. His face might have gotten a bit red too.


    "The Grand Masters will take it from here, all of you served us more than enough. Please follow me." That''s the only way to stop Mogranius from continuing with this ego game I suppose.


    Mogranius and Eric stand up and make their way to the exit, but have forgotten that the exit is a half mile away. So they sighed all the way there over and over until they reached it as if it would get them there faster.


    When they almost reached the exit, they see Woldemir trying to hold off BlackWind from eating crops furthermore.


    I suppose that''s what he has been doing until now to kill his time, stopping his horse from reaching 2000 Kilos in weight.


    Commander Alia commented to such a sight with a small laugh in her tone. "Why don''t you take him out to the forest, he can eat until he collapses there. I will proceed giving the rest of your group a tour here."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    After that rather comical scene, the two proceeded to follow Commander Alia as they made their way down the spiral like roadway which you guessed it, took a lot of time just to go around one of the spirals.


    Stefan is running after them, trying to catch up since he was stuck exchanging a few words of wisdom with Kazer, however he did slow down when he left the farm due to the Lava underneath him, better safe than sorry.


    This time they did not enter a farm but entered what looks like a mine. At the very entrance of the mine, a six foot tall Calidum Lutum is to be seen. Quite unusual to see a Calidum Lutum this short.


    Commander Alia decided to make a quick introduction when she noticed how much attention this man got. "This my friends is our town''s Blacksmith. Possibly the best Blacksmith in the Continent, able to merge lava and Iron together. He is too quick with his work, abnormal."


    The Blacksmith grunted in a way similar to greeting and with a Hammer on his hand he proceeded to hit a boiling hot Iron plate. That''s the least he could do after all, since he can''t speak their language.


    However he was aware of who these Ignites are since the word spreads rather fast in this town of 700.


    Behind him appeared to be the most vicious looking Weapons the gang ever had the pleasure of seeing, Woldemir would never leave this place.


    Some of the Weapons being warhammers seemingly impossible to lift by an Ignite or Kastarian or at least very difficult.


    Some being Swords with hard volcanic rock at the non sharp part of the Sword, they look heavy too. Some Swords having multiple sharp edges, like waves. Giving a victim zero chances of survival if cut by it.


    Everything behind this Blacksmith looked like something that could kill anyone in the gang with one strike. With such Weapons to their disposal, it can explain how Lan Zhe is untouched by the illustratian Alliance or any other past Alliance formed by another race for that matter.


    Thinking of his Father, Eric requested with a lot of hesitation at first. "It would be great if this Blacksmith made a Sword for my father."


    Eric himself knows that his father can be as dangerous as a Fire blaster if he was equipped with a good Sword, Woldemir specializes in Swordsmanship.


    Little did the young Electus know, Commander Alia was already on it. Well, the Blacksmith is but you know what I mean. "Oh he already is. The plate he is beating is your father''s future Sword."


    She specifically rushed this Sword making process since Woldemir guaranteed to fix the food shortage with it, plenty of reasons to not leave this task at the bottom of the to-do list.


    A second after, they saw a Miner carrying some sort of glowing gems. Stefan got greatly curious and asked, "What kind of gems are those?"


    Covered with dirt, their value and origin wasn''t certain so no one recognized them.


    Commander Alia replied with a sigh, hating this obstacle that fell upon the Mines. "Gems, we have hit a large deposit of useless Gems. They will all end up down the Volcano like the rest we found. Apart from replacing a Candle, they are pretty much useless."


    Since Stefan heard the "Candle" part, he ran and stood in front of the tall Miner carrying the load of Gems on his arms and yelled. "Stop!! Those are Ignite gems! Worth one hundred gold coins, each! This can literally solve your entire food shortage."


    To confirm for himself, Mogranius too approached the Guard. After rubbing the dirt off one Gem, he was quick to reply. "Well I be damned, those really are Ignite gems."


    Commander Alia does a hand gesture telling the Miner to gently place down the Gems and of course he cooperated right away, gently putting them down without victimizing Stefan with the amount this tall man is carrying.


    Holding these Gems, Stefan felt the adrenaline rushing in his heart. They just are too valuable. "These purple Gems are too valuable, one of these fist like Gems are worth four cold hard Iron Ingots. How many did you find?"


    Commander Alia doesn''t know how to react to this discovery except for hitting her forehead with the palm of her hand. "The Miners have been dropping hundreds of them so far down the Volcano, if I only knew their value. But at least there are more to mine, these Gems stood like a blockade."


    Stefan replies with an enthusiastic tone, having a strong tide turning idea on his head he couldn''t wait to express. "Well these Gems provide light five meters away from their original position and unlike candles, they don''t burn out. We can use them in the farm plus sell a few of course."


    Commander Alia yelled out with joy, complimenting Stefan''s idea. "Genius! You should be crowned King as soon as possible, your mind works way too much."


    Then she turns to the rest of the gang and felt the urge to express. "Friends, you are forever welcome to Lan Zhe from here on forward. I declare you honoured guests."


    Being honored Guests is nice and all, but Eric put value into something else, skill. "Thank you. But I was thinking more about someone here to teach me Lava Controlling."


    Mogranius complimented Eric''s claim. "Indeed. I can teach him everything he needs to know about Fire Blasting. But Lava Controlling is not my territory."


    She doesn''t intend on disagreeing on such a request. To help the people who helped this town is an honour itself, but to help an Electus? It is honor after honor.


    How could she say no? "You are most welcome to come and learn here. But for the moment, you are more than ready to reclaim Gaster Kingdom. That should be your main priority for now."


    That''s how she can push away this request I suppose? But she has intentions of starting this little revolution, it''s time to kick the illustratian Alliance back!

 A shot from the Shadows.

    Although Eric wants to invade that Kingdom and put it under his control, under the control of the good hearted, he feels wildly discouraged thanks to what he met with at a past event.


    Thankfully he chose to express it before taking any action against that Kingdom sitting all the way to the other edge of the Continent. "What''s the point of reclaiming that Kingdom? Sooner or Later that man beast I faced will find out and come burn everything to the ground."


    Can you blame the kid though? That man they faced was and still is invincible compared to the Squad''s Arsenal. "I can''t face against him and win, it''s just impossible now. Why he spared me at Crutal Kingdom is still a mystery to me, I don''t think I will ever understand why."


    As soon as Eric finished his sentence. Commander Alia was about to reply, aiming to help him regain confidence with a few genuine compliments or at this rate, facts.


    But she was struck speechless as an explosion was heard coming from above. The second they heard, everyone rushed out of the mine and ran up to see what''s going on.


    As they reached their intended destination, it seems that someone was courageous enough to make their way through the ten foot wide tunnel that Eric caused and actually shoot down a Calidum Lutum Guard.


    What fool would have such courage? This is the last thing the Gang wanted to experience with barely any sleep on their eyes. Now they won''t be able to sleep at all even when they try.


    As the shot Guard was gasping for breath and raised his hand towards Alia, begging for help once he saw her.


    Yet again the Guard got struck with these odd explosions, forced to never ask for help from anyone ever again, his words remained on his tongue. What did this Guard do to deserve such a ruthless fate?


    The second explosion tipped Stefan over, forcing him to lose balance. He almost even fell down the Volcano, his fate would be certain if he fell down there.


    But to his luck, Mogranius is here with him and was swift enough to grab Stefan''s arm, ultimately saving his life.


    "Got ya." He hollered swiftly once he caught Stefan by the arm and pulled him to safety.


    Witnessing that Guard meeting such a terribly unnecessary fate, Commander Alia shouted with clear pain in her tone. "No!"


    And although that one Guard is already dead, never to return, never to breath with life once more. She sprinted her way to push the other closeby Guard to safety.


    A heroic, courageous and selfless act no doubt, but it was also extreme. The chances of being shot down to death by whatever is shooting, were and are too large.


    Now that the Second shot was already fired, everyone could sense where the explosions are coming from!


    Whoever is shooting, is hiding in the shades of the tunnel closeby. Everyone who assumed so, is absolutely right.


    Commander Alia pushed the remaining guard to safety yes, but she also left herself exposed to life threatening danger.


    Obviously whoever struck twice already, had no one stopping them from striking again, since there literally is nobody rushing towards the tunnel to stop the attacker.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Understanding this situation very clearly, Mogranius is forced to act quickly.


    He is only a few meters away from Alia and he feels like he is capable of permanently bailing her out of danger.


    In a quick act, he dashed towards her and was able to tackle her away from danger, just in time too!


    He could feel that whatever is causing the explosions, fly over his back as he tackled her down. For once, luck was by his side.


    The weapon flew over his back and hit the cave wall, thankfully not hitting anyone else.


    He saved her and knowing his mysterious unexplainable yet useful reflexes, he stands on his feet again faster than the eye can blink and creates a strong dependable Fire Shield.


    Creating a Fire shield which formed half a Sphere like fire barrier, he provides absolute safety against whatever is threatening them.


    A two Inch thick Fire Shield is more than enough to protect himself and her. At least, he hopes!


    Commander Alia is safe yes, but that leaves the rest of the Gang exposed to this extensively deadly danger with it''s source unknown.


    More precisely, Eric and Stefan are exposed.


    Not knowing how to yet do the Fire Shield himself, Eric blasts out a blazing bear claw instead.


    Grabs Stefan, who always seems to be the victim of these bear claws and throws him all the way behind the shield that Mogranius formed.


    Stefan didn''t land on his feet and he certainly isn''t surrounded by the Fire shield yet, but it leaves him mostly immune to the explosions.


    Seeing Eric as the only remaining target, the attacker shoots again.


    Eric is swift enough to react, and blasted fire through his feet, using the quarter of a second to lift himself a meter above the ground.


    The explosion struck the ground and scorched Eric''s feet a tad bit enough to make him lose control over his flying a split second before he could get away.


    Although his feet now covered with a pitch dark colour mixed with his own blood. His toes at least, remain intact.


    Since Eric lost control of the fire he blasted out of his feet, it resulted to him uncontrollably being blasted down towards the Volcano and is soon to meet molten Lava.


    If he doesn''t do anything about it!


    Eric''s quite Certain that this is his end, he doesn''t feel like he can counter attack his situation.


    His life flashed before his eyes as he felt like his fate is certain. He only sees small moments with his Father, what he could imagine of his Mother and the very first moment he discovered his powers.


    This short flash reached an end as he noticed that he ain''t dying.


    Being all the way down in lava from head to toe, but he still isn''t burning!


    Insane no doubt! Infact, he isn''t even feeling heat. Even his clothes aren''t burning.


    In his head he thought, "Have I died and gone to hell already?"


    Realizing that he is well alive once trying to blast fire out of his feet again and using his hands to feel his chest.


    His feet are bloody, damaged, burned. But he can still blow Fire out of them, that''s all he needs to launch a counterattack against the enemy.


    Blowing a horrendous wave of Fire from his feet, Fire that stretched a meter wide!


    He swiftly reached the top of the Volcano to see Stefan surrounded by the Fire Shield as well.


    But what he also spotted is about thirty illustratios who have surrounded the same Fire Shield.


    Armed with bows, aiming at the Shield and preventing Mogranius from doing anything.


    illustratios! Who had an itch that they''re behind this seemingly power hungry nonsense?


    Apart from seeing those thirty illustratios, he also saw Guard Commander Chan a few feet away from the group.


    He''s pushing a knife down the dead Calidum Lutum Guard''s chest.


    Near Chan appears to be a crossbow.


    A thought popped on Eric''s head. "Could it be possible that the Explosions came from that CrossBow? How?" His thoughts were short because he wanted to fly into action.


    It didn''t take long for Guard Commander Chan to rip the dead Guard''s heart out.


    And like a Coward he ran out with ten of his Archers escorting him towards safety.


    But his carelessness made him forget his valuable crossbow behind.


    Eric did not hesitate to blast Fireballs as Guard Commander Chan was running out.


    But he had to watch out how much Fire he blasts, this situation can get worse if he causes a collapse in the Town.


    But like the coward Chan is, he hid behind the Archers, using them as shields to further his miserable life.


    Six of the Archers escorting Guard Commander Chan were burned to death by Eric''s sudden attack.


    Since Eric unleashed less Fire than he wanted, all of the victimized Archers weren''t burned into nothingness. But instead just being burned alive with pain so unbearable that they met almost an instant death.


    Of course that left a rather disgusting scene to see after the Fire burning on those dead Archers, met an end.


    Guard Commander Chan got away and the twenty remaining archers who were surrounding the Fire Shield, suddenly all turned their attention towards Eric.


    Making him his main target, ready to shoot the Ignite down.

 Manhunt

    Without wasting a blink, they started shooting arrows towards Eric.


    It''s hard to predict when to dodge and which way to fly, as there are twenty Archers randomly shooting arrows against him.


    Eric could feel several cold arrows lightly cutting his skin as he was dodging with all of his capabilities but still almost getting hit a good amount of times.


    He felt the arrows scratching the surface of his skin and ripping apart parts of his clothing.


    Blasting fireballs whenever he isn''t dodging arrows tends to be difficult, resulting in unsuccessful hits most of the time.


    He doesn''t think that he will be able to fight off all twenty of them, they just won''t stop shooting arrows and have the advantage number-wise.


    Unlike in Crutal Kingdom, he fears for his life now. Before he felt like he had nothing to lose, but now he has people who give him genuine care to consider.


    And in Crutal Kingdom, he could shoot freely, aided by the outburst even.


    Here he needs to be careful to not cause a collapse, which would put many innocent lives at risk.


    Just when he felt that he won''t be able to keep this up for a long and for a split second even feeling that he should give up, reinforcement finally arrived.


    The Grand Masters seem to have made their way down to the Volcano instead of exposing themselves to arrows up here and with effortful teamwork, they controlled the Lava upwards for the rest of the lava Controllers to contribute to this main attack.


    What was awaiting the remaining illustratio Archers, will give them eternal nightmares if they make it out alive of course.


    Molten Lava coming from tens of ways at once, started surrounding these Archers who were bold enough to attack such a powerful Civilization.


    Once closing up to their target, the hundreds rivering Lava shots were forced to blend together, forming an ocean wave like scene.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Except this wave would rip the skin off one''s body and turn the rest of it into ashes.


    However when the Lava was making its way up in mid air, not even a small drop of it touched Eric.


    Either way he wouldn''t feel the burn, But the Lava in this scene ain''t soft on touch and would slam Eric against the hard ground.


    Amazing when considering that Eric was right in the middle when such wave was forming, making him look like he''s doing the Lava Controlling. Which made it a whole lot more terrifying on the Archers points of view.


    The Lava went above Eric and quickly made its way downwards again aiming for these intruders.


    The blow became so devastating that it killed all the remaining archers almost instantly.


    And the people who were in the protective Fire Shield that Mogranius provided, were even able to hear the half screams one Archer made as the lava was pushing him against the Shield, burning him alive on the spot.


    But of course that display was short lasting.


    All the excessive amount of molten lava that''s pooling around on the main entrance, is quickly being dragged back by the Calidum Lutum in an exquisite manner along with the corpses, at least no one would have to deal with cooked people.


    However this made it safe for Mogranius to break the Shield.


    Due to the absolute control the Calidum Lutum have over the Lava, the body of the victim that was shot by Guard Commander Chan wasn''t burned to a crisp, the Lava didn''t even touch him.


    Near the body is of course the crossbow Guard Commander Chan carelessly left behind, it survived too.


    Perhaps this is what King Xakro the lll meant by, "We have a new Weapon that will aid you in battle."


    Crossbows were invented not to long ago, less than a decade to be exact. And they each cost a hundred gold coins to purchase.


    Rather expensive as a lot of people earn a hundred gold pieces a month across [Country] Occidentis Ignis.


    However, no one ever saw Crossbows that shoot explosive ammunition. What sorcery is placed behind this so called weapon is not certain.


    As Mogranius broke the Fire Shield that took half of his stamina, Commander Alia instantly shouted. "Get them. Do not let any of them survive this."


    As Eric was still flying in mid air, he instantly flew his way towards the tunnel, hunting for Guard Commander Chan and the four Archers that were escorting the coward out.


    He is confused and quite shocked about everything that just happened, but will he let Chan get away with it? No!


    Ignoring the fact that he lost half of his Stamina, Mogranius blasted fire off of his feet and followed Eric shortly after.


    The Guard who was saved by Commander Alia also unleashed a harsh, rage filled, animal like roar. Shaking everyone''s soul.


    He''s not happy about this loss, even if it is just one victim. He started running after Eric and Mogranius, aiming to brutally end the attacker''s lives.


    Although Mogranius is flying, he was shortly after given company by the ten foot tall Guard who''s shaking the ground beneath his feet with his size and speed.


    Expectable from a 300 pound man. Reaching and shortly after passing Mogranius, it''s rather interesting to see a large man run past him.


    Eric who was a bit more further ahead, saw well that he is approaching the cowardly illustratios.


    Although the Archers near Guard Commander Chan are qualified as an Elite team, they don''t seem to have shame in running away.


    But when Eric was finally able to spot them, the Archers were no longer running.


    He saw his father who seemed to have utilized a stick, breaking the firm wooden bows of three Archers which of course disarmed them.


    As for the fourth Archer, he''s being continuously stepped on by BlackWind until he''s no longer able to stand up.


    An interesting form of teamwork no doubt, but will Woldemir be able to hold on to them before help arrives?

 Rough skinned Beast

    While Woldemir was fighting two of the Elite Archers who seemed to have decided to fight against him with their bare hands since of course they got disarmed by a man with a stick.


    One Elite Archer grabbed the still functioning Bow, belonging to the Archer who was stepped on and killed by BlackWind.


    The reason this Archer rushed for the bow, was not to shoot down Woldemir but because he both saw a light from afar and he felt the ground lightly shaking.


    But unlike Eric, the Guard isn''t far away however his pitch dark body colour gave him advantages in this dark tunnel.


    Having an Arrow pulled against the bow, the Archer shot as soon as the Calidum Lutum Guard was in obvious sight, about twenty foot away from him.


    Woldemir felt the strong vibrations too, but he was busy with a couple other Guards so he couldn''t stop that Archer from shooting.


    The Arrow split through the air and pierced the Guard''s Skin with ease, the body of the Arrow followed and went halfway deep in his chest, almost hitting his neck or its Vital Organs.


    But unlike an explosion, an Arrow penetrating his skin was no more than a scratch against such a large man. A simple wound that will fade away in a couple of weeks.


    Well at least that''s what he''s feeling under complete rage, once the rage disappears, the pain will likely be different but not enough to kill him.


    But for now, the Arrow did obviously not stop the Guard on his spot. It didn''t stop the Guard at all as a matter a fact, he kept going with his insane pace.


    With his right shoulder brought upfront, the Guard ran over the Archer like a big angry boar.


    And after taking several meters to stop his speed, managing to stop in a rather short time compared to his size.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    He pulled the Arrow out of his left side of the chest without effort and of course without breaking it. Blood burst out of the fresh wound a split second after, but it doesn''t seem to bother him.


    Holding the body of the arrow firmly, with all his might he threw it against the Archer with the most brutal speed a ten foot man''s strength has to offer.


    The Arrow thrown, penetrated the back of the Archer''s head, made its way through the whole skull quickly and surfaced on his forehead.


    The Two other standing Archers, considered elite, witnessing the death of their partner in war made them urine their breechers as the Calidum Lutum guard turned his attention towards them.


    When the large Guard started approaching, the two remaining Archers quit fighting, bent the knee and begged to be spared.


    But of course all the Guard could see was his actual brother by blood, being shot down and killed by these ruthless people.


    Why the hell would he have mercy on these Archers now, when they would do it again at any given chance?


    The Guard grabbed both of them by the neck, lifted them above ground by a foot and is witnessing their death on his hands as they''re gasping for air.


    The more they kicked, the more he tightened his foot long hands around their necks.


    A minute passed and the two Archers weren''t kicking anymore.


    In a way, they had the pleasure of having the least Brutal death compared to the rest of their little bold group.


    The innocent Guard''s death has been well avenged, he can rest in peace now.


    Woldemir watched in slight fear as he saw three illustratio archers being killed by one man, any Calidum Lutum in general proved to be a deadly force to be reckoned with.


    Eric reached the battle field and landed on his feet. He instantly noticed the total destruction one Man caused, it distracted him enough to forget about the pain he felt on his feet and the less painful but more irritating one from the Arrow scratches.


    "Where is that lap Dog Chan?" Shouted Eric, rage noticeable in his eyes. He too wants vengeance for the poor victimized soul.


    As Guard Commander Chan was clearly the one who shot the Guard to death, Eric wants to find him and truly put an end to his nonsense this time!


    Perplexed, but his voice raising as he put two and two together. Woldemir recited, "Commander Chan was here? I didn''t see him in the tunnel. He must have ordered his Archers to stand here as a barricade as that bootlicker made his escape."


    Providing a glimpse of the disaster, Eric explained. "That coward killed a Guard, ripped his heart out and ran."


    Burning in rage, Woldemir lost his manners for a bit and sure became graphic with his expressed Wordplay. "That Jackass couldn''t have made it that far. As soon as I heard that whatever caused that explosion, I made my way to the cave. At first I thought I was hallucinating but the second explosion got me worried."


    "Wherever you were, there is no time. I need to hunt down and ki..."


    As Eric tried to finish his sentence, he wasn''t able too.


    He was struck quiet by Mogranius who flew his way above Eric''s head, grabbed him by the shoulders and carried him out of the cave.


    Which was short lasting, as they met the exit after half a minute of flight.


    Leaving the cave and flying towards the sky, he dropped Eric which obviously signifies that he should start flying too.

 The Saviour

    "The rest are dead except for that coward Chan, we must hunt him down but we must try to get some information out of him." Expressed Eric this little plan to Mogranius, practically shouting in mid air as they were flying higher towards the sky.


    "He ran away a few moments before the Grand Masters ended those Archers, he couldn''t have gotten that far." Shouted Mogranius before accidentally swallowing a bug and almost choked on mid air.


    Finding Chan however, will be everything but easy. They can''t find a green skinned man in a thick green forest without putting in the most effort to raise the odds from 0.


    He could sit under a bush and wait until the moon rises and everyone will have the smallest chance to ever notice him, it''s like he has natural camouflage for this task.


    As if the 7 standing Sources of Magic wanted to help Eric and Mogranius, what caught their eyes seemed to be something flashing in between the lush green Forest.


    From the looks of it, Guard Commander Chan was dumb enough to not take off his Iron helmet, which gives a strong flash from above. Anyone with functioning eyes would be able to notice it.


    The two became completely sure of who it is, after they saw that little flash dash it''s way through the Forest.


    The closer they approached, the easier it was to see a man like body figure running.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    At the point where they were thirty feet apart from the figure they noticed that it is none other but Guard Commander Chan.


    One noticeable feature of his is of course his size, he only stands 5 foot tall. Rare to see such a short man in this Era of Steel and Blood, but that''s not the case right now.


    Eric while in mid flight, shortly reached Guard Commander Chan and tackled him down.


    After tackling him down, the young Electus found himself over Guard Commander Chan, holding down his neck with his left hand as firmly as possible and blazing Fire shone above his right fist.


    He brought the Fire near Guard Commander Chan''s face and with a murderous low voice he let out more of a Command. "You better answer my questions you worthless piece of shit!"


    But Guard Commander Chan ain''t willing to sing like a bird. "I know nothing and if I knew anything, I''m certainly not telling you. Demon Child!"


    Obviously not a fan of such a stereotype, tightening his grip around Chan''s neck, Eric hollered. "Demon Child? You ripped an innocent man''s heart out you Bastard."


    Gasping for air as much as he could, Chan could not find himself to shut his big mouth even in these circumstances. "That Demon isn''t innocent, all of you are minions! Ignis was ours first, you Demons came and invaded us."


    Blazing the Fire closer to Chan''s face, to the point where some eyebrows were sacrificed. Eric weighed in, "Demons? Your race has tortured, enslaved, raped and massacred our kind for two hundred damn years!"


    Using Chan''s words against him, Mogranius decided to land the final blow of this reasoning attempt. "Your beloved King is a Wizard. Isn''t he a Demon?"


    At such a blow, Chan was struck silent so Eric felt convinced that cooperation will finally prosper between these two masses.


    Standing up, catching his breath Guard Commander Chan accidentally added so many pieces to the puzzle. "Haha. Our past King is our saviour, he killed your beloved Electus two lifetimes ago and started this revolution. He ripped her heart out, ate it and stole her beloved powers."


    With a tear dropping from his eye, Eric felt grief for the Electus before him [Akareas] even though he never met her.


    Mogranius on the other hand, expressed his Grief with a forming Fireball above his palm.

 Picnic

    Mogranius doesn''t have time for grief right now, before putting the Fireballs into action against this fool, he took a short moment to think. "I don''t know if this fool is telling the truth, could someone actually have killed Akareas?"


    Struggling fairly enough to figure out truth from falsehood, the old man didn''t succeed.


    But even if he figured it out, he ain''t going to let Chan live anyway so he simply added. "I won''t take History lessons from an animal, but the deed you did today won''t escape unpunished."


    The Fire on his palms arose beyond controlling, he''s done with this little conversation and is about to torch this fool out of existence.


    Chan knew damn well that Mogranius has multiple reasons to not spare him. But of course in his limited point of view, Mogranius was nothing but a demon in human disguise about to hurl fireballs.


    At the second Mogranius slightly posed to direct the Fireball against this waste of air, a strongly unusual animal rushed in the scene which caused Mogranius to ultimately miss.


    Well it wasn''t a total miss to be exact. Chan''s left shoulder was burned whole, but not enough to be blasted off his body and through a bush!


    The animal who interrupted this slaughtering, Is a Bear. I''m aware that it won''t cause goosebumps to most of you by hearing the name Bear.


    But unlike the commonly non hostile, on average two hundred kilo, plant eating mammals such as Sun Bears or any species a bit larger.


    This one is a full Carnivore, nothing else but meat is in its diet. This large animal could easily eat all three of them in a day.


    The reason why Mogranius missed, wasn''t because he was scared by the Bear. He missed because of the roar it unleashed once it dashed in the scene!


    And no it isn''t because the roar spooked him either, the roar caused an interference to Mograniuses powers.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Making Mogranius blow an embarrassingly small Fireball as an aftermath of that lung shaking roar. That''s how Chan survived this shot, that''s why he is living for a little while longer.


    The roar of which the Bear caused also prevented Mogranius from further using his powers.


    Although the effect would last only a few hours, they aren''t in the best situation to be in lack of powers.


    No powers and a thousand kilogram Bear looking to rip them apart isn''t a good combination.


    But even at such a situation, even after finding out what might have happened to Akareas and realizing that he is in a stupidly dangerous situation.


    Sarcasm had to be added to all of this, the geezer couldn''t resist mouthing. "What a wonderful picnic."


    For Eric on the other hand, the Roar was effective against him as well but he can still blast a little bit of Fire instead of losing complete access to his Magic like Mogranius.


    Instant self defense instincts kicked in, Eric could not resist throwing a Fireball against the Bear who''s shaking the ground as it''s running towards the young kid to rip him into pieces.


    Who wouldn''t want to attack in such a case if they had the option too?


    Although the Fire he unleashed was roughly a foot wide and a couple of feet long, it was enough to set the darkish brown fur of the Bear''s on fire and reset his motive towards another perspective.


    Noticing that the Bear stopped targeting them, Eric used the opportunity to instantly fly off of the ground.


    The Fire he blew out of his feet is roughly enough to keep him more than 20 feet above ground.


    And as he rushes to carry Mogranius out of danger, who at first resisted and told Eric to shoot and kill Guard Commander Chan.


    They began flying out of danger in no time when they saw that the bite sized maniac made his way towards the thick forest long ago, likely before Eric even shot the Fireball.


    His disappearing rate would make one think that he is a Magician too.


    "That Bastard got away." Yelled Mogranius no doubt highly displeased as he was being carried by Eric out of danger.


    "That is not our biggest concern right now. If you didn''t notice, a large Bear is trying to kill us." Shouted Eric while trying to fly away as fast as possible, but it was Hard considering that he is roughly 15 feet above ground now.


    Things were most difficult at the very few seconds Eric lifted Mogranius off the ground because the bear who even when standing on his four feet was six foot tall, became eleven feet tall as he stood on his two hind legs.


    The Bear tried to throw them against the hard ground with his human head like paw but missed by an inch, it wasn''t a total miss though.


    His ten inch nails broke through Eric''s clothes and skin just a small bit but it wasn''t enough to throw them to the ground.


    "As if the arrow wounds weren''t enough already." Thought Eric when he noticed how much a cut from such a claw burns.


    Due to the cover the trees provided, The Bear shortly after lost his sense of direction for where his meal is heading.


    So it just ran around in random directions in the forest until it eventually ripped a tree off of its roots, hitting it at full speed head first.


    Slight pain compared to part of his fur being burned down but at least the fire on his fur stopped roasting his flesh.

 Hail to our Lord!

    Eric thankfully managed to fly himself and Mogranius to safety, far out of that Large Bear''s radar. Landing near the Cave, dangers have been avoided and terminated.


    As a new quest, the young Electus queries to figure out how his mentor got bested by a thick skulled animal. "What on Ignis was that thing?"


    Trying to blast fire out of his hand, agitated. Mogranius blurted. "Damn it! I hoped that those overweight blow horns went extinct."


    His efforts to blast fire at the moment are stone strong, but no it ain''t working. He has lost complete access to his powers, at least for a few hours.


    "I never saw a Bear as huge as that one! I''ve heard fairy tales but I assumed it was a myth." Eric tried to explain, but he too is focused on his own powers so he had to repeat what he wanted to say for a couple of times to make sense.


    With the most turbulent look on his face, Mogranius butchered. "It was a Source Bear! However, they got that nickname Centuries ago and it was proven that they were no Source, just over powered thick skulled animals."


    "Source bears?" The youngster had never heard of such a name before.


    So one thought loused in his mind which he did not fail to dictate. "They seem very rare though, you even thought them extinct. I suppose that worked to any Witch or Wizard''s advantage."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    However Mogranius'' last words sure caused a lot of question marks in his head "But how was it proven that they aren''t the source?"


    His tone ascending, describing facts using his arms, legs and the rest of his body. Mogranius fumed. "About Two hundred and thirty years ago, a Hunter shot one down. Well ten hunters shot one down. Since it was killable, it ain''t no Source but just an overweight blow horn."


    Although the topic about a Bear, Mogranius'' mind already raged 39 thoughts ahead. He mouthed, "It is well established that the manbeast we faced is a spawn of Xakro illustrato ll and that he has an actual Electus'' powers. But with all those power, why didn''t Xakro illustratio lll end you? He clearly could, no offense."


    Staggered, having it hard to comprehend that Akareas was slaughtered, Eric hissed towards other facts. "Why did Chan come here just to shoot down a Calidum Lutum and rip his heart out? He shouldn''t have known that they existed."


    Talking about what Guard Commander Chan technically isn''t supposed to know, raised up more thoughts which helped Eric prove a strong reasonable point. "And also, I recall Chan being stupid. He couldn''t of organized a plan like that, unless he had Xakro''s assistance."


    To such strong points, Mogranius started stroking his chin, thankfully deciding to not be dramatic and start walking towards the Town. "Why would Xakro send a Goblin brained moron to do such job, the King could have sent his War Generals to lead a possible massacre."


    This day''s confusing no doubt, and as they''ve walked deeper in the tunnel, descending to darkness with an aim to reach Lan Zhe.


    A key memory scrolled in Eric''s little head and now he urges to tell Mogranius what happened.


    Specifically down that Volcano even though it would make everything more confusing. "There is one more thing, when I¡­."


    Trying to finish the sentence, they''ve got stunned after finally reaching the Inner entrance of Lan Zhe.


    Finding all five Grand Masters bending the knee and shouting in the Ignite language even "Hail to our Lord! Hail!"


    Following the chants of the Grand Masters are all Non Lava Controllers, Hatchlings, Young Cubs, Magicians, Experts and Masters.


    Their Chants are heavy, shaking to the bone and felt through and through their hearts that even the ground is rumbling underneath their feet.


    Commander Alia approaches, bends the knee in front of Eric specifically and sheds light upon this shrouded mystery. "It is both an honour and privilege, My King."

 Golden Blood

    Eric of course has no idea what''s going on. He acknowledged that he gained Alia''s and the Grand Master''s trust already but he didn''t expect to be called a King all of a sudden.


    For whatever reason they would suddenly call him a King might be, Eric sure doesn''t feel like one. Apart from trying to figure this day out, he also felt a lot of guilt throughout it.


    If it wasn''t for Mogranius and the Lava Controllers, Chan and his group of 30 Elite Archers would have massacred bundles. "I''m not sure what''s going on, but I am no King. I could barely protect you."


    Standing on her feet, with both aims to support the King and explain what''s going on as well, she elated. "No, my King. This isn''t about who you can or can not protect right now. We don''t expect a child to guard hundreds of us."


    Noticing that Eric felt a bit less guilty, but still wildly perplexed. She decided to get to the point. "It''s about your¡­ let''s say newly discovered ability."


    At such a short explanation, he had a strong theory about what she meant but required self confirmation. "You mean?"


    As if she was reading his mind, she confirmed. "Yes Eric. Hundreds of my men reported that you swam in Lava, but you are standing in front of me alive."


    Noticing Mogranius look at Eric with a bit of fear but mostly a lot of shock, was entertaining. But further explanation was required since all of this doesn''t make sense even for Eric who personally swam in Lava.


    "Eric, the Lava you see in the bottom of the Volcano is not ordinary, It is incomparably hot. No other Volcano can reach its heat." This just made everything more puzzling, how is this Lava hotter than any other and how does it link to anything right now?


    Aiming to clear out this situation and not hear answers he didn''t ask for instead, he went straight to the point. "Well the Lava did not burn me. How come?"


    Explaining would take too long, so Commander Alia decided to tackle two tasks at once. "Reach out your arm and be a tough boy now."


    At this point, she was practically teasing the young Electus, but she noticed a few times before that he won''t run his mouth no matter what she says.


    With the tip of her sharp Dagger, Alia scratches the surface of Eric''s arm, somewhere around the middle, on the front part hairy side where there are fewer veins.


    The scratch was enough to cause blood to surface but without of course causing any fatalities. It didn''t seem like a painful long task either as the Dagger was so sharp that the skin was cut like water.


    When Blood broke out, there wasn''t anything unexpected. Apart from the obvious burning agitative pain caused by the Dagger, there''s only blood.


    He wanted to hold his arm to stop the blood from dripping but he wouldn''t want to hear the end of it.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    So he just complained a little bit instead while Alia was still holding his arm. "Didn''t I receive enough cuts today?"


    "Patience Child." Teased the joyful lady, wanting to grab his face cheeks and squeeze them too.


    The darkish red blood became accompanied by a gold like blood. It wasn''t too visible and there''s mostly red blood to see. But the Gold like blood''s there. Shining, reflecting, developing at its own pace.


    "I don''t see anything but an unnecessary wound." Expressed Eric while trying his best not to move and admit that it''s burning like crazy.


    Noticing what he meant, she started planting seeds of the whole concept. "Golden Blood flows in your body, eventually it will be more visible and replace all of your red blood."


    Noticing that Eric is still quite confused and slightly scared, she decided to explain this blood''s benefits. "This isn''t normal, It isn''t one in one thousand and not even one in one million. Your blood is much like your abilities, one in the world."


    "Wow. Did every Electus before me have this kind of power? What other power does this blood give?" Frankly he is just glad that he kind of knows what''s going on now, his patience grew stronger by a hunch.


    "No, I don''t recall hearing that an Electus had Golden Blood. Maybe some did but didn''t realize it? The last Known Golden Blood who died Three Thousand years ago and was actually an illustratio." Explained Alia in as much detail as she could.


    But of course she got interrupted by the young King as soon as he heard the name, illustratio. He is not a fan. "A Golden Blood was an illustratio? Are you sure? Those people aren''t worth nothing."


    Commander Alia didn''t like a Golden Blood having his name slandered, so of course she has to butcher. "The illustratio are generally close minded, that''s true. But you will encounter the few who want to fight for justice, there are strong hearted people."


    "I suppose..." Eric tried to reply, but was interrupted by her who wanted to point out one more thing, got rather intense about it.


    Carefully, slow. She elaborated, "As a Golden Blood, your main power is Lava heat resistance. It doesn''t give you fire resistance so be sure to have that in mind my King."


    Unwilling to listen to the King''s every thought since hundreds of people are waiting behind her, Alia planted another topic before he could say anything. "You must take an oath, an oath sealed with trust and carried with honour."


    After it, as if she has mood switching problems, her tone became heavy and intense. "If you break the oath, you are no longer welcome here."


    Finishing what she wanted to be paid attention of, her mood switched to happy and enthusiastic again, orienting Eric instead of yelling. "Now bend the knee, and repeat after me."


    A - With my heart and with my blood I swear loyalty.


    E - With my heart and with my blood I swear loyalty.


    A - My Brothers and Sisters I shall always protect and guide.


    E - My Brothers and Sisters I shall always protect and Guide.


    A - With the will of a King and God like power, I shall sacrifice the weak by my side to help my people prosper and feed the heavens.


    "No." Refused Eric without a single regret, interrupting the oath.


    "Child, what do you mean no? Do you want to die?" Hollered Alia, furious as the rest of the Calidum Lutum were heard whispering and mumbling behind her.


    Firm with his beliefs, the boy who almost became a King, brayed. "Enemies I get, but why the weak? I was weak a few days ago! Do I deserve to be sacrificed?"


    Commander Alia was about to reply, as a part of this whole Ceremony she is obliged to refuse his points of view right now.


    She was left shocked when a soft boy like Eric asked her to stop talking, raising his forefinger too.


    "Don''t interrupt me. What did I want to say? Oh... A God has the power to shape worlds from nothingness. I can''t even shape a clay pot." Definitely losing the point he wanted to cite, but yes I think he made it clear. "I ain''t sacrificing the weak!"


    "If you think otherwise..." Forming a Sphere like Fireball on his right hand, raising it above his head and stretching it all the way down to his left hand, shaping it a lot like a rope.


    He continued, still willing to reason with the people who fed him and his friends. "I will walk out of here with my friends, and we will part ways without casualties."


    Shortly after he heard his father who was not too far from Commander Alia start clapping.


    Stefan joined, Kazer who understood half of what Eric said also joined.


    Noticing Kazer, the rest of the Grand Masters joined the applause and the rest of the crowd broke out in chants.


    Commander Alia approached a step closer, gave him a tight hug and expressed. "You made it kid, you passed the test. Congratulations!"


    Staggered, he expressed his distress with a holler. "Test? What the hell are you talking about?"


    Separating from the hug, Alia interjected. "A King''s worth is proven by the love of what''s good and right, not the love of power and selfishness. I am the most honoured to call you My King."

 Throne Room

    Dumbfounded, he doesn''t know what to say and even felt frozen for a bit. With all honesty, he was prepared to crackle some Fireballs! He didn''t nearly expect this.


    Feeling comfortable enough around Commander Alia to ask questions is a fact, but apart from her, there is a crowd in front of him as well.


    He had strong hesitation to ask, but his curiosity is even stronger. "I''m the most honoured to stand in front of all of you as the new King. But what are my responsibilities as one?"


    "Ask questions later my King, now we need to crown you. Please follow me." With a lot of enthusiasm, she grabbed his arm and started dragging him through the crowd.


    They all cleared the way and stood aside, bending the knee regardless of their status as a way of saluting the strong powerful Golden Blood.


    After the two passed by, the men and women who bent the knee, stood up, lined up and followed. Rather well disciplined for people who can barely read.


    Passing the farm and the mine, they spiraled down a bit deeper to find what they formerly call. "The King''s Hallway."


    The Hallway doesn''t include much. Several Ignite Gems are giving a faint purple view of the 20 meters long and 10 meters wide Hallway.


    But it''s plain to see that a throne made out of stone is standing at the other edge of the cave and a crown on the top right edge of the throne''s back support.


    Stopping Eric on the spot, the crowd following them too, she dragged him closer to the doorway and had the responsibility to explain some crucial points. "My King. Only you can enter this room, either of us can''t do so. Only when a new King claims the throne, shall we enter this Hallway again."


    Although a bit scary to think that such a responsibility is based on him, this has to be gotten over with. "So what am I supposed to do after getting in?"


    Starting it off with a smile, she proceeded to explain the key points. "Do you see that throne over there? Approach it, grab the crown on it and put it on your head. If it deems you worthy, it won''t explode."


    Afterwards she yelled a Command, telling all the men and women to either get to their caves or dash out of town. That''s by choice, it was something that could define the trust they have on this little Golden Blooded boy.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    But since the Grand Masters stood in solitude with Eric, everyone else found their choices worth following. No one walked out, not even a single person. Even Blackwind is standing behind the gang in solitude.


    After Commander Alia pointed out that the whole town stands in solitude with him towards this task, his self esteem had a considerably strong shift.


    Although strongly believing in his son, Woldemir didn''t find enough reasons to trust a crown that can explode. "Is it a good idea to send him there? What if the crown explodes? I was sworn to protect that boy!"


    "I have good faith that he will claim the crown, you should have too. He is your son." Replied Commander Alia with a comforting tone, but she also didn''t appreciate his attitude in some aspects.


    "It''s not that I don''t trust him, I don''t trust the..." He tried to express his concern, but his sentence became force cut short by Mogranius and Stefan who decided to yell out their support.


    "You got this Eric."


    "Go claim what''s yours kid."


    Finally feeling ready to go in, he put his fear of failure behind and took a step forward.


    Successfully managing to walk in, assuring his own safety he touched his arms and legs to see if any of them are missing already.


    Fortunately they aren''t! As he walked closer and closer to the throne, he can see it getting bigger by the step. Perhaps from a distance, it''s size was underestimated?


    The Last King who sat on this throne clearly was over thirteen feet tall, as Eric had to fly for a short time just to walk on the sitting area of the throne.


    That area is a bit more than four feet above the ground and the spine support area is another six feet tall, a big throne indeed.


    But the throne is off less importance, the crown is what Eric is more concerned about. He reached this far already.


    He is about to claim the throne untouched for thousands of years, that could cause an explosion vicious enough to kill half of a 700 people civilization.


    So the fear of possibly killing so many innocent people, increased hesitation in Eric''s little head, his self trust becoming weaker.


    He saw what One Guard did to Three illustratios just because one friend of his was killed. If an explosion erupts, the survivors would tear the gang apart and Alia wouldn''t be able to stop them, they don''t like their kind hurt.


    Due to this hesitation in Eric''s heart, an earthquake broke out the moment he was just half a foot away from grabbing the crown.


    The closer Eric reached out, the stronger the earthquake became!


    Hearing a few possibly hundred Kilogram boulders falling behind him from the Throne Room''s Ceiling, he finally backed up before the earthquake hurts anyone.


    Flying away from the crown, he felt the earthquake calming down to the point where the cave isn''t shaking anymore.


    He dropped to the ground and hit the dirt with his fist and decided to yell out what he has piled up these past few days. "I can''t do this."


    This whole day has been killing him mentally and physically too. He feels tired, damaged, weak.


    But the fact that the past Electus died for such a selfish effort coming from an enemy, hurt the most.


    He thinks that someone who tried to do good throughout her entire life didn''t deserve that. He even fears that he might share a similar fate.


    Raising his head up, he witnessed an old woman. She seems to be in her nineties and is a clear Ignite.


    But her identity became transparent when he saw the black veins covering all of her arm instead of just one portion like Eric.


    It was clear that this Woman is an Electus.


    But which one?


    And how can she be standing in the same room as Eric.

 Say Hello to my mentor for me.

    As soon as she started speaking, it was confirmed that Eric is face to face with a dead Electus. But that gave out the thought that she is dead?


    Well apart from the obvious spooky sudden appearance, her voice gave it out.


    Her voice is so life filled, ironic. Strong that it''s comprehended like three women talking at once in perfect harmony.


    Her tone isn''t loud yet Eric can feel the earth beneath his fists trembling, anyone alive can''t sound like that.


    Not a big fan of his weak self esteem, the lady started off what she felt with rough efforts. "You''re an Electus, rise. Do not let fear stop you from succeeding."


    Afterwards trying to use reason to prove her own point, she stated. "I didn''t keep perfect balance to this Continent by hiding behind the comfort of my Kingdom''s walls. I stood in front of the problem and choked it. Just ask Mogranius."


    Although this woman had strong points, Eric had reasons to stand with his points of view as well. "But the obstacles in front of me are too great, I''m facing against one Continent."


    Taking a peek of the situation from the outside, Stefan quizzed. "Who is he talking to?"


    "Akareas." Answered Mogranius as a tear fell from his eye, it feels blissful to see her again even though from a distance.


    "You can see her?" Asked Woldemir once he noticed that rather unique feature in the middle of this important task.


    "Yes yes, long story. Now shush." Added Mogranius, not separating his eyes from the two in the Throne Room, watching like a fan.


    "Eric. You will meet many people who want to oppose the evil in front of them but cowardice in fear as they think they are opposing the masses alone. Throughout your Journey you will meet thousands who share your vision but where in the shade, you aren''t alone." Reaching out her hand towards him, to help him up with meaningful motivation to her aid.


    She afterwards let out a request, shareable from one Electus to the other. "This war started because of the underestimation I made towards Xakro illustratio l. This war started because I failed to protect my people. Stand up and help me redeem myself, end Xakro''s Bloodline!"


    As Eric grabbed her hand comfortably and stood on his feet, Akareas asked for yet another request, this one however sounds quite doable. "I don''t have much time, say Hello to my mentor for me."


    The amount of emotion put on that one sentence shouldn''t be underestimated.


    Who knows how bad she felt when she teleported Mogranius, from her point of view, out of existence


    She obviously didn''t know that he was forced through time travel, she thought her mentor as dead! And to find his presence here near the new Electus? Her heart must have felt at ease after all these years.


    After grabbing her hand, he noticed great tension on his black veins. A sharp pain on one edge of them too!


    For a second it felt like a dagger struck through his arm, but the pain didn''t last long, it vanished right away.


    He raised his arm and noticed that the black veins became half a foot longer, spread all over the old normal veins on his lower arm.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    This was likely the source of the pain, maybe Akareas granted her some kind of power?


    He witnessed Akareas disappear in mid air after he stood up, leaving his hand reached out as the aftermath.


    He turned around, faced the throne and this time with no hesitation at all he went ahead and grabbed the crown.


    Him grabbing it, unleashes a bright eye burning shine throughout the room and through what the doorway at the other end of this room could hold.


    The shine was so strong that it even almost blinded the rest of the gang twenty meters away.


    The Crown is nearly two feet wide in size, it''s base with gold and it''s pyramid like points filled with shattered pieces of Ignite Gems, those little pieces caused all of this light.


    But with a fist like Ignite gem giving light only five meters away, how can shattered ones provide a radius of thirty and possibly more meters away?


    The crown shrunk down to Eric''s fitting size while it was on his hand, and the long reaching shine it unleashed, faded in a matter of seconds.


    He lifted the crown and placed it on his head carrying more confidence than he ever had, Akareas sure helped for him to reach this point.


    Subconsciously he found it reasonable to sit on the throne now as a part of finishing this rather different crowning ceremony.


    As he sat on the throne, the crown unleashed another bright light which again didn''t last long and only had half of the blinding effects, but the few Ignite Gems in the cave faced a change today as well thanks to that second glow.


    The Gems unleashed a stronger ray of purple light. Like the crown, the Ignite Gem''s light reached out to thirty or possibly fifty meters, illuminating the entire Hallway.


    But the light isn''t blinding this time, instead the purple light is gentle on the eyes and yet it''s distance reached far, astonishing.


    Mogranius who was basically leaning against the invisible barrier which kept anyone from entering the King''s Hallway, fell down face first on the mud as the barrier vanished.


    He stood up in a blink of an eye and under a calm but yet embarrassed tone he expressed. "I meant to do that."


    Right after, everyone else rushed in and ran towards Eric, feeling content. They are happy that the young man got the Crown and the underground Town didn''t get wiped out in the process, it''s a win win.


    "Damn Kid you have much power in you." Swiftly talked Mogranius without sarcasm for once, but in a proud enthusiastic tone in his voice instead.


    His main motive now, was to grant the request he found the easiest. "Yes. Also, Akareas told me to pass down a Hello to you."


    At this point Eric felt a bit cocky that he accomplished such a unique task, but from his face it is clear to see that this situation tired him out.


    "That was incredible! And I only peed my pants just a tiny bit in the process. Still your achievement is incredible." Congratulated Stefan with apparently no shame but rather noticeable confidence.


    After a few strong Congratulations, and telling him that she knew he could do it, she decided to show gratitude on another topic. "Eric. Your claim of the crown made the farm situation easier, I have never seen these gems glow this much. At first I was afraid the gems wouldn''t be enough for the entire cave but now it is a guarantee."


    With a wide genuine smile on her face, she expressed. "Again, I am the most honoured to call you my King."


    ...


    Meanwhile, back at Crutal Kingdom and all the rest of the four Capital Domains in Ignis across the four Countries, the Ignite Gems on their crowns also gave out a short lasting beam of light.


    "So, the Golden Blood has returned." Thought Xakro illustratio lll, with for once a smirk on his face.


    Of course these Kings aren''t Golden Bloods, and the gem pattern on their crowns are much different. But still there are Ignite Gems on their crowns.


    Only they fancy such luxury, but it is also a political gimmick. They even call these gems, "illustratio Gems" instead. It''s a way of showing who is dominant here in Ignis.


    But now it explains why their crowns have glown, the Grand King Xakro illustratio lll and the three Capital Kings who might have had the chance to notice this glow this early in the morning, knew what this meant.


    Every other Ignite Gem in possession of any person gave out that shine, superior arrival clear although most won''t understand what''s happening.


    As if it had senses, the Ignite Gems continues to illuminate if there''s no other light source in the area and if the area is well illuminated, the Gem only gave out it''s usual five meter wide glow.


    This effect seemed to have reached to every Ignite gem Ignis has to offer and the effects don''t wear off and likely won''t until Eric dies.


    As for now, the rules of which the illustratian Alliance spread wide throughout most of Ignis, will be forcefully shifted towards change.


    The Golden Blood, the Electus has accepted his destiny furthermore.

 Freeing the Spirit

    "What are my duties as the Golden Blood?" Asked Eric with a question that has been puzzling his mind even before he successfully claimed the crown.


    "Considering the fact that safety is covered by the Lava blasters, all you have to do is prevent people from knowing we exist, ultimately keeping us away from war." Explained Commander Alia with a smile but that smile quickly turned into a frown as the new King replied.


    "I wish I could do that, but you saw yourself! The Grand King, Xakro illustratio lll. He organized that attack for whatever reason he needed a Calidum Lutum''s heart for." He hates to be rough with a lady this kind, but truth has to be cited.


    His sudden perception however, stunning no doubt. He put two and two together quick considering he is dying for sleep, and let''s not forget the fact that he was wildly confused about greatly similar topics before he claimed this throne.


    "And since that snake Chan escaped, he will confirm your existence. You already got yourself into war." Added Stefan the most perceptive.


    As much as Commander Alia wants to force everything back to normal for the peace of her people, it''s downright impossible. A lot of things will be different after this painful day.


    Alia finally came back to reality, there are just things that can no longer remain the same no matter what she does, so deciding to agree is golden. "I want to avoid War but if those bastards want to hurt my people, I will rip them apart with my bear hands."


    Eric reassured and then asked, "They will try to hurt us, but we will fight back! Aren''t we supposed to go to the funeral of the victim or something?"


    "Here we don''t bury people. He was born around Lava, he shall pass to heaven around Lava. That way, Our god will be pleased and the victim''s soul wouldn''t be cursed to haunt us." Well this is a different type of religion, but everyone has their own beliefs and Eric ain''t saying a word about this, respected their differences.


    "How can he pass to heaven through lava?" Asked Eric while scratching his head, staggered.


    "You''ll see. You don''t need to walk half a mile down though, just jump. You wanted too at the beginning anyway." Now aiming to tease him a little bit after so much war talk to lighten up everybody''s mood.


    Noticing that smile, he already knew she was going to tease him someway. "And as some teenage girls reported, your clothes didn''t burn either. They sounded disappointed about it though."


    Although a bit embarrassed about the teenage girl thing, he only focused on what he wanted to hear instead. Jumping down a Volcano! "Oh now you speak my language."This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    His adrenaline increased rapidly before even standing up from his throne.


    After that he disappeared without a trace and everyone in the room heard him yell, "Yeah!"


    Blissful, he jumped head first from the edge of the Volcano down to the molten lava.


    But now with Eric out of the room, and with adults around only. She started acting like she is about to blame Mogranius, but it actually is just an attempt to flirt.


    She feels a little bit embarrassed to flirt in front of kids, especially Eric. "Did you teach him to disappear?"


    "Well I can sense smoke here coming from the Volcano. So I''m a little bit guilty." He stated, tad embarrassed, but also simply glad that he is talking to her.


    "I will deal with you later." Alia expressed with an intimidating voice and a wink too, her smile alarmingly taunting.


    It left Mogranius with his cheeks red and his body feeling frozen as he gazed upon her walking out of the Throne Room.


    Eric on the other hand was falling down for half a mile until he met the molten lava again and caused a light splash.


    At such a splash, the Grand Masters were interrupted mid meditation. They had their eyes closed before and after the Splash.


    "Opecl. Er WelzerArtej ke sadpu." Expressed Grand Master Xalk, the oldest of the five and fairly respected.


    Which translates too, "Good. The Golden Blood is here."


    Eric swam through the pool of Lava as if he''s swimming on a normal lake, with great ease. And climbed out of the lava pool, sitting down on the spiraling walkways after.


    Since the guest of honor arrived, Grand Master Kazer decided to get this started, in an Ignite language even to show respect. "Funeral is begun."


    Afterwards, Eric spotted the victim lying on a thin rock, being carried by Pezik and Laza coming out from one of the five rooms down here. The rock reaching five foot wide and eleven foot long.


    Able to carry the victim above the lava with the aid of the oldest Lava Controller, pushing lava upwards underneath the rock. It is so interesting to witness such a unique culture up close.


    Xalk stood up and as he raised his right hand upwards and the left hand forward, a gentle wave of lava started rising.


    Pushing the stone all the way to the very middle of the Volcano which is far enough that Eric and the Grand Masters can''t see anything but a dot.


    Shortly after they did notice that the Victim''s dead body caught on fire. Expectable. I mean he is an inch above this extraordinarily hot lava.


    But as the victim caught on fire, Eric noticed a cloud appearing in the entire bottom area of the Volcano.


    Like a mist.


    "What is going on?" Asked Eric in slight panic.


    "Calm." Whispered Kazer trying to assure Eric that it''s safe, but it barely worked.


    The cloud became thicker and thicker by the passing second.


    As the Victim''s body slipped from the rock and fell in lava, the cloud disappeared in a break of a second.


    They saw a white spirit like figure flying out of the Volcano and upwards the town''s ceiling, breaking the surface on top of the mountain and heading towards the sky.


    Thus the Ceremony meeting an end, Kazer declared. "Spirit Free."

 Statistics

    Honoured with having a glance at such a unique culture, a heavily different ritual and practically finding out about a new Religion. It is fair to say that the young Electus'' bad day has been compensated with this relic of a tradition.


    He doesn''t know what to say or ask first. Later deciding to reflect about his uncertainty. "I wasn''t aware what God your people believed in but this is... well it offers facts."


    Raising his forefinger as if trying to correct, Kazer butchered. "Calidum Lutum follow one God, Calidum. First Calidum Lutum to walk planet, became God when dead and send one hundred Calidum Lutum from heaven."


    Giving a long heavy sigh of satisfaction thanks to his curiosity being quenched, Jubilant on his tone Eric babbled. "Oooh I get you! Your race is named after your God, Calidum. My father says that gods are fictional beings Chapel members and Kings created for personal profit."


    Noticing the displeased look on Kazer''s face a hunch later, Eric corrects his own words. "But from a civilization thriving away from the outside world, I don''t see any personal profit here."


    "Indeed. We strive for peace and protection." Replied Kazer with a gentle tone as he noticed that Eric is trying to be delicate with his words.


    A bit of a tease to lift the mood really, Eric chipped in. "Hey you''re getting better and better at speaking my language. You really do learn fast!"


    Unintentionally sarcastic but nonetheless bold, Kazer harped. "Of course. You and friends talk a lot."


    ...


    Eric walked in the Throne room and saw Alia in there alone, standing next to the Throne. Might be a long shot but he has a feeling that she has been waiting for his return a while now.


    Although nervous and a bit shy to be there with her alone, he still went for the Throne and broke the silence with a logical question. "Where is the rest of the Gang?"


    "I ordered for them to start the project on the farm." Ordering friends to do something is no doubt rude by some aspects, so she cleared it out. "Well more like I ordered the Farmers and Miners to do it but your group insisted to help."


    Then she decided to get to the point, practically the reason why she is here. "But may we speak my King?"


    "Of course." Relieved to put a possibly embarrassing situation behind him, the younger expressed what he expected. "I assume the talk we had about war is troubling you."If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Concern spottable in her tone, she hummed. "Well, yes. If it wasn''t for Mogranius, me and many others could have been shot dead."


    Afterwards she revealed the Weapon of which even Eric spotted between the disaster, but completely forgot about. "This Crossbow that was left near the dead Guard seemed to have done all of this damage, I fear for the worse."


    Not understanding what she''s thinking about, obviously unable to read minds. He intoned, "Can you be more specific?"


    Hoarding information set aside now since she is talking to a King, she narrated. "If more troops strike our town with several of these Crossbows that shoot explosives, we might lose a lot more Guards. Tens even!"


    Gazing upon the Crossbow, another idea popped in his mind. Ranged attacks! "The Crossbow looks ordinary, I doubt it will explode so we can use it. The Blacksmith can forge bolts, basically ammunition for this Crossbow."


    How talkative he has become this hour is confusing her a bit, but she put that aside and focused on her main concern. "Eric! This Weapon is nothing compared to the strength of one Guard, why do we need this?"


    Wiggling his finger, disagreeing. He cited, "It is nothing compared to a Calidum Lutum but against an illustratio, it is a lethal weapon. This is a late discovery, in Crutal Kingdom I saw it being sold for one hundred gold coins."


    Not allowing her to speak just yet, becoming oddly talkative. The young Electus pitched, "With Crossbows our Guards can shoot from afar, it''s safer. Crafting nine of these and equipping Guards hidden above the entrance would grant a second line of defense, we will need the Blacksmith for this."


    "Genius!" This plan at least, is one that Commander Alia can get behind willingly.


    She highly trusts the power of her Guards, hearing a plan that can make them even more dangerous against the enemy gave her goosebumps. "I will tell the Blacksmith to get right on this, but it will take time."


    "It doesn''t matter, I doubt that Xakro can bring an army here tomorrow. We have weeks of time at least." At such sweet facts, Commander Alia couldn''t help but smile.


    So Eric found it as the best time to ask about his main concern about the defence system. "Also the main entrance should have more Guards in the area as our first line of defence, how many Guards do we have?"


    Ignoring another complaint, she decided to talk about what she wants to talk about. "Oh I got the total population memorized, I know you are curious so I will list everything your respectful highness."


    At this point she was teasing him a bit, but mostly wanted to lift the mood. "There are 5 Grand Masters, 50 Masters, 100 Experts and 250 Magicians."


    Highly specific without a single doubt, but she isn''t ceasing there. "We also have a group of 200 people who are too young or too old to work, these include Lava Blasters."


    Now getting to it work-wise, she stated. "We also have 30 Farmers, 20 Miners, And respectfully 55 Guards."


    "So I see that most non blasters are putting in work, nice. But what concerns me, you left 2 Guards near the main Inner entrance, with the tunnel open. Where were the rest?" It''s not that he wants to complain but the town has been caught off Guard, literally.


    Of course having a logical explanation for this, she explained without guilt. "The rest were helping the Miners dispose the deposits of Ignite Gems. The Tunnels are deep down, the Guards most likely didn''t hear the explosions."


    Listening to her own explanation, she started scolding herself after. "Now I notice that was a bad idea for two reasons."


    Eric noticed himself becoming a bit rough, but this is a mess strategy-wise so he weighed in. "Well I see your idea reasonable but now we have to shift a few rules a bit in the name of this town''s safety."

 I need 10 Guards

    It was at this point where Commander Alia chose to get out of her comfort zone, listen to other ideas instead of sticking to the usual that obviously failed. "Shift the Rules? I am aware of a few things you asked changes for, but can you elaborate?"


    Noticing that she is willing to listen more instead of arguing, Eric continued with little hesitation this time. "From now on, the main Inner entrance shall have 20 Guards there at all times, shifts can be taken since no one can stay there all day."


    Unusual for Lan Zhe, but new situations require new adjustments so Alia nodded although her tone rough. "Reasonable, anything else?


    Now revealing a plan that might be a little deal breaker, Eric acknowledged. "I need 10 Guards to join me in the battle for Gaster Kingdom, me and my group can''t handle it alone."


    "My King this is unacceptable. The more people know that we exist, the more problems will step on our door... Tunnel." She had the opportunity to see what other portions of Ignis resemble, she isn''t a fan.


    Having strong points already formed in his head, them debating it here shows how weak this town already is. "Chan got away from us and he will snitch, trouble is already upon you. War is upon us. If we don''t start reclaiming Kingdom''s one by one as soon as possible, Xakro''s army will be big enough to claim Lan Zhe."


    When Ignis is portrayed in this Kastarian''s head, she doesn''t care enough for any domain if it means that Lan Zhe will be weaker. "If Xakro attacks us while we lack Guards, he will claim Lan Zhe anyway."Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Cornering her, the Golden Blood offered a solution. "That''s why I will take 10 Guards oly. 45 of our Guards are strong enough alone, imagine if all those 45 have full body armour, I don''t plan to leave this place defenseless."


    Having the last few bits of the argument poorly thought out, he started mumbling through sentences again. "We need every Guard... no, Soldier by our side. If invading Gaster Kingdom equals to taming Xakro''s masses, having 10 Guards less here is worth it."


    Failing to find any more reasons to disagree, she cut it short and urged to walk out. "I''ll have the best men and women ready."


    Recalling what his father spoke about building good Soldiers, Eric butchered. "No, I do not wish to take all of the best guards. Get me just one of the best, three of the average and six of the worse."


    Not having any more nerves or sleep to disagree, she responded. "Of course. Sorry for having doubts, I only wish the best for this town. And you are a kid after all, I did not expect such battle views from a child."


    "I do get you but to make Ignis one again we need to fight for it, the enemy is thousands of steps ahead of us. We can''t risk going steps back." Proclaimed the King with his tone gradually calming down, showing sympathy and respect for her points of view.


    Carrying the same thoughts, dizzy a tad bit, she muttered. "I''ll ask the Blacksmith to boost the production speed, we need full body armour for all of our Guards. I''ll have a couple of the Miners assist the Blacksmith as well."


    With one question scrolling her mind although she''s bedraggled, she did not fail to quiz. "20 guards will guard the main entrance and 10 shall aid you in the battle for Gaster Kingdom but what about the other 25 Guards?"


    Realizing that she might have skipped a part, he didn''t say anything about it but just gave a deeper explanation. "They will exchange shifts with the other 20 Guards of course. Make sure they all get enough rest and reward any Guard with extra food if they work longer."


    "Eric we are already low on food. Is it wise to give out more? Some are already avoiding food for the weaker to survive." Stated Alia, feeling a little gloomy. She isn''t a fan of this food shortage at all!


    Cheerful, trying to raise the overall morale, Eric contradicted. "I will solve the food situation within a week but first we need to see how many Ignite gems we have after fixing the issues in the Farm."


    With silence stretching a few seconds, wearing a smile he cited. "I will lead this great civilization out of darkness, don''t worry."

 A hundred Ignite Gems

    Reaching the farm, they''ve lent a hand right away. Getting dirty along with the Miners and Farmers while pushing Ignite Gems on the cave ceiling ranging from twelve to twenty feet above their head.


    Although Mogranius could reach the farthest points single handedly through flying, Eric helping as well showed solitude with his people, a great King Figure.


    Instead of just looking at hard workers as if they are peasants, the young King got dirty and tired along with them instead.


    If anything he doesn''t yet see himself as someone too important to not put in work. He too was a Farmer until a certain point and has a form of respect for hard work.


    While they were working in the cave, over a period of time they''ve noticed that it has become easier to breathe here now.


    With tens of holes on both sides of the cave, breathing in the fresh air is a bliss for everyone and will make the Farmer''s work easier. This idea should be praised, Stefan''s mind should be admired.


    Luckily Commander Alia isn''t stingy with complimenting allies. "If Gaster Kingdom is to be a strong domain, you should appoint him as the King there or a Governor of some sort at least."


    "Oh I will for sure. The little man showed King worthy bravery this week as well." Mogranius teased, thinking Alia talked with him.


    Stefan ignoring the world around him, lost in his thoughts and ideas, as usual started strongly tuning out whatever they both said even if they both meant to compliment him.


    "Well it looks like he is on his own world for now." Eric being the most used to such behaviour coming from Stefan, he just wanted everyone else to go on with their lives.


    Having a question about this farm, Eric quizzed. "At my farm, we usually harvested the crops in September of every year. It''s been six days since that month started, how many months are there left for all of the crops to grow here?"


    Trying to properly answer questions, Alia cited. "Harvesting month is about 20 days away. It''s the longest month of the year for us, lasting 67 days while the rest are less than 50."


    Stunned by how long the months are here no doubt, he didn''t want to say anything about it in aims to not be disrespectful to this different culture.


    He focused on the question he asked about the farm to begin with instead. "But from the looks of it, we will be lucky if even with all these improvements the crops grow in time."


    ...


    About 4 hours have passed and with all the effort of the Farmers, Miners, the Gang and Alia have put in, they''re finally done.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    The Farm is shining in a purple manner, providing light for all the crops and the light each Ignite gem disposes is generally reaching around 50 meters far yet the glow is too gentle on the eyes.


    It doesn''t even force anyone to blink. The scene is amazing, it''s always nice to see large fields of crops. But it''s differently unique to see them with a purple glow everywhere, here deep underground.


    Everyone took their time to gaze upon such beauty even after considering their lack of energy.


    It''s interesting how long people can stay awake when there is a big interesting goal to tackle. Big Goals can inspire most, but to see people putting in work to gain those goals is nothing less than wholesome.


    The head Miner approached Commander Alia and informed her of the results.


    With great manners and discipline he explained everything in detail, without carrying a parchment even. He seemed to have memorized everything he needs to report.


    Taking a bit more time to slowly explain each detail in order to avoid any miscalculation, he finally finished and returned back to his duties.


    Commander Alia approached the mudy tired Gang with a wide smile on her face and proclaimed. "Well things turned for the best at last."


    "Do tell."


    "At last?"


    "We still have much to do."


    These sentences were heard from the group one by one, obviously each have different thoughts and points of view.


    To break confusions in between the Gang, she''s swift to explain. "Well to start with, the Ignite Gem barricade in the Mine is no more and now cold hard Iron ores can be brought up to the Forge. We need all the ores we can get so getting rid of that Barricade proved as perfect timing!"


    "So you are telling us bad news wrapped with good news. Perfection." Queried Mogranius in obvious sarcasm.


    The nerve of this guy, he is dying for sleep but doesn''t get detached from Sarcasm.


    But of course in this case smarter, she replied with a smirk. "Well at least I have good news to tell. I still can''t figure out how two all powerful Fire Wizards let that illustratio escape!"


    Smoke coming out of his ears, he barked. "You try Fighting off a 1 ton beast!"


    "You got attacked by a Source Bear? This is not your day." Added Stefan who managed to figure out what he is talking about.


    Clapping her hands to get their attention, Alia interposed. "Alright now enough banter. Almost 300 Ignite Gems were used to light up the entire farm but only 100 are left over."


    "More would have been left over if you didn''t throw them down the Volcano. Miss perfect." Two can play the teasing game after all, Mogranius didn''t want to leave any chance slip!


    But he keeps forgetting that Commander Alia is less tolerant on such topics. "True. Miss perfect could also accidentally throw you down the Volcano as well oh dear wise one."


    "We can buy a bucket of food for each person here and still have 30 Ignite gems left or we could go for wheat grain which is way cheaper." Added Stefan who seemed to have already done the calculations with a bit of help from Woldemir.


    Taking her glare away from Mogranius, she replied softly. "My people can eat a lot at once, but one bucket of food keeps them well fed for a week plus we still have food from the last harvest. We may pass this without any losses."


    Her enthusiasm arose as she counted the positive sides, it is wildly adorable to hear a sleepy lady get excited.


    "Tough lady getting soft?" Mocked Mogranius.


    A bad idea considering that she just started calming down thanks to Stefan changing the topic. It makes one feel that he really wants to see the bottom of this Volcano.


    "I don''t recall being soft." Of course she would never admit.


    But this time she isn''t mad, actually enjoyed this a little bit and got a little blush on her face.


    "Getting to the case, carrying all that food is no easy task, we need more Horses. Not to forget more Wagons." Pointed out Stefan, trying to filter out possible miscalculations before they put this plan into action.


    These people don''t have any experience in handling such projects. Making a mistake here can shift a ton of food, literally.


    Since Wagons started being mentioned, Woldemir had to chip in the Conversation. "A Cheap Wagon costs about 300 Gold Coins but we need two more at least to carry all of that food."


    He has 10 years of experience with them after all, if anything he loves to help make this plan easier. "Meaning we need to spend 2,000 Gold Coins on better bigger Wagons plus Horses who can get the job done are surely not cheap. With luck it would be good if we get two for 1,000 Gold Coins in total."

 Dear Source of Fire. He got possessed by a Demon.

    "All of you have forgot that I am the most infamous person in Crutal Kingdom right now. We can''t go there carrying 100 Ignite Gems without being shot at and looted." Pointed out Eric something that most have overseen.


    He didn''t say anything until now about this little project towards Crutal Kingdom since this topic started but with this he sealed the conversation.


    This topic is fresh, meaning everyone overlooked the fact that you can''t just freely go into Crutal Kingdom with one hundred Ignite Gems on your back.


    Everyone has been left staggeted because of Eric noticing this flaw first, such level perception does not fit with the previous Eric who was mostly dumb but curious.


    "How did we overlook a detail like that? The boy is right." Complimented Stefan the boy''s claim while rubbing his temples.


    But to leave everyone scratching their head, Eric managed to find a simpler way around this task rather fast. "There are Farms out of the Kingdom''s protection. Since Crutal Kingdom is our closest option that we can not use, we might as well just use the Farms near it."


    Everyone got struck flustered on how this little boy would think of so many good ideas, basically filtering bad ideas from a plan that adults put together.


    Mogranius however, he previewed this intense shift of overall insightfulness as something different. "Dear Source of Fire and everything Ignited. He got possessed by a Demon."


    A second after everyone saw the crazy geezer tackle Eric down, using all of his physical strength to keep the golden blood still.


    Afterwards proceeding to shout out his thoughts. "Eric can you hear me? Fight the Demon! Fight the Demon!"


    While occasionally throwing a couple of slaps to enhance the anti-demon protocol.


    Rather funny to watch but Mogranius got dragged away by Alia who grabbed his black robe around the neck collar and seemed to be lifting him above ground with one hand.


    Holding him like a gold piece, she cited. "The boy isn''t possessed by a Demon. How can I put this into words that even a moron would understand¡­?"


    "Oh please doo." Spoke out Mogranius a second before he was dropped to the ground.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    But stood up again in a blink of an eye as if nothing happened and sat above dirt near the rest of the group.


    Well informed in this topic although she barely explained anything earlier, she yapped. "First, this Crown is heavily magically enchanted. Apart from the true golden blood, no one can wear it and no one including Eric can remove the Crown from his head."


    With the crowd standing silent for once, using the golden opportunity she butchers. "Second, whatever weakness Eric had in his little brain, the Crown greatly improved it. In this case, I''m guessing being insightful."


    After finishing her sentence she saw everyone either scratching their head, counting with their fingers or at Mograniuses case, looking at Commander Alia with love and saying. "She is so smart."


    Only Stefan seemed to have understood everything and is appreciating the mental power. Imagine someone being powerful and smart, Stefan feels abliss. Glad to see things finally work out for this kid.


    "Wonderful explanation." Gave out Stefan a genuine compliment and now with these new ideas he cut to the case. "Eric''s idea is our best option. There are several farms out of the Kingdom''s protection and I''m guessing they won''t snitch for the sake of profit."


    At this point Stefan is practically arguing with himself. "But one more issue, Could we possibly carry 100 Ignite Gems alone? It isn''t exactly a short walk."


    "Yes we can. Because I''m coming with you." Acknowledged Commander Alia with a firm assuring tone then in aims to tease these men she joked. "Someone has to look after you kids."


    "Kids?"


    "Pardon?"


    "Do you see the Beard?"


    "I''m actually a kid."


    Obviously the group spoke all at once, overwhelming her drowsy sight with unnecessary banter.


    "Would that be a good idea? All we need is four people really, we have Black Wind too." Chipped in Eric with his concern.


    But in a way he just stated that he too will join this little restocking project.


    Insisting, Alia debated Eric''s point. "I will come! Woldemir promised to solve this food shortage but we need him to train the Guards. I can''t be told apart from an Ignite as long as I cover my head with a hood."


    Pulling out a Dagger which was sheathed over her hip, she defended her points. "I have my ways of bargaining."


    Seeing that physical strength is the topic right now, Stefan bluffed. "Brains make up for my lack of muscles. If it wasn''t for my brain you would be punching your way to death."


    But finally talking about a topic everyone wanted to hear, Commander Alia urged. "I''m sure most of you need to fall asleep now, it was a long day. Let me escort you to your rooms and we will talk plans later."


    The Gang was sent down a cave not too deep and Eric was sent to his Throne Room which wasn''t too far away either.


    The Throne Room includes a bedroom too but the bed is made from rocks, so Commander Alia ordered for some animal fur to be sent to his room.


    Undoubtedly the rough skinned Calidum Lutum don''t need soft beds to sleep in, some sleep on animal fur while most prefer rough stone.


    A bit bizarre but the Calidum Lutum has far different features from the Ignites, illustratios or any race for that matter. Making their different choices acceptable.


    But due to that, there is no such thing as a lack of animal fur to sleep on. Meaning none of the Gang has to sleep on hard rock.


    As good sleep sounds at the moment, Eric experienced countless nightmares.


    First he saw his father being beheaded by an illustratio in front of his eyes. After that he saw what he knows as his mother, burning down in ashes and flames.


    Soon after he saw the Calidum Lutum Guard being shot down again. Dream after dream each one got worse, clearly bashing many fears or insecurities.


    But the last dream that woke him up from the rough nightmare was a scene where Woldemir, Mogranius, Stefan and Commander Alia were looking at Eric.


    Each of them expecting him to act like the hero he is supposed to be and shortly after Fire burning all four of them as Eric cowarded out.


    King Xakro illustratio lll appearing to finish him off.

 The Rumbler

    Next day, waking up a couple of hours before noon, most of the group have slept flat like a rock. As if the fur enchanted their sleep and sunk them deeper into the dream world that is their head.


    Except for Eric. He managed to sleep enough not to go insane but the continuous nightmares kept waking him up, making it impossible for him to take advantage of the peace and quiet.


    As for the waves of nightmares Eric had, it is easy to define its source when given attention to the past events. His shoulders are already carrying enough burden for someone so young.


    A week ago he was nothing more but a poor defenseless Farmer and now he is ruling over an ancient thought to be extinct civilization. The sudden shift of responsibility and power tend to portray itself as something scary.


    On top of this responsibility, it was given to him the task to provide food for seven hundred people as soon as possible, they are racing against time with their ideas.


    Of course this task will be shared with a few other friends, but at this rate he prefers his old Farmhouse, he never had this much burden there.


    As Eric climbed off his bed, making his way up to the Mine and spotting his father testing out the new Sword that this highly gifted town''s  Blacksmith prepared.


    The Sword looks thin as one thread of hair and light too, but yet it is wide enough for Woldemir to see his own reflection on it.


    The Sword is shining in an elegant manner due to Iron on it being so pure and spotless, heavily worked on.


    This would likely give more points of view in battle. Views of which a Grand Master can take advantages from no doubt to avoid shots and swings from blind spots.


    The only thing adding additional weight to the Sword is the handle forged with smoothed Volcanic rock, a handle thick enough for Woldemir to perfectly Grip.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    The odd thing about the handle is its unusual long length. The handle is half a meter long while the thinn Iron over it is one and a half meters long.


    Perhaps an appropriate combination for a Sword a bit longer than Woldemir himself but the fact that the handle is made from Volcanic rock gave the vibe that there is more to this handle.


    "It''s a bit hard to maneuver but I can use it to my advantage." Uttered Woldemir with confidence as he tested it with a few wind breaking swings.


    Getting into detail about it''s value after a gaggle of swings, Woldemir mouthed. "A Sword as unique as this would cost 50,000 Gold Coins. The way the Iron is forged would take years to shape with no guaranteed success. A true artist with the Iron."


    Commander Alia, standing on the side, watching him use his new Sword. Proclaimed, "I did say that this Blacksmith is over qualified."


    Continuing to admire his Weapon, Grand Master Woldemir yapped. "With a Sword like this I can face ten illustratios without risking a scratch. Even Guards armed with Crossbows do not stand even the slightest chance of shooting me down."


    Can one man really be skilled enough with a Sword to avoid fast moving Bolts? With Woldemir it isn''t certain, but his words will eventually be proven right or wrong.


    "Perhaps you want to prove your words against five of my men and women in the training area." Although they won''t be shooting bolts at him, they can still prove horribly dangerous compared to a piece of metal shot from fancy wood.


    Woldemir queried although not backing down. "For sure but why is the Handle oddly shaped."


    To accept fighting these large people as if it isn''t a big deal, can prove his level of high skill as a base, or it can prove that he is crazy.


    The fact that he is focusing on the handle more, can prove a couple of points of which you as readers can view in different perspectives.


    Commander Alia is more than willing to explain though, now that she has slept. "The Volcanic rock is magically enchanted. See the Blacksmith planned to make the Sword entirely out of Iron to symbolize the Ignites, but I told him to add Volcanic rock as a Symbol from us."


    Such an explanation caused goosebumps, Eric is just watching from the entrance still. Rather proud of his father and his abilities.


    "That''s heartwarming and I am honoured. But what does the magic do?" I suppose this is where Eric got his curiosity from. His father.


    Willing to explain her favourite part here, wanting to show off what her people are capable of. Alia cited, "When the ground is to be hit with the handle, it causes a violent earthquake. Able to knock most opponents off of their feet but it won''t affect you."


    As a form of gratitude for this extensively unique gift, Woldemir made a little oath. "It''s Magic will never be wielded for Evil I assure you but I will wield it until I face death. Be it by age or be it from an enemy, that''s an oath."


    With a much wider smile he proclaimed. "I''ve decided to name this marvelous Sword, Rumbler."


    Terribly eager to see if this man is all talk or actually packs a punch, Alia mouthed. "Perfect now let''s make our way to the training room right below the farm. Let''s see if a Grand Master lives up to his title."

 The Master and his Students.

    As they entered the Training Room they''ve spotted various Weapons hanging on the Cave wall. Each looking deadlier than the other, each looking too heavy for an Ignite to carry.


    From Maces to War Hammers to Swords to War Axes, all hecticly forged in a different design. Putting whatever Weapon an Ignite can craft, in to complete shame.


    A hit from any of these Weapons butchers damage even a Calidum Lutum can not withstand with ease, Imagine an Ignite.


    Some Guards are seen training while some are taking rest, sitting randomly in any corner of the Cave or at least somewhere above ground such as taking advantage of a small boulder.


    Another batch of Guards are fighting against each other to have a more battle like practice, they aren''t using Weapons against each other of course, that would be horribly thought out!


    Not a bad sight to see but it could use some organizing, at least that''s what Woldemir thinks. However none of them seemed to be unfamiliar with discipline.


    "Farazaj!" Demanded Commander Alia, piercing most of their ears.


    [Translates too, "Attention!"]


    As soon as they heard Commander Alia yell the command, they stopped what they were doing in a blink and lined up. Bending the knee in their own Custom.


    That is, lightly punching the Ground with their right hand and lifting their left hand straight upwards while squatting.


    "Do you prefer to fight against the best Guards or do you need to fight some apprentices to warm up?" Even after all of that boasting the Gang made about Woldemir, Alia is still trying to protect him.


    It''s not easy to fight five of the best Guards here without losing an arm, not to mention surviving. As an acclaimed peaceful civilization, they sure are powerful.


    "No need to take this slow, bring me five of the best on the battle ground, this won''t take long!" Over confident you might think, but no his levels of confidence can be considered fairly stable.


    Stupidly going an extra mile with this little sparring session, Woldemir demanded. "Don''t tell them to hold back, if they can land a strike, let them do it. And let them carry their weapons as well, nothing wooden."


    At this point she doesn''t really know what to say, is this man suicidal or something? She cited, "I can''t tell if you are over confident or just crazy. Either way, do aim to keep your head in place."


    Afterwards proceeding to speak to the Guards in their own language to clear things out, gestures aren''t enough in this case.


    She needs to tell them what to do! It wouldn''t be nice if they get their behinds kicked because they were holding back in order not to squash this man.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    They aren''t aware of his skill until Alia demanded. "Baplem Taswem! Maz''p yib lert."


    [Translates too, "Battle Formation! Don''t hold back."]


    "Oh believe me, they are going to embarrass themselves." Assured Eric, mocking the people he now rules.


    He has been following these people all the way to the training room but didn''t feel like talking until now, he doesn''t really have enough energy.


    3 men and 2 women appeared to battle Woldemir, each one looking more dangerous than the other and each one carrying a different looking Weapon.


    They all seem to be physically fit to the point where one would think that they can kill an opponent with a glare.


    As soon as Alia yelled the command for them to start, they began to rush towards Woldemir with the ground trembling beneath their terrifyingly large feet.


    Woldemir is remaining in a normal pose, not even bothering to form a battle ready stance.


    But as soon as the five Guards closed in a few feet away, they saw the man who was marching in the middle of this wall of people, forced airborne while Woldemir is running on the opposite direction.


    Woldemir tripped the large man with the handle of his Sword and made a quick escape beneath his feet as soon as the Guard went for a flight.


    The way they approached at first was a good method to throw a bundle of swings against an opponent at once, but they were too slow!


    The Victim did a half flip once tripped and got slammed back first against the cave wall, I suppose his running speed aided such an earth trembling crash.


    Nothing but a few bruises for him physically though. But humiliation is the biggest bruise he is about to face from this fight, all he lost is his dignity.


    The other four Guards though, they are not quite sure what happened. It''s not everyday to see a ten foot man imprinting his body shape on a Cave wall.


    With instinct, they turned around and started charging towards Woldemir once more.


    Quick to notice that charging with a wall of people isn''t to help them if they try it again this time, they proceeded to attack in a straight singular line instead in hopes to actually land a strike this time.


    Woldemir asked for them not to hold back, they sure tend to follow this particular order now.


    The main motive of this different attack is to confuse the opponent. Since the remaining four who didn''t get knocked out, each have a different weapon, it would result in a set of different attacks.


    Meaning after one Guard strikes once and retreats, Woldemir would need to be quick enough to think of different defences for the rest of the tree quick attackers, furthermore complicating the process and risking getting hit.


    The first attacker is carrying a 40 pound War Hammer with small dull spikes on the bottom and the top of the Hammer side.


    Perfect for completely crushing an Ignite skull with zero chances of survival.


    But wielding such a Hammer comes with two weaknesses. Lack of striking speed and lack of defense.


    As the first Guard on the line is about to strike, raising his War Hammer taking 2 full seconds until now.


    Giving Woldemir all the time required to strike the attacker down before the Hammer reaches the ground.


    Using the handle of the Sword again, Woldemir places the bottom of the handle in front of the direction where the attacker''s head is leaning in the heat of the moment.


    In the process he of course moved away from the devastating blow of the War Hammer and when it missed Woldemir and hit the ground, the attacker''s forehead didn''t miss the bottom of the Sword handle.


    Woldemir''s body strength isn''t enough to strike a 13 foot man down but the Guard''s rush towards the handle became a blow demanding to put the Hammer down, urging recovery.


    Meaning, he too is out! Two out and three Guards to go.


    But as he turned his attention towards those three remaining Guards, expecting the second attacker from that fine line.


    He managed to take a peek at the back of the line, swiftly noticed that the third of the still standing Guards is missing, which gave him a better view on what this attack is about and what to expect.


    He raised his Sword to protect against the second attacker''s striking Sword, not blessed with time to look for the third Guard right now.


    Especially with the Swords squeaking due to the defensive versus offensive poses, looking around is not an option.


    With just a little luck and basing it on past experiences, Woldemir used his Sword to see what''s to comprehend behind him.


    Noticing a Woman with a large heavy Battle Axe trying to land a hit from a blind spot, such a strike would split the man in two.


    But using the opportunity given he left his spot in a blink of an eye, just at the right time.


    Forcing the two lady Guards to hold their Weapons against each other, luckily no Iron met flesh.

 Isabel

    Quickly noticing that they got played by the Grand Master, they pull back their Weapons and scoped around to look for Woldemir.


    Acknowledging where he is, they yelled out a few ideas between each other and then started charging towards him once more.


    Running again like a wall towards him, taking a slightly different approach this time compared to the very first.


    They spread out in three directions, making defense a hassle difficult for Woldemir to tackle. The main move is to overwhelm the Grand Master and eventually land a blow.


    Joining the audience is Mogranius who apparently was enjoying the battle quite a lot.


    Having the human decency to hoot, "Cut their heads off!"


    "It''s a horrible time to mention this but we forgot all about the book of Teleportation." Mouthed Eric grabbing Mogranius'' attention away from the glorious battle.


    Although not wanting to alure his eyes away from the battle, such a question is worth the sacrifice. "The Source of Teleportation has died out, pointless to look for the book really."


    As soon as Mogranius finished the sentence, their attention was immediately grabbed by Woldemir who seemed to already have either knocked out or disarmed two out of three of the remaining attackers.


    And is left with the last Attacker standing, which is a female.


    A much loved Sword to Sword combat broke out instead of a Sword to duck and cover one. Of which covered about 75% of this 5 versus 1 fight.


    Their Swords are swinging left and right, up and down, one combat move after another but neither of them seem to land a finishing blow.


    This female opponent is about eight feet tall and outstandingly beautiful.


    Insanely physically fit but doesn''t seem to be too slim as well, she has a big and mildly muscular figure.


    There are attractive features on her body which were hard to ignore, such as her abnormally large and fit chest.


    And the lava like veins running down her body make her more and more stunning in some perspectives.


    Her gold and black hair even though tied up to a bun, give out a tremendous scene.


    This is why Woldemir didn''t win yet. For the first time in fifteen years he got attracted to a woman again.


    Partly because of her outstanding beauty and mostly because of her fighting skills.


    He didn''t even manage to land a blow yet, with deconcentration to blame mainly.


    "Do you see what''s happening there?" Alia asked Mogranius since he technically knows the Grand Master more than her.


    Alia sniffs out cases like this with ease, she knows something is going on.


    The Swords aren''t the only things causing sparks, no.


    Eric managed to hear what she asked, so he has to point something out. "Yes. Either that Woman is blessed or my father is sparing her for the fight to last longer..."


    The moment he was about to finish his last sentence, which would define what''s happening here. Both the Women and Woldemir got disarmed.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Their final blow was so harsh that it forced Woldemir Sword two slip off his hands, setting it at flight.


    He also cut clean through the lady''s Sword a split second before being forced to lose grip of his own.


    Flying all the way towards the Training Area''s exit where Stefan is just happening to walk in, not knowing that a fight is in session.


    Lucky for Stefan, his height came to his advantage for once as the Sword flew half a foot above his head and nailed itself on the walkway.


    "I swear that all of you are up to get me." Yelled Stefan as a cold sweat broke from his forehead.


    He is glad of escaping with no casualties, but that was dangerously close. A few inches more and he would be nailed to the ground along with the Iron work.


    "Relax. Your head is still in place." Added Mogranius rather calmly, the Geezer faced a Source Bear and didn''t panic this much.


    The lady that fought Woldemir bent the knee right after in her own tradition and pose, showing the utmost respect for Grand Master Woldemir and his skills.


    Not wanting anyone to feel low enough to bend their knee to him, Woldemir reached out his hand aiming to make her stand up. "You are one of the best Fighters I met in a long time. What is your name?"


    Refusing to grab his hand, she stood up by herself and was looking at Commander Alia, giving her that, "Please come here and translate." look.


    Alia quickly walked near them and explained what Woldemir just said.


    Which made the Women give a blank half smile and say, "Fi Isabel."


    "I suppose you can understand that part. This is Isabel." Butchered Alia, a little smile is growing on her face because she [Alia] knows what''s going on here.


    Isabel doesn''t look like she wants to cooperate though, keeping her distance both physically and throughout conversation.


    Woldemir quickly sunk into sadness but he isn''t showing it to not ruin this nice positive mood.


    That name reminded him of his wife Isabel who was burned alive by the illustratio, specifically Eric''s mother. Woldemir still secretly blames himself for not being able to save his lady.


    But for now, he''s just aiming to show admiration to the living Isabel''s skills. "Nice to meet you Isabel. Judging from those moves you are already an Expert at Wielding a Sword?"


    Completely zoning out off topic, Alia cited. "Coincidentally, she wasn''t from our town before. She somehow roamed Ignis alone for a few years and came here at the end. But for some reason she refuses to reveal her age or past for that matter too."


    "Her past is her past and we should not pressure her about it or to explain herself." Wise words, befitting a Grand Master but he just wants to push away this topic and force in another.


    "However, taking her to fight with us for Gaster Kingdom can be a great advantage. You told me that Eric requested one of the greatest instead of ten." At this point he isn''t doing this for any personal advantage, this is worth pointing out.


    He just has admiration for her skill at the moment. "This one is for sure the greatest here as far as I saw."


    He also wanted to point out how weak that 13 foot tall man is, but Woldemir doesn''t want to degrade him.


    So he kept quiet and focused on the positives. "Ever since I became a Grand Master, no one was able to withstand so many strikes at once. Especially not an Expert, this Woman is gifted. Isabel is gifted."


    Glad that his head is in one place, Stefan chimes in and casually expresses. "Anyway, I came here to tell that we should not waste more time. We should pack and get our task into motion."


    Commander Alia has the opportunity and responsibility to tell. "Each of us have to carry 25 Ignite Gems. A fair distribution but there is no shame if anyone decides to carry less along the way, I can carry more."


    Now, she is practically trying to trigger these men, just for fun and games. She even gave a taunting smile followed by an adorable little giggle.


    Eric knows his group a lot so far, especially Stefan whom he had contact with for years.


    But his following sentences are based on the man who refused to back down against raging Lava. Self dependence as a main reason once gaining a little control over the opposing Magma.


    Slowly but surely, Eric weighed in. "Knowing my group''s ego, they would rather crawl there instead of asking you to carry more. But we would likely have to camp because the Kingdom is far away."


    One other thing the kid has an itching urge to state is how much of a risk this task is. "We should be careful of prying eyes, it wouldn''t be a surprise if Xakro established a hunt for us. Who knows how big of a bounty is on our heads."


    Alia of course isn''t comfortable with leaving her town considering that an overpowered maniac is practically lose, she has to express. "Xakro is a big problem indeed. He could be sending his army here any moment, but I need to step up for my people."


    To relieve her burden from the thought of temporarily leaving this place, she turned her attention towards the King of Lan Zhe and stated. "Until I return, Woldemir will be in complete command of the 55 Guards and also everyone else in this town."


    Eric knows his father, well for as long as he can remember. 15 years really!


    And even though he had strong disagreements with him earlier, he is still aware of his father''s. "Oh I agree! I don''t even have to think twice about that. I mean he proved himself in the battle field right here!"


    "Asking for my opinion doesn''t seem to be in your to-do list son. But Being the Golden Blood''s father, it is the least I can do I suppose." Expressed Woldemir with a bit of teasing no doubt.


    He is more than happy to help, but doesn''t like how these people feel in complete control over him, speaking for him without asking for his thought.


    It is not the best feeling but he is aware of the situation so he didn''t want to make a big deal about it.


    A bit confident about his perception, Stefan with aims to tease right now, told them. "I bet that all of you didn''t even notice the bags of which the Miners brought here a while ago."


    Without waiting for anyone to reply, he went ahead and grabbed a bag of Ignite Gems and flipped them over his shoulder. "Grab one and off we go."


    A second after he was stunned by the bag''s weight and lost balance shortly after, finding himself laid on his back a moment later.


    "Looks like someone has trouble with his bag. How does it feel to be a horse?" Queried Woldemir with a practically teasing tone.


    He doesn''t quite feel comfortable that they will likely load Black Wind with more than he is capable of carrying.


    Stefan tried to excuse himself and blame this little embarrassment to the bag, while wiping the dirt off the back of his head. "Well I didn''t expect them to be so light. Otherwise I wouldn''t put this much power into it."


    The bag only weighs around 15 Kilograms, he has to come up with a lot of excuses to save himself from this embarrassment. You would expect a fist like Gem to weigh a bit more.

 Bloodlines Cure

    Meanwhile in Crutal Kingdom, Guard Commander Chan walked in Xakro''s Throne room.


    Carrying the dead Calidum Lutum''s heart on his right hand and holding his right shoulder with his left hand so it doesn''t burst out more blood.


    The wound is dried out, there is no blood streaming down. But the traumatic experience remained, he doesn''t want to lose more blood.


    "You''ve returned... alive. Perhaps I didn''t make the wrong¡­ choice when I picked you to kill The Electus." Expressed Xakro illustratio lll in his cold deep voice, gasping for breath a few times throughout his sentences.


    With his self esteem low thanks to the recent event, Chan doesn''t even have the energy to sugar coat his fate with the Calidum Lutum. "I''m only alive thanks to a Source Bear interrupting my execution."


    Afterwards aiming to express the fact of which the King might not like at all, Chan uttered. "The rest of the men didn''t make it."


    With a gaggle of hesitation, he took a few more steps forward until he reached the Throne. Dropping to his knees, gazing ay the ground, offering the enemy''s Heart to The King.


    "You did well¡­.Chan. What about the¡­ Gauntlet?" Asked Xakro as he grabbed Chan''s forehead, healing his wounds completely in a matter of seconds.


    It was just a little scar with a hint of forceful skin penetration. Likely random due to the Source Bear''s interference.


    Glad to finally find relief on his shoulder pain, he focused less on gratitude and more on answering the King''s question. "Odd enough, the language of the phrase wasn''t written in their language but in Ignite! The word itself wasn''t in Ignite but the letters were."


    Memorization is definitely not his personality perk, but the situation forced him to learn. I suppose seeing the Elite Archers burn alive, helped him memorize this word in some way.


    Raising his voice in unmistakable anger, Xakro scolded. "All you know... is to flee. Yet you are somehow still... alive. Have you ever won a battle? Stand your ground next time or I will kill... you instead. Tell me the... phrase."


    "Azrapetos, it was Azrapetos. I managed to read it and escape a moment before I felt an earthquake and before The Electus almost burned me in to a crisp." Excuses are Chan''s best way of escaping from being burned alive.


    "Interesting phrase¡­ Let''s hope it works when you use it against the¡­ Ghost tree. The Electus¡­ I suppose you didn''t take him as a target¡­ Understandable." I suppose excuses worked, Chan was at least smart enough to talk his way out of danger here.


    I suppose everyone can become smart when one''s life is at stake.


    While stroking his chin, taking a moment to think, Xakro came into conclusion. "So¡­ the Electus himself made a run for it... towards Lan Zhe. How could a small minded... fool know they even existed."


    Giving insider information which might lend a bargain to not be shot dead today, Chan stated. "Fool''s luck Sire. The stench of burned Lava contaminated the Cave. The Calidum Lutum clearly attacked them first but somehow the Electus managed to bargain."


    Since it''s confirmed that the Electus is at Lan Zhe, Xakro''s conclusion became more of a half fact. "The reward... for killing that child became a whole lot bigger. My Crown shone for the... first time since I claimed... the Throne. Meaning, the Golden Blood has returned."


    The thought that an Electus might prove a bit more lucky with gaining such power, aided such a conclusion. So Xakro cited, "If that Child¡­ Is the Golden Blood, and I eat his heart¡­ That civilization has no option but to obey¡­ me. His Golden Blood would be transferred to my bloodstream, possibly ending... purifying the Bloodline''s Curse."


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "End the Bloodline''s Curse? Is that even possible Sire? Wouldn''t you risk losing your powers entirely or possibly dying?" Even Guard Commander Chan has a point this time.


    He isn''t the best with this advanced type of... I''d like to call it Magic? But even a buffon can notice that this can be ridiculously risky.


    Stupidly, the King is proving Chan''s words right. "I have no solid... evidence about it. Because of the lack... of information towards this subject."


    "All...I know is that the Golden Blood¡­ was used by an illustratio¡­ one of our own, to break a heavy curse of his own." This just proves more uncertainty, the King is proving as a dumb fuck.


    Because wherever he found such information. Be it a Rumour, an illustratian history book or tales passed down for generations. It screams towards the harsh base of uncertainty, which can cause hesitations.


    Focusing towards another direction topic-wise, Chan quizzed. "But Sire you still confuse me. The Electus, the Golden Blood is at Lan Zhe. You are more powerful than me or him. If you at least capture him alive, I can kill him for you and you can proceed with your plans."


    Quite frankly, Chan doesn''t want to face the Electus or any of his friends ever again. The wound he just had on his shoulder convinced him so!


    Slowly but surely, having it tad more difficult to breathe this time, Xakro specified. "I could... but I would be quite possibly risking the entire¡­ illustratian revolution. See¡­ due to the Curse it is quite a difficult task to pass... down the powers to a child of my own."


    Narrowing down explanation, sweet coating everything, Xakro continued. "I gave life to four and none... are wielding my power. Marching down towards... an entire civilization of Lava Controllers¡­ and kill them all alone or with an army is¡­ no easy task. If I get killed, my powers go with... me."


    Chan''s focused on the part where The King actually has four Children! Four! Where are they? Why  are most of his kids unknown? Never spoken off?


    Clumsy, Chan spoke what he isn''t supposed to. "Well that added another big piece to this mystery. Its a bigger mystery on why you never mentioned anything about your spawns, I only know Zar."


    Seeing that the King isn''t nearly ready to talk about his children, or he simply doesn''t want too.


    Chan shifted the topic to something of which the King surely wanted to hear about. "But if I manage to kill The Electus¡­?"


    "My Levels of Magic would... have the ability to reach Level 12. No Witch or Wizard reached that... before, not even an Electus." For once, a smirk appearing on the King''s face even after considering his own insecurities.


    The King deviously added. "Breaking the curse could possibly... let me have several kids who are able to reach those same levels. Without... them carrying the same wound marks."


    The simple thought of several overly powerful people roaming Ignis, is terrifying itself especially after considering which side they would stand on.


    And Chan is well aware, so he hyped the idea. "If you have one it is like giving birth to two Electuses. If you have five it is like giving birth to ten of them."


    Noticing that Chan acknowledged his concept and plans, the King decided to move on towards something different.


    Best described, a problem. "Indeed. But that''s... for the future. But now we have a situation... on our hands. The Electus brought quite... some havoc on his last visit here. He killed... too many of our own, we need more Guards."


    Able to catch on for once, Guard Commander Chan had the urge to ask. "Do you need me to go to our Motherland [Meridionali Ignis] Sire? In your name I can recruit a couple thousand. They have no choice but to obey."


    "Being at a shortage, that would... greatly harm their economy. A Kingdom isn''t a Kingdom without workers... Taking more people from our motherland will only... harm our revolution." Obviously, the King fancies his motherland more, doesn''t nearly want to risk weakening it.


    Continuing as Chan has no option but to listen, Xakro muttered. "But one Kingdom here in this Country, is ran... by my son! It is almost on the edge of the... Continent but it is worth the travel. It has people to spare."


    Finally revealing what Chan wanted to hear so far, the King clarified. "You need to go to Pameres Kingdom and make a request from... King Zar."


    King Zar at least, Chan knew who that spawn is. But what about the rest of the four? This remains a strong mystery, for Chan at least.


    "We should have killed less Ignite slaves and made those Demons work." Chan expressed, hate captivating.


    Imagine being filled with hate enough to the point where Slavery feels normal to force upon a race!


    Ignoring Chan''s thoughts, the King cut to the case right away. "Start making your way to Pameres Kingdom first thing tomorrow... morning. Now you rest, you walked quite a journey and lost my Elite Archers too. Do you know... how hard it is to get them?"


    For a moment there, Chan felt like the King actually showed a small form of sympathy. But no that isn''t the case, at least the King is convinced enough to not end Chan''s pathetic existence.


    Becoming oddly specific, the King listed his demands. "Tomorrow make your way to Pameres Kingdom. When you... reach there, you are to get me:


    100 Blacksmiths,


    40 Miners,


    60 Farmers,


    10 business managers,


    40 Building constructors,


    30 Who can do the jobs of less importance,


    And most importantly 150 Guards."


    Luckily he took a breath each time he listed a request, otherwise he would for sure collapse. "Let 40 of them... be Archers, 30 Spearmen, and let the rest be Guards who... carry Melee Weapons. Are you able to memorize them... all Chan?"


    Ignoring the King''s first comment about losing the Elite Archers, Chan focused more on the question he was asked. "I might have to write those down somewhere. I only memorized the first four you asked."


    Making the oddest order a King can make, Xakro hollered. "Chan. Your... mind is so empty. I will give... you 10 books to read, understand¡­ and memorize on your way there and back from Pameres... Kingdom. If you don''t, I will... behead you."


    I''d wish to say that the King isn''t serious, but that would just be telling a lie! "Now go! I will have someone¡­ write everything down."


    Rushing out of the Throne room, at a bliss that he didn''t get shot down, Chan shouted across the hallway. "As you wish Sire. Thank you for your understanding."

 Shift in the Budget

    Next morning, as Guard Commander Chan woke up, he heard a knock on his door right after.


    Being a Guard Commander he has higher privileges, meaning he possesses a room of his own in the Castle.


    Not small either, it''s 10 meters across and 5 meters wide. It''s a luxuriously big room compared to what ordinary Guards get.


    For Guards there is a choice to either sleep with a bundle of other Guards or pick to sleep alone in a small room 3 meters wide and across.


    The Castle is quite roomy and there are other buildings away from the castle specifically for Guards, this Domain can fit a ton.


    However either choices have benefits and disadvantages.


    If a Guard is to sleep in a bundle, he would lack personal privacy but food would be free and they wouldn''t have to pay rent. Every expense would be covered by the King.


    Getting a small private room on the other hand, would no doubt have benefits when it comes to privacy, but as you might have guessed, the Guard would no doubt need to pay for food and rent.


    Which is affordable, being a Guard who is an illustratio is a high position compared to what other races have a status of across the Country [Occidentis Ignis].


    Each Guard here in Crutal Kingdom gets 150 Gold Coins per month as a salary, food for a month for one person would generally cost 90 Gold Coins and the rent costs 50 too.


    As you can guess, there won''t be much left over and one House commonly requires two or more salaries just to scrape by.


    But the Guards who sleep in bundles, get to save or spend most of their salaries.


    If they have families to take care of, that''s a different story. Chan, being a Guard Commander doesn''t need to pay for food or rent at all. Apart from that, he gets 250 Gold coins each month.


    He reached a lot already as a 25 year old even though he doesn''t have grattitude for his position, or is it all dumb luck?You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    However, as he heard a knock on his door, he right away granted permission to come in.


    Entering the room is indeed the King''s personal assistant. A well educated, swift, smart and no doubt an overachieving man.


    "Aaron my old friend, I''m guessing the King sent you here. Is that list ready?" Asked Chan with a friendly genuine tone for once.


    "Indeed. I wanted to give you a warm welcome with some refreshing Beer yesterday but you hit the hay. The King is really pleased with your progress." At this point Aaron was just trying to help Chan feel a tad more confident even though there isn''t much to be confident about.


    Disagreeing although still not able to fully open his eyes, Chan cited. "Pleased? He would have beheaded me if I didn''t have that overgrown freak''s heart."


    "It is true that the King doesn''t show much human emotion, but I''ve been working for him ever since I was 16. The King shows that he is pleased simply by not Killing you. Giving you more tasks is also a sign of satisfaction." Living side by side with the King for so long, maybe Aaron has a point?


    Aaron and Chan were practically grown together, they have the same age and have a long history together too.


    Sharing a deeper understanding they helped each other up through the toughest times. Their toughest time was of course growing up as orphans, which in this long lasting War is common to see.


    "There are Guards far more skilled than I am, yet he chose me to complete a task deathly important. I was sent there to die" At least Chan is well aware of this fact, shit ain''t adding up.


    Forced to learn the positive sides of things, Aaron weighed in. "The King sees greater purpose in you, he likely didn''t want to see you waste away as a Guard Commander. He picked you to do a task that even he would think twice about."


    Slightly slapping a bundle of books over a medium sized wooden table near by, Aaron stuck firm to his point. "If he saw no value in you, he wouldn''t do so much to better you."


    "Oh so he wasn''t fooling around about the ten books? How am I supposed to memorize 10 books? I was illiterate until I was 18." Eighteen! Well that is quite normal here, some people even die without learning the alphabet.


    "He wasn''t fooling around at all, did you ever even see the King fool around?" That made one point clear, Chan has to memorize everything or his head will get blown off.


    Not letting the silence stretch, Aaron continued. "A horse and 10 Guards are waiting for you. They''re carrying the list you need, your books, a map, food and water. I''m sure you''ll do well with the books, they are short."


    As Chan made his way down to the main gate, Aaron headed towards the King''s Throne room, holding a different list the King requested for. Shortly after Eric''s last visit here in Crutal Kingdom.


    After Eric caused Havoc, killing literally hundreds, Aaron had to get into detail about the Guards, Workers or just any random passerby who has been massacred that day.


    Knowing such numerical detail would of course show the King what measures to take. "Sire, I got the list you asked for. It took me 3 days and I barely slept but I completed it."


    Aaron is the King''s most trusted employee and practically the second in command in a few aspects.


    He is almost considered a friend to the cold hearted King who threatens to behead if tasks aren''t completed and he doesn''t behead with a blade either.


    Meaning, he asked Aaron to not bent the knee anymore, what better honor could one illustratio obtain?


    "Good¡­ A bit too late, but it is understandable. It is not easy to go through five... hundred houses." Showing understanding too? King Xakro sure is acting weird.


    Handing over a rolled up Parchment, not needing it himself. Aaron described, "My King, unfortunately the losses are considerably big. That Kid has killed five 532 permanent residents and 407 Imported Guards or Workers."


    Looking at this situation gold-wise, Aaron felt it heavy to point out. "Not to mention houses or businesses destroyed, this will be a great shift in your budget."

 Rich Farmers

    It took the group almost a week to reach the outer lands of Crutal Kingdom, they''ve took the forest as a good camouflage which took a bit more time to hike through.


    Due to the Forest being in front of the Kingdom, Commander Alia figured it out that there can''t be any farms at this specific location due to the obvious dense forest occupying the area.


    Everything to be seen behind Crutal Kingdom is a wide flat land for as far as the eye can see which is quite perfect for farming.


    But it is also surrounded by the forest from three sides so it tends to be a problem, the Farmers often fight off animals. Luckily, most intruders are herbivores and don''t tend to be a big problem.


    Wild Boars however, are an absolute hassle although wildly less common.


    When it comes to the farming business here, it''s a bit of a complicated process but unusually profitable for farmers in this area specifically and for Crutal Kingdom too.


    Xakro illustratio lll doesn''t sell any portion of the flatland to any farmer or anyone else for that matter, it isn''t available for purchase but for rent instead.


    Any illustratio can obtain as much farmable land as they please without having to pay even one Gold Coin for it, how can that even be considered a proper rent you might ask? Well there is a twist!


    The farmer or farm manager has to give half of the crops to the Crutal Kingdom. Specifically to the Castle''s Storage room, where the crops can be sold to the citizens after.


    The Castle obtains too much crops in one harvest, to the point where tons of yield have to be imported to Meridionali Ignis for a side profit.


    He has to sell it to other Kingdoms under his control of course, to further strengthen his capital.


    Getting back to the point. In this reality, illustratian farmers are one of the richest due to the huge piece of practically free farmable land they are given.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    So negotiating with illustratios will prove rather difficult considering that they are not desperate.


    They will either refuse to bargain, try to sell the crops for higher prices or even report to the Guards if they see Ignites carrying around 10,000 Gold Coins worth of Ignite Gems.


    Hopefully there will be Ignite farmers who have good connections with their bosses to the point of a proper deal and hopefully none will recognize Stefan, as he probably is a fugitive right now in Crutal Kingdom along with the rest.


    "I''ll do the bargaining, I ran a business for years. I know how to strike equal prices if not cheap." Dabbled Stefan with a bit of confidence.


    Ego doesn''t have part at this thankfully, 700 lives are to be spoken off after all.


    "That isn''t such a bright idea Stefan. You are likely a fugitive here now. I doubt that Xakro doesn''t want you killed." Suggested Alia who got a bit surprised that Stefan didn''t consider the fact that he was tossed away from Crutal Kingdom a short while ago.


    "I wonder if Guards saw my face enough for a portrait to be drawn. It''s not like I want to be infamous but I can bargain if no one knows who I am." Suggested Mogranius with slight sarcasm and a bit of cockiness in his tone as well.


    But most of his thoughts were pure good intention of course, those are the roots.


    "We can''t risk showing a familiar face to any of these farmers. They could report us to the Guards in a heartbeat, I will do the bargaining." Finally, someone suggested something that isn''t insanely risky.


    This will be their best shot, Alia really has chances of succeeding.


    "A very beautiful bargainer no doubt." Complimented Mogranius obviously, practically fangirling on Commander Alia.


    To everyone''s surprise, she expressed. "Hmmmm. Agreeable."


    She ain''t being cocky in any way, It just gave her a lot more ideas! "These fools stop thinking once a gorgeous woman approaches them. Be it illustratio, Ignite, Kastarian or any other race."


    "I agree but do you all realize that we need to get Wagons and Horses first. I doubt that any of you want to split on carrying 10,000 Gold Coins worth of food." Pointed out Eric in aims to make the Wagons and Horses their main priority first.


    "The Kid is right, Stefan. Where can we get those?" Asked Mogranius, complimenting Eric''s thoughts.


    "Horses should be an easier task as many farmers use them to transport the harvested crops, we should ask one for directions." Explained Stefan in thankfully greater detail.


    Its different to point out a plan and it''s different to form one they can follow.


    Thinking it through logically, Eric butchered. "Since there isn''t enough space in front of the Kingdom to hold a Horse stable big enough to support this place, there should be one here in the outer farms no doubt."


    But still he isn''t informed enough to know where that Stable exactly is. "Me and my father never visited the outer farms before because father said we can''t afford a stable fee. So I don''t know where the stable is."


    "Wow that Crown sure is working hard, you are thinking wiser than Stefan." Laughed Mogranius with obvious never ending sarcasm, irritating Stefan in a couple of aspects.


    "Alright alright, these are just lucky guesses, nobody is as smart as me in this group. I am the Brains of this operation." Luckily, Stefan didn''t express it rudely and just played along, but bragged of course.


    In the midst or their debate, they''ve heard a muffled loud whisper enslaving their attention. "You there. Come closer! Come come."

 200 Gold Coins a night

    A rather unexpected character is calling for the group to approach.


    But it became soon certain that this specific character is calling for Commander Alia only!


    The pure natural beauty this lady beholds, lowers the surprise of this act.


    She didn''t waste time and approached with a dash, but with her right hand she''s holding on to the short Iron Sword''s handle sheathed on her scabbard around her hip.


    Like this at least, she can provide a quick and easy death just in case this man proves troublesome.


    "Yes, did you call for me stranger?" Asked Alia, puzzled. This isn''t a situation she expected herself to tap in.


    "I did, I did." Answered this mysterious man with a wide smirk across his face while sneaking glimpses at Alia''s physique, her form.


    A few seconds later, the stranger mouthed. "Do you want to earn 200 Gold Coins this night?"


    "Earn them how?" She swiftly replied, having a clue where this conversation is heading and feeling quite disgusted about it too.


    "I thought a beautiful lady like you would understand that." Answered the stranger, rather offensive and could be a bit of a sexist comment too if he doesn''t further elaborate.


    "What do you mean by..." Tried Alia to understand furthermore, but had her word cut short.


    "I''m sure you were provoked by hundreds of men before, that''s what I mean." That''s what this odd man meant, but it is still tremendously confusing.


    Stefan however, already caught up. Partially because he isn''t the one having the conversation which gives him time to think about this Man''s wordplay in more detail.


    Trying to convince the lady with an aid of his social status, the stranger  acknowledged. "I own the farm you are currently seeing, Albert''s farm. I''m Albert."


    Seeing that he owns a farm, Alia figures that this retard is wealthy or at least is worthy enough to be entitled as middle class. He can be manipulated for resources at a large scale.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    So Commander Alia planted some seeds for such intent. "Oh I think I know what you mean but I''m actually looking to buy crops, a lot of them. Can we bargain for two deals today darling?"


    She finished off her sentence with a rather sweet and ridiculously tempting tone. Using this man''s obvious lust, to her utmost advantage.


    Seeing that she is here to bargain, he decided to try and use it to his advantage.


    At the rate of this conversation he is overconfident about success. "Indeed. But only if you are to join me and a few others when midnight arrives."


    Noticing that the stunning lady in front of him isn''t disagreeing, he continued to give a more proper explanation. "See, my business is a farm at day and pleasure spot at night. Me and a lot of wealthy farm owners pay fine looking ladies more than they can ever earn per month."


    Commander Alia made a request sweet coated with compliments in aims to raise Albert''s Ego. "I might join but does a big strong man like you offer cheaper prices for a helpless lady like me? Men should be protecting women after all, you wouldn''t want me to return to my King empty handed, right?"


    And to make the situation a tad more convincing, she used the tips of her fingers to touch the Albert''s right cheek gently.


    Eric is barely understanding what''s going on herd. As a 15 year old kid who stayed mostly in the farm, he doesn''t yet know what sexual temptations are.


    Stefan is here gazing at how easily illustratios are tricked, which made his ego rise sky high. He does feel quite good about himself, easy to say.


    Mogranius on the other hand, well smoke is coming out of his ears. Jealousy, rage, murderous thoughts. You name it. But he''s waiting patiently for the best time to strike on such a disgraceful scum.


    The farmer however, made it certain that he is willing to cooperate. "I suppose we can make some adjustments miss¡­?"


    "Erzu. My name is Erzu and I love what I''m seeing." She lied here of course, twice.


    "Well miss Erzu. 5 ... uh no... 10 nights free of charge and I''ll drop the prices by half, if you buy a lot that is. Those ladies, well they eat up a lot of Gold Coins. I need more." Purely disgusting, can lust really lead to the point of bankruptcy?


    She doesn''t nearly plan to share a bed with anyone any time soon, so she has no reason to refuse. "We have a deal oh big Albert."


    She saw it reasonable to use this fool for further benefits, so she didn''t hesitate to ask. "Can a strong man like you, tell me where I can get Wagons and Horses? I''m expected to bring a big delivery in Pameres Kingdom. The King doesn''t like to be disappointed."


    With a wide smirk on her face, Alia continued while pinching his cheek. "He would punish me greatly, if you know what I mean. Not like I wouldn''t enjoy it, but I hate to disappoint."


    "Hehe there I can help gorgeous. Continue to head towards this road until you reach the end of it, you will see a Horse stable. Seek Iron Shoe Joseph, tell him that I''ve sent you." Butchered Albert in detail, as he glared at Commander Alia''s buttock curves.


    "I''ll be sure to please both of you very very well this night, handsome. Now tell me how much crops do you have in stock. You wouldn''t want to disappoint the King, or me. Would you?" She asked, and before Albert was about to speak, his words were cut off.


    "I have 80 bags of Wheat Grain that I can spare for this little request. Each of them weighs almost as much as you. Each one costs 20 Gold Coins. But they are 10 for you, beautiful." Explained Albert with several twists in his words.


    Seeing that this fool can''t be used for more Wheat Grain, she decided to focus less on that and more on the payment. "I''ll take all 80 of them but there is one more complication a sweet mouthed man like you would likely have no trouble with. Our mines hit a huge deposit of Ignite Gems, do you accept it as a payment?"


    Not planning to disagree, Albert even calculated for her. "You will need to pay with 8 pieces of illustratio Gems, sorry for the correction. I assure they cost 100 Gold Coins each."


    Putting that part behind since he noticed the displeased look on her face, he moved to more important matters. "Do you have the illustratian Gems with you? I require payment right away."


    Commander Alia gently placed the bag that was over her shoulder, on the ground and explained. "There are 25 of them in this bag, we have more as well. What else is in your stock handsome?"

 Shire Horses

    "We have a deal ma''am. I will talk to some of my friends who have similar businesses." Looking at her sexually attractive form and getting lost in the conversation for a little bit.


    He continued to speak when Commander Alia started snapping her fingers. "Ugh right! Where was I? Right right. They might not cut the price in half like I did, but they will still do lower prices."


    Of course, him trying to get as much profit out of these people be it for business or pleasure, he informed them of another offer. "I also have 50 barrels of these fruits called "Oranges."


    Noticing how Alia is confused about this fruit, Albert described. "They were Imported from [Country] Orientis Ignis recently since it is a winter snack! They are a bit sour but only richer can afford them, which is why I''m offering them to you."


    "Tell me the price, I would love to buy them and one more last request Albert. Mmm that''s a nice name." Planting seeds of further possible discounts, she added while having a soft grip on his face again. "Don''t invite any other ladies tonight. I want to take you all, alone."


    Shocked enough to pull his face away from her pillow soft grip, he asked with a firm tone. "Are you sure? There are five men!"


    Confident, running her nails through his chin this time, she added. "Trust me, I can handle more than that."


    Urging to see what this lady can really do, he has no option but to. "Agreeable, but just for tonight."


    Afterwards he became shameless enough to remind. "And as we agreed, you won''t be paid and will come for ten nights straight."


    Albert grabbed his own crotch, trying to fight the boner and make it less obvious to any passer by and allowing gold to become his lust. "About the Oranges, each Barrel costs 100 Gold Coins. But for you of course, fifty."


    Taking it into consideration that these Oranges are food for the richer, she didn''t hesitate to ask further questions. "Hmmm. Reasonable price, I''ll take all 50 but how much does each barrel weigh?"


    Afraid that she might cancel this deal, Albert cited. "Each barrel weighs 10 Kilograms but the fruits last longer due to the proper barrels and they can be stacked easier on a Wagon for long way roads."


    Well this is obviously food for the richer considering the price to quantity ratio, but it is still affordable due to the provided discount. "We have a deal. My co-worker will give you 20 more Ignite Gems to pay off everything and I will make my way to Joseph Iron Shoe."


    "Sounds reasonable, I will start organizing everything right now." Willing to help more for the sake of being labeled as her favourite, he dared to point out a big issue. "But if you plan to buy more crops, know that 3 Wagons won''t be able to fit them all. Buy at least 5 or bigger ones."


    "Thank you for your help handsome." She answered with internal disgust and walked towards Eric and Stefan for the aimed future purchase. "You two. I will need those bags you are carrying."


    She finished off as she untied her bun and let her long to the elbow pitch black hair roam free.


    They look a bit tangled here and there but it''s just due to the mass volume in them. Stefan doesn''t really care about this scene and is glad to not carry these Gems anymore.


    As for Eric he''s frozen on his spot and Commander Alia had to pry the sack from his shoulder.


    ¡­


    Reaching the walls wasn''t really a hassle, but she had to be sure of finding Joseph, other people wouldn''t be of use to her.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Seeing a lady in front of the nearby stable, she approached and asked. "Hello ma''am, I''m looking for Joseph Iron Shoe. Do you know where I can find him?"


    Seeing that Commander Alia is stunning, staggering in each aspect. The lady started panicking right away. "My husband? What trouble did he get himself into now? Did he chase a woman again? "


    Noticing that his wife has already developed partial traumas due to her husband''s lust games, Alia tried to calm this nice lady down. "No no ma''am. I''m looking to buy Horses and Wagons."


    Answering with, "Oh." And giving out a deep strong sigh of relief after. Josep''s wife clarified. "He is behind this door, I only handle the Horses out here. He does the selling and fees."


    "Thank you ma''am." Alia felt tad bad for the lady, she sounds so kind and looks beautiful too while her husband spends hard earned Gold Coins on whores.


    But yet again, herself feeling bad won''t necessarily fix anything.


    So she wiped her bad mood off her face and exploded in faked enthusiasm once she closed the door. "The Legendary Joseph Iron Shoe!"


    Tip toeing her way near a chair in front of Joseph''s desk and taking a firm seat after, she continued. "Albert told me so much about you! He said that you are one of the richest businessmen in Crutal Kingdom. It is truly an honour."


    "Greetings miss." He answered to all of that enthusiasm with professionalism surprisingly and with a half smile he continued. "Well he isn''t wrong I suppose, what can I offer you?"


    "Getting to the point already aye? You just saved me the trouble of flirting with your retarded ass." She thought to herself, the mind is the source of the deepest expressions no doubt.


    But she can cut to the point too. "I need Horses and good quality Wagons. Big Wagons and Strong Horses, what can you offer?"


    "You are in luck about both actually, 3 Shire Horses have just arrived." Seeing that his customer is holding a puzzled face, perhaps not familiar with what breed Shire Horses are.


    He continued to explain the key characteristics and origin too. "They aren''t anywhere to be found in Ignis except for the dry lands of Orientis Ignis, they are quite big too!"


    Seeing that she still feels unsure, Joseph continued with a further offer. "You want to buy Wagons as well right? For each Horse and Wagon you buy, you get to pay 200 Gold Coins less."


    Shifting the topic towards a different direction since the Shire Horses sound expensive, she added. "I love that deal oh great Joseph. Why do they call you Iron Shoe may I ask? Sounds like a name belonging to a great story."


    But Joseph continues to remain professional. "It''s a long story ma''am. But long story short, I ended up with an Iron foot due to an accident with a Horse. Unfortunate really."


    "Oh that sounds like an injury only hard workers would gain." Beckoned Alia after the aims to raise his ego went unexpectedly downhill, the last thing she wants is to give up.


    Understanding her charms and her ways of getting things, Joseph kept a blank look on his face and forcing the topic back to business. "Anyway I can get you good quality Wagons, they are big and have strong sturdy woodwork made to carry large deliveries."


    Finally moving on to the price he cited. "Along with one horse, each one will cost 1,000 Gold Coins with the discount included."


    "1,000 Gold Coins you say?" Well the price is definitely not what she expected or wanted.


    She expected for this fool to ask for something quick right here in this bargaining room, but no he won''t budge. "I want three of those but I can''t invest all my budget on them, I need to buy more crops."


    Going towards desperate measures, she marinated her lies. "I wouldn''t want to disappoint the King of Pameres Kingdom."


    Raising his eyebrow, Joseph asked. "You work for a King you say?"


    Glad that this bickering is working to her advantage for a change, her enthusiasm remained high as she answered. "Indeed I do, he sent me here to obtain a ot of crops. I will be pleasing you and the rest of your Farmer friends tonight, I struck a deal with Albert."


    His eyebrows jerked up, he jested. "Oh, in that case If you can afford 2,000 Gold Coins, I can happily offer 3 Shire Horses and 3 good Wagons."


    A smirk across her face, glad to see his professionalism crumble along with his lust, she snorted. "Sounds like we reached a deal sir Joseph."


    Willing to push this even further, she stroked his hair and added. "But I need 4 Wagons. We already have a Horse and all 4 Wagons will likely be packed from bottom to top. I have a big order to fulfill."


    Unwilling to let such a bird fly away without getting slammed, he accepted. "I can offer a Big Wagon for 400 Gold Coins, meaning your total will be 2,400 Gold Coins. It''s a cheap price for a Wagon of this size and quality."


    Placing her leather bag over his desk, Alia explained. "This bag holds 25 Ignite Gems and they sell for 100 Gold Coins in the market, but I''m sure a businessman like you can strike better deals."


    "I''m not the biggest fan of illustratio Gems." He corrected since he is an illustratio himself and finally got to the point. "But I can accept this deal, I appreciate the bonus too."


    With all these lies told today, what''s another? She asserted, "Thank you. I''ll be sure to please you the most tonight."

 The Swimming Rat

    As Alia instructed Iron Shoe Joseph to specifically bring the Horses and Wagons to Albert''s farm, she made her way out of the stable and instantly noticed an illustratio giving her an awkward eye.


    Unfortunately for her, a strong wind followed a split second after and her black hair flew up and wide.


    Her black hair aren''t tied in a bun this time due to bargaining reasons, which only made her more beautiful.


    To the illustratio however, it has been made perfectly clear that Alia doesn''t have ears.


    His eyes widened in shock accompanied by fear too as he realized that feature, calmly walking towards his left, looking for a Guard who''s standing about a hundred yards away.


    The illustratio tried to hide his panic by keeping his pace slow to avoid getting more attention from the earless lady.


    Alia noticed for sure what he spotted.


    To make this situation possibly worse, she also noticed another Guard approaching from the right side of the walls, fiddling along the road close to the walls.


    Using the vegetation the river offers where water and land bound, she started following the illustratio, taking muffled steps.


    The river is about 10-20 yards away from the road the illustratio is walking on, giving Alia more complications when it comes to launching a sneak attack.


    "Who is there? Hello?" Asked the illustratio as he heard a few sounds from a distance.


    Taking a look behind, he noticed that the "different" looking lady is already gone. Paranoia overwhelmed his subconscious, forcing him to speed walk.


    Noticing that the illustratian civilian has synced into panic, she took a quick glance around and a partially wet rock caught her eye.


    Grabbing the rock bigger than two fists together, and tossing it against the illustratio''s head with all her might, she knocked him out cold and dashed towards him.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The hit tossed him 3 feet across the ground as if an explosive met the back of his head.


    The two illustratian Guards however, unfortunately saw Commander Alia dragging the body a meter before she entered the thick vegetation close to the river.


    And considering the fact that she is a lady, both of them became bold enough to not go get more Guards to handle this scene.


    Well let''s just say that these two Guards didn''t face their best day on duty.


    These Guards started floating down the river along with the chump who wanted to report her, one of these people floated in two pieces.


    ¡­


    "You''re here sooner than you said you will be but I got worried when the Horses and Wagons arrived here before you." Stated Mogranius in great concern after giving Alia a big long hug.


    With a pale whisper she explained, "I had to dispose of a few rats."


    Before she assured with a whispering tease, "It is all taken care of, I hope you didn''t cause any trouble my big strong Wizard."


    "Don''t play with me now, I was already worried!" Battered Mogranius with his face becoming slightly red, but he fought it off by looking at Stefan. It worked.


    Unlike Mogranius, Stefan approached to clarify some statistics. His favourite part of the job come to think of it. "The Orange barrels are loaded, it took quite some effort but they all fit in. All 50 of them!"


    With his mood slightly shifting towards the worse, Stefan here also added. "200 Grain Bags might take 2 Wagons of space though, it''s quite a lot. But we can still buy more crops with the 30 Ignite Gems left."


    Although some news a little bit bad, this situation turned towards the best, more than necessary even. Alia''s glad to point out, "We will be able to save some Ignite Gems. One Wagon can''t fit 30 Ignite gems worth of Crops unless someone scams us."


    Jerking his eyebrow up, Mogranius cited. "Handsome Albert called another farm owner here, let''s hear out his prices."


    "Don''t get jealous." She teased at a high pitched tone enough for everyone to hear and even grabbed his nose.


    Continuing with a whisper in his ear, even digging her head in his hood. "Don''t tell anyone but you are the most handsome one here geezer, you still look young."


    Getting back to business, finally! She turned her gaze towards the new farmer and asked. "So what crops do you offer sir¡­?"


    "Call me Ebren, miss Erzu." Without shame he pointed out his intent here. "I''m eager to see you tonight."


    He even gave a wink, making Alia almost hurl her dinner all over him but she kept herself together with a smile.


    Finally turning his attention towards business, he stated. "I farm Corn, all my stock has, is Corn. I can fill this entire empty Wagon you bought for 200 Gold Coins, would normally cost 500."


    Keeping a smile she answered, "Well this solves the last problem."


    Turning her attention towards someone else now, she stated. "Joseph, I have a question. Can these 4 Horses, pull 6 Wagons?"


    Statistic oriented, Joseph butchered in a bit of detail. "Easily. If you attach 2 Shire Horses with 3 Wagons set in a neat row, they have no trouble pulling them. They can even pull 5!"


    A storm of ideas running through her mind, basic calculations used she requested. "In that case I will need 2 more Horses and 4 more Wagons. I don''t need high quality either and I will offer you 20 Ignite Gems for it."


    She paused for a moment, turned to Ebren and said. "You will fill this Wagon and the rest of the four that will arrive with Corn and I will give you 10 Ignite Gems. Even if the Wagons Turn out smaller."


    Hearing this portion of the deal, Joseph chipped in. "The Wagons will be the same as what you see here but I will bring Chestnut Horses this time. They are smaller but can pull 1 Wagon on their own easily."


    Ebren struck hesitant for a while, unwilling to go with the flow. He can make 1,000 Gold Coins by filling 2 Wagons with Corn.


    He is about to disagree until she moved her robe just a little bit and her clothed finely tuned legs were clear to see. "We have a deal, let''s start loading."

 About your Obsession

    It took both the Farm owners, their workers, the Gang and the Horse Stable owner most of the day to load all those crops.


    But the final minutes of work? It was an amazing sight truly. 2 Shire Horses have been attached to 3 big Wagons who are set up one after the other.


    The first Wagon was filled with Orange Barrels, the other two Wagons following were filled with Wheat Grain bags from bottom to top.


    You would think that two Horses wouldn''t be able to pull all of that material, but you would be wrong when it comes to Shire Horses.


    It is uncertain how they are this big, but each Shire Horse reaches 2.5 meters tall to the shoulder and reach over 3 meters when they raise their head up high!


    Truly beautiful creatures but at the same time dumb powerful, even four Wagons seem easy for them.


    Following the first set of Wagons are one other Shire Horse and of course the bush lover, BlackWind.


    One of these Wagons is filled with Wheat Grain sacks and with Cabbages too, the bags took a lot of space without a doubt. The rest of the Wagons are filled with Cabbages!


    Black Wind stands 2 Meters tall to the shoulder, when he raises his head high he stands 2.5 meters tall.


    A small difference from the Shire Horses really but he is almost as powerful, giving the Shire Horse ease when it comes to pulling the Wagons instead of leaving it all on him.


    Following the second set of Wagons, are the 2 newly arrived Chestnut Horses. They have a beautiful colour on their fur, a reddish brown color shining. Hence the name, Chestnut.


    Indeed a beautiful sight, it is more eye catching than seeing a three meter horse really. But they are considered less important because of their size and for the fact that they are more common, easier to find here in Ignis.


    These two Horses standing 1.5 meters tall to the shoulder and roughly 2 meters tall when their head is up high, are only strong enough to pull 2 Wagons together without exhausting themselves after a medium distance.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    It is proper space and Horse management, they can make it to Lan Zhe without complications.


    These Wagons are filled to the top with Corn, the gang got way more out of this than they wished for. It is not an everyday scene to see eight big Wagons filled with crops.


    "Is this a Molarian Black Horse?" Asked Iron Shoe Joseph out of great curiosity.


    He has been meaning to ask this question ever since he arrived to Albert''s Farm and saw Black Wind but didn''t quite find the opportunity to ask, well it is now or never.


    "Indeed he is, King''s favourite Horse actually." Answered Eric as he noticed that Joseph looked at Black Wind with eyes that portray Gold Lust.


    Joseph continued with his praising by explaining the Horses'' value Gold-wise. "This beauty isn''t even to be found in our Continent, he is too rare here! He would cost 10,000 Gold Coins easily, I could sell him for more."


    Willing to put this topic to and end, Alia dared to mix royalty here to kill Joseph''s hopes. "Sorry but the King would be very disappointed, in a bad way actually. He loves his Horse."


    "A shame really. I would offer 10,000 on the spot!" Joseph is likely the only one here who didn''t blow his entire savings on... night activities. No one else here has 10,000 to offer.


    As Joseph finished his sentence, the other 2 Farmers of the pleasure group arrived. 2 Farmers were already there, plus Joseph.


    The newly arriving made the group whole. It is perfect timing actually, midnight is very close which explains why the men arrived with Torches. Loading those crops sure took a while.


    Seeing that the inevitable is close, Commander Alia turned to her friendly group and requested. "I suppose you all should start your journey to Pameres Kingdom my good co-workers. Tell the King I will be back after a month!"


    Continuing with a smirk, she added. "A Woman needs some fun and games after such hard work."


    "As you wish mis Arzu." Answered Stefan and moved the lead for the first Horses to start walking.


    The Horses started walking at a pace double the speed of a normal Human''s walking rate.


    If they get lucky, they will reach Lan Zhe before midday tomorrow with a few in between short breaks for the Horses, they aren''t carrying a school bag after all.


    The second set of Horses led by Eric shortly followed after at the same pace, to avoid any accidents they weren''t too close to each other.


    And seeing the other Wagons move, the Chestnut Horses followed after, but who led them? Mogranius isn''t on the Wagon nor close to the Horses.


    Well. Remember the torches? It isn''t much noticeable but they let out smoke.


    Small smoke which Mogranius dragged towards himself slowly and under the strongest concentration, which is why he didn''t really talk much.


    The darkness the night provided made it easier for Mogranius to succeed without dragging any attention, allowing him to go invisible without taking an hour even.


    As the Stable owner entered the pleasure barn first, followed by the other four Farmers.


    The fourth didn''t exactly manage to enter the barn. However nobody noticed him disappear as they were all focused on Alia who was waiting inside of the barn for them.


    But her clothes aren''t at all off and her short Iron Sword is pulled out instead.


    The fourth farmer however who didn''t manage to enter the barn is the same person they met when they reached the Outer Farms, Albert.


    "We need to talk about your obsession towards my lady." Albert heard a voice on mid air as he was being dragged behind, as if kidnapped.


    He tried to scream but a rag got shoved in his mouth and the same tone whispered. "Let me teach you some manners, Handsome Albert!"

 Underneath the moonlight

    After a few screams, door bangs and light flickering, noticed coming from underneath the barn. Alia walked out of the Pleasure Barn with a torch on her hand and blood on her Short Sword.


    Best part yet? The four men are not dead, but are on the ground crying or have already passed out!


    She noticed smoke appearing in mid air even though there''s no fire, except the small torch that is.


    But that torch wouldn''t be able to cause nearly as much smoke as Alia saw all at once.


    She thought, holding her Sword tight too. "Where is this smoke coming from."


    Her questioning got answered when Mogranius appeared out of mid air shortly after.


    "What are you doing here? You are supposed to steer the Horses." Scolded Alia with a loud whisper.


    "Oh I came back for you and also Albert wanted to take a midnight swim so I used my fingers like a torch to show him the way." This is a bit of sarcasm of course but he is indirectly admitting that he committed murder.


    An enemy is an enemy I guess but he also wanted to address what Alia thought about the most, "Also the Horses are smarter than these illustratios anyday, they can follow a Wagon."


    In no way creeped out, she decided to tease him. "Adorable, you got jealous of Albert. Just precious."You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Having the guts to be straight forward for once instead of flirting like a madman, he stated. "Well I do like you a lot as you might have noticed until and yes I do get jealous!"


    Fighting off the developing blush hidden on his black beard, he decided to point out one straight fact. "I never thought I would say that to any person in my life."


    "I like you too, you are the first man I ever met who is worth my time and effort." Decide Alia to be straight forward as well.


    She has known Mogranius for a long while and... well he is quite different. A lot different actually, a man child at least but life is never boring with him around.


    "Do you mean that?" Asked Mogranius just to assure, since he isn''t quite used of Alia being this sweet.


    Alia threw the torch to the ground, stomped on it until it wasn''t granting illumination any longer and afterwards sheathed her short Sword.


    Under the Moonlight she awkwardly grabbed Mogranius on the shoulders and pulled him in. As a result, her lips touched his.


    Considering she is a Woman, Alia is still unusually tall. So Mogranius had to stand on his toes just a little bit.


    But this will also be their little secret like the fact that their noses bumped to each other awkwardly until they found the perfect pose for a short lasting kiss!


    A heartfelt hug followed after and both of them were hiding their red faces on each other''s shoulders.


    "All those 58 years were worth the wait." He whispered in her ear while both of them are still clinging on each other.


    "What about me, I''m 300 years old. This was more rewarding for me." She continued with a whisper and grabbed his nose for the pure purpose of annoyance, but it is worth it because she dared to say. "Handsome."


    "Oh so you like my grey Wizard Beard, I knew it." He celebrated by giving her another kiss, but on her cheek this time.


    "It is a beauty to see." She complimented but of course couldn''t let him win. "It makes up for the fact that you are very annoying sometimes."


    "My beauty is overwhelming I know." Although this moment amazing, he did remember for what they are here. "But wait, what happened to the¡­"


    Separating from the hug, she just gestured for him to not worry about it. "They are alive, but touching Women would be a waste of time for them now. They won''t be able to have children from now on."


    "Hehe. That''s my lady." Giggled Mogranius, lifted her off of the ground and flew towards the night sky with her, Fire blasting underneath his feet.

 Beginning of the Second Volume

    It has been a week since the Gang arrived in the Underground Town of Lan Zhe with the 8 large Wagons of food gathered in the Outer Lands of Crutal Kingdom. The entire town celebrated their arrival and success with a big feast which was now affordable to throw thanks to the taken action.


    It is not easy to hold a feast where over 700 people are included, but Commander Alia made it all possible because of the lusty Farmers she was able to manipulate without them getting anything good out of it.


    All those Farmers did was give huge stock with big discounts and loosing their precious "things" after as a token of her appreciation.


    Since Eric was crowned King before they made their journey to the Outer Lands, it was no longer needed or reasonable for Commander Alia to have any control over the entire town like she did before Eric was crowned King.


    That''s a job for Eric now but everyone in the Town has a deep respect for Commander Alia and her Contributions will be written down in the history of Lan Zhe, which is a big honour itself. But she didn''t loose her privileges of Authority due to his crowning, she is the King''s Second in Command and her word is as respected as Eric''s.


    Although Woldemir had the 55 Guards under his command for less than a week, he sure did help them progress in Combat. Woldemir is sure dedicated to Swordsmanship but he also discovered the love of passing his wisdom to many who appreciate the art, through these past few days. It is an honour, seeing tens of men and women picking up what he has too teach.


    The way of the Sword can''t be learned in a day, but Woldemir has exercises that could sure help them progress a bit faster than usual, his days of failure and simply progressing the slower way, helped to aid such a task.


    Not to forget the Calidum Lutum are physically stronger and more endurable than any Ignite. They can handle more long term exercises better than an Woldemir ever could with an effort that doesn''t push them to the limit, to the point of hurting themselves.


    A few of the exercises he made them doo was for two Guards to hold swords against each other. This exercise helps with preparation against an enemy swing, if their Sword ever meets another. In these chaotic times they most likely will, this exercise helps keep a more stable stance.


    It helps to avoid being overpowered by another Sword, and to avoid another Sword making its way to the defender''s body. It is quite effective as standing still, pushing the Swords against each other with might, helped develop the muscles needed for that specific defense form.


    It consumed energy a lot though but everyone sees it as worth the time and effort.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    To avoid any cuts, Woldemir asked the town''s Black Smith to make dull Swords. It was difficult to do though since there isn''t a translator to be spoken off here, apart from Kazer. And even he struggled to understand Woldemir, but thankfully they managed to understand each other at the end.


    Good enough, making a dull sword doesn''t take much time either. He still didn''t manage to make them all considering that he has his hands occupied with making full body armor for 55 Guards.


    But at first he made 10 dull Swords which Guards took turns on using while the rest did other exercises, so there was no time to waste. Each day he made 6 more, the amount gradually increased which led to better more organized exercises.


    Being this huge and powerful, came along with the fact that they need 12 hours a sleep each day to recharge. Understanding that fact, Woldemir prepared a special schedule for them. As soon as it was time to train, the Guards started training.


    Being late however would lead to consequences such as doing more exercises while others were given the time to eat. This will give the rest of the Guards the sense of order and discipline.


    Both order and discipline were needed if 10 of those Guards were to attack a Kingdom, the Kingdom has roughly 100 Guards after all but an opponent is never to be underestimated. They need order, they can''t be spreading around individually, risking being overpowered by arrows and spears.


    After an hour of exercise early in the morning, each Guard would eat a light snack and were permitted to rest for a bit which averagely took 10 minutes. Getting food on their stomach and having a bit of time to catch their breath was effective for better progress.


    After that they continued to exercise for 4 hours straight with a minute break in between exercises so they don''t pass out. Woldemir is strict when it comes to learning the way of the Sword, wasting time is not an option and is punishable with 150 pushups.


    During those 4 hours, the Guards were shown various types of attack and defense forms. The defense forms of course had to be done with dull Swords but the attack forms didn''t require them as the Guards wouldn''t be training it on one another.


    One of the attack forms was to stab with the Sword. To do the attack properly, one would need to get a firm grip to the ground with his or her feet, requiring careful positioning.


    The right foot needs to be set forwards first to get a light grip on the ground and with that right foot used to do a biggish leap, while the left foot used to give a bit of an extra boost.


    The Sword is pointed almost Horizontally straight forward, such stab could terminate an opponent regardless of body shape and size.


    That exercise is to be repeated for an hour straight with no breaks in between, it takes a lot of effort to withstand such long exercises.


    Another Defense form would be one Guard holding his Sword above his or her head, the right hand on the Handle and the left hand on the other side of the Sword, holding the side that isn''t sharp of course.


    While one Guard will be Holding the Sword like that above the head, the other Guard would attack. To avoid any accidents, the attacker swung down his sword at a slower lighter pace to see how much the defender is able of withstanding. If the defender can withstand more, the attacker can swing down harder.


    A bigger more fulfilling meal followed after such long exercises and of course a bit more time to relax was given. This break usually took 30 minutes which allowed the Guards to recharge rather well. Food gives energy, it clears the clouds on one''s mind and grants efficiency. It is neccesary for shaping warriors.

 Eat, sleep and train.

    Taking light breaks can''t neccesarily be considered as a waste of time if well organized of course, it is a good way to regain energy and it would furthermore increase the overall morale of the Guards.


    After that meal, 4 more hours of continuous lighter exercise followed which were mandatory to developing every muscle needed when it comes to wielding a Sword against an enemy.


    Through these exercises however, none will be handling an actual Iron Sword. These exercises are a bit different come to think of it, how?


    Well for example they would exercise their overall strength with training methods such as carrying boulders for 100 yards back and forth with a short break in between.


    Push ups had to be done as well of course, it is a good way to build their arms, chest and shoulders which inevitably leads to a stronger figure, harder to shame in battle. Under an hour each and every Guard has to finish doing 300 Push ups, hard indeed but Grinders see results.


    They can choose how to manage time through push ups but if one fails to do it, he or she is held responsible for the failure and the last meal would be automatically skipped and to make it worse, the one who failed will need to do push ups while the others eat. These are all baby step exercises but mandatory.


    Another meal and a 20 minute break followed after those numerous sets of exercises, food has become a minor motivation while the death of the Guard a couple of weeks ago has become the main motivation. After that last meal for the day, they finish up with 2 more hours of exercise of which gradually becoming easier too doo.


    Woldemir doesn''t expect them to be at top efficiency after such a long day after all, they basically exercise 11 hours a day with in between breaks lasting an hour long when all combined, it sure is a hell lot ot exercises even for abnormally strong Calidum Lutum men and women.


    Woldemir wanted to make Sword Grand Masters out of them indeed but even for them it would require a lot of work, for a Calidum Lutum the title of a grand master has been made harder.


    Because if they trained at an Ignite or illustratio''s pace they would finish up as Grand Masters in 3 years. Commander Alia has acknowledged that fact, it is also a reason why Woldemir buffed up the daily training.


    The title still remained hard to obtain, but Imagine if they actually succed. A troop of 55 carrying Grand Mastery in Swordsmanship marching down an enemy Kingdom! Even an army of 500 can''t face them with hopes of winning, they would dominate anyone in battle unless they are fighting one of their own.


    Isabel Progressed tremendously fast and is half way there to being a master. She was very interested into any exercise and technique Woldemir offered ever since he started training them, finding them unique even though basic.


    Paying the biggest attention to every little detail each technique or training had to offer, she didn''t just go an extra mile to learn more now that the opportunity is given, she went 10 miles! This just shows how much appreciation she has for this art of battle.


    But the other 9 Guards Eric has chosen to aid for the battle of Gaster Kingdom reached great progress as well so far! Through Woldemir''s order and discipline they managed to work as one, but weren''t so far off it when they first began training under his ways.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Now they began knowing each other''s weaknesses and advantages, using advantages in battle and knowing what to defend in battle. They helped each other progress faster no doubt, have each others back and progressed although each one different thoughts.


    The Blacksmith managed to make full body armor for 7 people through these days. It is not easy to make full body armor for 55 Calidum Lutum even though he is tremendously skilled. The fact that these people are typically 10 feet tall made it a whole lot more time consuming.


    This is a task that a normal Blacksmith would take several months too doo alone, years even depending on the experience. Yet this Blacksmith alone managed to make 7 already in just 10 days, one would think that he has magical powers as an aid. In two months or less he will be able to make all of the required armour, but as for the primary required 10 it would just take a couple more days.


    The armor is so well forged that it would take three arrow shots at one specific spot to just break through the armour and lightly pierce the skin. And considering that it is quite difficult to hit a moving target at the same spot over and over, the armor offers great protection from arrows however Swords share a different story.


    But of course if one Guard was to face Over 20 archers who would take a bit of effort to reach, it would end up badly. They aren''t immortal after all, just harder to kill. There also are specific Archers who would prove a lot more troublesome, especially if the Archers are of an Elite(Level 4) team. They are trained to stay as far away from a target as possible.


    The body armour like the Calidum Lutum themselves, is pitch black. But a hint of pure iron spreading down like veins was to be seen on the armour. Light and not overly spread, but it was there representing their lava like veins.


    The Blacksmith could have used Gold instead of iron, but that of course isn''t affordable. If the armor where to get stolen, they would be all the more valuable.


    The Armour looked quite tremendous on the men and women. Considering they were all in to an abnormally good shape, the armor on them looked even better. When Woldemir saw Isabel in full body armor, his heart skipped a beat but that shall remain our little secret.


    Her Armor brought up her feminine side a bit more, which was hard to focus on before from a Women slashing a sword ground trembling hard, or maybe Isabel just moved too much for him to notice before? Whatever the case might be, that made Woldemir skip another beat.


    He has already been admiring Isabel ever since he saw how well she can fight, her beauty is indeed overwhelming as well and has left him at a loss for words.


    She was of the Calidum Lutum race but her face had Ignite features making her beauty unique and different, her jawline is smaller which in some ways matches perfectly with her dark skin.


    Woldemir would love to know her story, what her past is or maybe even figure out how to help her overcome what she fears to express by word. But Isabel isn''t agreeing to such plans, she remains silent and all she cares about is the way of the Sword, fond towards the Craft.


    Perhaps her past was traumatic, perhaps it still haunts her. Hard to tell but she is living between people who accept her as who she is and adore her capabilities so that should at least contribute a portion towards damage control?


    "What do you say Woldemir. Are my Guards battle ready?" Asked Commander Alia with her enthusiasm building up bit by bit as she joined the training shortly after entering the room.


    "They certainly have made great progress. With full body armour they will be almost unstoppable." Woldemir proudly stated as he glanced upon the warriors he had the pleasure of training.


    Commander Alia found it reasonable to repeat one specific fact which might shift Woldemir''s morale furthermore towards the better, "On my last visit at Gaster Kingdom, there were roughly 100 Guards. I''m not aware of bigger changes but they don''t have the capability to get more Guards without the assistance from a bigger Kingdom."


    And had the pleasure of stating after, "If they got more Guards, it should be 20 or less."


    Now stating a Golden fact, Woldemir cited. "Considering the damages Eric caused in Crutal Kingdom, they won''t be getting assistance anytime soon all the way to the edge of the Continent."

 Downfall of Gaster Kingdom

    Guard Commander Chan after being on the road to reach Pameres Kingdom for over a week, he is barely halfway there. His close friend Aaron''s estimation of the time it takes to reach Pameres Kingdom wasn''t entirely correct.


    Well he isn''t to blame, neither are the horses come to think of it. They faced several steep hills already and the rain wasn''t stopping at all these past 3 days.


    If the rain wasn''t stopping at all for over 2 hours straight, for the horses and guards safety, they had to stop in an Inn to get warm and wait for the rain to stop, it really isn''t a good idea to travel in the rain when other options are available.


    Chan however, used the opportunity to read the books he was threatened to read before he started this journey. It mostly contained of illustratian Alliance history.


    Explaining the history of the Giant illustratio with scarcely gather up information, well more like theories about him. No one was ever that close to him and lived to tell the story.


    A book also explained the illustratain Revolution towards the "Evil Ignites". Mostly lies and propaganda forged by Xakro illustratio l, but who would be able to prove him wrong? Even Guard Commander Chan is believing everything he is reading.


    It isn''t so stupid to say, that History is how the ones in charge tell it to be written. It is a bit of an unwritten rule no doubt but its impact isn''t just in Ignis but worldwide, although the factions and History different.


    But one of the books tells of the rise to power of Pameres Kingdom. This domain started being built 16 years after Xakro illustratio l killed Akareas and took her powers.


    It isn''t really a surprising to see that the past Grand King tried to make new Domains the Alliance can get a profit out off, it felt even better when they made another domain pay for it.


    Gaster Kingdom is one of the Kingdoms on the so called "Clear Lands" and it also hosted several mines which were rich in mineral. But where is mineral, there is illustratians who used it to their utmost advantage for an expanse.


    Getting to the point, the illustratio favoured such land and mineral lust so after a very long battle that actually lasted 16 years, the illustratios actually managed to invade the most wealthy Kingdom in Occidentis Ignis, Gaster Kingdom.


    The Ignites there however, sure put up a fight. Their soldiers were of elite groups, their weaponry was of good quality and they managed to recruit small groups of Ignites one by one and form an army of 5,000.


    They stood a chance against Xakro''s army in numbers but their downfall was the lack of houses, they had housing for roughly 1000 but there were 5000 soldiers.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    People slept on the street, a huge part of the economy was spent in construction which backfired greatly so they had to deconstruct everything at the very end. Clan Conflicts between famous Ignite last names occurred because of a food shortage as well, which was what finally tipped the resistance over.


    The natives of Gaster Kingdom wanted upper advantages in the food situation just simply because they were permanent residents to Gaster Kingdom.


    While the imported Soldiers started a revolution towards the natives whose ego was taller than their height. Hundreds of soldiers were lost even though the King there tried tremendously to stop such conflict, it is fair to say that the Ignites in this domain practically destroyed their selves instead of being destroyed from an external threat.


    Xakro illustratio l however, did not at all fail to get this moronic situation to his advantage. He promised the none native Ignite Soldiers in Gaster Kingdom Permanent Residence if they helped him invade Gaster Kingdom.


    With the hatred towards the native Gaster Ignites, the non native soldiers made a mistake to partner with the enemy. The deal at first sounded fine, the imported Soldiers would run Gaster Kingdom, establishing their own community and becoming neutral with the illustratio. What''s best? They just had to pay a 35% monthly tax towards the illustratian Alliance.


    But it is rather believable that Xakro illustratio l didn''t keep his word. The Native Ignites in Gaster Kingdom were slaughtered by the non native Ignites there.


    After the battle, the remaining non native Ignites were enslaved to work in the mines and the illustratio established a community there without wasting a Soldier of their own.


    The mines at Gaster Kingdom were at top efficiency. Hundreds of non native Ignite Soldiers were put in to use in the mines, and the rest weren''t really set free to do as they wish.


    To avoid an Ignite Revolution, the illustratian Alliance beheaded Hundreds of Ignites and tossed them on the ocean nearby the Kingdom. It is fair to say that predatory fish fed on these Corpses and the beaches become mostly clean because of it.


    Using the very wealthy economy, Xakro illustratio l finally started building Pameres Kingdom. Xakro didn''t even tax Gaster Kingdom so the construction of Pameres Kingdom is boosted.


    Come to think of it, Gaster Kingdom still isn''t taxed even today. Because there isn''t anything to tax now in Gaster Kingdom. The mines are long depleted to the max extend, Gaster Kingdom doesn''t have any resources to offer anymore. The people there, including the illustratio are struggling to survive.


    From being a town that had over 5000 Soldiers to becoming a town of 400 people with half of the houses abandoned, survival is only done by teamwork at Gaster Kingdom now. Greed and ego still exists amongst a few people within this Domain, but it doesn''t really make a mass impact now.


    The illustratio tolerate the Ignites a whole lot more there thanks to the fact that the Chapel was long abandoned by the officials and destroyed after by the locals.


    You would think that the illustratios there would get in trouble for not enslaving Ignites and for treating them almost equally, but Gaster Kingdom is different. Being a Kingdom too poor to tax, Gaster Kingdom isn''t under Xakro''s support. Meaning, the illustratian Alliance''s rules don''t apply there.


    ...


    Reading all of this history felt fun as a illustratio, and Chan could understand how stupid the Ignites were. They''ve literally let ego and the sense of entitlement ruin them, separate them.


    A Guard walked near him and stated, "Commander Chan. The sky has cleared, we should be on our way as we are already late."

 Zars Revolution

    "So the all mighty Xakro illustratio lll requires my assistance. My sources tell me that nothing but a child Wizard almost wiped Crutal Kingdom out. Is it true?" Asked King Zar, first son of Xakro illustratio lll. Sitting on his throne room while Chan was in front of him, about to listen to the orders of which Xakro made.


    King Zar is a rather interesting person, he failed to carry the Bloodline''s power which in another way is a good thing because he didn''t receive the wounds and burn marks that come along with the curse.


    The bad thing about not carrying these powers, is that he can never be the Grand King of Ignis regardless of attempt. In fact he is lucky enough to not dissapear like his other four siblings who as well failed to carry the Bloodline''s curse.


    "If it wasn''t true, I wouldn''t make a 3 week journey to reach this place on the edge of the Continent." Said Guard Commander Chan with clear egoism on his tone which is based with irritation towards the King''s words.


    He feels like he is above Zar even though Zar is literally a King and Chan is just a Guard Commander from the middle of the Continent.


    He feels he is in a higher position as Zar is just a person disowned by his own father and Chan is running personal errands for the King.


    "Your attitude isn''t appreciated here you weedhead. If you weren''t sent by my father you would lose your head in a blink of an eye." King Zar threatened, and actually serious about beheading him or having someone else behead him. Stereotypical for a King really.


    "Strange of you to call me a weedhead. You are 27 years old and you don''t have any weed on your head. And strange of you to call King Xakro your father when he clearly disowned you." Chan''s word play to the average person would feel like Daggers on one''s neck, but it barely bothers King Zar. He has overcome this specific truth long ago.


    He doesn''t mind it, but this is his Domain. "Silence!" Yelled Zar with a deep cold tone, murderous in some aspects.


    Now of course, Chan was intimidated by Zar right away the moment he yelled. Imagine a 6 foot tall, abnormally physically fit, bald, green guy in full body armor with a longsword on his side, yelling at you. Only Chan would get in such a position, if only he could control his mouth.


    "I''m afraid I won''t be able to lend your Kingdom a hand in this predicament." King Zar broke it to him, but considering how this conversation went is it even a surprise?


    But of course afterwards he shed more light behind his words before Chan could say anything stupid. "I''m aiming to expand my Kingdom. I''m aiming for a better future for my kind. I''m aiming to build residence outside the Kingdom''s walls. I''ll build the second wall too."


    But of course, Chan can''t understand progress here, he is just understanding one thing. "You dare to not fulfill the King''s request? You do know that he can put an end to your entire Kingdom alone."Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    But of course King Zar can out compete anyone as dumb as Chan, be it with a Sword or with his word play. "Your Grand King, didn''t manage to pass down his powers to any child yet, he is too afraid to attack and he is becoming insane locked behind those castle walls."


    Chan wanted to speak, but he couldn''t really think of a proper comback against these facts, he looked like a fool enough today. So King Zar continued to state more and more facts, "Over 900 of his people were killed in a moment and all he did was hide in his castle. I''m not rewarding such cowardness with precious workers."


    And to finish it off with a rather irreversible blow from both aspects come to think of it, King Zar added in a mocking mysterious tone


    "If he wasn''t scared, a pest like you wouldn''t be running errands for him. I hear your trip to Lan Zhe was quite a "blast". What bullshit is he up to now?"


    "None of your concern. What should concern you is that according to illustratian law, if you fail to fulfill a task a Grand King gave upon you, as a King you lose all relations with the illustratian alliance. Meaning you will be exposed to attacks from any member of the illustratian alliance if they choose too attack one day and the rest of the alliance including the Grand King, won''t help or defend you." Lucky for Chan he read a book about the illustratian alliance.


    So in this conversation, he sounded well knowledgeable for once although he is as dumb as a board.


    Confident, with a smirk across his face even though he is practically pushing the odds with his head, he added. "I''m aware of that and I say, bring it on. Today I will declare independce from the illustratian alliance in front of my people. All of you are hungry for power, even if it means killing or raping families. You don''t care how many lives you destroy."


    He paused for a bit, trying to collect his thoughts and added. "Your alliance call the Ignites "Demons" who came from the depths of hell, but your alliance is worse than that."


    Asking once more, because he doesn''t want to go back empty handed. "Are you absolutely certain that you do not wish to assist the Grand King? There is no going back from this. You will be kicked out of the alliance permanently!"


    Snapping, the King hollered. "Fuck you and his god damned Alliance, I wish to not be part of such brutal ways of life."


    Finally he let out his warning, the one he thought about for a while now. "By the name of God who granted us the sources keeping this Continent in tact, I will end the ways of the illustratian alliance, starting from my own Kingdom. Now be gone, anyone of the illustratian alliance is no longer welcome in Pameres Kingdom."


    ¡­


    "My people. I come to you with good news." Declared Zar, speaking in the center of the town. Being considerate enough to come out and inform his people in person.


    "I declare independence from the illustratian alliance, such way of life is no longer welcomed here. No longer will we kill the innocent for the Alliances personal profit." A "boo" on the crowd was heard.


    These people are way to convinced that Ignites are demons from the depths of hell. The illustratian alliance even set up religious organizations in the main big Kingdoms of Ignis. Organizations that worship Xakro illustratio l as a god, these Organisations are commonly called, Chapels.


    The illas religion spreads that Xakro illustratio ll as the son of the god, became a god himself once he died. And of course they believe that the third in the bloodline, Xakro illustratio lll will become a God as well once he dies.


    These Organizations being on Ignis for over a century, implanted the thought of Ignites being demons on the people''s mind rather deep.


    However, getting back to the point. King Zar continued. "I do not expect you to see things the way I see. If you do not wish to stand by my side, you can simply leave the Kingdom, nothing will be held against you."


    He paused for a while, letting the silence stretch for a break before saying. "I declare that the religious organization known as "illas" is banished from Pameres Kingdom."

 Snow Ignites

    "Sire. Have you gone insane? What did those Demonic Ignites do to you?" Asked Zar''s Personal assistant after Zar left the center and made his way up to his Castle again.


    Zar didn''t feel the need to explain to his subjects why massacring and raping innocent people is bad. Yet he couldn''t blame them. The Chapels of the illas have convinced the people rather well that Ignites are Demons from the depths of hell.


    Having rather believable theories at the back of his mind, King Zar did not feel hesitant to explain but at first these thoughts ran through his mind. "Much like the fact that my Grandfather isn''t a God, Ignites aren''t demons. This was all a plans of Xakro illustratio l."


    And of course he wanted to talk it out with Seer as well, normally Zar would behead anyone who says something this stupid to a King but Seer is important, he isn''t royalty but is a good friend. "Seer. I''m going to ask you a question, use your logic here with me. Don''t be short sighted like the common folk."


    Seeing that Seer is listening, although a bit confused that his King did not have an outbreak of rage, King Zar continued. "The second Era started in Ignis when the war between Ignites and illustratios ended. They all settled in to co exist, well more like they''ve got more land than they wanted even thought the Continent ended up being split in 4 Countries."


    Although confused where the King is going with this, Seer has read the history books enough to know exactly what piece of information links with it and he did not spare to tell. "Right, but there were minor groups of people in our motherland who were Ignites and the majority wwrw illustratios."


    Seeing that Seer is catching up, with a smile Zar shouted. "Exactly." But of course has more to say in order to back up his own words. "And the other way around here in Occidentis Ignis. There used to be more Ignites here with small groups of illustratios as well. But they co existed although most prefered their actual officially claimed motherland."


    "What is your point sire?" Seer asked the obvious, this History session is nice but how exactly does it link with what Zar just declared in the Kingdom Centre?


    And finally, King Zar added the portion that doesn''t add up, doesn''t link. Even the illustratian History books failed to conceal or sugar coat these facts, perhaps over looked? "If they were able to co exist in considerable harmony throughout the Second Era for around 1,832 years, why did everything change once my Grand Father killed the Electus in her own Castle?"


    But of course, even if the History books failed to conceal it, the illas Chapel has formed rather believable facts for those few who knew such scarcly spoken royal information. "Because he took her powers, to use them for good. To kill Ignites."


    "Exactly, that''s what the books say. But if the Electus didn''t kill innocent citizens, and even threatened two countries to remain neutral with our motherland, how exactly did she use her powers for bad?" This information is rather hard to process, the past Electus no doubt sounds like a Hero here.


    Landing the last bit of information that settles everything in place, as he saw Seer trying to comprehend everything, he added. "If not anything, she prevented a Snow Ignite uprising. They would have eaten up Meridionali Ignis if it wasn''t for Akareas. The Snow Ignites and even the Ignites weren''t in the same alliance as us, yet she helped."


    Adding a bit of History that signifies relations, Seer spoke. "Ignites and Snow Ignites didn''t co exist with each other, not to mention illustratios."If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Afterwards he started debating with himself, thinking and murmuring. "If Ignites are as bad as people say they are, regardless if they like the Snow Ignites or not, they would allow the war due to the opportunity of overtaking weakened forces after."


    "The Electus kept everything together." He interrupted Seer''s self debate, and shared what made Seer completely believe that this is all a sham. "My Grand father killed the Electus, launched an attack against all three of the other Countries after. Why weren''t the Ignites demons before that attack?"


    This convincing part of information led Seer completely clueless but at the same time revealed a lot of valuable information that links together. "I...I suppose. Well. I mean. I think¡­" He was struck speechless.


    "There is nothing to think, the Ignites aren''t demons. If anything, we would consider Xakro a demon. He had magical powers, and so did his son and grandson. Do you think the Grand King is a demon?" Of course using common illas phrases can be used to the King''s advantage as well.


    "Of course not sire. He is a hero." Seer spoke clearly once more, his tone arising.


    Wiggling his finger in front of Seer, the King expressed with a small sigh. "A hero. No. But not a devil either. Magical powers don''t have to do anything with hell, it''s just Propaganda my Grand father payed priests to do."


    Finally admitting to his missdoing or best called misinformation. "You might have a point Sire."


    And once again returning to reasoning, signifying a smart mind Seer stated facts. "But as that fool from Crutal Kingdom said, leaving the illustratian alliance will leave you vulnerable to attacks. Do you really think you have what it takes to withstand possible attacks from dozens of Kingdoms?"


    He is prepared for this fact as well of course and he isn''t planning to play stupid either. "I got word that the Snow Ignites are revolting as well. I''m not certain of the situation but all I do know is that they invaded the Capital Kingdom and beheaded every illustratio in that domain. We won''t be attacked anytime soon, the Grand King will be busy."


    Shocked how he didn''t receive such information before the King, Seer asked with a mild shout. "The Snow Ignites revolted?! How! They lost every Kingdom. They can''t simply attack the Capital Kingdom and win."


    Raising his hand with a displeased face, wanting to ask Seer to not shout but at the same time he didn''t ask. The King expressed, "I''m not certain of the whole situation, but somehow they were able to withstand many attacks after claiming the Kingdom.  Leaving the attacking Kingdoms without soldiers."


    "To attack the Capital and win is one thing. But to withstand many attacks. There must be something more to this!" Seer indeed still remained shocked, he is still trying to comprehend this information but is half failing.


    "There might be, I''m not certain. But all the Soldiers our motherland had to spare, were sent to Septemtrionis Ignis. If my father or any other Kingdom here choses to attack the most populated Kingdom in Occidentis Ignis, they would need to consider the losses that even the Capital Kingdom in our motherland can''t provide much help for." His explanation adds one big piece in the puzzle regarding his actions.


    It isn''t certain since when he figured out this plot, but now is surely the best time to declare independence and grow.


    But to Seer who works based on statistics and charts, he still questioned the King''s decision. "The Capital Kingdom in our Motherland had over 40,000 illustratios living on it, not to mention the other Kingdoms having a decent amount of population as well. How could they not help?"


    "Have you forgotten the 100 year long civil war? You are talking about how big the Capital was over 200 years ago. Many illustratios died while fighting against Kingdoms still not giving in to the revolution." King Zar helped Seer recall these facts, not to mention what''s happening now with the Snow Ignites.


    Stating another point of history, he became confused how the population did not rise. "It''s been a hundred years since we declared Victory upon Occidentis Ignis. Our population started spreading well before that kid almost forced Crutal Kingdom to a collapse." Of course a little bit of hate still remains in him.


    "That is neccesarily a bad thing for us, for Pameres Kingdom. Also, the Electus is indeed a powerful boy. I''m sure my father already has plans for him, otherwise he wouldn''t send that fool to Lan Zhe." Knowing his father, Zar already isn''t really a fan of what he might be plotting.


    Getting back to the main point, he explained to Seer what he is doing here and why is doing it. "I have a goal, to help Ignis turn back at what it used to be and even better, to achieve those goals I''ll need the assistance of the Electus sooner or later."

 Recruitment in Pameres Kingdom

    Confused of the King''s decisions and quite frankly seeing them as bad ideas, he decided to ask by sugar coating his point of view and introducing what Dangers the King''s decisions could bring. "Do you think that the Electus would actually be willing to help you? Nothing would stop him from destroying Pameres Kingdom if he arrived here."


    Seer Indeed has a good point, Pameres Kingdom''s Army size isn''t strong enough to stop the Electus before Colossal damage has been already caused. Sure they might be able to kill him, but not soon enough.


    "Indeed he is powerful, but considering some common logic he won''t attack it he isn''t attacked. Regardless of the Colour on mine and your skin, I doubt that he will see us as enemies if we don''t oppose him... Right?" King Zar here tried to find reasons why this will work out, at this point he is almost ignorning Seer''s recommendations but it can be for the better.


    Skipping what the Electus might or might not think, Seer got back to considering the dangers. "Our sources of information say that he the Electus has created Fire Tornadoes out of thin Air in Crutal Kingdom. That can wipe out most of our Kineom alone! Why would he be stoppable now? Why take the risk?"


    "Oh I see where you are going with this, you solely are focused if he will or won''t attack us." Seeing Seer nod in agreement, Zar took a second to collect his words since he is obviously going towards a whole new topic through this conversation.


    And finally, he managed to explain in greater detail. "See before the outburst, an Electus would likely discover his or her powers first. The outburst is a test."


    Taking a second to recall memories and what he has learned about this, he continued. "That test pushes a soul to the very limit. During that test, the kid could of exploded while bursting those intense flames." At the end of the sentence both of their eyes started opening up along with the flow, it came out a bit as shocking but believable.


    Calming down by a hunch, he now explained the benefits of which the Electus has gotten. "He seemed to have passed the test, passing the test would grant him with a level at Fire Controlling for example, that he didn''t need to train for."


    This sudden information came as a shock for Seer, he has never heard about them before but he did not fail to quench his curiosity. "Very interesting indeed, but do you know so much about the Electus sire?"


    "My father is an Electus you Goblin head." Seer became irritated here a bit, Seer skipped all that valuable information and asked how the King knew. Troubling at most, but Zar had no trouble with explaining the rest. "King Xakro is a more powerful and unstable version of an Electus. Not to mention he carries the "Bloodline''s Curse."


    Now with that out of the way, and the topic indirectly closed for any more thoughts, King Zar wanted to be reassured. "Anyway. I have a task for you, if you are still standing by my side that is."


    Unable to not argue with common sense, well at least regarding the points of view on Ignites. He took a deep breath, regretted his decisions through life a little bit and explained. "Sire. I owe deep apologies to the 300 Ignite refugees in our Kingdom. I''ll be sure to apologize to each one. But what task do you have for me?"


    "This pleases my ears Seer." Afterwards the King got to the main point, explaining a fact so Seer can understand more of what him [King Zar] has planned. "You see how our Kingdom is greatly overpopulated.


    We have 300 houses but people are sleeping on the streets even though many made their way in families and became one with them."


    This is a topic Seer knows about, and a spark of joy arose upon him solely due to the fact that he is well informed, not because of what he is informed off. "There are approximately 500 homeless people sire. A lot of them camp out of the Kingdom''s protection and often faced wild animals at Winter when times are already bad enough."


    Now getting to the point where this idea might come out as a shocker, and in some aspects unacceptable. The King expressed his ideas. "Exactly, there are way to many homeless people in my Domain. I plan to give those people homes."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Considering a pay off for his good deed, he added. "They won''t need to pay for those homes either, all they would need to pay a monthly tax after they officially get a job in or out of the Kingdom."


    The consideration of the Budget of which King Zar just gave, apparently isn''t enough.


    And Seer did not fail to express it either since it is his job to advise the King for such a potentially horrible economic idea. "Providing homes for so many people would be a great shift in the budget sire. Not to mention we don''t have nearly enough construction workers. You said you want to build a second wall as well which needs Stonemasons."


    It isn''t certain how much King Zar has thought about this plan, but he sure is ready. With much matturity, he explained. "I''m aware that we currently don''t have what it takes to provide so much housing or a second wall to our people. But there are 500 homeless people who mostly can work. They are wasting time here and there but they can put in work too!"


    Although Seer can advice the King on certain topics, he can''t really do much when the King is set to put a plan in to action.


    So he just decided to indirectly agree with these ideas and hope for the best. "Do you want me to spread the word for recruitment sire?"


    Happy that Seer is finally cooperating, the King explained his plan in greater detail. "Yes, write a Parchment and pay some people to spread the word of mouth as well, it can be a lot more effective. Say, "The King, is offering jobs for Construction Workers and Stone Masons."


    Feeling capable that he can memorize that part, without grabbing any Parchment yet. He asked, "Is that all sire?"


    Now making it certain that he has been thinking about this topic for a long time, he started listing what Value these couple of crafts have and what the pay is for each branch. "No no that''s not all, we need to discuss pays."


    Seeing that this would require good memorisation, Seer rushed for a piece of Parchment, got back to the King and listened to him explain the Salaries. "Stonemasonry is a valuable craft. A Stone Mason with over 10 years of experience, shall be paid 300 Gold coins per month. Those with under 10 years of experience shall be payed 200 Gold coins a month and those who have no experience at all but want to learn the craft shall be payed 85 gold coins per month, their salaries will meet minor increases from time to time along with the rest of the experienceless employees."


    Taking a half minute to write everything down after analysing the King''s words, with no aims of starting a conversation so they don''t drift away from the topic. Seer shortly asked, "What about age requirements? How old would they need to be?"


    First, the King wanted to clear out one request and afterwards answered the question. "Make sure for the payment details to be part of the recruitment declaration paper and make it mandatory for the applyers to be at least 16 years old and under 65 years old."


    After clearing these two topics, he let the silence stretch for a little bit and then ordered. "I need 30 new StoneMasons, don''t exceed that number for now. "


    Seer continued to think what the King''s ideas will do to the Budget, although it isn''t his direct like of work it proves no use to anyone if the Kingdom goes bankrupt.


    So he asked in concern, quoting the King''s ideas. "Is it wise to pay so much gold to Stonemasons sire? Even I as your personal assistant get 600 gold coins a month. If this goes on, farmers will get as much as War Generals." That last part was a bit of a joke, but it makes his point clear.


    Thinking about more than Gold can help anyone discover endless possibilities, that''s why King Zar has theorized that. "If we lure people to try out the craft and get very experienced at it, we can build bigger better walls. Not to mention we will have more skilled people instead of helpless homeless people or just dumbass illustratios wasting households. Knowledge is power my friend."


    "You do have a point Sire." Seer felt a bit at ease now, he is a very logical man and won''t put ego ahead of decisions like this.


    "But what about the Construction workers? Let''s start with the minimum required age." Seer asked in curiosity and with greater enthusiasm this time.


    Obviously the King has thought this out as well, and he proved it when he explained. "Construction workers will have it easier to learn the craft, but it doesn''t rule out the fact that it requires good physical strength. The applyers who are experienceless would need to be at least 18 years old and those who do have experience should be under 60 years old."


    "Sounds reasonable enough? Now may I ask about the monthly salaries?" They are almost done with this task, and Seer feels more and more enthusiasm to put it in to action so he is rushing a little bit.


    By rushing, I mean he isn''t asking questions that stray from the topic be it little or big.


    "Those with over 5 years of experience shall be paid 200 Gold Coins per month. Those with under 5 years of experience shall be paid 160 Gold Coins and those who have no experience at all shall be paid 70 Gold Coins a month with annual Salary increases." Well that sounds fair doesn''t it?


    With an ache on his hand, wanting to get this over with. Seer asked, "I assume those are all the requirements?"


    "Almost there! Both Construction Workers and Stonemasons will have a full time job, meaning those who do have under 10 or 5 years of experience, shall have at least 1 year of experience to be told apart from the experienceless. I need only 80 construction workers. Don''t exceed that amount."

 Hell Hole

    "How far are we from Gaster Kingdom? It has been almost 3 weeks since we left Lan Zhe."


    Asked Eric, well more like he complained.


    He isn''t used to walking on foot to this extent, Blackwind is usually the one who carries him and his father too. Sure they walked to Crutal Kingdom before, but that Domain is 20-30 Kilometers away from either the Farmhouse they had or from Lan Zhe.


    "It shouldn''t be too far away, we did pass Pameres Kingdom yesterday. We''ve been spending most of the time traveling through the dense forest to avoid being seen, most would report 10 foot Men and Women marching down a road." Added Commander Alia in hopes to shut her King''s Complains. Eric is lucky that he doesn''t need to hide his Crown from the illustratios now.


    The only people they can meet in this dense forest is either hunters or those in the hunt for good lumber.


    But to come out even more complaining as a child, Stefan decided to back up Eric. "Exactly. We have been traveling through this dense forest, without Horses. My feet are killing me."


    "Stop your complaining, I can''t tell you apart from an illustratio. Fall down and start crying while you''re at it." Added Mogranius in both aims to tease the two and to look tough in front of Commander Alia although his comment did come out as racist.


    You might be wondering how Mogranius is truly handling this possibly 500 Kilometer Journey? Well he was always in a lust for knowledge, and knowledge of better value is to be found where typical humans can''t reach.


    Which most often led to this thick Forest covering most of the Continent, in the hunt for Snow Ignite Ruins. Obviously, that wouldn''t require a lesser man to accomplish, so he is used to this kind of travel and much more that is harder to tackle for the average human.


    But he did discover many sorts of moves for his Magical Fire Powers. The Fire Shield for example, it was a spell that even Akareas didn''t know and it still isn''t certain how many people know this spell but it sure has come in quite handy throughout his journeys.


    To put Ruins throughout Ignis in more detail, they mostly are left behind by Snow Ignites. Because while the Continent faced an ice age, Snow Ignites made that specific structure of an underground domain where Mogranius found out about the spell.


    These Snow Ignites have also made many other Domains out of stone preferably, but unfortunately when the Ice Age started reaching its end the Snow Ignites had to flee and settle for Colder Climates.


    This neccesarily made most of them climb their way up the high cold mountains specifically located on [Country] Orientis Ignis and [Country] Septemtrionis Ignis too. Survival on warmer climates isn''t an option for them, hence the name "Snow Ignites".


    But whatever they were doing on those Domains before the first era was even recorded, they were way ahead of time when it came to Magical Powers or anything else basically.


    Mogranius was able to learn the spell from a simple parchment they left behind. The rest were just books who were unreadable due to age or due to very old accents and Snow Ignite phrases. The Ignite and Snow Ignite languages were very similar to each other, but the Ice Age was over 6,000 years ago.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    So that''s 6,000 years of language development Mogranius had to go against in order to learn. Who knew how much more he would learn if he could understand every book that wasn''t destroyed by time.


    Now getting back to our lovely characters, "Well can at least someone estimate how long it will take to reach. Or at least can we take a break?" Yawned Stefan Dragging his feet under the moonlight."


    "We are already way behind schedule. When I made my way to Gaster Kingdom for the first time, I was traveling on the Clear Lands.


    I did not expect for the travel to take this long. We passed the halfway mark 2 weeks ago though." Explained Commander Alia with as much detail as she could, considering that she is tired as well.


    To stop all the whining at least for a little she had to add. "2 more hours of travel and we can rest for today."


    ¡­


    As they finally woke up from the 12 hour a day travel that knocked them out once they opened their sleeping bags, they made their way again towards Gaster Kingdom. It was rather hard to travel on foot, they left their horses back at Lan Zhe except for Black Wind.


    It''s because horses would be useless at a dense forest like this and there weren''t enough of them for all of the 15 people and only Shire Horses can possibly carry a Calidum Lutum.


    As for Lan Zhe, Commander Alia left one of the very capable Guards in charge. If an attack is in order, they can do well without Commander Alia or the rest who are travelling with her.


    The first defense of Guards are now fully armored there now, even explosive bolts wouldn''t pose a big threat. And to raise the defenses, the entrance which connects Lan Zhe to the outside world is covered with thick volcanic rock.


    Yup, it''s sealed up pretty well. They only open this entrance up in the morning and at night for the horses, they even assign a Guard each day to protect them.


    Woldemir is with the group right now but he made sure that the temporary Guard Commander is to make the rest of the Guards do exercises he assigned them too.


    "Alright let''s get this over wit... aaaaaaaaaaaaa..." Stefan tried to finish his sentence as he was woken up but fell down a hole not to far away from the camp.


    "Did he fall down a hunter''s trap?" Asked Eric, hoping that''s not the case since the bottom of the hole is usually covered with Iron spikes!


    "No I don''t think so, I can still hear him scream." Told Woldemir, concerned although his words sounded like a joke.


    Fire ignited from Eric''s feet and he flew headfirst into the hole after Stefan, it is obvious that this is no Hunter''s trap and Eric doesn''t want to know what will happen if Stefan finally meets the other end.


    Whatever made this hole, it sure made it exaggerately deep. Eric is flying down at full speed but he doesn''t seem to find an end or Stefan either. Luckily, the hole seems to be about 15 feet wide so a ragdolling man falling down it wouldn''t break bones if he was to hit the edges of the hole.


    "How did we not notice a damn 15 foot wide hole." Asked Mogranius in confusion, as he glanced upon the monstrosity of a Hole in front of them.


    "Well maybe because all of you complained about being tired all the time, we are lucky that we didn''t all fall down there at night." Expressed Commander Alia in a bit of a complaining tone, wanting to smack the old man.


    "Are you familiar with this hole Mogranius? Could it be a ruin?" Quiried Woldemir who seemed to be the only one not complaining or pointing fingers, but is filled with curiosity instead.


    "No not at all, I never even read about holes like this. It could''ve just been a Drunk hunter digging holes." Mogranius pointed out, he obviously joked here but his tone was so serious that no one understood the Joke.


    Speaking of not understanding the Joke, Commander Alia asked. "Wouldn''t he just bury himself like that?"


    "Well..I.." Mogranius tried to explain that he was joking interrupted by Eric who flew out of the hole with Stefan clinging on him.


    "There is a whole world down there." Eric explained, his enthusiasm strong and growing but he ended up saying something stupid but yet brave. "Maybe Snow Ignites being connected with Demons isn''t impossible after all."

 Titanoboa

    Mogranius grabbed Commander Alia, Ignited flames underneath his feet and flew in the hole with her. It wouldn''t make any sense for someone else to lift her, with them liking each other and all.


    Eric was already holding onto Stefan and with no intent of asking what his opinion is about this, he flew down again with Stefan in his arms. The whole team is going down there so hey, who is Stefan to step out?


    "Well what about me?" Spoke Woldemir to himself, feeling a bit sad that no one lifted him up. But at the same time it wouldn''t be the best idea if anyone but Eric lifts him up.


    So he murmured to himself further, "Well I can handle myself I guess."


    He took a few steps forward and calmly jumped down the hole, with a form as if he was still standing above ground. As if he wasn''t falling down a damn hole of which he didn''t know how deep it is at all, he remained with a casual look on his face.


    Is this how all Grand Masters behave? It isn''t certain, but fear of heights doesn''t take place in his agenda.


    After he felt like the bottom was closer, he pulled out two small daggers and forcefully stabbed them on the sides of the cave.


    His suicidal speed downwards the hole slowed down thanks to the daggers and he ended up dangling on what seemed to be the bottom of the hole, perfect timing when you look at it in the short term.


    Well to be fair it wasn''t exactly the bottom of the hole, it was more like the end of the hole. Underneath that hole stands a wide cave and to the bottom of that cave, there is water. About 30 feet from where Woldemir is dangling to be more exact.


    Feeling that the water is deep enough, he proceeds to pull out the daggers out of the dirt he bashed in earlier and jumped down the pool of water at the bottom of the cave.


    This Water is certainly be deep enough to slow down a fall without fatal circumstances, he proved his theory correct once making impact with the pool.


    But as he dived in deep because of the gained momentum, he felt something swimming underneath his feet. He could feel the speeding animal drag his body a little bit because of that speed it has, admirable from afar but for Woldemir here this started to become terrifying.


    Shortly after he felt something restricting his leg and pulling him underneath the water even further, the worst part is that this isn''t any type of fish!


    It is a snake, a large snake. Thankfully the snake didn''t bite Woldemir or otherwise it would have been very fatal. The snake just used part of its body to start strangling him, to pull him down.


    Everyone heard the splash and those who could fly, arrived at the scene without wasting a second with the sole intent to help the struggling Woldemir as they were flying above the Water.


    "Where is he?" Eric asked with Stefan still on his hands.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "I should go down and look." Mogranius pitched the idea, and removed his Wizard hat so he doesn''t lose it.


    They suddenly saw rocks falling down from the ceiling of the cave, it is indeed an earthquake but Eric and Mogranius weren''t able to feel it because they are in midair.


    Shortly after they saw Woldemir rise from the water with his 2 meter long sword on his hand breaking out of the water first, before he started using the sword as a little paddle to swim better.


    This Earthquake is explainable now, he has used the handle of his enchanted Sword to hit the snake, no animal is strong enough to handle that shaking blow.


    Seeing the two Ignites fly above him, Woldemir shouted. "Don''t just fly there. Get me out of this god forsaken water."


    Both Eric and Mogranius flew towards Woldemir and grabbed him from the water without wasting a blink of an eye. It was a wise choice to do so, because the snake didn''t yet give up regardless of that strong blow earlier.


    The moment Woldemir escaped that pool of water, a snake''s head as big as a full grown sheep arose from the water and missed the guys by a foot, almost biting them.


    "By the 8 sources of magic and what''s good and right. That''s a TitanoBoa." Mogranius shouted, instantly noticing the creature solely because of its size.


    "What in hell is a Titanoboa?" Yelled Eric in mid air, his sound deafened a bit because of the accelerating speed.


    Trying to cut this Biology lesson short, Mogranius shouted back. "It''s a Snake, a big one. Before we become its meal we should reach that door we found."


    "Yeah no kidding." Eric murmured amongst himself.


    As they flew towards the door they claim they found, they spotted Commander Alia and Stefan waving their hands, gesturing them to fly faster so they can shove the thick stone door to close.


    In that door there are strange writings as much as Eric could spot in a few seconds earlier before swiftly returning to get Woldemir. These writings are likely before the first era at least since writing although writing evolved slowly over the 6,000 years, it still has no relation to these markings.


    It could be old or it could be worse than that, these markings don''t look like anything a Snow Ignite would write so it could be something before the Ice Age or differently milestoned as before the First Era.


    The door itself is out of hard stone, on that stone there is a mix of red and black markings, giving the demonic vibe. What could there possibly be behind that door?


    The architecture here is the least of their concerns right now with a snake looking about 9 meters long chasing them, slithering above the waters. At least that of course was the part of it they can see. there is likely more of the snake submerged in water.


    The Titanoboa is bashing against the water in astonishing speeds, the team weren''t able at all to fly a good distance away from the snake.


    Taking a glance at the dangers, Stefan and Commander Alia started pushing the very heavy stone door in hopes of closing it a bit before the snake manages to reach the door.


    The snake suddenly dived deep in the water. Looking back, the guys thought that the TitanoBoa finally gave up, they started feeling relief.


    They were dead wrong! The Titanoboa arose from the water again and made a big leap, it got closer and closer to the guys.


    Their lives flashed in front of their eyes, thinking it was the end. A whole army couldn''t kill them but a mindless snake is about too, it isn''t the most favourable to comprehend.


    But! Mogranius has a trick up his sleeve. He risked it all and created a fire shield in mid air while proceeding to fly towards the Stone door. The fire shield wasn''t that big, it is no bigger than the Snake''s head actually. It is a shield created with a lack of concentration.


    The TitanoBoa hit the shield with its head hard enough to break the shield instantly. But even though it managed to break the shield, it wasn''t able to keep the same speed it had.


    It fell down the water causing a huge splash which raised a bit of waves, well it wasn''t a bit. It was an amount able to wash off Stefan and Commander Alia with ease regardless of their individual strength.


    Fortunately the guys were able to enter the 15 foot tall door just before it was completely shut and before the waves reached too.


    Asking the obvious, Stefan spoke. "So how will we get out now?"

 12,525

    Arriving at Zar''s throne room with a 4 fingers thick pile of Parchment is Seer.


    Seer placed sheets of Parchment all over the Domain declaring the King''s recruitment request and spent about 200 Gold Coins on several refugees for them to spread the word about the recruitment.


    The applyers all met with the King''s assistant in person, someone needed to write in their details as most of them couldn''t read or write.


    That''s why the King ordered for Seer to pay people to spread the word of mouth, it took Seer 3 days to fill all the documents, he handled over a hundred people.


    Approaching, getting on with a couple of light greetings. Seer sunk into a bit of detail, "My King, I have gathered up a few requests for employment that your civilians responded too."


    A smile widened across his face, King Zar had to ask. "Do you bring me experienced workers old friend?"


    Waving a couple pieces of parchment in front of the King, Seer laid out. "I''m afraid the number of experienced Stonemasons is low. While the number of experienced in Construction is bigger but more than we needed applied."


    "Tell me the overall statistics."


    Zar demanded with a sigh holding in temperament as well.


    Prepared for these questions due to having to quadruple check each detail, Seer affirmed. "There are only 5 experienced Stonemasons. 4 of them have under 10 years of experience while one has over 10. 25 years of experience to be exact."


    These numbers aren''t too bad, but further questions have to be asked. "What about the experienceless?"


    Indirectly bashing at the King''s decisions, Seer weighed in. "A few applied but not as much as you required, there are only 15 of them. Perhaps they felt that Stonemasonry is too difficult considering your offered pay."


    Zar sat in patience hearing out the unsuccessful task and after a moment of silence he finally said. "It is indeed a shame that we didn''t get 30 of them, but do not burden yourself. These people are just too under qualified but do the experienceless Stonemasons show promise?"


    His smile bouncing, Seer resumed with enthusiasm. "Indeed Sire, they come from rough backgrounds. They would work for 30 Gold Coins if they had too, they can not afford losing this job so they will indeed work hard because each have families to feed."


    Feeling sympathy, killing two birds with one stone, Zar pitched. "If you see such Stonemasons offer them longer work hours so they can earn a bit extra, the same with Construction workers."


    As he finished his sentence he after slowly and carefully added, "That man with 25 years of experience shall be the leader of the Stonemasons, he shall advise the ones with less experience if needed. Assign one apprentice Stonemason to each experienced one since the numbers are even and progress is destined."


    A good idea, but requires tampering or questions at least so Seer queries. "As you wish Sire, how much shall we pay for those who work extra hours?"Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Unprepared for this question, Zar bought himself out with a little praise. "Well they have to work 8 hours a day to get their normal pay, they will be working every day. Use that to calculate the amount needed, you are way too qualified to not be able to do basic mathematics."


    Willing to get this topic over with, Seer rattled off. "Of course Sire, I was just curious if the pay for extra hours is more than usual."


    Having a firm thought, a good point of view about earning. Zar babbled, "Gold has to be earned. With plans to give away 100 houses, I don''t plan to wipe out our entire Budget. However. These 20 new applyers are now working for me, for Pameres Kingdom. They will be busy until retirement as I do not plan to stop at the second wall being built."


    With professionalism his main effort even for the less earning, King Zar demanded. "Be sure to store the documentations in the Castle and be sure each one gives a signature about accepting the job. It doesn''t have to be fancy."


    Putting the last nail on the Coffin about the Stonemasons, Zar quizzed. "I assume you put in the dates of employment as well so we can keep track of the passing months, to know who we shall give salary raises too."


    Waving his hands up as he scrolled through his Parchments, Seer assured. "Don''t burden yourself Sire, I have everything under control. I just needed your approval of employment."


    As the King grabbed a piece of Parchment and gave his signature, taking a few seconds to make it fancy and such.


    Seer proceeded with another question which tends to feed racism. "I meant to ask. 10 of the applyers on Stonemasonry including the one with 25 years of experience are Ignites. Considering your recent Revolution plans I assume their salaries should be equal to our illustratios?"


    Raising his voice, hating how Seer has a racist point of view. Zar interposed. "Equality will rule above everything, statuses will be defined by work experience. Not the colour on their skin, Seer."


    Not wanting to discuss such short sighted topics further, Zar asked. "Now tell me about the Construction workers, did you at least bring me good news about those?"


    Smiling once this topic opened, Seer went for the last Parchment and yapped. "Actually I brought more results than I expected and more than we needed."


    Calming down bit by bit, Zar requested. "Pleases my ears, tell me more¡­"


    Waving a Parchment full of Ignite toning names in front of the King, Seer spoke at length. "It turns out that a Construction team migrated from Gaster Kingdom here about 5 years ago. Combined with the Stonemasons we will be able to make some good quality houses without paying a fortune."


    A storm of ideas raging running through his mind, the King primarily asked. "How many people are in that construction group?"


    Not understanding how the King isn''t seeing the large number in the beginning of the page, Seer slowly explained. "35 Sire, they perform gracefully and with their help we can get a little boost in Construction speed, not to forget quality. The rest however are 45 experienceless men."


    These statistics are good, that''s for sure but one thought still occupied his conscious and so the King decided to put it into word. "This plan is coming together quite well although with a rough start but how much does this impact the Kingdom''s monthly income?"


    Blabbering tad off topic, Seer explained. "That''s the part that worried me a bit. But we earn 12,000 Gold Coins from the monthly taxes just from the Houses, we are able to escape with a minimal monthly income."


    Finally getting to the important topic, Seer added. "The new workers will take 12,525 Gold Coins from the monthly budget."


    Sighing, relief resting in his mind finally. The King asked about another Burden, "What about the mines? Surely we can squeeze a profit out of them."


    King Zar made a mistake of asking, because now Seer won''t really shut up considering the topic that interests him. "The mines are at a setback. Since we can''t sell Iron ore to the Kingdoms which take part in the illustratian Alliance, we need new big time trade partners."


    Looking at the positive sides, Seer continued after taking a deep breath. "But we did business with other Kingdoms before, we have 200,000 Gold Coins to support your new expenses for a few months."


    His mind becoming weary and his vision a bit dizzy too, King Zar excused him. "You earned your big salary my friend, few can handle so much information without a headache. But I''m afraid I need to form a new alliance with Gaster Kingdom sooner than I expected."

 Zezezezezezezezezeze

    As the Group of five made their way towards the hallway after they closed the door, escaping the Titanoboa.


    They continue to see strange markings around them in the 28 foot wide and 19 foot tall hallway the deeper they went.


    The hallway has an exquisite design without a single doubt, far too much quality to be called just a cave. The red markings mixed up with the astonishing stone design, makes the place look like a hell like structure.


    Moss is growing on those hallway walls, and even though the quality is good, cracks on the stonework are to be seen often.


    But the whole hallway looks quite stable, declaring that whatever made this cave, did so a very long time ago. Perhaps even far before the first Era poked its battle glory head.


    It is a surprise that the Titanoboa splashing on the water itself didn''t cause for this hallway to collapse. That''s how old this place portrays itself.


    The first Era in general was started by the Ignites. Once the Ice Age ended, Snow Ignites returned to their motherland, leaving everything they worked on behind.


    Ignites declared a peace treaty after hundreds of years of war for land with the illustratios, settling for all the land the Snow Ignites left behind.


    Snow Ignites owned most of the Continent throughout the time when the Ice Age was the most active.


    illustratios and Ignites had barely any land and the Calidum Lutum settled for one town [Lan Zhe] avoiding the war for land, isolating themselves.


    Yes the History before the first Era and even before the whole ice age started is pretty messed up but of course it will remain only as History or fiction too as some facts remain unproven.


    They walked and walked, slapping their feet against stone felt a bit satisfying too as they''ve ventured deeper in this hallway seemingly endless hallway.


    Only strange markings are to be seen. No one, including Mogranius or Stefan did recognize what these markings say.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    If it was written in the Ignite or illustratian language, it would be recognizable even if it was before the second Era.


    Writing and reading advanced a lot in the second Era especially but a few letters remained the same.


    So if the markings were written in illustratian or Ignite, they would be able to recognize it.


    Calidum Lutum letters barely changed ever since they disappeared when the first war for land started. Since this hidden civilisation doesn''t favour education, it explains the slow changes.


    A key fact in this tunnel however is that the architectural value and overall Stonemasonry is a bit ahead of its time.


    The stones are just cut to well, nothing before the first Era could top this.


    After they walked for what felt like forever, they reached a bigger opening. The opening included what seemed to be a throne room.


    The Throne Room is quite empty, it has nothing but the Throne in here. Everything else has been noticeably ruined by time.


    Behind the Throne there''s a bigger opening, leading to what looks like some sort of town, a big one. Could this bee a Blue Goblin domain?


    Out of a sudden, a creature who can walk on her 2s appeared on the throne, seated.


    Gems spread all around the cave lit up, illuminated every inch just by the aid of a clap.


    These don''t look like Ignite Gems though. In fact don''t fit any descriptions as Gems from this Continent.


    When the Gems spread out the red light they possess, making everything visible, out of a self defensive instinct Mogranius formed a Fire Shield in a heartbeat, surrounding everyone.


    Unleashing a Fire Shield for a beginner could take much longer, but Mogranius having it done hundreds of times in his life, is trained enough to unleash one almost instantly.


    "What is that thing?" Asked Eric, having an urge to shoot but curiosity overcoming that urge.


    "xbxjxkxkxlxkx" Said the strange creature that''s sitting on the throne.


    "Demon!" Yelled Mogranius, granting another inch to his Fire shield to be on the safe side.


    "Zezezezezezezezezezezezeze" Hollered the labelled Demon, thankfully not standing up from its Throne.


    Woldemir shouted with his 2 meter long Sword pointed forward and craving flesh. "What is it trying to say?"


    Continuing, the creature still spoke gibberish. "Maz''p graza!"


    "Wait that''s in the Calidum Lutum Language." Pointed out Commander Alia, taking a step back since this is getting bizarre.


    "What did it say? I''m about to urinate because of this shit." Asked Stefan, trembling in fear.


    "It''s specifically telling us to not leave." Explained Commander Alia with her short Sword up.


    "This is worse than the Titanoboa and I was face to face with that Bastard." Yelled Woldemir holding the Rumbler up.


    "Thank you for your patience, I hope it didn''t take me too long to recognize your language." Said the creature who sounded like a she.


    Her tone is so gentle now and no one''s forced to bless their pants anymore just because of the tone.


    Taking the liberty and courage to ask questions, Mogranius tightened his teeth against each other and asked. "Who are you. What the hell are you doing underground in this abandoned place."


    Direct, but making it all sound like fiction, the strange lady described. "I''m the last of the Earth Demons. A branch of the most intelligent Demons hell had to offer. Well at least before Magic was a thing in this World."

 Inner Demon (1)

    "If you don''t explain yourself. I''m Bringing this place down along with you." Hollered Eric, both fear and confusion captivating his young mind.


    Spinning a well dried out human skull on her forefinger, the strange lady spoke at a tone too low to hear properly. "I see rage has overcome the Electus'' point of judgment."


    Eric could hear one word out of the sentence, so with his tone lowering he asked. "How do you know I''m the Electus?"


    Sure of herself, the odd lady cited. "Son I can see your veins from a mile away, such a valuable Experiment indeed grabbed my attention."


    With a holler, Woldemir demanded. "Don''t call my son an Experiment."


    Crushing the skull she was spinning above her finger, her tone arose as she weighed in. "I see where he gets his rage from. Electus, I thought Fire has consumed your brain already, but you seem sane. How does it feel handling such power?"


    "How could fire consume my mind?" Asked Mogranius this time, it''s not like he wanted to make things all about him but she is talking about Fire Blasters after all.


    Taking a few offences now, although off topic. The lady demanded, "Put that Shield down. If I wanted to fight I would have come to the surface and end you long ago. I''m here to warn you of great approaching threat."


    Patriotic at best but, Woldemir cut her word short with a clear statement. "What can be a bigger threat than the illustratios? They are a plague to this land."


    Her tone deep, intent pureish and her patience growing thinner, she detailed. "The illustratios are nothing but ants compared to the dangers as big as a Titanoboa. I hope Betzy didn''t cause you trouble by the way. She is a sweetheart but she doesn''t like to be woken up from her bap."


    "Okay, you''re a psychopath. Will you at least tell us about this upcoming threat?" Demanded Stefan bravely, hiding behind Commander Alia.


    Taking this from the very key point, she confided. "I''m certain all of you are aware of the 8 Sources of Magic. The Sources indeed gave abnormal abilities to humans, but it ain''t Magic. It''s just pure natural powers coming from your own body."


    Giving a bit of a shocker, although the Gang already knew a bit of this. The lady stated, "To put it in detail, 8 out of the 13 Continents are powered by the first Demons that managed to get here."


    Shocked, unwilling to believe that the illustratios were right. Mogranius can only disagree with a high pitched holler. "So the Source I''ve been worshipping ever since birth, are Demons? Bullshit, you''re just nuts."


    Not liking how her past friends are being slandered by name, the lady bashed her point of view against these Humans. "These Demons are one of the smartest, they are of my kind but more powerful. They chose to merge with Continents so people don''t die, they could have abandoned your kind."


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Alright this is getting very confusing, this is worse than understanding teleportation."


    Murmured Alia while massaging the left side of her head.


    Noticing her talk, the lady on the throne asked. "A Kastarian, beautiful experiment. How did you survive the great collapse?"


    Staggered, Alia jerked her eyebrows up, her mouth left at a gap. Asking, "You know about that?"


    "indeed!" Answered the odd lady shortly.


    Noticing how this undoubtedly crazy lady is too well informed, Alia decided to ask a question that has been puzzling her for 200 years. "How did Kastaria just vanish like that?"


    Remembering the main point, the obviously demonic lady stated. "That''s why I called you here, great threat approaches. You think that a 15 foot hole just appeared overnight? Betzy broke to the surface."


    "I officially have a phobia towards any snake now!" Added Stefan, looking back hoping that Betzy won''t appear out of thin air.


    Sticking to the main point, the Demon lady explained. "When we flew to your planet with a mission to turn this world into another version of our peaceful hell, we saw the constant conflict on your planet thanks to the technology we have on our own."


    And had the urge to add in order to clear her kind''s own name. "When we arrived here, we had a mission to turn the entire human race into modified Demons. Specifically, Peaceful intelligent Demons."


    "Peaceful Demons, that''s something you don''t hear everyday." Added Mogranius, willing to joke even at such a time and place.


    Prepared for such a joke, she added. "As odd as it sounds, it was an aim. But we did figure out that there is no way to turn the people here into peaceful beings."


    Speaking before anyone else cracks a stupid joke, she expounded. "We figured that out after hundreds of experiments sadly, such a waste of time although fun. We kidnapped people and made them drink blood from the 8 other Demons, you now know those Demons as the Sources today."


    Although harsh, the Electus had to add. "You''re making absolutely no sense."


    Unwilling to apologize for their cumulative stupidity, the Demon lady continued her narration. "We didn''t know that drinking Demon blood gives the human consumes, powers. It didn''t turn the people in to Demons but gave them powers instead along with consequences."


    Concerned for the young boy, as he could be carrying 8 problems at once. Commander Alia asked with a shout, "Consequences like?"


    Horribly accurate and well informed, the lady laid down a bundle of facts. "Every human being that gained power, had an Inner Demon to beat and it hasn''t changed a bit even now 16,000 years later. Those Inner Demons will constantly try to consume your mind based on what the powers come with."


    "So you mean every Inner Demon is different based on the power?" Stated Stefan the harsh fact, being the only one able to fully catch up.


    The lady stood up, even though being tremendously old, her black skin adds complexion to her beauty and she can easily walk on her own 2 feet.


    Her purely white hair add tremendous beauty, as they seem extraordinarily well cared for.


    Her youthful face makes her look like a gorgeous and evil 23 year old lady with daddy issues, and the demonic horns above her head curled with a white colour, make her look even better.


    She started talking again while walking around the Fire Shield, "Lava Controlling for example, granted by the Demon of patience, named Zirinisen. Comes with the Inner Demon he had to beat, that tries to consume your patience. Lava Controllers can burn you alive with their ability, having patience instead of going full berserk is a good test."


    The group stood between the Fire Shield, subconsciously clinging amongst each other and hoping that this crazy lady won''t attack. They have no nerve to have a full on conversation at the moment, impossible.


    Taking at length, captivating the people in front of her, Mogranius especially to the point of forgetting that he is holding up a Shield, the strange lady cited. "Fire Controlling is a power granted by the Demon of Rage, Alasteren."


    Still circling around the Shield, she properly explained. "Having faced a lot of rage control until beating her own Inner demon, she became eligible to grant blood to our Experiments, like the rest of the 8 who beat their own Demon."


    Adding a big piece of the puzzle she created today, the Demon lady continued. "Alasteren brings her Inner Demon of rage to those who carry her genes, her blood. Fire Blasters have rage to face because of the genes she passed down on you humans, all of you are mutants to her Experiments."


    Adding a firm fact, or theory at least about her own. The Demon lady pitched, "Throughout my years of being able to think alone, I figured that none of my 8 friends managed to actually get rid of their Inner Demons but just shunned them down to the point of them not being able to cause trouble."


    Looking at Mogranius directly in the eyes, she stated. "You old man, curiosity for knowledge has over comed your rage and you''ve tamed your Inner demon long ago."


    She stopped for a moment added with a serious, less psychopathic tone. "This kid though, rage started consuming him too soon and too quick."

 Inner Demon (2)

    Having a point to state here, tightening his grip around his Sword, Woldemir cited. "I have been noticing rage in my son, ever since that day in the woods. Before we cleared some things out he was cold but not rageful."


    Complementing, although not wanting too, she needled. Hmmm... then you are ahead of the people who knew nothing about this. At least men were 8 foot tall, 10,000 years before the first Era began. What a joy it was to kidnap them, now all of you look disappointing."


    "So you experimented on humans 10,000 years ago before the First Era started? How old are you?" Asked Eric, his rage became short lasting and got replaced with curiosity once he managed to put everything together.


    Eager to explain, although not everything. The Demonic lady stated, "Child I''m 412,873 years old. I''m not alive but I''m not dead either. It is hard to explain what I am."


    "I''m not sure why we should trust you with all of this, you''re crazy." Bashed Alia, her perception defining her judgment.


    And she saw a lot she doesn''t like about this lady. For example, her dressing is a bit too exposing.


    Her way of talking is tempting even though she is literally speaking how Demons fed the people of this earth, their blood. Not to forget that she gives that psychopathic vibe.


    Getting into further detail although she has no business convincing a handful of humans, she asserted. "Don''t get me wrong, there are Demons who punish wrongdoers. There are many dimensions of hell for that. The badder you are, the rougher the hell."


    Her body started duplicating, surrounding the Fire Shield from 4 sides and looking everyone in the eye.


    Keeping everyone''s mouth shut she continued to explain. "My people however, come from a Peaceful Dimension. We are visionaries, academics, geniuses. We don''t waste our time punishing madmen. If anything, we tried to help your kind."


    Her duplicates slowing their movements and eventually disappearing, she articulated. "But enough of that, a greater threat is coming. So as you progress to new powers you must know about all about the Inner Demons."


    "What is this great threat you keep mentioning? Enough with the suspense already." Mildly shouted Eric, pissed about that little illusion.


    Refusing to answer his question, the Demon lady breathed. "You didn''t beat the first Inner Demon yet, you skipped to the second one."


    Bashing a fact on her face, he crossed his arms and sased with his whole face. "I''m sorry. I couldn''t find Lava when a black Wolf was about to eat my face off."


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    "Nice Sarcasm kid." Added Mogranius with a short laugh.


    Throwing a threat, she gazed upon the Electus'' eyes and spoke without moving her lips. "Sarcasm won''t get you far child, I can claim Ignis if I wanted too."


    Everyone swallowed their spit out of fear after that sentence, it just sounded so... Demonic.


    Teasing them with anticipation as a little bit of a psychological revenge, she rambled. "With super speed comes¡­.. drum roll..... the Demon of patience, coming from Lartem."


    "But isn''t patience, rage control and self control basically the same thing?" Added Stefan, his curiosity forcing anxiety and urging him to use the shit shack.


    Asking even though he is hiding behind Commander Alia, this is better than a trip to a big library for him.


    Eager to answer a wise question for once, she went on. "They are similar but if each one isn''t approached with caution, the Demons will consume you. Permanently."


    Well educated, wanting to unleash such knowledge on people for thousands of years, she yapped. "Take Xakro''s bloodline for example, I''ve been studying their curse for two centuries. The curse doesn''t just pass down the wounds but the 8 inner Demons as well who completely corrupt the heart and there is nothing anyone who carries those cursed powers can do about it!"


    "So Xakro illustratio lll can''t help the way he is? Sad, he didn''t choose to have those powers." Added Woldemir showing grief even though Xakro is trying to kill his son.


    Ignoring Woldemir''s sympathy, moving to a topic she started earlier. "The Demon of Teleportation, Talzejj. The Source there disappeared somehow, I''m not sure how..."


    Still complaining surprisingly, Eric added. "Yes yes, keep giving us more Burden. As if we don''t have enough already.


    Joking about an absolute 400k death count, the Demon lady ranted. "The bright side is, you don''t have to worry about the Inner Demon of Egoism."


    "I suppose I can''t be offended by that since I didn''t have powers to begin with¡­." Chipped in Commander Alia, misinterpreting the joke.


    Still primarily sticking to the topics she wants to talk about, disappearing in mid air every 5 or so seconds, she rambled. "The Demon of Healing Powers, Aresmqaal. To beat the Inner Demon of Healing Powers, you need to get rid of self doubt. Healing requires full confidence of your work."


    Instantly putting 2 and 2 together, Stefan asked yet another wise question. "Is that why Xakro didn''t attack Eric yet? He is crazed with self doubt?"


    Revealing the overall goal of Xakro''s plan, the Demon lady snitched. "No. Well yes. But no. His plans are greater. Long story short, imagine how powerful he will get if he had level 12 powers."


    "He would be able to conquer Continents single handedly." Added Eric because he felt like a target, swallowing his spit.


    Not the biggest fan of Xakro herself, she expressed another flaw of his plans. "Exactly. But he didn''t consider that he will go completely mentally insane, the Inner Demons would double their Work."


    Moving on to the next Inner Demon, she cited. "The Demon of Mind Control, Zeb. This is a delicate art that could make you or your target go insane, even a Grand Master has complications."


    Still willing to help the Electus although he has been nothing but a pain in the ass, she prated. "To spank Zeb''s Inner Demon you need to succeed over the previous five. Teleportation is no longer a problem, but you need to get rid of your ego little man."


    Ignoring the tease and willing to learn from this point onwards, Eric asked. "How exactly can I learn Mind Control? It sounds so confusing."

 Fresh Experiments

    Glad that this child is cooperating, she started blabbing without giving anyone else a turn to speak. "To learn Mind control you need to beat all of the 5 previously mentioned Inner Demons. Self control, rage, patience, egoism and self doubt."


    Listing what the Electus should be aware of, she cited. "Fail to beat 1, your target goes insane. Fail to beat 2, you go insane. Fail to beat all 5, people you didn''t even intend to mind control go insane along with you and your target."


    Adding a little spoiler that has been confusing the whole Gang so far, the Demon lady weighed in. "That''s how Grand King Xakro illustratio l made the war happen, he made the Kings in his motherland go insane and therefore every domain synced under his complete control."


    Adding more and more burden to the Electus'' shoulders, she continued. "On top of all of that, you will need a decade of work to just cross 1 level. Even for an Electus, it is the only power you can''t progress through extraordinarily fast. Cute isn''t it?"


    Taking one final lap around the Fire Shield and sitting on her throne again and explained. "To learn Mind control, you will need to travel all the way to the edge of the world. In the Continent of Leraz."


    "It''s hard to call the place a Continent, it''s just a small island. At least that''s how Akareas described it, a dull place at best." Got Mogranius the chance to speak, again forgetting that he is holding up a Fire Shield.


    Adding something that managed to shake everyone''s bones, she ranted. "Yes, I''m aware. My little paranormal friends have been watching everything but I choose not not intervene. You all are putting up quite a show though, I give you that."


    "P-P-P-Paranormal? Isn''t this P-Paranormal enough already. I don''t need another phobia!" Shook Stefan, still using Alia as a shield.


    Actually aiming to help him calm down, the Demon lady asserted. "Don''t worry, they don''t bite. They just possess you and make you go insane and kill your loved ones. But as long as you don''t bug them, they are sweet as bunnies, just like me."


    Afterwards, a psychopathic laugh broke out of the Demon''s mouth and the stone walls around them started deflating and inflating, as if this place is breathing.


    "We should leave before we get killed!" Hollered Eric, pinching Mogranius to walk backwards.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Son, let''s hear her out." Encouraged Woldemir, trying to benefit from this brain scrambling trauma.


    Glad that these Humans aren''t hesitating, she again spoke about the topic she deemed worthy. "The Demon of Freezing powers, Gazei. To beat the Inner Demon she brings, you need to get rid of lust. An odd combination I know, but lust clouds your judgment and darkens your heart."


    Proving her connection with the paranormal firm, the Demon lady cited. "Just take the farmers on the outer lands for example, they don''t have their dicks anymore. Nice job girl."


    "You did what!" Shouted Stefan, seeing this as completely brutal but at the same time liking it. "Uhhh... good job I guess."


    Tad pissed that her guests aren''t paying attention, she cracked another human skull she grabbed and bellowed. "Moving on to the 8th and last power, flying. To beat the Inner Demon of flying that Paramertezin too had to deal with, you need to let go of burden."


    She paused for a little while, stood up from her throne again and said something with a dead serious tone. "Beat these 8 Inner Demons and your heart will be as pure as a newborn baby. Do not let the Inner Demons consume you or you might end up ruling by Xakro''s side."


    After she stood up, she approached the Gang. The Fire Shield disappeared as she blinked her eyes, leaving everyone staggered of her capabilities.


    Out of a sudden, neither of the Gang could speak as if their mouths are tied shut although no one''s touching them. "Listen up closely, my kind caused these failed Experiments. Powers came from us 10,000 years before the first Era but they were a mistake."


    Unleashing information about the biggest threat, the Demon lady added. "After all these thousands of years, the Demons from my dimension want to start fresh."


    Surprisingly knowing more about the Demonic plans, she continued. "They want to start fresh, to remove the Demonite Gems out of the 8 Demons who hold the 8 prime Continents together."


    Unleashing another burdening dilemma, she added. "The Sources can''t fight back because of a backfiring Experiment, they got turned into stone, fusing themselves with the Continents and of course providing a Source for humans to draw power from."


    As she took joy out of these people''s panic, she slowly explained. "If the Demonite gets removed here, the Continent collapses. I have no idea where the Sources are and I have no idea how the Demons from my dimension are finding them. Even my Paranormal friends can''t."


    Yes this is getting horse shit bad, but it became a bit lighter when she cited. "What I do know, once these Demons enter this world, they are vulnerable to death. So when you see them, kill them."


    Giving her goodbye''s, she allowed them to speak again and gave them the ability to move as well before she said. A great journey is ahead of you, I wish you luck, Electus."


    As she finished her numerous sentences, the Gang disappeared in mid air and reappeared on the surface.


    Where they spooked the 10 Calidum Lutum Guards who didn''t join them on this insane trip.

 Ore to Gold

    Approaching King Zar''s throne again is Seer. He didn''t hold papers on his hands this time and he doesn''t seem to be in a good mood either.


    Trying to be kind, basing everything from the look on his face, King Zar asked. "What news do you bring me, old friend."


    Hating how close minded people are, he filled the King in with details. "Sire. I hate to inform you about this, but after the deconstruction of the Chapel started, people who stood in solitude with the religious organization known as illas, abandoned our Kingdom."


    Feeling perplexed, the King took a few seconds to reply so to fill in the gap of silence, Seer continued. "They followed the Chapel Master out of the Kingdom, the believers carrying their own life savings. They''ve sold their furniture but left everything cheap behind."


    The King''s point of view being far different, he weighed in. "Hmm... that''s good news. Were any of them my workers?"


    Seeing where the King is getting at, Seer specified. "No, they''re just people who made their fortune through religious propaganda. The houses are of good quality as well, 10 people can live in one house without invading each other''s privacy!"


    With this situation turning out for the better, King Zar continued with his queries. "We''ve let go of dead weight, what about the Chapel members and their protectors. How many houses did they leave behind?"


    Highly detail oriented, Seer coughed. "7! They seemed to have shared houses to avoid big expenses, that''s how I''ve been told."


    With the silence stretching nearly half a minute, Seer patiently waiting. The King demanded, "Now listen closely. We just recruited 100 homeless Workers in total a few days ago. All those 100 shall live in those 10 big good houses temporarily until the new houses are built."


    Aiming to be highly precise, or at least make Seer be that way. The King also requested. "Do not forget to fill Parchments and store them in the Castle, so we know who to put in which house in the future. We need to document everything, we can''t memorize it."


    His enthusiasm bustling like a little girl over a new pair of shoes, Seer chattered. "Of course Sire! Those families will be so happy. Judging from their background, they don''t mind sleeping with 10 people in one room."


    In the midst of happiness, a question bashed Seer on the head and he didn''t spare to ask. But what about the taxes?"


    This part is at least easy to put together, the King slowly specifies. "The Workers may bring whoever they please in their house to live, as long as it is a family member. And the tax is the same as per every house, 40 Gold Coins."


    But of course having sympathy for them too, the King explicitly demanded. "Each individual in the house needs to pay. If there are 10 workers in a house, each one needs to pay 4 Gold Coins to make a total of 40. That should at least help them feed their families more or even buy them new clothes."


    Gazing at the King, feeling admiration. Seer complimented, "With this level of sympathy, you will win the masses over in no time."A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "I plan to make Pameres Kingdom a place where any poor person can get wealthy with hard work." Mouthed Zar while actually smiling for once.


    "And it will be, it''s not impossible." It''s nice to see Seer being on board with this plan now, let''s hope he maintains this enthusiasm. But he also has to ask, "Sire I have one more question. What about the 7 houses the illas officials left behind?"


    Pitching an idea, Zar queried. "I want to make profit out of the Mines. Our new set of workers we will soon hire, will live in those 7 houses. But first, answer me this. How much does a raw Iron ore cost?"


    Puzzled of why the King switched topics this quick, Seer just had to directly answer. "It costs 8 Gold Coins according to market price."


    "What about an Iron Ingot?" Asked Zar yet another question, with full concentration on Seer.


    A bit tired, unwilling to think where he is getting at. Seer again shortly answers, "25 Gold Coins if I recall right!"


    "Perfect and what about an Iron Sword?" Zar butchered with half a smile, interesting as he rarely smiles.


    Thinking that the King will be buying Swords again, Seer put an attempt to talk him out of it. "70 Gold Coins Sire, it is a bit costly."


    Letting silence stretch a few seconds, Zar asked. "Are you seeing my point of view Seer. Did you catch on?"


    "Ummm..." Seer stood puzzled.


    Cutting it short so this plan can get in motion, Zar clarified. "I want to sell Iron Swords, we can make a good Income if we sell a few hundred each month."


    Instantly finding a flaw in his Highness'' plan, Seer pointed it out as he counted his fingers. "But have you considered the wood, blacksmiths and leather strips needed to make them?"


    This is child''s play, the King just gives a command and Seer follows. "We already have enough Workers experienced in lumbering, so handles aren''t a problem. The Hunters and Blacksmiths however, require some work to obtain."


    Finally catching up, Seer queried. "Do you want me to fill out some papers for recruitment Sire?"


    Wanting to get this over already, Zar shortly stated. "Yes but for another day. I need to make 2 deals which could boost our economy."


    And focusing towards the bigger problem that demands attention. "Gaster Kingdom is near the ocean and they have a port. I can''t afford to send my construction Workers all the way near the ocean and back just to build a port. It is too dangerous, expensive and time consuming."


    With options narrowed when it comes to using a port, Seer questioned. "So you plan to do business with another continent?"


    "Yes but for that we need to make a deal with that race of which has Witches and Wizards with Healing Magic, what''s it called?" Asked Zar, he isn''t trying to be racist, but he doesn''t know much of anything out of Ignis.


    Instantly catching up, Seer replied. "You are talking about the Zamerians Sire, that''s a good idea. It takes only around 2 weeks to reach that Continent. So ships will be constantly moving from there to Ignis but there is one problem!"


    Jerking his eyebrow up, Zar asked. "What could the problem be?"


    Having thought of this in deep detail under a short period of time, Seer laid out. "We will need at least 15 Blacksmiths to withstand the daily amount of Ore. Not to mention that Blacksmiths are harder to find, harder than Stonemasons."


    The personal assistant stopped for a while, took a breath and continued to add. "If a Blacksmith has over 10 years of experience, he can likely make 3 quality Iron Swords in one week while an apprentice could likely make only 1 good quality Sword per week."


    The King hasn''t considered that, but of course he can fix it. "Hmmm, troublesome but if the monthly pay for an apprentice is 100 Gold Coins, we might be able to recruit more."

 Kaleem and Saleem (1)

    Walking down an alley on Crutal Kingdom, is a little illustratian boy.


    Well not exactly, little as he was 17 years old. His name is Kaleem, he has been working by his father''s side ever since he was 9 years old. Putting in hours in the Forge.


    He started off with tasks as simple as they could be, such as making it easier for his father named Saleem who currently is 46 years old, to reach Iron Ingots.


    Although their names similar, everything else about these two fine people is different.


    Let''s start with height for example. Kaleem is 5.5 foot tall while Saleem is 6.4! Not to leave out, Saleem''s arm only, is as big as Kaleem''s waist.


    Kaleem is tad more kind hearted, while life has turned Saleem''s heart a bit cold.


    However, getting to the point. As Kaleem grew older, his responsibilities grew along with him.


    Apart from being a bit cold, Saleem cares a lot about his son. So he does not wish to burden him with too much responsibility.


    But Kaleem is known as the most ambitious illustratio in Crutal Kingdom. Taking his father as an example who works almost 12 hours a day, he insisted to share the same amount of burden, this young.


    Saleem of course never allowed it, but his son worked after midnight to ease the burden on his father''s shoulders the next day, even though Kaleem himself is busy at the forge a good part of the day, assisting his father.


    In some days the youngster even did half a shift throughout the strongest insist, he even does deliveries almost daily. It is no doubt that Kaleem is overly ambitious for someone so young.


    However, as Blacksmiths are rare and weaponry is valuable, any Blacksmith would be overwhelmed with work.


    A cart of Iron Ore usually being very heavy, bringing it from the mines to the forge is mostly Saleem''s task. To him that heavy cart is like carrying two bags of wheat.


    The man is abnormally strong, Blacksmithery made him even stronger but he lost his hair because of it. [Or weeds, both terms acceptable.]


    It doesn''t plague his appearance though, he looks much better without it. It compliments his body shape.


    Saleem being once again overwhelmed with work, forgot all about picking up the cart of Ores from the Mines, which is done twice a week.


    Guess who used the opportunity to help without being told too. You guessed it, Kaleem.


    Disappearing as if in mid air, used to sneaking just to force in more work in the forge.


    Running his way to the Mine which took him about 10 minutes, he lied to the Miners that. "My dad sent me here to fetch the Ores, he doesn''t have enough time to come here."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Kaleem, doing deliveries and sometimes bargaining, gave him some abilities of speech craft. So it became tad easier for him to manipulate Miners.


    Grabbing the cart''s handles and actually lifting it off the ground after trying 6 times. His insistence to help his father as a main motivation, starting his journey to reach the Forge.


    To his advantage, the Mine is on top of a hill. The road isn''t too steep but it would make moving the cart full of Iron Ores way easier.


    He had to turn the cart to the left bit by bit to direct the cart towards the main road, through a bit of effort he was successful.


    A full grown man can lift and keep the cart under control down that hill but under great effort that would tire the entire body.


    His first 20 feet of pulling the cart stood stable.


    On the 30th foot it became twice as easy thankfully, as if his effort understood and aided by the divine.


    As he reached his 50th foot, he started practically running with the cart at speeds no illustratio could reach.


    He ran for 10 minutes straight when he got up here before to pick up the cart and he didn''t stop to catch his breath.


    So his stamina depleted quickly now, making it impossible for him to keep up with the speed of the cart who''s getting faster and faster.


    To his tremendously bad luck, he tripped and fell face first to the ground.


    The cart having wheels big enough to support a heavy shipment, at least worked to his aid today.


    Thanks to those big wooden wheels, Kaleem was able to slide underneath the cart without taking any fatal damage but a couple of small bumps and bruises.


    As he fell face first to the dirt, he heard a loud crash shortly after.


    By the worst ever luck, the crash was caused because of his father, Saleem.


    Saleem saw the fast approaching cart, and given no time to clear the way, by instinct he grabbed the two wooden cart handles.


    After making contact with Saleem, it arose from the ground, leaped over him and got tossed 30 feet away, and tumbled for another 10.


    Over 20 of the Ores fell on his head and body. The impact on his chest was nothing but a bit of bumps and bruises but the impact on his head...


    The Iron Ores knocked Saleem out cold and left a bloody wound on top of his head.


    Due to more miss fortune, only Kaleem saw what happened.


    The closest Guard is a kilometer away and just one wouldn''t be of help when it comes to lifting a 300 pound man.


    Kaleem ran towards his father, struck with shock, not believing what just happened. This feels like a nightmare.


    He yelled for help several times with all of his lungs and with tears in his eyes, seeing his father in such a condition and blaming himself too.


    Lifting the Ores from his father one by one, he threw them as if throwing feathers.


    After removing the Ores, he tried to lift his father.


    But it feels like moving a boulder. Kaleem is only 90 pounds, he could never lift a 300 pound man.


    A moment after Kaleem felt a huge sensation of pain all over his body. He could feel every vein pumping strong like hell.


    Letting out a strong shout, that actually caught the attention of a Guard 1 kilometer away. He grabbed his father''s right arm with such power, he almost ripped it off.


    Grabbing his father''s left leg after, he managed to actually lift him off of the ground as well and putting him above his shoulders.


    His body isn''t breaking in half due to the weight even though his feet sank a couple of inches in the dirt, his father felt like a bag of wheat to him now!

 A Rapers worst nightmare (1)

    Approaching Gaster Kingdom isn''t Eric with his 14 Guards and friends but it''s rather someone different.


    Not knowing what is to hit this Domain days after, King Zar sent someone to negotiate a deal.


    He thought it to be too dangerous to send his most trusted, over qualified assistant over there, so he sent someone of lesser experience but good at the art of speechcraft who claimed herself as a big time Merchant.


    If Seer was to get injured, or died in this trip, it would take a miracle to find another illustratio or Ignite of Seer''s qualifications. Seer even worked for Xakro illustratio lll.


    Gaster Kingdom and Pameres Kingdom have a rough relationship, so a deal might be a bit of a far shot.


    In the far past, Gaster Kingdom''s mines were used to finance the construction of a new Domain, Pameres Kingdom.


    Back then this idea was much praised, but until now Gaster Kingdom has piled up enough hate to attack Pameres Kingdom if they had the chance.


    The poor of Gaster Kingdom haven''t been given privileges in the new Domain, Job-wise. Quite the opposite, they were shunned away and bigger positions were given to the most skilled, race regardless.


    Getting back to the point, approaching Gaster Kingdom is a fine woman called Alama.


    She is known in Pameres Kingdom or any other Domain she travelled to, as Alama honey mouth. She is a master when it comes to bargaining and bickering, seductive in some aspects.


    As a woman in these times, travelling on the road alone isn''t nearly the best idea. If not robbed or raped, she can get jumped by wild animals and torn to pieces.


    But in her case, being tall-ish [5.8ft], and growing up with a battle axe on her hand, she achieved a lot as a 27 year old.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    She is more like the tomboy type of girl even though she pays heavy attention to her own beauty and overall grooming, well care.


    Her pitch black hair is tied to a tail, but that doesn''t make her less attractive. Her hair is eye catchingly long, tied as a tail most times and reaching the back of her knees.


    That''s the tail bandits would get attracted too, letting their guard down and losing their head after.


    Walking in full silver Armour giving such an elegant glow, it''s a sight that every man would be attracted too.


    As she neared Gaster Kingdom''s gates, she got stopped by two illustratio by tone, Guards. The first thing they said was, "Pay 40 Gold Coins to enter."


    Hearing about this trick on over 10 Domains now, her tone firm and sweet, she tossed her words around. "If you go around trying to scam people, might as well sit on a comfortable spot and raise your hand for spare change to people passing by."


    Their ego naturally getting hurt, they pulled out their Swords and said. "You''re under arrest for threatening a Guard!"


    Capable of cussing out these Guards in 2 languages, she kept her rage at bay and thought to herself. "Threatening a Guard? What was Zar thinking? Partnering up with such corrupt low lives! If there was an illustratio in my shoes, she wouldn''t be held guilty even if she stabbed these Guards to death."


    And instead expressed, "Oh so you will take me to the King in style. Perhaps I can bribe him to behead both of you."


    A cold sweat breaking from one Guard''s forehead, he queried. "You''re here for the King?"


    "Yes, King Zar sent me here. I''m sure both of you know of his importance and me carrying his word should point out my importance." Cited Alema, keeping her tone calm and enjoying how ass kissing these two tough men can be.


    Manipulating feeble minds is this lady''s skill, playing with minds like a feline with a mouse.


    Wiping the sweat off his forehead, the same Guard who threatened arrest, shortly mouthed. "You are free from arrest, enter and be quick."


    Elbowing the man as she passed through, pushing the Gate and mocking. "That''s what I thought."


    Entering the Gates and making her way to the Castle which is oddly in the middle of the Kingdom, getting a lot of strange looks from the citizens around.


    She would probably be mugged by now if she wasn''t wearing costly armor, declaring her status. People here are scrapping to survive, the only reason they are able to feed their families is because of the sea nearby. It isn''t illogical for the mugging rates here to be higher.


    Some men seem to be hungry enough to attack a lady in almost full body Armour in the middle of the day.


    The only piece of Armour she''s lacking is a Helmet which she doesn''t wear because if she would, she wouldn''t be able to tie her hair to a tail.


    But from the looks of it, those same men giving her the awkward eye don''t seem to be hungry for Gold.


    Following her through 13 of the abandoned Houses which are common, one became brave enough to grab her by her tied up tail and tried to drag her to an abandoned house too.


    Hence the word, tried.


    FSHT!


    Her Sword whistled against the Air, the man''s hand dropped on the ground a split second after.

 Kaleem and Saleem (2)

    After lifting his father, Kaleem managed to carry him a kilometer through the dirty road and for another hundred meters through Crutal Kingdom with the help of some Guards and Citizens, to reach the Healers.


    He could see the people breaking hundreds of sweats, but Kaleem himself managed to bring his father here without breaking one which got him a whole lot more confused.


    "It must be the God of Sources, he heard my cry for help and sent angels." Kaleem thought, that''s all he can think of at the moment.


    Arriving at the Healers, they''ve slowly dropped the large man down on the floor, which too took a lot of effort in aims to not hurt him further.


    The Healers told everyone to leave the room, including Kaleem. For some reason they didn''t want anyone to see their Healing method.


    The room includes 4 Ignites and Saleem. They all sat around him, one over his head, one underneath his feet, one on the left side and one on the right.


    They grabbed all four of Saleem''s limbs and his head too. Concentrating for a moment and releasing a green light which surrounded the man head to toe, keeping the process going for over an hour.


    Perhaps this is why they urged everyone to exit the Healing room. These people are a group of two Witches and two Wizards.


    How they are living here and how they''ve got the good name of a Healer is uncertain but now it isn''t the time to think about this.


    The Healers finally came out of the room one by one and entered the waiting room which is attached to the building as well.


    Following the four Healers is Kaleem''s father, Saleem. Being 6.4ft tall, he had to duck a little bit to exit through the door but apart from that he seems in top shape. As if nothing happened.


    Kaleem ran towards his father and hugged him tightly with tears flowing down his eyes. "I''m sorry."


    Before Saleem was about to speak, one of the Healers interrupted and said. "Your father is fine but people are telling me that you carried him on your back."


    Another Healer continued, explaining why it ain''t supposed to happen. "A small breeze can knock you down but you managed to carry this large man."Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    As if these Ignite Healers rehearse to be such a pain in the ass, the third of this group weighed in. "Do you have any idea how you did it? This isn''t exactly normal or natural, It defies all laws of nature."


    The fourth and yet most quiet Healer of them all, added. "The marks you left on him were almost equal to the wounds on his head!"


    Not having a good explanation, Kaleem countered. "I don''t have any idea how I did it. Maybe the God of sources heard my cry for help when my own kind didn''t!"


    Listening them out, Saleem shouted. "You carried me here? But how?"


    "We can''t even call this magic because such strength doesn''t match any form of the 8 kinds of Magic." Added the fourth healer, becoming a bit more talkative.


    "I suppose his father''s Genes finally came in!" Said Saleem, proud but also in aims to remove Magic from the topic!


    Finding no way to hold suspicion, the first Healer excused them. "I suppose, but please visit us soon. We want to see if your strength is the same days after."


    The third Healer though, mentioned more pressing matters. "You will need to pay us 50 Gold Coins for Healing you, no rush with it though."


    ...


    Making their way down the Kingdom and entering their home which is connected to one of the few Forges in this Domain.


    Normally, Saleem would have put Kaleem''s misdoings behind and focus on the fact that he tried to help, but this situation hollers for attention and stabs for action.


    For once in a long time, this large man took a good break even though so much time is already wasted because of that whole situation.


    Climbing up stairs, so any ears won''t carry words like a bird who wants Gold. Pointing at a chair, Saleem requested. "Son, sit!"


    Guilty beyond normal, Kaleem slightly shouted. "I''m sorry father, I never meant for this to happen."


    Never being a punishing father, he felt surprised how Kaleem is panicking to this extent. Waving his hand to help his son calm down, Saleem butchered. "I know son, I know. I''m well and alive, praise to the God of Sources. But your strength, that concerns me."


    Fearing that his father will think about the worst, Kaleem assured. "I never met a Demon, I promise. Maybe I''m cursed by one!"


    Not wanting for this conversation to have such a painful turn, Saleem repeated a few times. "You aren''t cursed."


    And afterwards pitched, "Maybe it''s a new power blessed by the God of Sources, maybe there is a new Source."


    Taking a deep breath, sucking in the snot. Kaleem asked, "A new one?"


    Quite sure of himself and everything he is talking about, Saleem added. "Yes, maybe. I know for a fact that you didn''t interact with any Demon, that''s just Chapel propaganda to make Ignites look bad."


    "So¡­ Ignites aren''t Demons from the depths of hell?" Asked Kaleem innocently, he is used to hearing these words over and over.


    Feeling a bit dumb as a father, allowing his sun to grow with such thoughts, Saleem ensured. "Of course not, they are nothing but ordinary people. If anything the illustratios would be connected to Demons, they killed and raped Ignites for dominance."


    Realizing that he might have neglected his responsibilities as a father, Saleem also asked. "I hope you didn''t offend or hurt any Ignite son."


    With another preview when he thinks about the Ignite race, Kaleem swiftly spoke. "I do not like them, but i never did anything to hurt them either. Because they were nice to me."


    Satisfied, Saleem moved to more pressing matters. "I''m about to tell you something. I''m not going to lie, this will be shattering."


    With such power apparently blessed from another Source, Kaleem felt a bit tougher now so he spoke. "Father. Whatever it is, i can handle it!"


    Hesitant, letting silence stretch for well over a minute now. Saleem finally explained, "Alright son. Your mother, she was an Ignite!"

 A Rapers worst nightmare (2)

    As Alama turned around, beheading the one who attempted to rape her, same man who she cut his hand off a few seconds earlier.


    She noticed that 6 more men were infront of her, ready to battle it all out although hesitant once seeing the damage she caused.


    To make it even more disgusting, 4 of these plagues to society are of her kind. Ignites.


    One of them, seeing his partner in crime losing his head, took a few steps backwards so the others can attack first.


    4 of them pulled out daggers and they kept saying sentences that would disgust any good heart and mind.


    "Give up already."


    "We will have fun tonight."


    "You can''t keep this up."


    "You''re weak."


    "You''re pathetic."


    "Dance for us, slave."


    To have the odds of battle to her side, Alama lifted up her main weapon. A big two handed Silver Battle Axe, yes this will come in handy.


    It is a bit embarrassing to watch these men oppose her with rusty and small Iron Daggers.


    As the bundle of enemies approaches, one of these bastards finde a blind spot and tries to stab Alama with his Dagger.


    Her Armor is so thick that he only manages to dent a small hole on it, not penetrating it whatsoever. To this, Alama could only smile mid battle and find it cute in some ways.


    Head butting the closest attacker, throwing him against the group of 6 rapists, knocking 2 of them off their stinky feet. She bought herself a few seconds with this attack, now at least she has less chances to be overwhelmed.


    An illustratio man approaches, for safety''s sake Alama started taking a few steps back and analysing his battle form.


    "This is easy." She thought, stopping on her spot.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Swinging her battle axe vertically, starting it from above and aiming below the belt, she dug her Battle Axe right in the man''s crotch.


    The enemy fell to the ground crying for help. The attack didn''t kill him on the spot, but he will live for a while in severe pain before meeting a well deserved death.


    Seeing that 2 people received fatal injuries already, the one who took a few steps backwards earlier. Made a run for it, fleeing.


    Noticing that he''s running away from death, Alama swiftly grabbed the pathetic rusty Iron Dagger that one of the Rapists dropped, and threw it against the air.


    Throwning it as such strength that it didn''t just penetrate his skin, it almost went through him.


    Loving the fear in the 4 Survivor''s eyes, she offered. "I killed 3 of you already. Will you give up or do you need to lose your penises to be convinced?"


    Odd enough, the Ignite man in the middle butchered. "You will be our meal tonight. Both sexually and literally."


    "Wait, Cannibalism? This place has gone down that bad?" She thought, but this doesn''tt matter either way.


    Proceeding to swing her Battle Axe, beheading another man. Not noticing that throughout the havoc, a group of 3 more men were approaching her from behind bit by bit.


    They hid around the abandoned houses and moved swiftly to avoid being seen.


    She beheaded another one after cutting off his arm and seeing that they got clearly outmatched, the two remaining men in front of her too made a run for it.


    They approached her in a group of 7 but left in a group of 2, pathetic.


    Alama grabbed 3 of the dropped Daggers and thundered them across the air. These two enemies met an end similar to the one who made a run for it first.


    Glad of her work, proud that she once again over threw plagues such as these people. She murmured to herself, "That''s what I thought, low lives!"


    The 3 other men got even closer but she still didn''t notice anything yet as she took time to look at the dead bodies she bested.


    A Fireball struck the sneaking man squating in the middle and the impact struck loud enough to make Alama turn around.


    But for a moment she wished that she didn''t as the man struck by the Fireball is being burned alive.


    Blood was breaking from his skin and the Fire that struck him was so hot that he lost a third of his body already.


    The 2 other men confused and terrified of what they were seeing, forgot their goals of rape.


    Using the third Dagger, she penetrated one man''s head and punched the other so hard that he flew for a meter and tumbled for another two, where he met an unfortunate end by another Fireball.


    Climbing down from the roof of an abandoned house is another man, It isn''t hard to mistake him with common folk. He''s just a normal Ignite.


    The only thing unique about him are his powers and the fact that he too has long hair. As long as Alama''s come to think of it.


    He''s also wearing wide clothes which makes his long hair look more acceptable and matching.


    With thanking not yet a goal, Alama held her Battle Axe up and hoped for this man not to shoot. "Who are you?"


    Friendlier than expected, his tone shone low as his intent became transparent. "I''m sorry I didn''t arrive earlier. I''ve been looking for reasons to kill those bastards for months now. I''m Michael!"


    Her Battle Axe still gripped tight, she swiftly added. "I''m Alama, where you born with your Magic?"

 For the Ignites! For Freedom!

    "An Ignite?! But you said she was an illustratio." Shouted Kaleem, strong confusion occupying his senses.


    "I did. To protect you from the heart break. Your mother didn''t meet the fate I told you about." Saleem was kind hearted and still is, but life can turn one colder.


    Not knowing what to believe, his mind going through several scenarios, he finally asked. "You mean she didn''t die when she gave birth to me?"


    Painfully direct, Saleem uttered. "No, she was killed by illustratios in the motherland."


    A tear force broke through his eye, his throat feeling tight as he hollered. "What? Why did they kill her?"


    Trying to describe everything, Saleem slowly butchered. "She was a Witch. Through illas influences, the Guards along with the town folk burned her alive while I was at work."


    Not believing what he''s hearing, Kaleem reached to the point of an emotional breakdown but still forcing himself to hold it all together.


    In the midst of this staggering sadness, understanding that crying it all out will make the killers feel prouder if they know, Kaleem asked. "We won''t let her blood dry, make a plan!"


    Puzzled how his son swallowed harsh facts swiftly, Saleem spoke. "So you don''t mind that your mother was an Ignite and a Witch too?"


    His face red, anger occupying his mind as he burned down the tear that broke out earlier, Kaleem expressed. "My mother was not a Demon, if she was, you wouldn''t have married her. I know you too well."


    A tear wanting to break but not allowing it, Saleem has to explain. "Son I couldn''t be more proud on how you''re handling the truth but there is little we can do, we can''t wipe out the whole Capital."


    Stupidly motivated his whole life, Kaleem started expressing his developing grudge with shouts. "I will train! I will work hard! I will burn that Kingdom to the ground!"


    "What difference will we have from them if we do that?" His father yelled, not preferring Kaleem''s way of thinking.


    But understanding his son''s pain better than anyone else ever could, under a calmer tone Saleem pitched. "If you wish to fix this hell hole, help the Ignites. We can''t burn down innocent families, maybe there are illustratios who think the same as us."


    His rage shunning down like a torch thrown in the sea, Kaleem just sat down on his chair again and murmured. "They had no right to kill her."


    Glad that his son is old enough to have such a conversation, well at least the situation forced them to talk it out. Saleem offered a way to tame this hate, "This has been haunting me for 16 years son, I know how much this would will hurt. But do you know what made the bad feeling go away bit by bit?"This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    His attention grabbed away from pain, the boy asked. "What could it be?"


    Slowly but surely, Saleem replied. "The smiles on the Ignites I''ve helped that couldn''t even help theirselves."


    His courage arising with new ideas, Kaleem demanded. "Then teach me, teach me to fight! Teach me to me to help those people!"


    Still slow on his tone, but undoubtedly willing to direct his son, Saleem cited. "You can help people in many different ways without risking your neck. Gold for example, many Ignites lack it even though they work their asses off all day."


    Other ideas in mind, the patriotic boy slightly shouted. "But I have Magic, I can fight."


    Realistic, wanting his son on a safer path too. He pitched, "You don''t know how to fight, you need time. With practice, you can rip a man in two."


    Kind off hearing what he wants to hear, the young motivated man asked. "Then we will be able to help Ignites?"


    Glad that a deal has been found between the two, Saleem continued to explain. "Yes, I''ll even do it with you but first I need to train you. Once I feel that you''re ready, we will leave this God forsaken shithole."


    Eager, finding motivation out of pain although not fun. Kaleem insisted, "Yes! Let''s start now!"


    "Now?" Saleem asked, trying to recover a bit from this day he has low motivation.


    Still insisting, Kaleem added. "Yes now! No time to waste."


    Trying to relax a little bit from the tiring day, Saleem stretched the conversation with a fact. "Good but one thing first. From what your mother spoke, rage almost made her heart dark, it came along with her powers apparently. You could be dealing with the same thing, so you need to start fresh today and focus on Inner peace."


    Taking a moment to comprehend all of this, Kaleem can only answer. "I will try my best."


    "I have an idea, just replace rage with cockyness. Such as doing a victory dance like this!" Right after he stood up and with one foot against the ground and one hand on the air above his head, he started jumping and spinning clockwise.


    Which shook the entire house but it''s adorable to watch and made Kaleem laugh a tad bit.


    Liking how this day will end up, the young brave hearted man spoke. "I will try it! We have a plan then.


    For the Ignites! For the innocent!"


    Complimenting his son''s chant, Kaleem shook the furniture with a shout. "For the Ignites! For their freedom!"


    ...


    Waking up earlier than usual to avoid the 12 hour long daily tasks, Saleem''s aiming to build a training room in the basement, Kaleem needs a place to train after all.


    He can rearrange the wooden crates who hold storage, place them here and there in the house. Their House isn''t exactly small so they have space to spare. But anything in the basement has to go.


    Having a forge literally near his house, Saleem can make any additional tool he requires. And what he can''t make, he had gold to spend.


    First he has to make a training dummy, it ie a task easy to do. With chains he just has to tie a bag filled with chopped wood around a thick wooden beam.


    Against that support beam, Kaleem will be practicing the ways of the Sword.


    Even though his strength gives him the ability to crush skulls without breaking a sweat, a Sword provides attacks from a better distance, blessing him with more safety.


    Rushing in the basement holding a ladle, Kaleem shouting with one eye open. "Where are all the crates? Did we get robbed?"


    Calmer, Saleem cited. "Not at all, this is where you will train from today. Do you like it?"

 10%

    Tad hesitant to explain about his Magic to a stranger at these times of practiced slaughter amongst people with Magic, simply tried to change the topic. "I''m Michael, what brings you here?"


    Noticing how he inevitably ignored her question, Alama kept her tone casual as she cited. "King Zar sent me here. He wants to strike a deal with Gaster Kingdom to use the Port!"


    Struck staggered, one question came to his mind and he did not fail to ask it out loud. "Why use the port of Gaster Kingdom when he can use many ports through the main river?"


    A bit confused at first how this man hasn''t yet heard of the news, Alama slowly but surely deciphered. "I guess the word of mouth is slow here. Zar left the illustratian alliance, banned the illas and took down their Chapel too!


    Seeing that Michael doesn''t really appear convinced, Alama added. "Zar declared that illustratos and ignites will live equally. Quoting, "Status shall be declared by work experience and not by the colour on one''s skin."


    Still sceptical, Michael queried. "Interesting, but is it a good idea to trust a illustratio? This could be just another scheme to gain more power!"


    Considering that part too before, but using logic to her aid, Alama counted. "No one would risk going against an entire Continent for a small fortune. He is even building new houses and giving them away for free in exchange of a 40 Gold Coin tax."


    Not wanting to believe this for a while, or at least taking time to get used to, Michael offered. "I need to check this myself soon but please, let me escort you to the Castle. This place is not safe for anyone anymore."


    Seeing that the man is very well mannered and he literally just saved her life even though he could have joined the rapists, Alama decided to follow Michael.


    He''s walking in front leading the way while Alama is on the back with her hand on her battle axe handle just in case any other guy has any funny ideas.


    She will not make the mistake of having her Guard down again in this disaster of a domain.


    But when she couldn''t be focused on her surroundings for a second or two, it was because of Michael''s hair.


    It is unusual for her to see a man with such beautiful hair. They appear so thick and filled with life, it gives a strong hint that this man washes them everyday.


    For people here or even in Crutal Kingdom, one is considered clean if they took a swim down a river or ocean once in 2 to 3 weeks. Yet this man''s aroma is a blessing from above, from the divines. No stench is to be breathed in coming from this fine man.


    His manners are something even the rich and royal have trouble competing against. What is he doing in this crap hole?Stolen novel; please report.


    After what seemed to be an eternity, they''ve reached the Castle in the middle of the Kingdom. They didn''t exactly walk far but the Kingdom''s appearance in general is too unsettling, making it feel similar to a long walk. As if time slowed down.


    Arriving, Alama pointed out. "Oh you don''t have to go in there with me Sir Michael, I can handle it from here."


    With no aims to leave, Michael explained. "Oh trust me, I have to be here at the moment."


    Jerking her left eyebrow up, Alama asked. "Do you work in the Castle?"


    Trying to break it down slowly, not a fan of fancy titles, Michael weighed in. "Not exactly but I do work for Gaster Kingdom."


    As they walked in, the King''s Throne room is visible across their grasp of view. Or King''s hallway, both terms acceptable.


    They walked towards what seems to be an empty Throne at the other side of the room, pointing that the King isn''t here. Perhaps eating lunch?


    Basing it on the overall acts Michael had, Alama itched to know. "So what do you work exactly? I''m thinking that you are the King''s assistant!"


    "Well you are close but not exactly." Slowly spoke Michael as he sat on the Throne and continued. "Now tell me, what deal does King Zar have for me?"


    Staggered, Alama couldn''t help hollering. "You are the King? But how!? Ignites can''t be Kings!"


    Since stereotypical pieces of work are syncing in as a topic, Michael butchered. "Need I remind you that we were kicked out from the illustratian alliance long ago."


    A smirk across his face arose as Michael also weighed in, "It doesn''t just prevent us from getting support from the illustratian alliance, it also makes us independent."


    "Meaning their rules don''t apply here." Alama became vigilant to catch on, no doubt. But also asked. "What about the illas? Do they have influence here?"


    Cocky a tad bit since the illas failed a semi-foul fate on this side of the Continent at least. He slowly described the blissful disaster, "No no, they departed long ago. I didn''t even have to force them out as they''ve got deprived of financial support from the people they used to kiss boots of."


    Adding another key fact that came along with the alliance''s abandonment, Michael mouthed. "Without their influence, illustratios and Ignites are able to coexist better now."


    "Yes, I did notice that half of the rapists were Ignites. This place is a hellhole. No offense to you of course, your highness!" She giggled with a followed bow, sarcastic obviously.


    Enjoying her giggle no doubt, he went an extra mile to defend the domain he rules. "We met an economical collapse, many people left to Pameres Kingdom for a better life. All that are left here are low lives, bandits, and people under extreme poverty."


    Spotting that the conversation stands serious, Alama offered. "Look. I''m here for business but apart from that, this is just one job the King sent me too doo. I''m free to come here and help you form your Kingdom to its former glory. If not anything I can bring bickering skills to the table."


    Flinching his eyebrow, unfavourable towards the situation, King Michael confuted. "That offer is most generous miss Alama but I can''t afford to pay you. The Kingdom has no financial income at all, even the Guards are only paid with free fish."


    "I do not need a payment, just give me a small empty room and free food. When I manage to help you gain Income, we can talk about payment!" Alama is willing to help, but her businesswomen instincts kick in as well. Time is precious and should be spent with a reward.


    Having it hard to fight her enthusiasm, he cut it short. "I suppose I am desperate for opportunities. Now let''s get to that business offer."


    Realising how far off topic they''ve ventured, she got a small blush on her cheeks but was quick to fight it off. "Certainly. King Zar wants to sell his weaponry to another Continent, to the Zamerians more precisely but he needs to use your port for that."


    "And the deal is?" Michael is losing his patience just a little bit because no matter what, his first question is still not yet answered.


    Ready to answer this question, having it repeated in her mind countless times already, she immediately answered as if singing a poem. "For every sale Zar makes to the Zamerians or anywhere basically through the usage of your port, you get 10% out of it."


    Not sure if Michael knows how percentage works, she decided to give a couple of examples too.


    "If he earns 300 Gold Coins, you get 30."


    "If he earns 3,000 Gold Coins, you get 300."


    To further encourage the King, she added. "It''s not a huge profit right now, not going to lie but Zar is constantly recruiting. His Income will increase over time and if you strike a deal now, you will earn big in the future."

 War messenger

    Eric and his group plus the 10 Guards have spent quite a few weeks to put their task into motion and now they are close to Gaster Kingdom.


    To their luck, they''ve met with a piece of flatland that no other Kingdom is close too which inevitably provided a blind spot for a good few days.


    Given the opportunity, they walked through that clear land which cut off at least 3 days of their travelling time.


    That piece of land wasn''t used because it is obviously too near the big forest. Farmers can''t risk planting crops there because wild animals will rush in the scene and eat portions of the farm bit by bit everyday until the farm runs out of business.


    So the Gang traveled through that clear land for 4 days until they met a branch of the large forest again, forcing them to punish their feet across harsher but yet covered lands.


    But that branch didn''t consume much of their time, they went through it in 2 days. It would on average take longer but they were hyped that they almost reached the Kingdom so they had the motivation to walk faster.


    By the time they were no less than 100 yards away from Gaster Kingdom, Alama was already halfway to Pameres Kingdom after striking a deal with King Michael.


    What happened though, is something they did not expect. Once spotting the potential enemies, noticing the unusual, King Michael sent a messenger towards the Gang.


    The Guards of Gaster Kingdom, after seeing large men from a distance, instantly contacted Michael for an order of attack or basically any order at all.


    They''re shocked by the sight, It is not an everyday thing to see 10 foot tall men, otherwise they wouldn''t ask for the King''s assistance.


    The messenger arrived towards Eric and the Gang, fearing the 10 foot tall men behind the normal Humans, shaking while he spoke. "My King requires to know what is your business here in Gaster Kingdom?"Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    In war, when a messenger is sent, the enemy isn''t allowed to kill the messenger. It would be a war crime punishable by death or 10,000 Gold Coins and the party who committed the crime has no choice but to pay or execute that one person who did the crime.


    "I''m the Electus, I came here to free this town from your kind. You aren''t to enslave Ignites any longer!" Hollered Eric in a rough tone while everyone else was giving the messenger a murderous eye.


    Racist at best but the demand and intent has been made transparent.


    Shocked and confused, the messenger answered. "Slavery? There is no slavery in Gaster Kingdom!"


    Not wanting to debate about this, Eric yet again yelled. "Of course there isn''t. Am I supposed to believe that? Tell your King to surrender or else I will burn all of you into dust!"


    Understanding how stubborn this child is, the messenger murmured. "Understood!"


    And ran his way back to Gaster Kingdom. He got so relieved to leave the scene alive that he ran 100 yards in about 15 seconds.


    ...


    Running towards the group is an Ignite this time. He seemed to have ran here with so much joy and enthusiasm that he was even faster than the illustratio who ran away.


    As he reached Eric he bent the knee right away and shed light, "I''m King Michael, it is an honour to Welcome you here sir Electus."


    "You are the King? But you are an Ignite!" Shouted Commander Alia in confusion.


    Standing up and giving a long look at Alia''s face, Michael weighed in. "I remember you, Amesa! A lot has changed since your last visit. I claimed the Throne and slavery is not to be spoken off, the illustratian alliance has no word here."


    "You can''t be telling the truth. If Xakro found out that you have been treating Ignites equally, he would burn everything to the ground." Pointed out Eric, raising his hand for Michael to keep his distance.


    Confident with his own words, Michael started conflicting the Gang''s feelings with vital facts. "I assure you Xakro knows and I assure you he didn''t do anything but sending down a few empty warnings. Gaster Kingdom is a place he wouldn''t waste soldiers on!"


    Pointing at Gaster Kingdom, Michael offered. "Please join me."


    "I do not trust you. You could just be a paid fool." Holleted Mogranius and had the dignity to tease, "Right Amesa?"


    Wanting to kick the man, but obviously not appropriate in front of the enemy, she gave a loud whisper. "Shut up. I didn''t need to tell my actual name."


    Michael released fire out of his hand, not to shoot at anyone but just to prove a point.


    He started playing with the fire, such as forming it into a circular form and deforming it into a wilder one, changing forms over and over as he is speaking. "I have control over this Kingdom, I even disposed of a few rapists a few days before your arrival."


    Striking them silent, King Michael feels confident to add. "I do not intend to threaten one of my kind but I am willing to fight for my Kingdom if it is under attack. But before you choose to attack or not, why don''t you join me and see everything for yourself."


    With entitlement common in between this group who wants to attack, Michael used it to tame the tides. "I''m sure that an Electus wouldn''t hurt the innocent! And I''m sure all of you can handle 100 Guards if you are to be attacked!"


    Feeling a bit guilty, sick in the stomach actually. Woldemir encouraged a different point of view, "Let''s see what this Kingdom has to offer!"

 Are you certain of what you saw?

    Bursting in the throne room, seeking King Zar and spotting him. Seer explained, "Sire. The bargainer we sent to Gaster Kingdom has returned and it looks like she has good news!"


    Happy although tad puzzled, Zar expressed. "She returned rather quickly? It hasn''t even been 2 weeks yet!"


    Not understanding why the King is thinking about this right now, Seer debates. "I suppose she was in a rush to spread the good news once striking the deal."


    Spotting that Seer has been awaiting for some kind of permission, Zar blurted. "send her in."


    Alama walked in, following the King''s assistant and bent the knee the second she reached an appropriate distance from the King.


    With formalities aside, Zar stressed. "What news do you bring me, Alama?"


    A bit under breath, rushing through her sentences even, Alama proclaims. "I managed to make the deal, King Michael was very reasonable and agreed in a heartbeat. But¡­"


    Fearing the worst, but not sure what to expect, Zar stretches. "But?"


    Slower with her explanation this time after a quick breath, she weighed in. "I saw a group of Soldiers heading towards Gaster Kingdom while I was on the road back here."


    His calm tone shifting into a yelling one, Zar bit his lip. "How many Soldiers were there? They could be attacking Pameres Kingdom too! Why would they go for such a poor place?"


    Rushing with her wordplay again since the King is panicking, Alama muttered. "I am sure they were going towards Gaster Kingdom. They went in that upper branch of the large forest, the one near to the Kingdom. I think they were about 20 Soldiers!"


    Hearing out these facts, shunning down panic and using logic. Zar divulged what could be a firm fact, "Then what''s to worry about? Such a small number of Soldiers is surely sent to make a deal or at least pass down a command. Chances are those were just Guards."


    Understanding why the King thinks this way, Alama contradicted. "You don''t understand Sire. A group of those Soldiers were probably 10 feet tall and dark in colour! This is why I arrived early."


    Jumping from his throne, a sweat broke off the King''s forehead as he hollered. "10 foot tall men! Are you sure about that?"


    Feeling a bit small now, Alama felt an itch to reassure. "How can I be mistaken about such a sight Sire? I thought I was seeing demons. I promise you, I''m not crazy!"


    Not sure what to think, Seer asked for a second view. "Could this be another race sire?"


    "I don''t know, it could be another one of my father''s experiments!" The King released a long sigh, rubbed his temples and added. "But I think Gaster Kingdom can stand strong until help arrives."You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Having the closest look on the Soldiers, Alama demurred. "With all due respect my King, even Grand Masters in any close combat skill can''t hold off even one of those tall men."


    Not wanting to debate thoughts, Zar cut it short. "Whatever the case might be, King Michael could use assistance!"


    Pausing for a bit, thinking of a proper solution to this and finally adding. "Seer. Assign one of the Guard Commanders to lead a Platoon [100 Guards] to Gaster Kingdom. Tell them to observe the situation first before attacking."


    "But Sire what if any other Kingdom attacks ours? Would it be wise to weaken our defences?" Contradicted Seer, not meaning to question the King''s decision but just considering safety.


    Trying to portray his tone welcoming, Seer repeated his order. "Seer please do as I say, we will still have 200 Guards to fight for us."


    "As you wish Sire." Seer quickly carried out the order and vanished from the King''s sight. But Alama remained in the room with him.


    Trying to break the awkward silence, Zar assured. "Seer will be busy for a while but you will get your payment once he is free, don''t worry."


    Shifting the topic before Alama could speak, Zar asked. "I assume you can clearly read and write?"


    A thought popping in her head right away, she reached her arm out and handed. "Of course Sire. Speaking of that, here is the paper you required for King Michael to sign."


    Having a lot in his mind, Zar expressed it all in one breath. "Perfect, give that to me and grab a quill and some parchments. I need you to write down a recruitment letter. Once you finish writing it, you are to find Seer and give it to him and he will do the rest."


    Wanting to help, but itching to ask a question so she can try and include it in her business a bit, she counted. "Of course my King but one question. If you are aiming to strike deals with minor domains, how can you afford having 300 Soldiers? Even if you pay them 100 Gold Coins each per month, it still costs 30,000 Gold Coins."


    Smirking, revealing a grand method, he specified. "It''s simple, I don''t pay them but offer them food and shelter instead."


    Although soft in expression, inside the King thinks. "They all are immigrants, this is paradise to them considering their origin."


    And by verbal one to one, he reveals softer intentions. "But that''s why I''m expanding my domain, I aim to pay them soon. They have done so much for this Kingdom."


    With a big piece added on the puzzle, Alama switched strictly professional. "Thank you for not misunderstanding my question Sire. In Crutal Kingdom they had different rules, that''s why I asked.


    But please speak your plans so I can write them."


    Cutting to the case right away so he doesn''t forget, Zar murmured. "We do need Blacksmiths and Hunters as soon as possible!"


    Offering a Grand piece of advice, Alama cited. "You will need to offer better salaries or you won''t get good results."


    Understanding that fact, the King shared the same thought. "Hunting can be dangerous even if they mostly set traps. I''ve been thinking about the payment."


    Letting silence stretch a while, thinking it through. He also added. "Write that any Blacksmith with over 5 years of experience, shall earn 350 Gold Coins per month with a 100 Gold Coins bonus every six months, but it''s not a permanent increase. They have to be under 55 Years old as well."


    "What about the ones that have under 5 years of experience?" Asked Alama, she secretly started admiring Zar''s skills when it comes to economics. This is a good learning opportunity.


    Having it thought out already, the King cited without mumbling one word. "They shall be paid 285 Gold Coins per month with a 35 gold coin bonus every 4 months of work. It''s considerably a great pay for Blacksmithery.


    Stating an important ruling over this recruitment, he specified. "I don''t need limits on how many recruits we need that have over or under 5 years of experience. But for the experienceless we need some boundaries."


    Refusing to explain his decisions so he doesn''t forget them in the midst of these changes, he swiftly recited. "We need 60 at max. They will be paid 100 Gold Coins a month with a 20 Gold Coins bonus in every 3 months of work!


    Taking individual strength into consideration, he demanded. "Also, they should be at least 20 years old or under 40 years old since this is a long term job."


    Taking a deep breath after all of these orders, he queried. "Do you think these are reasonable salaries miss Alama? You have a lot of employees yourself."


    "I mean. Well of course but um¡­"


    Alama wanted to speak but was found nervous after a King himself asked for her opinion, a bit odd for a qualified honey mouth.


    "Take a breath. Don''t be nervous." Encouraged the King in a comforting tone.


    Offering advice equal to that of an expert, she slowly explained. "The Salaries are good but blacksmithery is still a hard craft. May I suggest offering a 50 Gold Coin pay on their first day of work. That should attract more people and prevent starvation in the short term."


    Jerking his eyebrows up, feeling a bit stupid considering ideas like this exist. He agreed, "You are insightful Alama, it shall be how you say!"

 An armless army

    King Michael showed great trust towards these threatening bundle already.


    He came towards them empty handed, unarmed. Turning his back on them as they followed him to the Domain, completely letting his Guard down to threatening strangers.


    Entering Gaster Kingdom they first found Guards standing above the walls, with arrows pulled back and aiming at the group too.


    Plus many Guards standing in front of the door with weapons pulled out, and a lot are waiting for an order behind the walls.


    A few of these Guards are Ignites and the rest are illustratios, working all together. Just that alone proves King Michael''s points but these Guards of course could be slaves.


    Spotting the smug look on the group''s face, Michael turned to the Guards and ordered. "Everyone bring down your weapons, these are not our enemies. The Electus and his allies have blessed us with a visit."


    And so countless mumbles broke within the crowd of Guards, most being doubtful or confused.


    "The Electus?"


    "Could it be?"


    "How did he survive the massacres?"


    "Electus?"


    "He is just a child!"


    "He can''t have my house."


    "He is probably just masquerading."


    Although doubting, they can''t just ignore the King''s orders as that would be disgraceful.


    Everyone proceeded with a plan to drop down their weapons and considering expenses, a line formed for the bows and swords to be passed down outside of the comforts of the walls.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    They couldn''t throw the bows from the wall because they could quite possibly break them, bows ain''t cheap to replace.


    King Michael was serious when he ordered to bring down the Weapons, he ordered a complete disarming in between the Platoon, not weapon sheathing.


    Considering he advised the idea of giving this Kingdom a chance, Woldemir has to take extra precautions.


    Turning to Commander Alia and requesting, "Assign 3 of the Calidum Lutum to Guard the weaponry, tell them to terminate anyone who has funny ideas. The rest of us will enter the Kingdom."


    As they made their way in, Mogranius turned to the Gaster Guards and pitched. "Don''t bother the Giants over there, they haven''t had a good meal for days and could turn you into one."


    With that sentence said, at least a dozen Guards swallowed their spit, taking a few steps back even as their eyes and eyebrows jerked out of their normal orientation.


    Following King Michael, they witnessed what the Kingdom has to offer after a long walk.


    The entire Kingdom had around 200 houses and 100 of them are abandoned.


    If this place was well developed, those 200 houses can offer a profit of 6000 Gold Coins per month even if the tax was as low as 30 Gold coins per house.


    "This place looks so abandoned, do you have any income at all?" Asked Woldemir, this scene is depressing. It''s a miracle how these people are still alive.


    Although not aiming for anyone to petty, the King can''t avoid facts either and therefore stating. "No profit at all for now, we pay Guards with fish."


    "You said for now, do you have any plans?" Quizzed Eric, carefully analyzing his words.


    Getting in great detail in aims of showing trust to the Electus who can contribute large on the Arsenal, Michael articulated. "A bargainer from Pameres Kingdom just left a few days ago, the King himself wants to use our port. He offered 10% of the Income of all transactions made through the port."


    The profit for now is not certain but I was told that the King has plans for expansion and he is constantly recruiting, this could be a life changing investment for all my 400 Subjects." Talking about the future, Michael reduced his own stress through it.


    [The deal Alama brought is groundbreaking. My people don''t even need to lend a hand in work, it will all be covered by Zar''s people.] That''s what Michael is thinking right now, although not expressing this portion.


    "Why would an illustratio make deals with you to begin with? They have other options." Continued Eric with a question. He is doing everything he can to squeeze out any lie from Michael, rude but necessary.


    Happy to be the first of informing the Electus of these prime news, Michael weighed in. "Zar, the King of Pameres Kingdom, has left the illustratian alliance and banned any Xakro illustratio l worshipping Chapel goers too, the illas to be exact."


    Stating why this idea is stupid and a good lie, Eric mouthed. "That has to be a lie, Pameres Kingdom would become poor that way."


    Now stating what can be labelled as completely unbelievable, Michael shed light news of the same patch. "Zar claims that he has had enough with Xakro''s ways of life and wants equality for all races. Be it Ignite or illustratio."


    His feelings conflicted, wanting to attack these people but fearing that he could be killing innocent people too.


    Eric cited what''s going to happen today, "I can''t kill you, you''re an Ignite. It would go far against my views as, much of us are gone already."


    With any possible battle almost ruled out, to kill Michael''s smile Eric added before anyone else could speak. "But I don''t trust you either, you are working with illustratios. We will stand here for a while and see how things go, I''d like to believe that your people won''t be dumb enough to attack."


    Seeing this as a new developing bond, Michael offered. "Please join me to my Castle!"

 Wolf Meat

    "What about the Hunters sire? How many Hunters do you need?" Puzzled Alama, eagerly waiting to write down what King Zar has to say.


    About this, the King first thought of how many materials are required. Citing, "Hunters, hmmmm. We just need enough leather to produce enough leather straps."


    Counting its benefits, he mouthed. "A lot of straps should come from one piece of leather, meaning we can sell any extra leather for reasonable prices."


    Able to catch up, Alama weighted in. "Meaning you don''t need apprentices running around I assume?"


    Looking at this solely gold-wise, Zar chirps. "We don''t really have enough orders to hire a bunch of apprentices in order to tame the Demands."


    Furthermore there are different risks such as having to deal with big bad animals, no one would want to face any kind of bear for a low pay.


    Therefore people who know what they are doing, or at least know how to flee. Are demanded. Having a good memory is a plus too, as most Hunters will be setting up several traps each.


    An idea in mind about the apprentices, Alama asked. "Do you have any hunters under your employment? They can mentor apprentices if demands get sharper."


    Trying to shift this topic fast so they can immediately sync into proper topics, business. Zar mumbled through, "I couldn''t hire Hunters just for leather straps before, not when I could have them imported here. But now we need our own local products due to independence and such, so Hunters are a must."


    "Makes sense, a Grand decision if you ask me." Now getting to a topic the King will find indefinitely interesting, Alama asked. "How many Hunters do you need though?"


    "Thank you, I need only 10 Hunters.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    They should have at least 3 years of experience. The pay is 200 Gold Coins a month with a 60 Gold Coins bonus each year." Might look a bit low considering the craft, but the whole Income can''t be blown on employees.


    Emerging further in the demands, Zar specified point by point. "The hunter shall be at least 25 years old as well, as it is his or her responsibility to bring their hunt here to the Kingdom."


    Curious, wanting to implement any outstanding idea in her own businesses. Alama itched to ask, "But what if it is a Wolf carcass? What else could you need from that except leather?"


    Not having this quite thought out, but knowing what to do easily. Zar cited, "It''s not too tasty, but we can sell it here. And donate half of them to the homeless, should kill two birds with one stone."


    Surprised how such short ideas can work in the long run, Alama gasped. "With this move you will earn an Income in 3 ways and make sure your citizens don''t starve. That idea is ground breaking Sire bit aren''t you being too strict recruitment-wise?"


    With the requirements written down, the King feels a bit easier about indulging towards off topic talk. "One wolf leather is easily enough to make around 20 Iron Swords, the last thing we need is to stack leather and fur we can''t sell."


    Filtering that the King is easier on the tone now, she wanted to squeeze this hour as a learning opportunity to the furthest extent. "I see your point of view when it comes to financial but I do have one more question if you don''t mind answering. It piqued my curiosity ever since I left to reach Gaster Kingdom!"


    Since the recruitment talk is aside, Zar easily expressed in a form of gratitude. "Ask anything you please miss Alama, striking a deal of such importance for the Kingdom has already made you an honorary guest."


    More of an opinion really, she contradicted. "Thank you Sire. I have questions about your choice of building 100 houses! I feel that it isn''t the best idea."


    Not willing to take offense but willing to listen considering he knows this lady will come forward with real thoughts, he swiftly spoke. "How come? Tell me more!"


    Specifying this statistically instead of giving rough guesses, she chirps. "Well there were only about 500 homeless people, giving homes to 100 workers took over ? of the homeless off of the streets since they dragged close family members in as well."


    Stating the hardest but yet amazing part to comprehend after, she admired. "And you didn''t even build any of the houses yet, you did all of that with 10 houses!"


    Understanding what the lady means, Zar queried for the sake of reassurance. "Do you think that I''m building more houses than we need?"


    Deciding not to beat around the bush anymore, she firmly answered. "Well, yes! Even if you cram two families in one house, you would still need 50 houses only to get rid of the homeless."


    Covering his idea with the firm fact of good will, he added. "I don''t just plan to get rid of the homeless, I plan for even poorest of the poor to become wealthy with enough hard work. To achieve that goal I need houses where people can live on, furthermore to pay tax."


    Getting the idea of what''s going on, perhaps not the full extent. She asked, "So it is all about the taxes? The more there are to pay taxes, the more you can offer them?"


    Lining out where petty and work divides, he stated. "A bit like that and the more I turn the experienceless to experienced, the more the Kingdom''s overall livelihood will grow. This is all for the people, but they need to do their part as well either way."

 A fishermen NEVER lets go of the rope!!

    3 Days after staying in Gaster Kingdom, Eric and the gang had a bit to explore. Well the exploration ended in 3 hours but it was a good exploration for most at least.


    The gang was spread in five, and each of the group had 2 Calidum Lutum Guards keeping them safe from any potential danger.


    It is not certain if King Michael is telling the truth or not, that is why they don''t dare to walk alone.


    Each member of the group is battle strong individually (except Stefan) but here if they actually were to be attacked one by one, they would meet a terrible fate.


    While Eric was walking around the domain to explore, he wasn''t paying much attention to his surroundings as his soul was and is burdened with what the Demon lady said about the Sources.


    If that same Demon lady who took part in giving people Powers doesn''t know how to find the Sources, how to protect them or how to stop her Demon kind then how will Eric do any of the above?


    He can barely protect a town, not to mention the whole Continent or the entire World.


    But what Eric did see on his walk, were illustratios and Ignites talking to each other without aims to offend one another or without weapons drawn to stab and slice because of differences.


    They were just having normal conversations, such as bragging about fish.


    But of course like most places, Gaster Kingdom too has bad people. Horrible, like those cannibalistic rapists.


    But there are good, hard working men and women as well like what Eric saw.


    Spotting that many illustratios and Ignites are married to each other even and they didn''t give birth to abominations either, don''t worry. The spawns would be either an illustratio or an Ignite.


    Their system of work seems to be all well distributed in Eric''s eye, he has been observing for hours and racial differences don''t really affect anything working hours.


    Men did the fishing and after a long day, they were given company by their wives or children to bring the fish home if the load was too big to carry alone.


    Where at home the wives would cut and cook the fish, while the husband delivers half of the load to the Castle according to Gaster Kingdom''s law.


    Such system keeps everyone fed and the husband would return home to further help his wife prepare the fish!The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    King Michael distributes the fish to the Guards and to those who aren''t able to fish, so we can''t say that he is hogging the loot.


    It is an unbreakable system and the ocean has plenty of fish to offer, millions possibly since it''s size is far bigger than the eye can comprehend.


    The Fishermen and or Spearfishermen manage to put in enough work for each house of people to consume 2 meals a day, even considering the fact that half of what they catch goes to the Castle.


    Food isn''t a problem on this side of the Continent, we can point out that the lack of greed helped attain such a goal although monetary opportunities limited.


    Such scenes of cooperation shed hope to the young Electus and some of the burden melted away from his heart as he further understood that this place has long started defying the illas ways.


    The fact that Zar questioned the Grand King''s authority and kicked the illas out head before toes, gives Eric hope as well because things are working out the way he wants them to even though he did nothing about it.


    Success regardless, these days or month come to think of it, the young Electus has been feeling low. There is so much he has to do and he doesn''t feel like he is able to do it all, feeling weak, overpowered.


    He is fighting against an entire Continent after all and apart from that, there is a psychopathic man who wants his heart.


    Xakro illustratio lll is already stronger than a full powered Electus without that heart, the theory that Xakro had about Eric''s heart was dead wrong.


    The heart would destroy him but that still doesn''t rule out the risk that Xakro the overpowered, wants Eric dead.


    ...


    Mogranius on the other hand, wasn''t walking around in the Kingdom these past few free days.


    He was on the beach, seeing fishermen do what they do. Some were using spears to fish and most were using hooks.


    Some were just plain normal spears and some were spears with a rope as thin as a finger tied to it.


    The rope is about 10 meters long and such fishing technique was used against fish who would drag a spear with them. Specifically anything above 10kg.


    Fishing in such method could be a big risk if one doesn''t know how to do it.


    If a fisherman was to spear a striped Marlin, who often times grows up to 300kg and nearly 5 meters long, it would take 3-5 men to beach it.


    If a fisherman was to take on a big catch like that alone, he would go for a swim in the ocean, permanently.


    Simply because of the instinct, ''A fisherman never lets go of his rope.''


    A true fisherman could drown before letting go of the rope so spearing a striped Marlin would be bad unless there are other fishermen in the scene.


    But luckily the most often and considerably big fish going near the shore are fish called Barramundi.


    In these medieval times, a full grown Barramundi is about 80kg in weight and 3 meters in length.


    But considering that they prove as an easy meal, half of these fish don''t live to grow that big as they are hunted down by sea predators mostly.


    Another form of fishing on these shores was a method called fishing with an Iron hook. The fisherman would choose the size of the hook, ultimately choosing the sizes of fish he wants to beach which made everything easier and under more control.


    The hook is tied with a very thin rope, yes even thinner than a finger. The rope is tied around a short stick that stretches as thick as 3 maybe 4 fingers.


    The hook shines in the sea, making fish think it''s something to eat, ultimately making them bite the hook. Then the fisherman would pull the fish out by tying the 3-5 meter long rope around that 4 finger thick stick.


    Mogranius when he was a child, used to go fishing with his father. A story that he rarely shares is that his father actually met a terrible end after spearing a Swordfish.


    These beings grow a groundbreaking weight of 700 kilos and Mogranius'' father took on such fish alone.


    There was no fisherman in sight at that unlucky hour but the young Mogranius watching him work.


    He tried to help but at that time he was just 12 years old, there wasn''t much he could do.


    He saw his father disappearing in the ocean depths and never returning, death certain.


    After that scene Mogranius never fished again and went on to study his powers, but today he feels like he is able to face his life long fear.


    Approaching an illustratio and pointing at the spear with a rope, "Can I get a turn of that?"


    As if waiting for someone to ask that, the illustratian man instantly handed it over and sighed. "Of course, my feet are killing me."

 Kingdom of Maleemia

    "King Tamzar sir. We chased away what was left of the illustratian army and captured 48 of their men. What are your orders?" Asked Lareem, a Guard Commander in the Kingdom of Maleemia, the Capital Kingdom of Septemtrions Ignis.


    "Offer them these two options. They can either work for me or be executed." Butchered Tamzar straight to the point with absolutely no aim to beat around the bush or at this case around the chunks of ice.


    Tamzar is the leader of the whole Snow Ignite revolution, self proclaimed King of Septemtrionis Ignis although the rest of the Continent don''t accept his ruling although they should soon as well since he has invaded and bested the Capital [Maleemia]!


    It isn''t a small and easy task to bash in and best the Capital of a whole Country [Septemtrionis Ignis].


    He is the mastermind of the main attack who led the Snow Ignites to a groundbreaking victory and an unbreakable defense form too. He is the man who caused the worst army shortage the Continent of Ignis ever faced.


    A Grand fact, he attacked the Kingdom of Maleemia with 300 Snow Ignites gathered after years and years of work, ? of those Snow Ignites don''t have Freezing Magic!


    Winning a battle against 1,000 Soldiers, Tamzar stood victorious against the illustratian occupants, claimed Maleemia as his own and you know the base fact from that point, he along with his small army caused the worst military shortage throughout the whole History of Ignis.


    But however getting back to the conversation, Lareem the Guard commander asked. "What use can we make of those Soldiers My King? We have enough of our own. Losing 140 in our invasion, we stood strong after attaining occupation and didn''t lose a single Soldier after."


    Appearance-wise, Tamzar is quite handsome. He carries a shortly trimmed white beard, well developed jawbone and big plumpy lips along with silky medium length hair. Quite a catch.


    Pointing out the most concerning part at last, the perceptive Guard commander cited. "Would it be wise to arm them from inside the Kingdom?"


    Respecting the man''s paranoia, Tamzar felt it deathly necessary to correct. "No no my friend, they won''t be working as Guards or Soldiers.


    Raising his forefinger, the self proclaimed King also has to add. "If they have any skills of value, they work for us and food will be their pay."The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Continuing to decipher his own plan, Tamzar weighed in. "After 3 years of work they can decide if they want to leave the Kingdom or continue to work here. If they decide to continue to work here, they will be offered a house to live in and pay taxes too."


    Not liking how the King is giving these slaves a chance of life, Lareem tried to contradict although acting agreeable. "Meaning they will earn a Salary?"


    Trying to sound as nice as a Slaver can be, the King answered firmly. "They will have a normal life instead of just risking their neck for their power hungry overlords."


    Finally deciding to go against this decision, although still kissing boots, the Guard commander cited. "This is an offer too good for Soldiers who just tried to kill our people Sire. You would be considered the most generous if you spared their lives and made them slaves!"


    Having a view that struck Lareem''s views and made it for him hard to comprehend, the King pitched. "The illustratian alliance overworked these Soldiers due to the shortage they are having for almost 200 years now."


    Explaining the rest of his thoughts that delivered the most impact, the King continued. "To live here with reasonable working hours and a warm free house to stay in, they will be seduced of the peace."


    Covering it with a rough fact at last, he uttered. "The illustratian Alliance were above us for 2 Centuries but peace was never on their side even though they''ve won up until this point."


    Still having doubts, although his conscious shifted to the point of hurling out his dinner, Lareem expressed. "I''m not sure how this will play out but I don''t expect a miracle my King. I''m not going to lie to you! I think they will try to reclaim Maleemia."


    But complimenting the King''s idea, he also offered. "Should I give them a short interview Sire? I''m more than willing to do it!"


    Not wishing to burden a Guard commander with a task that doesn''t befit his levels of expertise, the King demanded. "No, have my assistant arrange everything. Just pass down the word to her, tell her to make this her main priority."


    Having one string of sympathy for the illustratios because what the King just visualized, Lareem queries."Of course Sire but what if one doesn''t want to die but has no valuable skill?"


    Short and direct, sympathy far to reach for the unskilled, Tamzar ordered. "Send them to the mines."


    [Taking a moment to state a few facts about the Snow Ignites. Even in such cold conditions, they don''t have trouble working in a mine or carrying a cart through the snow either.


    Their skin is as white as snow itself, literally. That''s why they are called snow Ignites. They used to be typical Ignites but they evolved to be Snow Ignites due to their bizarre living conditions which was usually on top of the cold mountains.


    Their bodies evolved so well that freezing cold temperatures would feel like a light summer breeze to them as their average body temperature is hotter, to put up with the cold.


    They have the ability to swim through freezing cold waters for a kilometer and survive, if they don''t get dragged down by a fish that is.


    Their feet evolved in such a way that they can walk through snow barefoot without slipping or getting frostbite, superior for a Human come to think of it.


    Their Hands are more like claws, proper for mountain climbing. Living scattered in caves and ruins after the illustratios invaded about 200 years ago, such attribute has been enhanced furthermore.


    If an illustratio or typical Ignite was to work in the mines however, he has to be properly equipped.]


    Asking one last question about today''s task, the Guard commander puzzled. "And if they don''t wish to work in the mines?"


    Having absolutely no remorse if it gets to this point, the King answered. "Feed them to the Bears."

 Naked Wizard

    Mogranius took the spear, tightened the rope around his waist and started holding the spear on his right hand, ready to dip his toes in the water and search for lunch.


    The spear isn''t of high quality, but it is certain that once this rusty pointy Iron penetrates the skin, it would take a miracle for the fish to escape from it.


    He hasn''t fished for 46 years, with a prime aim to avoid the trauma synced in with fishing, imprinted in his subconscious.


    So that necessarily yells out to do a few practice shots, or swings or however you find it appropriate of calling.


    Splashing through the water until now come to think of it, after nailing the spear in the sand through the water a couple of times he now feels ready to try his luck with an actual fish.


    Well ready isn''t the best way to describe it, he just doesn''t want to bash the sand anymore and pull the spear out after, messes with the Wizard hat.


    Imagine a 58 year old Fire Blaster who is only wearing underpants and a Wizard hat to hide a few bald spots, walking through the sea water with a spear. Some would curse at the thought, but we can portray a man facing trauma.


    Knee deep in water, the salty wind encrusting the layer of his skin, a boat of memories dashed through his mind with his father being the prime thought.


    The pain of losing a loved one is still there although it has grown old along with his beard, yet this crazy old man has found the maturity to admit to himself through the thunderous thoughts. "I spent my whole life trying to run away from this place and where did it get me? Back here. Father, if only I could have saved you that day."


    In time he did manage to be close enough to a few fish to have a reason to throw the spear.


    However, success doesn''t appear in this radar nowadays, one thought scrolled through his mind. "I forgot how hard it is to do this."


    The water made it seem like the fish was close, as if it was 2 meters away but in reality it was 3-5 meters away.


    Although frustrating to be bested by a sea slapping fish, this barged in a few memories he had when he used to spearfish, even back then he stood slender with this skill.


    He did spearfishing without a rope tons of times because he wouldn''t nearly qualify to pull out bigger fish while he was under 12 years old.


    Even grown men sometimes struggle to best an animal with such a task.


    Memories raging one after to the other, almost reaching to the point where this old man felt paralyzed, coming to the beach here might not have been a good idea.


    Everything has changed, he has been gone for 246 years after all but still. There used to be a boulder right near the gate that leads to the sea.


    That boulder was big enough for kids to play on and it was smoothed out like a slide for kids to enjoy, Mogranius has spent hours every day on that rock playing with a few child hood friends.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Furthermore he even remembers how the sand was shaped near the sea waters, although blurry to remember everything about this without a doubt.


    He remembers the beach often being slapped by tail fins, as fishing before was mostly done with a hook and demanded a few more seconds to put fish into rest.


    Yes this is nostalgia invading his subconscious, but what can a man do about it? It''s not easy losing a father.


    He remembered his father being sweet and calm instead of abusive and angry which is common proclaimed fatherhood in medieval times. There is much a drunk father could doo.


    "Swordfish!" Yelled a man from the beach who noticed a massive beast on the water.


    When that name is yelled, every fisherman or spearfishermen would leave the waters as fast as possible.


    Normally no one or ten have the guts to face against a full grown Swordfish.


    This one though, seemed like it is a freak of nature. It isn''t as big as ordinary full grown Swordfish.


    This one looks double the size. Possibly breaking over 1,500 kg and it stretches 8 meters long as well.


    And it''s Sword like nose is taking ? of it''s length. If it charged towards any man, it would push its nose through any targeted body, leaving no chance of survival behind.


    Everyone rushed out of the water as if a Demon was chasing them, slapping their feet against the density of the sea waters. Some even left their spears behind.


    The same fisherman on the beach who alarmed everyone, spotted that a knuckle head still stands firm in the seawaters. Giving the dumb brave man another look, the fisherman figured that it''s Mogranius.


    So once more the fisherman alerted, howling from the top of his lungs. "Get out of the water old man, you will be pierced!"


    As if the Swordfish was nothing but a 2 inch fish, Mogranius remained in the sea waters, standing his ground.


    Rage shone behind his eyes but he remained calm in posture, even his spear isn''t raised up.


    Waiting for the Swordfish to get closer, the old man hollered. "Eat Fire you overgrown Barramundi."


    He proceeded to blast Fire from his nose as much as a Fire blaster can, which both elevated him off of the sea and made the water underneath him boiling hot.


    Rushing through where Mogranius stood, the Swordfish shook its head as the water double that of a summer day in heat, tipped its ugly head around half of the fish''s body.


    The boiling water made the large Swordfish flee the scene for a little bit but being surrounded by cold sea water, going through a small patch of boiling water for a blink of an eye, didn''t damage the Swordfish to much.


    But a light shone on the sea bed of which caught Mogranius'' attention as he was floating on air with fire beneath his feet.


    Here is the catch though, the nose Fire blew his underpants off.


    Imagine a 58 year old man floating in mid air with no clothes on his body except a Wizard hat. Luckily at that specific moment there weren''t ladies in the scene.


    However, losing his underpants is Mogranius'' second concern. His prime thought is what caught his eye in the sea bed.


    What can help loose his virginity haunting these waters, is his second concern.


    Flying closer to the sea, he spotted that what reflected the sun''s rays is his own spear. The same one that dissapeared, along with his father.


    A flash memory emerged, 246 years ago, after Mogranius'' father lost his own spear because of a fish to big to be hooked.


    He used Mogranius'' spear afterwards as they could not afford a new one. This spear even has a "M" smelted on it.


    Mogranius did it himself with little Fire he could burst out from his finger before he studied his powers.


    This spear can not escape, as it can stand as a loving and yet dark memory of his father so he stopped blowing fire from his feet, fell down in the water and grabbed the old rusty spear.


    Joy overwhelming his heart, almost forgetting the other problem, Mogranius hollered at the Spear. "Well I be damned. This bastard of a fish survived for 246 years! How the hell is that possible?"


    Soon after, the large Swordfish came for round two and is charging at Mogranius at full speed.


    Such accelerating speed, that one would think it''s ignoring the density of sea waters, even forcing it to splash upwards.


    Confident on taking such a beast, dumb at best. Mogranius whispered, "Now let''s dance, my way."

 Becky

    Mogranius lifted the spear above his head and stood patient for the Swordfish to approach close enough to a shooting range, although that will not take long.


    If the fish reaches shooting range, Mogranius has to throw the spear before it even reaches that specific range, that''s how fast the fish is going.


    The Swordfish now is 100 feet away, as Mogranius focused on the target furthermore, the Swordfish swam another 40 feet.


    And as it reached 20 feet away, Mogranius threw the spear and this time he didn''t blow fire out of his nose.


    If he did, he could risk losing the fish even if he managed to spear it.


    He instead ran to the side about 5 feet away and then flew off. Even if the Swordfish was to arrive before Mogranius blasted off, it wouldn''t cause any fatal injuries.


    As it is going too fast to change sudden direction. If the fin however, hits anything that isn''t a Sword at such speed, it is bone breaking.


    Mogranius was lucky enough to blast off with the Swordfish''s side fin going a couple of inches beneath his feet.


    The Swordfish swam near Mogranius so fast that it made him lose control of his flying for a few seconds.


    The moment he managed to gain control of his flying again, the 15 meter rope with the end tied around his waist, proceeded to be dragged by the fish, with Mogranius at the end of it along.


    If Mogranius wasn''t already flying towards the direction the fish was swimming, it would break his spine rather easily.


    Having the rope tied around his waist, he had no choice but to be dragged by the massive Swordfish.


    At this point, blasting fire out of his feet can''t even keep him above the water, nonetheless fly away.


    The fish is just too fast and powerful.


    This fish apart from living over 250 years, is massive and abnormally fast and powerful although most would think it to grow weak due to its age.


    ...


    Mogranius found himself on the bottom of the ocean after having nothing but a blurry vision while being dragged through the water in such speed which no man can face without fainting.


    It only took one minute for the Swordfish to drag him from a shore a bit above a meter deep to a part of the ocean so far away that it seemed at least 1000 feet submerged.


    It took off in such speed that it was impossible for Mogranius to hold on the old spear.


    After much resistance, speed finally knocked the geezer out. Forced to drink a few buckets of water as well even though he tried his best to keep his mouth closed.


    "Wake up. Wake up!" Said a strange tone with its Origin stretching unknown.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    "Where a¡­." Mogranius tried to utter but continues to throw up a hell load of water.


    Trying to support, although its tone squealing, the man by tone who somehow found Mogranius'' body repeated. "Careful Careful. It''s just sea water. It isn''t that bad!"


    Fighting off the blur from his vision, Mogranius peeked at the man and asked. "Who are you?"


    "Don''t you recognize me son? It has been 246 years. Where have you been? You never visit!" Said the man with a grey beard long enough to reach his knees.


    Which is good we suppose because he is naked.


    Obviously seeing this old man as insane now, Mogranius refused with a tone over throned by Water. "Impossible."


    Cutting it short, the old man cited. "Son. Everything is possible. But that''s not why I called you here."


    Although seeing a few key features that belonged to Mogranius'' father, like a dark toned dot on his nose, accepting this situation is far from easy. "Illusion. This must be because I swallowed a shit load of water."


    "Did I die?" He asked right after while checking his body parts if they are on place!


    Trying to assure safety, the old man has to add. "Son you are well, alive and naked. Like me. The apple doesn''t fall to far from the tree I see hehehehhehe."


    Standing up and trying to move away from this creature claiming to be his father, Mogranius hollered. "You can''t be alive, it has been 246 years. This is impossible!"


    Giving a firm term of what''s possible and what''s not, the old man pointed. "You can''t be alive either. It has been 246 years and you never visited. But I suppose everything is possible aye?"


    Trying to comprehend the fact that his father is actually alive, putting his fist away and burning the intent of tossing a Fireball, Mogranius gave a loud whisper. "Where are we? What did you do here all this time? Why didn''t you come home?"


    Trying to excuse his absence, the old man replies shortly. "I had to pick, my family or Ignis."


    "What do you mean?" Mogranius whispered as a tear broke out, forcing the emotional distress to stand stable.


    Remaining scarce with information, the old man simply asked. "Kastaria vanished, you know that."


    Trying to put everything together, Mogranius decided to cooperate. "Yes I''m aware, we met a Demon who told us all about it."


    With that in mind, a smile grew on the old man''s face as his elderly tone shook with a bit of a whistle in between words. "Oh, did you say ''Hi'' to Betzy for me?"


    Staggered confused, convinced that this old man is crazy, Mogranius hollered now instead of continuing his whisper. "How do you know who Betzy is if you were here all this time?"


    Confident with his abilities, the old man shared his fate although not aiding to clear everything out. "Hehe, I know all animals. Big or small, I see every single one in existence."


    Having a bit of an urge to faint again and escape this madness, Mogranius expressed. "Alright now I''m sure this is all an illusion!"


    Arguing with himself, the old man cited. "It isn''t son. Why would it be an illusion to see your father which you lost 246 years ago? Oh...wait i see it."


    Skipping that part, the obviously crazy old man synced into the drama. "Anyway, those same demons who took down Kastaria have been trying to remove the demonite here, even before they tried it on Kastaria."


    Loving his partner in defense, the old man added. "Becky took care of them for all that time but she needed a land walker for assistance from time to time. This is where I came in."


    With many pieces of the puzzle forced together, one thing bothered Mogranius and he didn''t fail to express it. "Really? As simple as that? A Demon fish brought you here?"


    With an intense urge to correct, the old man started yelling from the top of his lungs. "Becky isn''t a Demon. She eats Demons. How do you think she grew so cute?"


    But after that his tone switched soft almost immediately, "By the way thank you for removing our spear from her forehead. I''ve been trying too for 246 years."


    Trying to explain a few boundaries, the old man also added. "Becky is a sweetheart, when she isn''t hungry."


    Still not knowing how to understand this, Mogranius let his Guard down and expresses. "I need to sit down."


    As he sat down, he saw a head of a demon carrying short curled horns and detached from its body. It''s flesh collecting rot and leashes feeding off it.


    Looking at his father, concern growing stronger, Mogranius added. "You weren''t kidding about the Demons!"

 48 years old and single

    "Seer, finally. I haven''t seen you in 2 days!" King Zar hollered, his tone showing happiness although they both know for what he the King is happy about.


    King Zar has been awaiting for 2 days with the greatest anticipation for the new Blacksmiths and Hunters.


    His plans are slowly getting together. If he Manages to strike a deal with the Zamerians, he won''t just sell Iron Swords! He can use the opportunity to offer them different items that aren''t Iron related.


    Such as fur and leather they have to spear down or even crops too although that might be a far shot for now.


    "I have what you are looking for Sire but I don''t have decent results." Explained Seer, carrying parchments along with a sour look on his face, tired too.


    Waving the documents, he also has to contradict. "Don''t you think we rushed this a little bit? You still didn''t make a deal with the Zamerians."


    Seer is definitely over qualified for this sort of job because he even watched King Xakro illustratio lll expand his Kingdom from up close. Although Xakro is no doubt a madman, he sure knows how to handle a budget and so Seer was able to obtain wisdom from up close.


    Knowing that Seer isn''t one to speak just to shit all over a plan, Zar decided to show patience. "You do have a point but our main goal was to take advantage of the port, who we sell our Swords too is an easier process."


    Taking this task solely based on expenses which of course blinds other views, Seer weighed in with a little compliment to even the debate out. "That does make sense but we still will need to cover the expenses before we even start earning from this project. You offered every experienceless applyer a 50 Gold Coin bonus."


    Yet again complimenting the King''s idea and listing a complaint as well, Seer started hurrying through his sentences. "We have 200,000 Gold Coins in the treasury so those will prove useful especially now that we need to pay the Blacksmiths 9,504 Gold Coins each month. It''s not a small amount."


    Proving that he isn''t one to speak just to go against, Seer complimented. "Speaking of expenses, using the stones that the miners dug out and forming them into foundations is a brilliant idea. We didn''t have to pay for anything."


    A bit doubtful towards his own ideas, Zar puzzled as his eyebrow slowly jerked up. "Foundations are taking too much time though, I saw the men work myself and they seemed to work just fine... Do you see any lack of work ethic? A bad House foundation can be deadly."


    Zar wants this project finished as fast as possible but he doesn''t want to put his Citizens in danger. Nobody wants to die with planks and nails in their head.


    Able to see the men work up close for a longer stretch of time, Seer can assure. "They certainly seem to know what they are doing Sire, even the experienceless seem inspired, they are working overtime as well."Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Stating the biggest problem with an aim to later on find a solution, Seer continued. "But it is sure taking a lot of time because without the foundations being built the Construction Workers, can''t work."


    Flinching his eyes, shaking his head a tad bit too once realising this sour fact, the King has to know. "I was worried about that, they have 100 foundations to make but they are only 20 people. Are the Construction Workers at least helping them? I''m not paying them to sit around all day."


    "Some of them are offering help yes. A quarter of them bring more rocks from the Mines while a portion have taken over the responsibility to shape the rocks in an approvable manner under the experienced Stonemason''s guidance." Seer was inspired of that scene really, if he wasn''t busy dawn to dusk, he would get dirty with them.


    "Very pleasing, perhaps I should join and help soon as well. How many foundations have they managed to make so far?" King Zar is pleased of this sight as well.


    But even considering his status, he wouldn''t mind putting in free work to help speed up the process. Not to mention this would portray a good example for jobless people.


    "With constant help from the Construction Workers, they managed to build 3 foundations in a week." These are accurate stats no doubt, but having a one on one talk with the most experienced craftsmen, Seer can also explain. "When the foundation were built, a quarter of the Construction Workers started building the houses while the bigger portion helped the Stonemasons."


    Making sure that the King won''t show any kind of rage to the hard workers, Seer is obliged to state a fact. "I have to say that the houses look nice as well, rain is for sure not to enter and it blocks most of the cold. That''s how well sealed the houses are."


    Since there are 35 experienced workers in Construction, building houses of decent quality is no sweat.


    The Construction Workers have a decent building plan. They put thick lumber in four sides of the houses as support beams and using those for proper direction, they start putting planks horizontally.


    The lumber/support beam is thick enough to withhold 3 layers of planks. It consumes a lot of time but there is no rush and it is worth it for the sake of quality.


    Jolly, a wide smile across his face hearing such accurate facts. King Zar''s tone arose for the better as he expressed his view. "With such progress, poor immigrants with have houses only the rich can afford. This pleases me! Let work be slow, I doubt that anyone will attack us before the wall is built."


    Sealing his gratitude with a demand and appreciation, the King requests. "Make sure for everyone who works over time, to be paid. Your hands are already full, so don''t take it over you as a responsibility to handle all the payments. Hire who you think meets the requirements and pay him or "her" 250 Gold Coins."


    Certainly certainly. Thank you for your consideration and patience towards the workers Sire." Seer cited, while swallowing his spit.


    He knew what Zar meant. Seer is a 48 year old man who didn''t get married yet.


    He had plans for marriage but the woman he loved, met an unfortunate end. He didn''t love anyone for years, but recently a woman close to his age has caught his eye.


    Noticing how Seer became painfully quiet, the King asked. "Now considering all of that is cleared out. Will you be kind enough to show me the results lover boy?"


    Glad that he found a way to push the conversation of love away, Seer started rushing through his sentences. "We managed to get 3 Blacksmiths with over 5 years of experience. It isn''t a big number but with their level of expertise, we can teach the experienceless decently bit by bit."


    His lips stretching back, his eyes closing a bit as well, such flinched face showed dissatisfaction but he is hoping to hear good news. "Not the result I was looking for but it is better than nothing! What about the ones with under 5 years of experience?"


    His entire face smiling, Seer describes. "A rather different number, we got 16 of them! I didn''t expect this much honestly! I expected 5 at max as the people here are quite useless."


    Trying to avoid a debate about that possibly racist slur, Zar started asking about the possibly most important part. "What about the experienceless? Did the bonus attract them?"


    Counting down why he is so tired, Seer mouthed. "When they heard about the 50 Gold Coin bonus, they rushed in the scene. That''s why I have been so busy these days as I interviewed 35 Experienceless men. This will take a little bit of Gold from our budget but nothing we can''t afford!"


    Urging a sensitive case, Zar has to demand. "Perfect, put them in to work right away because we need a shipment ready to show the Zamerians that we mean business!"


    Business in mind, the King has to query. "Now tell me about the Hunters!"

 9th Source

    Noticing how Mogranius is having it painfully hard to comprehend all of this, the old geezer here described. "I never kid around, well maybe I do but this time I don''t. Demons are trying to wipe out Ignis, they want our Demonite."


    Sealing the clear verge of crazy, he also added. "They almost got the Demonite while Becky was getting you here, but I bit off their necks. Tihihihihi."


    "You sound insane!" Whispered Mogranius while watching his father speak, not knowing what to do. Should he laugh or cry.


    Fairly submissive to this topic, the old man cited. "Oh I know that, it''s the Demonite. I''ve been near it too long. It gave me a longer life but I''m losing it son."


    Having it hard to comprehend everything, Mogranius was forced to Ignore a prime fact so he put it into word. "The Demonite prolongs life?"


    Stating the obvious, the old man counted. "Yes but it drains the brain juice plus I did spend 246 years in this underwater cave."


    "But you sacrificed yourself..." Mogranius expressed, stretching the last word and grabbing his father''s shoulder he added. "I couldn''t be more proud of you but I did miss you a lot."


    With the bond growing firmer, understanding between madness vigilant, the old crazy man sighed out and uttered. "I missed you too son, what have you been up to. Betzy saw that you are mentoring another Electus now, I lost track of you for 200 years and you hop out humping yet another Electus."


    Noticing the heavy confusion, Mogranius rained his finger like he is used too and corrected. "Dad, the current Electus is a boy, a kid too."


    Jerking his view to the left, his father answered. "Oh right I forgot about that."


    Trying to squeeze information out of this man who could know a lot or has completely lost it, taking the chances Mogranius puzzled. "You know how Kastaria vanished from existence? Tell me more about that."


    Using hand and leg movements to be descriptive, the old man weighed in key facts. "Yes I saw it all happen, well more like the fish and birds did as I saw it from their eyes. But everything kept exploding so I needed to browse through many animals!"


    Shedding light upon why he asked such a question, Mogranius recited. "I''m asking about Kastaria, because I teleported 200 years into the future."


    Using his fingers to count 200 years, although he just took a second and 2 fingers to do it, the old man asked with a shout! "Don''t tell me she tried it while Kastaria was being destroyed!"


    Smiling, a bit happy that his crazy father can catch up, Mogranius detailed. "She did it while Kastaria was being destroyed."


    Grabbing his son''s shoulders and shaking him to the core, rather powerful for an old man, screaming enhanced after! "No no no. Are your organs intact? I saw people with feet on their head! Do you have feet in your ass?!"If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Escaping the death grip, Mogranius shouted back. "The only bad thing about this teleportation, is entering this hell hole of a time zone."


    Thinking of something else, the crazy old man completely shifted the topic. "This civil war is small like a bug considering the trouble ahead which is bigger than Becky!"


    Following along, Mogranius expressed. "Oh, I don''t think anything is bigger than becky."


    Completely submerging towards the upcoming dangers, the old man describes. "Look son, the Peaceful Demons from another dimension had barely any information of what the 9 Earth Demons were doing here so long ago."


    Continuing, walking deeper into the cave with Mogranius following, the geezer mumbled. "They were supposed to know everything about progression once the 9 Earth Demons returned to their Demonic Dimension."


    Stopping in place as if hitting a wall, the sack of crazy cited. "But due to a failed experiment, they became part of the earth, literally. They have transformed into stone from head to toe."


    Considering the topic, Mogranius recalled the only Earth Demon he knows and therefore asking. "Oh so that 400,000 year old Demon lady was being literal about the turning to stone part?"


    Trying to excuse that lady''s behaviour, the much knowledgeable mad old man has to add. "Indeed she was, but don''t mind her craziness. She beat all 8 of the actual Inner Demons of her dimension, of her specific species, with little side effects while the Sources have beaten one Inner Demon each!"


    Setting the scale of comparison, the geezer started yelling from the top of his lungs. "What Inner Demons the people of Earth face is but a hundredth in comparison compared to what she faced."


    Catching on, a question invaded Mogranius sense of thinking so he has to know more about it. "So she is more powerful than all 8 of the sources?"


    Revealing a grand fact, that only few know, the geezer explained. "Yes. If she wasn''t there to handle half of the impact the failed experiment resulted, this world would crumble into dust."


    This situation pecking at every level of his perception, Mogranius managed to puzzle together. "So if she dies?"


    Closing his eyes, the crazy old man mouthed. "The world shatters into nothingness."


    Taking a minute to comprehend all of this, Mogranius later asked. "But she won''t die? Right?!"


    Still well knowledged, the old man explained. "She is immortal but the 8 sources give her life. If the enemies wipe out all 8 of the sources, she dies."


    "And the world dies along with her, she is the main source. The 9th!" This whole situation is very messed up, and Mogranius did not fail to express it although him throwing a tantrum won''t stop the Demons. "How the hell do they want to start fresh if there won''t be anything to start fresh on if they succeed with their plans?!"


    But of course able to shed light in the midst of nonsense, the crazy old man doesn''t sound so crazy anymore. "They don''t have any information about this. All they are doing is sending their minions down here on earth to search for the sources.


    A wide smile echoing across the old man''s face, he described. "However here, the Demons are mortal, killable and completely unaware of where the sources are."


    Happy, hope breaking in the midst of chaos, Mogranius'' tone shed to a bliss as he asked. "So that means they didn''t find the other sources yet?"


    Happy about it as well, his father explained. "They didn''t as even I can''t find them. Better, most Demons can''t resist being close enough to the sources without perishing from existence, Humans can''t resist either except me and becky and apparently you as well. Look, you didn''t explode yet tihihihi."


    Pissed, Mogranius judged his father''s decisions head on. "You dragged me down here even though you weren''t certain if I can be near the source or not?"


    Unraveling destiny, the geezer excuses. "Well you are my son so you had half a chance to have these specific genes which is a risk I was willing to take for a greater cause."


    Curious, wanting to fight off stereotypes, Mogranius queries. "So I''m blessed with Demonic powers?"


    Pointing it out, the old man describes. "Well you were since birth. You are a Fire Controller, but you have more power than you think."


    His attention caught but now his curiosity peaked as well, Mogranius finds it reasonable to believe this crazy old man and therefore asking. "What sorts of powers do I have?"


    Completely ignoring his son''s question, the long bearded fella continued making the points he wanted to make. "Powers are meeting an evolution after so many centuries, you are one of the evolved. Any of the evolved are blessed to be near Demonite and not perish, even an Electus can''t do that!"


    Continuing to explain without waiting for Mogranius to speak, the geezer cited. "You already defeated the Inner Demon of rage so expect new powers soon unlike for those who didn''t have any sort of power before, for them it''s all based on luck."


    Curious, Mogranius needs to know more as there is no other person who can share such information. "What other powers could there possibly be based on rage?"

 Spearfisher Woman

    Walking her way to the fishing area in the port of "Wide River" is 16 year old Lia.


    Wide River Kingdom used to have a Grand relation with Gaster Kingdom way before Xakro illustratio l caused the Civil War.


    But that of course forced towards change before the illustratios even broke through Gaster Kingdom''s defences and claimed their land as their own around 184 years ago.


    Xakro figured that since his forces can''t break through the impenetrable Gaster Kingdom defences, somehow he had to cut their incomes in order to ascend towards success.


    Which is why the illustratian Alliance set a few demands towards Wide River Kingdom, cutting half of Gaster Kingdom''s Income which sent them all downhill.


    Wide River Kingdom itself is based on the illustratian motherland [Meridionali Ignis], and Xakro''s army stretched the biggest in the motherland so we can''t blame Wide River Kingdom or its rulers for giving in.


    It was either bann Gaster Kingdom from port usage or start new political debates or most likely war, with the whole Alliance who spreads through this Continent''s 4 Countries.


    Gaster Kingdom resisted for 3 years after but they finally collapsed. People were starving so they had to migrate someplace else, where they met a more brutal end in the search for salvation as illustratian Platoons were constantly on the move.


    The port of Gaster Kingdom was halfway through being built when the illustratio invaded.


    Such key History facts aside, we can not ignore a key nature characteristic that Wide River Kingdom sees every day, hence the name.


    Although different in size here and there, the very entrance of the river connecting to the ocean, is 90-100km wide.


    Meaning all the rivers in Ignis aren''t exactly rivers since they are inverted and often filled with salt water, making it all the more special.


    Getting back to Lia. She is an Ignite girl with unusual strength compared to the rest of her female kind or male kind come to think of it.


    While other full grown fishermen struggle to pull out a 100kg fish, she does it with one hand and she can sip tea with the other if she has too for any logical reason.


    So considering her massive strength able to be compared with 4 full grown men, she found it reasonable to fish with a spear and rope.


    Her family is slightly above the common folk when it comes to the financial status thanks to her.


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    Her reputation began when she pulled out a 200kg Striped Marlin out of the water, alone.


    That''s roughly half the weight of a full grown Striped Marlin, but it isn''t a task that one man can do without risking his life when it comes to fishing it out of the water with a spear.


    When selling such fish, the Gold Coins per kg can rage. So considerably, Lia fished out a salary in her first try of spearfishing.


    Due to the risk Fishermen commonly take, they earn above common folk if they sell it themselves instead of selling half to the Castle.


    Selling it to the castle of Wide River means selling it for half the price which can be quite more profitable if you think about it as it is quick and easy gold.


    The Castle buys any fish right away but if the Fishermen and or Spearfishermen chose to sell their catches on a store or anywhere else, it would take more work and can lead to fish rotting.


    The Fishermen can choose if they can sell the other half to the Castle or not, but the other half is mandatory to be sold.


    Then the Castle sells the fish to its people for the normal Market price, which of course equals to twice the Income.


    It is a way that benefits both the fishermen and the Kingdom, what''s excessive is sold elsewhere.


    Lia chose to enter deeper waters this time, so considering she earned a reasonable amount of Gold ever since fishing when she was 14, she bought a big boat but not big enough to be considered a ship.


    The boat is about 10 meters long, 5 meters wide and is well constructed, it isn''t cheaply built and here in this illustratian motherland [Meridionali Ignis] it costs 9,000 Gold Coins.


    It is still rare to see a 16 year old handling so much Gold, even her family dislikes how strict she is about Saving Gold Coins.


    They feel like the family should buy more expensive things which often aren''t necessary but all based on ego and encouraging the term, "I have more gold than you and I will show it off."


    While Lia on the other hand, firmly sticks to the expression. "If you want it, start working and get it."


    It isn''t exactly sane to buy things one doesn''t need when someone else is paying, putting in hard work for those Gold Coins and we are talking about adults here doing such nonsense so yes it does sound dumber.


    "Are we ready to depart Jim?" Asked Lia as she approached her good quality boat, floating near the docks.


    She does want to spear fish but she doesn''t want to go there alone, moving a 10 meter long boat across the ocean is something she can manage to do but she would need to take breaks too often.


    So she promised each of the 3 crew members, 10% of her earnings if they don''t manage to catch anything themselves.


    If they do manage to fish something out though, she doesn''t have to pay them anything as reaching deeper waters thanks to her boat, compensates any pay.


    Actually one of the few happy to see her, Jim cited. "Yes miss Lia, we are all ready to let this fine boat make us some gold."


    Jim is an experienced Fishermen Lia met on this domain''s shores. She doesn''t share a personal connection with him apart from work relation.


    So if there was a secret to keep, Jim or the other two, aren''t the ones for the job because hey are all in this for the gold after all.


    Another note, If these men assist Lia to spear a full grown Striped Marlin or Black Marlin which can be overwhelming in the size and demands more hands on the rope, these men get 25% each of the earnings because it would qualify as "their catch" and not just Lia''s.


    Fishing a Black Marlin alone is something that even Lia isn''t confident about. It''s like trying to pull a boat on dry land, a boat that can run backwards that is.


    Looking at the other crew members resting their arms on the boat''s edges, Lia cited. "I assume we all are aware of the rules when it comes to gold. I don''t want to hear a, "but I want more." after we start sailing this Boat."


    Speaking for the three of them, Jim expresses. "We all are clear of the plan miss Lia, let''s start sailing this beauty."


    Normally, one lady getting in a boat with 3 men sailing far from the shore is a bad idea. Any lady can get raped easily if she doesn''t cooperate and her body might not be found again.


    It''s easy to hide such a foul crime, as they will be far off shore after for the bigger catches. They can dumb any lady''s body in the water and claim that a big fish pulled her in.


    But considering Lia''s strength, the chances of her tying them all up and raping them instead, one by one and throw them in the ocean is more possible than these 3 men raping her.


    They sailed their way a kilometer from the shore. It''s deep enough to find big fish and is close enough to not get lost in the ocean, the Kingdom of Wide Waters is clearly seen although it looks like one single boat from that distance.


    Alarming the few, waking them up from the boredom the sun''s heat caused, Jim hollered. "Black Marlin in the water!"

 No I didnt

    I haven''t had many examples to brag about, but powers are evolving. In Ignis even, although I don''t think they are based on rage." Mogranius'' father describes, digging his thumbs through his beard through explanation.


    But still able to give an example although them few, the geezer cites. "Kaleem for example, an illustratio has awoken to super strength."


    Seeing this as a problem instead of a blessing, the newcomer here has to express. "An illustratio with super strength, he will fuck us up if we face him in battle one day."


    Smacking Mogranius behind the head, almost knocking him unconscious, the crazy old man corrects. "That''s racist. Kaleem is a good hearted man who had an Ignite mother, you better apologize to him!"


    "Is he here?" Mogranius asked, not considering such a question stupid considering what he went through today.


    Calming down, as if going from 100 to 0 rage-wise, the old man explains with a tone delicate like spring sunshine. "No but you will meet him, he will stand by the Revolution''s side!"


    Regardless of the smack, this feels very unlikely when he bases it on the 200 year history with the illustratios, so Mogranius has to mutter. "An illustratio! By our side? That''s difficult to happen!"


    With the opportunity to learn about the unknown given, the two can bond by the younger willing to learn. "But tell me about the Calidum Lutum! I don''t think their powers are connected with the Source of Fire. They seem completely neglective towards their Source and worship Calidum instead."


    The geezer took a breath, thought for a few minutes while keeping his forefinger up to shun away interruptions, finally shedding light to this dark puzzle. "Their race originates from an Island, smaller than Ignis even. Calidia, yes. Calidia is the name of the Island and the Source should be there!"


    "Alia will be so happy about this!" Mogranius screeched like a young girl when she gets a present and adds. "The Calidum Lutum have been here before the first Era, who knows if they know about Calidia."


    Noticing how his father has struck dead silent, almost ignoring Mogranius'' existence. The Fire Blaster here sees it as a good opportunity to shift towards another topic, for the sake of gathering information.


    And so he asks, "What can you tell me about Xakro illustratio lll, does he have any other spawns apart from Zar?"


    Painfully well known around facts, even describing private matters, the geezer weighs in some key facts. "Xakro has more than one child but for some reason they aren''t carrying his power. He is doing what his Father and Grandfather did to pass down the powers but he is failing."


    Shedding light to a fact that would make these two show sympathy amongst the enemies, the old man continues. "Those who fail to carry his power, he assigns them at different Jobs. Commonly away from him, considering them useless."This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    "Well at least he doesn''t throw them on the streets, which shows a bit of love at least!" Mogranius doesn''t know much about getting fatherly love. I mean yes he got it until he was 12 years old but he has long forgotten how it felt!


    Having sympathy for the spawns, but not for the spawner, the old man contradicts with a shout. "Oh there is no love in his heart, he is completely corrupt out of feelings. If he didn''t behead those newborn kids, it''s because of ego and he actually did throw one of his sons on the streets."


    Sympathy kicked to the other side of the Continent, Mogranius joins with an agreeing shout. "So Xakro has to be wiped out from existence! He is worse than a monster in fairy tales!"


    Confident with his ideas or visions basically, the old man expresses. "He''ll perish sooner than everyone thought. His dynasty is soon to crumble."


    While looking at the cave ceiling or the water near the cave surface while occasionally whistling, the old man slowly describes. "Snow Ignites kicking him from one side and his own son kicking him from the other, the entire Continent being on a shortage of Soldiers, this will aid to crumble the illustratian alliance to the ground!"


    "Even illustratios are getting powers! I doubt they will stand in solitude with the illustratian alliance once they get qualified as Demons by their own race!" But this time Mogranius pointed at the ceiling through the expressions and made his father look at it.


    Confused at why they are looking at a ceiling, his father asks. "What are you pointing at?"


    Recalling how his father tends to point in random directions, Mogranius asks. "What did you point at earlier?"


    Wiggling his forefinger and carrying considerable disappointment on his face, the crazy old man repeats. "I didn''t point at anything. Pointing a finger is judgy. Don''t be judgy!"


    Noticing that such a debate can last for 3 moons, Mogranius compliments the thought. "Yes you are right!"


    Out of a sudden the geezer began a wordplay off topic, "Let me count!1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,19,23,18. Hmmm. 3 I think!"


    Staggered, Mogranius asks. "3 what?"


    Agile to answer, the old man describes. "I''ve beaten 3 Inner Demons."


    "How could you beat 3? You aren''t an Electus are you?" Asked Mogranius in shock thinking that his father is speaking further nonsense or actually being serious!


    Wanting to tell this to someone for over a century now, the old man recites the rehearsed phrases. "Being near the Demonite for 246 years gave me more Inner Demons to beat, and the occasional Demon meat snacks I ate helped. Yihihihihihihihi!"


    Still having it hard to put all of this day together, Mogranius queries. "You ate Demons? Is that how you know any animal in existence?"


    Stretching his head left to right and hearing bones crack, the old man tried to describe mid stretch. "Yis. It''s a combination of powers blessed upon me by Zirinisen, Lartem and Aresmqaal."


    Capable enough to describe each Inner Demon dot to dot, the old man cites. "Zirinisen offers the Inner Demon that tampers with self control such as not going completely insane with such power, Lava Controllers deal with the Inner Demon he blessed on their bloodline."


    Unwilling to let any Sources neglect their shine, he continues. "Lartem offers patience when browsing through trillions of animals, of course before I beated the Inner Demon he blessed me with, patience was my weakness."


    Finally describing the last one, he starts giggling before finishing the sentence. "Aresmqaal, the Inner Demons he brings, offers self doubt. My powers being difficult to handle, made this Demon the toughest to beat. Imagine how Healers suffer with this one!"


    Suddenly sad, the old man expresses. "But I feel that this power made me lose my mind a little bit. Hahaahahahahahahahaha hahhaahahahaahahahaha haahahahahahahaaha."


    Such laughter burst yet he immediately stops and asks. "It''s not that funny, is it?"


    "We are both naked!" Stated Mogranius while giggling, for sure enjoying the time with his father!


    The mood swings tremendous, the geezer offers. "That''s my boy. Now tell me, do you want to see the Source?"


    Quite in the mood to be a silly goose today, Mogranius answers. "Hell yes! "Hell" Get it?"


    Grabbing Mogranius around the shoulder and leading him towards the other side of the Cave, the old man weighs in. "You got it from your father boy. Your mama only laughed once when a Guard slipped and fell face first in the mud! I think she had some kinda sadness disease or something."

 Fish to the face

    "Miss Lia. Don''t even think about it!" Discourages Jim, trying to convince her to not spear the Black Marlin hurling down underneath their boat.


    Yes they are well equipped and unlike the usual ropes tied to a spear which are around 3-5 meters long, the one on her hand is tied to a rope stretching nearly 20 meters and it is a bit thicker as well.


    So to toss such a spear, a lot of strength is required because the weight of the rope is to be considered once throwing.


    Noticing that the Black Marlin is slightly above the common fullgrown''s size, her confidence to fish this one out started descending.


    So she decides to take a different approach instead of giving up and fleeing the scene.


    Not wasting another second, she took the end of the rope and tied it firmly on to the front end of the boat, on that thick lumber that connects the two sides of the boat together.


    After tying the rope to the thick Lumber, she grabbed the spear she had to drop a few seconds earlier due to the tying and she started targeting the Black Marlin, raising the spear above her head.


    Still spotting her decisions as stupid, Jim tries to reason. "Miss Lia, that fish is massive! It will drag the boat!"


    Not respecting his can''t do attitude, Lia unleashes a loud whisper. "I didn''t bring you here to shit your pants over a fish, Jim."


    Finding it hard to respect this teenager at the moment, Jim still finds a way around for the sake of gold. "That''s true but¡­"


    Having him where she wants to in terms of a debate, now is the time to get him back under command. "No buts, you are either in or out!"


    It would be cowardouss to let everyone fight the fish while himself sitting it out, so he has no choice but to answer. "I''m in."


    Still remaining with a strong whisper, her tone dimmed. "Then be quiet!"


    The Black Marlin rose towards the surface further as it saw the sun reflecting light on the spear.


    For a fish, anything shining is massively attractive. Which is why the fish lost interest for a short bit while Lia''s spear was down.


    But now, the Black Marlin is swimming upwards in full speed. If a fish breaking over 800kg was to hit the side of the boat, it would be fatal.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Spotting the fish force water up as it swam across the sea, Jim states the obvious. "Miss Lia, that fish is coming in too fast. If we don''t move the boat, we will all drown!"


    Never willing to back down from a catch, Lia now shouts instead of whispering. "Nonsense Jim! It''s just a fish and you''re supposed to be smarter than him!"


    "That fish is showing no signs of slowing down!" Barked one of the two men and the second one followed with the same complaint.


    "Brace yourselves! Hit the deck!"


    Yelled Jim as he met the woodwork of the boat face first. Fair to say he did it wrong but it was enough to avoid the massive Black Marlin.


    Still standing her ground although the rest of the men gave in, Lia is still facing the Black Marlin with absolute stubbornness, whispering. "Give me your best shot, meat sack!"


    Her confidence burned into a crisp as the Black Marlin leaped out of the water and with it''s 2 foot long sword like nose it struck Lia right on the face.


    The blow became so devastating, bone breaking even. She was sent 20 feet in the air and then sunk down in the water another six feet.


    After such a devastating blow, she actually started swimming back up to the surface, perhaps not well but in one piece.


    "What the hell is going on!" She shouted while touching her face where apparently no blood has any intends of breaking.


    In such a case, the Black Marlin would have completely penetrated the face and drag down the body to finish it off.


    But all the damage it managed to do to Lia is leave a sensation of pain on her face with no blood or broken bones.


    Bearing the pain she started swimming towards her boat, but when once reaching the spot she saw Jim with a spear in his hand.


    With a desperate attempt, he hurles it towards Lia, all his might involved and saw it penetrate through meat and skin.


    But not through Lia even though it seemed like that for a second.


    What he speared was the Black Marlin chasing after Lia which most definitely had intends to strike her again. Indeed it is angry.


    But it''s speed forced a nodge down as the spear penetrated above it''s head somewhere near the spine.


    After receiving such a blow, it turned around trying to swim away from the pain.


    Looking at the two other men, Jim demands. "Quick. Get her out of the water. This fish has a lot of fight in it until we tire it out and pull it on our deck!"


    The two men rush to grab Lia and as if she was a bag of wheat they easily lifted her out of the water.


    The situation is fierce, the Black Marlin even fiercer so they have no blink of an eye to waste.


    Their speed proved useful, they pulled her out just at the right time. Because the Black Marlin dragged the entire 20 meter rope and the boat along with it.


    Jim was right about this beast''s force!


    Lia has never felt this weak and embarrassed before in her life. Aware of her own uncertainty about handling a fish as large as that, she still stood her ground. Ultimately leading to her flying out of the boat.


    The risk calculations proved heavily wrong, Jim was right about everything.


    The Boat is being dragged through the waters by the massive Black Marlin at 5 times the speed that it took all the four people to achieve before.


    In need to hear one of her crazy ideas right about now, Jim mutters. "What do we do now Miss Lia? That beast shows no sign of stopping!"


    Lia still remained shocked, in a moment she didn''t know what to say or think.


    She feels like she froze and finally came back to reality after Jim repeated his question several times and yelled too.


    Staggered beyond prepare, trying to ignore the sensation of pain on her face. Lia pitches with a shout, "We will paddle backwards until we tire this fish out. If we try to drag it out of the water now, it will break our arms."


    Successful in the first few seconds, paddling although we can''t say the boat is moving backwards. Jim pointed out, feeling his arms becoming already sore. "That beast shows no sign of giving in!"


    Within all that pain, Lia still guides the crew with Grand advice. "Keep paddling, don''t consume your strength all at once. Start at a slower pace and increase it a little bit after every tenth paddle!"

 Source of Fire

    Mogranius has no option but to follow his father who hence the severity, is claiming that they are about to see the source of Fire herself!


    A once in a life time opportunity at least but Mogranius feels a bit nervous about this, his tummy feels like it''s in knots and he wants to take a shit somewhere too.


    The risk factors of meeting the Holy Source herself is beyond large, yet he is following a crazy old man to what can be an unmarked grave.


    What''s fighting off Mogranius''s nervousness a tad bit, is the fact that they are both naked and the Fire Blaster here is looking at his father''s behind.


    Although the view not majestic, the Jungle surrounding the crazy old man''s ass sure helps to crack laughter.


    Better yet, since Hair covers his arse, the full moon isn''t to rise anytime soon.


    Hearing the heavy breathing behind him, the old man asks as they continue to tip toe their way towards the Source. "Are you nervous son?"


    Uncertain which way to start first with this topic, letting silence stretch a few steps, Mogranius finally adds. "Of course... I mean it can be dangerous but I can''t miss this opportunity!"


    Hearing "Danger" mostly out of what Mogranius said and filtering out every other word, the old powerful man adds. "Oh you are lucky you are an evolved Wizard... Uh, man with Powers or else your limbs would of been on the cave ceiling as my chandeliers."


    The more they got near the Source of Fire, the heavier it feels to walk forwards. The air itself feels heavier and breathing has become a quarter harder.


    Feeling his limbs getting hotter, Mogranius covers his face with his forearms so his beard doesn''t get burned down and mumbles. "Why is it getting so hard to walk?!"


    Well informed considering the fact that he has lived here for over 200 years, his father quickly replies. "The Demonite, it''s pushing us away. We are of the evolved but we aren''t Demons, we don''t have complete immunity."


    With conversations limited on the other end of the stick considering the minor safety measures, the old man uses the opportunity to add. "Going too close to the Demonite such as a foot apart from it, would destroy us, not to mention touching it."


    Knowing that his son can''t be that stupid but still making sure, the old timer also adds. "I''m sure that you know what removing the Demonite would do."


    "How far do we have to walk li¡­." As Mogranius was about to finish his sentence, partially ignoring his father''s lecture.


    He was rendered speechless by the red light coming from the Demonite itself, you would think it would burn the naked eye but it''s illumination grants a simple stab.


    It is a sight impossible to not admire and it puts the Demon of Rage who''s turned into stone, to shame.


    Of course at first the Demonite makes it hard to see one''s own two feet, but as that effect became easier to handle, Mogranius gives out a loud whisper. "Is every Demonite this bright? It''s almost blinding!"


    And of course completely shifting off topic, his father explains the whole badge instead of answering the prime question. "Normally, it is nothing but a simple gem able to obtain from the Demonic Realm."


    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    Gripping the ground becoming near to impossible as they''ve walked 30 feet close to the Source, the geezer stops walking and continues to explain. "But after the experiment went wrong, Demonite got attached to the 8 Demon''s forehead. Making them a part of this world forever, each Demon getting a Continent of their own!"


    Difficult below failure to put everything together, in the midst of this majestic sight Mogranius asks an insightful question. "But what were they doing so far away from each other while trying the experiment?"


    Pointing the obvious out but heavily sarcastic by tone, high pitched even. The Geezer cites, "I was not around by that time and the only being the mother of all Demons talks to, is Betzy. So I don''t know anything about the Experiment or what they were doing either."


    A bit sad of another thought, Mogranius ignores the sarcasm and tries to squeeze in more wisdom from this day. "Why does the Demonite look so powerful and the statue looks, well... Empty and powerless, dead."


    Smacking Mogranius behind the head, the old man gives out a loud whisper. "That stone statue is Alasteren''s former body! Show some respect!"


    Not waiting for an apology, the old man instantly adds what he was about to say earlier. "Although she''s immortal, Alasteren''s powers and life energy left her after the experiment, and entered the Demonite somehow."


    Recalling what Alasteren''s conscious herself has explained to this old man, to this protector throughout many occasions, he continues. "Meaning, that Gem is holding Ignis together. That Gem offers every Fire Blaster, Fire to Blast!"


    His tone sinking, severity certain. The powerful geezer adds, "Without this Gem, your genes of power would be useless, as if you never had them!"


    Gazing upon the Gem, admiring the statue and respecting Alasteren although she looks as tall as a Human.


    Trying to understand even why she chose this Cave, trying to observe the characteristics here. This Cave is almost round, almost big enough to be considered a Cavern although they went through a smaller tunnel to get here.


    Feels random at best but it''s near Ignis, it''s underwater too so Mogranius can only guess that she chose this spot because it''s well hidden.


    Yet again why would she need to hide considering how powerful she is? It all makes little to no sense and there are basically no clues to put everything together.


    That aside, another thought went through his mind as silence stretched well over a minute now. With no time like today to ask, Mogranius queries. "So this Gem is the Source of Fire Powers, not the Demon?"


    Again shifting off topic, the evolved old man answers. "Yes, but it is being threatened because unlike you and me, Demons from the Realm she came from, can walk over there and grab the Gem and end this Continent down to the Roots."


    His feelings conflicted, an urge to fight growing stronger. Mogranius adds, "As magnificent as it is, I don''t know what to do with this information."


    Trying to offer help as well, the Fire Blaster weighs in. "All I can do is help you protect it or send troops who are willing to sacrifice themselves to protect the Demonite."


    Feeling a bit disrespected how his son didn''t listen enough to recall a prime fact, he shouts. "If they aren''t of the evolved, they can''t be near the Demonite! Anywhere near a 200 yard Radius would destroy them!"


    Realizing his flaw and pitching an idea too, Mogranius weighs in. "I forgot about that! What if I bring the cave down? No Demon can come if there wasn''t a way to go through."


    Rubbing his beard and pulling Mogranius away from the Source and walking towards the tunnel they came from, the old man expresses. "Right. They are almost like simple Humans, they can die out of any cause. Including age."


    Tad happy about the Demonic stupidity, the Fire Blaster queries. "So they are just flocks of Demons sent here in hopes to remove the Demonite?"


    Able to describe about this part in great detail due to observation, the geezer ads. "Yes, they don''t even have powers. It''s just a poorly put together plan but I see them searching everywhere. They have been searching for over 210 years."


    Feeling the dry surface of the tunnel beneath his feet, another point has to be made certain. "They aren''t a big threat for now but those Demons, they are far ahead with technology. I feel that they have a new plan, I feel that they will do more than just send Demons down here!"


    Before Mogranius could utter a single word throughout this lecture, the geezer shouts. "We have visitors!"


    Down here, that can never be a good thing. So Mogranius swiftly asks, "Visitors? Who?"


    Pissed off by that question alone, his father continues to shout. "Demons you dumbass. Becky is dealing with them as we waste time here!"


    ...


    Finally making it back to the main cave, where these two met. Mogranius pushes his father behind with one arm and asks, "Take a break and watch what I can doo."


    Trying to use the few seconds to explain, the old man utters. "No, you don''t understand!"


    Still confident that he can beat mindless Demons, Mogranius walks away and cites. "Just watch and don''t worry!"


    As he ran towards the entrance where he first opened his eyes on, he spotts that Becky is overwhelmed with these foul Demons.


    The wave of them seemed triple this time of what they battled before, although Becky is ripping through them with her blessed pointy nose.


    Rushing on the scene and spotting that the Demons have no weaponry, this felt like a breeze.


    "They are thousands of years ahead with technology but they can''t put any sort of weaponry on their Demons?" He thought as he blew fire out of his mouth and torched the Demons closest to him out of existence.


    Ironic, isn''t it?


    As a Demon was about to approach and claw Mogranius from a blind side from the left, it met a brutal end as a Demonic bone struck the charging maniac on the head, going through as if it was a Dagger through a rope.


    That bone was tossed by the Fire Blaster''s father!


    As he gazed back to spot his father, holding a couple more bones, the geezer proceeded to shout. "Brace yourself, more are coming!"

 Hunters

    Still in the royal throne room, taking a minute or two to comprehend all of that information he obtained. King Zar gazes at Seer and asks, "Alright so I know what I need to know about the Blacksmiths, tell me more about the Hunters we''ve hired."


    Deciding to put behind a problem first before submerging into the good news, Seer leaves a few parchments on a small round table close by and comes back to explain. "We had a few complications, the people I paid misunderstood my words and told the population that we''re hiring experienceless Hunters as well."


    Knowing that this won''t necessarily drain gold, Zar''s mood remains unchanged as he queries. "So I suppose you had trouble sorting them all out?"


    Explaining more about the dilemma, liking how the King is taking it lightly, Seer weighs in. "I didn''t count but there were at least 80 trying to apply. It''s odd how they would be more interested in hunting, probably because all they need to do is set nets and carry the catch."


    Furthermore explaining how it was a pain right deep in the ass, Seer lengthens his speech. "That slight misunderstanding took more time out of my life than interviewing those 54 Blacksmiths!"


    Finally explaining the glowing side of this coin, Seer cites. "But I got through it all with decent results. You said that getting as little as one Hunter isn''t bad, i got 6 of them Sire!"


    His face carrying a smile, his mood set to a bliss, Zar''s tone cracks a bit here and there as his excitement projects. "With Hunters present, we can feed the poor with nice tasty meat. Do you understand how big that achievement is?! Even Crutal Kingdom is far from doing it!"


    Understanding why the King is so excited, Seer takes this economically and explains why the poor might have never tasted meat in their lives. "I recall that only a Kilogram of Boar meat costs 20 Gold Coins there! So yes, this day marks a Grand achievement!"


    Perhaps sharing a similar thought with Seer now although they might not have realized it, Zar adds the financial benefits of this move. "Since we have our own source of meat, we can sell it for half the market price here. Most people can afford it that way, able to enjoy luxury from time to time although not everyday."


    This at least makes everything easier Income-wise, Income from Pameres Kingdom''s people itself will help tame expenses and earn a bit extra too.


    Such half the price technique can be used on weaponry as well, but considering the Blacksmith salaries, it won''t really be an Income worth the time.


    Complimenting the King''s excitement, Seer weighs in a key fact. "This will improve the quality of life, it''s a good starting point."


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Remembering what the main reason behind this recruitment was, Zar switches the topic with a demand. "However, the Hunter''s main priority shall be to provide leather for the Blacksmiths, the Blacksmiths are to turn the leather into leather straps."


    Having a few topics researched for the sake of this Domain''s progress, letting silence stretch a few seconds, Zar adds. "What is excessive for one week, shall be brought here to the Castle for us to sell. A full patch of boar leather costs 50 Gold Coins after all."


    In terms of selling, Seer understands that the King means to profit from the people he pays here.


    So that leaves other topics to focus on, of which he doesn''t fail to express, envision. "If we strike a steady deal in selling leather, we can hire experienceless Hunters and train them so we can expand this sort of business. It would be heavily beneficial to the economy."


    Not used with handling Hunters for a long while, immediately after Seer switches towards a topic where he squeeze information out of. "What if the hunters fail to bring any of the so called ''game'' here? Do we need to fire any if they keep failing?"


    Not having this thought through up until this point, unwilling to think about failure. The King still has what it takes to build up a system for such a case, rules. "The forest is practically next door, and I don''t expect them to hunt after bears either."


    Taking a few seconds more to think it through, rubbing his smooth hairless chin too, Zar continues. "They are however ordered to put up 10 traps and check them each day. If the hunt is too big to drag alone, they can ask for assistance from other Hunters.


    Understanding that this idea comes with another downside the moment he ordered it, Zar also has to add. "If the other hunters are busy themselves, they can ask Guards for assistance!"


    Of course Zar doesn''t want to tire Guards with responsibilities they technically don''t have to break a sweat for. But even if pulling with a cart, it is hard to carry big prey through a dense forest. The forest is so thick, it would be almost considered a Swamp if there were small pools here.


    But perhaps saving Guards with what could be a good pain in the ass, Seer pitches. "That isn''t a responsibility for Guards to take, with all due respect Sire. I have a possibly better idea!"


    "Do you? Please tell!" Zar is giving in good attempts to keep his manners under great control.


    A lot of other Kings would behead anyone who goes against the King''s word!


    Days earlier before the revolution however, Zar had an emotional breakdown. The forces of good and evil battling inside of him, were eating his nerves and emotions for a long time.


    That process went on for weeks until he found inner peace when he declared independence from the illustratian Alliance.


    He didn''t have precious time to support a father who publicly rejects him as a son, but today however he doesn''t want to follow his father''s way of negotiating which mostly originates around brutality.


    Not sure how to put this into words, Seer takes a moment to think and finally explains. "What if we equip Hunters with Lumberjack axes, for them to clear out a road through the forest. The road doesn''t have to be fancy, but over the years if it remains with no vegetation on it, there will be nothing but small rocks, aiding on pulling the prey."


    Revealing where he got this idea from, Seer mumbles. "I hear this is how the Lumberjacks drag Wood."


    "But will this be effective on a forest which is commonly flatish with small hills here and there... sometimes bigger?" Asked Zar who seems to be approving this plan, but still being sceptical.


    And of course using reasoning as his best friend for once in terms of comprehending a situation, Seer pitches. "It will have some difficulties but it''s better than dragging ''game'' through thick trees and vegetation. It will increase the productivity rate over time as forest roads become common!"


    Seeing no reason to fight against this idea, not that he wanted to go against it to begin with. Zar expresses, "Then it shall be how you say Seer, equip them with axes and order the Blacksmiths to make more if required. Would be odd to look for axes elsewhere considering the Blacksmiths earn salaries here."


    Well mannered, Seer mumbles through. "Thank you for considering my idea Sire."


    With a thought planted in Seer''s mind, he immediately expresses it. "Speaking of expenses, I have to add. With the Blacksmiths and Hunters hired, it will cost 10,734 Gold Coins a month to pay them. We need to strike a deal with the Zamerians as soon as possible or we will be spending more than earning."

 10 gold coins per kg

    After an hour of paddling backwards, it finally feels like the Black Marlin is giving in.


    The explosive power it had an hour ago, has been sliced in half as if hit by a 7 foot man carrying a Sword twice his size.


    Now it can''t pull the boat even if Lia with the 3 spearmen stopped paddling.


    But the crew has to put work in if they wish to bring this fish to land.


    Putting such a massive beast on this boat would be stupidly risky, it''s like asking for broken wrists and a hole across the chest.


    The options have been thought out and ruled out after, not that these people have much choice when it comes to picking. However, handling this beast of a fortune on land is the best option.


    Regardless of the humans getting an upper advantage against the fish right now, we can''t say it didn''t give the crew a good long exercise until they reached this advantage.


    In the first half hour of paddling, the fish was dragging them forward as if their attempt to drag it behind were nothing.


    So they ended up being 2 miles away from the shore before the fish''s explosive energy met a shortage.


    The Spear Jim hurled against the Black Marlin is so well tossed that it isn''t shedding any sign of letting the catch escape.


    It is fair to say that the power of which fear grants amongst a pounding heart reflects inhumane strength, shattering the laws of nature and hollering for success.


    Bottom line, the battle was a true hassle but as the headaches tamed, everyone came back to reality.


    They have more time to think anything non fish related these few moments, such as why Lia isn''t dead.


    A Black Marlin, most likely weighing over 800 kilograms, charged towards her at ungodly speeds and with it''s Sword like nose it hit the lady right to the face and forced her sky high.


    But when they got a glance of Lia''s face after granting her ease from what danger the waters impacted, the quarters of her face aren''t carrying anything as little as a bruise, no cuts either.


    Even the sensation of pain she had to deal with in the base root of this situation, has been cut in half by now like the Black Marlin''s Energy.


    Jim decided to break the long lasting silence, with an urge to tame the clouds of confusion in his head, querying. "Miss Lia, care to explain how you survived the maniacs stab?"The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Rattled herself, unwilling to think about it yet her thoughts rivering down to the main point, what happened? "I''m still not convinced, I feel that I''m dead and this is some weird afterlife journey."


    Trying to lift up the mood and not put so much pressure on this teenager, Jim continues with a praise. "When I saw you come out of the water without a scratch, even I thought that we went to the afterlife but this here is reality. You''re a tough nail, people lost their necks because of a 60 kg Barramundie."


    Having a feeling that Lia here being alive hasn''t failed to send a bad message, she decides to add although shifting off topic. "I don''t know what''s going on but I am not a Witch!"


    Jim agreed about this with an aid of a little nod, even saying it to her face right after with little to no hesitation. "I know you aren''t, holy lucky maybe but not a Witch."


    Complimenting Jim''s claim in a way, one of the other Spearfishermen adds. "If only I had luck like this when I forgot my wife''s birthday."


    ...


    After another hour of paddling, they''ve finally reached the shore. Exhausted, barely able to walk.


    Sailing the boat is one thing but sailing it with a Black Marlin on the end of the Spear was even more difficult, time and soul consuming.


    They didn''t even bother to sail the Boat near the port where they can tie this fine woodwork up. No, not at all. They simply beached the boat.


    Several Fishermen and Spearfishermen joined the scene and helped them drag the fish out of the water.


    None of them dared to untie the rope from the boat before the fish was completely beached. It would be arm breaking if the Fish decided to put up one last fight.


    They simply grabbed the 20 meter long rope and even though there are Several full grown men in the scene plus Lia with her 3 Spearfishermen, it is still insanely difficult to drag the fish.


    It became even harder once the belly of the fish met the sand, it feels like pulling a boulder up a hill.


    First things first once beached, the  Black Marlin got his head cut off to be put out of its misery already. It lost the battle, so the wisest thing to do is at least not let it suffer due to suffocation.


    But cutting the head with a kitchen knife or even a Machete, is impossible as this fish is just too big.


    They had to use Longswords and it didn''t leave behind a pretty scene. They had to constantly slash the neck of the fish until the head separated from its body.


    The head itself is 3 foot long, such a fish will provide a salary for all four of them. Meaning they made a salary in one day.


    Men who went towards the Kingdom to bring two wheeled wooden carts, finally came in the scene.


    To make the fish lighter, they had to cut its tail as well which reaches 4 foot tall, considering the power it bashed against the water, this kind of tail size isn''t a surprise.


    Of course the tail meat will be used as well along with the head meat.


    Every piece of meat will be sliced into approximately 1kg and will be put in deep underground where the temperature is cooler, to prevent rotting.


    The only feature of the fish they won''t be eating, is the bones of the fish and the nose of the fish.


    The nose will be cut off and used as a trophy or weapon even, depends on the buyer.


    While the bones that are extractable, will be removed and tossed in some ditch as most of them can''t be weaponized.


    This fish breaking over 800kg will still be worth about 600 Gold Coins which is a good pay if sold for a coin per kg.


    Blacksmiths have to work 12 hours a day for 30 days straight to get half the amount, in this Country [Occidentis Ignis] at least.


    What was left of the fish got lifted with the help of 20 men and put on 3 carts who were tied one after another swiftly with ropes to avoid any of the carts slipping through due to the weight.


    Those 20 men proved useful even though they weren''t being paid. It was somehow enough for them just to take part in handling such a legendary catch.


    The cart handles are tied with ropes and with the help of 6 men along with the 4, they pulled the carts towards the Castle. The fish seems way lighter now to everyone.


    Planting an idea in Lia''s mind, Jim dictates with a whisper. "Do you think we can get better prices for this Catch? Even the royalty doesn''t have what it takes to taste Black Marlin often."


    Perhaps they share the same lust for gold? As Lia immediately and without shame or fear, answers with her tone thundering. "The chances of his highness to buy this fish for a Gold Coin per Kilogram are lower than the chances of him going through a night without a maid. I want 10 Gold Pieces per Kilogram or I''ll toss this meat in a ditch."

 Atomic Fire

    The first round of Demons were nothing compared to the second round, the attack might not be systematic but it''s still a pain all up in the ass.


    Through the first round, Mogranius burned them out of existence with ease without risking a scratch, having enough space to move around proved as a Grand advantage.


    But now, It feels like the enemy amounts have gone beyond triple. This is a wave which can overwhelm, shred them into bits.


    Either that or cause Mogranius to deplete all of his stamina with hours of recovery as an aftermath unless he used the Stamina wisely. It seems like over 200 Demons are in the scene!


    "Where are these Bastards coming from?" Hollered Mogranius as he sliced several demons in two with pure fire concentrated in a horizontally thin form, differently called the Slicer.


    With his hands joined together and with a movement which started off above his right shoulder, hands waving against the air to reach his left hip.


    The power move struck so powerful that it seemed like it split through the air along with the Demons.


    Gazing at his son terminate a bundle of 10 Demons, his father shouts. "I don''t know. But there are many of them. Brace yourself."


    In the meantime, the crazy old geezer knocked out 7 Demons under 4 seconds with just an old bone.


    Demon bone actually, so it''s a "Use the Demon to beat the Demon" move his father brought in the battle here today.


    With more Demons joining in the blood and gore, aiding to pile up bodies, Mogranius takes a few steps back and shouts from the top of his lungs. "Wherever the hell they are coming from, fall back! I''m about to unleash some heat!"


    His father ran back, with no aim to go against a hot head''s word at such a situation, standing about 10 feet away from Mogranius.


    But of course he isn''t standing and enjoying the show.


    Finding fist like rocks, he places them neatly on the ground and with the demonic bone started hitting rocks one by one.


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    Striking Demons against the head without missing a shot as if this isn''t the first time he tried this.


    The Demons were knocked out one by one without doubt. They had no way to prepare against this attack no matter how advanced they are with technology.


    Glaring at all these dead bodies is no easy task, their horns covered with blood and their rough claws stood too close to his feet far too often.


    Mogranius however, is putting up a scene that would make anyone believe that he is the Source of Fire.


    To buy himself some time before unleashing his final blow against these raging masses, he started blowing fire both out of his hands and mouth.


    Powerful indeed, knocked his feet off the ground''s grip and started pushing him behind, almost tipping over even but let us say that just once in his life he became lucky.


    A good portion of the masses tamed, a good few seconds bought, he hollers while actually putting a power move into motion. "Now I''m going to show you bastards what real hell is."


    With his right hand set above his left, separated by a foot apart. He was about to attempt a spell that could quite possibly bring the cave down!


    Wildfire started bursting out of both his hands, his mouth and nose giving in contribute as well.


    All this heavily blown fire has one target, one place to go at although their journeys different.


    Forming it all into a small ball for the sake of compression, floating in the middle of his hands.


    He kept the process going for almost 10 seconds before he stopped releasing fire.


    There''s no more time to waste, no more seconds to spare so the Fire Blaster bent down and slapped his fists against the ground.


    The compressed little sphere of fire, zig zagged itself towards the Demons with the ground trembling, the dirt and rocks in front of it flying off of the ground once pushed by the fire, penetrating through worse than lava.


    Sunk a few inches below the ground''s surface, it burst through dirt and rock for 5 meters before that small ball of suppressed fire broke out of his former boundaries.


    When it arose from the ground, the explosion became so lethal that it vaporized the front line of Demons from existence entirely.


    Melted off ? of bodies through the second line and cut in half the ones on the third line.


    What Demons weren''t melted, were tossed against the cave walls where they met an inevitable end due to the intense impact against hard surfaces which shook the entire cave, almost causing a mass collapse.


    The explosion guaranteed no safety, so Mogranius had to unleash a Fire Shield in order to save himself and his father from being melted to death.


    That shield was almost immediately broken but apart from being knocked down, they didn''t receive any other injuries.


    "You weren''t exaggerating about the heat. Did you even try that move before?" Said his father while trying to extinguish his own beard with his bare hands.


    "I discovered that move actually, I call it ''Atomic Fire''." It is a pride itself to discover a power move but every good thing has a flaw and Mogranius does not shy away to express it. "We have our arms, that''s good. I tried that spell only twice before and it was worse each time."


    "Well it did the job. I see no Demons and most importantly, Becky is not injured." Said his father while hugging the 1500kg Swordfish.


    But unfortunately his joy ended up being short lasting as Becky was grabbed by the tail and dragged underwater!


    Jumping back, getting a good vision of what''s underneath, the Geezer cites. "Oh wait, this is not good. No not at all. Run son!"


    Shocked, pulling his father by the shoulder Mogranius shouts. "By the eight Sources, what the hell could pull Becky underwater?"


    As Mogranius finished his sentence, he was after left speechless as an abomination arose from the water.


    Apart from its size reaching over 8 meters tall, at least that''s what they could see above Water, the creature''s size wasn''t the most eye catching feature.


    This thing is worse than anyone would dream off!

 Fist Fight

    "You want what??" Shouted Macek, the Ruler of Wide River Kingdom.


    "I want 10 Gold Coins per kilogram! Did I stutter?" Expresses Lia, her tone remaining firm but her face vigilant to show a disgusted look.


    Banging the arm support of his Throne, obviously not a fan of Lia''s sass. Macek utters, his tone high pitched, trying to maintain rage. "Why should I give you special treatments? Are you the Grand King''s bitch?"


    Although sass preferable, her 2 years of bargaining experience can for sure come in handy when dealing with such a Jester. Therefore indirectly praising, "This Domain has never seen a full grown Black Marlin beach the shores, Juveniles maybe? Point is, with your authority, you can sell it anywhere for triple the price."


    Dumb but at least not enough to leave a trick escape unnoticed, Macek speaks of an alternative option. "Or I can take it from you and have the Guards throw you out? I can sell it for four times the price in that way!"


    The Kingdom of Wide River has been developed through thievery and propaganda. Corruption sunk so deep to the root that if they didn''t have this port, total bankruptcy would be inevitable. The Kingdom of 200 houses would be nothing but a field once more.


    Since the strings of power are getting pulled, Lia can''t hesitate to point out. "You can do that and earn a small fortune, but after you will lose half your income from fish. I can get Gold wherever I go, but you won''t ever get anyone who can beach a 800kg Black Marlin."


    Loving how the teenage lady is getting the upper advantage, Jim whispers behind. "We got this in the bag!"


    Hearing him, Macel can''t help but to shout. "You be quiet you pale son of a bitch."


    Not giving time for anyone to speak, actually willing to budge, Macek immediately adds. "5 Gold Coins per Kilogram, I''ll buy the entire fish too."


    Not a fan of what she just said to Jim, not that she cares about him but because the King here based the offence on race. Lia counters the offer, "15 Gold Coins per Kilogram or I''ll throw the body back in the fucking ocean."


    Pissed beyond prepare, Macek glares at the ceiling and shouts after a sigh. "What! Outrageous!"


    Poking her from behind, Jim expresses with a whisper. "Miss Lia what are you doing? 3,000 Gold Coins is a great amount!"


    Whispering back, Lia advises. "Silence Jim."The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Looking at Macek, her tone remaining calm, Lia cites. "Take it or leave it, I have Gold Coins to spare. I don''t give a damn if this fish rots."


    Noticing that this isn''t in no way going how he wants it to, Macek offers. "I appreciate your courage miss... Lia. How about we settle for your original request?"


    Such hard to catch meat is something the royalty would pay 100 Gold Coins per kilogram for. He can make a small fortune from one fish here.


    "I want the Gold by tomorrow, otherwise no illustratian law will save you from going bankrupt." Lia reminds as she made her way out of the King''s throne room.


    Yes she was in his throne room! No fisherman ever had the chance to bargain with a King! They usually accepted the price to avoid a beheading. But considering the extremely rare to beach catch, the King has to tolerate Hell and a half.


    But as Lia was about to exit thinking this whole situation is behind her, finally able to rest, 15 Guards rushed into the Throne room, facing her and one of them hollers. "Halt Witch! You are under arrest for Demonic interaction!"


    Fearing that she will be called a witch but not realizing that it will happen this early, Lia shouts back. "Me? A Witch? Bullshit!"


    Laying down what the deal today will be, another Guard from the bundle shouts. "We have two eye witnesses, they saw you doing Magic in the Ocean! If you resist arrest, you will be slaughtered immediately!"


    Remembering that she left the 2 other Spearfishermen aside to come here and do the deal, Lia sighs and utters. "Bastards! I should of tossed them in the ocean when I had the chance!"


    Actually happy about having a witch amongst them, Macek hollers a command after a calm celebration. "Well well well, now that fish is mine. Guards, tie her up! We have an execution tomorrow."


    Looking at the crowd in front of them, spotting blades perked out and reflecting the candle light yet still not willing to give in, Lia raises her right hand up and closes her eyes, saying. "Surrender? I don''t think so."


    "So be it!" Continues one Guard and the other followed with a holler for battle. "Attack!"


    For Lia it is better to fight until death reaches her at this point instead of surrendering.


    Getting tied up will eventually lead to being burned to death, that''s what they do to all Witches.


    But what''s possibly worse, she will be tied up today and burned tomorrow. Meaning she will be all night in the Castle Dungeon, Guarded by hungry bastards.


    She heard stories of Witches being raped by tens of Guards before getting burned alive and the Kings didn''t punish any Guard about it, not considering Witches as Humans it would be the same as raping an animal, in any King''s eyes.


    Even though Lia has a tomboy style, 2 years of Spearfishing has toned her body beyond well.


    Giving her a gorgeous feminine form with some maleish attributes, and her black hair tied into a tail behind her head, reaching near the end of her spine just enhance her beauty.


    Above all that, she has blue eyes so she would for sure attract any man. But these Guards would rape anyone. Slim or obesse, they have no boundaries.


    So fight to the death it is!


    As the bundle of Guards Charged towards Lia, she raised her fists high and waited to beat the crap out of them.


    She doesn''t seem dangerous at all in their eyes though. Being 5.4 foot tall and a Woman, she isn''t portrayed as a serious threat.


    As they approached, 2 of them were struck down by Lia as she punched their faces with all her might and threw them 6 feet across the air and 4 more feet tumbling over the floor.


    Reasons why they didn''t use Swords is a bit of a blur, but it might be because they want a clean body there in the Dungeon to manipulate.


    Jim grabs the two Swords the Guards dropped, tosses one to Lia and starts putting up a fight himself.


    It Surprised Lia big time, she expected him to flee from the scene and yet he is risking his neck. No Gold is enough for such bravery.


    Gazing at her, eye contact firm for a few seconds, he asks. "Do we have a plan Miss Lia?"


    Looking at the enemies in front of her, she test swings her Sword a couple of times and shouts. "Yes. Fight!"

 Whale Bear

    Uncertain how to comprehend this, Mogranius can''t help but to shout. "What the hell is that abomination?"


    Letting silence stretch, saying one word but not knowing how to fill a sentence, the Geezer finally answers. "I don''t know, I¡­ I never saw anything like it."


    The Creature of which arose from the water seemed to be like a mix of a Whale with a Bear, insane combination when you think about it just for a second.


    It looks like as if a Bear matted with a Whale and they had a big ugly child.


    Just imagine seeing a huge whale standing on its feet, yes feet!


    The abnormal features on the abomination includes having Bear like legs instead of fins.


    Apart from those features, size is most definitely to its advantage considering that it''s a Humpback Whale! The creature isn''t even entirely out of the water and yet it''s already standing 8 meters tall.


    The physical characteristics are hard to comprehend alone but another surprise echoed across the Cave.


    As the Whale Bear gave out a shout, piercing to the ear but yet not high pitched, loud most definitely.


    Thanks to that call, another wave of Demons rushed out of the waters at the edge of the Cave, the amounts far too difficult for these men to handle.


    There isn''t much space to run and shoot either which all develops into one big mess.


    Of course the Fire Blaster didn''t stand still here, the first Demon that arose from the Water had its pupils overwhelmed with what blew its head off.


    A few shots later, noticing that this isn''t working. His father taps Mogranius on the shoulder and advises, "You know how you released the Atomic Fire move a bit earlier?"


    "Yes?" Answers Mogranius, knowing where this is going as he set a blaze a bundle of Demons with the continues wave of Fire that''s echoing through his palms.


    With a shout enough for the Demons to hear in the midst of their crazed screams, the geezer demands. "By the mother of all Sources unleash it again!"


    With a few seconds bought, especially since for some reason the enemies are circling around the Whale Bear instead of attacking, Mogranius turns around and points out. "If I do that again, I will end up with no stamina. No stamina means no more Fire!"


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    Nodding his head upwards, the old man points. "Tell that to the Whale Bear."


    Unwilling to risk possible death but understanding that options are limited, Mogranius requests. "Alright, buy me a few seconds."


    "That''s easy, tihihihihi." His father answers, grabbing more fist like rocks after and proceeding with his key attack.


    With the aid of the Demonic bone, or we can call it a leg, that he is always carrying. Bonding between rock and bone became inevitable, both teams forming a projectile attack.


    Hovering across the air, hitting Demons usually under the chin or through the eye.


    He is surprisingly agile with this¡­ abnormal skill, not even missing once yet.


    Probably because the Demons are coming in groups, but as mentioned he is hitting them on the head.


    Every second dropping another Demon dead. Yes dead!


    That''s how much of a heavy impact a 300 year crazy old man can offer.


    As his father bought him some time, Mogranius has already gone through the set of moves and is all ready to unleash another Atomic Fire sphere.


    The major issue here is that he might not have the Stamina to pull out a Fire Shield right after, this Atomic Fireball has been charged even further considering the extra seconds given so in all way this can lead to flying in his grave.


    That possibility considered, he chose to not throw the Fire against the ground this time which slows the entire sphere down and limits its travel.


    Instead, he decided to throw the fire directly towards the Whale Bear!


    Or is it a Whale Bear?


    They didn''t see any fur yet, just fins that seemed to have evolved into fins with claws and a roar that strictly symbolizes a wild animal.


    Shooting the Atomic Fire towards the Whale Bear, under a blink of an eye it reached the howling enemy and caused a foot wide hole through its belly before the sphere even expanded.


    Although the hole small, it''s impact is far greater than common logic would expect.


    The sphere pierced through the air so fast that it actually sliced what seemed to be a 12 meter tall goddamn Whale in half.


    Once the sphere exploded, that''s when the real heart rumble began.


    The blast pushed Mogranius and his father off of their feet and tossed them against the ground but luckily the blast was far enough to not cause any fatal injuries.


    Just a few bumps and bruises forced upon the two individuals once they met the ground.


    But the Cave! Well, half of what we can call the entrance, collapsed right after the explosion struck its walls.


    Flesh wasn''t a boundary strong enough to slow down the Fire''s speed, neither would be dirt but a compressed sphere of Fire can only go so long without erupting itself.


    Most of the area where there was water, has been overwhelmed by dirt and rock.


    And a quarter where there was dry land, it too has been struck with the same fate from the ceiling of the Cave almost hitting Mogranius and his father. Such impact could sure crush the life out of them.


    "You did it, u blasted those goddamn demons back to hell!" Yelled his father and after as he saw Mogranius knocked out cold, his tone changed fairly a lot towards the negative. "Son?"


    ¡­


    "Aa you are finally awake." Spoke his father as he noticed Mogranius waking up in a rather tense mood.


    "Damn. What happened." Asks Mogranius as he witnessed his father cooking something.


    "Where the hell did he get the wood and how did he start a fire?" Mogranius thinks, but decides that it would be safer not to ask.


    "You took a bit of a nasty spill." The geezer answers as he ran a bone across the pot, making the meat move around so it doesn''t stick at the bottom of the pot.


    A bit concerned about the people he left behind back on the surface, Mogranius queries. "How long was I asleep?"


    With a firm assuring face, the old man answers. "200 Years."


    "What?" The Fire Blaster shouts, afterwards adding. "Not again!"


    Breaking into laughter, admiring the look on his son''s face, the geezer afterwards assures. "Just kidding, you slept only about 2 days and I haven''t seen any Demons ever since but enough about that, have some meat. It will help you back on your feet."


    A bit hesitant to eat what his father hands out although starving, Mogranius asks what''s bothering him. "It isn''t Demon meat, right?"


    Somehow pissed, spotted all in his tone, the crazy old man adds. "No, it''s just Whale meat. I was so happy about getting to taste Bear meat again but no."

 "A Hand"

    Jim swings his shining Iron Sword, giving a left strike and as it slid to the right in a quarter of a second, an enemy head became airborne, leaving his body behind.


    Yes... that''s what happens when you challenge a Spearfisherman''s arm muscle.


    Having Swords on their hands came to their advantage big time, at least now they can fight instead of becoming practice for the Guards.


    Although Lia considerably capable strength-wise, no sane person brings Fists in a Swordfight and she doesn''t plan to punch people anymore.


    Several Guards tried to strike her at once, Swords whistling almost simultaneously and a foot close to each other since they are all fighting one person here.


    But she raises her Sword horizontally, above her head. It aided to hold off such impactful man power.


    A few didn''t manage to hit her Sword, not to mention meeting Iron with flesh, their Swords just kissed the air and they prepared to strike again.


    Considering that, she has to be agile, every split of a second counts when numbers aren''t by one''s side.


    Being close by after slicing another man against the arm, Jim spots a golden opportunity and there is no way to avoid it.


    Seeing a lot of hands all in one place, he took the liberty of swinging his Sword downwards towards that bundle of hands.


    Considering the criteria, he has put in all of the strength one can gather in a excruciatingly short time and therefore he cut off 3 hands clean and heavily injured 4 others.


    The 4 heavily injured were Guards who had two handed Swords while the ones who lost their hands, were using one handed Swords as you might have guessed.


    They didn''t prepare for such an attack because the root of this fight suggests Victory. Being two people only, they shouldn''t have stood a chance against 15 Guards.


    Furthermore everything happened in a blink of an eye, even Jim didn''t see such an opportunity coming but he just went for it.


    The attacked Guards fell down in pain and some fainted almost instantly while screaming in pain before they hit the ground.


    "Rude of you all to try and lay a hand on a Lady." Mocks Jim after he beheaded another Guard who tried to attack him from behind. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    Understanding the joke at such a situation, actually glad to have him by her side, Lia compliments. "Nice one Jim, a hand!"


    "Careful!" Yelled Jim as he threw his Sword at full speed towards Lia.


    For a second there, thinking that she will meet the tip of that Sword but Jim aimed towards a Guard who''s behind her.


    Hitting the Guard against his forehead, penetrating from one side to the other, taking down one of the final Guards standing.


    "Nice one Jim!" She compliments again but with thicker enthusiasm this time.


    Afterwards she grabs the Sword handle, pulls it out of the Guard''s head and gently tossed the Sword to Jim where he grabbed it and proceeded to charge against 6 more Guards who seemed to be hesitating for battle.


    Dimotivating Jim''s attack, Lia shouts. "Leave these ones to me."


    "They like to rape Witches? I like to behead rapists, It''s a perfect scene." Lia explains, furry burning in her eyes, rage visible to any other.


    She couldn''t even imagine how traumatic it would be to be raped by 1 man, not to mention tens.


    With the fury of her fallen "Witch" sisters, she raises her Sword and starts rounding up the Guards who are near the closed Castle gate, almost ready to flee the scene.


    But it is fair to say, they aren''t going anywhere today.


    Sword on his hand, but deforming his battle position, Jim points out. "As you wish miss Lia, just yell if you need assistance."


    She charges towards the 6 Guards and as she did, 2 of them dropped their Swords already and tried to flee through the Castle Door.


    All of them, dead or alive, underestimated her in the beginning.


    Underestimation is any warrior''s biggest flaw if a warrior had such attribute.


    Even against a bug one should keep their Guard up, that Bug could be poisonous or blessed with Demonic Powers, you never know!


    However, going on. Those two didn''t manage to flee the scene, they were swiftly struck from behind with her Sword swung horizontally from the left.


    Leaving them with a wound so strong that they almost got caught in half, one Guard died almost instantly and the other is screaming in pain, trying to hold his back.


    What the other Guards who stood and fought just witnessed, triggered fear and by instinct they immediately struck Lia from both sides as she was standing in the middle of the Guards.


    The Guards who tried to flee were in the middle. If they were to flee, they would call for more Guards or possibly even Citizens, so she had to act fast.


    Two Swords struck Lia on the neck, but after the Swords met her skin, blood didn''t break out and her head didn''t get cut off either thankfully.


    Although feeling a great sensation of pain on her neck, she arose from the half squatting position and stood up straight.


    Only to see the Guards shaking in fear, noticing their eyes flinch after she took a quick second to look at both of them, left and right.


    In a blink of an eye she bent down further and pushed her Sword through one Guard''s Chest and nailed him against the Castle door, her Weapon forced to become stuck.


    Not bothering to waste time pulling it out, she grabs another Sword dropped from the cowards who tried to flee the scene and she quickly jumps Backwards.


    Sure even Swords don''t seem to be able to break the surface of her skin for some reason but the pain sure seems to last long, so she doesn''t wish to receive anymore blows.


    She feels like fainting is close if receiving more swings like this becomes her fate today. These strikes feel like a thin line of lava that''s constantly being poured on her neck.


    Using her Sword, she raises it slightly above her torso as a defensive pose.


    She barely has any experience in Swordsmanship but managed to observed what Jim was doing and copied him, finding it to be effective surprisingly.


    Watching the show Lia put on, Jim didn''t notice at all that the King fled the Throne room and ran his way up to the closest tower attached to a Castle, yelling for help like a defenseless child.


    Guards rushed in the scene, flocking the Throne room. What was 15 Guards before, is 50 Guards now.


    Even Jim doesn''t feel confident about fighting so many people, so he takes a few steps forward at the same time when she took steps backwards and shouts. "Miss Lia, fall back!"

 Fire Bunny

    A good hour passed since Mogranius woke up, thankfully they haven''t been attacked by any Demons, it''s a good break.


    If worry is overwhelming you, Becky is okay. She wasn''t killed through that abnormal Demonic wave, even feasted on the Whale Bear''s remains actually.


    As for what happened down there when she was dragged by the enemy, it remains a blur and Mogranius doesn''t really want to know how a Swordfish overpowered a whole God Damn Whale.


    However, with the time of freedom given, father and son grasped the opportunity to catch up. They''ve talked about memories a tad bit, or at least what they can remember. It''s rather difficult to connect emotionally after 300 years.


    Noticing that recalling memories together isn''t working to the greatest extent, the two family members here started sharing their own histories instead.


    The overpowered geezer for example, explains how he learned to super toss rocks with a bone.


    Quite obviously, it is a skill developed out of desperation. Getting close to Demons and their bone breaking claws is a bad idea so of course a ranged attack is the solution.


    With no common weaponry here, the old man had to get creative, pointing that desperation enhances creativity.


    Over the years he became excessively skilled with this ranged combat art, earlier you could notice how he struck Demons on the head each time. Well, that''s decades of practice.


    Mogranius revealed a few journeys of his own before he teleported 200 years into the future. Perhaps his father knows of Mogranius'' past here and there, considering the ability to stalk him all across Ignis but it''s always better to hear the favoured ones.


    A lot of stories ranged around Akareas, the previous Electus. She has been there for half of his life although it can''t be said that they didn''t have disagreements, some even emotionally traumatizing.


    Mogranius did explain to his father how Akareas was the most emotionally unstable person he ever met, now at least we can blame the Inner Demons about that.


    Yet again he can''t connect some behaviours to the Inner Demons, although he has thought about them for a few weeks now.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Instead, Mogranius sticks to the fact that he emotionally shattered the girl although he had no such intent.


    He can''t say more about it, since even himself he has trouble analysing the situation. Perhaps when he figures out how the past Electus'' brain worked, he can become more open about this topic.


    Talks raging from one end to the other, some funny stories even, mostly from his father''s side. A topic that both might have evaded, emerged. "Son, how did your mother fare after I was dragged in this Destiny? She wasn''t well before I left."


    "Mom... well I can''t say that I saw anything different. You know, she didn''t talk much and as you said she rarely smiled." This topic is getting tad heavy, but who else would he talk about this with? Henceforth continuing, "I sensed pain in her eyes when I returned years after for a visit, but to this day I can''t figure out what damaged her."


    Noticing that his father is listening, Mogranius uses the opportunity to express more about it. "I escaped home at an early age and I''m still sad that I left mom behind like that, I visited her countless times after my 20s but I couldn''t heal her soul. She was sad, no motivation, no sense of life. Worked, earned gold and all that but she was never happy."


    Pitching a good base of a theory, most believable one yet. The old man explains, "You know, I married your mother through an arranged marriage. Sometimes I think that''s what broke her, you know? She didn''t know who I am yet she was sent all the way from Dragon''s Flame Kingdom to marry me."


    In one way trying to not make his father feel guilty but on the other way speaking with fact too, Mogranius contradicts. "It can''t be that, regardless you were still good to her, good to everyone. I remember how many fish bones became bloody because you sticked them up your nose, trying to make her laugh."


    Not knowing what to think, but at least glad that the lady found peace in the other world, Heaven is the appropriate name. The geezer adds, "She found peace, but I''m sad that I couldn''t fix her broken soul."


    With peace in topic, Mogranius can''t evade to add. "Yes well at least she is happy up there, in Heaven and such. I remember going to her funeral, I was 27 years old... It wasn''t easy on me, I felt like a failure."


    Unwilling to let his son think like that, having an urge to smack him even, the geezer insists. "You''re not a failure son, look at this destiny that''s following you! You''ve been blessed with a burden equal to one of an Electus, I heard you curse your luck countless times but that''s not bad luck, it''s just destiny carving its path."


    Not allowing his son to speak, since destiny planted another thought in his mind, the crazy old man adds. "Speaking of destiny, a special little Fire Bunny told me that there is another Kastarian amongst you."


    Evading the fact that a Kastarian has been mentioned, Mogranius focuses on. "Fire Bunny?"


    Perhaps lifting the morale in this Cave enough to reach the sea''s surface, the old timer reveals some staggering information. "Yes... she is some kind of... how the mother Demon describes these beings, mutated creatures. Whatever she ate, Fire Bubbles burst out of her ass upon will."


    Having it hard to hold in laughter and in no way hesitant to holler, after the good followed giggle Mogranius asks. "Okay, and what did the Fire farter tell you about the Kastarian?"


    Casually, his father explains while chewing on a bit of Whale meat. "Nothing, I just used her vision a few times and noticed that King Michael doesn''t have ears."


    Pissed at the thought, Mogranius'' laughter turns into a holler of anger as he cites. "King Michael is a Kastarian? That motherfucker! Why didn''t he tell us? He''s dangerous ha? I knew it all along!"


    His looks and expressions still casual, the old man adds. "Nononono, he is actually quite good hearted. A well researching old man, he can shed more light to this demonic situation more than I can."


    Calming down, Mogranius asks. "Oh... well then, I will ask him about it. I doubt that these Demons are appearing out of thin air."

 Heads and shoulders

    "This will be a tough dance Jim. Got any more bright ideas?" Asked Lia as she saw 50 Guards slowly approaching all around with their swords, maces, battleaxes and warhammers up.


    "Evade and attack. Don''t be dumb to throw yourself in the middle of those guards, even you would be dead meat!" Mumbled Jim as he gave a death glare to the 50 guards.


    Them seeing their coworkers on the ground laying in blood pools all caused because of two commoners, their overall confidence shunned down.


    The two are outnumbered but the guards feel outmatched as if facing a holy.


    "Attack!" Hollered one guard!


    "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!" Screamed the bundle of guards as they charged towards Lia and Jim with aims to obliterate them.


    Lia ran back, avoiding the crowd and the guards who got out of line, proving more fast on their feet met the end of the lady''s sword.


    It''s easier to strike down such people because they don''t take part in a crowd where swords can swing from all sides, proving difficult to avoid.


    The first Guard who ran out of line, was struck hard enough to lose his head. Lia Swung at him with such speed that the guard''s body kept running headless for several feet until he met the ground.


    But regardless of that swing, she''s quickly running out of space to evade because the throne room is only about 20 meters long and 10 meters wide.


    At the end of a very short staircase 20 feet away from the throne, there''s a 4 foot wide support beam holding the ceiling of the throneroom up.


    She might have the strength to cut the support beam down if she manages to evade the guards enough to strike down several strikes on it.


    It''s an option but she would be risking Jim''s life with such a battle plan so she uses the support beam to become airborne.


    With the right foot reaching 6 feet high after making a little jump, her foot pushed against the support beam.


    Proceeding to push her body weight hard enough to do a backflip.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Her Sword raised vertically above the head.


    Flying through the air while upside down, she manages to cut through several "heads and shoulders" before landing on the last two lines of guards.


    Where the little lady managed to knock four of them off their feet with her body weight.


    Making a quick recovery right after, not wasting a second she stands on her feet to avoid getting struck by the other guards who''re waiting for such an opportunity in this insane battle.


    Jim however, since the beginning he took a different direction in aims to split the group of guards which could at least make the situation a bit easier.


    But if they wish to take 20-25 Guards each, they would have to evade and strike all day long. No one would have the stamina for that, not even Lia so he took a rather different approach.


    Jim ran around and threw anything he could find in the throne room, using everything to an advantage.


    Decorative shields and swords seemed to be not so decorative, as they were made out of Iron or silver.


    Throwing an actual sword against a guard with full strength would no doubt kill an enemy if thrown correctly.


    And throwing a shield would at least knock out a guard if not killing one.


    To his further advantage, there were several decorative daggers all in one place. He didn''t take a second to grab them all with one swipe and continued running while throwing daggers against the enemies.


    It was easier to strike any of the guards because they had no base of attack whatsoever except chasing after Jim like animals and the daggers were lighter to toss.


    The Strikes didn''t even have to be on the head to stop one guard. After being hit they would stop on the spot and cry for help, where they caused for several guards with weapons to bash on them.


    Ending up with more guards being injured as some lost balance and met the ground. These Guards are so disoriented but they can still out match the two because their numbers are bigger.


    After a half hour of evading and striking when they found a clear opening, the two still didn''t even manage to kill or knock out half of the guards.


    A bit over 30 were still standing although it was rather difficult to count them all.


    With more than half of their staminas depleted, Lia thought it best to escape this goddamn castle and flee.


    Wherever they would flee, would be way better than this hellhole. However fleeing in the first place would mean running through the town where more guards or civilians could put up a fight.


    Quantity can beat quality at this point unfortunately.


    They rushed towards the castle door after Lia pitched the idea but found that it was barred from both sides.


    A foot thick plank placed horizontally in the middle of the door from one end to the other, prevented them from fleeing.


    Sure they can lift the one from inside, but how will they lift the one from outside? It requires someone from the other side to do it.


    They are cornered by the remaining guards as bashing against the door took them too much time.


    Lia seems to withstand attacks without blood breaking out but who can guarantee that being struck tens of times wouldn''t knock her out? She can feel pain after all.


    Suddenly they hear a thick voice on the other side of the door yelling, "Ready?"


    A thinner tone continuing, "Yes sir!"


    And the first voice finishing it with,


    "Strike!"


    As he hollered, the 12 foot tall and 17 foot wide castle doors were forced out of their hinges and pushed 3 feet from their original spot, before they made a large boom after hitting the ground.


    The two people who caused this havoc are a 7 foot illustratian man with a 5.5 foot kid, who seemed more like a sidekick tagging along.


    They double punched the large doors down after all.


    "Sorry to knock so hard." Yelled the little one, no doubt cocky.

 126,389

    Sitting near the fire, eating quite enough fish meat, as his mind started to clear up, a question popped in his mind.


    A question regarding the demons and who can answer Mogranius'' question better than this crazy old man? "Did the demons teleport here over 16,000 years ago?"


    Jerking one eye shut, portraying a thinking face, the old man takes a few seconds before answering. "Even though the first 9 peaceful demons to set foot on earth, were extremely ahead with technology compared to us, they didn''t have the option to teleport from one demonic dimension to a non demonic one."


    The old man even giggled throughout the sentence and occasionally argued with himself, a bit of self blaming too, in aims to make as much sense as possible to Mogranius who''s dumbfounded.


    This information is interesting, but one word stuck in his head. "I''m still confused, I have a question."


    "Maybe I can assist. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaa! It''s not so funny is it? However moving on, ask your question son!" Hollered his father in the purest form of craze.


    Sharing his father''s craze, Mogranius points out. "It is a bit funny tihihihihi. What are dimensions?"


    Making it a whole lot more confusing, the old man deciphers. "Dimensions are like... whole different worlds, far away from ours. Somewhere in the stars, that''s why it''s so hard to get here."


    "Oh so there could also be more humans with powers out there?" Asked Mogranius after taking a moment to comprehend everything he just heard.


    Ending this side topic, the geezer expresses. "Long as they aren''t messing with our shit, let there be more human filled planets if there are any."


    Before his son can reply, the old man continues his journey of an explanation. "Moving on... It''s nearly impossible to teleport through dimensions. It took the first 9 demons, 60,000 years to travel from their dimension to ours, just to set foot on earth."


    "60,000 years! That''s crazy. I have no idea how they discovered earth to begin with but they sure are ahead with technology!" The hunt for knowledge has always been Mogranius'' main lust, even beating lust for women which says a lot. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Even when he met Alia, Mogranius didn''t approach with lust, it was what we can say. ''love at first sight.''


    And unleashing a fact that no one other living human might have known, the geezer reveals. "When they did land, the impact was so fast that they sunk ? of Ignis!"


    Heavy to comprehend, but to clear out the peaceful demon'' names, the old man explains. "Luckily not too many people became victims from that catastrophe, because there were barely a few hundred people in Ignis."


    "Such a waste of precious land and history." Shouts the fire blaster, most definitely enraged.


    But Mogranius'' father seems to know information that would label him as someone who lived here for over 16,000 years.


    So the fire blaster uses the opportunity to ask. "Do you possibly know how many people live in Ignis now?"


    "126,389. I counted them all tihihihihi." Well now we can understand what''s making him crazy.


    Shocked but not surprised of such statistic, Mogranius uses this opportunity to know more. "But how many were there before the war?"


    "Before the war Ignis had, above 270,000 people were to be found here. There were mostly Ignites compared to snow Ignites, because we have more food down here."


    And of course he knows this painfully statistical fact as well.


    But that''s not the end, he continues. "Now there are roughly 20,000 Ignites and 400 snow Ignites here, a shame really. Xakro won as if without breaking a sweat."


    This topic is bringing sad feelings, the fire blaster explains. "I still don''t know how, even an Electus can''t dominate with ease and progress. Much as I hate to say it, Xakro was a genius when it comes to continental domination."


    Trying to keep a positive attitude, the fire blaster continues. "But at least we are putting up a fight again, the illustratian Alliance is also getting kicks by snow Ignites."


    Continuing the positivity, the old man adds. "His own son is proving a pain in the ass, I still can''t believe Xakro rejects his own kids, he doesn''t want them. What sort of fatherhood is that?"


    Debating with himself again, the old man continues. "But again Xakro can''t help how he is, didn''t choose that fate. In a way, he''s innocent, a cursed copy of his forefathers."


    "The only way we can give him relief and if we want to do Ignis good, is to kill him and prevent another spawn like him to appear."


    Mogranius feels a bit of grief for Xakro illustrato lll but also feels grief for the rest of Ignis.


    The illustratios wiped out over 90,000 Ignites since the war started. It is just too much to forget and forgive, that''s ? of the continent.


    Cutting to the case after remembering something, the old man recites. "That isn''t our concern right now, go to King Michael an show your pure intent, show the information I gave you. After over 10,000 years, the demons from the other dimension managed to teleport here although with poor results."


    Weighing in the danger further, he continues. "But if they manage to teleport here in the first place, what is to stop them to teleport well equipped, stronger? We need his help if humanity is to continue its existence."


    Understanding where this is going, especially since the old man threw water over the fire just now, Mogranius expresses. "So this is goodbye? I get why you can''t come with us, but everytime I step on fishing waters of Gaster Kingdom, have Becky come and get me. I need to spend more time with you before age gets the best of me."

 Stunned

    Not seeing Lia and Jim anywhere, the two "heros" noticed that they smashed the doors over the two they tried to help in the first place.


    "They are under the door!" Yelled the little one, he had to yell because all the 50 illustratian guards were whispering loud enough to make a normally said sentence a bit impossible to hear.


    "Lift from the side so we don''t crush their heads!" Yelled the 7 foot illustratio, and perhaps that''s the best idea too.


    The door is generally heavy and although getting under the door didn''t break any of Jim''s bones, it sure left several painful bruises.


    But the good news is, the door was long enough to hit and break several illustratian necks, although the bloody scene isn''t the easiest on the subconscious.


    It was extremely easy to break those necks because gravity made the door even heavier and their heads getting hit made the door less bone crushingly heavy for Lia and Jim.


    The heroes lifted the doors, allowing Lia and Jim to rise quickly and form a battle position.


    After Lia quickly stood up, it is fair to say that the little illustratian boy became stunned by her beauty.


    Beauty isn''t as important as a good character but it is nice to have both. And in this case the kid feels like beauty could be more important.


    Lia has a beautiful feminine form with small male attributes. Even though she is 16 years old, it is clear to see that her body has fully developed already.


    That fact regardless, Lia is still a humble girl. Having her hair tied to a tail all the time and commonly wearing fishermen clothes.


    "Kaleem, son. We have a battle here!" Yelled out Saleem as he lifted one door and held it horizontally, afterwards dashing forward against the enemies.


    "Right right, hit the deck!" The young man yelled, clearing it out to the people he wants to help and to his father as well.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    His father pushed through as much as he could before the force these guards are showing, slowed down and stopped his full charged attack after a while.


    Using an idea as a last option, Saleem the large hero, with full given strength tips down the door towards the resisting guards, leaving some enemies crushed underneath the door as a result.


    But now, several of the surviving guards have raised their weapons to crush and slice Saleem.


    But in a split second, they became the ones crushed because the other half of the door was tossed by Kaleem, at full strength!


    Which became so impactful that it split 6 guards in half and instantly killed 7 others, as if a massive blade slid in between them.


    It really isn''t pretty, blood is covering the truly discomforting sights like bones and organs.


    Saleem [the larger man] himself was able to lift a door as big as that and use it as a shield for some reason, but he isn''t strong enough to toss a door like that in such speed and strength.


    Kaleem has progressed through his powers greatly in just a couple of weeks, even managed to add a bit more weight to his body now and doesn''t seem as thin as a twig.


    He is slightly above 50 kilos now and his muscles started developing, slow but progressive.


    But now, after this brutal battle is close to an end, only 5 guards remain alive and in tact.


    Even though their overall morale should be through the floor right now, they still had the courage to attack.


    As the enemies charge wholeheartedly to attack, they were stopped on their spot by Saleem.


    Who bare handedly grabbed two of them by the neck, lifted the bastards 2 feet from the ground and threw them against the ground like garbage.


    Dashing away from the weapons carried by the remaining 3, Saleem "accidentally" steps on the necks of the 2 enemies he bashed against the ground.


    Fair to say their fate is clear to be seen, considering that a 300 pound man stepped on their necks.


    He punches one of the three guards, which sent him flying for 6 feet and tumbling for another 8.


    Saleem''s strength is no doubt extraordinary.


    Now the two remaining guards both raised their weapons and are slowly approaching Saleem from both sides.


    The large man has fists up but it seems rather ineffective against cold weapons.


    Two Swords came flying like eagles and bashed through the guards like a bird on its prey.


    The Swords hit their heads and ripped them off their bodies.


    Their speed was only slowed down when the weaponry hit the support beam on the other end of the throne room with the heads remaining on the swords.


    "Nice throw." Jim and Lia congratulated simultaneously as they hear cracks that sounded rather like a problem, right after.


    That large support beam in the middle of the way was also hit by the door Kaleem threw before, that caused the most trouble.


    The swords hitting the support beam, killed the last bit of support the beam had to offer.


    Ear piercing cracks became fast paced and show no sign of stopping, forcing the bundle of people through awkwardly still eye contact.


    "Run!" Yells out Saleem the larger as he shook the ground with his body weight, running towards the exit, with the ceiling behind him quickly meeting the floor.


    This is a situation where a blink of an eye isn''t to be wasted, Saleem did not look back!

 Naked man riding a swordfish

    Eric, Stefan, Commander Alia and even King Michael currently all are on small boats, searching for Mogranius.


    They all thought him as dead considering that a few days have passed already from his disappearance.


    The spearfishermen witnessed a 1,500 kg swordfish dragging Mogranius down the ocean, so everyone could put two and two together to calculate his unfortunate fate.


    But they aren''t at all certain of the abnormal fate Mogranius brought upon himself. They don''t know that his over 300 year old father told the swordfish to drag Mogranius a kilometer underwater.


    "Do you think that we can at least find his body?" Questions Eric, hating the fate that his mentor encountered.


    "I doubt it, swordfish are carnivores. They eat meat, he is likely dragged down an underwater den and saved for food." Explains King Michael who''s in a small boat with Eric.


    Perhaps tad graphic but it''s a fact regarding swordfish behaviour, he wants the group to be prepared for the worst.


    "So we can''t find his body..." Eric murmurs, accepting the reality that his mentor is dead.


    Eric''s in large grief because of his Mentor. They managed to build up a good connection through time, and just to lose him now? For a boy who barely had any friends before becoming the Electus, this is extraordinarily hard to comprehend.


    "We would be lucky if we find the same fish. If that beast managed to grow that big, it knows where to come again." Adds King Michael once more, indirectly making Eric a bit sadder.


    Although not intended, the King is primarily focusing on other uncomfortable matters, like losing more fishermen to that beast.


    "Just grief like a normal person." In a bit of rage followed by grief projected the young man.


    Eric is sure losing his patience which isn''t good at all. If he wants to defeat the remaining inner demons, keeping rage under control is a must but this situation is sure testing.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Possibly making this worst, the King adds. "I''m grieving, but my fishermen could be swallowed by that beast as well, so I''m grieving for them too."


    Trying not to shoot fireballs from his palms, Eric cites. "My friend is dead and you''re thinking about food? Don''t test my patience Michael."


    Still keeping his self built diplomatic character, Michael utters with a soft tone. "I am a King, it is my responsibility to make sure that these 400 people don''t starve to death. We don''t need a food shortage right now, do you understand sir Eric?"


    Eric wants to yell out right now but it won''t end up well, this sadness is pushing the young man to borders he doesn''t want to meet.


    The young Electus hasn''t had enough control over his feelings lately. Destiny is pushing him to the edge so it''s better to not speak than to speak bad at this point, arguing is pointless.


    "Wait, am I going insane? The waters must have gotten me dizzy!" Yells out King Michael in both excitement and fear once an unusual sight captivated his point of view.


    "What? What are you talking about?" Murmurs Eric after dropping a tear in the sea water, refusing to move even an inch while looking at his reflection.


    Now pissed off more than everyone combined, Michael demands. "Just look up goddamnit!"


    Rising up on his feet, Eric''s forced to a harshly projected mumble. "What the actual... is that?"


    "This is impossible!" Continues King Michael in shock and happiness topped up with self doubt, projected with that thundering shout.


    "Is that Mogranius riding a god damn swordfish?" Yelled out Eric in confusion as he flew away from the boat, leaving King Michael floating on the sea waters alone.


    Eric tries to reach Mogranius but Becky is just too fast for Eric to catch on, the shore is just 300 meters away so he has a bit of time to catch on.


    Commander Alia spotted the staggering sight as well, fair to say the lady didn''t believe her eyes either but no doubt didn''t waste even a second once obtaining a small theory of Mogranius actually being alive.


    The 300 year old lady lost patience, couldn''t nearly wait until she and Woldemir beach the boat, especially as Stefan is acting sort of like dead weight.


    They are over a 150 meters away from the shore so it can take a while until their feet meet the cold winter sand.


    Alia leaps out of the boat and starts swimming her way to the shore, excitement emerges so great that she swam 150 meters through the skin piercing cold water, in roughly a bit over a minute.


    Willpower didn''t let the lady get tired at all, not to mention she''s in pique physical form.


    Arising from the sea waters, she quickly ran towards what seemed to be Mogranius and her theory proved correct.


    What rode the swordfish was indeed Mogranius and as he turned around, in a blink of an eye the geezer got tackled by commander Alia, which sent them flying for 3 feet before landing on the sand which broke most of the fall.


    Alia broke down in tears of joy and kept crying in front of everyone over his naked body but none of the main group members are there to witness it.


    This scene mostly contains a crowd of fishermen and spearfishermen. She''s crying in that crowd while hugging the shit out of Mogranius.


    It''s heartwarming to see but it''s a bit hard as well. The strict lady who barely jokes around or smiles, broke down in tears of joy.


    She likely never did or experienced anything like this before. Eric after finally arriving, jumped over the couple as well but he isn''t crying even though feeling the urge to do so.


    "Alright alright, calm down you two. I''m well and alive but man do I have a story to tell!" The ole man expresses under a restricted tone, hugging Alia and patting Eric''s head.

 Kaleem the witch

    The throne room met an horrendous end because of the cumulative contributes to its destruction, but it is clear who landed the heaviest blow.


    There was nothing left behind apart from dead bodies, be it man slaughtered or of those who weren''t quick enough to run away.


    The King didn''t meet a fate similar to the guards unfortunately, that bastard ran and hid on the other side of the castle once the battle started.


    And unlucky for him, the situation ended with the opposers raging victorious! So that will most definitely take root in his pride and grow into a public shame.


    "Where the hell did you two come from? You saved our asses there!" Hollered Lia outside of the castle, trying to take in what just happened with the aid of a heavy breathe in.


    "I am witch, I mean Saleem no I mean Kaleem! Kaleem the witch. No! Wizard!" The young man tried to form a sentence but became stunned heavily by Lia''s beauty.


    Who like her power, is extraordinary, leaving him struggling to form a full understandable sentence.


    "Smooth!"Coughed Kaleem in the background.


    "Kaleem the witch, thanks for saving my ass. Literally. I would be dead meat before execution if those guards arrested me." With a teasing tone but yet thankful intent, Lia expressed her gratitude, shaking the boy''s hand too.


    "You are beaut...I mean welcome!" With further embarrassment, Kaleem finally managed to form half a sentence.


    Swooping in and saving his son from further embarrassment, Saleem pitches. "We''re going to Pameres Kingdom, the crown there doesn''t support the illas or the alliance, you can come with us."


    And answering what Kaleem couldn''t, the 6.4 foot tall illustratio cites. "We were going there to see how things go but heard that a witch is being attacked."Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Staggered, Lia points out what most at this case would talk about. "Why did you save us though? Both of you are illustratios and this one is too shy to be that brave."


    "I''m not shy!" Kaleem thundered but understood right after how big of a lie that was.


    "Of course you aren''t." Lia adds with a sigh, afterwards looks away.


    Not wanting to drag the girl into his life history, Saleem answers the question. "Let''s just say we don''t like them."


    "I hate to interrupt but trouble is here." Poked Jim, carefully observing everything in the background instead of speaking.


    As they focus on Jim, noticing a big crowd in front of the man became inevitable.


    They are mostly illustratios with some Ignites here and there, all booing at the group of 4. Disgraceful to see, most definitely brain washed.


    Lia''s family walked out of the crowd but they didn''t bother to run. Acting like spoiled brats from a higher financial standard, they kept their heads so high that they would trip over anything easily.


    Her stepfather is the one leading the family of 5, following him out of the crowd, in hopes of reaching Lia.


    "Lia, did you cause all this trouble?"


    Asked her stepfather, yelled actually.


    After Lia''s father died of a fate led by the illustratios, Lia''s mother re married to this man, or merely a man.


    He married Lia''s mother to obtain the fortune her husband left behind and no doubt spend it all where no man is supposed to.


    That''s why Lia is financially supporting the family and why this "man" didn''t disappear yet, because he thinks there is more money to drain.


    Avoiding the question, the young lady thunders. "Why are you here? To call me a demon?"


    Lia doesn''t get along with her stepfather, for obvious reasons. And the older she grew, becoming less depended of him or anyone else in particular became possible.


    "Witches come from the depths of hell, the illas have told us. And these two kind spearfishermen have told the town the truth." Cites her stepfather in aims to put her below his feet.


    He especially started targeting Lia more when she cut off the man''s financial income and started managing the gold coins herself.


    "Lia is that true? Do you work with demons?" Asked her mother in concern and with her three older brothers looking down on her.


    "Of course not! I have no idea how this happened but I never saw any Demons." Lia can''t believe that her own mother also thinks something so horrible. Her marrying an illustratio was nothing but trouble.


    "You survived the attack without a scratch. What the hell is going on?" Yelled one of her older brothers in the background.


    "Are you really listening to what this maniac has to say? The illustratios killed our father, why the hell are you taking their side?" Hearing what Lia just pointed out, her brother went into slight sadness when the father was mentioned and didn''t let out a word after.


    "Alright, I''m going to make this situation very simple." Interrupted Saleem as he walked and stood in front of the lady''s family, leaving Lia behind.


    And later deciphers what we can easily call a threat. "You can either stand for or against your daughter, your family. Either choice would satisfy me so pick wisely."

 Robe please

    "Why is Mogranius naked?" Questioned Woldemir as he walked in on the scene with Stefan, after managing to paddle his way out of the sea waters.


    For the first time unwilling to be sarcastic, Mogranius asks. "I came up here riding a demonic swordfish and the first question you are going to ask is about my clothes?"


    "Well he means that this is more disturbing than the demon fish." Weighed in Stefan, with eyes flinched, pointing at the old man''s genitals.


    "What do you mean? I''m fitter than both of you." Mogranius uttered, while patting the young Electus.


    Which was a bit true, exploring has given Mogranius legs of steel and prevented the old man from growing over weight. He would look like a 35 year old if it wasn''t for his messy short beard.


    "It isn''t about the muscles, you''re naked. Here, put on your robe." Deciphered Woldemir as he kindly offered Mogranius the robe.


    Even though these two already were close friends, manners are everything for Woldemir so he saw no reason to drop a slight playful offense. Even under the toughest situation Woldemir would think of ways to express what he is feeling, without cursing.


    Gently standing up, handling the two most sensitive people softly, he expressed to the others. "Alright alright that sounds reasonable. None of you can handle my beauty anyway."


    Once observed that everyone is all jolly and happy, Stefan takes the privilege of questioning. "Respectively, what in the name of fuck happened?"


    The reason behind such language understood, Mogranius planted a seed for this explanation. "I doubt that I told any of you about my father?"


    "No, I don''t think so."


    "I barely know anything about you."


    "You had a father?"


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    "He is dead, so no."


    Hating those reactions from the bundle, Mogranius cut it painfully short. "My father ate demon meat, conquered 3 Inner demons and can see through any animal''s eyes. Also, he is 300 years old."


    "Oh no, he drank too much sea water." Added Stefan, more expressive and uttered a sentence everyone else was thinking.


    "Mogranius never lied, so I believe him." Eric weighed in, had it a bit hard to go against Stefan but points had to be made.


    To that, Stefan once more interjected. "Well don''t tag me in any adventures like that, I don''t wanna deal with any demons."


    Having a question asked that only the closest souls can think of, Alia puzzled. "How was it like meeting your father again?" While clung on the old man''s arm.


    "Oh I loved it. I fought demons, a whale who had feet and saw the source of fire!" As he finished that sentence, everyone looked at him as if he went insane.


    Who was to blame them? Everything Mogranius just said sounds like something impossible, crazy and made up, fiction through and through.


    "Definitely drank too much water."


    "Why would your dad know the source?"


    "The source should be up in the skies, I thought they connected with the continents and just went to the after life."


    "I thought that too."


    Such ray of questions were expected to burst but the old man found a way to push them all away. "I will tell all of you everything later, could write a book about it really. But first I need to talk to King Michael."


    "I left him on a boat once I saw you riding the swordfish." Revealed Eric and got a bit red once spotting how Alia is looking at him.


    "Well go get him!" Yelled Mogranius in a laughing manner.


    Shyness almost pushed away, Eric joked around. "Can I ride the swordfish there?"


    "You could, if she was here." Answered Mogranius wholeheartedly, no sarcasm in his tone.


    "It''s a she?" Yelled out Stefan, most definitely carrying shock. "She is large."


    Fire broke out of Eric''s feet, elevating the boy from the ground in a split second after he finished the sentence.


    The young man flew a lot ever since his last visit at Crutal Kingdom. What he struggled to even start back then, just lifted Eric across the blue skies.


    As the young man flew away, Mogranius turned to Woldemir and said. "The boy is struggling with the Inner demon of rage. If he doesn''t fight it now, the boy will end up like Xakro, insane."


    Hard to say that just from a simple conversation, but Mogranius is 58 years old and had to deal with such demons although he didn''t realise it. No one in existence can be more accurate than him now, regarding this particular Inner demon.


    "What can we do about it? I''m completely lost, you''re telling me that my son will go crazy." Woldemir stated, this was indeed a topic that demands a professional.


    "You have been through a lot in your life Woldemir. If anyone knows how to be patient, it''s you." Comforted Stefan in the conversation, made a point really.


    Staggered by the situation which led to a lack of understanding, Woldemir sighed and rubbed his temples. "Patience won''t help here my friend, my son will go crazy."


    Smart enough to have everything observed, Stefan insisted. "You don''t understand, I think the opposite of rage is balance, patience. You''re perfect at that, so Eric can learn from you."


    That fact encouraged, Mogranius weighed in a theory. "I have no clue how Inner demon levels work, but Eric might be dealing with a level 4 one considering his power. So Stefan is right unfortunately, only you can help Eric."

 Kid versus watchtower

    Her family stood quiet as Saleem asked them such a question of importance. It was clear to see that her family won''t support her through this new ability.


    Lia did expect this nonsense from her step father big time, she was uncertain about the brothers. But the fact that her mother didn''t support either, felt like a kick in the head.


    The little lady felt like breaking down but hid her emotions and stood tall (5.4ft) in front of the opposition.


    In most cases, Lia was the one who made whoever oppose her, cry. But in this case it felt like her family raised daggers and stabbed her continually. She felt frozen and helpless for once after a long time.


    "What are you bastards waiting for? Kill them!" Yelled King Macek from the castle watchtower, ordering the remaining guards who were standing along with the crowd, to attack.


    "Yeah that does it!" Murmured Kaleem swiftly and he started running towards the watchtower.


    "Son what are you doing?" Yelled Saleem from the background, puzzled and equally worried.


    "I found our way out of here." Shouted the young man back, still under sprint.


    "This looks promising." Added Jim, stretched the last word too.


    As Kaleem reached the watchtower, he gave it a punch with all his might, which shook half of the entire watchtower.


    "What is this bastard doing?" Whispered King Macek in a small cold tone, puzzled beyond prepare.


    Kaleem proceeded to punch the watchtower again and once more. Every time he did so, the tower shook more than it did last time, becoming a whole lot more unstable by the passing breath.


    "Guards are storming from all sides!" Saleem alarmed, punching the shit out of a guard after.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    As Lia witnessed Kaleem continuing to punch the watchtower with his bloody fists, she wondered. "Does he have magical powers as well?"


    But her thoughts were forced shut as the watchtower started rumbling to the point of no return.


    The whole 40 foot tall and 25 foot wide watchtower collapsed as if it was nothing, stonework crumbling into a million pieces and launching in three directions.


    As for Kaleem, it took him 2 cracked fingers and 19 punches to bring the whole tower down.


    Although he wasn''t indestructible, super strength offered him twice the endurance he had before discovering his power so that aided to keep the rest of the fingers safe.


    But the King, as if angels carried him down, escaped the collapse without a bruise.


    "Come grab the King, he is our way out of here." Yelled out Kaleem, gazing at his father.


    No one would attack if the group of 4 threatens to break the King''s neck and send him up the river for good. And Macek nearly doesn''t have the courage to sacrifice himself for the 4 enemies to be killed.


    Thinking that Kaleem was calling Lia to do the job, she dashed forward which looked like a little duck running.


    Before she was passed by Saleem, shaking the ground as he ran. Leaving Lia to stop on the spot and realising how awkward the situation she just put herself into is.


    "Oh you didn''t mean... I mean alright let''s get out of this hellhole. My boat is on the beach!" Lia murmured with herself before hollering the last words out.


    Saleem approached Macek who curled into a ball expecting fists and kicks. The large man grabbed the 5.7ft tall King behind the neck and raised him 2 feet above the ground before uttering. "Compare your strength with me now instead of a little girl."


    "Don''t kill me please!" The King cried out, covering his face.


    "Kill you? No. You''re worth a royal size of gold, unfortunately to everyone." Lifting the man higher and in front of the crowd, Saleem demands. "Now tell your guards to drop their weapons!"


    "Drop your weapons! Drop them on the ground and clear the way, that''s an order!" Yelled Macek in a tone similar to the one scared little dogs make.


    But yet the guards still stood hesitant, so Macek yelled out once more. "Do as he said by the name of God Xakro. This demon will crush me to bits if you don''t."


    Noticing that there is no other option to choose from and seeing it as a clear order of desperation from the King himself. Every guard dropped their weapons and citizens cleared the way.


    Lia''s family seemed to have disappeared in the crowd long ago, making their answers clear to Lia and everyone.


    Their actions most definitely showed shame towards Lia, their perception most definitely labelled the little lady as a demon. It would be pointless to ask them for acceptance right now, and Lia isn''t one to ask anyone for shit.


    Pushing emotion aside, Lia waved her arm towards the beach and hollered. "My boat is on the beach, you two can push it to the sea, unless you want me to do it!"


    "You don''t need to, let''s go!" Shouted Saleem as he kicked down a rebelling guard.


    "If any of you try anything, the King will lose his head. Don''t be a hero, live longer." Deciphered Jim, reassuring everyone their place in the world.


    And so they rushed for the boat, understanding who''s slower, Kaleem grabbed the little lady and lifted her over the shoulder.

 Pull your ears

    "What do you mean there is no going back?" Asked Woldemir in concern, they are talking about his son after all.


    He took an oath to protect Eric, even if sacrificing himself became the only option, and he would willingly do that without wasting a heartbeat.


    If Woldemir was willing to do that much for his only son, it would be easier to show emotional support like every parent should. Eric is the only family he has after all.


    "I mean, once the Inner demon of rage manages to reach level 6, Eric won''t be able to recover, ever. He''ll throw rage fits even if ducks quack." Pointed out Mogranius, used a perfect example too.


    His father told the old man a lot around that campfire before Mogranius rode Becky back to the shore.


    And now he feels more prepared at least and he indeed knows enough to have a new, well thought out approach to this disaster of a situation.


    Understanding that Woldemir has been left speechless, the geezer continued. "He has a level 4 Inner demon of rage to beat but still is holding up well. The boy just has short anger outbursts, meaning he noticed it and is already fighting it."


    "How can we be sure that he is fighting it? We barely know anything about the Inner demons, he probably didn''t even notice them." Pointed out Woldemir, not finding excusements but risk factors that perhaps demand more attention.


    He can''t take any chance, needs to be certain that his son is at least trying instead of just brushing this off.


    "I can answer that!" Weighed in Eric as he beached the 5 meter long and 2 meter wide boat with King Michael on it.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    As he walked out of the boat and made his way to the group, Mogranius'' focus wasn''t on Eric but on King Michael.


    He didn''t tell anyone about Michael yet and neither of them would ever know unless Michael told them, or if Mogranius chose a different path to this journey, if he had a different path to choose from.


    "I have noticed my rage ever since the demon we saw, pointed it out. I have been trying to fight it ever since." Well this pointed out that the young Electus was aware of this dilemma.


    "We''re here for you son, you can do this." Woldemir became the first to encourage, crying about it would definitely not help.


    Understanding that he as an Electus has a lot to be angry about, Mogranius jumped in the conversation and stated. "You need to let go of burden. The illustratian alliance is crumbling into dust. And you aren''t alone, I got your back, we got your back."


    "My entire Kingdom got your back!"


    Added King Michael as he raised his Iron short sword sky high and everyone in the scene followed with a heartfelt cheer which forced goosebumps to the masses.


    After the cheer, Mogranius pulled the King by the arm to separate him from the crowd without making a scene. Barely anyone noticed it because they''ve burst in conversations.


    Discussing Inner demons, illustratios, the deal with Pameres Kingdom and the overall war.


    "This might not be the best time but I know your true identity, sir fire blaster." Whispered Mogranius in a tone that wouldn''t catch attention to anyone but Alia who was sticking to Mogranius like a leach.


    Trying to sneak his way out of trouble, King Michael mumbled through a gaggle of words. "So you figured out that I can blast fire here in Ignis... I realize we have become rare but..."


    Waiting to crack this joke for quite a while now, Mogranius made sure to enjoy this situation a bit longer. "Son, don''t play dumb with me or I''ll pull your ears, oh wait¡­"


    "How did you find out?" Questioned King Michael without making eye contact to avoid a scene.


    Stating another bit of the unusual, Mogranius cited. "I wouldn''t have, you hide it well to be honest. But your little fire farting bunny told me."


    Shouting it out, the King questioned. "I knew that little demon could talk. What did she tell you?"


    "Oh no no it isn''t like that." Contradicted Mogranius and afterwards stating what was more bizarre. "My father can see through any animal''s eyes, long story. I will fill you in later but my father told me that you can help fight off these "peaceful demons."


    Digging out old bargains, the King expressed. "I would love to help but can''t share anything with you. Your friends still don''t trust me, see the problem?"


    Continuing the point, Michael had to add. "We need an Electus to save Ignis from being destroyed... but I have to know we can cooperate."

 Nose to nose

    The group of 4 made their way to the boat, which was beached when Lia pulled the black marlin out of the waters, with the help of Jim and the other 2 spearfishermen who reported the little lady to begin with.


    If those bastards only knew that they would get 1,500 gold coins just by casually beaching a large fish, they would have stuck with Lia. It''s not like those two care about the greater good, they just wanted the reward coins.


    Jim however stood by her side, it''s still not certain to Lia regarding why he did that.


    If it was love, that would just be creepy because Lia is 16 years old, basically not even an adult yet and Jim is a 27 year old Ignite man.


    Love pushed aside, it still remained massively puzzling on why Jim stuck by her side, a puzzle she doesn''t want to think about right now.


    As they dashed their way down to the beach, with Saleem carrying King Macek on his back, noticing that they weren''t alone, became the inevitable.


    Although the boat was intact and wasn''t struck by anyone in the means of preventing them from escaping, a bigger problem was approaching.


    The life of King Macek suddenly became irrelevant as a guard commander took control of the scene, a hunch after the group of 4 left the Kingdom of wide rivers.


    Above 100 guards came out of the Kingdom''s main gates and bursted towards the group of 4!


    No matter how much King Macek yelled for them to retreat, those raging fuckers just plainly ignored his commands.


    This embarrassment of a King treasures nothing more than his own life, but at the moment even his life seemed to be in a rather great risk, considering the lack of control of this situation.


    "Push dad! They are getting close!" Yelled out Kaleem, urging his father in such a fatal situation.


    He would help lift the boat but as mentioned before, the young man cracked 2 fingers bringing that watchtower down. And the pain now was getting greater although he was holding hauls of pain in because of Lia.


    "This thing is like a boulder!" Gave out Saleem a muffled reply, with King Macek still over his back.


    "Alright! Drop the bastard down, I''ll hold him still." Pitched Jim swiftly, pulled out his sword after which he took from a dead guard earlier.


    As Saleem took no time or caution to drop King Macek, Jim placed his foot over the bastard''s chest, sword pointed forwards an inch away from the King''s neck even.


    "The Guards are a 100 yards away gentlemen, why isn''t my boat in the Water yet?" As Lia finished her sentence, she took a quick sprint, ran towards the boat and actually managed to move it by an inch. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Which was progress because Saleem didn''t even move the whole shit until now.


    With a force of two people, the boat started moving inch by inch. But they killed all stamina in that short moment because of all their strength bashed in.


    Yet the boat hasn''t slid deep enough and yet danger increased by the passing breath.


    "My hand''s broken but the other isn''t! Let''s do it all together on 3!" As Kaleem finished his counting, they put in the last bit of cumulative strength.


    Managing to move the boat at twice the speed now, which was harshly enough to make the thing float. But once the water aided, Jim alone could push it into deeper waters so this is firmly a success.


    "Move move move!" Hollered Saleem as he grabbed the King and tossed the little man along with Jim on the boat.


    "I said move!" Yelled out Saleem once more when he caught Kaleem and Lia looking awkwardly at each other as they both insisted on who should climb first.


    Kaleem wanted Lia to climb first because he wanted to ensure the little lady''s safety over his own.


    And Lia wanted Jim to climb on the boat first because the good willed illustratio had a broken hand and could use assistance underneath while climbing.


    Which is why Saleem lost his last nerve and forced them to become airborne.


    But it was worth hitting the hard wooden plank for. Because even if they wanted this or not, Saleem tossed them in such a way that Lia ended up over Kaleem, almost kissing him, practically being nose to nose.


    Seeing themselves in such an embarrassing situation, they both got red even though considering Kaleem has dark green skin.


    But he no doubt liked it and Lia became tremendously shy because no boy could ever approach her that close even if they wanted too.


    Pushing the boat deeper towards the sea waters and almost tipping the boat over while climbing on, they can finally set sail.


    Saleem did most of the work on keeping everyone''s behinds safe, we can''t underestimate his grand effort.


    "Paddle!" Saleem yelled as he urged everyone to work with all their might.


    Including King Macek because Kaleem''s hand was still cracked, can''t let his boy work any further now can he?


    And what bravery had King Macek to go against a 6.4 foot man''s word?


    But the short minute everyone required to set everything into motion, took too long!


    About 7 guards have duck their hands on the boat''s woodwork, even had the guts and strength to start climbing up.


    "We have company!" Kaleem shouted, alarming the group.


    One of the guards had already climbed on deck, on the other side of the boat that is.


    After alarming them, he rushed towards the armed guard and leaped for a kick! He really didn''t want to punch anything right now and the reason behind it was obvious.


    The enemy became airborne shortly after, piercing the air a bit before landing on water.


    "We can''t stop paddling or everyone will climb on!" Saleem pointed out the obvious as he put a stronger paddle to accelerate the boat. "You have to take them out son!"


    Understanding the situation and demand, the young illustratian man walked towards the backside of the boat and noticed that 6 more guards were putting in efforts to climb up, while there was an entire tail of these enemies bursting in the sea waters, trying to reach the boat.


    Having a sword carried from that thirsty battle in the castle, he pulled it out of the scabbard and aimed at the guard who climbed the furthest.


    It struck the man right on the head, death is an inevitable factor due to that process, but it aided in a different way too.


    The enemy fell and knocked out another man behind him, so what was too dangerous earlier remained mild now as there were 4 more guards trying to climb on.


    By the time he took out those guards, another one climbed dangerously close so Kaleem took the liberty to kick the man right on the face.


    Such a strike coming from a boy who had super strength, well he heard a strong crack after the kick, had to be the enemy''s neck bone.


    Out of a sudden, Kaleem saw a dagger rushing downwards and hitting another guard.


    Gazing at his left, the young man spotted Lia by his side. "Uhhh... what about paddling?"


    Pointing behind them, he spotted Saleem getting at it with 2 paddles, fairly increased the boat''s speed too. "Your dad has it covered."


    Looking back down, Lia tossed her own sword against one of the enemies!


    It sunk right across the chest, scratched the woodwork even but nothing that can force them to sink.


    As for the only remaining enemy, his hands "slipped" so he fell into the water a few breaths after that last kill.


    "Coward." Murmured Kaleem and spotted Lia getting back to her paddling spot.

 Demon war

    After everyone gave Mogranius a warm welcome, King Michael reminded them that they can call his castle their home and led them towards it as dusk diminished over the horizon.


    The Castle being a place strongly private, it is perfect for discussing the war against demons.


    But before making this short portion of the journey, a fisherman approached Mogranius with that special spear this fire blaster had 246 years ago and gently handed it to him.


    There is no way to use this rust encrusted, bent and extremely old spear now. But everytime Mogranius would glance at it, this beauty would set a firm reminder of his father.


    Be it either hung on the wall or stashed in an inventory crate in his home here in Gaster Kingdom, this spear will stand as a grand loved piece of metalwork.


    ...


    A while later as they entered the dining room in the castle, they were served some tea first by the kind oldish maid ladies who yes, work for fish.


    Tea isn''t something hard to obtain even though considering their financial income is flat. There was a forest near them, same one of which occupied 60% of the continent where the eternal snow doesn''t touch.


    Breaking the silence was Mogranius, came straight to the point without wasting a precious second. "I''m aware all of you are confused, hey I would be too. But let me start from the beginning."


    "If you don''t take me with you next time, I''ll cut your pinky off." Expressed Alia in a rough tone as she gently rubbed her face on his upper arm.


    She missed this crazy old man too much and was extremely happy that he was well and alive, that even a leach wouldn''t be able to compete with her in this case.


    "I will drag all of you to my adventures don''t worry." Mogranius assured, wanting to sync in topic already.


    "Tell me how it went once you go." Added Stefan, making it clear that he doesn''t want to be anywhere around demons or danger for that matter.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    The last Demon they met gave him a bit of a phobia even though she didn''t technically hurt them nor scold, which rather proves that lady''s weight in a conversation.


    Wanting to crack a joke about Stefan''s lack of bravery but not wanting to go off topic, the old fire blaster broke the conversation in. "My father who I thought died 246 years ago, was somehow called down by the source of fire herself."


    "Why would the source call him down there?" Eric questioned, trying to figure out if this old man drank a bit too much water.


    Not quite sure how to put this into word, Mogranius let silence stretch a few seconds before he continued. "To protect it of course! Demons were flocking her area, trying to rip the demonite off her head, so extra protection was needed."


    Adding the most bizarre part yet, Mogranius reassured. "The source somehow increased my father''s life span, he is still alive!"


    "Is your entire family involved in these crazy things?" Stefan questioned, indirectly quoting teleportation in his sentence.


    Putting sarcasm aside once more, Mogranius whole heartedly answered. "Hmmm... I haven''t seen my uncle in a while, he is either dead or in some demonic realm, you can never know."


    "But I still don''t understand how your father, an Ignite, can live so long..." King Michael added, weighing in what most seem to side track.


    Not quite understanding it himself yet, Mogranius answered. "I''d say the source made it possible, he had to beat 3 inner demons, so that could have done it somehow."


    Slightly feeling opposed, Eric jumped in the conversation with a question. "How could he get 3 inner demons to beat, is he an Electus?"


    Developing a headache just by trying to figure it out, Mogranius just answered. "He isn''t an Electus, but ate demon meat, that crazy combination must have hand in it."


    Weighing in another theory, Michael cited. "Being around demonite probably did it too."


    Side tracked once more although this time liking it, Mogranius specified. "Oh, about that. The story of the sources was exactly how that demon lady told us, I think we offended the most powerful demon on earth that day."


    "So that crazy demon wasn''t bluffing? She can invade all of Ignis." Added Woldemir who seemed to have remembered that sentence instead of remembering the boat load of information she gave them about the inner demons.


    "Oh she can destroy earth if she pleased, it''s a surprise how she didn''t feed us to her titanoboa." Expressed Mogranius and witnessed Stefan getting shivers because of mentioning that large snake.


    "You actually saw a titanoboa? They are on the edge of extinction! I''ve been studying them for years and only saw 2 through thousands of hours of hiking!" Explained King Michael in enthusiasm, even his eyes expanded as he heard that name.


    "Yes and I hope we don''t see one again, I was eye to eye with the beast." Deciphered Woldemir in a cold low tone. But although that situation was terrifying, he didn''t get a phobia or a trauma from the experience, unlike Stefan.


    Pushing everyone back into the important topic, Mogranius clapped his hands for attention. "Getting back to the point people."


    And afterwards took the liberty to continue. "The demons are managing to teleport into our world, but going from one dimension to another is technology that a civilization as advanced as them took ages to gain. They are teleporting here naked, killable, weaponless and even powerless. They have magical powers too like the mother of all demons pointed out, but here they don''t."


    "Meaning we have bigger chances to fight them. You hear that Eric?" Slightly yelled Alia, enthusiasm breaching the war talk, rather adorable to see.


    Finally describing why he told them all of this, the old fire blaster cited. "Yes we have chances to beat the demons but we need superior knowledge, someone who has studied them for a long time."


    "That someone is King Michael. Isn''t it?" Asked Stefan, trying to prove his theory correct.

 Natives > imports

    "So, Zar... refuses to fulfill the request I specifically... assigned him too?... Why?" Asked King Xakro illustratio lll, as he sat in patience, hearing what guard commander Chan had to say.


    "I''m about to quote his own words sire. He said, "I''m sick of my father''s ways of life and I want to bring equality in Pameres Kingdom." Chan explained, trembling as he quoted what King Zar said, knowing how unstable the man in front of him is.


    King Zar however doesn''t have fear towards his own extremely powerful father.


    Zar grew up knowing that his own father didn''t accept him, that was heavy on the conscious so Zar blamed himself for that while growing up, feeling like a failure through a big part of his 27 years of life.


    But now that labelled failure managed to take a stand and he made rather great progress so far. Considering how bad Pameres Kingdom was, with 1/3 of the homeless escaping the streets, and with a possible income of over 10k gold coins just from blacksmithing, the first step was taken.


    "Did you... tell him that refusing to fulfill a task that I... ordered, would kick him out of the illustratian alliance... forever. He can''t undo... what he did." Mumbled Xakro in a cold low projecting tone as if dead of emotions.


    "I did, but he is sure about everything. Zar even called you a fool locked in your castle!" Deciphered Chan, swallowing his own spit, voice cracking mid sentence.


    "What!" Echoed King Xakro as fire arose underneath his throne and flew harmlessly above his head for 20 feet high before it disappeared into thin air, forcing guard commander Chan to piss his pants. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "Let''s burn his Kingdom to the ground! Let''s show him what the illustratian Alliance can do!" Pitched Chan in hopes of preventing the King from burning his own castle down with this sort of rage.


    Stable enough to be strategic at least, the one eyed man beast contradicted. "Our motherland... is in a military shortage, Crutal Kingdom lost... 939 people when the Electus attacked and... the snow Ignites could attack... by any moment."


    And further extending the risk of which the snow Ignites illuminate, the King cited. "They managed to... invade the capital of Septemtrionis... Ignis and withstand so many attacks already, they surely discovered... some sort of power that gave them victory."


    "So what I understand from that is, you don''t want to lose more soldiers?" Asked Chan, struggling to keep up even though the King took time finishing his sentences.


    Surprisingly remaining patient, the face torched King explained. "Correct. I can''t risk weakening... the capital. Right now we need... to spend a fortune to strengthen our defences. We are near... the border. The snow Ignites could attack any time they please."


    Finally able to catch up with strategies that don''t befit a drunkard, Chan asked. "How can we strengthen our defences? The domains in the motherland are in a shortage as well."


    Almost syncing into half a smile, the torched man cited. "There are untapped resources that we overlooked, this domain has over 1000... imported guards who aren''t natives. These are easier to get from our motherland, which means that... we can turn the imports we have here, into workers."


    Surprisingly insightful for once in his life, Chan gathered the guts to point out the flaw. "How is that strengthening the defences? We would be losing guards that way."


    Proving himself worthy of position, Xakro pitched. "We just have to make sure that Crutal Kingdom never collapses economically... no one can assure that Ignis will forever be under my control, for the sake of safety, we need a self... sustaining budget."


    Reaching back the first point, he slightly yelled. "If we turn 500 imported guards into workers, we would... still have over 1,000 guards in total when combined with the natives."


    After he took a few seconds to comprehend the whole plan and not quite understanding why he expressed all of this with a guard commander, all Chan could say was. "Amazing, you just found a perfect solution."


    Wanting to put his plan into action, Xakro ordered. "No time for... admiration, get me Aaron. Both of you will be... busy this month."

 312 years old

    "How did you figure it out?" Asked the old man as he gazed at Stefan, blazed in confusion.


    "Well we were talking about demons and his expressions don''t show confusion or surprise." Pointed out Stefan, listing out what made him gain suspicion.


    Curling his lips and gazing to his left swiftly, Michael teased. "I only had 312 years to learn acting so that''s not fair!"


    Their brains would be overloaded with thoughts if the King wouldn''t give a further explanation, they wouldn''t know which theory to believe first, would be amusing to see.


    Scratching her head, Alia questioned what can set the first piece of the puzzle. "Hold on. You''re an Ignite, right?"


    "I would be considered one." Michael answered as fire gently arose from his palm while seated, forcing Stefan to spit his tea out.


    "You can blast fire?!" Yelled Eric, his tone echoing amazement, feeling at a bliss to see another one of his kind.


    He has only met one fire controller so far, and that was Mogranius. Considerably King Xakro illustratio lll as well and yet to see another one of his kind, it''s just amazing.


    Practically teasing people with his identity now, Michael continued. "I can yes but native fire blasters would be more rare in Kastaria, 1 in 100,000 as far as I recall, isn''t that right Alia?"


    King Michael also felt like he was revealing a bit too much information, but for the good of Gaster Kingdom and for the better of Ignis, he has to get the Electus on his side.


    "How do you know about Kastaria?" Alia asked as she slammed the table with her palms, no outsider should know about that ex continent.


    A bit surprised how these people didn''t catch up, Michael reminded. "Didn''t you figure it out already, I''m 312 years old."


    "I thought you were joking about that, you look in your twenties."


    Pointed out Woldemir, a rather sweet thing to say.


    Speaking out slowly so this group can comprehend it, he cited. "My friends, I am a Kastarian."


    "What?"


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    "It can''t be!"


    "I already knew."


    "You can''t be serious."


    The bundle of people started speaking all at once but at this point their confusion can be accepted, this wasn''t a light situation.


    Finally breaking the confusion amongst the little mass of people, the King explained. "Well technically I''m half a Kastarian. My mother came to Ignis 320 years ago, keeping her identity and Kastaria a secret. Afterwards she married an Ignite who was a fire blaster."


    He took a quick breath after and added, "So it came to this, lifespan and body of a Kastarian, powers and heart of an Ignite."


    "Heart of an Ignite? What do you mean?" Asked Woldemir to fulfill his own curiosity.


    Half comfortable with sharing information no one else knew about, Michael explained once again. "I had an inner demon of rage to beat instead of an Inner demon of egoism, my heart was almost overwhelmed with rage before."


    Carrying a heavier smile than before, Eric cited. "It''s so nice to meet another one of my kind, I thought we were the sole survivors."


    Wanting to plant one thought of opportunism in their minds, the Kastarian added. "Could be more of us around Ignis, I haven''t met any but let''s keep our hopes up."


    Alluring his gaze towards Alia, he pointed out. "I noticed your identity ever since your first visit Alia, nice to see you again."


    His sense of knowledge has been made a bit more clear but other thoughts have to be made transparent. "There are more Kastarian survivors spread around the world but it''s unlikely for us to meet any of them in our lifetimes. Kastaria is gone and there is nothing we can do about it."


    Understanding the lack of options throughout the conversation and seeing it as a grand problem, Woldemir questioned. "I hate to interrupt but why did you tell us all of this if we can barely help Ignis?"


    Raising his forefinger to grab a bit more attention, Michael cited. "Look, I''ve been studying these peaceful demons ever since Kastaria broke down."


    And then weighed in the heavier facts. "These demons are finally managing to teleport in our world. Their results are slow but considering that they managed to teleport here through realms, then what''s to stop them from eventually teleporting here stronger?"


    At this point superiorly observant Stefan was confused and therefore he had to question. "And we can do... what?"


    Becoming rather extensive in explanation, Michael chirped. "You Eric, are currently the third most powerful fire blaster in Ignis. With your help, we can find and destroy these portals, that would take these enemies at least a few years to recover from. But yet again the recovery time is just a theory, these demons hide everything really well."


    "I''d be glad to help out in any way I can but I do have a question." Eric pitched as one particular sentence stuck in his mind.


    "Yes?" Michael spoke, curiously piqued.


    Directly to the point, Eric questioned. "You said that the Electus is the third most powerful fire blaster in Ignis. I know Xakro is the first but who is the second?"


    Staggered how bad these people are at puzzling things together, the Kastarian once more reminds. "Didn''t you figure it out already? I''m 312 Years old, why do all of you keep forgetting that?"


    Seeing a potential training partner, Eric asked. "So you are the second most powerful fire blaster? Which level did you reach so far?"


    "I am the second yes, long reached level six. I can teach you things you never even imagined." Well that most definitely included what Eric wanted to hear.


    "Hold on pal. I''m his mentor." Stated Mogranius in a bit of jealousy.


    Breaking it down with a soft tone, the King yapped. "You are but there is still a lot I can teach both of you, I have more experience in fire blasting. He will be able to deal way more damage to the illustratian Alliance and the demons with my help."


    Agreeing but tad suspicious, Mogranius decided to put it into word. "Sounds fair, okay you can teach the boy. But where were you over 200 years ago when I was teaching Akareas? Never heard of you before."


    Able to reply once more with elegance, the long haired King explained. "I lived here but kept a low profile, Gaster Kingdom had many civilians, it wouldn''t be a surprise if I escaped from your sight unnoticed."


    Pausing and thinking for a few seconds and shortly after he added. "Let me cut to the case. Eric, you assist me to research and beat the demons and I''ll teach you everything you need to know about fire blasting. Do we have a deal?"

 Forests dont move

    Shortly after King Michael finished his sentence, a guard rushed into the dining room and was quite out of breath.


    Taking a deeper breath and finally breaching confusion, the guard deciphered. "Sire, I apologize for interrupting but there is trouble!"


    His heart sinking, the King queried with a tone thundering in speed but yet projected almost powerless. "What happened?"


    Rushing through his sentences after further refreshing his lungs with another breath, the guard chirped. "A lot of soldiers are approaching Gaster Kingdom. We can''t count from afar but they are at least 80, many torches are shining."


    "Are you sure it isn''t a forest fire? It isn''t too far away from the main road." Asked Mogranius who was no stranger to forest exploration.


    "Forests don''t move sir. If it was a forest fire it would eventually get bigger, these are bits of light set in a long line moving towards us." Perhaps not the best way to build a reply, but how else would he describe this?


    These patterns aren''t so kind towards logic, so King Michael pushed positive thinking away and accepted the upcoming danger. But yet his nervousness was cut in half once recalling the arsenal in this room alone.


    Fixing his attention towards the guard, a sentence broke through his teeth. "Get the platoon ready, if they want war then they will get war. Nobody takes my home without a fight!"


    Understanding that this situation is becoming too hazardous for them to hold any pointless suspicion towards each other, Eric broke the ice between the two sides and offered. "If they are here for trouble, they will find it. We have a deal King Michael, let''s protect our home."


    Eric finally felt home in Gaster Kingdom, not because of the location but the emotional warmth illuminating here.


    He lived for 15 years in that farmhouse but it never felt like home without his mother around, no matter how much Woldemir tried to fill her spot it just didn''t work.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Woldemir was a man that everyone should use as a father figure, not once did he yell at Eric and not to mention trying to educate him through force which was rather common in medieval times.


    Mogranius was born here and this was his home. The abandoned house he usd to live in, was destroyed long ago by time so a new one could be constructed.


    But Gaster Kingdom is his home which resulted into him having the most willpower to protect this place.


    And of course Stefan being the brain of the group, he can''t risk for Gaster Kingdom to be invaded which inevitably would lead to King Michael being beheaded, would take his vast knowledge along with him.


    Stefan can at least grab a bow and pull back an arrow as far as anyone is concerned, Michael has to be drained for knowledge.


    These interjected rays of emotions amongst the people in between these four walls inevitably portrayed a grand motive to stand up and fight for this place!


    And so, King Michael motivated them with a holler. "Let''s go!"


    ...


    As they reached the Kingdom walls, with their weapons drawn, the group instantly noticed that one soldier separated from the approaching group, was hurrying forward to reach the domain first.


    The enemy group was positioned around 100 yards away from Gaster Kingdom, stopped on their spot and awaiting to take further procedures.


    This can only mean one thing, the man of which separated from the enemy platoon, was a messenger.


    This at least proved less hostility from the enemy''s side and portrays that negotiations are an option, that of which can pull out the root of a possible bloody battle before it grows.


    "State the message you have brought!" Yelled Michael from the comfort of the walls he was standing over.


    Surprising everyone, the messenger hollered. "We are the army of Zar, the ruler of Pameres Kingdom. An invasion was reported and we got here as fast as we could to aid your highness in battle!"


    Looking at his own platoon behind the walls who were waiting to attack, he raised a hand and hollered. "False alarm."


    Turning his attention back to the messenger a second after, Michael explained. "You misunderstood our new allies as invaders, there is no trouble here."


    This messenger isn''t a new face, he has met King Michael before and can most definitely recognize his face and tone.


    Eric assured the ruler''s word with a shout. "That''s right, I''m the King of Lan Zhe and we have reached an agreement with King Michael."


    Sceptic once hearing out how young Eric sounded, but yet knowing that the ruler here was safe the messenger assured. "I will go inform the guard commander about this!"


    Breaking all suspicion, Michael echoed an offer. "Tell the commander that I''m inviting all of you to spend the night in my Kingdom, we have plenty of houses to spare. Tomorrow morning all of you can return back to Pameres Kingdom."


    To break all bits of ice between them, Michael right after questioned. "Can you remember all of that sir Messenger?"


    "Yes your highness, I will deliver the message shortly." He assured and put the said plan into motion, a noticeable spring enchanted his dash.


    Fixing his attention back to the Gaster platoon, Michael ordered. "Lead Zar''s men to the abandoned houses, they are allies so make them feel welcome, tomorrow they will depart so send them food tonight as well."

 Use the demonic to beat the demonic!

    Since the topic about demons started to bloom more than necessary, Eric became confident to use it to his disposition although not having anything useful to say.


    Looking at the man but then avoiding eye contact, Eric questioned. "So how do we stop the demons? Shooting all of them down might not be the best idea."


    Towards such a question, Mogranius interrupted instead with an answer. "Michael, you should have an idea about it. My father said that you know a lot about demons."


    Although still uncertain how this old man''s father has been spying, Michael was quick to answer. "I do know a lot about them, yes."


    And then synced into a deeper explanation. "I need a demonite gem to fulfill part of my plan. Going and pulling it out from a source is a bad idea so we need to find one that isn''t fused with any demon."


    Breaking in what everyone wanted to hear although not so transparent, the King also added. "If we will be able to get our hands on one, we will have the upper hand against this war."


    What King Michael just described got everyone goosebumps except for Mogranius who now is technically no stranger around demonite.


    But he still was curious enough to ask a question while the rest seemed to have several questions in mind but unable to form a proper sentence, therefore they remained quiet for a bit. "Is it possible to even get demonite? The demons themselves are teleporting here naked, I doubt that they can bring demonite with them."


    "I have reasons to believe that the only usable demonite gem we will be able to find, is in the possession of the snow Ignites." Revealed King Michael, building up tension through everyone and most definitely causing a few head scratches.


    Pointing out what''s faulty in this theory after analysing the whole talk deeper, Stefan chirped. "How could the snow Ignites even get that? There are barely any snow Ignites alive. Not to mention, this gem isn''t even supposed to be here in Ignis. How by the eight sources did the snow Ignites get demonite?"


    For him to get his hands on such a priceless artifact would be a once in a lifetime opportunity that would treasure forever. Apart from all of that, he would love to research the demonite. He wanted to be an author for a long time but insisted on writing something worth the time.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Those facts aside, the point he made was rather firm. Getting demonite from a dead source is nearly impossible, especially since a whole continent collapsing, could have destroyed the demonite if the source was hidden below the surface.


    Not expecting such a question at all, Michael let silence stretch for a bit as his eyes failed to blink thanks to constant thought.


    But finally he answered with the base theory. "If it wasn''t for something powerful like semonite, they wouldn''t of been able to reclaim the capital of Septemtrionis Ignis."


    Knowing how militaries in general work, Woldemir finally decided to add a thought of his own. "They led Meridionali Ignis to a military shortage. The King is probably forcing jobless civilians or hired workers to be part of the army."


    And revealing why he pointed out such an out of topic theory, Woldemir continued. "The snow Ignites wouldn''t have achieved that result with a simple army of their kind, numbers aren''t on their side."


    "The question is, are the snow Ignites friends or foes? Over 200 Years ago they didn''t have great relations with us Ignites. If war didn''t happen, it is because Akareas prevented them from attacking any country in Ignis." Pointed out Mogranius, stating a view that the rest inevitably overlooked.


    He researched a lot about snow Ignites and the advanced discoveries in magic they have made, that race was surely one of a kind.


    A lot of spells that Mogranius knows, can be based on what he discovered in ancient ruins.


    Snow Ignites had built structures that were long abandoned before the first era, before the last ice age met an end.


    Ending the perplexity of relation between the two factions, Eric cited. "They''re fighting the illustratian alliance so they are friends, maybe. But I doubt that they would hand over the tool that helped them revolt. We might have to get it by force."


    "It is not their right to possess that gem, I have reasons to believe that the snow Ignites destroyed Kastaria!" Laid out Michael a thought that got most of them to startle from their wooden chairs.


    Fairly enraged, Alia thundered with a tone that signified sudden motivation as a tag along emotion. "I will kill them one by one if they destroyed Kastaria!"


    Calmer since he had outraged about this weeks ago once creating the theory, Michael expressed. "They might have, we don''t know for now."


    Catching up to the obvious, Eric questioned with an eyebrow raised in dim curiosity. "So you want me to go to Maleemia and get that Demonite?"


    Indirectly answering that question, the 312 year old man recited. "I can try to study the demonite and learn how we can use it to dismantle the portals with it, that will be tricky but it''s better than waiting here for Ignis to be destroyed."


    "How could you possibly know how to do that? This smells fishy." Added Stefan pointing out what everyone else seemed to have overlooked due to the impactful information.


    Sick of having to dumb everything down for everyone, he sighed and answered. "I have been researching the demons for 200 years. Putting my nose here and there eventually led to this firmish theory of which I told you just a moment ago."


    Feeling guilty about all of this, Eric pointed it out with a question. "Is it smart for us to sacrifice what''s left of the snow Ignites so we can beat the peaceful demons? Their revolution is all based on demonite, they will crumble without it."


    Putting all emotion aside and using reason, Michael firmly declared. "If we don''t get that demonite, I don''t think that any other technology would be able to help us stop these portals. We must use demonic power to beat demonic powers."

 No, you goblin!

    Waking up to the beams of light that the sun shone on his face, Eric arose from a comfortable sleep and the first thing he saw after subconsciously peaking through the window was Mogranius, meditating in the backyard.


    The yard was small but it definitely doesn''t fail to serve its purpose.


    King Michael insisted for the group to seek comfort in the castle but Eric stuck firm on his thoughts to do the living here like everyone else.


    He preferred a small place able to fit all 5 of the group members where they wouldn''t be the main attention.


    Might be a bit snug in here but to the young Electus it felt like home since it gave a familiar aura, the one he felt back home at the farmhouse.


    The 10 guards they brought along from Lan Zhe were located next door.


    Both King Michael and ''King Eric'' didn''t want to squeeze them all in one house with basically 100 houses available, but since a lot of those houses were long abandoned, the ten guards had to settle for 2 cleaner houses so they could make space for the 100 soldiers of which King Zar sent.


    King Michael fell in love with the 10 guards, apart from them belonging to the Calidum Lutum race, which were thought to be extinct for thousands of years, each of these individuals were considerably stronger than 5-10 guards around here.


    Even Woldemir being a grand master in swordsmanship struggled to defend himself against one of these beasts.


    Michael even offered to hire these 10 guards with a full paying salary once he secured an income instead of just paying them with fish.


    Apart from that he offered full documented citizenship to them, each would even get their own house without having to pay tax before they get a stable salary.


    Michael offered them what the homeless in Pameres Kingdom spent years possibly decades, trying to get.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Considering the tension, Eric gave these guards the freedom of choice, as these guards working for Michael wouldn''t necessarily damage Lan Zhe.


    Because even though there were only 45 guards remaining in Lan Zhe, there are 5 grand masters there who can provide lava to 400 manipulators, ultimately defending their town with ease from attackers.


    But regardless of the offer and freedom of choice that Eric purely offered them, these guards belong around pava and aren''t really well adjusted to the outside world even though considering they were outside for almost a month now.


    Shortly and clearly, they absolutely crave to go back home. Well, at least most of them.


    Isabel for example, felt like doing more with her life again instead of isolating herself from the outside world which with a certain attitude can make the lady feel like a caged animal with limited opportunities.


    She is near to being a master [level 5] in the arts of the sword and wants to use her skills to help the continent Ignis.


    This country especially needs every bit of help it can get if peace is to harmonize and stretch wide in all 4 sides of the continent.


    Two of her guard friends who recently became experts [level 4] in swordsmanship feel the same and one enthusiastic guard who is still struggling with the third level [wielder] is on board as well.


    Being given the freedom to walk freely in Gaster Kingdom and possibly Pameres Kingdom without being called a freak of nature, encouraged that feeling, that crave of freedom.


    Eric finally approached Mogranius to join the old man in some much needed meditation but was almost instantly prevented from doing so as Mogranius uttered some words in a calm manner, while still remaining in a meditating position.


    Cross legged with his elbows over the knees and arms bent at a 45¡ã angle towards the sides.


    The young man was staggered by a single question. "Do you know how to do the fire shield, Eric?"


    "No, otherwise I wouldn''t have swam in lava to begin with, if I remember it right." Answered Eric with half intentional sarcasm.


    "That does make sense." The geezer answered and took a deep breath, aiming not to break his own concentration and shortly added. "How about I teach you right now?"


    "That would be great!" Eric screamed which completely broke Mogranius'' concentration and left him with a slight pain through the ears, and a deeply displeased look on his face.


    "This is why you can''t meditate." Pointed out Mogranius roughly but yet sarcastically and added. "However, if given enough thought, you would have unlocked the secrets to the fire shield by now, I expected you to."


    "What does meditation have to do with the fire shield?" Murmured Eric, questioning himself over and over.


    At this point his concentration completely lost, Mogranius shouted. "Everything! You can never become a grand master if you don''t know how to handle emotions, the mother of all demons proved that."


    Spotting that Eric was still far lost, Mogranius continued with his lecture. "Imagine a large fireball heading for your father, and the only way for you to save him, would be casting a fire shield. What would you do?"


    Answering with what would encourage the old man to smack him behind the head, Eric cited. "I would fight the fire with fire! Like I did against the tons of lava we faced in Lan Zhe."


    "No, you goblin! That''s the problem. You still choose to attack, the fire shield demands the opposite of that. We just have to fix your dumb ass thoughts and soon." Sooner they realized what the young Electus thought like, the better.

 Farmers in january!

    Walking in the castle of Gaster Kingdom was Alama, the very person who managed to settle a business deal between Gaster and Pameres Kingdom.


    Considering that she informed King Zar of the successful deal, free roaming became an option after that.


    Alama was a businesswoman after all so her existence isn''t dependent on a job, she was rather wealthy.


    And King Zar paid a handsome reward for her success as well which only increased wealth. She had reached quite a lot under such a short period of time, being only 27 years old and all.


    "Miss Alama! What a surprise." King Michael''s mood instantly changed for the better once he saw Alama, a shout interjecting his joy.


    A smart individual like her can prove very useful if Gaster Kingdom is to be economically stable, so failing to grant this lady a warm welcome would just be playing stupid.


    "Told ya that I will come here after having that deal settled." Answered Alama with a light tone as a blush on her face emerged, portraying a hunch of shyness.


    Her blush further enhanced once Michael gave her a light hug, which made the little lady feel like her heart dropped down to the shoe.


    Paying attention to detail, he deciphered the surprise behind his words. "I expected you to return after at least a week from now. You did come here without a horse if I recall right."


    Blushing at his care after separating from the hug, she shifted tad off topic with an explanation. "Well I don''t have anywhere I need to be. My businesses are being ran by employees and the income is sent to a secure place in my family."


    With a smile, she added what this ruler wanted to hear. "I''m free to help your domain get back to her former glory."


    Alama having a considerably big family with a well known last name [WolfHeart], well the lady had countless people who can secure that her gold won''t be stolen, nonetheless get corrupted.


    She can come to the earned gold coins any time without worrying about losing even a single piece.


    She got the first bit of wealth after opening her own store. To open that store, she had to work 14 hours a day, earning every gold coin she could as a blacksmith''s apprentice. Such an intense schedule taught her discipline from the age of 16!Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    By 20 years old she finally managed to open her own business. A medium sized shop who had a steady 600 to 1000 gold coins a month income.


    In just a couple of years, this smart lady bought the same forge she used to work at. After that sort of income, buying 3 more businesses through a year became easier and her wealth along with businesses just kept increasing, and they still were today.


    Considering the expenses and maintenance of those businesses, she still earned a steady profit of 15,000 gold coins per month and has businesses not in 1 but in 4 domains of Ignis.


    "Michael, I appreciate the welcome. And would like to tell you that I''m here to offer business once more." She explained while still trying to fight off the blush on her face.


    "Oh does Zar have another offer for me?" He questioned in a curious tone but yet very happily.


    Getting rather deep in the business topic, she deciphered. "Not exactly. I don''t recall telling you but I own several businesses, lots of gold to spare. We settled a deal to talk about a payment once I help you get gold here, but I have an offer that can help us reach that goal sooner."


    She could see her breath floating on air like a small white fog through speech. It was already november, temperatures dropped so low that people had to wear two sets of thick clothes.


    "Your word is greatly respected in this Kingdom. I will do my best to cooperate with any offer you bring us." Smirked King Michael, to further increase his status on this wise lady''s eyes, due to economical reasons.


    Breaking in the base topic, she pointed out as they sat around a round small table near the throne. "Gaster Kingdom lacks natural resources, the only one used to be the mines before they depleted. Fish is considerably a natural resource but you have people to feed and no fish to spare."


    Accepting what screamed true, he agreed. "Getting a profit out of this land seems and sounds impossible at this point. What do you recommend though?"


    Straight to the point, she pitched. "I recommend to start a farming project!"


    Flinching his lips, eyes closing, facial expressions interjected disagreement and speechcraft shared the same pace. "With all due respect lady Alama, that isn''t a good idea. The outer lands near this domain are almost impossible to start farms on. There are way to many hills and drops, not to mention the ground being too rocky."


    Unwilling to quit on what could make a difference, she recited with her palms softly kissing the table. "I''m aware of that, saw it for myself. But I can provide you with 30 farmers, they aren''t all under my employment but I still can get them for you."


    Continuing the idea once seeing intrigue in his eyes, Alama explained the sour part to get it over with. "They are able to turn that piece of land into a farmable and profitable place, but you will need to cover their salaries under the Kingdom''s expenses."


    Finally able to shift his thoughts and praise the idea, Michael slightly shouted. "If those farmers can turn the outer lands into actual farms, then they can seek permanent employment here! But our overall income is flat, how can I possibly pay them?"


    Smiling, she let silence marinate for a few seconds before dictating. "This is the best part. I''m willing to offer you 200k gold coins for 10% of the Kingdom''s Income, starting right after december ends."


    Explaining the soft side of it, Alama continued. "This will be more than enough to keep the farmers paid for 44 months as they won''t work unless you pay them 150 gold coins a month."


    Trying not to sink into debt although seeing this as a golden opportunity, he queried. "Can those farmers guarantee enough farmable land by the planting season? 44 months pass by quickly, if they can''t secure Income, it would end up with wasted land."


    Adaptive towards the conversation, she explained. "They are 30 farmers, they will need to start converting the fields in january, possibly working through snow as well."


    Informing about the harsh side was important but the result is sweeter to mouth. "But they can secure about 100 hectares of farmable land by the end of mars. Which would prove extremely profitable in such a scarcely populated place."


    His eyes jerking wide open, pupils growing bigger, he recited. "In that case, we have a deal Alama! I will prepare some documentations for us to sign, we are in business."