《Embrace the Ether》


 [Vol 1, Chapter 1] Transfer

    A heavy stench of metallic blood filled the air, spreading this aroma of death throughout the locked containment capsule. With it, a haze of mist and shadow seemed to hang heavily like a coat, wafting through the empty air, slowly corroding away at everything in sight.


    Facing one side of the room laid an older man, his innards carved out as his blood painted the walls behind him. The man''s consciousness had already left his mangled body.


    Against the other stood a younger man¡ªnearly skin and bones. His face was hidden in silhouetted shadows, while markings resembling lightning were etched across his back and arms.


    "Let me out..." The man begged, his eyes showing signs of disorientation as he fell towards the wall in a fit, "You don''t ha-have to keep doing this... you can let me go..."


    From overhead, a monotone voice spoke, "Our apologies, but that is not possible. Transfer commencing according to all prior protocols. All prerequisites have been met, confirmation with Administrative assets has been confirmed."


    Countless beeping tones sounded, blaring throughout the capsule room.


    "Beginning Transfer. Have a safe journey, Experiment XZ. May you find what we''ve been searching for."


    "No!" The man screamed, scraping his nails bloody against the walls of the room as everything began to undergo a heavy quake. The entire capsule shook violently as all sorts of alarms blared off in the background.


    Just as suddenly as the room shook, everything suddenly froze. An air of calmness melted through the walls, spreading at the speed of light.


    "Are you awake?" The sudden words startled him. "It''s quite a surprise, you know... I never would''ve thought they''d try to send someone else. Some poor, unlucky soul. Well, enough of that... Allow me to be the first to welcome you."


    A genderless voice vibrated through the capsule as the mist faded. Nearly everything within the capsule seemed to have evaporated into sheer nothingness. Even the body of the previously grotesque old man had vanished into thin air. All that remained was the lone man as he pushed himself further against the wall, rubbing his shoulder across the blood from his prior spat.


    "W-who are you?" He looked around, unable to see anyone. "Where..."


    "Not now, child. The answers you seek and more await you, but not yet. Allow me to explain one thing, however, for you see you''re currently in what''s known as Juxtaposition, others refer to it simply as Transfer... but I tend to find such a name boring. You see, you''re like an idea that hasn''t been thought of yet. You''re being split, moved, from one point of Everything to another point, known as Ether, or... Everything Else."Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    "I don''t... understand."


    A dark and sinister chortle began to rupture through the air.


    "Of course not, why would you? It''s such an unimaginable concept actually, so how could you, one of such limited mental capacity be able to know what this all means? Oh, don''t get me wrong... eventually you''ll know what''s needed, but for now just know you''re no longer where you once were... nor are you whom you once were, in a way."


    "Please... who put me here?" The demented man had finally begun to calm himself down as his eyes darted around the room. Now that his mind was clearer, he had plenty of questions that needed answers.


    "It seems you''ve relaxed a bit, that''s good... you''ll need that mannerism if you intend to move forward from now on. Allow me to elaborate a bit. You''ve been placed in that place, from what I''ve come to understand, to achieve the will of those who put you there in the first place. What do they need? I''m unaware, but I''m sure you''ll find your answer eventually, as long as you survive long enough."


    "Wait, survive? You mean I could... die?"


    "Well, of course. Everything dies, eventually. Even the limitless self-proclaimed immortals die, they''ve just never died before. The universe itself dies, all life dies. Everything dies."


    The man was shocked, his eyes gaped as he spoke, "Wait, isn''t this new place... everything else?"


    "Hah, you''re a clever one. Well, you''re partially right, you see¡ª" The capsule shook as a flash of light shot past. "Ah, it seems you''ve arrived, we''ll have to continue this discussion at a later date. In the meantime, I suggest you prepare yourself. Oh yes, another thing, and this is very important."


    The dark voice paused for a moment as if to taste the very air itself.


    "Never, under any circumstances should you admit to being from outside this place, those here won''t appreciate it. Not one bit. What you find here will be determined by you... my best advice to you would be this... never lose who you are, for this place will transform you if you''re not careful."


    "Wait, what do you me-mean by transform?"


    As the voice slowly faded away, one last thing could be heard. "Beware the Noctis, for the many-voiced devil seeks your power. Your potential."


    Just as soon as the voice arrived it also vanished, fading away as if it were nothing but an echo.


    The systems throughout the capsule returned. The room returned to normalcy, allowing the man, Experiment XZ, practically his first glance around the room since coming to his senses.


    It was all too sterile as if scrubbed only moments ago. The sensation of worry he had only a few seconds ago had vanished as his mind cleared, allowing one thought after another to return to him. ''What sort of place was this?'' ''Who was I just speaking to?'' These were the sort of questions that occupied his mind.


    The most important question of all, however, seemed to be one in particular. One question that stayed in the back of his mind as the capsule swayed about slightly.


    ''Wait, who am I?''

 [Vol 1, Chapter 2] Preliminary Scans and Archived Data

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    A faint buzzing could be heard as the capsule descended, slamming down against the rough terrain of the outside. The impact rocked the inner cabin, shoving Experiment XZ violently across the room, knocking the wind out of his lungs as he hunched over in pain.


    An automated voice sounded from within the capsule, "Descension complete. Chance of successful-arrival estimated at 70.9 percent. The order congratulates you on surviving the journey, Experiment code X-Z-001."


    "What the hell..." Experiment XZ grumbled, roughly rubbing his palm against the top of his forehead, in a massaging motion. "Such a low success rate? Why even bother, you stupid machine."


    "My apologies, Experiment X-Z-001, however, your journey had been predetermined by the directors of the operation. Please hold still, I will now commence a scan to evaluate your physical and mental strain on entry."


    "You replied? Are you some sort of self-aware computer?"


    "That is correct, Experiment X-Z-001. This system was developed in part to monitor the different Experiments during the Transfer."


    "Preliminary scan complete. Results returned to the system, categorizing and archiving for future reference. Would you like to view your scan results?"


    Experiment XZ''s eyes brightened, "Hhm, yes actually. What sort of information do you scan?"


    "The preliminary scan only tracks basic physical and mental points, such as sanity level, cognitive ability, physical strain, exhaustion, and modification to the X-Z-001 sample."


    "X-Z-001 sample? What exactly is that, in fact, why am I this... Experiment XZ?"


    "Experiment X-Z-001 has been named as such due to the type of testing you''ve been involved in. It''s not within my system''s abilities to inform you what exactly has been done, however, there is one, single entry, that my system has been permitted to access. Would you like this information along with your preliminary scan results?"


    "Yes," He answered immediately, "Tell me everything I need to know."


    "Request approved, system unlocking all relevant information from the archived database. First information, scan results. Mental strain minimal, the scan has detected your prior mental issues were caused due to confusion and disorientation. It seems your successful Transfer has resulted in your cognitive abilities returning to near normalcy. Sanity levels have been evaluated. Data returned reads, vague. Meaning of return, unknown. Will need further information to find a new conclusion. Physical strain also scanned, data returning reads physical ability has been enhanced moderately through Transfer, will also need further information in the future."


    "The Transfer changed me that much, already? That voice... it did say this place seems to recreate people. Didn''t it? I... think it did."


    "Unable to find adequate data on this ''voice'', please elaborate for archived information."


    Frustrated, he exclaimed, "What? You didn''t record... Well, never mind, forget it. Instead, tell me more about this Experiment XZ, will you?"


    Several mechanical sounds went off as the lights within the capsule lightly dimmed, "Request accepted, permission granted. Showing archived data, file protocol name Ascension Project, sub-file X-Z project."


    A blue holographic monitor appeared against the wall nearest him, as several archives and journals flashed past the screen faster than one could read them. A recording began to play of a male voice, "In case of a world-ending event, the Ascension Project has been created, running the flag-ship protocol known simply as X-Z. Most of the chairmen have told me they''d prefer all information regarding the X-Z sample to remain confidential, however, I''ve managed to convince them to permit me the creation of this single recording."


    "Allow me to formally thank you, the current holder of the X-Z sample, on your cooperation in these matters, your service is necessary for the survival of our people."


    As it played, he shuffled through a cabinet of supplies nearest him, keeping an ear out whilst listening.


    "I''m not certain what you will have remembered, but several years ago a terrifying virus spread throughout our world, ravaging cities and destroying entire populations. To survive, a select few world-leaders formed together to construct the Ascension Project, the very one you''re currently a volunteer for. The date is currently August 13, 2136, and most of humanity has been forced either underground or into orbit, to survive the virus."The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    A chart appeared before him dictating similar findings, alongside a rather gruesome and bleak line chart depicting how many deaths had occurred over a mere few weeks.


    It was truly terrifying. Millions wiped out within 3 days, and the statistics only continued to climb after that.


    "For the last decade or so, humanity has been pushed to the brink of extinction. The only solution we''ve found is the Transfer experiment, which is of course where you, volunteer, come in."


    This time a new chart appeared, drawing Experiment XZ''s attention toward it as it contained a picture of him before Transferring. In it, he was strapped to a table with a device sat atop his head, wires dangling down from it into several machines throughout the room.


    A note marked next to the image read; "Subject X-Z-001, undergoing experimental upload."


    As he looked through the data, the recording moved on, "Through countless experiments, we''ve concluded that the energy manufactured from the Transfer has been adequate to power both our systems and research. Our very best minds believe that through the completion of the Transfer, humanity may unlock an unimaginable power, one capable of cleansing the virus and allowing us to return to normalcy as a species. Your actions are in service to that very goal, and we thank you for your continued support in the coming years."


    With that, the recording switched off with a sharp click. A faint humming sounded throughout the capsule as the lights within the room returned to normal.


    A robotic voice said, "All remaining information is currently classified, and cannot be viewed at this time. Please speak to a director for further instruction."


    He stood there in shock as he still trying to sort through all the new information he''s been told. "Are you telling me I volunteered for this? I highly doubt that... Plus, why wouldn''t I remember a literal world-ending event such as that? You said my mental abilities had been scanned and returned with a normal reading?"


    "Confirmed. The mental scan returned normal. This system is currently incapable of scanning for memory fragments and gaps, please converse with a director-level developer for scan upgrades."


    "So, you''re saying mentally I''m fine... but my memories have gone to shit?"


    "That is an accurate summation of the data that has been collected thus far. Archives suggest that physical exercise may be able to return memory fragments over time, along with rest and adjustment to this new location. The Transfer has been recorded as impactful to your physical and mental states, more data is needed."


    "So what you''re telling me is that because of the Transfer, you don''t actually know what''s going on? Huh. Tell me, does that archive of yours tell you anything about my real name?"


    "Information unavailable. File missing or deleted. Your only inputted name is currently Experiment XZ, also known as Experiment X-Z-001."


    "So I don''t have a name... I don''t know who I am, or where I come from. How can I even speak? I suppose it''s lucky that from the countless things I could''ve remembered, I kept my language."


    "Correction. Prior to Transferring, Experiment XZ''s understanding of language was limited, along with the subject''s ability to form a complete sentence. This seems to have been caused by the experiments conducted both physically and mentally. Through Transfer, you''ve returned to normalcy from before the experiments."


    "So because of the Transfer, I''m no longer a nervous wreck... well, that''s good to hear. Let me think, let me think..." A few seconds passed as he thought, his finger tapping against his bare chin as he paced around the capsule, "Hhm... from what I remember, wasn''t there someone else in this place with me? I sort of remember an older guy being here by the time I was brought in here."


    "Correct. From the archived data, it''s been recorded that you entered the capsule alongside another Experiment, in an attempt to ensure the Transfer''s success. Unfortunately, the second Experimental subject did not survive, and past away before Transfer."


    "Wait, he died before the Transfer? But how is that possible... and how could he have improved the chances of Transfer? I know you said the rate of success was crazy low, but it can''t be all bad, could it?"


    "The success rate for a completed Transfer was recorded at 70.9 percent. This percentage, however, does not equate any previous attempts at Transfer, and only considers your data."


    "Hold on, you''re telling me that even though my data was showing a less than 1 percent success rate, you still decided to go ahead with everything? Are you all nuts? Was I one of the first tests you worked on?"


    "Incorrect. Archive shows your Transfer experiment number marked as the 300,950,215th attempt. Tests had commenced on-average of one hundred times a day throughout all of Earth, and have been occurring for nearly a decade. Your rating was superior to over 99 percent of prior experiments, you were also the only successful case of Transfer to date."


    A white noise seemed to fill his mind at the very mention of the experiment number. An unbelievably monstrous number, one that would crush anyone''s spirit if there were no prior successes. "I... was the only one to succeed?"


    "Correction. You were the only one to have survived by the director''s knowledge. Due to the Transfer, no data can be communicated with the outside space, and so your home-world will continue the tests as usual until someone returns."


    "Wait, what?!" He shouted, shocked by the matter-of-fact response. "How many more thousands of people are going to be experimented on just because I can''t get back home? How many... sacrificed..."


    Pausing, he remembered something he had heard about before. "Show me all information on, what was it again? The Noctis."


    The system did as instructed and scrubbed through its database for anything related to such a name, but unfortunately nothing. Not a single file or recording contained anything about such a thing, but for some unknown reason, he had felt familiar with the name, even from before the Transfer and that voice warned him.


    Suddenly, knocking him out of his train of thought, the entire capsule rocked. The sound of scraping metal screeched through the air as if being hit by something massive, which caused the lights to shatter into sparks and the archived machine''s voice to skip around a bit as it tried to deliver an alert.


    "Warning. Possible hostile... bzzz... outside.... remain inside to... bzzz... probability of survival."

 [Vol 1, Chapter 3] An Ungodly Place

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    "Computer, what''s going on!" Experiment XZ shouted in a flurry as the capsule began tilting onto its side, the sound of scraping metal continued to ring throughout the cabin as something slammed itself against the outer container.


    "Bzzz... Reporting, hostile entity... bzzz... outside containment... bzzz... standby... bzzz... continuous impacts."


    Metal began to separate from its hinges as if the capsule walls were being ripped open by mere brute force. One wire after another short-circuited as the computer system within the room started to spark violently. One console after another shattered as the glass monitors were crushed in on themselves, turning the display into potentially dangerous shrapnel that piled onto the floor.


    Several alarms went off at once as different systems began detecting one threat after another, a blaring screech roared as sparks flew from all around the capsule.


    "Computer! Damn it, computer! Turn off the alarms!"


    "Bzzz... Sys¡ª... lockdown... bzzz... sta¡ª.... don''t.... bzzz." All that could be heard was an unintelligible reply, one that filled him with even more concern.


    A portion of the capsule began to move and shake as if being ripped out completely. The room tilted onto its side, allowing him to climb around across the walls, as he did everything possible to stay standing.


    "It''s no use staying here, just waiting to get myself killed..."


    Taking a running start across the walls, he jumped, slamming his chest against the main console, which he was now hanging from approximately six feet above the ground. "Ugh! Computer, open the doors!"


    A loud buzzing sound shot through the capsule, as if it had received some severe internal damages. By some miracle, the computer seemed able to unlatch the main door, which currently was several feet above him. Multiple motorized sounds could be heard as the door pulled open, the metallic door swaying downwards into the capsule.


    "Shit... I need to climb, I think. Hey computer, you got some sort of archive copy I can have? Can you even hear me?"


    "Bzzz...."


    At his feet, a small compartment opened to reveal a small round plate, no larger than the size of a thumb.


    "Bzzz... Arch¡ª"


    "That''s the archive I need, right? That works!" He cheered aloud as he carefully unplugged the drive, placing it gently into the single pocket that his trousers had. "Now... to get out and not get myself killed."You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    By chance, the capsule began to tilt further downwards, the sound of scraping metal even louder than before as something from outside was pushing and pulling on the container. The capsule rocked back and forth, making both the opened door sway about, which also seemed to catch the odd chunks of glass that had shattered earlier, gathering them all together into one large pile of shrapnel.


    Holding himself up on the console, he looked around with a panicked expression, hoping above all else that somehow his chance of escape would increase before he had to take the risk of diving for the door. He knew full well that if he were to make it, he''d be able to escape, however, the alternative of falling would be the last thing he''d want to do.


    "Damn, why did they ever fill this place with glass monitors?"


    The door swung open as the capsule violently rocked, the metallic scraping sound only picked up as the room shook from the outer layer of metal ripping apart, separating from the foundations.


    "It''s now or never... I''m so dead." Yanking himself back up onto his feet, balancing on his shaky legs as the room rocked about violently, he hunched down in preparation to jump. The door swung away, then closer. He jumped, kicking his body off the side of the wall to create further leverage, in an attempt to reach even greater heights.


    He smacked against the swaying door, his chest slamming against the small latch on the door, knocking the wind from his lungs, he cursed, "...Shi¡ªah!"


    Pulling himself up as the entire capsule seemed to have reached the climax of the rocking, shards of glass, mechanical components, everything that had been strapped carefully into the walls had now been mindlessly thrown throughout the room, flying around beneath him.


    Finally passing his head past the opened door, lifting himself through the opened passageway by way of the swaying door-hatch. A large bruise started to show itself on his chest, right where he knocked into the latch. Looking around outside, all he saw was smoke from the capsule, along with something large moving in the air.


    "What the hell is that..."


    From beneath the smoke, the form of a large centipede creature took shape. It''s legs crafted from this rustic metal, hundreds of razor-sharp pincers creating a whirlpool in the beast''s mouth. It was something born to kill, an ungodly thing that should never exist.


    The metallic centipede screeched out, wrapping its legs around the capsule, ripping off even more chunks of metal as Experiment XZ could just barely hold onto the ledge he was dangling from for dear life. The centipede towered several dozens of meters high, it''s entire circumference too large to see all at once, as the rest of its body seemed to lead off into the shadows of this hell-scape.


    The sky dyed a crimson aura, a single lone black star sat above the horizon far beyond the reach of man. There was a ruthless bloodlust in the air, one that even he could sense as if it weighed down on him with all its might. The pressure was so excruciating that for a moment, he even contemplated simply climbing back inside the capsule to escape this place, but in the end, he remained and kept his ground.


    More metal ripped apart as the inner foundation pieces had finally been shredded off by the centipede creature, revealing the inner room of the capsule to the outside. He dangled there, his legs still inside the room while his chest grabbed onto the outside of the container with all its might.


    He had entered a hellscape of ungodly fury, one where nightmares are formed from. ''How could humanity have possibly dreamed of coming to such a place?'' He wondered.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 4] The Midnight Centipede

    The crimson air that seemed to reach everything within sight, born of the black star that stood above everything in this place, seemed to gnaw itself against Experiment XZ''s flesh, causing him pain simply by being within its grasp. Meanwhile, the monstrous centipede, crafted from pure metal and darkness, continued to toss and turn the capsule as it ripped apart the cabin where he was in only moments ago. Nothing remained from the creature''s rampage, as all the shards of glass and electronic wiring fell into the beasts razor-edged gullet, vanishing down its mouth.


    Still clambering onto the top of the door, he tucked his legs up next to his arms, pulling himself up until he stood atop the swaying capsule as the metal arms of the centipede continued to crawl around beneath him, ripping apart the cabin he climbed out of.


    "This place... the Ether... how could this place be what humanity needs to survive?" He pondered, the question itself seemed to itch against the back of his skull as he looked around for a way to climb down without falling into the clutches of the beast. "Thankfully it doesn''t seem to be interested in me at all... or perhaps it hasn''t even noticed I''m here. Really, how could it? I''m a speck compared to such a monster."


    Screeching out with wild abandon, the monster ripped down further. An uneven scar splintered down the center of the capsule, separating slowly as the beast began pulling it apart from the inside. One half of the capsule aimed downwards toward the centipede''s razored mouth, while the other began to crack apart away from the beast''s main body.


    "This is my chance!"


    As the capsule broke apart, one half being instantly devoured as metal fragments went flying everywhere, an ear-ringing scraping sound audible as the cabin was carved into pieces in its mouth, while the other half plummeted downwards onto the blackened earth below.


    It all fell at once as if in unison, kicking up a storm of black salt and gravel.


    Metal splintered into the earth, shattering into even more fragments upon impact.


    From within the rubble of metal, Experiment XZ climbed out, carefully moving pieces of metal and machinery out from around him, while remaining as quiet as he possibly could so not to alert the centipede clad in black metal.


    "I actually didn''t get eaten... that''s good I guess. Now, where the hell am I anyway?" He mumbled to himself as he took a glance around for the first time, looking out over the hillside of black salt and earth. It was as if this very place was formed from one''s worst nightmares, the crimson sky illuminating everything in an ominous sheen, while the earth itself sat quietly, awaiting anyone foolish enough to get too close. These centipedes were living proof that this place isn''t the promised land his people believed it was.


    The creature cried out an ear-shattering screech as it dived head first against the earth, seemingly evaporating the remaining chunks of metal that fell towards its mouth previously.


    Out in the clearing, Experiment XZ charged forward to a nearby black-sand dune in an attempt to use the wave indent in the earth to hide from the centipede. From behind him, more earth-shattering crashes could be heard as the beast moved onto the chunks of metal that he had dived to the ground in. It didn''t seem to be interested in him in the least, instead opting to devour the remaining sheets of metal that came from his home-world. The last physical proof besides himself that he wasn''t from this place, devoured as soon as it appeared.


    "I really hope this place has computers... otherwise this archive is next to useless. In fact, is there even civilization in this place? That voice from before... it mentioned that there were other people here, right? Is it even safe to go looking for people, though? Now that''s the question."


    He laid flat on his belly for several minutes as he watched the metallic centipede feast on the cabin that brought him here, which was also one of the only hints he had to return to his own world one day. Regardless, there was nothing he could do to stop the creature from gorging itself on his capsule, so that was that.


    "Well with that out of the way..." He paused for a moment to think, "I need to find food and shelter. By the looks of things that might be quite the challenge."If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Several more minutes passed as the centipede finished its meal, satisfied, the monster burrowed beneath the black sand and vanished from view, having hidden beneath the surface.


    "So those damn things can burrow around, too? What monsters. Alright, well now to figure out where to go."


    Looking from one direction to another, watching as the black star seemed stagnant in the sky, he decided to move off in the direction of the star. Either he''d find out that the star rotates around this place, or he''d at least have a permanent marker for his journey, either way, he''d learn something new about this place, the same place that made his skin crawl.


    ¡­


    Several hours quickly passed as Experiment XZ journeyed through the black sand, pushing towards the lone black star that sat in the sky, unmoving even after all this time. He wasn''t sure how far he''d walked so far, but it definitely wasn''t an insignificant distance. Every minute more in this place began to grate on him as his legs had to kick through the sand, making each step all the more excruciating than the last.


    All this while he''d not seen another living thing, besides the occasional metallic centipede erupting out of the earth in the distance, each time, the creatures seemed to not even notice him as they feasted on whatever scraps of metal were lying around.


    "So are they sort of like scavengers, in a way?"


    "Right, I guess you could say that... but how did you not know that?" An unknown voice replied, the shock of it practically pushed him back into the sand as he was shaken back to his senses, twisting around to face the source of the voice.


    There stood an odd looking monkey, but it wasn''t a monkey, it had the face of a man while also possessing the body of a three-foot-tall primate. Its head sat at a tilt as the creature stared at him with confused eyes. "Have you never seen my kind before, either? You know what... you''re weird."


    Experiment XZ couldn''t even speak, he was too shocked. The monkey-beast continued to stare at him as it slowly approached him, it''s head tilted upwards and to the side, as it seemed to be evaluating him, only stopping once it''s sight landed on his arms.


    "Weird markings, what do they mean?"


    "M-markings?"


    "Yeah, look at your arms, see? Those zap markings, like when the sky tries to blow stuff up!"


    "Blow stuff up? Zap markings? You mean... lightning?" He asked as shock filled his face, "What the hell! Where did these tattoos come from!?"


    "Ta-tooo," The monkey mimicked with a laugh, "You''re really a weird guy! What''s your name, weird guy? This one''s name is Droh, named after my Great-papa."


    "Droo?"


    "No, no! Droh! Droooh!"


    "Oh, Droh... right? I don''t mean to be rude, but what are you Droh?"


    "See, you''re weird! I''m part Faun, at least that''s what Papa told me when I was little. Said I was different but also the same. My kind is rather common I guess, so I''m confused how you don''t already know this."


    "Faun? Aren''t Faun typically half goat?"


    "Goat?" Droh tilted his little head.


    With a heavy sigh, Experiment XZ decidedly moved away from that subject. "Nevermind. Tell me, I''m new to these parts... I... come from a far away land, you could say. Where are we? Do you know? This may sound odd to ask but... What sort of world is this?"


    Experiment XZ stared at the little Faun creature, Droh, as he awaited an answer. "Oh, you''re in Midnight... how do you not know about Midnight? Are you dumb?"


    ''Ah, so this place is called Midnight! I suppose that name makes sense, given the constant ominous darkness and crimson sky.'' He thought to himself, "No, you could say I have a form of amnesia. Wait, you know those giant worm creatures, right? Centipedes... I think. What are they? Are they hostile? All the ones I''ve run into seem to only be interested in metal, what''s with that?"


    "Well, duh! Metal is valuable here in Midnight, same with computer stuff from what I know. I heard that only the Territory Lords and their followers possess powerful machines from other places. Those worms are gatherers, or as you said scavengers, that gather all the metal that pops up here and brings the raw pieces back to the lords."


    "Hold on, Territory Lords? What are they?"


    "You''re too weird! Those people are the ones who control Midnight! Er... Well, at least they''re the ones who can live comfortably in this place without having to worry about basic stuff like food. You''re heading to one of their territories now, didn''t you know? The Iron Lord as he''s called... His own worms seem to be mostly interested in things like iron and hard steel."


    "Wait, so each lord has their own material they specifically gather? What, to build a sort of monopoly on the supply?"


    "Mono- what? Well, whatever that means, yeah. The worms are contracted from the Grandmaster, at least that''s what Papa used to tell me. Those things are called Midnight Centi-... whatever, they''re worms. The lords can''t create them, or control them without permission from the Grandmaster of Midnight. Papa always said they were a sort of gift, to reward those loyal to him."


    "Who''s this grandmaster you keep mentioning? So the lords are like feudal lords while this grandmaster is like a king?"


    "...What? No, no the Grandmaster is the Grandmaster, weirdo. He is said to live inside the star over there! Only those who he likes are said to be able to go there without dying, not even the lords can go without permission." Droh explained as he pointed off into the distance, directing Experiment XZ''s attention towards the sole black star that sat in the sky.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 5] A Name is a Soul, One Must Cherish it Always

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    Quite some time had passed while Droh and Experiment XZ walked together, side by side, occasionally asking questions of the little faun in order so that he could be better informed of the land he now found himself in. So far what he''s learned has been rather useful, ranging from information on the Territory Lords to the grandmaster who rules over this land known as Midnight, a place that hadn''t seen the light of day in all its time.


    According to Droh, there are several species that coexist within this place, the faun being one of the more common ones, only slightly differing from each other by the animal that they share characteristics with. Faun''s are seemingly little ape-like creatures that walk on their back two hind legs, just like humans, and they can be found practically anywhere there''s civilization.


    The faces of the fauns are what cause the biggest concern usually, as they''re human-like features have entered the uncanny valley level of realism, to the point where some stories tell of the first fauns who simply stole the faces of tribals in exchange for gold, which led to the birth of their species. Whether this was true or false, even Droh didn¡¯t know for certain. They''ve never been particularly aggressive, but most importantly, they''re absolutely not battle ready, relying more on their speed and agility to outrun their pursuers.


    From what information he''s gathered so far, it seems the most important piece of information is related to the rarity of things such as machinery and functioning electronics, which seem to act as double-edged swords. On one hand, their excruciatingly valuable and having a supply of technology can be very productive to your influence within Midnight, while on the other hand, you''re practically painting a target onto your back by flaunting anything even resembling technology.


    "So tell me, do these Territory Lords rule over some sort of population, or is it just more of this desert?"


    "Oh no, no. There are several cities around Midnight, each of which are ruled by their own lords. In fact, the lords have always ruled over their cities, huge places where thousands gather, since long before I was born. Papa used to always tell me stories of when one lord would be killed, and how another would climb the steps and take their place. It wasn''t always the person who killed them, but mostly... Yeah." Droh turned to face Experiment XZ as he continued, "Each lord is in charge of one of the cities in Midnight, so you should be able to find the answers you need there, you just need to continue following the black star, you''ll see the city soon."


    "Wouldn''t it be dangerous? You know, if I was a Territory Lord I wouldn''t want random people all collecting around me, any one of them could be what killed me."


    "Lords are stronger than that!" Droh broke out into a laugh, "Only the weak have to worry about others in this place. In fact, there are plenty of people here who don''t even notice dangers like those giant worms, let alone avoid them like you do!"


    "So you''re saying only the strong survive, huh?"


    "Well, the strong rule, but there are other ways to survive. You can scavenge for the lords in return for protection, or you can even join one of the smaller clans. They don''t have much control in this place, but there are plenty more clans here than there are Territory Lords, and these clans are much more likely to accept you. Well, as long as you can be useful to them, that is." Droh reasoned.


    ''So, there''s more out there than just those Territory Lords? I wonder how dangerous those clans are...'' Experiment XZ''s eyes lit up as his voice picked up, "Wait, wouldn''t the leaders of these clans be strong enough to join under the Territory Lords? Why would they choose to live out here away from civilization rather than within the safety of a city?"


    "Hmm, I wonder. Maybe it''s because they feel as if the lords hold them back? Maybe it''s because they''re too arrogant and don''t like to take orders... or maybe even the lords just don''t want to bother with them? I''m sure there''s a reason, but whatever it is, you''d best stay clear of any clans. Lords seem to be more orderly... but those clans are just pure chaos, without care for what they do." Droh paused momentarily, as if to add on another point. "There are some clans that live inside the cities, of course, but they rarely place all of their strength in one place. In a city, you''re under the lord''s control... Outside, you''re free to do as you want, mostly."Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Having thought things through a bit, Experiment XZ reasoned. "Then what you''re saying is it would be more dangerous to get involved with the lords, since they''re the ones with true power?"


    "I guess, but that''s only if you get one of them angry... Which is super hard since most don''t even meet people. No, Papa always told me to stay away from the clans. One of the biggest reasons was because, amongst the clans, there were a few who possessed the strength to rival, or on some occasions even surpass the Territory Lords. It''s just that the Grandmaster never seemed to recognize those people as their own superpowers on Midnight, so they could never fully situate themselves anywhere for too long."


    Experiment XZ sighed in disbelief, "Right, makes sense. Why recognize an outside power when you can simply keep things as they''ve been going with those lords. Fair enough, note to self... Be careful of everything."


    "Hah, that''s a fair assessment mister! By the way, what do I call you, weird mister?"


    "Sorry to say but I don''t have a name, not one that I remember at least."


    "No name?" Droh questioned.


    "Nope, no name." Experiment XZ stated matter-of-factly, knowing he couldn''t simply go around calling himself what the archives had saved as his name.


    "Everyone needs a name, mister... If you don''t have a name..." Droh went silent for a moment as if puzzled at the notion of being nameless. "Why are you here, anyways mister?"


    "Where to begin. Well, I guess I''m here to save my people, I think? Let''s just say there are plenty of people waiting for me to come back home with an answer to their question... The only problem is, I don''t even fully understand the question."


    "Hmph... I see. Well, that settles it."


    "Settles what?"


    With a smile, Droh explained. "Your name, I''ve thought of it. You''re someone reliable that has countless people praying for your return, right? You''re going to save them, right? Then I''ve got a name for you." He paused for a moment, adjusting his back so as to stand up straight. "Deus."


    "Deus? Doesn''t that mean something like God? Why that? I''m anything but Godly..." Experiment XZ recalled what he knew from his previous world, where such a name was typically synonymous with a Divine force.


    "Gods aren''t always all-powerful beings... Instead a God should be someone who is reliable. Someone who knows people are counting on them, and doesn''t shirk away from that, even if it puts you in a bad spot. You''re someone''s God... someone''s miracle... So you''re Deus."


    "Where did you hear about any of that, anyway?"


    Droh''s apish ears lifted up as his tail started to swing around in glee, "My Papa!"


    "Well, Droh... Your father sounds like quite the man."


    "Mhm!" Droh hummed with a smile, clearly quite pleased with himself. "My father always used to go on and on about all of that. He''s the one who taught me to talk, you know? So a lot of what he said rubbed off on me... He talked about his own Deus quite a bit, but I don''t know who it was. All that I know is he never once lost faith in that person, not even until the end... He told me that his Deus would change everything and that I had to just wait and see."


    "And what happened?"


    "I''m still here waiting."


    Experiment XZ, having received the name of Deus from his newly befriended faun companion Droh, continued to walk beside him in silence as everything sunk it. Neither one spoke as the black sand of Midnight continued to seep down further into the earth with each step they took.


    Looking up past the nearest wave of sand, Deus''s attention immediately fell upon the light that seemed to beam upward into the sky from a distance.


    "Oh, we''ve almost arrived," Droh spoke as his arms stretched out to his side with a sigh. "We should be in the Iron Lord''s territory now Deus, so be careful from here on. Let''s go further in, see about getting some food first, don''t you think?"


    "Mhm, that doesn''t sound like a bad plan Droh. Right, won''t it be weird to go around calling myself Deus? I''d figure people would think I''m just pretentious."


    "Hah! No, you should be alright. Names are valuable here. Throughout all of Midnight, no one should find issue with a name like that." Droh reasoned, his ears perked upward as he smiled.


    "Well, I suppose there''s nothing that can be done if that''s the case. Let''s go take a closer look."


    As Deus said that, both he and Droh began to pick up their pace, moving at almost a full sprint as they headed for the entrance to the Iron City.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 6] Welcome to Direfell, City of Iron

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    As Deus, accompanied by Droh the young Faun, approached the city border, what came into view was a massive monolith of old rustic steel, towering into the sky as if it sprouted outwards randomly from the ground. Giant sheets of metal bunched together to create a sprawling sharp-edged outer wall that surrounded the city, while outside the walls lied an entire ecosystem of small huts dug into the desert hills, piled together with old sheets of metal and tin.


    Hundreds of people could be seen moving about, their appearances ranging from the usual humanoid to anything but, while a slanted path carved its way directly through the slums toward the metal walls that kept the desert out.


    "Wow, now I see where all that metal goes."


    Droh tilted his head to the side as he glanced over at Deus in confusion, "What do you mean? It''s true the outer city is metal that''s been scavenged... But inside the walls, that metal and steel has been there since before the Iron Lord took control."


    "Hold on, so how long has that wall been around? I don''t mean to offend... But it looks like an apocalypse has hit."


    Droh''s ear twitched as he looked ahead, "Apoca¡ªwhat?"


    "Heh, forget about it. So how old are these cities, anyway? Why wouldn''t the city lords change out the walls with something a bit more... I don''t know, updated? Secure?"


    "From what Papa used to tell me, the grandmaster didn''t like it when the lords tore things down or put new thing''s back up. There''s a sort of unspoken rule I think... everything inside the walls has stayed the same for hundreds of years."


    "Hundreds!? No wonder it looks like it''s on the verge of collapsing..." Deus mumbled to himself, "Oh right, so does that mean everything outside the wall... like those slums over there, they can be rebuilt?"


    "Sure, since they''re not a part of the city itself. The thing is though that the grandmaster doesn''t recognize that as a part of the city either, so it''s not too safe. Inside the city is protected, but outside... well you''ve seen it."


    "Right, outside the city everything turns into survival of the fittest. So, how do we go about entering?"


    "Let me handle it, I know someone who works as a gatekeeper... Just don''t get on his nerves, whatever you do."


    Deus nodded his head in agreement, "Well that works out. So, you''ll lead the way, huh?"


    "Of course, keep close to me, you never know who''ll try to grab you before we get inside. Oh! Make sure you don''t stare at people too much, they may think you''re testing them."


    "People are that jumpy, huh?"


    "It''s worse than you think... Come on, let''s go."


    The two slowly walked towards the slums of the city, finally stepping out of the black sand and onto a rough ashen stone. The slums quickly arrived all around them as they continued passing through, ignoring the glances of everyone around them.


    ''Thankfully Droh even looks like a scavenger... Otherwise, I would''ve probably gotten myself jumped by now.''


    "Hold on, is that Droh over there?! Hey Droh!" A hoarse voice shouted from the wall, causing several eyes to land on both Droh and Deus in both curiosity and concern.


    "Oh no..." Droh mumbled under his breath as his tail wrapped around his leg, his ears twitched to the side as he caught his breath and smiled, "Mister Mercer! I didn''t know you still worked the walls, it''s been a long time!"


    The man named Mercer slowly approached the two of them with two of his fellow guards hanging back behind him, with a coy smile the man replied, "It''s definitely been quite a while. Oh yeah, I''m sorry to hear about you and Roland, a falling out between friends is always tricky... in fact, I''m surprised you came back here. What, you didn''t get enough of it last time, right? You''re definitely one brave kid."


    "Heh heh. Right, Alright, look Mercer... What will it take for you to keep this all a secret? You know if Roland finds out... He''ll..."This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "He''ll probably want your head, I know. Alright fine, since I''m such a good friend, and I don''t want to see one of my favorite pals getting skinned... How about you hear me out later, maybe, let''s say, we talk tonight down at Club Nova. I''ve got an offer you simply can''t refuse. It''ll be good to get out and stretch your legs, don''t you think?"


    Droh hesitated for a moment as Mercer stared down at him, "...Fine Mercer, I''ll come as long as you don''t tell Roland."


    "It''s a deal then, kid. See you tonight, don''t be late." Mercer laughed as he turned back around and walked off in another direction with the two guards who had accompanied him, heading down further into the slums.


    Droh stood there for what seemed like an entire minute without speaking as if stuck in thought. Behind him, Deus spoke up in an attempt to draw him out of his daze, "Hey Droh, what was that all about?"


    "...Oh." Head shaking, Droh finally looked up towards Deus who had, without realizing it, witnessed that entire exchange from the side. "Just business, don''t worry about it. Come on, we still need to find that friend of mine, right?"


    "Are you sure you''re alright?"


    "Heh, yeah. Just some old stuff coming back around, I''ll deal with it tonight probably. Hey, I''m pretty hungry so let''s hurry up."


    "If you say so, alright."


    With the conversation abruptly ended by Droh, the two continued on towards the wall in silence. ''I''m curious who Roland is, but if I piss Droh off enough and he leaves... I''ll be sort of stranded here without a damn paddle. I should just be patient, maybe he''ll explain things after tonight.''


    Finally, inside the checkpoint, Droh started off with one of the other guards, occasionally laughing as Deus stood behind him, without a clue as to what was going on or what any of their jokes meant.


    "Alright Droh, I just got an okay from Jasper, you''re good to go in, just don''t cause any trouble because we won''t bail you out."


    "I know, I know. I''ll behave, don''t worry about a thing."


    "By the way, who''s the friend? Some new scavvie or something?"


    "Y-yeah, he''s not from here, so I''m showing him the ropes. That''s not an issue, is it?"


    "Nah, since it''s you, we''re good... I assume you can vouch for him while he''s here? Does he know everything he needs to?"


    "Sure I can vouch for him, and what do you mean does he know everything? I don''t think I missed anything..."


    "Hah, I figured you''d be like that. Don''t worry, I''ll give him a quick rundown if you''d like since it''s you."


    Droh smiled while his ears lightly flapped about, "Thanks, Jeffrey."


    Deus stood there behind them both, clearly shocked at suddenly becoming the center of attention. "W-what''s going on?"


    "Hey man, do you know what this place is called?"


    "This place? You mean the Iron City?"


    The security guard shook his head as his arms flew up toward the sky melodramatically as if some sort of inside joke, which caused both him and Droh to lightly chuckle between the two. "Alright, listen up guy. This place is indeed the City of Iron, but it''s got a name of its own, and it''s certainly not that. Just call this place Direfell."


    "Direfell?" Deus mimicked as he looked down towards Droh, "That would''ve been helpful to know I imagine."


    "Heh, that kid can be forgetful, don''t worry about it. You see, Direfell is one of the Northern cities, and as I''m hoping you''re aware, it exists as a neighbor to both Grimmoor, and Magerock... Oh, and you can''t forget the war-state of Mythgarde. Be careful of that place if you ever go there, but I wouldn''t recommend it."


    "War-state Mythgarde?"


    "My God... You''re an idiot, aren''t you? No, sorry about that... But how is it possible you don''t know a damn thing? You live in some hole in the desert all this while or something? You shouldn''t need Droh to spell out everything, right?"


    "Uh, I''m just a bit forgetful... Sorry about that." Deus awkwardly rubbed his chin.


    Droh interrupted, "That''s fine Deus, this guy''s something of a political-buff, so he confuses his own knowledge with others... And always gets mad when no one else can keep up."


    "It''s not my fault Droh that I like to keep up to date with who could invade and be the death of me, you know? Just because I''m a guard for the wall doesn''t mean I''m some brainless oaf like some of these other guys."


    "Pardon me," Deus spoke up in question, "What do you mean invade and be the death of you? So Direfell is at war with another city?"


    "Mhm, we''ve been at constant war with Mythgarde for... Well, damn years by this point. Thankfully things are mostly calm now, but I used to hear about sudden bombings and raids being committed, which would almost always end in the deaths of several guards. I won''t let that happen to me, so I keep myself informed."


    "Whatever Jeffrey, whatever. Come on Deus, we''ve got to go find something to eat before my meeting tonight. Oh right, thanks again for everything... I owe you one."


    "Another one, you mean?"


    "Heh, yeah another one."


    "Wait, before you go in... Aren''t you sort of forgetting something?" Jeffrey asked as his head tilted to the side in confusion.


    Deus and Droh both stared back at Jeffrey in bewilderment. They didn''t think they were forgetting anything, but if Jeffrey was so adamant about it, clearly it wasn''t wise to just ignore him. Deus asked in response to him, "What are you talking about?"


    "Hah, you must be really distracted if you haven''t even noticed... You know... Your lack of clothing."


    Jeffrey gestured towards Deus''s chest, which was bare, revealing his bizarre tattoos. "You can have one of my old shirts if you want, as a favor to Droh."


    "If that''s the case..." Deus thanked Jeffrey for the gift as he pulled the thin grey tunic over himself, covering his markings. "Can''t believe I forgot about that... Thanks for looking out for me."


    "Heh, no worries. Hurry on in before the other guards decide to seal the doors shut again."


    With that, both Deus and Droh moved beyond the checkpoint, having received permission to enter the city, they slowly walked past the wall''s security into Direfell, the City of Iron.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 7] A Quick Meal, Followed by Panic

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    As the two of them pushed past the security checkpoint, a massive sprawling city of rustic metal came into view. Enormous steel prongs shot out of the earth toward the sky, piercing into the walls from every angle as several towering structures were built using the prongs as a foundation. Metal sheets that stood fifty meters into the sky dug up against the steel prongs, holding up the homes of hundreds of citizens each.


    The streets were filled with the hustle and bustle of the working life, while along the roads etched into the sides of the towers were small alcoves that served as private property, shops, and entertainment, such as clubs and bars. There were too many little signs to count, each of them advertising their own product.


    In the center of the City of Iron, Direfell, stood a towering monolith of iron and steel, as it carved into the earth as if pierced all the way through to the center of Midnight.


    "You see that tower over there?" Droh asked with a point, directing Deus''s attention towards the enormous structure that stood in the center of everything. "That''s the home of the City Lord. No one goes in there without his permission, not even other Territory Lords can enter that place unless he gives the go-ahead. Of course, you can always try, but no one, no matter how tough they were, has ever survived a direct charge."


    "The City Lord, huh? He sure knows how to live¡­ It quite physically towers over everything else, like he''s announcing to everyone how he''s the one in charge."


    "That''s sort of the case, yeah. City Lords usually aren''t too aggressive from what I can tell, but that may just be because I''ve never actually dealt with one, so I''m a bit ignorant."


    Walking down the street of Direfell, shops surrounding them as the crowd of people pushed them this way and that way, the two managed to stay together as they crossed further in, moving past the cheap private shops to the more mainstream and popular clubs and restaurants - if you could even call them that.


    In a place where the variety of food was limited to your fellow citizen, scraps of metal, and in-house grown plants and mushrooms, there weren''t too many options that seemed appealing to Deus. In the end, he went ahead and ordered a cheap mushroom stew, made from underground black-mushrooms mixed with some nameless liquid. It was probably best not knowing its name, truth be told.


    Droh ordered the same thing, only he kept his black-mushrooms dry, opting for a simple toasted mushroom on a stick, charred around the edges, giving it a slight crunch as you bite into it.


    The two sat together as they ate, Droh having to pick up the bill for their meal since Deus wasn''t even familiar with how the economy worked in Midnight.


    "So, what''s the plan after this Droh?" Deus asked with a mouth full of soup, chugging it down with a bitter-sweet smile as every so often he could taste something slimy drip down his throat. "I''d rather not become a squatter¡­ So what sort of jobs are available for someone like me?"


    "A job, huh? The main job everyone does is scavenging¡­ But with how things are you probably won''t get lucky enough to find anything of importance enough."


    "Scavenging? Wait, so does it work on a reward system, where you have to scavenge something valuable to get paid?"


    "It depends on who you''re scavenging for, but usually yeah. The City Lord pays for the items you bring in, but he makes no promises to pay you at all until you''ve brought him something good. There are some private groups, or even some clans, who specialize in scavenging, and they take better care of their people¡­ But even then it''s a tough job and usually doesn''t end well."


    "Why''s that? I can''t imagine scavenging is too dangerous, right?"


    "Depends on who you''re working for. The City Lord doesn''t care where you find the stuff as long as you bring it to him¡­ But those clans, even though they usually pay you an advancement, typically you''d need to use it on prepping supplies, bandages, and weapons."


    "Weapons?" Deus asked.


    "Yeah, since the clans usually demand you go scavenge in dangerous places where there''s a higher possibility of loot. The City Lord''s people don''t usually scavenge those spots themselves because why would they when they don''t have to? So the clans pick up the slack and send their people in droves to pick everything apart. Sometimes the city will send a force to escort scavengers, but usually that only happens once every ten trips."Stolen novel; please report.


    "That doesn''t explain how those places are dangerous, though. Is it dangerous because there can be fights between the different clans?"


    "Clan wars happen, yeah. But most of the time, though, it''s dangerous because of the storms that hit, which usually end up causing the area to get filled to the brim with those gatherer worms. No one wants to compete with them... Truth be told, how could they? Even though I told you about some people here who don''t even have to pay attention to those worms¡­ But as you could probably guess it scavengers aren''t those types of people. No sir, those worms would rip them apart if they tried to get between them and something shiny."


    "Hold on, what storms? That sounds like something important that I should know about." Deus coughed out, staring at Droh in disbelief.


    "Oh, yeah I forgot to mention them." Droh shrugged, "Yeah, the storms are what bring the metal. A storm hits, fires down lightning, and with it, metal and electronics appear. Usually, the clans are the first ones to show up, followed by those worm gatherers."


    Deus''s curiosity shot up. "What happens if one of the clans finds something major?"


    "Well, in that case, they''ll sell it to a Territory Lord or even offer it as a tribute. There are occasions from what I''ve heard where clans find stashes of electric weapons, things like lasers and explosives¡­ But the Lords would rather obliterate a clan than let them keep it, so the clans usually just sell it to a City Lord in exchange for money and influence."


    Taking a bite from his charred mushroom, Droh continued, "In fact, there is one clan in specific here in Direfell that has done just that¡­ You heard me mention someone named Roland, right? That''s him. A few years ago Roland stumbled upon a massive stash of weapons and laser equipment. Fearing the Lord''s wrath, he decided to sell it instead, in exchange he now has the second highest authority here in this city, second only to the City Lord and his direct descendants."


    "Right, so this Roland bought his power here, and from I can gather, he''s after you?"


    "Well, sort of¡­" He hesitated, lowering his eyes so as to not meet Deus''s gaze. "Actually, the truth is that I may have¡­ Taken something."


    "Hold up, you took something from the second most powerful man in this city? Do you have a death-wish or something?"


    "It''s not like that! Roland stole it first¡­ I just took it back."


    Deus was starting to get the full picture. The relationship between this Roland figure and Droh wasn''t a simple one, that much was obvious. "Right, well regardless, what do you plan to do? From what I''ve gathered so far, it seems this Roland wants you dead, all the while that Mercer guy is practically blackmailing you into meeting with him. What sort of job do you think he''s got going?"


    "Mercer, right¡­ I almost forgot about him. He''ll probably ask me to go out on an expedition with him, especially since he''s got quite the debt to deal with."


    "Debt?"


    "He''s a gambler. A bad one at that. If he wasn''t an official city guard with some connections he''d probably already be dead because of those debt collectors. He''s mostly harmless, but I don''t think he''s bluffing about telling Roland about me¡­ Not this time."


    "So how you planning on handling him? You going to do the job, or¡­?" Deus asked, showing concern.


    "I''ll at least meet him, say it''s a token of good faith. I''ll figure it out when I get there, no use fretting over what can''t be controlled, right?"


    "I don''t know if that''s a good outlook to have or a suicidal one. Hey, I''ll go with you to this meeting, I owe you that much."


    "You''ll¡­ come too?"


    With a firm smile, Deus clenched his fist in front of his chest and made a declaration. "Yeah, it''ll make it tougher to bully you if I''m there to act as the muscle, right?"


    Droh let out a guttural laugh as his tension vanished. "You''re not that intimidating, though!"


    "Hey, don''t be like that! I''m terribly frightening!" Deus joked, showing a smile as the atmosphere changed dramatically. "Well besides that, where should I even stay? Are there places to rent out, or am I destined to squat on the side of the street for all eternity?"


    "You''ll be fine, there are plenty of places to sta¡ª" Interrupting Droh, an earth-shattering quake rocked the city as a rumbling voice shouted through the air, for everyone to hear. "You''ve crossed the line, Androma! Leave this place, and never return!"


    "What the hell is going on!?" Deus shouted in panic as he looked across the table at Droh.


    "Th-that was the City Lord¡­" Droh''s fur stood up on the back of his neck, his tail wrapped around his leg as his ears laid flat on his head.


    Deus''s face froze as those words filled his mind. ''City lord? Who is Androma¡­ What''s going on¡­"


    Chaos spread quickly as the city erupted into concern and fear. Territorial Lords only acted personally when a tragedy was about to befall them, typically.


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    "Everyone, remain where you are." Another voice echoed through the streets as everyone ran about in panic. "Stay inside. This is an order from the Ironmaster Reimar, master and guardian of Direfell."


    Droh shouted out for Deus to hear, "That''s the military captain''s voice, isn''t it? Something major must''ve happened!"


    ''Ironmaster Reimar? Not only that but also the military captain?'' Deus questioned, his heart rate shooting up as he felt completely lost in the moment. ''So even the Territory Lord has acted¡­ What is going on, today of all days?''

 [Vol 1, Chapter 8] Death Gambit

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    "Stay calm and remain indoors, as instructed." The voice of the military captain echoed throughout the entire city as the guardsman charged past each street, clearing everything out in one fell swoop. Soldiers dressed in this rustic black armor moved through the crowd of people as they carried what appeared to be large metallic rifles which occasionally puffed out smoke from small exhaust pipes as the weapon''s engines rumbled.


    "Droh, what''s going on? Are we safe here?" Deus whispered across the table to Droh, who was practically cowering beneath the bar window.


    "Deus, stay down!" Droh said.


    ''What the hell happened¡­ am I in danger here?''


    The guardsman passed by where Deus and Droh were hiding while occasionally glancing down the darker corridors of the cityscape, not bothering to look any further. From the group of soldiers, a single one wore a silver badge outline across his armor, he spoke down into his wristband, "Sir, all clear in Omerta Sector," several lights flashed and beeped in response to the report, "Order received, moving onwards to Alpo Sector."


    "Squad, we''re moving on."


    "Roger." "Aye captain." "Pack it up, we''re moving!" Several people replied in unison, all of whom were wearing similar rustic black armor. The silver-badged soldier looked out toward a group of people and spoke, "This sector is clear, go about your business as usual everyone!"


    With that, the soldiers vanished further down the street, leaving only chaos and confusion in their wake. The sound of alarms slowly cutting off in this sector as down the street you could hear the sound of more shouting, as the chaos carried further along.


    Inside the so-called restaurant, Deus and Droh slowly lifted themselves back up from their seats, looking toward each other in an almost childlike shock and wonder.


    "I don''t even know what to say¡­" Deus mumbled as sweat dripped down his forehead as his heart slowly came back to a normal pace. "Droh¡­ how often does something like that happen?"


    Sitting across from him was Droh, his ears still draped down his head as his eyes concentrated on everything outside in an attempt to double-check that everything was safe. "Wh-what?"


    "Does this happen often?" Deus repeated.


    "Oh¡ªnot really, actu-actually¡­ it''s quite rare." Droh answered in spurts, he was still quite obviously shaken up. "I''ve been he-here for some years¡­ only ha-happened once. It w-was a big deal back then."


    ''He''s quite frightened, isn''t he? So this isn''t normal after all¡­ wasn''t sure.''


    "Droh! Come to your senses¡­ it''s over, right? You''re fine, the soldiers have come and gone. We have to worry about that Mercer guy now, so I can''t have you shaken up for your meeting tonight."


    Droh sat there for some time as he slowly returned to normal. His ears started twitching back to life as his tail unwrapped from his leg. "Ri-right. Sorry, Deus¡­"


    "You''re fine, I understand... but we can''t simply lock ourselves away while trouble comes to find us, we have to face it directly. Or at least run away before it finds us, right?"


    "Hmph. You''re right, yeah." Droh lifted his face to meet Deus''s, the two locked eyes for a moment as they tried to recover their nerves. "Alright¡­ first things first, we need to find a place to calm down before I meet with Mercer tonight. Think... Oh! I might know someone who can help us with that¡­ well, that is if they haven''t turned tail and run off after all this."


    "What? Would they be so jumpy as to abandon the city just like that?"


    "Oh yeah. Truth be told, they''re worse than you think. We''ll be lucky to find her still in one piece¡­"


    "Her? Why would you say that, though? Is she that paranoid?"


    "Ugh, you don''t even know the half of it! If I remember correctly, there was this one time when I was with her, she seemed to be as calm as could be... well, until someone shouted and set her off. Because of that, she locked herself in her place for a week. Even going as far as to threaten to shoot anyone who got close, too."


    "Hold on, someone shouted and her first instinct was to lock everything up and hide? Are you sure we can trust someone like that? If she went crazy with only a bit of yelling¡­ what could this have caused?"


    "Heh. If¡ªand it''s a big if¡ªshe''s still around she''ll be super useful to have as an ally. You could call her a master scavenger, having collected a great stash of weapons and equipment that the city lord didn''t consider valuable enough to take away from her. Of course, the really good stuff still had to be handed over to the lord, it''s how she managed to live this long here. She got paid a lot for everything she''s found."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "So she''s a living pack-rat, huh? Well if you think she could be useful, I say let''s try it. I assume you''ll lead the way?"


    "Leave it to me. Oh, and what you said was right, I can''t just hide away at the first sign of danger!" Droh puffed out his chest in a heroic stance, only to deflate shortly after as he started rubbing his forehead, "Oh shoot¡­ I forgot one thing. How am I even go to find her with everything going on... again, she locked herself away for a week back then! A week! Because of one little shout¡­"


    Deus replied with a laugh, "I say we go and check her place anyway, we might luck out and find her still home. If not, I''m sure we can improvise a bit."


    With that, both Deus and Droh picked themselves up and headed out, quickly leaving the restaurant as the streets were still filled with a stampede of panicking people. Some of the residents were humanoid, while others were as large as seven meters tall, which made it quite difficult to stay together unless they moved slowly.


    "Droh, keep close to me, alright? Don''t want you getting swept away with the crowd." Deus shouted out toward Droh as he held an arm onto the smaller one''s shoulder. "Are you sure it''s this way?"


    "Mhm, we just need to move off the main street, but it''s not safe to just duck down into the alleyway at a time like this."


    Unfortunately, it had been quite difficult to hear one another, which caused Deus to only catch several bits of what Droh said. ''Did he say to go down the alleys? I hope he knows what he''s doing.''


    As soon as he possibly could, Deus ducked down into one of the alleys, immediately losing Droh in the crowd as the smaller boy was pushed down with the stampeding residents.


    He stood there without moving for several minutes, waiting for Droh to show up, but unfortunately, that hadn''t happened. ''Y-you''re joking, right? Separated¡­ just like that. I''m so screwed, oh my god¡­ so screwed.''


    "Droh!" Deus shouted out of the alleyway into the crowd of people to no avail. ''Great, now I''m stuck in this city without a guide¡­ no clue where anything is or even what to do next. Hah.''


    "You there, turn around slowly, and keep your arms up! Don''t, and I''ll gut ya!" A hoarse voice coughed out from behind him, the sound metal scraping out of a scabbard could be heard.


    "Alright, alright¡­ don''t do anything we''ll both regret, I''ll move." Slowly turning around, Deus faced the older man whose face seemed to be scarred from many years of abuse and physical labor. He wore a brown eye-patch to cover his right eye as a cloak shrouded his hair.


    "Good lad, now hand over all ye'' got!"


    "Well, that''s¡­ unfortunate." Deus mumbled as his arms were raised toward the sky, he seemed to curse under his breath at his misfortune. "You wouldn''t happen to accept debts, would you?"


    "Huh, what?" The rough-looking older man coughed out as he started to figure out what Deus meant, "You¡­ useless little man!"


    The man charged toward Deus, knife in hand, he shouted out, "If you want to be funny, I''ll just loot ye'' corpse! The guards too busy, anyway!"


    Deus''s mind seemed to freeze momentarily as he watched the man charge head-first toward him, his blade in hand, aimed forward. ''No¡­ this isn''t how I die. Is it? Shit, I''ve got to do something!''


    The man continued his approach steadily as Deus seemed too preoccupied thinking everything through. In truth, the man was moving quickly, keeping his pace up as he only had to cross several meters to reach his prey. However, from Deus''s perspective, the man seemed to be moving at the pace of a turtle, allowing him several monumental moments of thought before he arrived. ''All of my world''s combined efforts and I can''t even keep myself from getting stabbed in an alley. Absolutely brilliant, no really, truly amazing.''


    Suddenly, a feeling of immense pain struck through his body. ''Damn, did he get me?!'' But no, the man was still quite some distance away from reaching him.


    "Shi... Aah!" He screamed out as an even more excruciating pain struck out at him, causing his vision to blur as his stomach prepared to spit up everything he''d eaten so far. ''What the¡ª''


    Without reason or explanation, the man who charged toward Deus briefly vanished, only to reappear several meters away, smashed into the wall of the store that sat beside them. Blood splattered everywhere as the man''s head had been cleaved right off by the force of the impact. Along with the gruesome scene of the corpse, the man''s limbs were now covered in these newly carved scars, seemingly hollowing out parts of his flesh. The pain that had struck Deus a moment ago had vanished just as soon as it appeared as the entire alley returned to a state of silence.


    ''I¡ªwhat just happened¡­'' Deus queried in a panic, his mind racing as that excruciating pain from a moment ago vanished without a sign.


    "Deus, there you are!" A familiar voice called out to him from behind. Turning around to face the person, he was pleasantly surprised to see Droh stood at the edge of the alleyway, just barely out of view of the horrid scene of blood that bathed the walls behind him.


    "Droh..." Deus turned toward his companion, a look of worry washing away as he did so. "I thought I''d lost you..."


    "Why did you turn down an alley right after I specifically told you not to?" In response, Droh questioned in an annoyed tone, his tail swatting against the ground several times as he impatiently waited for an answer. "You trying to bug me with that?"


    "My mistake, that''s on me... Could''ve sworn¡ª" He paused, the memory of what happened flashed before his eyes as he froze. "Again, that''s my bad. Must''ve been too loud to hear you correctly."


    "Eh? That''s all? I thought for sure you were teasing me." Droh''s tail stopped swinging around as his face regained its original smile of several minutes ago. "Enough of that, we have to get out of here. You coming?"


    "Of course, lead the way¡­ oh, and please don''t send me down any more alleyways." He did what he could to make light of things, to lessen his nerves more so than anything.


    ''Would probably be best¡­ not telling him about that,'' Deus thought to himself, imaging that gruesome and vile scene from moments ago. Each time he did it was more shocking than the last. ''I should be more careful though¡­ what the hell happened to me¡­''

 [Vol 1, Chapter 9] Marigold, the Madhatter

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    "It should be over this way!" Droh called out as he led Deus through the still-panicked streets. The chaos that spread throughout the city had long since calmed. In its stead replaced with an almost vehement desire by the populace to assure their safety.


    "Once we get there, remember, let me do the talking. We never know how she''ll react to seeing someone new like you." Droh explained as they went.


    In response, Deus rebutted with what he believed was simply common sense, "I know, don''t worry so much about it Droh. If it doesn''t work out, we''ll just have to think of something."


    Deus seemed almost too nonchalant, to the point of even catching Droh off-guard. The reason behind his response had more to do with his previous trauma than anything. To him, the city falling into an uproar was nothing more than a small bother now. He could still imagine it¡ªsmell it, even. Such a thing painted quite the grotesque scene.


    ''That was self-defense, right? Was that even me who caused that... or did something intervene?'' Deus tried to reassure himself, only to get hit dead-on with realization. ''Wait, is there like¡­ someone in this place I can see to check me out? Wait, am I sick?''


    Noticing his companion''s frown, Droh called out. "What''s going on with you lately, you look distracted. Wait, did something happen? You didn''t get into some sort of fight, did you?" Droh asked in a concerned tone, bunching his eyebrows into a frown, "The last thing we need right now is more trouble."


    "A fight?" Deus repeated, believing it best to keep what had happened a secret until he could figure things out. He hadn''t forgotten the word of warning he had received when he first arrived here, after all. ''Never, under any circumstances should you admit to being from outside this place.''


    Those words hadn''t meant anything to him then, but now he had begun to worry if these two connected. Perhaps this event had been stirred on by his origin, more so than anything. "No, no fight... just thinking about something. Don''t worry about it."


    "Yeah?"


    "...Yeah, that''s how it is. But enough of that, we should be arriving soon, I imagine. Can we get back on track?"


    Droh gave out a puff as he turned away with a brief shrug. "Fine, let''s just keep going. She should be close anyway¡ªthat is if she''s even still here."


    The two passed by several storefronts as they finally entered a residential area. A place built out of old tin sheets, each standing eight meters high, with some leeway in-between. They piled together to form these hut-like structures.


    Droh sighed as they walked, occasionally glancing around from one side of the street to the other.


    Unable to avoid it, Deus''s train of thought went back to that awkward subject. ''I should probably look into getting someone else''s opinion¡­ maybe. Damn, why does everything have to be so troublesome?''


    He whined to himself, unable to forget the scene from before, his mind concentrated on that moment. The feeling of sickness, nausea even. All the while sensing as if his body was actively heating up like a furnace to an excruciating degree. Of course, for that to happen not only at once, but for it to result in such a ghastly scene had been shocking.


    ''Wait, would this make me a threat to those Territory Lords? If that''s the case, wouldn''t they kill me if they knew?''


    Cutting between his thoughts, Droh proclaimed loudly with a grin, "We''ve arrived!"


    Pulled from his daze, he looked toward where the Faun pointed, his gaze landing on this old shed. The walls double-reinforced with metallic plating. Copper rods struck onto the side of the building, allowing smoke to puff out of them from within.


    The door was most peculiar, being wrapped in old chains and nails, seeming unwelcoming.


    "Yep, it hasn''t changed a bit," Droh said. His head nodded slightly as he stared.


    "Yo-you''re joking, right? Are you telling me someone lives here? Voluntarily, too? I''ll ask again¡­ how are you even sure they''ll help us?"The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Droh chuckled out in reply, marching up toward the front, "Yes, yes. Come on, let''s see if she''s in."


    "Marigold!" The boy shouted aloud, all the while hammering on one of the metallic walls of the house with his closed fist. "Marigold! If you''re home, I need you! Marigo~ooold, it''s me, Droh!"


    A crowd had begun to gather as Droh continued shouting, all the while beating the walls of the place.


    "Droh, maybe she''s not home? You''re causing quite the ruckus¡­" Deus whispered, his face turned a slight pink. He hadn''t mentally prepared himself to be thrust out into the public eye so suddenly.


    Eyes fell upon him as Droh continued causing a scene. A truly large gathering of lifeforms, from grey-skinned humans to reptilian giants.


    "Don''t worry, she''s home¡­ I just know it.Marigold!"


    Suddenly, a loudspeaker stuttered into existence as Droh stepped away from the wall.


    Proceeded by several loud clicking noises, a voice roared out from somewhere, "DrOh, iS tHaT yOu?!" A screech sounded as the loudspeaker distorted. Causing everyone present to immediately frown and jump back, clenching their ears uncomfortably.


    ''This is a bit too much,'' Deus frowned, pressing his palms against his ears. By doing this he had hoped to at least spare his hearing after this was all said and done.


    "Eh heh, hey Marigold¡­ Do you mind letting us in? It''s kind of awkward talking to you like this¡­" Not seemingly bothered by this at all, Droh replied.


    "wHaT dO yOu MeAn!?" Once more followed by distortion. An even greater pain than the previous one smashed against the crowd.


    "Mari! Mari!Come on, just let me in for a minute, alright? Wait, no¡­ don''t answer that¡­ don''t talk, just open the door."


    Several seconds passed as everyone present cautiously prepared themselves for another painful screech. All of whom wore frowns, glaring off at the both of them. Yet, more so at the building which held that mad-woman, Marigold.


    "Droh¡­ I''m starting to regret following you here." Deus sighed out, releasing his grip over his ears.


    "Heh heh. Don''t worry, I got thi¡ª" As Droh spoke, a mechanism unlatching could be heard, interrupting him midway. "Oh, looks like she unlocked it."


    They looked toward the door. But, to their surprise, it remained just as locked and chained as it had ever been. "Hhm," Droh coughed out, his breathing slightly sporadic as he felt everyone around stare at him. Perhaps to all of them Droh appeared to be some rare commodity, something to observe from a distance.


    "Again¡­ this isn''t one big waste of time?" Deus pondered aloud within earshot of Droh, who seemed just as lost for words as him.


    "It''s n¡ªnot! Ah, there!" Droh exclaimed, pointing off elsewhere as he sighed. "Maybe the door was just a decoy? I guess."


    From where Droh pointed had appeared to be an old metal hatch, half-buried by a vast collection of metal and junk. Above the hatch sat an enormous stack of even older scrap, almost as if it were deliberately placed by hand. "Wait, is that a trapdoor?"


    Frustrated by the song and dance, Deus rubbed his eyes, "Alright, I suppose we should see where this leads us."


    "We''ve come this far," the little Faun reasoned.


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    With both of them in agreement, they approached the hatch and started moving a majority of the junk to one side. Deus amusingly, ''I wonder if someone had gotten so sick of her that they tried to bury and trap her inside?''


    It didn''t take them long to fully reveal the entrance from beneath the scrap. Leading the way, Droh took a crack at examining further inside.


    "Don''t get separated again," Droh called out as his head dipped beneath the surface of the hatch. Seeing that it went further downward, he descended further inside as the crowd of people slowly faded away. Their source of amusement had left, so there was nothing keeping them here. Not only that, but the sooner they left the safer their hearing would be.


    "Wait, don''t go too far in so quickly, you don''t know how dangerous it is!" Deus reasoned. His voice echoed down through the pothole. The steel hatch that laid ajar next to him, slightly creaking as gears moved around on it.


    The sound of clicking gears could be heard as the hatch started to slowly close up.


    Deus clambered inside before the hatch fully closed on him. The sound of metal latches moving echoed down. The crimson hue faded into nothing, leaving both of them in complete darkness. Stood in what seemed to be a small hole, but due to the lack of light, they were unable to see what sort of place this was.


    "This has truly been quite the experience so far, Droh," Deus spoke in a monotone, almost sarcastic tone. Which only seemed to cause the Faun to nudge out with his elbow, smacking him in the gut.


    "Now you be quiet," Droh glanced around the best he could, but only darkness surrounded them. "Marigold, are you there? We can''t see anything!"


    A faint light seemed to explode forth from all around them, causing their eyes to quickly dilate and blur. "So, little Faun boy, what do you want?" A woman''s voice asked from behind as they spun around toward the source.


    ''So this is Marigold.'' After seeing her in person Deus thought he had to reevaluate his thoughts on her if even only a little. Truth be told she wasn''t a particularly odd-looking woman. Her appearance seemed to almost shine in contrast to the faint glowing light bulbs. Her hair tied into a single knot, resembled that of a bumblebee as most of it was a sharp yellow. This brought out her mascara-heavy eyes even more so. ''Wait, is that even mascara? Of course it isn''t, how could it be. It''s probably something like oil or grease.''


    Annoyed by their silence, she asked again, her tone rising slightly as a frown formed, "Ahem! I asked you a question monkey boy!"

 [Vol 1, Chapter 10] A Favor Owed

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    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 11] The Black Spire

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    "Let''s get out of here Droh," Deus said, somewhat in a hurry as he held the leather pack to his side. ''If this thing makes any noise now, I''ll be in trouble¡­ please, please¡­ don''t beep.''


    "Deus? What''s the hurry?" Droh asked as his head tilted to the side.


    "Heh, no hurry, we just need to get going or we''ll be late with meeting that Mercer guy," Deus claimed, trying to get the topic changed onto something that Droh would rush for. "Mercer?..."


    "Mercer! Right, I almost forgot! Mari, we''ve got to get going for now, but I''ll be back later to help with what we''ve agreed."


    Marigold simply glanced at him with a half-tilted head, occasionally sighing she said, "Fine, whatever. Just go, and don''t get yourselves killed before you can repay me."


    Both Deus and Droh quickly turned out of the room in a hurry. They struggled to hold the vast amount of junk they had gathered, as they made an exit.


    Outside, they stood together in the middle of the street. Marigold''s complex stood behind them as the entire city once more surrounded them. "Where to now, Droh?"


    Several seconds flew by as the young Faun thought everything over. "Hmm. We''ve got to go see Mercer before too long, but we still have some time before. How about we find a safe place to look at everything we''ve got, to make sure we''re not missing anything."


    Deus nodded his head in agreement, "Sounds like a plan. I''m assuming I''ll be following you again?"


    "Mhm. Keep close, and don''t get lost again. Thankfully it seems everything has calmed down while we were getting everything." Droh claimed as he looked around, seeing how the panic from before had relatively calmed down. Everyone had returned to normal, but there was still an air of tension throughout the city. A pressure almost.


    "Well, let''s get going first."


    Deus followed closely behind Droh as the two wandered through the city streets. They passed by a dozen or so local shops, old broken electronics sat around the store as security kept watch over everything. "Make sure you don''t take anything without paying first, or you''ll be in for a bad time."


    Deus was shocked, "Wait, you''re saying they''re able to attack people within the city? But they don''t look like those soldiers we saw before¡­" With a point, Deus looked toward several rough-looking hooligans who stood watch over the shops. They didn''t seem to have anything in similarity with the previous guards who had searched the city.


    "Well duh, the city guards can''t deal with everything¡­ these shops have been permitted to defend their land, as long as they cooperate with all city rules and searches."


    ''I see¡­ so the territory lord doesn''t really care how the people handle things as long as they obey his rules?''


    "What''s that over there?" Deus asked as he pointed towards a towering pillar, one that was only second in height to the territory lord''s personal home.


    "Ah, the spire. It''s where those gatherer worms bring everything¡­ it''s all stored underground beneath it."


    "Spire?"


    "Right, it''s where the military captain stays¡­ you could say besides the main tower, it''s the hub of the city."


    Deus stared for a few more seconds toward the spire, watching as old black metal scraped against metal as pieces seemingly started to move slightly. "So those centipedes come from there, huh?"


    Droh simply nodded in response.


    As they walked on, they pushed further into the heart of Direfell. City streets went from run-down to industrial, with old pipes sticking out of everywhere, pushing black smoke upward as the sounds of engines shook the ground beneath them. Some sort of enormous engine must''ve been working overtime under their feet, powering the city and melting down the old scrap the Midnight Centipedes had previously gathered.


    Looking around, Deus was quickly reminded of just how terrifying this place was as he saw the people - if you could call them that, walking about. Some of them possessing the faces of old dehydrated squids, with long tentacles draped down their chest, while others seeming more devilish in feature, with horns protruding out from their foreheads as a baleful aura radiated from their every pore.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    If there was one thing this place had in abundance of compared to Earth, it was the large variety of different cruel-looking races and species. A representation of everything, with a heavy emphasis on those darker, more sinister creatures that normally would lurk beneath the surface, hidden and cloaked in the shadows. Such monsters now walked the city streets as if it was the most normal thing imaginable.


    "Hey Droh, I forgot to ask you this before¡­ but how safe is it here?"


    Droh paused as he pondered the question, seemingly taken aback by the sudden inquiry. "What do you mean safe? If you''re asking if you''ll get attacked on the streets... no. The city guard has outlawed that sort of behavior, and not even a psychopath would try it. Outside the city though, well, you know. It''s a battlefield out there."


    With a nod, Deus and Droh continued on their way. After some time passed, they both arrived before a decently sized building, metal plating sticking out from the sides as if the world had spat all of it out in a flurry.


    Inside, there was a crowd of people lined up throughout the room, all of them paying no attention to each other as they simply stood facing forward, waiting to be called on from the front desk.


    ''What an odd sight¡­ a bunch of monsters waiting orderly in line.''


    "Come on over here," Droh called out as he headed further inside, turning down one of the hallways passed the crowd of citizens. A large room opened up in front of them as they walked forward. Stood inside there was another crowd of people, albeit smaller in size than the entrance. "Let''s go inside. Here we can get a place to stay, we just need to pass the security."


    "Security?" Deus stopped in his tracks, his mind wandered as he remembered the device stashed inside the leather bag he carried. "Hey Droh, can I have a quick word?"


    "Hmm?" The young Faun grunted out as he glanced toward Deus, leading him off to a corner of the room so they could talk, "Sure, what''s up?"


    "Ah¡­" Deus mumbled under his breath, "How to say it¡­ I may have taken something back at Marigold''s."


    Several seconds passed as Droh remained silent, simply placing his palm against his forehead between his eyes, creasing his nose, "What did you take?"


    "Ah heh¡­ something that would probably get detected by security¡­ something¡­ electronic."


    "Eh?"


    Deus dug into his bag for a moment, carefully exposing the white electronic device to Droh, while also ensuring it wasn''t visible to any passersby. "This. It reminded me of my ho-... something I used to have."


    Deus had to stop himself before he accidently revealed his origin. That was the one thing he was warned not to do, so he had to at least take that precaution.


    Droh, still holding his forehead simply sighed, "You''re trouble¡­ you know that?"


    "Heh." Deus gave out a slight chuckle as Droh attempted to discipline him. "Alright, so what''s the plan?"


    "Let me think¡­ hold on."


    Time slowly passed as the two of them sat in the corner, Droh watched the room as he tried to figure out the right plan. "Hmm¡­ we could¡­ no. That wouldn''t work¡­"


    "Hey, move!" A tall behemoth of a man shouted a fair distance away from them. Stood in front of the man was a smaller, more fragile looking man, he hid his face beneath a black shroud.


    Everyone present in the room turned to face the noise, watching the larger man face off against the smaller one. An almost silent air of concern lowered itself into the room as everyone held their breaths.


    ''Wait, are they going to fight? Didn''t Droh say fighting wasn''t allowed¡­ like¡­ at all? Are they really that suicidal to do that?''


    The cloaked man, holding the top ridge of his hood, turned to face the larger more obnoxious man. Beneath his hood, one could see cold, glaring eyes. "...How annoying." He mumbled under his breath as the room''s security finally took notice.


    "I said move pipsqueak!"


    ''Something''s wrong¡­'' Deus thought to himself. Normally under usual circumstances, you''d assume the larger, more muscular man held the advantage, but the feeling in the air was quite the opposite. There was an almost mutual fear from everyone present, everyone, of course, but the larger, dumber giant of a man.


    "Move! Or die!"


    "..." Several seconds passed as silence sank its way through the air, not one person worth their salt dared to breathe.


    "... I choose death."


    CRASH!


    Everyone went wide-eyed as the body of the larger beast of a man collapsed to the ground. The shorter man hadn''t even moved and yet the person who stood in his path had practically dissolved into blood and gore. The security agents rushed to the scene as not a single soul dared to approach the man.


    "You there! Killing isn''t permitted within city limits!" "Surrender!" "Get on the ground, you''re under arrest!" Countless soldiers surrounded the man, shouting obscurities and orders without restraint.


    "Stand down." The man ordered, raising a single black seal out from beneath his cloak.


    Thud!


    All at once the soldiers throughout the room fell to their knees in a subservient manner, all of them shouted in unison, "We recognize the Military Captain! Hail Sire Roch!"


    Deus''s mouth sat agape as he watched this whole exchange. ''Military ca-captain?'' He glanced downward toward Droh only to find the young Faun boy shivering in his seat, true terror in his eyes as he didn''t even dare look up.


    The man''s voice carried through the room, "Send word to the Spire¡­ that bastard Androma is still on the run."


    ''Androma? Wait¡­ the one who was exiled by the city lord earlier?''


    "Yes sir, captain." One of the soldiers shouted out as he began to speak into his wristband.


    The cloaked man, Roch, glanced down toward the puddle of blood and innards, which had liquefied from his mysterious attack. "Still¡­ that man was an idiot for annoying me¡­ I suppose even Direfell gets its fair share of fools."

 [Vol 1, Chapter 12] Direfells Illustrious Captain

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    "Sire, a report from the Spire!" The black armored soldier paused for a moment as he received the message, mimicking it in return, "Hostile force detected in the Onyx District."


    "Onyx?" The cloaked captain, Roch, murmured to himself as everyone present held their breath. "Fine, you lot get going, go kill some damn crows, will you?"


    "Aye Sir!" "Roger!" "Sir yes, sir!" Several different soldiers shouted in unison as they stood in a respectful, straight posture.


    "What are you all still standing around for? Get going!" Roch shouted in disdain, glaring across the room as the soldiers around him stumbled out, heading toward the Onyx District.


    Only Roch and another single soldier remained in the room as he gave a few quick glances around, staring at each and every person present, their gazes not daring to meet his.


    His eyes stopped on Deus as he slowly approached, drawing everyone''s attention. It had been so quiet one would say they could hear even the faintest of sounds, down from the creaking of the metal beneath their feet, to the grunts of the few nervous men who stood around.


    "You there," Roch hissed out with a cold stare, "...Androma? but how? No, that''s not right..."


    Deus practically fell over his own two feet as he slowly backed away into the corner of the room, his back stung from the cold metal of the wall as the back of his hand caressed it, "I''m afraid you''re mistaken, captain...sir."


    Silence bled its way through the air, weighing down everyone present as captain Roch raised an eyebrow.


    "A mistake?" Roch repeated, a look of confusion showing on his face. "Wait, you... who are you?"


    "Heh¡­ mister¡­ captain sir, my name is Deus¡­"


    "...Deus?" Roch stood there for a moment as his gaze met Deus''s, a slight smile began to form on the tip of his lips, "I see¡­ good, very good. Quite promising in fact." Roch paused for a moment as he stared, only after several seconds passed did he begin to speak. "Well Deus, you''re an interesting one... aren''t you? Let me guess, you believe there''s more to your story than just wandering the streets for eternity? Yes? Hmm. There''s plenty I''d tell you now, but you''re not ready... no. Once you''ve realized this for yourself, the better. Hmm¡­ in fact, come to my Spire once you''ve figured out who you are, and what''s to come... Yes, yes. Only then will I welcome you to my ranks... hmm."


    As time passed in even more silence, Droh faintly lifted his head toward Deus. He stared blankly at him for a moment as Roch''s words seeped into his and everyone else''s mind, crashing down on them like cement. ''Wait, what? Did he just offer me a job?''


    "I appreciate the offer¡­ sir captain... but I¡­"Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "No, don''t answer now. Wait, think things through first and figure out what you want from this place, and what you can give in return. Only then will I welcome you¡­" Roch finally turned his gaze away from Deus, "Enough of that. I have things to do, people to see. Remember my offer, and don''t disappoint me."


    With that, the military captain, Roch, turned away and left, walking past the crowd of people as they cleared out of his path.


    Everyone stared at Deus in both shock, awe, and fear. Someone worthy of the captain''s recognition and personal recruitment was someone whom they couldn''t dare offend. Or so they believed. But who was he? How had they never heard of anyone with such a curious name before?


    "Deus¡­ what''s going on?" Droh asked through several grunts, surprise, and confusion apparent on his face as his tail practically snapped against the floor like a whip.


    "Oh, Droh, right. Let''s get going first, maybe we can sneak past everyone now."


    "Sneak? You''re kidding, right?" With a quick glance around, both Droh and Deus found everyone staring at them, trying to listen to their conversation while not making it overtly obvious. "You see? There''s no sneaking around this¡­"


    With a whisper, Deus replied, "Hmm, I see. If we can''t sneak past, then why not just charge forward? Use this to our advantage¡­ just look, no one is going to stop us, not even any of the soldiers."


    Across the room, Deus nodded his head toward a lone soldier, the only soldier left after Roch had ordered the rest of them to move out. The man had turned his entire body to face away from them as if to announce that he had no intention of intervening in whatever happened. "Hah, see? Simply being talked to by that guy was worth all this¡­"


    The young Faun''s ears slanted upward as his eyes followed along, a faint smile finally erupting from his mouth. "Heh, fine let''s do it."


    The two lifted themselves back up straight and confidently walked further inside. As they did, several humanoid looking men who stood in their path cleared away, creating an opening for them. ''I can''t believe this is working¡­'' Deus mentally spoke, trying his best not to let a smile show off his face. He had to hold a perfect poker face, otherwise, they may get discovered. At that moment, everyone around them believed they held some connection to the city''s most dangerous soldier, a man who had made a name for himself through the acts of both massacre and death. None of them wished to cross such a being who could call him a friend, and so they simply moved out of his way as their gazes dodged his own.


    ''I just have to confidently walk past¡­ no weakness. Hell, the more obnoxious and threatening, the better.'' As Deus thought this, his eyes dashed around the crowd, landing on a few intimidating looking men, scavengers most like. He glared at them through gritted teeth as they simply pushed their attention downward, as if the floor was the most interesting thing in the world.


    ''Hah!''


    As they approached the final door leading up to the upper levels, Droh confidently spoke up to the older woman who blocked their path. She stood behind a kiosk as the one soldier remaining turned away and directed his attention outward.


    "We need a room, preferably one high up with a good view."


    "Yes sirs¡­ one moment please." The older woman looked down at an old monitor, "Room H23 is available, would that work for you both?"


    They both nodded.


    "Very well. Here''s your access pass, please confirm here." She lifted up an old electronic device as Droh grabbed it, pressing down on a thin touchpad, he handed it back to her. "Done. The room is yours, please head up through those doors."


    Room H23, seven floors above ground, the twenty-third room on the floor. Droh and Deus stood side by side as they entered. A large room opened up before them as they slammed the door closed behind.


    "What. The. Hell!" Droh shouted out as he finally sunk to the floor, letting himself be enveloped by stress and nerves.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 13] Reactivation of Earths Archive

    <div>


    "Droh, are we safe here?" Deus asked as he watched Droh practically sink down to the ground as if the little Faun was a puppet who had his strings cut.


    "Huh? Oh, yeah we should be fine¡­ so what''s going on, anyway?" Droh asked as his head tilted backward in a stretch. "What was all that with the city captain? You don''t know him, do you?"


    "Know him? How could I possibly know someone like that?" Deus replied back in a snide voice, mocking the question. "Just wait for a second, I need to check something¡­"


    As Deus said that, he pulled out the old archived drive that he had previously stashed away in his pants pocket during the prior incident with the centipede. Blowing on the drive, he wiped it clean of any dust as he raised it toward the white electronic machine he had taken from Marigold. Two similar looking pieces, perhaps they were compatible. "Please, please work¡­"


    Click!


    With only a bit of pressure, Deus was able to attach the old archive to the newly found electronic device, the two pieces locked into place as if by design.


    Bzzz. Vrooo.


    An electric sound could be heard as several lights faintly activated on the device, starting from the lowest point to the top, they all slowly began to light up. Going from yellow to green as they all lit up, one by one.


    Bzzzz.


    "Archive activating¡­ please¡­ wait." A monotone voice spoke, one rather familiar to Deus, as it was the same voice that he had heard when he first arrived. The voice of the electronic computer.


    "Commencing operations¡­ one¡­ two¡­ three. Enabled. All primary Archive systems enabled. Limitation set, scanning options either disabled or deactivated, please consult a director level engineer for more information. One moment."


    As the computer spoke, Droh dragged himself back up to his feet and walked over in a hurry, clearly quite shocked and curious about what had caused the voice.


    "Oh, Droh¡­ yeah, don''t mind this." Deus coughed out, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head as his other hand held the device.


    ''I don''t know if I''ll be able to explain this one away¡­''


    "Greetings, Experiment X-Z-001, and well done on successfully integrating and surviving upon arriving through Transfer. According to the database, the last time this system was online was during an attack. Archive requests a report on what happened for future investigation."


    "Uh huh¡­" Deus paused momentarily, not sure how he should answer the question with Droh standing next to him. Several seconds passed as he decided to just give a vague answer and hope for the best, "After you went offline, I managed to climb out of the capsule. I made it to the ground before that monster killed me."


    "Recorded. Please provide more information regarding the ''monster'', for future data."


    "Eh? The monster? From what I''ve learned so far, it''s called a midnight centipede and it''s sort of like an automated scavenger around these parts."


    "Archive updated, ''Midnight Centipede'' saved and processed. Data has been registered and saved under ''Hostile'' sub-directory."


    "Uh, Deus¡­ what is all this? Archive? Sub-dire¡­ whatever? Come on, what''s going on?"


    "Right¡­ I guess, to put it bluntly, this is a computer that I found¡­ it seems to be able to save whatever I tell it and is actually able to scan for certain things. Well, not right now, but before when it had the tools to scan¡­ it could¡­" Deus dazed off half-way through his explanation as he watched Droh stare at him like he was the craziest person alive.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "What?"


    Droh rubbed his head against his palm as he sighed, "I knew it¡­ you''re weird. So weird!"


    "Weird? Heh, I guess it makes sense you''d think that." Deus looked back toward the archive, "Computer, does your system tell you anything about what''s going on? What sort of place is this, anyway?"


    "Accessing database, one moment." Several seconds passed as a faint clicking sound could be heard, "Relevant information found. This device is capable of only a basic scan, Relevant information from the scan is useful for data related to local atmospheric, weather, time, and physical condition. All scans are classified as low-level until a director level engineer updates the host machine."


    "Host machine? Oh, you mean the thing I plugged you into, right?"


    "That is an accurate assumption. This host machine''s battery is currently at forty-three percent. This device will require recharging upon completion of two scans. How would you like to commence?"


    "Hmm¡­ Droh, you mind giving me a second?"


    Droh, shocked from being called out so suddenly, drew his eyes up to meet Deus''. "Eh? Fine."


    As Droh walked off, giving Deus a moment of peace, he immediately asked the machine, "You said you can scan physical conditions, right?"


    "Correct. This host machine possesses a low-level scanner capable of physical scans. Results will contain information on basic alterations to your body, according to archived data from prior to Transfer."


    ''So it can scan me¡­ good. Ever since that time in the alley, I''ve been meaning to look into what''s going on with me. The one thing I can''t let happen is this power accidentally hurting Droh, hell, even using it on some random person could be dangerous depending on where it happens.'' Deus, ever since that odd occurrence in the back-alley, has been afraid of his own emotions since he didn''t know what would trigger it. "Great, give me a quick scan."


    Bzzz. Beep. Beep!


    Several seconds passed by in near silence, the only sound that he could hear was the beeping of the electronic device. A light flashed occasionally from the machine as it seemed to be gathering information.


    "Scan complete. Results have discovered alteration to your physical body. Primary cause; unknown. A new inquiry has been opened regarding Experiment X-Z-001''s physical change."


    "Is that it? Can''t you tell me a bit more about what''s going on?"


    "Request approved. Scan has detected that your physical body has undergone an unknown transformation. Change is primarily based on modifications made to Experiment X-Z-001''s arms, waist, torso, and head. Legs are relatively unchanged, besides slight enhancement to muscle tissue. A theory has been calculated. The Transfer has forced your physical body to undergo multiple enhancements, ranging from low-level alterations to high-level genetic modifications. Your physical body has adapted alongside the alterations you had previously undergone prior to Transfer, from changes to physical abilities to the changes done to the co-Transfer, which have also appeared on your own scans."


    "Wait, co-Transfer? What the hell is that?"


    "Co-Transfer is the recorded name of the secondary Experiment who had died prior to Transfer. The reasoning is unknown, the purpose is unknown. Scan detects a hybridization of genetics and physical muscle. Question for future archiving; how are your mental abilities?"


    "Mental abilities? Are you asking me if I''m nuts? I''m fine¡­ I think. Wait, so you''re telling me my body has combined with that other guy''s? I thought you said he was dead before everything even happened."


    "Correct. Co-Transfer Experiment had passed away prior to Transfer, however, scan detects a ninety-eight percent similarity between Co-Transfer''s DNA and your new bodies DNA. Will require a more thorough scanner for further information, please contact-"


    "Yeah, yeah a director¡­ I get it. Holy shit¡­" Deus coughed out as his mind wandered, "Does this mean I''m the original me? Or¡­ no? What''s going on¡­ what the hell does any of this mean?"


    "Deus, what''s wrong?" Droh asked from across the room as he dug through the old bags of equipment they had gathered. "Everything''s alright I''m hoping..."


    "Heh. Yeah, I''m fine¡­ just a bit tired, is all. How much longer until that meeting with Mercer, by the way?"


    "Mercer?" Droh repeated in surprise at having Mercer''s name being brought up so suddenly, "We''ve got an hour or so, why, you want to head out now?"


    "Hmm¡­ that might be best, yeah. You got the supplies ready?"


    "Mhmm."


    Deus stretched his back, giving out an audible crack, "Fine, we should use this free time to get going, better be early than late." Looking down at the electronic device he held in his hand, he ordered, "Archive, don''t make any noise from now on, alright? I don''t want to be busted for having a machine on me."


    "Request approved, all audible sounds have been deafened. This device will vibrate in case of emergency. Will continue to scan the database for relevant information."


    "Good. Oh, how do I go about recharging you, by the way?"


    "Device''s battery recharges off electric current. A simple outlet would suffice."


    "Outlet? You''re joking, right?" Droh spoke up with a laugh, "Whatever that computer is, it doesn''t know a thing about this place."


    "Archive, try and find a way to charge yourself without an open outlet, alright? Add that to your things to scan for."


    "Additional scan added."


    Satisfied, Deus nodded his head and ordered, "Good, let''s get going Droh."

 [Vol 1, Chapter 14] Nova Shines Brightly Through Midnight

    <div>


    "Wait!" Droh called out, stopping himself and Deus both from leaving the room. "Are you sure about this? I don''t know what Mercer will want¡­ it could be super dangerous."


    "Super dangerous?" Deus smirked, "I hope so, it would be boring if it wasn''t. Come on Droh, no more putting it off¡­ we need to go meet Mercer, deal with him, and get it over with."


    Droh stood there in the middle of the room for a moment as he looked around. From the room''s rustic design that''s shared with the entire city all the way to the elaborate carvings on the wall that are meant to pass as decorations, everything seemed foreign and strange. "Hmm. You''re right."


    "Of course I am, when am I not?" Deus laughed as he headed for the door, unlocking the hinges and taking a deep step out as Droh followed close behind him, a bag of tools and supplies on his back.


    Night had finally arrived, encapsulating the entirety of Midnight beneath a shroud of violet blood, an awful hue of crimson and amethysts poisoning the sky.


    A dark corridor opened up to reveal a crowd of unsavory people, from human to devilish. Their horns aching with a lust to kill, their eyes bleeding a baleful desire. Such was normal within Direfell, and it seemed this crowd flourished here, at night.


    Droh led Deus through the darkened streets, finally arriving before a neon-lit door, a sheen of red mixed with blue, glowing out into the streets as a single word could be read from above, ''Nova''.


    ''So this is Nova, huh? Brighter than I''d expect.'' Deus pondered to himself as Droh led him closer in, passing by the rough-looking security guards. As they entered, the sound of blaring music could be heard, but it wasn''t anything like what Deus was used to. The sound of electronics, as if a machine was processing away, could be heard, mixed together to some odd unpleasant singing, as if scraping two rocks together. The bar patrons seemed to be in a daze as smoke paraded through the air, dancing from one person''s senses to another.


    ''A drug den?''


    "Deus, over here!" Droh shouted out as he yanked on his arm, trying to make himself louder than the music, but failing. The two of them wandered through Nova for some time, searching from one corner of the room to the other, both unable to spot Mercer.


    It didn''t take long for them to get pulled into the crowd, pushed from one place to another as they seemed to be caught in a current of water. By sheer luck, the two of them stayed together, without being separated too far from one another.


    As they were pulled over toward the back of the room, a voice shouted out loud for all to hear, breaking past the music as everyone''s attention turned to look at the source.


    One of the men who had accompanied Mercer down into the slums could be seen in the corner, shouting. He pushed through the crowd of people without a care as he forced his way past everyone, arriving next to Droh.


    "You''re Droh, right? Mercer is waiting for you." He glanced over at Deus and asked, "Is this guy with you?"


    "Y-yes, he''s with me¡­" Droh stuttered out through bated breath.


    "...Fine, hurry along and don''t get lost behind me. I''ll take you to him."


    Deus and Droh followed behind the man as he led them through the sea of people, smoke rising to the roof as the music continued to rave on. At the back of the clubroom, the three of them stopped in front of a back door as their guide talked with one of the men who stood guard. "Let me past, I''m bringing them to Mercer."If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "Hmm? Fine, go on in." One of the security guards responded as he moved out of the way, pulling the door open to reveal a private area.


    They followed the guide in, the sound of music became muffled the further in they went. ''What is this place? Some sort of private meeting spot?''


    "Mister Mercer is expecting you, head on in." The guide said as he pointed off toward one of the doors, "Don''t start any trouble, that is if you know what''s good for you."


    Afterward, the guide who led them to this backroom headed back out, leaving the two of them alone as they stood outside the room.


    "Should we just head in?" Deus asked, "I don''t think there''s any going back now."


    Droh nodded his head as he walked over toward the door. He grabbed the handle and carefully pulled it open, revealing the room on the other side. Mercer sat at a table in the back with a few others, as several people walked around the room, bringing plates back and forth from the table. The sound of cheering could be heard as Droh and Deus slowly approached.


    "Ah, damn! You win again ya'' asshole!" Mercer shouted out as he tossed a handful of cards onto the table in a huff. Lifting a drink in his hands, his attention was redirected toward the two who approached. "Droh? About damn time, come, sit down with us, play a game."


    "Eh, Mercer¡­ I thought you wanted to offer me a job or something?" Droh asked in a puzzled voice, clearly surprised by everything.


    The others who sat at Mercer''s table all looked up toward Droh as they lightly chuckled, Mercer included.


    "No need to rush it, kid, our last guest hasn''t even arrived yet. Speaking of which, isn''t that the guy who was behind you before? I thought it was just some coincidence, but clearly, it''s not¡­" He paused for a moment as he stared off with Deus, "Aren''t you the guy who the entire sector is talking about? The man even that freak captain recognized? You have to be awfully special for the King of Killers to take notice¡­ so why the hell are you hanging out with this kid?"


    Deus tried to cut in, "Droh is he-"


    Before he could finish his thought, Mercer interrupted again with a distasteful question, "Oh, maybe he''s just using you¡­ hm?"


    "Mercer!" Droh shouted out in anger, "You can insult me but don''t insult my friend¡­ just tell me what you wanted from before, and we''ll be on our way."


    Everyone paused for a moment, "Hmm. Fine, sorry kid, didn''t mean to cross a line. Heh. Right, I did want to talk to you, but as I said, our main guest hasn''t arrived yet."


    "Who is it?" Droh asked.


    "Heh, it''s¡­ you know who. He''s got a good offer for both of us, I figured I''ll cut you in if you still want to make a profit."


    "Who¡­ wait, no! What if he tells Roland about me? Did you even think about my situation before calling me here?"


    Everyone went quiet as Droh yelled off at Mercer, "How can you be so selfish! This is my life¡­ Roland will kill me if he finds me, so stop fucking with me!"


    "Wheeew. Such a mouth on you kid," A man spoke up from behind them as he slowly walked in without restraint. "Long time no see, Droh."


    "Elias¡­" Droh stuttered out, his face void of all color. "Does¡­ Roland-"


    "Does he know about you being here? Heh, not yet. Don''t you think it would''ve been him walking in here if he did, not me? When Mercer told me that he saw you around here, I was genuinely shocked¡­ I thought you were smarter than that, but it seems I gave you too much credit. Eh, doesn''t matter¡­ just do this job for me kid and I''ll keep my mouth shut."


    "Droh, what''s going on?" Deus mumbled under his breath. He had been doing his best to keep his emotions in check, but after Mercer''s inappropriate comment to this other guy''s sudden appearance, it had become quite hard to keep himself calm and collected.


    Droh turned his face slightly and, in a hushed tone, replied back to Deus''s question, "His name is Elias Moruga, he''s Roland''s newest right-hand man¡­ you could say he''s the real deal¡­"


    "So, who is this man, and why is he here?" Elias asked as he pointed at Deus, "Hmm¡­ there''s something about him¡­"


    "Uh huh, Mister Elias! This man is the one who the entire sector is going on about. You know¡­ the guy who that captain, Roch, tried to recruit."


    "Oh, is he now?" Elias asked in astonishment, clearly caught off guard by this sudden revelation. "That monster only recognizes someone with a black heart, like his¡­ odd, why don''t I know this guy''s name? Especially if that man took notice of him."

 [Vol 1, Chapter 15] Either Put Up or Shut Up

    <div>


    Everyone in the room stared at Deus as if he were some kind of fine art, just waiting to be marveled at. Elias spoke up, drawing everyone out of a sort of daze, "So, you even managed to bring this person into the mix, Mercer¡­ quite impressive."


    "Ah, yes¡­ I only did what I thought was best!" Mercer spat out as his cheeks burned red with excitement, his heart practically bursting from his chest at the opportunity to gain favor. "I live to serve, of course!"


    "Hmm." Elias gave Mercer a half-eager glance and sighed, "I appreciate¡­ the sentiment. Enough of that, I believe it''s time we go into exactly why we''re all here, and what sort of score you should all be looking forward to."


    "Yes, of course." Mercer continued, "But you will tell mister Roland about my efforts, right?"


    Elias turned to stare at Mercer, showing a slightly annoyed face as he simply waited in silence.


    "Ah, forgive me... I misspoke."


    "Indeed. As I was saying... all of you have been brought together here because you each serve an end goal, a sort of specialized skill each of you is good at. Something necessary for the success of this job. I will warn you now, this job will most likely pit you against some rather dangerous people... but the reward is well worth it for those willing to risk it. So, whose in?"


    One of the men who was originally sitting with Mercer spoke up, "What sort of job is it, first?"


    "I''m afraid I can''t tell you that until after you''ve agreed... you see if you hear about it and decide to run away and blabber about it... I''ll just have to make due without you - if you get what I mean. You see, we sadly can''t risk leaks. So, you either accept or you decline now, it''s as simple as that."


    Droh''s eyes lit up for a moment as he prepared to speak, only to be interrupted by Elias, "And yes, you''ve already accepted Droh, unless, of course, you want Roland to find out about you."


    "Tsk." Droh spat out in frustration, rubbing his forehead as he spoke to Deus, "Sorry, it seems I''ve no choice¡­"


    "Mm, that''s fine, we were going to do it anyway, right? I''m in."


    Elias looked at Deus with a grin, clearly quite pleased with the man''s resolve. "Really now, how excellent. I look forward to seeing you in action. I only hope you deserve the praise the city is showering you with¡­ would be rather disappointing if you were just another nobody."


    "Oh don''t worry, as long as you leave Droh alone after this, I won''t let you down."


    "Wonderful¡­" Looking around the room, Elias noticed that not a single person had opted to leave, instead, they all stayed behind, volunteering themselves for the job. "Alright, since you''ve all staked your lives on this, I might as well explain."The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "You see," He continued as he stepped into the center of the room, approaching the table that Mercer sat at, "We''re going to be hitting a drop zone¡­ valuables are littered around this place, the only concern will be those damn centipedes and the city lord''s salvage team. We''ll hit them fast and suddenly, taking down their heavy weapons, which will leave them with only a few spare ground forces."


    Everyone''s mouths fell open in shock, it was quite the risky heist, but the payoff would be astronomical. Enough to build an entire clan off of.


    "Don''t worry about the main attack¡­ I''ve used my authority within the clan to get my hands on some weaponry for us, along with a desert ship. We''ll use it to sail across the empty, letting us arrive before any reinforcements can get there. We hit them and run, in and out, quick and easy. If everything goes well, we''ll each walk away with a small fortune¡­ and, of course, an in for the clan, if you wish to join. Well, everyone but Droh here, that is." Elias said with a chuckle.


    "Hold up." One of the men who Mercer brought spoke up in doubt, "You do realize we''ll still be making an enemy out of a territory lord for this, right? Even your clan can''t protect us from that¡­ especially not long term. Sounds too risky¡­"


    "Oh please, don''t overestimate your own value, you and I both know that the city lords don''t really give two shits about any of us¡­ in truth we''d be making an enemy out of a few random soldiers, not the entire damn military¡­ especially if we don''t leave behind any witnesses."


    A few men nodded in agreement.


    "See? I''m not the only one who knows how this all works, it''s quite simple. Also, don''t forget we''ve got a big shot with us now! Just think about it¡­ that bastard, Roch, won''t openly oppose us if his precious recruit is with us, right?" Elias turned to look at Deus, "With him here, everything should go smoothly¡­ after all, didn''t he just promise me that I won''t be disappointed? I''m holding him to that."


    "Heh"


    "Right, makes sense."


    Two of Mercer''s men grunted out approvingly as they slowly nodded.


    "So, I would ask who''s in¡­ but you''ve already agreed, so the right question is¡­ who''s ready to get started?" Elias asked around the room with a twisted smile.


    "Quick question," Deus spoke up, to the surprise of everyone in the room, including Droh''s. "You say we''ll all walk away with a small fortune¡­ but isn''t that just talk? What exactly is so valuable to risk everything on? Also, don''t pretend like we''ll all be returning alive, especially if we openly confront the military."


    The room went silent, no one knew whether to agree with Deus or to silently mock him. They stared at Elias as if waiting for approval.


    "Hah, see? I knew you wouldn''t disappoint. Yes, I won''t lie, I don''t imagine even half of you will return alive¡­ but that''s a sacrifice that I''m willing to make. Regardless, this job will reward handsomely, so either you put up or shut up. In truth, I don''t see why you''re worried¡­ you''ll be fine, after all, we need you alive to keep that bastard Roch off our back."


    "So, you''re using me? So blatantly, too."


    "Of course we are, why wouldn''t we? You act like you don''t even know how Midnight works. Hah! Survival of the fittest, my friend. You either use others, or you get used, that''s it."


    "It can''t be so simple as that, surely."


    Everyone in the room except Droh chuckled, "You''re a fool, but you''re also a useful fool. So, just shut up and let me use you, and you''ll get out of this alive and rich. Fair enough?"


    ''Who does this asshole think he is?'' Deus cursed to himself as he simply stood there in silence.


    "Alright, since that''s over¡­ let''s figure out the specific details and positions you''ll all be taking."

 [Vol 1, Chapter 16] Elias Orders, Everyone Follows

    <div>


    "Mercer!" Elias shouted out to the surprise of everyone present, "You''re a decent shot, right? When you''re not drunk off your ass, that is."


    "Ah, yes sir¡­" Mercer answered back hesitantly as he gave a gentle nod.


    "Good. No more drinking tonight, if I see you with a bottle I''ll make you choke on it. You''ll be a gunner." Mercer''s brows raised in shock, but all he could do was simply nod. Turning to look toward one of the heavier men sitting at the table, Elias went on from one person to the next.


    "You''re Rufus, right?"


    The man nodded his head.


    Elias continued, "Good, from what I''ve been told you''re quite the pilot? If that''s the case, you can handle maneuvering the ship and keeping us from falling into the desert sea."


    "Not a problem, milord," Rufus grunted as his mustache covered his mouth.


    "Thaddeus¡­"


    Elias went on from one person to the next, giving each of them a specific task for the heist. Everyone gathered here had been selected for one reason or another. Either they were extraordinary pilots, amazing shots, or perhaps they had other more indirect uses, either way, they''d all serve a purpose by the time the job was done.


    "Now you, Droh." Elias stared blankly at the young little Faun, "You''ll do what you always do. Guide us. Any questions?"


    Droh simply grunted out in response.


    "Good, didn''t think so." He gave out a puffed laugh, "Now what to do with this friend of yours¡­ What was your name again?"


    "Just call me Deus, I guess."


    "Your name is actually Deus? Hah, you''re such an interesting person. Alright, Deus. I need to keep you alive if I want that bastard Roch to stay off my back, but I can''t just give you a reward for not doing anything. Hmmm¡­"


    Mercer spoke up, "Mister Elias, perhaps allow me to interrupt¡­ I could always use another hand up-top as a gunner."


    "Gunner? Hey Deus, you know how to shoot?"


    Deus shook his head, "Afraid not¡­ well, I''ve never had much experience with the guns around here. I would probably be a quick study, though."


    "Oh, a quick study, yeah? Shut up. No, you''ll do something else¡­ something more¡­ fun." Elias paused for a moment as a smile seemed to form on his lips, "That''s it! You look like you would enjoy moving around a bit, right? I think I''ll keep you next to me as a member of the vanguard. Along with Thaddeus."


    "Vanguard?"


    "Yeah, you know¡­ the ones who''ll go in first and make sure everything goes well? A gunner can only do so much, but a vanguard can be right in the heat of it." He chuckled and continued, "I know I should keep you aboard the ship to keep you alive, but eh, fuck it. I think this will be funnier."


    ''Funnier? Asshole is playing with me just for the laughs.'' "What a great idea¡­" Deus grumbled out sarcastically.


    Ignoring his attitude, Elias simply chuckled in return and nodded.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    "Alright everyone, you have your instructions. Gather back here early tomorrow, and take care of any of your bullshit, since you may or may not come back. Oh and I doubt I have to tell anyone this but don''t fucking talk about this job with anyone outside this room. Hell, just don''t talk about it at all, no good will come from it."


    "Oh and lastly, don''t bother with bringing shit, unless you want to have an edge to stay alive. The clan will provide you with anything you''ll be using, but it''s on loan. If you die, make sure you toss it back to the ship beforehand."


    As Elias said that, everyone cleared out of the room, each of them showing a nervous and yet surprisingly eager aura. Deus and Droh left together as they headed back toward their room in order to make any final preparations before the operation tomorrow.


    As morning arrived, in their newly acquired room, Deus and Droh both prepared their things separately as they sat in silence, both mentally preparing themselves for what was to come. If something went wrong, they could end up declaring themselves as enemies to Direfell and it''s vast military force. Not only that, but the prospect of Roland finding out about Droh was also a very real concern.


    ''So the job is happening¡­ whether I like it or not¡­'' Deus hesitated for a moment, ''What can I possibly do to prepare for this? Or do I have to simply walk into the lion''s den, without any reassurance? I''m not the only one in danger¡­ one wrong move and Droh could get killed, too.''


    A thought flashed through his mind as a hint of a smile appeared on his lips. He pulled out his Archive device and enabled it, "Archive, how are those scans progressing?"


    Beep.


    "Requested scans have been completed. Would you like scan results? Warning, device battery charge currently at seventeen percent. One more major scan will drain the remaining battery."


    "So you didn''t die last night¡­ that''s good. Wait, I thought you said two more scans and you''d be dead? I had you scan more than two things¡­ what gives?"


    "Battery usage varies from one request to another. Original request involved a full-body physical scan, which takes a heavy toll on battery life. Your requested scans were less extensive, and thus required less battery drain."


    "Ah, I understand. Archive, show me results for the scans I requested."


    "Request approved. Three scans have been completed, which one would you prefer to know of first? The first scan labeled ''Local Atmosphere.'' The second scan labeled ''Physical Body Modifications.'' While the third scan labeled ''Battery Charge Solution.'' All three scans have been concluded, more extensive information can be tracked with a more advanced scanner. Please consult a director level engineer to make the proper modifications."


    "Right, got it. How about the local atmosphere?"


    "Log accessed. Data on local atmosphere opened upon user request, beginning to read off entry to scan. Scan level marked as basic, please upgrade when able." The Archive paused for a moment as several electronic sounds could be heard, "Atmosphere marked as ''desolate'' based upon previous data provided by the director ranked developer in charge of database construction. Meaning; the terrain is dry and empty, very low chance of wildlife growth. Ecologically this environment should not be capable of containing life. Exception determined, reasons unknown."


    "So dry and desolate, huh? Nothing I didn''t already know. I guess I''ll need to get my hands on a better scanner before I can learn anything new." Exhaling, Deus asked another question, "Archive, give me the results of the second scan¡­ about my physical modifications. You''ve had enough time to figure some things out, right?"


    "Request approved. Log accessed. Data on physical modifications opened and ready to report. As previously reported, Experiment X-Z-001''s body has undergone a transformation. The culprit of change; Transfer. Aftereffects of change; Unknown."


    "So, nothing has changed?"


    "Negative. Your previous inquiry has been scanned and evaluated, with an answer calculated. Warning, the answer may not be completely accurate, awaiting further data. Question; ''Is Experiment X-Z-001 the original owner of the modified body or has host genetically fused with Co-Transfer Experiment?'' - Answer weighed; Experiment X-Z-001 is the primary controller of the body and has not been mentally modified beyond basic-level changes."


    "Holy shit. So you''re telling me that I am ''me''? How can you be so sure of that?"


    "Evaluation comparing current hosts mentality has been weighed against original data from prior to Transfer. Major similarities have been found, while nearly zero similarities matching Co-Transfer have been found. The test is not completely conclusive."


    "Well, that''s some great news I think." He said with a sigh, only lifting his head back up in a panic after a few moments. "Hold on! Did you say... nearly zero?"

 [Vol 1, Chapter 17] A Frightening Quandary

    <div>


    "Correct. Host body currently contains slight modifications matching Co-Transfer data from prior to Transfer. The reason is unknown, the eventual result of the modification is also unknown. Will require a more thorough scanning device for future evaluations."


    Deus stood up as he contemplated for a while, not knowing what any of this meant for himself in the long run. The fact that he was still the primary controller of his body was probably the only good point out of all of this. What he did know, though, was that he needed to look into this more to make sure he wouldn''t run into an issue in the future.


    "Archive, how about the scan results for my third question about how I should keep you charged? You said you found a solution to that?"


    "Affirmative. According to all known information regarding location known as Midnight, the best source of power would be either one of two things. Option one; Experiment X-Z-001 takes power from below the city of Direfell, as there is one large operational room below the ground, the current function has been calculated as being smelting and forging. Option two; Experiment X-Z-001 takes advantage of current priority mission, labeled ''Heist'' to gather electric energy from what has been filed as ''Electrical Storm'', which is capable of creating a massive amount of reusable energy, similar to the energy generated upon capsule''s arrival."


    "Hah, so either I break into one of this city''s most secure places to steal power from one of the most guarded machines in Midnight¡­ or¡­ I have to harness lightning from a literal electrical storm. Hah. Hah hah!" Deus coughed out in laughter, his head shook back and forth in frustration as he pondered the two options laid out before him. "Lightning storm¡­ or underground factory¡­"


    "Ahhh!" Deus screamed out as he clenched his forehead, "Fine! Since I''m already heading for the electric storm, I might as well go get myself electrocuted."


    "Deus, what''s wrong?" Droh asked as he slowly walked over, "You regretting everything now?"


    "Regretting the job? Not really. Heh, my problem is something different¡­ you know how I need to find a way to charge this damn thing?" Deus showed the Archive to Droh, "According to the scans, either I have to break into Direfell''s factories or I have to find a way to harness literal lightning to keep the damn thing charged."


    "Lightning?" Droh questioned, "You mean the storms? That''s a horrible idea¡­ even Roland would avoid getting too close to the storms when they were happening¡­ he''d take a huge detour and everything. From what I''ve heard, only the military captain has ever survived being struck by it."


    "Wait, that captain Roch fellow has been hit by the lightning¡­ and he survived? I figured the electricity was dangerous but to think only someone like him could survive¡­ Ah hell, I''m in a bad spot. What do you think I should do?"


    The two of them sat in silence for some time as they wondered what they would do. Droh had Roland to worry over, but Deus had not only Elias to watch out for, but he also had to steer clear of Direfell''s most dangerous man, Roch.


    Deus spoke up, "We''ll figure something out though, no doubt. In the meantime how about we try and think up a plan just in case that Elias guy backstabs us, you know since he doesn''t seem like the kind of guy who''d just give up after everything."The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Droh nodded his head in agreement, "So far Elias hasn''t told Roland about me but that''s probably only because he wouldn''t be able to benefit from doing so¡­ however, once this job is over there''s nothing really stopping him from telling Roland and watching what happens next."


    "Right. I don''t really know what sort of drama you have with this Roland guy¡­ but it''s clearly not good. We need to plot ahead for him, too. Question is, how? Roland is in charge of a major clan, right? Besides the military itself, who has enough power to hold him off?"


    "In Direfell? Nobody. He runs probably the biggest clan around here, not even the trading groups dare to offend him. As you said, the only ones who can truly hold him at bay would be the City Lord''s army, but that''s a dead end."


    ''A dead end? Is it?'' Deus thought to himself, ''I don''t know why but that military captain, Roch, seems to be interested in me for some reason or another¡­ maybe he knows I''ve killed someone¡­ whatever the case, maybe I can use this to catch Elias off guard¡­''


    "Hey, Archive!" Deus called out, "Would it be possible to deliver a message to someone? Hell, a broadcast even?"


    "Broadcast?" Droh repeated in confusion.


    Beep.


    "Affirmative. System battery charge will be disabled upon broadcast, however, a single message can be sent." The computer Archive beeped in confirmation, to the pleasure of Deus.


    "Hah, that''s great news! Droh, we may actually have a way out of this." Deus proclaimed, "Hey Droh, you don''t mind what happens to Elias and Roland when this is all over with, right?"


    "Huh? Elias and Roland? I can see how you could mess with Elias¡­ but Roland seems untouchable. What are you planning to do with a simple message?"


    Deus smirked, "Well normally it would be impossible to do anything to both of them¡­ especially that Roland fellow. However, I''ve thought of something rather nasty. There are quite a few people in this city that I can rely on, not because I''ll benefit from it, but because they''ll benefit from it."


    "I''m still not following¡­" Droh scratched his forehead in confusion.


    "It''s simple my little Faun friend. We just have to announce to the city that Elias is planning to rob the military. I imagine even Roland won''t want to let his second in command come to conflict with the army¡­ especially since Elias has been talking nonstop about the military captain Roch like he''s the damn devil himself."


    "Wait, won''t that simply get us into trouble? After all, we''re the ones involved in the job, to begin with¡­ I''m not sure you''ve thought this all through." Droh grumbled out in concern.


    "Nonsense. That military captain will intervene, I just know it¡­ he''s too interesting not to. Hell, he''s already gotten himself involved with me according to that asshole Elias, so it''s not a longshot to have him take action." Deus tried to reason.


    "Interesting? Is that really all you''re betting this on? From what I''ve heard, Direfell''s captain is the sort of man who could watch a thousand people die without even blinking¡­ why do you think he''d do anything to help us?"


    Droh clearly wasn''t convinced on the plan, and for good reason, too. He didn''t know what Deus knew, and in fact, from Droh''s perspective, everything that had been happening seemed almost all a bit too coincidental.


    Pondering to himself, Deus thought about his connection to Roch, Direfell''s captain, and what it meant for his future. ''From what I can tell, captain Roch will want me alive. Hell, he probably knows something about me that even I''m not aware of¡­ there''s no other reason for him to draw attention to me as he did before. The main issue is if he simply was caught off guard by me¡­ or if he did what he did intentionally. I''m betting my life on this¡­ I can''t afford to just randomly wing it.''


    "How about this, Droh." Deus reasoned, "I''ll send out my broadcast, but I won''t rely completely on it. Instead, the two of us should spend some time thinking up a plan, just in case. We can''t just keep dancing in other people''s hands."


    With a smile, Droh nodded in approval. "I can do that."

 [Vol 1, Chapter 18] A Fallback Plan to Outmaneuver a Master

    <div>


    "Good to hear, Droh!" Deus exclaimed in a pleasant voice, his eagerness showed itself as he turned a seat around for Droh to sit with him. "So, what sort of person is Elias? We need something that we can be certain will catch him off guard."


    "Hmm," Droh thought for a moment, "Well, he''s not afraid of much¡­ and has even fewer things he cares for. The only real exception that I know of being Roland and the clan itself."


    "The clan?"


    Droh nodded his little head, "Right. Elias relies entirely on the clan''s power and success to move around and act without concern. He''s quite dangerous when it comes to unrelated issues¡­ but the moment the clan gets involved, he''ll cave. You could say he''s the sort of man who''d abandon everything if it was an order from the clan."


    "Really? He''s that uptight about everything?" Deus seemed truly shocked. "He always seemed to be completely arrogant and confident. Hmm, we can definitely use his insecurity to our own benefit."


    The two talked for awhile, passing back and forth different ideas. One of Droh''s suggestions was for them to try mimicking Roland over voice communication in order to intimidate Elias. It didn''t take Deus long to find several flaws in the plan, which returned the two of them to the drawing board. They didn''t have long left until the meeting time, which caused them to feel even more pressure.


    "Think¡­ think!" Droh fired out to no one in particular as if he were trying to command his own brain to figure everything out.


    "Wait!" Deus shouted out as a smile slowly formed on his lips, "This is perfect! It works in tandem with my previous idea to send out a broadcast. Hah! It''s genius."


    "Well don''t just sit on it, tell me!" Droh said eagerly, practically jumping in his chair.


    "Right. Well, it''s just like you said¡­ Elias doesn''t want Roland to get involved because he''s one of the only people who can actually threaten Elias and his claim over the clan. Why not just force Roland to intervene?" Deus began to explain, trying not to jumble his thoughts up as he spoke. "I hate to say it, but Roland is going to find out about you sooner or later Droh. So I thought ''why not control how he finds out?''"


    "You want to just tell Roland about me? Won''t that backfire immensely? You do realize he wants to kill me, right? I mean seriously kill¡­ he told me if he saw me again he''d skin me alive."


    "Oof, that''s definitely going to be tricky¡­ but the plan can still work. Elias is going to tell him eventually, he can''t risk not telling. If Roland really does hate you as much as you say he does, and he finds out his second in command didn''t tell him about you being around here¡­ well, Elias won''t risk that just for you." Deus took a quick pause, "Elias is playing you¡­ stringing you along because you''re being useful to him for the time being. The moment Roland even hears a hint about you he''ll sell you out. So why not take the initiative?"


    "I''m still not following¡­"


    Droh looked up at Deus with pitiful eyes. "Is it really the best idea to hand me to Roland? I''m beginning to doubt this plan."


    "It''s fine Droh! Because we''ll use captain Roch to keep Roland from even touching you. After all, didn''t you say Roch was one of the only men in this city who could handle Roland and his clan of criminals? So why not give Roch information on the job, let him confront Roland, and then harbor us?"


    "You¡­" Droh held his forehead as he let out a loud and stressed yawn. "Fine, but only because I''m believing in you and your plan. I swear if I get killed because of this¡­ I''ll haunt you forever!"Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    "Hah, now that''s the spirit! Well, minus the haunting and being dead part. Enough about that, it''ll work¡­ because, well, I believe that captain Roch, well... I think he knows something about me that even I don''t fully understand. Hell, it''s probably the reason why he even approached me in the first place¡­ I would tell you more about it, but we don''t have enough time now."


    "Woah, that definitely does sound pretty interesting, and even a bit ominous! Damn, you''re right though... we don''t have enough time, we have to figure out a plan first. You''ll just have to tell me everything later! I''ll hold you to that."


    "Hah, right." Deus chuckled as Droh tried to lighten the mood, "So captain Roch will confront Roland and by doing so¡­ Roland will confront Elias. Boom, job canceled and we''re harbored within Direfell, outside of Roland''s reach."


    "It''s a great plan," Droh rolled his eyes, "But, what if - and it''s a big if - Roch doesn''t bother with us after all? Wouldn''t we have just announced to Roland that I''m alive, and to come and get me?"


    "Then we improvise."


    Droh coughed out, "I''m sorry to say, but that doesn''t reassure me too much. Ugh, should we even be doing this? Why not just do the job and do whatever Elias tells us?"


    "I told you already, Elias is just using you while you''re still around. He won''t risk his own skin just to keep you a secret."


    Deus crooked his head to the side as he contemplated how to explain this so that Droh could understand, while also figuring out an adequate way to ensure Droh''s safety during this. "So we''ll go to the job as normal, but once it''s almost done we''ll make sure if Elias plans to string you along or not. If not, awesome, we can run off and act like this never happened. But¡­ I have a feeling that it won''t go so smoothly. Once¡­ no, if he decides to betray his agreement, then we''ll spring the trap and get the major players involved. Does that work? At that point, Roland was going to find out about you anyway."


    Droh didn''t answer for a few seconds as he thought it through. "Fine, but only after we find out for sure."


    "That''s the spirit!" Deus cheered out. "So, let me prepare the message that I''ll be broadcasting for captain Roch to hear, you know, just in case this all goes sideways."


    Time moved by quickly as Deus gave several commands to his Archive device. Droh sat there along with him and simply watched and listened, occasionally cutting in to give his opinion and feedback, even going so far as to alter the recorded message ever so slightly so it would relay the most accurate and relevant information regarding the plan and Elias in the shortest words.


    The message prepared was a last-ditch effort. A single request from two desperate men who were relying almost solely on the contents of the message to be heard by the right ears. A message that contained several trade secrets of Roland''s clan, secrets which only someone with inside information such as Droh could possibly know about. Information that could cause a sea of blood to be spilled.


    However, that wasn''t the problem. The problem was ensuring captain Roch would hear the message. Not one of his soldiers, but captain Roch himself. Anyone else would possibly pass over the message, but only Roch would stop and listen. Only he would know what some of the things that Deus mentioned meant, such as the word Transfer. Yes, Deus went as far as to ask Droh to leave for a moment so he could reveal his knowledge on the Transfer.


    One of the only instructions which Deus had been given upon his arrival in Midnight was to never admit to being from the outside. That sort of knowledge could be disastrous if the wrong ears hear about it.


    He went so far because he knew that if Roch didn''t pay them any mind, they were practically certain to die for crossing Roland and Elias. Neither Deus nor Droh currently held any external power within Direfell and were thus unable to fight back against such a dangerous clan which could impact even the mightiest trading groups.


    But, the time had come. The job was scheduled to start.


    Deus and Droh finished their preparations and made off toward Club Nova. Outside the entrance to the club stood several of Mercer''s men, as menacing as ever. They ushered them in quickly as the club centerstage was completely emptied. Clearly, someone with extraordinary sway in this place was present, because they were able to empty the entire building.


    A club like Nova would typically run as a drug den nonstop, so to empty it now was only proof of the seriousness of the task that came next. Elias couldn''t afford any strangers overhearing the next stage, nor could he stand unnecessary witnesses.


    "Deus, Droh! Welcome, welcome! Come on in, we were just getting started." Elias called over to them from across the room. Next to Elias stood several of the men from last night, along with several new faces. "Don''t mind these guys, they''re from the clan. You could say they''re here to help oversee the exchange of clan-managed equipment to all of you."

 [Vol 1, Chapter 19] Arsenal

    <div>


    "What sort of equipment are we talking about here?" Deus asked toward Elias and one of the men who stood next to him. The man appeared almost insect in nature, as his arms were nearly as long as his entire body, his face completely hairless and smooth.


    The man''s entire exoskeleton seemed to mimic that of a praying mantis. His skin dyed a dark grey as if to blend into the black sand of Midnight. He was a native of Midnight, born from the Krex species of predators who burrow beneath the sand to await prey.


    The clansman raised his head toward Deus as a smile formed on his lips, his voice raspy and cracked, "Well mister Deus, it''s Deus right? We''ve brought a fair amount of things with us today for everyone who''s working with mister Elias." The man pointed toward the club''s bar, which had its alcoholic contents replaced with bags upon bags of guns and ammo, with several exciting looking melee weapons too.


    "If you''d come with me for a moment, I''ll show you exactly what you''ll be working with," the Krex lifted up one of the heavier looking rifles, "This here is known as a Tremor. The name comes from it''s rumbling as you fire it, along with the high caliber rounds it uses."


    Deus and Droh simply nodded in approval as Elias watched them both with interest.


    "The Tremor usually is fired within close to medium range. If you have a target close enough you can rip them apart, but if they''re far enough away the bullets could drop and lose momentum. Most you''d do from a distance is leave some bruises."


    "Really? The weapon loses all lethality simply by being fired from too far away? Seems¡­ risky." Deus spoke up in concern, to which the clansman simply shook his head and sighed. "It''s easy to manufacture so it''s quite a popular gun¡­ but I can definitely see the problems, too. Well, nothing else we can do besides move onto another gun. You want to see what we have for long-range firing?"


    Deus and Droh both nodded.


    "Great!" The clansman smiled again as he lifted up another weapon, this time treating it a bit more carefully than he did the Tremor from before. "This one is a specialty of the clan¡­ the design and make of her is from master Roland himself. We call her the Dire Long-rifle. I heard it was named that in recognition to this very city where the master was born."


    Deus chuckled, "It definitely seems more impressive than the Tremor. How does it work?"


    "Excellent question!" The clansman once more smiled as he brought the weapon closer toward Deus, "You see this part here? It''s an air pressurizer, so it''s designed to draw in the oxygen in the air and fire it all out at once. Because of this piece, the weapon is capable of firing over a thousand meters in distance without losing too much killing power."


    "A thousand?!" Droh shouted out in excitement, "On the mostly flat desert ground¡­ that''s practically everything that you can see."


    "Exactly. Because of this weapon that our clan produces, Direfell and it''s powerful army have been able to hold a steady position of power within the region. From what I''ve heard there are several other territory lords who''ve tried moving in on this place¡­ but they''ve failed every time because of Direfell''s excellent weaponry."


    Elias spoke up, "That''s enough of that¡­ I''m sure we have time for a lecture another day, but not today. Hurry it along so we can get moving." He looked around and spoke again, "Also, has anyone seen that Thaddeus fellow from yesterday? Mercer!" He turned to face Deus and spoke apologetically, "Excuse me, Deus, but it seems I''ve still got some things to deal with so you can take a bit more time picking your equipment. Until next time."


    After saying his goodbyes Elias headed off toward another room, accompanied by all of the clansmen who had been originally following behind him except for the one who assisted Deus and Droh with their equipment.


    "Any interests so far?" The clansman asked the two of them, to which Deus shook his head, while Droh nodded in approval. The Dire Long-rifle had definitely drawn his attention. Not only was it surprisingly light and agile, but it also apparently held quite a surprising amount of stopping power behind it. There was a reason why that weapon was a preferred tool of Direfell''s military service.


    "Hmm." The Krex snapped it''s tongue as it looked across the equipment that had been laid out in front of them all. "Maybe these will work better for you. You''re working the vanguard on your next job, yes? I heard this from mister Elias as he explained the basic gist of the job."


    As he was speaking he had approached a table that sat toward the back of the room. Deus followed behind him as Droh stayed behind with the Dire Long-rifle as he looked everything over with a pleased grin.


    "These are the most typically used weapons of the vanguard force," He said as he lifted a silver blade into the air. Simply moving it seemed to slice through the air, creating an almost sharp ringing sound. "These beauties are usually simply called Silver Swords, but true experts of the skill refer to them as Quickblades."This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    In his hand sat a perfectly balanced sword. The edged blade thin and sharp, the metal which it was forged from was a peaceful silver. Slashing it through the air seemed to create the illusion of light as if leaving behind whispers of sound that floated in the air with each cut and slash. The blade balanced directly upon the hilt, providing the option of even turning the weapon into a throwable, as a last resort.


    Whoever had designed the blade was clearly an expert in the craft. The metal used was proof alone of that.


    "The Quickblades we have aren''t actually from Direfell or it''s factories. In truth, our clan managed to get our hands on a shipment of these beauties during a ''routine'' job." The clansman clearly didn''t want to go into further detail when discussing the job in question, simply leaving it all off with a vague expression.


    "During that time we also acquired several of these spears, would you like to take a look?"


    He put down the Quickblade and carefully lifted a new weapon into the air with an almost exaggerated gusto. "These spears are my preferred weapon, truth be told. Powerful strikes, versatile design, and fighting stances, along with a more distanced hitting range. A truly great all-rounder type of weapon. Did you know that our cities very own military captain fancies a beautiful spear, too?"


    "Captain Roch fights with a spear?" Deus sincerely asked in reply. Previously he had seen the military captain murder a man without a weapon at all, and so to know he specializes in a specific fighting style was a definite surprise. He thought to himself, ''So he truly was quite powerful, especially if he could do that without even using his weapon.''


    "Mhmm. Truth is I''ve never seen his spear myself, but from what I''ve heard¡­ it''s a true beauty. Not like this one at all. Nothing wrong with this one, that''s not what I''m saying¡­" The clansman stuttered over his own words, "But, well¡­ from what I''ve heard, it''s like nothing you''ve ever seen. That captain and his spear alone could probably take on an army singlehandedly. You know, the sort of weapon one would keep for their entire life and never replace."


    Deus sighed in shock, "I suppose if anyone in this city could afford to have such a masterwork like that, it would be him."


    "Indeed," The clansman agreed, "Oh, yes. This spear here is known as Jaeger. It''s a beautiful weapon forged from Lightstone and is as quick and light as the air itself. Don''t let that confuse you, though¡­ it''s capable of slashing and piercing through solid metal if enough force is used."


    "Impressive indeed¡­ but I think I''d like to take a further look at the Quickblade, instead." Deus proclaimed to the glee of the clansman.


    "Excellent choice sir! Come, you should see how it feels in your grasp and give it a few good slashes, just not toward me." The clansman carefully handed the Quickblade over to Deus as he took a step back to watch.


    In his hands, the Quickblade felt almost weightless. To the point of it not even existing at all. No, that wasn''t right¡­ it was more like the sword was floating in the air. It truly earned its name as being one of the lightest and fastest weapons in the clan''s arsenal.


    The stopping power it held though was not a joke, which further brought surprise to Deus''s face. To test the extent of the weapon, the clansman had brought over a fairly thick slab of metal which was destined to be smelted down anyways.


    "Come, see if you can carve this metal into two!" The clansman provoked in a playful manner.


    In reply to his provocation, Deus quickly walked over and used the sword to slash downward onto the metal, giving it a clear cut down the center. In truth, he was prepared for the blade to carve its way through a tenth of the metal before halting. But that didn''t happen. He slashed downward and the sword simply glided through the metal, as if nothing stood in its way to begin with.


    The sword aimed downward toward the earth as Deus stood there in shock. The blade had carved clear through the block of metal, leaving behind a beautifully even cut down the middle, as if it had always been two chunks of metal from the beginning.


    ''How is this possible? I know it''s a well-made sword and the material was strong¡­ but this¡­'' Deus pondered to himself as he carefully raised the sword-edge toward the sky, allowing him a clear look at the sharpness of the blade. ''Is it some sort of magic? I can''t think of any of reasoning behind this¡­ it slashed through solid metal as if it were butter.''


    Several seconds passed by quickly as Deus stared at the blade. After some time he finally spoke up as a smile formed on his lips.


    "I''ll take this one. What else you got?"


    The clansman gave a firm smile as he nodded and led Deus over toward the other side of the room. Deus held the Quickblade to his side as he followed behind the man.


    They looked through a collection of different armor pieces and grenade tools. The variety of these items was far less extensive and were thus quite easy to decide on with just a few quick glances. Usually, each member of a team would arm themselves with some sort of healing tool, or at least a numbing injection to deal with pain while fighting.


    It was surprisingly rare for soldiers to arm themselves with grenades, but for a dangerous and elite job like this one, each member had been assigned a grenade type of their choice.


    The types ranged from electronic to explosive, even with the occasional hydrogen packs. But the worst of all was the anti-matter grenades¡ªwhich were far rarer and far more dangerous than any other type of grenade and would only be allocated to their team leader, Elias.


    After some time waiting, Thaddeus finally arrived and armed himself. He chose the Jaeger spear as his primary weapon while arming himself with an explosive grenade. Droh chose the Dire Long-rifle along with an electronic grenade, as predetermined by him and Deus.


    Deus, however, chose the Quickblade as his primary tool for fighting, but instead of a grenade, he opted for a smaller hand-cannon styled pistol. The pistol was designed using basic stone and metal, with a small air pressurizer attached to aid it''s firing range.


    It wouldn''t be able to mimic the distance of the Dire Long-rifle, but it was worthwhile nonetheless. Plus, it allowed Deus to substitute his sword''s weakness at fighting at range with a pistol, which increased his fighting capability tremendously.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 20] Red versus Blue

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    Elias stood ahead of everyone else present, accompanied by a small platoon of his clan''s infantry. With a smug smirk spreading across his lips as he stared at his newly formed team, he began to speak, "I''m glad to see you all here, so eagerly awaiting what is to come. Allow me to explain in a bit more detail exactly what we''ll be doing¡­ so come closer so you can all watch."


    Two men rolled out a small table in front of Elias, on it sat several little baubles. Two different colors, blue and red. The blue baubles represented friendlies, while red represented hostiles. There sat a single baton on the table, which would go on to represent the Midnight Centipede, or so Elias declared.


    "We''ll be taking one of the clan''s desert-sailing ships, it''s designed in such a way that it can quickly glide across the sand while avoiding rocks and debris as it moves. The ship has no guns of its own, however, it''s extremely durable along its bottom bow and sides."


    Elias paused for a moment to clear his throat.


    "These little things will represent our crew. There are eleven of them in total, however, only six of them are of importance. This one is me, this one is Thaddeus, and this one is Deus." He continued to point from each different bauble one after the other, placing them down onto the table accurately to coincide with their positions on the team, from vanguard being placed in front while the gunners remained in the back along with the pilot and engineer.


    "This little thing will represent Droh, our navigator, and gunner. Hmm, I think we''ll keep this one, Mercer, next to him." He picked up the last bauble and looked toward the older man Rufus, "This one will be you. You''ll, of course, be in the back along with the gunners, ensuring nothing goes wrong with our ship."


    "Aye, I can definitely do that," Rufus murmured out through his ruffled mustache. "Quick question, you said there was eleven of us, and yet only six of us on this job?"


    "Ah yes, right." Elias lifted up the last five baubles into his hand and nonchalantly placed them down on the table around the gunners and pilot. "These five will represent the clansman that I''ll be bringing with me to help oversee the ship and our supplies. After all, I can''t afford to have anything happen to our clan''s precious weapons during all this, so they''ll be responsible for the trivial shit."


    Everyone nodded in approval. This was Elias''s plan and equipment after all, so there wasn''t much anyone could openly oppose without making enemies.


    "These ones, however, will represent our hostiles," Elias pointed toward a pile of red baubles that sat sideways on the table. "The big question is, how many enemies are there and how can we plan ahead for them?"


    Mercer coughed out in interruption, "Normally it would be impossible sir, but with your clan''s great power it would be simplicity itself to scout out the enemy."


    "Err¡­" Elias stared at Mercer, annoyed, "I was getting to that¡­ but yes, it''s as you say. In order to prepare for any situation, I had a squad of scouts sent out beforehand to evaluate the area while making sure the enemy didn''t spot them."


    He picked up the red baubles and slowly began to place them on the table in an organized manner.


    "From our reports, the enemy ranks contain seventeen officers and two heavy weapon experts. Walking drones. We''ll need to make sure our vanguard avoids the heavier stuff while our gunners concentrate fire on the weak spots of armor¡­ if we can''t even manage two of them we''ll be the laughing stock of the clan."


    Up until this point, everyone had remained relatively calm and collected. It was only upon hearing about the heavy armored foes did some of the crew begin to sweat.


    Rufus simply chuckled under his breath as Thaddeus stared menacingly at the table as if plotting out every fine detail in his head. Deus was double checking the placement to ensure he would be at a safe enough distance from Elias in case he has to send the broadcast. The only two members of the crew who had begun to panic so were Mercer and Droh.


    They both seemed to be a bit upset at the notion that they held sole responsibility for dealing with the heavier threats. It only made sense, of course, since the weapons typically used by vanguard operatives didn''t have enough stopping power to cut through heavy armor, to say nothing of the threat of exchanging close-range fire with them.


    It had been proven time and time again that the best counter to heavy armor was to hit them with powerful stopping force, which could only be safely delivered from a distance.


    There were cases of certain vanguard fighters taking on heavy armored enemies face to face, but those sort of battles could only be described as uncommonly rare. The military captain, Roch, for example, could probably take on that fight. Roland, as well. But such legendary and dangerous individuals were few and far between.


    "So, we''ll have the gunners take on the heavily armored enemies, however, while they''re busy with that the vanguard members Deus, Thaddeus, and I will be quite busy ourselves with their ground troops. Don''t get too relaxed, it''ll still be practically a one against five fight for each of us."


    Elias looked at Deus and Thaddeus both as he continued, "If you don''t think you can take on those numbers, speak up now. If you die, you die¡­ but if you get someone else killed, well¡­ I''ll make sure you don''t even get a peaceful rest in the goddamn afterlife. Each of us has a critical role to play, so don''t squander someone else''s efforts by fucking up."


    The room went quiet for a moment as Elias''s words seemed to soak into the air.


    His main point, of course, was ''don''t fuck up.''


    "Now, let''s move onto the actual plan, shall we?" Elias finally spoke up, interrupting the silence. "For the first stage of the plan, we''ll be sailing over toward the primary location quietly. We''ll stop approximately three hundred meters away, hidden behind a large overhanging cliff. From there our vanguard, myself, Thaddeus, and Deus will take our spots ahead of everyone. On a single command, we''ll all charge over the hill and take on their ground forces directly, while being provided covering fire by our gunners, who''ll be Mercer, Droh, and some of the clansmen I''ll be bringing along with us."


    He paused.


    "Hmm, the main point is to provide a covering fire to allow our vanguard to approach without being caught up in the open. If we can manage that without mistake, we''ll be in a much better situation once we''ve actually begun to fully engage."Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    Everyone nodded in approval, showing their understanding of the plan.


    "Good. After we''ve covered the distance and arrived before our enemies, our ship will be commanded by Rufus here," Elias gestured toward the older man, Rufus, "He''ll sail the ship over the cliff edge and down toward the main battle. By doing this our vanguard will draw their attention and fire as we would''ve already taken cover behind some crates or rocks, but once our ship arrives, their attention will be practically evenly split."


    ''I see, so he intends to use the art of overwhelming his opponent quickly to win? It could work, but it''s relatively random¡­ it''ll all depend on the mentality and fortitude of the soldiers who we''ll be fighting.'' Deus pondered to himself as he listened.


    "Our gunners will be protected by the main hull of the ship, providing them with the superior height advantage, while our vanguard will be given covering fire, which will comfortably allow us to take on our opponents directly. You see, this should all be done and over with quickly before they can even manage to send out an alert."


    The man who stood in the corner spoke up in a rough and cold voice, "What happens when they call for reinforcements?"


    Everyone glanced over at the man, Thaddeus, and awaited Elias''s response.


    "You seem confident that they''ll be able to send an alert¡­ do you know something that I do not?"


    "Hmph." Thaddeus chuckled in a sinister tone, "We should always be prepared for anything and everything. To simply neglect that side of things because we''re confident in ourselves is the definition of foolishness. Tell me, do you have a plan for such an inevitability?"


    "I do," Elias spoke out sternly, "Since you''re so interested in the fine details of this operation, I''ll explain."


    Elias took something off his belt, a miniature electronic device with only a single button sitting atop it. "This here is a jam-"


    "An electronic jammer?!" Mercer shouted out in interruption, to the annoyance of Elias.


    "Yes¡­ it''s as you said, this here is an electronic jammer¡­ an EMP pretty much. They''re rare, immensely so. After all, there''s not much out there that can completely negate the use of powered weaponry. I had to get this little fellow from Roland himself."


    Everyone present simply sighed. Such an item was above most people present, and the very idea of it being used during this operation could be very beneficial to their success rate. Clearly, Elias cared deeply for this job and had thus invested quite a small fortune into it.


    Electronic Pulse weapons designed to negate or even fully disable electronically powered weapons and armors are rare, so rare that only high ranking officers and powerful clans even have them, and only those with extraordinary positions would be permitted to use them freely.


    There are electronic weapons which the common-folk can use, such as the electronic grenade which Droh has equipped, but these two weapons vary significantly.


    For starters, the grenade Droh has is only capable of creating a tiny electronic explosion, which at most can freeze and rupture computers and electronic devices, not disable them. Also, an EMP device is not simply a single-use item. The only thing preventing Elias from continuously using the weapon is its charge, which needs to be reset after each use.


    "So now you all understand¡­ yes, I''m confident in our success rate as a team. You see, even if one of them attempts to call for help, which they will, I''ll move in myself and activate this. The device itself is relatively short-ranged, so our gunners should be fine from a distance to continue attacking."


    Elias glanced over at Deus and continued, "Thankfully it seems our vanguard forces have all picked melee weapons that don''t rely on electronic energy to function, so our fighting force shouldn''t take too much of a hit. Our opponents, however, will be practically crippled. Hell, I''m hoping this bad boy can even disable those heavy armored drones they''ve got, just long enough for our shooters to take them out."


    Again, everyone present nodded their heads in approval, to show that they understood everything up until this point.


    "Now, onto the last and most important part of this operations," Elias spoke out clearly, to redraw everyone''s attention back at himself. "The centipede."


    As he said that, several of his clansmen gave out verbal grunts and sighs, while Droh and Mercer gulped down a deep breathe. Fear spread quickly at the thought of it, after all, the centipede wasn''t designed for aggressive combat, and would thus be ineffective against their vanguard force. The ship, however, was a prime target for such a large worm designed to quite literally carve apart metal.


    Droh, Mercer, Rufus, and the five clansmen would have to face the midnight centipede off directly, while also providing covering fire for the vanguard forces so they weren''t wiped out. This entire job needed to be meticulously planned and executed. One mistake could cost the operation and their lives.


    What would happen if Elias failed to stop any outgoing broadcasts? They could quickly become overwhelmed and executed for treason against Direfell and it''s lord commander.


    What would happen if their gunners failed to provide sufficient covering fire for their vanguard forces to move in and take out the ground troops? The vanguard would be overwhelmed and captured, thus ending once again, in execution for treason. Even if anyone managed to get away after the failure of this operation, Roland would most definitely hunt any survivors down and kill them for abandoning his second-in-command, and a war may even break out between the two factions.


    This entire operation could either spell disaster for everyone involved, or it could signal the rise of a new powerful force with the wealth to back it up.


    There was an issue, though. Elias''s jamming device would completely block all broadcasts, regardless of who sent it. Meaning, of course, that Deus''s backup plan could easily be uprooted with a single press of a button. All his planning could be ruined in an instant.


    Elias continued with his explanation, "The centipede will absolutely focus on the ship as its primary target, after all, it''s just a machine designed to take the most logical step. The big question is¡­ how do we deal with a monster like that which is known to be able to regenerate itself over time using the metal it''s eaten and stored within its metallic stomach?"


    Mercer gave out an audible gulp as he heard this. "I-it can heal itself?"


    "Mhmm." Elias nodded.


    "Usually it has no reason to, after all, no one would be brave or stupid enough to attack them¡­ well, until later today that is. Roland so kindly explained to me exactly how they worked so that I wouldn''t get myself killed doing something stupid. From what I''ve been told, those worms aren''t built to fight¡­ only to eat. So, I thought¡­ why not give it something to fill up on?"


    "Wait, you''re going to feed the damn thing?" Deus spoke up in confusion.


    "Hah, indeed so. In fact, I''m going to give that thing a feast it''ll never forget." Elias smiled as he gestured towards one of his clansman, who in turn brought over a moderately sized crate.


    "In here is what I''ll be feeding it. We''ll put it inside some metal and drop it directly into its fat gullet. As it chews down¡­ boom."


    "Boom?" Droh mimicked in question.


    "Yep, boom. The damn thing eats any metal we throw at it, right? So why not let it eat a damn bomb? Hell, the dumb thing will do our job for us if we simply let it. It''s designed to chew down any metal, even if we end up missing its giant mouth, it''ll still dive for the metal crate eventually."


    The room quickly filled with silence as everyone processed the plan.


    So stage one was rather straightforward. Charge in, and overwhelm their enemies with firepower. Stage two, however, was a bit more difficult. Not only that, but it just kept getting more difficult the further along they''d get. Could it all work out in their favor? Absolutely. Would it, though, was the real question. They''d have to be gambling with fate for everything to go off without a hitch.


    Elias chuckled under his breath as he glanced across the room. Everyone seemed a bit shaken by everything, from the dangerous plan all the way to the thought of facing off against the thrashing mawed midnight centipede. Every person here had an important job, even the clansmen they''d be bringing along would be responsible for dropping the explosive payload down onto the worm, if they failed, it could result in everyone on the ship''s gruesome deaths.


    It was all so risky. So much so that some of them even questioned if the potential pay was even worth everything. Those thoughts disappeared quickly, though, because Elias had already told everyone that their decisions had been made the moment they stuck around.


    Cutting through the silence that had bled through the air, Elias asked, "So, who''s ready to get started?"

 [Vol 1, Chapter 21] A New Variable

    <div>


    The Nijaden sailed across the desert surface. It was a powerful ship crafted from a thick and sturdy metal known as debratium, famed as a well-rounded metal by most scholars and forgers throughout Midnight. Not only that, but It was also relatively cheap for the price, making it a preferred material by most craftsman.


    From the top, the entire ship formed off into the shape of a crown as several crow''s nests sat at the ready throughout. The entire ship angled into a point as the front bow created an almost blade to carve through both the air and desert as it sailed.


    From the bottom of the Nijaden, the metal formed into a wing as it flowed through the passing desert, leaving behind a wave in the black sand as if they were gliding through an invisible water.


    The ship sailed through the sand with a purpose, it''s speed was quite impressive to behold as a roaring engine sounded off, flames blowing behind them from several exhaust pipes to create momentum.


    Time had quickly passed as the violet hue that soaked through the air had begun to fall, replacing itself with a more tranquil amethyst shade. The world had changed as a new color bled through everything. Several days, or whatever could be considered as days, had passed by in the blink of an eye.


    Atop the ship, several men moved about roughly as they carried one crate after another. These were the clansmen who Elias had brought along for the more trivial physical labor. Below the deck within the cabins, Elias rested. Rufus, however, stood at the control mechanism as one of the clansmen stood along with him, helping him with whatever he needed to ensure a safe and peaceful journey.


    Everything had been going smoothly so far as they all mentally and physically prepared themselves for the battle ahead.


    Deus and Droh stood together on the bow of the ship, away from earshot of everyone else present. The sound of passing sand rumbled beneath them as they quietly discussed.


    With a faint cough, Deus spoke, "Droh, what should we do about that electronic jammer? If Elias uses it¡­ it''ll ruin our broadcast."


    "Hm," Droh mumbled under his breath for a moment as he pondered aloud, "That jammer definitely is going to be an issue¡­ but it''s not designed to kill electronics forever. At most, it should take your radio-archive thingy offline for a few minutes, usually just enough time to finish off the major parts of this job."


    "So you''re saying we should just continue as normal?"


    "Probably, yeah. The broadcast was the last resort to use after the heist, right? It can still be used like that, you just won''t be able to use it during the heist¡­ as an emergency. You could use it beforehand, but that could be disastrous if Elias was actually planning on cutting us loose."


    "It''s unlikely that was the case, but I get what you''re saying. Alright, we''ll keep things as is for now¡­ and wait. Now, about our placements in this job."


    Deus went on about the predetermined roles they''d each play during the heist.


    "You''ll be positioned atop the ship with Mercer, Rufus, and those clansmen. That Rufus fellow and the clansmen shouldn''t be too much of an issue, after all, they shouldn''t have too much invested in watching you¡­ but Mercer¡­ he knows that you were coerced into cooperating, which means he is the most likely to be a threat to you."


    "Right." Droh nodded his head in approval.


    "So¡­ how do we handle Mercer without giving ourselves away? The best option we have at the moment would probably to have the centipede attack the ship and distract Mercer, which would allow you to get some distance away from him¡­ but that itself would only draw attention."


    Droh simply stood there and listened while Deus seemed to be considering all sorts of different plans.


    "This entire heist is nothing but trouble¡­" Deus sighed as he spoke, "Perhaps the best thing to do would be nothing at all. After all, the best defense is a good offense. Maybe instead of sitting back and waiting to see if we end up stuck in some sort of trap, what we should be doing is taking the fight to them. You know, fight back and stick to the plan and all that. Show off a bit, make an example out of everything."Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Droh tilted his head to the side as he questioned, "I''ll take your word for it, but do you really think we shouldn''t have any plan for Mercer? None at all? In fact, don''t you think simply being showy about everything could be even more disastrous if the wrong person sees us?"


    Deus grumbled to himself as he attempted to answer, "It''s a good question... and I don''t know if it''s the best choice for the moment, but it''s all I''ve got without going crazy. After all, you don''t want to make an enemy out of Elias unless we seriously have to, so that sort of limits our maneuvers down to just a few options."


    Deus paused for a moment to think, continuing with his thought after some time.


    "Truth be told, even if we made a plan for Mercer¡­ it would probably end up being trampled during the attack anyway. The fewer steps we have for success, the higher our chances of victory. We''re already battling the odds on this heist even ending with our lives intact... to add even more variables to it now would only be disastrous."


    "I suppose," The little Faun boy sighed to himself, "Then I should get back to work before Elias notices me slacking off."


    "Work?" Deus asked in shock, "I was told to get myself prepared beforehand¡­ and to not worry about any sort of work¡­"


    Droh nodded his head. With another heavy sigh, he replied, "I don''t doubt that¡­ in fact, besides Rufus over there no one else has any work to do¡­ I think it''s just Elias mocking me."


    "I see," Deus finally understood. Elias had given Droh a job so he wouldn''t end up feeling too comfortable. There was clearly still an unspoken conflict between them.


    "Well, I''ll let you get back to whatever Elias has you doing¡­ don''t overdo it, but you know that already."


    With that, Deus walked off, leaving Droh behind as he went back to his work. Deus continued on up the perch, shortly arriving within the control room. It was a solid room built atop the ship, a sturdy roof and walls surrounded it as bars covered the open ports, allowing sight outward.


    As Deus walked further inside the room he could hear the sound of discussion. He continued to walk toward the source of the noise, only to discover the older pilot, Rufus, chatting loudly with one of the clansmen. The two seemed utterly bored as they laughed about nothing in particular.


    It seemed that Rufus was doing everything within his power to get involved with the members of the clan, even going as far as to befriend a few grunt workers. Anything would work for him, most likely. The end goal, obviously, was that he receive an invitation to join the clan. That''s also the reason why Rufus had agreed to take the smallest portion of wealth from the end-job, it was all in an attempt to secure a place within this organization.


    "Ah, Deus right? Come, come!" Rufus called out. He was dressed in an old dirtied workman suit, the tan colors permanently dyed with a charcoal powder, as if he were once a well-off sophisticated fellow, but now he had to dirty his hands in order to make a living. He gave off an impression of friendliness and warmth, something quite rare for a place such as this.


    "Mister Rufus, I would love to join you but I''ve things to prepare," Deus explained, "I hope you''re not too bothered, but I''ll be on my way."


    "Hmm, true... where are my manners, please, don''t let me disturb you any further."


    Rufus apologized, revealing an almost comically innocent sight as he lowered himself to speak. "We should be arriving soon, so you best be ready."


    Deus nodded in acknowledgment. "Then I''ll be off."


    Once more, Deus hurried further onward down the doorway, heading down into the ship interior. A dark, musty smell took over as the air seemed almost too passive. The tunnels were lit only by a faint flickering light, one which would often strobe on and off as the ship rocked and shook as it sailed through the desert.


    Deus hurried down the passageway, crossing past several ajar doors as he headed further inside. The sound of sharpening metal echoed out of one room that he passed, while another gave out a faint clicking noise as one of the clansmen sat inside loading the ammunition into the weapons.


    As Deus lurked, he began to slow his pace as he overheard a mumbling from behind one of the closed doors. The room in question was one which Elias had left unattended, going as far as to instruct the crew to stay out, and so for anyone to be hidden within should be a major red flag.


    Deus slowly approached the door as he glanced around. It wasn''t long until he had arrived before it and had his ear carefully against the metal. All he could make out were a few mumbles, but it was enough to stir his curiosity. If it was only Elias making a report then he wouldn''t need to do so in secret.


    Several seconds passed as Deus attempted to eavesdrop on this mysterious scenario. From the other side of the door, someone may be plotting. Was it against Deus and Droh? In benefit? Or simply a mysterious third-party? Or was this all simply in his head, and this situation is the norm for a place like this? These were all questions which Deus had thought of, but had no way to know for certain.


    Just as quickly as he had arrived, the sound of shuffling could be heard from the other side of the door. It grew louder as the sounds of footsteps slowly approached the door, causing Deus to quietly duck into another room that sat adjacent.


    As Deus held his breath, the door slowly creaked open as a cloaked man lurked out of the room, glancing around slightly as he moved on.


    ''Wait...'' Deus thought to himself in shock, ''Wasn''t that... what was his name?''


    Several seconds quickly passed as Deus struggled to remember. With a mental flash, he nearly shouted the name aloud.


    ''Thaddeus!''

 [Vol 1, Chapter 22] Friend or Foe?

    <div>


    ''Thaddeus?'' Deus questioned himself again, again feeling overwhelmed by concern and fear for what came next. If Thaddeus had been plotting something behind their back, then what else could happen during this operation that was beyond his expectations? Why was it that Deus had planned for everyone from Mercer to Elias, even Rufus acting against him, but had failed to even consider the possibility of Thaddeus acting out? Was it arrogance, or perhaps it was simply inevitable.


    ''Dammit, he was far too quiet¡­ so much so I didn''t even notice him until it was too late¡­'' Deus shook his head, angrily biting down on his lip as he considered everything. ''I''m in the middle of enemy territory¡­ how the hell did I forget that? I got too lax for my own good, and now I''ve let a potential threat sneak past me and directly into the middle of this operation.''


    Deus quietly lurked out of the side-room which he had previously stashed himself in as he waited for the cloaked Thaddeus to wander out. He headed toward the room which Elias had assigned him as his mind continued to wander from one dangerous circumstance to the next.


    It didn''t take long for him to arrive within his assigned room. He closed the heavy door behind him with a strained push as he walked further inside, toward the small bunk which would serve as his bed. Atop it sat a stack of supplies, including the equipment he''d gathered from his unfriendly visit with Marigold.


    He shuffled through the pile of things, awkwardly sorting through everything as he seemed almost set on finding something in specific.


    ''I stashed it here somewhere, right?'' He asked himself.


    With a heavy yank, he pulled out a familiar looking metal device from the luggage of junk he''d brought aboard. His Archive device.


    The battery was dangerously low, low enough where the machine itself had warned him that a single scan would render the device void of power. He could send out one more message, or commence with a single scan, either way, the device would die unless it received a sufficient charge.


    "Archive, power on."


    Beep! A single tone sounded as the Archive device powered on from its standby phase. It was originally on standby to preserve power, however, it was able to re-active with a command. It was dangerous, though, since the battery would continue to drain far quicker the more processes were active.


    "Archive is online. Power at dangerously low levels, usability - minimal." The machine spoke back in a monotone voice as Deus shuffled it in his hands.


    "Archive¡­ give me a basic calculation, no need for detailed analyses or scans." Deus ordered, "Check your database for everything I''ve told you regarding this assignment. I''ve prepared precautions against every member of the team who I deemed a potential threat. So, how did I miss Thaddeus?"


    The handheld computer took several moments to give a reply. It had most likely agreed with his advice and searched through its database for any relevant previous inquiries.


    The machine itself was old and unappealing, but the artificial intelligence - or so Deus referred to it as - was the outcome of his worlds combined efforts in the study for creating new life. It wasn''t human, but it wasn''t that far off. It was capable of some amazing things, but unfortunately, most of its functions were locked behind virtual shackles which were implemented in its original installation.


    The idea of a fully autonomous artificial intelligence frightened its creators, and thus precautions had to be met. One such precaution was to limit its capabilities to the absolute minimum it would require to function correctly. Normally if you ordered the system to scan you, it would be capable of scanning everything within you, down to the molecular level. However, because of the limitations set on it, it was limited to a far less intrusive scan.


    Deus always wondered what the Archive could accomplish if unshackled, but he had no clue where to even begin with such a plot. An unshackled AI could probably reveal the secrets stashed within itself, while as it was now, not even his own name could be shared if it did indeed still hold that information.


    The Archive replied to his earlier question, "New threat confirmed; Thaddeus. Files report this man as being potentially hostile, with unknown allegiances. From previous inquiries, it was confirmed that he was recruited by Mercer to cooperate with the operation, why is unknown. His skills and abilities are currently unknown."


    "Yeah, I know all of that already¡­ blasted machine." Deus cursed out, "What I''m trying to ask is if I overlooked anything that could lead him to be a threat to my plans¡­"The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "Question accepted. Commencing basic analyses through the database for a correct response, one-moment Experiment X-Z-001."


    ''That''s a name I haven''t heard in a while¡­ shit, I still don''t even know what I was an experiment of. I''ve got quite the busy schedule, don''t I?''


    A moment passed as the mechanical voice spoke again, "According to reported information and constructed files, Experiment X-Z-001 has not overlooked anything significant that would leave behind speculations on that individual''s loyalty or threat-level."


    That report shocked Deus more so than if the machine claimed he did overlook something. "Wait, if even you think that¡­ then why the hell is Thaddeus even relevant? How did he sneak past not only my sight but even yours?" Deus revealed quite the ugly face as he thought aloud, "What are you planning¡­ Thaddeus. Who are you? What makes you tick?"


    Beep. "Question unknown. Please rephrase the inquiry before asking again, as no response could be calculated."


    "What?" Deus coughed out, "Wait, no¡­ I wasn''t asking you about his ticks¡­ I was just¡­" He stood up, "Ah, forget it!"


    The Archive gave out a faint noise as it was powering back down, the lights on the front of the device decayed away into nothing.


    Noticing this, Deus reassured himself, "I suppose it''s for the best¡­ I''ve got to save the charge for when I really need it. Now, time to make preparations for Thaddeus¡­ whatever he''s planning, I can''t let myself get caught up in it. I will prevail, I will survive¡­ I will find out what that person meant when they left me in this place with a warning to be careful. Hell, I''ll find out who they were and make them answer me, no matter what."


    Deus nodded his head, a pleased grin began to grow on his face as he thought through everything that came next. Thaddeus wasn''t as significant in the grand scheme of things as some other things were, or so Deus claimed. He wouldn''t let himself be taken advantage of by anyone, not as long as he could help it. Elias used him, Droh mostly likely used him¡ªin which he used him in return, so they''re relatively even¡ªand Deus believed it was his turn to gain something from another.


    "So, Thaddeus huh? Right¡­ not a prob-"


    Right as Deus was getting started on his counterplan, The Nijaden shook violently. Numerous items instantly shot off their shelves, crashing onto the ground with a solid thud. The room had turned to mayhem in only a few seconds, and all Deus could do to stop it was to throw caution to the wind and dive down for the falling items in an attempt to catch them before they fell.


    Some of these items were relatively fragile, from a few lone grenades which had been given to him for this operation, to even an earpiece designed to allow people to discuss in real time with their allies, even at a distance.


    The earpieces were all simply local transmission, meaning they were relatively cheap and easy to make, only requiring you to be within transmission range with another device to create a relay. They couldn''t be used from too far away, and thus they were rarely relied upon unless used for traceless communication.


    Over a loudspeaker, a voice spoke to everyone aboard the ship. The origin of the voice seemed to be the old pilot, Rufus. He tamely spoke, "Pardon the sudden stop, everyone¡­ but it seems we''ve arrived. I''ve landed us behind one of the cliffsides, awaiting your command mister Elias, sir."


    With that sudden proclamation, the ship transformed into a hubbub of loud noises and hurrying. The clansmen dived in and out of different rooms as they roughly and loudly lugged the heavy weapons and equipment out from the lower deck onto the top deck. The weapons were gathered in one spot, while the general equipment was all tossed together into a small cubby hole that sat comfortably into the side of the wall.


    Deus placed the Archive device into his front pocket in a hurry as he haphazardly threw whichever tunic sat on the top of his pile of clothing at the time. It was a plain black shirt, a few loose threads on the sleeves as the line work was handmade and provided by the clan.


    The clan had provided practically everything aboard the ship, in fact. From the food to the weapons, even the clothing, and bunks. It was Elias''s way of showing off his influence without making a big show of it. After all, this wasn''t the sort of place you''d easily acquire a bulk amount of ease-of-life things, not unless you held considerable power and had nothing to truly fear.


    Of course, Elias''s lack of fear stemmed from relying too heavily on Roland and the influence he''s acquired over the years. After all, it''s Roland who holds the ears of lords and possesses grand weapons and powers, not Elias. No, Elias had simply glided through life by relying on Roland''s success and never fully understood just how difficult this world could be to those with no power to fight back.


    The ship was filled with a loud excitement that seemed to rock everyone aboard to the very core. This was the moment they''ve all been waiting for. From this point onward, they''d either make themselves rich beyond their dreams or they''d just have to simply risk death, there could be no turning back now, for anyone. Everyone had their plots, their secrets, but only one of them would truly succeed. That was what it meant to live within Midnight.


    It was finally time to challenge Direfell''s overwhelming military force.


    As everyone came together to fight and steal, the world of Midnight seemed to almost pause, as if awaiting the bloodbath that would soon arrive. To soak in the blood of the fallen through the black salt of the desert. To destroy or to be destroyed. That was the way of life within Midnight, within this place it had been chosen to give form to a demon that would come to devour all that touched the sky.


    It was time once again to give form to that which should not exist. Just as the monarch who conquered everything did before, a hundred-thousand-years prior.


    The one who laid the foundation for the grand Empire, an order which has ruled for ages. The same order which some say the Grandmaster himself belonged to.


    One forged through blood by an irregular force¡ªan outsider. Only he could challenge the status quo. Only he may disrupt the plots laid out before him.


    Only he¡ªwho is capable of accepting incredible risk¡ªmay survive this place. A hellscape that will span beyond the stars. To uncover the secrets hidden beneath the black sand of Midnight, a forgotten land of regret and hatred.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 23] Change of Plans

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    "All of you, ready your weapons and brace for impact!" Elias shouted out over the Nijaden, his voice carrying through the inner corridors of the ship as everyone gathered up top. Deus panicked as he paced around his cabin in a hurry, quickly and hysterically grabbing for everything he thought he''d need during this fight.


    "Damn it, damn it!" He cursed aloud to himself, "I suppose I can''t have prepared for everything¡­ I''ll just have to wing it for Thaddeus."


    The Nijaden had begun moving again as a rough scratching sound shot through the air. They were sailing toward the enemy location, directly into the enemy''s nest.


    With everything packed and prepared, Deus ascended toward the top of the ship, breaching out into the outside. Several straps sat across his chest and legs as different things dangled, from a small satchel of grenades which Elias had given him, to his pistol that he had selected over an alternative - more expensive - grenade.


    His sword draped across his back as he rushed over toward Elias, who had the most sinister of smiles glued onto his face.


    "Elias! What the hell is going on¡­ why are we moving?"


    Elias turned to face Deus as a haunting chuckle escaped his lungs, "Hah! I''ve unloaded most of the boys down onto that ridge over there!" He pointed off toward a large wave of black salt which had formed into an overarching ridge, "I decided on a new plan while I was meditating. Why charge our enemies on foot and use the ship as cover when we can just use the ship as a means to plant us directly on them."


    Deus stared at Elias slack-jawed and concerned, "But what about the centipede?"


    Elias chuckled out another guttural laugh, "I''ve prepared for that, of course. You see, during my mediation¡­ I had a burst of genius hit me¡­"


    "Oh, did you now¡­" Deus did not seem convinced.


    "Oh, don''t look at me like that. I''ve brought along something spectacular with us today, something that Roland had wanted me to test around with¡­ so I figured, why not test it here and now? It would be the perfect opportunity to do so, after all."


    Deus stared at Elias in concern and anger as he asked, "So we''re going to be relying on something untested? Why change the plan so suddenly¡­ unless this was the plan from the start¡­"


    "Heh. I don''t like what you''re implying, Deus. Are you trying to claim that I lied to everyone?" Elias accepted Deus''s verbal challenge and met it head-on.


    "I''m not implying anything, I''m simply saying how convenient it is that the plan was changed so suddenly even after you had already laid everything out in front of us¡­ Oh no, I''m simply saying just how convenient it is that you had just the little experiment lined up for this exact situation."


    Elias and Deus met eyes for a moment as they both attempted to ascertain the other''s intentions. Elias was ensuring there were no traitors among his group, while Deus was protecting himself and Droh.


    "Oh don''t you worry, the plan is still the same¡­ we''ve just got different placements. Here, take a look¡­" Elias gestured off toward the ridge, "The gunners are already prepared up top, and once we''ve started taking fire¡­ they are to provide us with a suppressive covering fire."


    A siren exploded forth from the ship as Deus turned his attention forward, toward the enemy camp. Rufus spoke over the loudspeaker to everyone onboard, "Enemy forces have taken notice of us, prepare yourselves, we''re about to take fire!"


    With that declaration, the ship rocked as the sounds of explosions erupted through the air around them. They had begun to take on enemy fire as they continued to decrease their distance.


    The Nijaden sailed closer and closer toward the enemy as the hull of the ship had been coated in shrapnel. It was only thanks to the sturdy metal which the Nijaden was built from that the enemy fire hadn''t pierced their ship.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    In reality, even if their ship was still in an undamaged condition, that didn''t mean it hadn''t been rocking and shaking under the stress.


    Deus lifted his head over the railing, allowing himself a clear view of the enemy encampment. He could only do this for a moment before his exposed self-became target for enemy fire.


    "Oh my lord¡­ the centipede has begun to move¡­" He grumbled to himself as he lowered his revealed face back down, safely behind the sturdy railing which acted as a barrier.


    "Elias! The centipede is coming!"


    "The centipede is coming already?" Elias replied back as his eyebrows rose in exclamation, "Fine then, Deus, come with me below deck¡­ it''s time to bring out the welcoming party!"


    ''The welcoming party? What the hell is he planning?'' Deus thought as he hurriedly followed Elias down into the inner levels of the ship.


    They passed by several previously occupied rooms as they stopped before the last door in the corridor. Elias had specifically declared this room restricted. It was one of only a handful of rooms which were off limits, this room and the room which Thaddeus had been previously snooping around in.


    Elias approached the door in a rush as he shoved it open, the entire corridor and ship rocked as a heavy impact collided with the hull. The screeching sound of the midnight centipede echoed through the air as if to declare that impending doom was approaching with every passing breath.


    "Come on, we don''t have much time!" Elias shouted out as he ran inside, ignoring the pitch blackness that had overtaken the now opened room.


    Deus followed slowly behind him, carefully extending his arms out in front to ensure he didn''t slam into a wall. As he did, the ship once again shook as a thunderous clash bellowed out from around them, dust came flying off the rafters down through the air.


    From the other side of the room, Elias pulled a switch that sat on the wall. As he did, a faint light illuminated the room as it flickered on and off. Deus glanced around, and to his shock and concern, he saw what appeared to be a massive gun sat on a rotational plate.


    "What the hell is that thing?" Deus asked, a stern glare on his face.


    In response, Elias simply gave out a slight shrug as he approached it, gliding his hand across the metal''s soft sheen. "This, my good sir, is a ballista. You see, our clan specializes in weapons, as you can imagine, so we''ve been working hard on this new tool."


    "A ballista?"


    "Exactly. We''ve taken to calling it the Skyfire, and it''s designed to be the perfect counter against those worms¡­ after all, this entire time we''ve been forced to run in fear at the sight of ''em, but now, now we''ve got the means to win."


    Deus looked over the ballista, Skyfire, with a concerned but also slightly impressed face. His eyebrows rose as he noticed the mechanism attached to the weapon, which seemed to be built to allow the ballista free motion as it took aim. "Wait, but how are we going to get it upstairs? Just look at it, it won''t fit through the hallway like that."


    The ship underwent yet another violent upset as even more dust came falling through the ceiling. "That''s the beauty of it. Here, go grab that lever over there and hold on tight, don''t pull it until I give the order!"


    Elias rushed into action as he clambered up the side of the Skyfire. He placed his feet firmly against the metal as he hunched behind the ballista in a predetermined spot. While he did that, Deus had moved over toward his spot and awaited further instruction. He was still rather concerned, but he was also slightly excited to see what Elias had planned in order for him to be so confident. The more he could learn, the better.


    Screeee! A terrifying tremor rocked through the thick metal hull as the mighty midnight centipede arrived upon the Nijaden. Planting itself firmly beneath them, it used the strength of the earth beneath it to spring itself further towards them in order to take out a huge chunk from their ship. The enemy opposition ceased their firing as to not accidentally harm their own weapon.


    "Pull the lever!" Elias bellowed out from the deepest depths of his lungs, his shout even being heard from everywhere aboard the ship.


    As instructed, Deus gave a firm tug against the lever. At first, it didn''t release, instead, it tightened up as rust began to weigh on it. After several panicked attempts, the lever gave way and moved, creating a domino effect that opened an unnoticed hatch, revealing lights and sounds from outside as a trapdoor slowly opened.


    In order not to fall out, Deus clamped down firmly against the lever and hand-rail as the bottom of the Nijaden opened up to reveal the outside. The ballista began to slowly move as the sounds of an engine started. Elaborate mechanisms started to act as the Skyfire, with Elias sitting on top, swung into place.


    Beneath them, the midnight centipede let loose an excruciatingly loud screech as it dived forward toward Elias. The black salt of Midnight kicked through the air as testosterone slowed the world to a halt.


    "Yes! Come to me you big fucking worm!" Elias shouted like a madman as he sat on top of the ballista, continuing to hold his fire.


    "Elias! Take the shot!" Deus shouted as the pressure from the outside started to pull him through, he clenched down hard on the lever and railing, but even then his fingers had begun to ache. "Take the fucking shot!"


    "Hahaa!" Elias laughed as he lined his shot up. The centipede was midway through its dive as he moved his hand for a lever.


    "Take this, you damned pile of metal!"


    Swoosh! The gigantic rod of metal released, striking through the whirlpool shaped jaw of the beast.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 24] Skyfire

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    "Screee!" An excruciatingly loud screech echoed through the rough desert as the metal rod pierced through the gullet of the midnight centipede. Chunks of metal and what appeared to be oil came leaking out through its now crater sized scar.


    Elias cheered as he moved to reload the Skyfire ballista. The ship came to a halt as everyone aboard peaked over the railing. To their shock, they witnessed something that would be engraved into their minds forever.


    The original injury inflicted upon the centipede was only the beginning. It didn''t take long for heavy shards of metal to erupt out of it, collapsing to the ground with a solid thud, creating divots in the black salted earth.


    "Quick, get ready for another strike!" Elias shouted out as he finally finished placing a second metallic rod onto the barrel of the ballista. Deus watched all of this with both shock and surprise on his face.


    "Screeee!"


    The centipede lifted itself higher than ever before as it came face to face with the bottom of the ship. Its featureless face came to the same height that Elias and Deus were at as several metallically sharpened pronged teeth began to grow out of it''s gnawing mouth. The teeth were serrated roughly to allow it to rip through whatever it came into contact with.


    To Deus'' shock, the centipede lifted itself higher, growing even taller than before as the missing chunks of metal that were knocked out by Elias''s previous attack began to replace themselves with new plates that took their place, growing out from within the worm.


    "Damn, it''s self-regeneration has already started! Deus, you see that over there? Bring it to me, and hurry!" Elias called out as he pointed towards the wall, there sat another metal rod, only this one was black and smooth. It hung on the wall as if some sort of prized trophy or dangerous tool.


    As he was instructed, Deus carefully moved over toward the rod that sat against the wall, carefully moving through the room as Elias shot out a second strike against the mighty centipede. Another terrifying screech echoed through the air as the ship began to rock, the worm went smashing down against the earth as even more metal came shooting out into the sand.


    The pressure from the worm''s collision against the black sand created a sort of tsunami of wind, pulling the Nijaden downwards. Everything shook as their ship once more came under enemy fire, most likely in an attempt to stop Elias from continuing to oppose the centipede. They''d never seen anyone openly fight against the worm and survive, so seeing one fall to the earth right before their eyes brought fear to their minds.


    Elias held on tightly to the ballista as a rumble took over their ship. Deus, on the other hand, wasn''t so lucky. He lost his grip as he was attempting to move through the room for the metallic rod which Elias had ordered him to retrieve.


    "Shit!" Deus shouted out as he desperately reached around the room for something to latch onto. As he began to slide and tumble, he cautiously flung his arm out towards a railing which he was quickly passing as the ship began to tilt onto its side.


    Everything started to fly through the air as the Nijaden went sideways. Dust came puffing through the air as rough sacks of junk came flying off their shelves down through the room, instantly plummeting through the opened trapdoor.


    Right as Deus believed he had a firm enough grip, an entire metal table came sliding through the room with a loud reverberating scratching sound, as the legs of the table scraped against the floor.


    "Get a damn grip!" Elias shouted out as he watched Deus desperately try and find safety.


    Deus continued to slide through the room as one railing after another shattered as the incoming table continued to fall with him. Loud thuds echoed through the room as the Nijaden began to practically spin in place, the pressure of the wind and collapsing earth beneath them starting to pull them down.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Elias gripped firmly down onto the ballista which had been securely attached to the mechanisms throughout the ship. While he did that, however, Deus and the other crew members lost their footing and some of them were even thrown from the railing down onto the chaotic earth over forty feet below.


    Panicked screams burned through the air as people were flung from the Nijaden, forced to fall through the air with no salvation in sight. Simply by smashing into the ground, the midnight centipede had taken victims. Such was the way of life here in Midnight.


    "Eeeek!" Terrified shrieks of panic and worry arose from the remaining clansmen who Elias had brought along. Most of the clansmen aboard the ship were here simply to oversee maintenance and hadn''t seen actual combat before. After all, if they had engaged in combat prior to this, they would''ve been posted alongside the gunners, safely away from the main conflict as they''d attempt to take potshots at the enemy.


    Deus continued to slide down the tilted-floor as it had launched several appliances against him as if attempting to cast him out. He reached his arms out in a flurry of swipes, hoping to grab hold of anything at all, even if it could only slow his descent for a few moments.


    Truth be told, he had dealt with this sort of room-twisting situation before, during his first confrontation with a midnight centipede. He should''ve learned from his past experiences, but what''s done is done, and you can only plan for the future, not the past.


    "Ahh¡­ come on¡­ gotcha!" He shouted as his arm roughly caught against a wire which had slashed down against him. It had hurt a great deal, but it was worth it to keep from falling through the hatch.


    Seeing this, Elias gave out a faint chuckle and grin as he turned his attention back towards the centipede which had begun to crawl back upwards in retaliation.


    "Deus, I still need that!" Elias proclaimed as he looked toward the black metallic bolt which had remained attached to the wall by means of locked hinges.


    "Right¡­ shit. Give me a second, fire a third shot while I''m getting it¡­ if you have to!"


    Deus lifted himself up as the Nijaden began to calm down, most likely due to Rufus and his masterful piloting. The turbulence would''ve dragged any other pilot to the ground.


    He looked around the room with a blurred daze. His arms and legs were incredibly sore from being slammed against repeatedly, but now wasn''t the time to be feeling pain, no, now was the time to act.


    After a few seconds of dizzily glancing around the room, Deus''s eyes once more landed on the bolt which Elias needed. He started to shuffle his way through the messy room, stepping his way over shattered rails and loose tools. The ground had been covered by whatever was stashed away before.


    "Screeeee!" The midnight centipede let loose a fearful roar as it began to reform itself from the inside-out. Old metallic shards came collapsing out of it, while new plates of solid metal pierced out through its mechanical innards. These beasts were renowned as one of the most dominant predators throughout Midnight for a reason.


    Elias fired off a third bolt, only this time, he missed. The shot came firing past the centipede as it buried itself deep within the black desert.


    "Shit!" He cursed, lifting a fourth metal rod out of an old crate that sat beside him, loading it onto the ballista.


    Arriving at the wall of the room, Deus pulled the smooth black bolt off of its hinges and shuffled it under his arms as he carefully made his way back to Elias. From the way Elias had asked for this rod, Deus had quickly determined that this bolt was special, and more so than that, dangerous.


    "Elias, take it and kill that damn worm!" Deus said with a rough shout. He had lifted the black bolt into the air so Elias could load it onto the ballista after his fourth shot.


    "Screeee!" The centipede once more began to crawl back up out of the sand as metal reformed. The beast''s regenerative abilities were monstrous to witness, and even more so when you knew just how destructive these metallic rods were.


    The shot that Elias had missed with was more than enough proof of that. The moment the rod collided with the sand it had formed a terrifying chasm of empty space as if pulling the sand downward. The power at which one would need to release those bolts to create such a reaction was only fair when one considered the strength that the ballista wielded.


    Imagine using the Skyfire, a weapon designed to counter the enormous and terrifying midnight centipedes, against a humanoid target. There''d be nothing left after a single shot.


    Elias released his fourth shot, landing a hit against the worm''s left-most side. It let out a horrible screech once more as it twisted around in anguish. New metallic plates began to take form, but each time they did, Elias shot them off. A continuous self-regeneration countered by overwhelming destructive force.


    "Elias, use this!" Deus spoke, holding the black metallic rod towards him.


    "Hmph, I suppose it''s time we end this¡­ now, time to see if our clan has truly created a weapon capable of countering that monstrous regeneration."


    Elias took the bolt from Deus as he loaded it onto the ballista. A heavy click sounded as he pulled back a lever to arm it, creating the pressure necessary to launch the rod at the incredible speeds needed to pierce its metallic plates.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 25] Tormented Cries

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    The Skyfire ballista, now loaded and prepared to fire, was brought to aim at the face of the centipede. Elias turned several small mechanisms, and as he did so, the entire machine which he had found himself strapped over began to turn with him.


    Opposite from him, the mighty midnight centipede let loose yet another belly-churning screech as it began to pull itself down as if bracing to strike.


    Watching everything unfold Deus decided it best if he took several steps back as the ship, the Nijaden began to rock back and forth as even more black ash was kicked upward into the air, catching itself in the engines and propulsion systems. The centipede wasn''t a smart creature, but it was able to sense a dangerous situation, and so it used it''s massive size to hurl a storm of ash into the violently etched air.


    The ballista finished moving, it''s line-of-sight matching that of the centipede. Elias made his last few adjustments as his arm carefully drifted down against a small wheel. Sweat dripped down both his and Deus'' forehead as the heavy black bolt visually applied terrifying pressure to the ballista''s locking system, creating a satisfying pull on the thick wires used to launch it.


    The wires pulled tightly against the ballista as several metal prongs stuck out, catching the wires as a heavy pressure had begun to pull them in on each other. The weight of it should be enough to slam the black bolt into the ground with an extraordinary gusto.


    "Stand back and try not to fall off the ship," Elias ordered in a hushed tone as he glanced sideways at Deus. His voice nothing but hisses and whispers as if he were a hunter trying not to frighten his prey. "Heh, even I''m a bit paranoid now¡­ no need for worry, Roland oversaw this firsthand."


    ''What? Is he really that worried over this? Normally he wouldn''t be wasting so much time making sure it was all perfect¡­ I suppose that''s proof of how dangerous that black bolt is. Truth is, I''d imagine he''d have a plan b, a plan c, and even a plan d if this all falls through.'' Deus pondered to himself as he placed himself several steps away from the ballista. Giving a solid tug against a loose rope as he strapped himself in against one of the previous railings.


    Seeing Deus secured Elias pushed down on a lever, giving way to the launching mechanism. The strained wire snapped loose, striking against the rough metal of the ballista with a terrifying whipping motion as several prongs released. Just as quickly as he pushed the lever, the black bolt fired, bursting through the air creating an almost whistled after-effect.


    As the black bolt pierced through the violet dyed sky, a streak of flurried wind burst out from all around it. It flew through the air in an instant, and yet it seemed to leave a permanent trail.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    The bolt closed in on the centipede.


    The metallic beast attempted to move out of the bolt''s plotted path, but either it''s physical body couldn''t move quick enough or it''s processing mind couldn''t calculate a maneuver beforehand. Either way, the black bolt instantly arrived before the centipede, piercing itself through its side, stabbing directly through the hardened metal shell and arriving within the center of the mysterious beasts internals.


    Deus and Elias both watched with heated expectation, a slight worry engraved into both of them as the launched bolt pierced through the metallic armor. In truth, they were expecting an almost explosive flash to occur, and the lack of that caused them to worry. As they watched, they began to realize just how much they were unsure of.


    They didn''t know the power of the black bolt, beyond Elias being told it had the power to destroy one of the destructively powerful midnight centipedes.


    As they both watched, the centipede continued to move without restraint. The earlier bolts seemingly doing more damage as they actually had a collateral force behind them, while the black bolt moved so quickly it stabbed through the metallic outside like it was forged from cloth.


    The centipede lurched itself backward in a launching position. The pressure built up around it as ash kicked into the air.


    "What the hell, the bolt did fuck all?" Elias cursed aloud as his head fell to a crooked frown. He was clearly upset and concerned, especially since the main force he was relying on had seemingly done next to nothing. "Why had Roland acted so confidently if the bolt doesn''t work?"


    "Elias, look!" Deus shouted out, his finger aimed downward at the midnight centipede as it seemingly paused mid lurch.


    Elias followed Deus'' attention as his eyes fell upon the point of impact where the black bolt had originally pierced the beast.


    Several small black cracks began to form, using the original stab-hole as an epicenter for everything. They quickly grew across the worm as the outer metal slowly cracked apart and collapsed to the desert, creating heavy divots in the sand and ash.


    The only difference between this and the first few bolts was that the centipede seemed incapable of regenerating this damage, not only that, but it seemed to be passing along the outer layers as more cracks formed all across it.


    Like an infection spreading through a diseased patient, the black cracks slowly began to rot and decay the metal, turning most of it into fragments that could no longer stick together. The centipede slammed down into the desert with an awful screech. It spasmed in agony, letting loose a terrible tormented cry.


    More metal fell away as an almost entirely crimson vein revealed itself from behind its previously impenetrable armor. The inner layers of the centipede laid bare for all to see as black cracks began to form across its insides.


    Each time a plate of metal formed to take shape, it grew cracks and shattered off into the desert. More anguished cries screeched out across the battlefield.


    Deus stared in shock and awe as this all-powerful force was reduced to such a state. When he had first arrived within Midnight, he had begun to believe that those midnight centipedes were invincible behemoths of monsters.


    To see one decaying right in front of him, though, was a definite eye-opener. He truly felt so incredibly little in comparison. So small, so weak.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 26] Pressing Forward

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    "Rahh!" Elias shouted out an ecstatic cheer, his voice shattering through the heavy silence that had befallen the battlefield. Beyond his shout, the only thing audible was the screeching roar of the centipede as it twisted and rolled in place, all the while chunks of heavy black metal came collapsing off it''s previously believed impervious hide.


    A weapon to shatter the practically invulnerable midnight centipedes. That wasn''t something to mock. These beasts had been renowned throughout all of Midnight as the dominate aggressors, the ones who held the power to demolish all in their wake. They carried with them an air of terror, the true representatives of the Grandmaster''s believed infinite power.


    The Grandmaster, a man who held the command of dozens of Territorial Lords within his grasp, one could imagine how terrifying such a being was. For a servant forged by such a being to be destroyed, that would definitely catch the ire of many.


    What Elias, and in truth Roland had accomplished with this single action had altered the fate of Midnight, more so than they could ever know at the time.


    This was all the evidence many would need to believe they could rise up against the forces of the Grandmaster, a once omnipotent ruler of all under the crimson sky. In truth, the peace was fragile, and time itself was all it would take to eventually shatter that peace.


    "Elias, we need to move up to the top!" Deus loudly proclaimed as he pulled himself together.


    The two paused for a moment to take in everything around them. The bleeding screech of the midnight centipede, the silent awe of everyone present watching, even the heavy shudder of the black sand as it kicked out around them.


    "Hmph," Elias coughed out with a nod, clambering down from the heavy ballista weapon. As he stepped, his feet wobbled, most likely from the tense pressure that filled the air as he released the final round.


    "Come along Deus, we''ve got a charge to lead."


    The two collected themselves as they quickly abandoned the room, rushing back toward the deck of the ship. As they ran through the inner corridors they could hear the heavy blasts of enemy fire as it rocked against the thick metal hull of the Nijaden and the seemingly ever-expanding desert.


    Elias led the way as the two of them stepped out onto the deck of the ship.


    The moment they arrived all eyes fell onto them. Silence reigned as shock and awe were the most dominant emotions that seemed to soak through the air.


    Noticing this, Elias glanced around at everyone present, his clan''s crew included, and bellowed out instructions for all to hear. He didn''t have time to take the moment in, not really.


    He knew better than anyone present that the moment that shot was fired he had begun a timer. His actions, and more importantly his clan''s actions weren''t known to many now, but soon everyone would know of the weaponry and power that Roland held.


    But that wasn''t the only problem, either.


    In truth, the main issue was the counting clock that had befallen him the moment he killed the centipede.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    The Territorial Lord of Direfell will come for him and Roland. Don''t be mistaken, this action was a declaration of war.


    Even if it wasn''t supposed to be, or intended to be, that didn''t matter anymore. Roland now held true power, and the Lords cannot permit such an untapped power to go unchallenged.


    There were many secrets that the Lords of Midnight held, but it was an unquestionable truth that the midnight centipedes acted as their agents. Their representatives. To destroy one was to destroy the balance of power.


    So now Elias knew what would come for him.


    Roch Cresswell, the military captain of Direfell and the man who once held true dominion over countless lives. His word was the word of his Lord, and now he would come for Elias.


    Perhaps Roland wouldn''t have to fear too greatly, but Elias wasn''t in a place where he could go without worry, not only that but Elias was the one who fired the bolt in the first place, which made him a prime target for the hunt that was to come.


    Atop the deck of the Nijaden, Deus stood alone as he watched Elias shout out orders to the rest of the crew. The ship was redirected and now on a direct charge for the enemy location.


    "Hey you, bring me my supplies!" Deus ordered out to one of the clansmen.


    It didn''t take long for the man to shuffle over toward Deus with a heavy pack. Deus crotched down next to it as he checked through the contents, only nodding his head after confirming everything was intact.


    "I''ve still got the Archive¡­" Deus mumbled quietly to himself as he practically rubbed the mechanical Archive against his palm, hiding it behind his pack so that no one would notice it. "This has been one hell of a day already."


    The Nijaden approached the enemy camp as it undertook a barrage of fire. Deus didn''t have long to prepare his things once everything had begun.


    He lifted up his heavy pack and strapped it onto his back, securing the tied rope across the front of his chest so as to not lose it. He gave one more glance through his belongings and weapons before he stood up again and headed toward the other vanguard members.


    His hand-cannon styled pistol was strapped to his waist, while his primary weapon of choice, the Quickblade, was secured in its scabbard below his pack, against his lower back. The blade was strapped horizontally so as to provide easy use of it without the concern of cutting through his supplies.


    He was as ready as he would ever be, and he knew by now that there was nothing else he could do to prepare in the time he had.


    As he approached the other vanguard members his eyes immediately fell upon the mysterious Thaddeus, who held the large Jaeger spear like a trident as several thinly crafted grenades sat comfortably in his satchel. His only armor was a fully-draped black cloak with metallic arm-straps, most likely in use for blocking strikes in physical combat.


    ''Just what is he planning?'' Deus thought as he watched Thaddeus with caution. ''I still can''t read him, is he friend or foe? Shit¡­ I hate this.''


    "You ready over there mister Deus?" A voice called out to him, which seemed to stir him awake again as his head jolted upward. What he saw was a familiar Krexite warrior. The very clansman who had greeted him and showed him around the clan''s weapon-supply.


    "Oh, right." Deus nodded, "Hold on, you were a part of the vanguard?"


    "Not originally," The Krex said with a sigh, "It seems Master Elias wishes to surround himself with familiar faces, as to prevent being in the fold of combat with no friends around."


    "Heh, is that how it is?" Deus laughed out in a snide tone, fully aware of the true meaning of those words. ''So, Elias definitely doesn''t trust us¡­ not enough to not surround himself with his own warriors. The main question was why¡­ did he just not trust easily, or has he received some sort of intel?''


    "Hey, since we''re going to be fighting alongside each other¡­ I know this is most likely rude to ask now after so long, but what should I call you?"


    The Krex paused for a moment as he thought. "Hmm, I suppose it never dawned on me. My name is Ekhez Atra Nekaia, but please, you may refer to this one as simply being Atra."


    "Atra? Very well, Atra."


    The Krex, Ekhez Atra Nekaia, gave out a chuckled clicking as his bugged mandibles clacked around as if to express a pleasured emotion.


    "Yes, yes, that will work fine."


    "Very well Atra, I''ll be relying on you."

 [Vol 1, Chapter 27] The Fall of Enshil

    <div>


    "Hm," Atra gave a twitched nod, "I won''t let you down mister Deus."


    As he said that, he lifted up a heavy and long spear-looking weapon. It was similar in design to the Jaeger but it was also visually different in several ways.


    For one, the Jaeger was thin and relied heavily on its thinness to allow for quickened strikes. However, for the spear which Atra held, this spear was thicker in size and carried with it several heavy regalias, most likely for weight-balancing and personal use in prayer.


    "Hey Atra, what is that weapon of yours?"


    "Oh, this?" Atra lifted his head as he glanced at Deus, then down toward the heavy spear he held in his hands. "This here is a weapon of a distant city, known as Enshil. I had been there once before during one of my previous clan''s duties, and I had fallen in love with this weapon. I''ve always held it close to my heart, to the point where many believe I''m addicted." Atra chuckled, "You see, this spear is known by its craftsmen as an Ataka."


    "Ataka?" Deus questioned in return, his brow raised in curiosity, all the while their ship continued to rock and shake under absorbed fire.


    In fact, Atra believed it odd at how calm Deus appeared in the middle of battle, but he quickly moved past it believing it was simply his firm restraint and training, and only gave several nods of approval


    "Yes indeed, the Ataka was a unique style of spear forged within Enshil, a surprisingly beautiful city within Midnight. You most likely will only find a dozen or so other Atakas in your life, sadly."


    Deus was shocked. "Wait, why is that? Are they truly that rare in creation?"


    "Not originally, but now¡­ I''m afraid so. Most others I imagine were lost during the fall of Enshil."


    ''Oh¡­ so that''s what he meant when he said that. So this Enshil had fallen.''


    "Wait," Deus practically interrupted his own thoughts, "Was Enshil a city ruled by a Lord? I know Lords can fall and rise, but how can the cities? Aren''t they more¡­ you know¡­ permanent?"


    "Well yes, I suppose. But, nothing could be done."


    Atra held in his face a sad expression as if he were recalling some old sad memory.


    "Years ago, and I truly do mean that literally. It had been many years now." Atra explained, "The city of Enshil ruled as a powerful force throughout Midnight. A city of thousands, if not more. It wouldn''t have been odd to proclaim it the center of Midnight."


    Deus was shocked.


    "Enshil had seen thousands of years of peace and prosperity, so it was no wonder it would continue to grow ever-expanding. That was until the City Lord had ordered the investigation of an old artifact that had been uncovered within a sanctum beneath the city. A hollowed room that was accidentally wandered upon, you could say."


    Atra shot a glance toward Deus as he continued, "Don''t be mistaken, though¡­ it wasn''t by accident. It was all a plot by some unseen force to create conflict between the Territorial Lord and the Grandmaster of Midnight."


    "An unseen force?" Deus repeated in question.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    "Indeed. Even to this day, no one will publicly admit to knowing who or what it was, but I''m of heart to believe it was a mysterious and dangerous being who held animosity with the Grandmaster. In order to cause chaos, it showed what I heard was a dangerous symbol to the City Lord, who was in turn driven mad through the years, gazing upon it."


    "Hold on, so you''re telling me that the City Lord found some mysterious symbol beneath his city¡­ and was driven mad¡­ simply by looking at it?"


    Atra chuckled, "It indeed sounds mad, but it''s the truth. In fact, if you ever get the opportunity to speak with a City Lord, never reveal you know of this, as it''s seen as taboo from what I''ve come to learn. I only know the truth because of my visit and connection to Enshil, which is one of the only reasons why I even serve such a powerful clan now."


    Atra leaned in closer.


    "You see, this symbol was believed to be a curse created by some ancient and primordial beast, hidden and cast from sight by the Grandmaster. Animosity built between the two sides. It''s the only thing that makes sense, after all, no one else could stand against the Grandmaster."


    "I understand that and all, but how did Enshil fall, exactly?"


    With another pause, Atra sighed.


    "It was a horrible night, from what I had heard. From the center of Midnight, only seven survivors, each of them believed to be chosen to deliver a message to the other Lords. I''m of the mind to think that the message was their very lives, of course. They were spared. Only seven people survived, even though it was once a grand city of thousands. Some message..."


    Atra spoke heavily as he recalled the ancient tale of Enshil, and how it had fallen from grace.


    "It was said that the Grandmaster himself had descended from the black moon, and had unleashed a divine plague that left only those seven alive. Why they were chosen, I do not know¡­ if it was even intentional? That isn''t up to me to decide, after all, this is the Grandmaster we''re talking about¡­ the thought of him leaving survivors by accident, though? Doubtful."


    Deus gulped as he listened, fear showed on his face as he imagined the events of that horrible night.


    "The Grandmaster personally descended onto Midnight to destroy a city, and kill its Lord? I can only dare imagine how that went."


    "Right, it was a true slaughter. We''ve seen Lord''s infighting, but this¡­ from what I had been told, this was something else. The black sand itself seemed to fold to his command as if he was some deity above all life. He spoke a word, and the world went silent."


    With a heavy breath, Atra went on, "The worst of it all was that even to this day, no one really knows why it happened for certain or even what that symbol was that the City Lord had uncovered. In truth, I doubt anyone even knows who left it, spreading only rumor and guesses. I''ve asked around the clan, and from what I''ve heard, even Master Roland himself was left with only more questions during his investigation, even being threatened by powerful and dangerous forces to not look further into those events."


    Deus released a sigh, "What truly terrifying information. Say, this should''ve happened relatively recently, right?"


    Atra paused for a moment as he let out a chuckle.


    "I suppose it was relatively recent for some, but for you? That''s the question. You see, my last visit to Enshil was¡­ let''s see¡­ five hundred years ago? Yes, that sounds about right. So this all happened somewhere between then and now."


    "Hold on, you''re five hundred years old?" Deus was shocked, "How is that possible?"


    "Hah hah, I''m assuming you''re quite young still, especially to not know that being five hundred years old isn''t anything special in these odd lands. I''m quite young compared to many, and only average for my species, the Krex."


    He lifted himself back up as he spoke, "Let''s see¡­ I''m around six hundred years old, I''d say, give or take a few decades. Master Elias would probably be around eighty or so, but he''s human so that''s expected. Oh right, from what I''ve heard, Master Roland should be around nine hundred, closing in on a thousand."


    "Nine hundred years old, and almost a thousand? That''s maddening!"


    "Even that''s nothing compared to some¡­ hell, you know that military captain, Roch, right? From what I''ve been told, that old monster is well over six thousand years old by now. A true old monarch, probably as old as the Territorial Lord who he serves, even."


    "S-six thousand¡­"


    Deus choked out in shock, he truly didn''t expect any of this to be the case. What had caused these long ages compared to his homeworld, he wondered.


    Interrupting their discussion, Elias shouted out over the deck of the ship, practically drawing Deus out of some trance as he contemplated everything he had heard. "All of you, raise your weapons! It''s time to take the fight to those bastards down below!"


    Deus grinned, ''Oh, so the fight is already here¡­ I suppose it''s the vanguard''s turn.''

 [Vol 1, Chapter 28] Shattered and Broken

    <div>


    Deus turned away from Atra as his sights fell on the violent campsite of the enemy stronghold. Even from a distance, he could see many armored soldiers as they rushed about, preparing for a direct assault.


    Atop the massive tower constructed to oversee the camp, several cannons launched deadly projectiles toward the Nijaden. If even a single one of these explosive projectiles had hit a crew member aboard the deck there wouldn''t have been anything left from the carnage, and so it was most likely the best outcome that the Nijaden came armed with an extremely powerful and durable defensive hull to absorb the incoming fire.


    "Get out of the way!" Elias could be seen shouting out toward one of the clansmen as he shoved past, "Deus, come over here with the rest of us, we''re pushing ahead the moment we arrive!"


    Deus moved closer so he could speak without being overshadowed by the noise. He asked, "How exactly do you plan for us to make our arrival? We''re going to land, right?"


    Elias let out a chuckle as he caught Deus'' doubtful glare.


    "I highly doubt we can afford to land in this hellscape, Deus. No, we''re going to be doing something better," Elias roughly tugged up toward a lever that sat connected to the deck. As he pulled it up a mechanism released and a small compartment opened. "Everyone who is in the vanguard, get in, now!"


    As he ordered, all of the members selected for the vanguard ducked down into the small compartment room below the deck, from the clansmen who served Elias, to Deus, followed by Thaddeus, respectively.


    Elias entered last. As he finally lowered himself below deck, he pulled down on another lever that sat inside the compartment. The second lever tightened the spring-loaded system that had originally released to open the room, and instead reversed the system, sealing the door behind them.


    Everyone from the vanguard now stood¡ªrather closely together¡ªin a dark and airtight compartment. The inside of the room was silent as their group listened for the shouts of the crew above deck.


    The vanguard members had to rely on the crew members above deck to get them to the enemy in one piece, so the next part of the operation seemed to weigh on everyone, as a pressure built between everyone. An overwhelming stress as all they could do was wait and listen, knowing the next part wasn''t up to them.


    Elias pushed himself through the vanguard group toward the dozen or so clansmen who he had assigned to join him, Atra included.


    "Alright everyone, I''m sure you''re curious what I''m planning¡­" Elias said, interrupting the silence, "This ship was designed by our clan as a mobile breaching device. Not only is it armed, but it''s also entirely functional for our objective."


    He showed a smug grin as he continued his explanation, "You see, the Nijaden was hand-selected by yours truly as a means to breach our enemy encampment. We could''ve landed and prepared a ground charge, of course¡­ but that would be foolish. Instead, we''re going to strike hard and quick, leaving those idiot soldiers with no time to call for help."


    "Hold on," Deus spoke up, "I''m quite tired of these surprises you''ve been throwing at me all day, Elias. No more tricks."


    "Hm," Elias replied with a sudden grunt, "You may feel that way, but from where I''m standing¡­ you don''t really have much of a choice, now do you? Don''t be mistaken, my¡ªas you call them¡ªlittle tricks were simply to prevent information from leaking and being used against us. If you''re wondering if I get enjoyment out of watching you all squirm¡­ well¡­" His thoughts seemed to wander as his voice trailed off, almost as if he had amused himself.


    "Ahem," Thaddeus interrupted this time, "This isn''t the time for your jokes, now is it? I assume this compartment is designed to drop us on the enemy, right? Shouldn''t we be prepared for the rough landing instead of having a debate?"


    Everyone within the darkened room nodded to themselves, leaving both Elias and Deus nowhere else to go in their argument.


    Right as everything had begun to go quiet, the ship rocked once more, only this time more violently than before. It knocked many of the vanguards onto their backs as the dim lights flickered and flashed as if a current of electricity overwhelmed them.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "What the hell!" Elias coughed out as he pulled himself away from the wall which he had found himself collapsed against.


    Heavy knocking started at the sealed door to their compartment, the sound of shouts and screams echoed from outside. The ship rocked again, only this time it continued after the first few strikes.


    What came next was a terrifyingly loud rupture in the air as it was followed by a heavy-weighed crash. Deus could feel their compartment plummet as it began to tilt, throwing everyone onto their sides and to the ground.


    The sound was the most sinister, as it contained a hint of calm along with a thunderous destructive presence. The last thing Deus remembered before his sight became blurred was the look of alert panic on everyone''s face, Elias especially.


    An eruption shook the air, causing everyone to become blurred and confused.


    Crash!


    Several seconds past as dust broke through the compartment room, with it a horrible inflow of black-sand seemed to pour through the gaps in the metal. The crimson hue of the outside world slowly seeped inside, through numerous cracks that invaded into view. Deus found himself coughing out sand and dust as his face was covered in the filth.


    "Elias¡­" Deus spoke out. He looked around, only to find a dizzying world as the walls of the compartment broke open.


    Heavy explosives rang out from all around him as he finally brought himself back to reality. Drawing his attention toward what stood in front of him. He found a sprawling tower firing down thunderous blasts of metallic shards toward what was left of his crew. All the broken clansmen could do to stay alive was duck behind the remnants of the Nijaden''s hull, but in most cases, it only prolonged their lives by a moment.


    Deus quickly dashed toward a large chunk of metal, most likely a piece that came ricocheting off of the side of the Nijaden. As he did so, an overwhelming array of explosive rounds came hurtling down toward the desert ground, smashing into the broken pieces of the ship as shrapnel fragmented wildly around.


    A voice reverberated from atop the tower, most likely from some sort of loudspeaker.


    "Continue firing, bring me the head of the enemy leader!"


    Deus ducked down beneath the pieces of broken metal as he thought worryingly to himself. ''What the hell just happened... this isn''t good¡­ I don''t know exactly where I am, and I have no clue where the rest of the vanguard is¡­ if there even is a vanguard left.''


    He peeked his head out from behind the metal, allowing a brief view of the battlefield. Everything had happened so suddenly that he was finding it difficult to process everything as he looked out. What he saw was a broken battlefield. The remnants of the Nijaden remained scattered across the desert earth, burning away as charred bodies coated the field, slowly being enveloped by the black sand and vanishing from view as if devoured by the world itself.


    There was but one saving grace that left him with a hint of hope. Faith that he''d survive this and make it through to another day. This hope came from seeing a short barrage of fire from atop the desert cliff which their reinforcement gunners had been placed. The location was hundreds of meters away from him, however, so the chances of a brisk rescue were unlikely.


    ''How had everything gone so horribly, so quickly?'' Deus wondered, tucking himself behind the broken metal once more.


    It hadn''t taken Deus very long to realize what had happened. No, the issue wasn''t what had happened, it was how it had happened. One moment they were charging forward toward the enemy location, protected by a well-forged hull and numerous barriers. The next moment they found themselves crashed, scattered across the barren desert as they were bombarded with an enemy attack.


    The situation was far too drastically different from one moment to the next, Deus couldn''t calm himself down to figure out his next plan.


    There had to be a reason why everything went so horribly wrong so quickly. It wasn''t Deus, so he could mark that off. It was unlikely Elias, as that would only harm him, providing no benefit to him that he could imagine.


    The most obvious reasoning was that Thaddeus was somehow involved, the only issue was he didn''t have a location on him, so he could neither confirm nor deny his suspicion.


    ''I hate to say it, but it doesn''t matter why this happened¡­ I''ve got to find a way to survive.'' Deus reasoned. There had been one saving grace to all of this, and that was that his equipment had remained attached to his person after everything had happened. It was most likely because he had tied his pack onto himself nice and tight.


    Deus reached down for his hand-cannon styled pistol, pulling it up to match face level. He checked around himself, making sure the area was as clear as it could be of any hostile soldiers.


    As he pulled out from behind the metallic chunk, he witnessed several shots firing upward through the dust and smoke that had gathered, clearly marking the location of a fight.


    ''That''s most likely where someone from the vanguard landed down¡­ good, now I have a location.''


    Deus, very carefully, moved out from his metallic crevice. The large tower stood to his side as it thundered out more shots.


    Moving slowly, it didn''t take too long for him to arrive on the outskirts of the battle. It still waged on as he aimed his pistol downward on the fight in front of him. What he saw were two clearly opposite forces firing off against one another. One side ducked behind a burning pile of metal as smoke rose into the sky, while the other side slowly had them surrounded from multiple angles.


    The surrounding soldiers were more organized as they wore black and grey armor, each of them equipped with what was typically a forged rifle fashioned to Direfell''s style.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 29] Vanguards Approach

    <div>


    Perhaps any other day these Direfell soldiers would''ve been his allies, but unfortunately, they stood in Deus''s path and would thus be brought to heel through firepower. Thankfully he had the drop on a group of them, as he slowly snuck up from behind their flank.


    He aimed his hand-cannon as he slowly inhaled for breath. With a single, slow exhale, he fired twice in quick succession.


    Perhaps he was lucky, or perhaps he was simply using some sort of subconscious training he didn''t know he had, either way, he hit both of his marks, one after another.


    First, one soldier went down, a shot hit from his back. The second soldier turned around in a panic, a feeble attempt to brace for incoming fire, only, he too was lethally hit as he collapsed into the dust, a wound through the chest.


    Deus inhaled and exhaled again as he watched the two men drop to the ground, ensuring that he remained calm so as to not affect his aiming. He knew that they hadn''t personally done anything to him, and the only reason he had killed them was that they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. All he could do was sigh apologetically.


    It didn''t take long for the defending force to take notice of the lack of suppressive fire from that specific location. Their group quickly began moving up the hill, ducking in and out of cover from one piece of metal to another.


    Deus recognized two of these people by name and a small handful of the others by face.


    The clansman Atra was one of the survivors, along with Elias.


    This group had gathered together after the crash, it seemed. It was likely that since they were closest to one another within the compartment they must''ve landed nearby to each other during the crash.


    The other members of their group were fellow clansmen who Deus didn''t recognize by name, but he had seen each and every one of their faces at one point or another.


    The main issue was he didn''t see Thaddeus.


    ''Was Thaddeus involved in this, after all?'' Deus thought. ''Even if he wasn''t, I doubt Elias will be so patient as to ask questions. Hmm, truth be told Elias most likely thinks I''m involved, too.''


    Deus watched them as they arrived at the spot where he had previously shot those two Direfell soldiers.


    ''Actually, what am I going to do? Even if I reunite with the rest of them, what if Elias assumes it was me and sicks his dogs on me. I can fight most of them, but I''d prefer not fighting Atra if I can avoid it.'' He nodded, ''The best course of action is probably to stay out of sight but nearby, so I can keep an eye on them and use them as reinforcement in case of another disaster.''


    Deus wasn''t ashamed of the idea of using these people as bait to save himself, in fact, on the contrary, he had voluntarily opted to abandon them from long ago depending on how things went. He had already come to know what sort of world Midnight was, and he couldn''t afford to be so loyal and forgiving to people he knew practically nothing about. If it was Droh, perhaps, but even then he''d try to have a backup plan in case the first one fell through.


    He was a single man lost in a maliciously strange world. It would be odd if he was truly loyal to anyone but himself.


    He moved too, keeping himself cloaked in shadow. Each step he took he seemed to duck around behind himself in order to watch their approach. It was most likely a godsend in disguise that he had found himself crashed close enough to the tower wall that the armed turrets had been unaware of his location.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    A horribly loud shout echoed through the barren war zone, the source was a familiar voice¡ªElias. "Squad, move up with me! Don''t get left behind you fools, we have to get to firm land before they send additional strikes! You," He gestured toward one of the clansmen who stood to his side, "Find out what happened to those two, we''re clearly not alone out here¡­ find out if any of our people landed nearby."


    "Aye," The clansmen nodded in understanding as he surveyed the area.


    Their squad had quickly gathered together in the same spot where the two Direfell soldiers had been previously shot by Deus. They set up temporary defenses while Elias attempted to use his communication device. No response returned.


    "Damn, seems we''re stuck out here like vermin," The flustered Elias pointed off toward the tower which Deus was hiding near, "We''re moving up slowly, keep together and don''t fall behind. If you spot anyone from the vanguard alert me. I''ll decide what to do then."


    Once again everyone within the squad nodded in understanding and approval, clearly, they deeply respected both Elias and the influence he held within the clan since no one seemed willing to question his commands.


    Deus lurked just out of view of Elias and his clansmen who accompanied him, dancing in and out of the shadows that were formed from the heavy shattered fragments of burnt metal.


    ''I might be able to let Elias attract the ire of the tower while I push past it,'' Deus contemplated to himself, ''Hmm, it''s the best plan I''ve got¡­ I just can''t let Elias know I used him¡­ I doubt he''d forgive me, but that doesn''t matter right now. Wasn''t it he who told me that the weak and foolish end up being used on Midnight? I''m only putting his own words into action.''


    Deus said that, but he paused regardless. He understood it was his best chance at breaking past the incoming fire, but he found himself hesitant nonetheless. Perhaps it was his humanity, or perhaps he was afraid of what Elias would do to Droh if he found out that he had used him to draw enemy fire.


    ''Shit¡­'' Deus grumbled.


    He reached into a side pocket of his pack and pulled out an electronic communication device, a comm-link.


    Deus spoke into the radio, "Elias, you read me?"


    He waited impatiently for several seconds as a faint buzzing sound was all that had answered back over the comms. He remained hidden as he waited for the response he knew would come.


    The comm-link buzzed as a voice replied through the static.


    "Deus is that you? Shit, I thought you were dead."


    Deus held his head down as he sighed, "I''m not that easy to kill. Actually, I think I know where you are, you should be nearby to my current location."


    Elias called back in question, as if piecing everything together, "Were you the one who took down those Direfell bastards I found? A group of two hostiles had been shot from what seems to be a distance."


    "Right, that was me. As I was saying, I think I know your location. You should be camped out nearby that spot, right? I''m able to move to your position in the next few minutes¡­ so, where do you want me, Elias? This is your operation."


    Deus bit down on his teeth as he waited for a reply. He placed his cards with Elias hoping he could use that to save a bit of face, while also showing he was also a team player.


    "Fine, stay at your position, we can probably use you to blitz our enemy. We''ll try and lure them closer to us, so when you get a clean shot¡­ take it. We''ll join together once we get around that tower. Stay on the comms for any more instructions."


    "Understood," Deus answered in as few words as possible. ''I shouldn''t be surprised he went with that move... since I have the advantage, he''s probably well aware of it. If he ordered me to his position, he doesn''t know what I''d do... now I at least got his permission to use him as bait.'' A faint smile showed on his face.


    ''Right¡­ my hand has now been played, but I still do have a few cards hidden up my sleeve.'' He reasoned with himself as he glanced out over the battlefield. From one side he saw a small encampment formed near the ridge, several small scaled barriers were constructed as a means to defend, this was where Elias had planted himself.


    On the other side, however, was a vast tower that spiraled into the sky. Numerous cannons sprouted out from the sides as it launched a flurry of explosives down upon the ground below, seemingly at random. They most likely intended to destroy everything, thinking it was better to leave nothing alive than missing even a single hostile.


    It was a dangerous plan for their own ground forces, but also a terribly efficient one. If Deus wasn''t able to push past the tower within a short amount of time it would be highly likely that he''d be struck by a bombardment, in which case not even his corpse would remain within the scorched earth.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 30] Thinking of the Future

    <div>


    "Move up!" Elias roared out as he and his squad charged through the battlefield, explosions casting down shrapnel all around them. "Atra, move to my left, hold off any attack that comes our way!"


    Atra nodded in acknowledgment as he shuffled over to Elias'' side, spear in hand.


    "That Deus¡­" Elias murmured out as he scanned the area. "Nirox, keep moving up, and move that damn shield!"


    As instructed, one of the clansmen who held the front lines began to move, grabbing out a small electrical box as a field of energy shuffled around it, casting a barrier. The man was large in stature, and featured thick horns on his head, similarly to a minotaur.


    "Hmph," Nirox coughed out as his legs slammed firmly against a slab of metal, breaking it down. "Boss! I''ve cleared the way, we should hurry before our position is overrun!"


    Elias turned to look as if to examine the path ahead. He gave a quick nod as they began to move as one cohesive unit.


    Watching all of this unfold from atop his vantage point, Deus simply lurked there. "Hm, it seems they''ve got things well under control down there¡­" Deus turned to face the tower, which seemed to impose itself overhead.


    "Now, how to deal with that monumental problem¡­"


    Deus thought for a moment, ignoring the chaos that was occurring just next to him.


    He didn''t have the time to plan ahead, nor did he have the tools necessary to strike directly. After the Nijaden had been taken down so abruptly, he found himself lost without a paddle. ''Hold on¡­'' He paused for a moment, a question struck him.


    ''How did we get shot down, anyway? What the hell happened while we were below deck?''


    It was an honest question. From the information Elias had received, this should''ve been a simple job overall. The centipede was believed to be the most dangerous component, but after dealing with it everything else should''ve gone smoothly, with only small hiccups here and there.


    Truth be told, he had started this mission believing they''d use explosives to handle the centipede, but since Elias withheld information, and he didn''t fully grasp how frightening the beasts were, he found himself unprepared.


    So how had all of this happened? Was the information Elias had not up to snuff or was there something else in play?


    ''I''ll find my answer eventually¡­ in the meantime, I should work on not getting myself killed, at least.'' He lifted his palm up to his chin as he thought. ''Maybe I should leave the heavy lifting to Elias, and sit back and wait for a better opportunity.'' A brief smile appeared on his face as he continued to contemplate.


    As he was thinking, an explosion occurred, kicking both shrapnel and sand wildly through the air. He ducked beneath some broken metal in order to avoid being hit by it.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ''This entire place is a war zone¡­'' Deus removed his supply pack and pulled out the old Archive device. ''I still have this hand to play¡­ maybe it''s for the best¡­''


    He hesitated. He knew that the moment he used the Archive to send out a distress beacon, the operation would end up being swarmed by soldiers. Now that he was neck-deep in this battle, he may not have an easy job convincing them that he held value. It was always supposed to be a last-ditch plan from the very start.


    Not only that, but this mission and his last-resort plan were created when he believed this would be a simple heist job. He doubted that Roch would find it personally offensive if he had killed a small handful of nameless soldiers, but he knew that to destroy a centipede was far more high-risk.


    Not only would he be a danger to Direfell, but his very existence was also proof that they could be provoked without fear. If Roch or the Territory Lord permitted his survival and even allowed him to be rescued by them, it would be a mockery.


    The moment Elias withheld information, he had stranded Deus, forcing him to cast away his last-resort and think of a new one.


    ''At least it looks like Droh isn''t caught in this hell.'' That was his one saving grace, he thought. Since Droh was stranded atop the ridge, he had the best chance of both survival and support, and so Deus didn''t have to worry about immediately rescuing him, and could instead concentrate on his own salvation.


    He activated the Archive, allowing the device to boot up. An electronic voice spoke, "Archive Device activated. Awaiting instructions. Alert; battery charge minimal, please be cautious."


    "Archive¡­" Deus sighed, "Activate emergency protoc¡ª" He suddenly paused as a thought came to him. "Wait, hold command."


    ''That''s maddening¡­'' He internally monologued, ''No¡­ it might just work. I''ve come this far, why not take an extra risk.''


    After a brief moment, he spoke again, "Archive, can you check something for me real quick?"


    The device replied with a firm beep as if to show a confirmation. "I''ll take that as a yes," with a smile, Deus ordered, "Archive. Check system for open broadcasts¡­ anything related to clans."


    The Archive beeped again, "Command received, scanning for long-range broadcast relays." Several seconds passed, "Return. Found information related to clans."


    "Good¡­ now, search for a name. Roland."


    "Searching." The Archive flashed several times as Deus waited for a reply.


    "Located, name ''Roland'' has been discovered." Hearing this, Deus smiled, "Good¡­ now, send a message through every channel you managed to find. Just three words, that''s all it''ll take most likely. Oh, and activate the beacon while you''re at it."


    The Archive accepted his orders happily as it began to broadcast a wide-range open message which contained only those three words. To anyone else these words would mean very little, but to a man like Roland¡­ those words would easily be enough to warrant intervening directly, which is exactly what Deus needs right now. He needs someone with a firm grasp to come and pull him out of the fire.


    The Archive gave out a single beep as it responded, "Message sent, battery charge has been depleted. Archive device nonfunctional, deactivated to preserve remaining life." As it went on, it''s tone slowly decayed until it was nothing but a low buzz. The lights that covered the Archive faded.


    "Now I wait¡­" Deus smiled, "Maybe with this move, Elias will trust me, and bring me closer to the truth. Shit, I still got Droh to worry about though."


    It was a dangerous and risky move, but it was also the most logical one at the moment. If he had called Roch under these circumstances, he was unsure if he could even convince them he was worth letting live, let alone rescuing.


    But to call for help from within the clan which Elias belongs to, the clan that serves Roland''s will... that could benefit him, as long as he keeps close to Elias from here on out.


    Not only that but with this, he''d have an ''in'' with the clan, even if he didn''t technically want to join as of now. It never hurts to have options available for later, this was Deus''s way of thinking about his future.


    "Sorry, little buddy¡­" He murmured apologetically, "But it was the only way¡­ if I called Direfell I''m sure they''d very much not appreciate me shooting their people."

 [Vol 1, Chapter 31] Lurking Within the Shadows

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    Within a bloodsoaked monolith, towering over a black sanded desert somewhere within Midnight.


    A lone man, if you can even call him that, walked through an empty corridor. In his wake, loud thunder sounded against the hard floor with each step. Six jagged horns adorned his rugged head, which itself was covered in scars and gashes. The smell of death escaped his angular nostrils as they were set within a flattened nose, as he hid most of himself beneath an elaborate violet cloak.


    His tortured head sat atop a large, bony body. Scars covered him as they were joined together with many still freshly carved wounds. Protruding out from his back were many splintered bones, accompanied by deep lashes that seemed to create the illusion of wings.


    This creature was something that had been born from the very depths of Midnight as if it were cast away from any light¡ªinstead¡ªdelighting itself within the darkness. Serving the shadows with its very existence.


    This being was known by a familiar name¡ªRoland. Or as it was truly named, Rol''an, a member of the forgotten Borun clan, a malignant species which uses both pain and suffering to strengthen their already domineering wills. Through this terrifyingly torturous experience, the Borun species are capable of unleashing unfathomable power equivalent to that of an entire army, but very few are able to accomplish this feat without turning mad and losing themselves in their own self-destruction.


    Not many knew why this demonic creature had received such a human name as Roland, but many had suspected that it was all but a ploy to lure in the weak and frail. That, or it was but a sick joke to humanize a true monster.


    In truth, it was believed most Borun had gone extinct, only leaving a small handful left to lurk throughout Midnight, hiding within the shadows as their minds fell to madness, leaving them nothing more than a hollow husk of what they once were.


    He let out a soft growl as his wounds remained bloodless as if through some sort of horrible training he had somehow maintained control over even the most basic of bodily functions. To control one''s own blood was an unfathomable power for most and had been useful for his ascension to power.


    This beast was the true manifestation of Midnight''s will. A desire to be grotesque and dangerous. As if to plot his next course, Rol''an lifted a ruby out from under his cloak, raising it into the air above his face as he looked into it, mesmerized.


    "The truth which I seek shall be uncovered," he growled again, "My moment shall come, and when it does, I shall devour the hearts of those damned Lords, and become the perfect being."


    Suddenly, an alarm sounded on one of the electronic devices which sat within the beast''s sash. He pulled it out with his razored fingers, looking at it through an expression which held both curiosity and concern.


    "This is impossible¡­" Rol''an murmured under his breath, "What is the meaning of this message?"


    He paused, reading out the words which had been received by his device. All it read was three words, but each one seemed to cause a stir within him. "Elias. Droh. Trouble."


    He was confused, as the message contained no origin or explanation, but it was clearly directed at him. "A ploy?" He wondered aloud, but the idea was quickly forgotten.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    "Doesn''t matter¡­ I shall take the bait, and bring that little Faun to heel, where only true suffering will await him. He shall return to me what I seek¡ªwhat he took, and then I will dispose of him." Rol''an stopped in his tracks, "Hmph, and perhaps that foolish boy Elias has outlived his usefulness¡­ maybe I should replace him, too. Hm¡­ perhaps the one who sent this will serve me well, instead."


    "Yes, indeed." He paused for a moment as his thoughts wandered, "I sent that fool Elias out with one of my spears... the fact I received this message must mean he survived and completed his task. Hmph, I wonder what his face would look like if he knew he was used as bait to challenge those Lords..." Rol''an glanced around, his sight falling onto a single sheen of crimson that leaked across the floor. "I''ve already eliminated most who can stop me... all that is left is the final piece of the puzzle, and my ascension shall be complete. How many more bodies will be needed, I wonder."


    His sinister laugh was quickly swallowed by the darkness within the monolith, turning him into nothing but a phantom, absorbing him into its embrace. He vanished as if he were never there from the start. All that was left within the massive room was a smooth layer of freshly gathered blood, but not a body in sight.


    Deus sat there, waiting. Now that the message was sent, he knew that everything was out of his hands. He didn''t even really know what to expect, but he knew that he couldn''t let himself be seen.


    "Deus, respond." A voice spoke out from the comm-link to his shock, he hadn''t expected to hear from anyone so quickly. He lifted the device up to his mouth as he replied in a whisper, "I''m here Elias, but I can''t really talk¡­ I''m next to the tower, they haven''t spotted me yet."


    "Understood. I haven''t been able to get a message out for backup, so we might be stuck here," Elias claimed, not knowing that Deus had already sent out for help. "It seems that those bastards are using something to block our long-range signal."


    ''Wait¡­ how was I able to call for help but he wasn''t?'' Deus didn''t understand. If he was able to send out a long-range message but Elias wasn''t, what had caused the difference?


    Deus lifted the communication device to himself as he replied, "I see¡­ so what''s the plan?"


    After a momentary pause, Elias spoke back through the radio device, "We need to start moving backward, our best bet would be to move across the front of the tower and reorganize ourselves with our gunners stationed as the backup. Your comm device, use it, see if you can reach them because ours can''t. Maybe you''re closer to them, so maybe you won''t need to use a long-range frequency. It doesn''t seem like the enemy is blocking close-range, thankfully. Most likely it''s because they need to use their own close-range frequencies, too."


    "Fine, I think I can manage that," Deus accepted. It was a relatively simple assignment and didn''t come at any additional risk to him. "I''ll start moving down the ridge toward your location, see if I can''t take some cheap shots at the enemy as I go."


    "I''ll make sure we don''t accidentally shoot you as you arrive," Elias replied half-jokingly, half-seriously.


    Deus lowered the comm device back down as he adjusted the channel on it. A static buzz sounded as he twisted one of the knobs, changing the broadcasting frequency. It wasn''t particularly odd how Elias'' comms weren''t working for long-range, but it was odd that his Archive had worked so that he could send his last-resort message.


    What had caused the difference between the two devices and broadcasts? Was it the frequencies, or was it the fact that the Archive was more advanced and even possessed within it a shackled A.I? Whatever it was, Deus fully intended to take advantage of it, all that was left to do was to somehow charge his Archive back up to full battery, that, or find a new device to place the Archive drive.


    Bzzz! The comm connected to the channel that the gunners had been assigned to. He called out into it, "Droh, can you read me?"


    Time passed slowly as he waited for a reply. He spoke into the device two more times, just to be safe, yet there was no response. He turned the comm back to close-range and spoke into it, "Elias, you read me? I couldn''t get a hold of them."


    He had used one of Elias''s radios, as his own Archive was out of charge and wouldn''t be able to send out the message again.


    Elias replied over the device, "Shit¡­ alright, join up with us and we''ll start moving toward them¡­ my best guess is they''ve got trouble of their own."

 [Vol 1, Chapter 32] Deafening Static

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    Deus didn''t even bother replying through the communication device as he jumped out from behind cover, his destination being Elias''s defensive line. The last resort for them to gather together during these hectic times. It was either join forces or be individually crushed by the enemy, as no one was confident in their ability to stay alive alone.


    All he needed to do was wait out the enemy and survive, and sooner or later he full-heartedly believed reinforcements would arrive. He had to believe that because otherwise, the entire fight was for naught.


    Almost instantaneously as he dived out from his cover, he was spotted. Several blasts came to his direction as the enemy forces began to move on his position. If he didn''t hurry he''d find himself overrun.


    "Shit!" He shouted, pulling a heavy plate of metal out from the ground as he used it as a sort of shield alternative. The metal was still hot from the crash, but he toughened through it so that he would have a defense. He ran, holding the metal above himself as the soldiers within the tower aimed at him. It didn''t take long for the ground around him to be ravaged by enemy fire as the metal plate he had blocked multiple shots.


    Thankfully he was quick on his feet, otherwise, he might''ve ended up with a few extra holes pierced throughout his chest and limbs.


    "Remind me again why I even accepted this job¡­" He snarkily complained to no one in particular, "I could''ve sworn I was comfortably living in a nice room before we went to meet that fucking Mercer. I had somehow acquired fame, and didn''t have to worry about anything..."


    A voice kicked onto his radio with a barrage of static, interrupting his ramblings, "Deus, is that you causing all that noise? I hear a lot of gunshots, and it''s not at us..."


    It was Elias talking, of course. He never seemed to hesitate when it came to using the radio to complain to Deus. Perhaps it was his way of staying calm while everything around him goes wrong.


    "Well shit, you''re the one who wanted me to join forces with you, so I had to leave my safe little cubby-hole," Deus spoke in a rushed tone, exhaling deeply as he tried to catch his breath. "Hmph, hold on for a second¡­"


    He lowered the radio onto his belt as he turned his attention towards the tower. Many soldiers could be seen from atop the massive structure, all of them shuffling around in an organized manner. Dozens were within eyesight as at least half of them fired down from their vantage point, trying their best to take potshots at Elias and Deus. From their fortification, they seemed impervious, which they practically were.


    Deus pulled out his hand-cannon and lifted it into the air, using the plate of metal as if it were a shield to hide his body behind. He fired several shots wildly, not having any specific target in mind, more so the area itself was his target. He knew he didn''t have to kill anyone, he just had to provide return fire.


    Almost his entire magazine had been fired at the enemy tower, and yet he was only able to hit two or three soldiers as the rest of his rounds collided into the side of the structure.


    The few he shot didn''t even face any fatal injuries, either. Instead, they were simply pulled away from the edge by their allies and their spots were filled by replacements. At most he delayed the enemy by a few seconds, but beyond that, it was more to vent his own anger.


    He knew he couldn''t take everyone on, and he never intended to from the beginning. In fact, some may even consider his actions a waste of ammunition, but it was exactly what he needed to provide himself with a second wind of energy.


    He lifted the radio device back up, "Alright Elias, I''m about to join up with you, so try not to shoot me, if you can."


    As he said that he gave a single firm kick into the ground as if to brace himself as he flailed himself through the air, propelling himself through with a wild jump. He quickly broke through the cliff-edge and appeared within eyesight of Elias''s squad.


    "Boss! That other fellow, I''ve spotted him!" Nirox shouted out as he caught sight of Deus tumbling down toward them, the ground erupting in gunfire behind him. It was almost comical how the world seemed to engulf itself in explosions and gunfire mere moments after he passed by.


    "Prepare to open the barrier, we''ve got to let him through!" Elias ordered, moving toward where Deus was so that he could be there to greet him.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    The barrier opened briefly, forming an almost doorway in the middle of the energy field, only a mere eight meters in front of Elias. As it opened a barrage of enemy fire made its way through, pelting the desert sand as Deus and the rest of the crew managed to maneuver around it.


    Deus landed within the barrier, the gap behind him filled itself as he passed. His landing was firm yet hastened. As he gathered his footing, bracing himself to meet with Elias, he lifted his head to take in his surroundings. He still wasn''t sure how everything would work out, but he held faith that Elias would take him at face value and not hold him at a distance.


    No, he believed Elias couldn''t afford to hold him at a distance, not in this environment. They had to work together to survive, that much was clear to everyone.


    There was no longer any room for error, especially when it came to Elias and the clan he represented. If everything worked out as intended, their clan leader Roland should be making his arrival any time. If Roland arrived only to find Elias distrusting of Deus, that could spell disaster for him.


    "Elias!" Deus called out as he approached, raising both of his arms into view so as to appear friendly and unsuspicious.


    "Hm, I wasn''t sure if you''d be able to make it here in one piece, truth be told," Elias said matter-of-factly. "I had no intention of holding my breath for you¡­ but it seems you survived in the end."


    "Well, we still have that to deal with¡­ not out of the fire yet," Deus spoke with a firmness as he turned to face the enemy tower. Even now a barrage of enemy suppression rained down upon the battlefield, but the energy barrier Nirox was holding seemed able to hold off the majority of it, for now.


    "What''ll we do once that shield drops?"


    Elias turned toward Deus as his face turned stern, "All we can do is move back slowly and make sure we don''t leave anyone behind¡­ once we make it to our backup forces on the ridge we should be able to make some sort of stand," he paused for a moment as he shrugged, "I doubt we''ll have it that easy¡­ I have reason to believe our backup forces are currently being tied down."


    "I thought the same," Deus agreed. "When I tried to contact Droh, all I got was static. This whole situation doesn''t feel right, I''ve got a bad feeling that we''ve walked straight into a trap from the moment we arrived."


    Elias nodded in acknowledgment.


    "Speaking about that," Deus continued, "How exactly did we get shot down, anyway? I find it odder that there doesn''t seem to be any weapon capable of that insight... at least if I saw a giant gun, I''d be less frustrated."


    "Mhm," Elias agreed with a nod, "If there was some big cannon laying around, at least we could sleep easy knowing exactly where it was and what it was... but with this... all we''re left with are more questions than answers. We need to know what happened, I''m afraid, but it won''t be that easy to find out."


    Elias rubbed his chin for a moment as he thought.


    "It would be best if our forces joined together, even if that means involving ourselves in another confrontation," he explained, "If our gunners back us up, and we them, everyone should be able to make it out of here alive. I''m afraid to say, however, that our attack may have been for naught. I doubt we''ll be able to investigate anything as we are now."


    "Eh, I''m not sure about tha-"


    "No time for discussion, we need to get moving," Elias interrupted, not letting Deus get a word in edgewise.


    ''Hmph, I tried to tell him about Roland, but he isn''t having it¡­ maybe I''ll just let him find out later, and use it as some sort of tool later.''


    Their group had begun to move as one cohesive unit, to the amazement of Deus. He hadn''t expected everything to work so well, but clearly, the clan members held some sort of respect for Elias and the commands he gave.


    Nirox kept the barrier secured and centered, while Atra watched over their flank, preventing anyone from overwhelming them. The barrier could outlast the enemies'' barrage from a distance, but not a direct assault from up close. All the while Elias continued to fire a heavy rifle toward the tower as if trying to weigh them down.


    "Deus, bring that hand-cannon of yours over here, we''ve got to hold them off!" Elias shouted as he shot.


    In response, Deus ran over to Elias''s side as he fired several heavy rounds towards the approaching forces. The enemy covered the debris field, using the broken metal as a shield just like Elias and his crew were doing. Every step the clansmen took, the enemy took two steps towards them.


    If they weren''t careful, they''d find themselves overrun from multiple angles. They had lucked out so far as the enemy seemed almost mismanaged, but for all Deus knew that in itself was a trap. It could simply be that they were hesitant because everything from here on was some sort of trap designed to destroy them.


    "You, cover me!" Deus shouted as he called one of the clansmen to his side. "Hold fire there while I check the comms."


    As he said that, the clansmen took his place, the man firmly planted himself against the ridge, rifle in hand. Deus pulled out his radio once again as he turned the station to a long-range setting.


    "Droh, you hear me?" He shouted into the device. At first only static could be heard in reply, but suddenly the static morphed into what sounded like a voice. The words were unintelligible.


    "Elias!" Deus shouted, "I got a response, but I don''t know what they said!"


    "That''s good news, at least," Elias spoke back as a smile showed on his face for the first time in a while. "Keep pressing it, see if you can get some sort of sitrep. If we can get close enough, maybe you can have them call for backup¡­"


    "Backup?" Deus tried once more to tell Elias about what was to come, "Speaking of backup¡­ Elias¡­"


    "Oh right, I''ll need to tell you the relay to use to reach the clan," Elias once more cut in before Deus could continue. "Don''t waste any more time, just keep trying and we''ll survive this."


    ''Hmph, can''t say I didn''t try...''


    An explosion blasted dust and ash into the air, vaporizing the moment it made contact with their barrier.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 33] A Defensive Line

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    Mercer ran through a debris field as ash sprinkled down across the sand. Explosions rocked nearby as the gunners reinforced themselves for impact. "Droh, get that cannon over here, quickly!" Mercer shouted out as the young Faun scurried over in a panic.


    Mercer stood toward the center of the group as heavy energy barriers cast down a shield over them, protecting their group from a majority of attacks. These barriers were provided beforehand by Elias, and because of them, Mercer was able to secure a safe zone.


    "This is insane," Mercer cursed aloud, "We''re dead¡­ we''re so dead¡­ Droh!"


    Droh''s ears twitched as his name was called out. He shouted out in response, "Mercer, I''m sort of busy over here!" He could be seen lugging a heavy cannon practically the same size as himself over toward their defensive line. "Hey, help me set this thing up, will you?"


    Mercer frowned as his eyes darted toward one of the clansmen who had accompanied him. "You, help him set that cannon up, and hurry!"


    He was acting rather presumptuous, but during all of the chaos, it seemed that no one else had wanted the responsibility of leadership. After all, no one wanted to take up the mantle and compete with Elias, especially once both sides reunited.


    "Sir!" One of the clansmen exclaimed as he rushed over towards Droh''s side. He grabbed one side of the cannon and loosened the mechanism, allowing the mount to sink into the ground, planting it firmly. They quickly adjusted several parts of the cannon, only stopping once they were satisfied that it would fire.


    Droh grabbed hold of the trigger, aiming the cannon toward a mound of enemies who were slowly encroaching on them. He took a breath, and as he exhaled, he fired. An explosive shot rang out, smashing into the black sand, sending particles of shrapnel and dust flying through the air.


    The cannon kicked back as a heavy shot rang out of its barrel. If they hadn''t attached it to the ground beforehand, it most likely would''ve flipped under the pressure.


    "Keep firing, hold them off!" Mercer instructed. He turned toward another side as he asked one of the clansmen, "How are things looking over there?"


    "I''ve held off most of them, but they''re slowly pushing up¡­ we don''t have the necessary weaponry to handle a full-scale push." A younger man answered back, raising his head out from under a cloak as his face was coated in sand. His appearance was clearly human, however, his skin seemed to almost peel and crack, as if made of dried sand.


    "Shit¡­" Mercer cursed once again, his face simply dripping of sweat. "How goes the radio?"


    A different clansman replied in a deep somber voice, "I''ve been trying, but it''s only static. It seems we''re too far away to reach close-range, so I''ve been trying long-range."


    "Still nothing even with long-range?"


    The clansman shook his head dejectedly, "I''m afraid not, and I''m not entirely sure why. Could be the enemy has some method of blocking our long-range transmissions, or perhaps it''s because there''s no one alive to receive it."


    Mercer hesitated for a moment as he contemplated what to say next.


    "Hm¡­" He smacked his face, leaving a red mark. "We can''t think about that right now. I doubt Mister Elias would die so easily. Hell, I doubt any of those bastards would die so simply... they seem like the sort of people who are painfully hard to kill. Like damn cockroaches."


    "Cockroaches?" The clansman repeated, shock apparent on his face as a faint grin formed. "You''re right about one thing, we can''t think about that right now. I''ll keep trying to reach them, I''ll keep you updated."


    Mercer nodded, showing he understood. "Keep trying to reach them, but don''t forget your other responsibilities. If we end up overrun from that side, it''ll be on your head."


    Droh continued firing as he listened to their conversation. The sound of eruptions cascading throughout the battlefield as their cannons launched deadly projectiles. They had a reasonably protected foothold, but that was all they had. They had no means of escape, the moment they packed up to retreat, they''d be overrun.


    It seemed the forces of Direfell had prepared for this, which meant there was most likely a traitor in their ranks. Droh knew this, Mercer knew this, and most importantly, Elias knew this. Even if there were no direct traitors, that didn''t mean that the clan didn''t have any turncoats within their intelligence agents. Someone had leaked information, that much was absolute.


    "Take this!" Droh shouted out at no one in particular as he fired his cannon, creating large divots in the desert. He worried about Deus, but he knew better than to become lost in thought. He had dragged Deus into this, however, so he couldn''t simply abandon the idea of rescuing him.


    The enemy forces quickly overwhelmed them, surrounding them on all sides. If it wasn''t for their heavy-duty energy barrier, they would''ve been annihilated instantly. It was quite unfortunate, however, that it had become a battle of attrition. At this point, neither side had been willing to back down, and at the same time, neither side possessed the ability to end it.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    It had become a waiting game to decide which side would break first, and the odds weren''t in Droh''s favor.


    It couldn''t be helped. Droh''s side possessed whatever they were left with when they departed their ship and camped on the ridge. The enemy force, however, wielded powerful weapons and a great stronghold to house their practically limitless military power. If this was a war between two fully-fueled sides, the outcome thus far might''ve been different, but unfortunately, it wasn''t.


    "I still can''t believe they shot down the Nijaden like that¡­ we didn''t even have time to regret it¡­" Droh felt remorseful as he recalled the memory. Everything had been going so smoothly, even defeating that terrifying centipede creature. But it all was for naught the moment that beam appeared.


    It struck the ship the instant it was fired as if there was no delay between distances.


    It rippled through the armor and melted most of the metal, causing an explosion within the engine''s innards, which brought the ship crashing down. The Nijaden''s heavy hull was mightly, and yet regardless, it had been reduced to a pile of scrap under the immense heat of the beam.


    Droh hadn''t even seen where the blast had originated from exactly, all he knew was that it spelled disaster for all of them.


    "I suppose the only good thing about this is that they haven''t used that beam weapon a second time¡­ maybe that means it''s got a long charge time," he reasoned with himself. That could''ve been the case, but he didn''t hold his breath. For all that he knew that weapon simply had a prerequisite and had thus not been used a second time.


    As he fired, his attention was drawn in by what appeared to be conflict within the main debris field, where their ship had crashed. That was a good sign, all things considered. It meant there was some sort of battle waging, and the only ones who''d be engaged in a fight there would be those who survived the destruction of the Nijaden.


    "Mercer, I think we''ve got a chance!" Droh shouted, drawing Mercer''s attention as the man approached him.


    "What are you talking about?" He asked. His sight aimed forward, trying to match Droh''s.


    It only took Mercer a moment to spot the eruptions of flame that came from further ahead. Upon spotting them, he shouted out, "Survivors!"


    Droh nodded his head as a smile finally appeared across his face, "Right! Not just any, either. A small group would''ve been crushed that close to the enemy stronghold¡­ I imagine only our main vanguard could hold their ground."


    "Elias¡­" Mercer murmured out as he contemplated their next move. "You there," he beckoned one of the younger clansmen to his side, "Turn on your radio and see if you can get in contact with them."


    The clansman lowered his head slightly as he undertook the assignment. His radio device buzzed as he kept out of everyone''s way, doing whatever he could to find the correct channel.


    "If those survivors join forces with us¡­" Mercer grinned, "We can pull through and maybe even push our attack. With Elias, we''ll even be able to get in contact with the clan''s main channels."


    Droh turned his head to face Mercer as he asked, "You don''t know the clan''s channels? I thought you were a member¡­"


    "Honorary member¡­" Mercer growled, as if ashamed. "Shut up and get back to firing¡­ my connection to the clan is of no concern to you. After everything is said and done, I''ll most likely be promoted, and will finally become a member with some actual influence."


    Droh chortled, ignoring Mercer''s tone as he continued to speak, "For someone who isn''t even an official member, you sure do boss around their clansmen¡­ I wonder how Elias and Roland will feel about that."


    Mercer hesitated for a moment before speaking, "This was an exception¡­ I''m sure they''ll respect the fact that I took charge while everyone else simply awaited orders. Without me, we''d probably already be dead."


    "Sure, that could be the case¡­ or perhaps you''re simply overstepping your bounds, and they won''t appreciate that. After all, an honorary member commanding their clansmen is a sign of weakness by my count, even if the clansmen you commanded were simply grunts."


    Mercer glared at Droh as he growled, "Just shut up and shoot, stupid Faun."


    All Droh could do was laugh it off and move on. Even he knew when to stop pushing, else he would face unnecessary consequences. Truth be told, he was just trying to have some fun at Mercer''s expense, especially since he was in this situation because of him.


    Behind Droh, the young clansman continued pressing the communication device. Each time he changed to a new channel, the device sounded off with a firm static buzz. With each frequency, he would pause and wait for a moment to listen before he''d speak into it, all in an attempt to see if anyone would reply.


    He had to be careful, however, as he never knew who could be listening, so he had to speak vaguely. For all he knew, he could accidentally access a public channel used by the Direfell military, which could spell further disaster for them if they found out anything about Mercer''s intent.


    "Hello, is anyone there?" He spoke into the device, pausing for a response.


    A rough static replied. It was as if someone had activated their device and rubbed two rocks together into the microphone.


    "Hello?" The young man spoke again, and once again he paused to hear a reply.


    "Bzz¡­ Do you¡­. bzzz¡­"


    A response at last.


    "Yes, hello, do you hear me? Who is this?" He asked impatiently, a hint of excitement showed on his face.


    "Bzz¡­ Droh¡­ bzzz¡­. are you¡­"


    The clansman jumped to his feet as he shouted out loud, "Mercer, Droh! I''ve got a response! Its mostly static, but I heard them ask for Droh."


    "Droh?" Mercer repeated, "Shit, that might be Deus¡­ give the device to me, let me check."


    Finally some good news. It was enough to excite everyone nearby. After all, progress was great.


    "This is Mercer¡­ Deus, is that you?" He spoke into the device.


    "Bzz¡­ Mercer¡­ put¡­ bzzz¡­ Droh on¡­"


    Droh''s ears flapped wildly as he heard a familiar voice. That was, without a doubt, the same Deus who he had journeyed to Direfell with, and signed up for this mission with. Droh left his cannon as the same clansman who had found the station took his place. He approached Mercer as his hand stretched out as if signaling him to give the radio over.


    All Mercer could do was comply as he gave the device to Droh, letting out a quiet click with his tongue as he did.


    "Deus, is that you?" Droh asked as his ears twitched with an eager excitement. He was worried all this time that Deus had been injured or even killed during the crash. It was a thought he couldn''t kick, until now.


    "Bzz¡­ Droh, glad to¡­ hear¡­ bzzz¡­ I''m with Elias¡­ bzzz¡­"


    Droh and Mercer listened, a grin appeared on both of their faces as hope slowly began to reappear. Droh''s tail swayed as he asked, "Mercer, is there any chance for us to clean up this static?"

 [Vol 1, Chapter 34] Reunited

    Deus stood over one of the clansmen, watching as the young man tampered with the radio, to the point of dismantling it''s back paneling and ripping it open. Several wires dangled out of it as he twisted them together and cut their ends clean off. This, of course, was all in an effort to improve both the range and remove excess static.


    "You''re sure you know what you''re doing?" Deus asked him cautiously.


    "Mhm," he nodded, "This should help clean up the voices a bit¡­ but I doubt the radio will last long once this is done. Consider this a last ditch effort, it''ll pull all the strength from the wires but will most likely fry everything quickly. You''ll need to send your message quickly before the wires short-circuit."


    Deus understood what he meant up to a point, however, he was still unsure of the many intricacies that allowed the radio to work. Regardless, he nodded his head and spoke, "Right, understood."


    The clansman cut one final wire with a thin knife as he reattached the back paneling, only then did he hand the device over to Deus. With a firm grasp, Deus lifted the device to his face as he called out. "Droh, do you read me?" After everything that had happened, he knew that he only had so long before the radio malfunctioned and died, especially after everything that the young clansman had done to it.


    A clear voice came back in return, it was quite audible and crisp. It was a voice which Deus could recognize. He practically teared up on instinct upon suddenly hearing this voice. It was like a light at the end of a dark tunnel. "Droh¡­ am I glad to hear from you."


    "Deus¡­ Deus, is that you? I''m so happy that you''re alright. I saw the ship go down and I¡ª"


    Droh was interrupted as Mercer interjected, most likely lifting the radio away from the young Faun, "Enough of that. Deus, how goes everything? You said Elias was there, right? Put him on."


    "Nice to hear from you too, Mercer¡­" Deus said, his tone so clearly sarcastic.


    Deus turned to look, his sight stopping only once he caught Elias''s attention. "Elias, it''s Mercer, he said he needs to speak with you!" he shouted, tossing the radio over to Elias as he brought out his hand-cannon again. "If you need me, just call me over."


    With that Deus walked a few steps to the side as he began firing once again at the enemy. ''Hm, all I needed to know was if Droh was still alright¡­ good, now hold on buddy, I''ll get you through this¡­ somehow.''


    Deus had grown attached to the young Faun, as he was the one who guided him through Midnight and into Direfell when he first arrived. Many of his thoughts and opinions had come from Droh, and he seemed to naturally share many values and aspirations with him.


    Elsewhere, Elias stood there, holding the radio in his hands. "Mercer?" He paused for a moment before speaking again, "How are the defenses where you''re at?"


    "Mister Elias, I''m glad to hear you''re alive and well¡­ I''ve managed to secure a perimeter using the energy barrier you provided us, but we can''t get anywhere without being overrun. Our only choice is to wait everything out and shoulder the storm."


    Elias thought for a moment. "Do you have a radio that can reach long-range? All ours have died out, so if you do... I have a channel you need to use... you know if that is indeed the case."


    "Pardon?" Mercer asked, "I don''t understand."Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    "Do you or do you not have a radio that can transmit long-range? If so, I''ll have you send over a message that I''ve prepared beforehand. It will reach the clan headquarters, and they''ll dispatch the annihilation unit."


    At the mention of such a unit, several of the clansmen who were nearest to Elias felt a frightening shiver move up their backs. They''ve heard this name before, but only through whispers and rumor, as none of them were high enough in rank to personally witness such a force in person.


    The annihilation unit, or as it was more aptly referred to as Goliath within the clan. A special task force specially constructed by Roland, their clan''s leader and foundation, to handle the most dangerous and severe risks, all the while typically receiving a relatively minimal loss of life in the process. That didn''t account for the loss of life for their foes, however. That number was almost always astronomically high. They were a unique weapon which the clan had quietly stashed away, waiting for a special moment.


    Even the elite forces of Direfell would find fighting this task force difficult, as they possessed a unique and sinister secret that only Roland knew of. Many considered them to be his secret ace, a true weapon he''d stash throughout Direfell in order to ensure his continued success and influence.


    It showed just how little influence Elias truly held in comparison to Roland, that even he knew very little regarding Goliath. It would take all of his influence and perhaps even a few favors to summon them here, but once it was done, the operation would be a sure thing. Elias had hesitated to do this until the last moment, however, because he knew that the most valuable treasures would fall to them if they were involved.


    He also knew that the moment Goliath was summoned, Roland would come to know of everything. This spelled disaster for Elias, as he was attempting to secretly accumulate power and influence so as to not be removed from power. If he failed, he feared for his safety, especially now that he had directly eliminated one of the deadly centipedes, a symbol of power for many Lords.


    "So, do you have a radio that can transmit long-range or do you not?" Elias was losing his patience as he asked again.


    Mercer paused for a moment, only replying after several long drawn out seconds had passed. "Y-yes, battery life is estimated at half-charge on the radio, and it is capable of contacting long-range as long as it transmits away from the tower¡­" he hesitated before adding on, "The further away from the tower, the better."


    "Understood¡­ await our arrival, and keep that damn radio safe, above all else."


    Elias turned his attention back toward his small squad of men as he began shouting orders. They had been constantly under suppressive fire, but due to the effectiveness of the energy barrier, most of the damage wasn''t too bad.


    Deus simply stuck around, occasionally cooperating and assisting in holding off enemy strikes, but most of his time was spent on listening to Elias vent his frustrations as they very slowly made their way through the war-torn battlefield.


    Deus had initially planned on warning Elias about his previously successful message, but he hesitated. He wasn''t sure how the news would be received, so until the very last minute, he had decided to hold out and wait.


    "Look! Boss, I can see them!" Nirox shouted as he remained in the frontal-most position of their group. An energy barrier device firmly weighing down in his grasp. The device was relatively heavy, especially for its size, and so he had to occasionally pause and recuperate his strength before they could continue on.


    Unfortunately only Nirox possessed the upper body strength to single-handedly carry the device. They could have relied on multiple men to carry it in case of an emergency, but that would have required them to allocate several clansmen who held their defensive line to the task, thus weakening their overall strength.


    To avoid such a loss of strength, they had ordered Nirox to carry the device alone. Allocating him to simply acting as their eyes while shuffling through the battlefield.


    Elias turned to face where Nirox had called his attention to. What he saw was enough to twist his mouth into a smile.


    The gunner team that they had placed only a few cliff-ridges away had come into view as they could be seen continuously holding off several enemy attacks. "Come on, we''re at the home stretch!"


    Deus knew the truth, though. This was only the beginning, and the road ahead was darker than anything else previously. Yes, Elias and his clansmen would be able to join forces with their reinforcements, but wasn''t the same true for their attackers? Once both sides met, they could join their own forces together and strike harder than before.


    They needed to hurry, or else they''d be nothing left of them but ash.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 35] A Hopeful Light, Shadowed by Fear

    <div>


    Deus ran forward, leading the charge as his group made its way through the ash fallen battlefield. Nirox hurriedly ran behind everyone as he lugged the energy barrier in his arms. He was made the focal point of the group, so as to provide more room for everyone else to readjust their placing.


    Elias remained at his side, to both ensure the shield stayed up while also keeping himself at the safest point, in case the barrier''s size shrunk.


    "Hold your fire, we''re moving again!" Deus shouted as several clansmen followed his lead. They charged toward the front and took a kneeled position as they fired their guns, creating a barrage that lit the desert in flames.


    The sky burned a crimson red as the black sand around everyone was laced with broken and burnt piles of metal. An ominous creaking could be heard occasionally, it''s source unknown and unseen. It sounded of heavy gears turning and twisting, fueled by some engine of death.


    Something was coming, something that would spell disaster for everyone there. Deus knew that they had sprung a trap, and it was now only a matter of time.


    "Another hundred feet¡­ that''s all we need¡­" Deus murmured to himself as he counted each step expectantly. He had been kicking himself the entirety of the time they were moving, trying to come up with some plan to ensure Droh''s and his safety once Roland and whatever backup he brought arrived.


    He didn''t doubt that he would be fine, at least he believed his life wouldn''t be in danger once Roland arrived, especially since not only had he contacted him, but he also has no past experience and conflict with him. Droh, on the other hand, wouldn''t be so lucky. That much was obvious.


    Deus didn''t know much of what had happened between the two, but he was smart enough to fill in some of the blanks. From the sounds of it, Droh had stolen something of value from Roland, who had, in turn, stolen it first.


    It was a case of ''Droh stole a stolen thing''.


    Whether it was a weapon, an heirloom, or even simply a something small and inconsequential, Deus didn''t know. All that he knew was that there had been bad blood between the two ever since.


    "Damn!" Deus clicked his tongue as he spat out. "Just when I thought we were going to be alright¡­"


    As he spoke, another squad of Direfell soldiers appeared over a ridge. They trained their guns on his group but did not fire. Deus instantly noticed this and frowned, "What''s going on?"


    "Mister Elias! Look, more of them!" This time it was Atra who shouted out, his attention was drawn in a different direction.


    One after the other, the clansmen shouted out. "What the hell is going on¡­" Deus grumbled to himself as he thought, ''Why are they not firing? Have they realized it''s pointless to waste ammo as it is right now? No, if that was the case they would''ve reorganized¡­ why are they just waiting¡­''


    "Take advantage of this moment and charge!" Elias ordered, forcing the rest of his group to press onward. It was odd, however, that the suppressive fire they had previously been under had dwindled to what seemed to be a single group. The rest of them simply watched and waiting, keeping their distance.


    ''We''re already so close! I can see Droh¡­'' He thought, his eyes trained on the ridge. Their group had nearly arrived and were close enough that they could start to make out individual people within the other''s forces.


    Deus was concerned more than anything. He knew that it wouldn''t be long until their forces combined, but if he knew that than the Direfell soldiers should''ve noticed it, too. For them to hold their fire and watch, as if expectantly waiting for something, it was a frightening situation full of uncertainty. It meant one thing for certain¡ªit didn''t matter if they combined their forces or not.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    It seemed that Elias noticed this too, but had decided to ignore it until they joined together. If they were going to hold their fire, he''d take advantage. After all, they were already trying to kill him, it''s not like he has to worry about their intent. All he needed to do was to get to Mercer''s radio quickly, and all would work out.


    However, before they could reconnect their forces, a low rumbling sound began to shake the ground. The origin of this force seemed to be from the sprawling tower which sat before them, blocking their view everything beyond. ''We still need to get past that thing¡­ if we''re even going to keep pushing once reinforcements arrive, that is.''


    Pausing, Deus thought for a moment. ''Hold on¡­ what was Elias after, anyway? I''ve thought about this before¡­ but I never had the time to really stop and think¡­ shit, if only the Archive was online I could have it launch a scan, then I''d know what was over beyond the tower¡­''


    "Elias, we''re almost there! We''ve got to hold out just a bit longer!" Deus shouted, his voice piercing through the silence which had occurred after hearing that horrifyingly low rumble.


    The enemy wasn''t going to just let them off, they knew that. Whatever had caused that sound would most likely spell disaster for them, as it meant the enemy was preparing for something big. All they could do was keep moving and hope Elias can send out his call for aid.


    "Deus!" A thin voice called out, drawing everyone''s attention. This was the first time in awhile anyone on Deus''s team had heard this voice when it wasn''t coming through the radio. Deus glanced up, matching the gaze of the young Faun who had called his name.


    Deus showed the hint of a smile as he contemplated to himself, ''Droh¡­ I can''t believe how long it feels, especially when it''s only been a short time since I last saw him. I''ve still got to worry about him once Roland arrives¡­ if he even does. Hah¡­ that feels like such an impending mountain coming to crush me.''


    Deus couldn''t think about this forever, he knew that. Shaking his head, he shouted out in reply, showing a firm smile on his face as if he was meeting with an old friend after a long hiatus. "Droh! Hold on, we''re coming!"


    Everyone within both squads showed glee as they were finally reuniting. With their forces finally becoming one unit again, they believed that there was a chance of survival.


    The two sides came together, allowing not only their shield generators to share the load, but also allowing their vanguard forces a chance at repairing their weaponry and reloading all of their ammunition stockpiles. Thankfully Elias had left over half of their main supplies on the ridge with the gunners as he had believed they''d require a great deal in order to provide adequate suppressive fire.


    "Mercer, you have that radio I told you to hold onto, right?" Elias approached Mercer''s group as he spoke, his hand already outstretched and ready to accept the device.


    "Hah¡­ right." Mercer didn''t hesitate, either. He knew the situation he was in, and the quicker he complied, the better. He pulled the radio off his belt as he handed it over to Elias. From what most of them knew, this radio held with it their last hope of survival, so they all cared for as if it were some valuable treasure.


    Elias didn''t mind them as he turned away, switching to some unknown channel and waiting.


    "Click, click, click¡ª" Several low toned clicking noises sounded from the radio, one after another. Only after hearing this did Elias show an exhilarated grin. He held the button down on the radio as he brought it to his mouth.


    "Frequency request Ferno. This is Elias Moruga, a disciple of the Orion clan."


    Elias waited for a moment as three more clicks sounded in response.


    "Requesting dispatch of Goliath¡ªannihilation unit. Enemy soldiers have my squad surrounded and our ship has been destroyed by some unknown weapon."


    Once again, he waited, and again, another set of clicking noises replied. Only after what seemed to be an entire minute did a voice reply back, this time the voice was monotone yet human.


    "One moment on the Ferno Frequency. It seems your request has been overridden. A higher authority has intercepted the Ferno request, please await more information, Sir Elias." The voice went quiet as Elias''s face turned vile.


    "What¡­ what the hell?" He cursed quietly to himself, "Who the hell has the authority to¡ª"


    "M-master Roland¡­ only he would..." He practically skittered out the name, as if too afraid to even speak it aloud. "B-but it was through his information that I''m even here¡­ unless¡­"


    "Betrayal?" He murmured out, "No¡­ how can it be betrayal when I don''t even pose a threat¡­ I''m but an ant¡­ a humble ant¡­"


    Interrupting his bumbling panic, the radio device sounded. "Sir Elias, I''ve been ordered to inform you¡­ ha¡ª" The voice paused for a second, "Pardon that¡­ I''ve been ordered to inform you that the mighty clan master has overtaken command and has dispatched his private force. Your reinforcements are on their way, be ready."


    "Hah¡­" A gasp of air escaped Elias''s lips as he listened. "The c-clan master is coming himself¡­ his private force¡­"

 [Vol 1, Chapter 36] Drohs Pitiful Acceptance

    <div>


    "Why would the clan master come himself¡­ and how did he¡­" Elias couldn''t believe what he had heard. He would never admit it to anyone, but the clan leader terrified him, and he knew more than anyone that he was only useful to Roland¡ªor as he was truly named Rol''an¡ªbecause of his prior connections with Direfell''s semi-inner military circle.


    He held influence with Direfell''s military police, the guards and soldiers who oversaw most of the day-to-day. The fact that he held power over many soldiers, such as Mercer was proof enough of this. Without that power, Elias was next to useless to both the Orion clan and it''s master and would''ve been tossed to the side long ago.


    He didn''t possess any overwhelming abilities, he wasn''t even particularly clever. Rol''an used Elias for a simple, linear goal. To access information regarding Direfell''s hive-mind.


    He only held his rank as the Orion clan''s number two in name, but no one outside the inner circle of the clan knew this. He couldn''t afford to have anyone find this out, as it would spell disaster for him. Someone who held power in name alone wasn''t worth the effort and would be abandoned the moment they stopped being useful.


    Elias knew this, and so he had volunteered for many missions in order to raise his value to both the clan and Rol''an. He had to continuously wear this mask of power, a mere illusion, even if it was truly too shallow to comfortably rely on.


    In truth, many of Rol''an''s closest confidants eyed for Elias'' position. They''d do whatever they could to topple him, allowing themselves to take his place as Orion''s co-conspirator. Rol''an himself held doubts in Elias and was obviously very quick to toss aside everything that was useless to him.


    "I was told this was just another basic heist job¡­ so why¡­" His voice skipped a beat as panic overtook him. A surge of worry struck at his heart as he glanced back toward his group in secret, distrust and hate apparent on his face. "Have I been betrayed from the inside? Was it Atra who has been watching me¡­ or perhaps Nirox¡­ no, it might even be one of the new blood."


    A grunt escaped as he continued to grumble to himself, "I was on edge all this while¡­ thinking I had gotten the better of everyone. I had even changed up the plan for this exact reason¡­ but it didn''t matter."


    It was a good thing he had gone to the side before all of this, otherwise, everyone would have noticed the concern and anger on his face as he tried his best to determine who had been sent to observe him. He knew how careful he had been, but nothing was set in stone. "Who even had the opportunity to act against me? Hell, not even that bastard Thaddeus, who may as well be dead already, had the chance to find out about my plan. So who¡­"


    He paused for a moment as his sight fell on a single person.


    "Deus!" His voice escaped suddenly, even he was surprised at the volume.


    Deus glance over at Elias from a distance as he ran over, unsure as to why he was called over. "Elias, what do you want? Were you able to get a message out?"


    "Heh¡­" Elias sputtered out, his voice dried and withheld. "I got the message out¡­ we''re good as usual, my personal reinforcements will come to support us." He emphasized himself on ''personal'' as to try and catch Deus off-guard.


    Deus simply shrugged and nodded, fully accepting of this outcome. "Good to hear. So, we''ll be holding the enemy back while we wait for them? I''m not too sure we can handle for more than a few minutes¡­ it''ll all depend on how much charge is left on those energy shields¡­ it can''t be too much."


    "Oh, don''t you worry about that¡­ they''ll hold," Elias answered as he kept his eyes trained on Deus''s expression.


    "Fine, just don''t get us killed trying to show off," Deus replied, completely catching Elias by surprise as he walked off.


    "That bastard¡­" Elias grunted to himself as he watched Deus''s back. "I know your game¡­ you bastard... you can hide it, but I know you''re sweating, worried your little trick of going behind my back hasn''t paid off."


    "Droh, keep an eye on Elias¡­ something seems off," Deus instructed to the little Faun as he approached him.


    "Why? What did he have to talk about?"Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    "He seemed flustered, I think he''s trying to find a traitor amongst us, even if one doesn''t exist," Deus explained, "I know for a fact that he withheld something from me¡­ speaking about that, I should warn you beforehand¡­ but you have to stay quiet and calm, or everyone will notice."


    "Calm? I''m always calm. No one shows calmness better than me¡­" Droh replied, half-joking, half-serious.


    "Hah," Deus simply shrugged and rolled his eyes, "Sure, mister calm over here. Well, you better not disappoint me, mister calm."


    "Alright, alright. So what did you want to warn me about? Did you get your message out to the military captain?" As he asked, Droh''s voice dropped into a whisper.


    "Eh, not quite¡­ but you''re not too far off," Deus paused, "After everything had happened, and with Elias killing that centipede, I figured the worst thing I could do is bring a monster like Roch here¡­ I''d be delivery myself and everyone else up on a silver platter¡­"


    "True, killing that worm really caught me off-guard, even we couldn''t have expected that."


    "Exactly. From what you''ve told me, those centipedes represent the true power of the Lords, so I doubt handing the people who just killed one over after the fact wouldn''t be the smartest move," Deus explained as his voice hit its lowest, practically a murmur.


    "So I changed the message a bit¡­ I sent it to Roland."


    "Roland!" Droh shouted out as Deus jumped up and grabbed him, trying to mute him.


    "I said don''t be loud," he snapped.


    "Ah¡­ sorry¡­ but wait, did you just say Roland? Please tell me you didn''t say that monster''s name¡­"


    Droh''s expression was truly ugly to behold, and it took all he had to simply stay quiet and not break out into a cold sweat. "I don''t think you fully understood me when I told you¡­ don''t trust Roland... ever."


    "He was the best option at the time," Deus tried to walk him through his thought process, but to no effect.


    "No, you seriously don''t get it... I worked for him for over a year and it was horrible," Droh took in a heavy breath as he began to explain. "I worked as a guide for him, taking him to powerful weapons and artifacts that he could use to either trade for power or simply wield for himself."


    "How were you¡ª"


    "I''ll explain later. So, he would use me to find his next big treasure, building the power and influence of his clan all the while. There was a secret, though, it was that he didn''t actually care about his clan or it''s future. It existed simply to further his own power."


    "Well, I can somewhat understand that¡­"


    "Sure, if that''s all it was, I''d say the same thing. However, it wasn''t. Roland was investigating one rumor, in particular. Not a specific weapon, either, but something more dangerous¡­ I even think this entire job may have something to do with it, to some extent, especially if Roland trusted Elias with a weapon capable of killing a worm."


    Deus listened, nodding his head occasionally as Droh spoke.


    "Have you heard about Enshil?"


    That name caught Deus by surprise, as he had not only heard the name before, but he also knew what had occurred. The name was still fresh in his mind, actually. He nodded.


    "I see¡­ so even you hear stuff, good. Enshil fell over an old secret that had been uncovered beneath its capital, where the Lord would usually live. Roland found this out and intended to find this secret, even if it meant his death. For he was hungry for power, regardless of what it was or where it came from, whatever he could get his hands on."


    Droh''s face went stern as he began to remember those old events.


    "Roland truly was maniacal¡­ but I think I was too, truth be told. I had gotten hungry on power, even if I only got the scraps he tossed me. We had uncovered a secret, one that bound all of the Lords together."


    ''A secret that bound all Lords? So something related to the Grandmaster, even? What the hell did Droh stumble across?'' Deus thought, his mind in a panic as he listened, knowing that every word he heard could cause significant ripples to spread throughout the rest of Midnight. Something mighty enough to involve every Lords wasn''t something so trivial that it could be passed over, after all.


    "You see, the word Mir¡­ it appeared almost everywhere we went, in one way or another."


    "Mir?"


    "Mhm. I didn''t know what it was or what it meant, but it involved every Lord, from what I could gather. I knew it was terrifying because it had caused that demon Roland to thirst for it deep down, like an uncontrollable lust. Only something truly powerful could warp him to such an extent."


    "So what was this¡­ Mir? What became of it?"


    Droh let out a chuckle as he answered, "That''s the funny part and the reason I''m currently being hunted by Roland. You see, I stole this secret from Roland before he could learn it, something I couldn''t even translate, and hid it. I knew how dangerous it was, and I knew how much blood had been spilled to acquire it up to that point. I regretted everything, but it was too late to do anything besides bury the truth."


    "Wait, what!?" This time it was Deus who''s voice turned to a shout, barely catching himself.


    "What do you mean? Shit¡­ shit¡­ so I just invited hell itself onto us, all in a feeble attempt to outsmart Elias and those Direfell soldiers. I saw enemies in front of me, and I didn''t even consider enemies elsewhere." He knocked himself mentally, cursing at his own stupidity.


    "Droh, you have to run, somehow or another."


    "Run?" Droh''s ears twitched, "Where would I run in this situation? I knew this day would come¡­ it just seemed to have come sooner than I expected."


    Deus froze, shocked at Droh''s acceptance of fate and seemingly lax handling of this terrible situation. ''Has he truly accepted this, so easily? No, how could he¡­ this was probably just a bluff so as to make sure that I don''t feel responsible in the end¡­''


    Deus ached deep within his heart. ''What can I do to prevent this?''

 [Vol 1, Chapter 37] Arrival

    <div>


    "Droh, we''ll get through this¡­" Deus assured him in a murmured voice, slowly lowering himself so as to meet the young Faun at eye level. He fully understood that Droh was afraid, and rightfully so. If Deus had known exactly what sort of conflict there was between Droh and Roland beforehand, he never would''ve relied on this method to rescue them.


    Deus glanced around, his view falling on several people as he slowly took in his surroundings. It wasn''t a pretty sight. Elias perched himself nearest Nirox and Atra, using both of them as his two closest confidants. He was clearly glaring toward Deus, which was but one of the problems that Deus spotted.


    The next issue was where they were. A dark desert ridge, overlooking a monumental battlefield of fire and metal. In front of them lied a massive tower which seemed to pierce through the air.


    The air had gone silent for some time as the tower halted its barrage of fire, along with their ground troops. Normally, under this circumstance, you''d begin to retreat, but Deus and Elias both knew it was a trap. The enemy was putting on an act to lure them into a sense of comfort, but they knew that escape as it was now, was impossible.


    They''d have to rely on an outside source aiding them, which is where Orion came in. A mighty clan that held direct influence throughout Direfell and its region.


    Using Elias''s connections, they had information regarding private operations that only those privy within Direfell''s military would know of. That, however, was only the beginning of the Orion clan''s network and realm.


    In truth, only the leaders of Direfell held more power than Orion. Rol''an had secured a place for himself through bloodshed, uncovering many secrets and powers along the way.


    Whatever weapons he couldn''t directly use, he''d hand over to the Lord of Direfell in exchange for influence and rank. The weapons and powers he could use, however, would go only to him. Not even his clan knew the full extent of what he was capable of, in fact, only Droh would perhaps know what he wielded, as most of what Rol''an used had been uncovered by Droh personally.


    "So, we''ve got the Direfell soldiers and their annoying tower to worry about now, and Roland arriving along with whatever forces he gathers coming soon¡­ and both seek to kill us, most likely." Deus murmured to himself, just barely loud enough for Droh to listen.


    "Maybe if I find some way to recharge the Archive¡­ I could at least call for Roch to come, that way Roland and Roch would have to kill each other before getting to us¡­"


    "No, won''t work," Droh interrupted his thoughts, "The military captain is supposedly stronger than Roland¡­ so we''d end up replacing one devil with another if we brought him here."


    "Stronger?" Deus was shocked. "There''s no end to these monsters, is there? What the hell have I walked into¡­ I''m not qualified to even be here¡­"


    "Sorry¡­" Droh simply sighed as his head fell, his ears laid flat on his head. "You can still make it, even once Roland gets here¡­ after all, I stole everything, you didn''t. In fact, you called him here, so he''ll most likely reward you for turning me in."The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "No, I''m not abandoning you like that. If it was Elias, Mercer, hell, anyone else¡­ sure. But you guided me to Direfell, you gave me my name. We''re in this together, you idiot."


    Droh lifted his head in shock, his eyes showing a mix of emotion and confusion. He wasn''t exactly sure how to feel about everything. On one hand, Deus hadn''t tossed him aside¡ªbut on the other¡ªhe called him an idiot.


    "R-right¡­ we''re in this together." Droh nodded, a faint smile finally showing itself on his face. Regardless of what happened, he was glad to have a friend to rely on.


    "So, what''s the plan?"


    Deus paused as he thought.


    "Let''s see, maybe we can¡ª"


    A voice cut in, interrupting both of them. There had been no source to this sound, almost as if it echoed within their minds, and not physically. This voice seemed to command some sort of power, however, even though it was formless and genderless, like a faint whisper. "Don''t speak. Don''t even look around. Allow me to intervene now. In fact, you''ve done enough, both of you. What you need to do now is stay quiet and don''t act, regardless of what comes next."


    "A ship!" A voice shouted out within their camp, drawing everyone''s attention toward it. Just like that clansman said, a small yet refined black ship sailed toward them, it''s speed far superior to the Nijaden that they previously arrived on.


    Elias rose to his feet as he broke out into a cold sweat. "The clan m-master¡­ that''s his personal¡­"


    Their camp began to move in haste, hustling together their equipment as Mercer helped take charge, he did so only after seeing Elias show hesitation and lack of awareness.


    Perhaps Mercer was eyeing for a promotion and figured he''d take advantage of Elias'' slurring.


    The ship arrived unimpeached, the forces within the tower simply stood their ground and awaited instruction, like always.


    Black sand ruptured underneath it as it landed, slowly pressing it''s weight down against the world. A whirlpool kicked up, yet no one seemed to retreat, almost as if they were too intoxicated by the aura of power that radiated from within the vessel.


    A singular black door opened as shrouds exited, one after the other, they stepped out onto the sand. Each of them wielding some powerful weapon or another, ranging from guns to blades, with one even shuffling out holding a massive shield to one side.


    An unknown yet oddly familiar force appeared before the clansmen who stood around Elias. They were similar in design to Goliath, yet many considered these elite warriors to be their prototype. The Orion clan''s royal guard, keepers of peace in the name of Rol''an the Fiend.


    Rol''an had constructed these mighty warriors to serve him perfectly, in absolute darkness. None of them were normal people, by any meaning of the word.


    Their physical appearances varied from person to person, along with their apparent genders. Some were behemoth brutes with tusks that swayed out like cannons, while others were minuscule bugs with petite forms. The only similarity between them was their violet robes, which draped over their bodies as heavy metallic armor sat beneath.


    Following them, a rough creature appeared. Its face was inhuman and rotten as if it''s very existence was desolate of hope. An aura of bloodlust bled from its every action, an aura that could only be described as the manifestation of a deep-seeded hunger. This creature wasn''t human, that much was obvious.


    Deus grabbed for his mouth as he felt nauseous. "What the hell is that¡­'' he thought as he began to cough heavily.


    He soon came to know the answer to that question upon seeing how Droh reacted. The young little Faun began to shiver as he slowly tucked himself behind Deus as if to pretend he didn''t exist. His tail hung down beneath his legs as his ears lied completely flat, to show submission, even if subconsciously.


    ''T-that fucking monster¡­ that''s Roland¡­?''

 [Vol 1, Chapter 38] An Unprecedented Confrontation

    <div>


    Elias hurried over as he tried gathering his thoughts. All he could do now was obey his master, removing all doubt anyone may have had about him. He arrived before them as he prostrated himself onto the ground, as he did this, the many clansmen who had accompanied him from the beginning joined in as everyone''s attention fell onto the desolate form of Rol''an.


    "Master, welcome¡­" Elias murmured out through choked breaths. Perhaps out of everyone here, only Elias and Droh truly knew just how terrifying Rol''an could be to those who failed him.


    "Haah," Rol''an whispered through cracked lips as he slowly approached Elias. A shade of mist seemed to follow his movements as if draping him in an extra cloak of smoke. "Elias¡­"


    Rol''an paused momentarily as he arrived in front. "You used my spear to kill that centipede, I can sense it¡­ such destruction permeates the air."


    "Yes¡­" Elias replied with only a single word as he felt a terrible pressure envelope him. Atra, who was kneeling next to Elias, could also feel this pressure, but it wasn''t to the same degree. The weight seemed innumerable as Rol''an brought his sight crashing down onto his second-in-command.


    "Explain something though¡­ why come you''re here, and not over there?" Rol''an lifted his razored finger up, aiming it beyond the tower.


    "M-my ship has been destroyed somehow¡­ it was an unprecedented situation, there was nothing I could do¡­" Elias explained as his forehead planted itself firmly against the black sand. He wasn''t brave enough to lift his head, not even by an inch.


    "Oh, so that''s how it is¡­" Rol''an replied in kind, his voice shallow yet overwhelming. As if there was hidden intent buried beneath. "I''ll deal with you in a moment¡­ but before that, could you perhaps tell me where my dear Droh is?"


    Rol''an lifted his head as his gaze fell upon the rest of the clansmen, who could only freeze and shake in place. "My dear, precious Droh¡­ where would he be?"


    "G-great master, I can help you, if you''d allow me!" A shaken voice called out from the back of the group, drawing Rol''an''s and his royal guard''s attention.


    "Oh?"


    Pushing past many of the terrified clansmen, Mercer revealed himself. He appeared covered in sweat and dirt, making for an odd picture. "I''ve kept my eyes locked on the one you''re looking for throughout this mission¡­ I would''ve informed you about him beforehand, but Mister Elias suppressed me, using physical force even to exert power."


    Elias shivered as his face rose into the air, glaring at Mercer, revealing a gaze that had been beyond ugly¡ªtrue disgust.


    "Eeek!" Mercer backed away as he witnessed this, practically falling into the sand. Rol''an stepped in between, blocking Elias''s view as all his second-in-command could see now was his violet robes.


    Elias felt abandoned. To the deepest depths of his heart, he was alone. Mercer, a man whom he had lifted out of debt and given strength to, had betrayed him for the mere chance at power. Not even hesitating to toss him and Droh aside, the move of a true coward.


    "Well then¡­ it seems you and Elias have some¡­ issues to work through. However, now is not the time to entertain that," Rol''an spoke, quieting everyone''s thoughts instantly. "So, whoever you are... tell me, where is my precious Droh?"


    Everyone''s attention fell onto Mercer as Rol''an asked him. The weight of his words weighed the soldier down as he felt like crawling into a hole and hiding.


    "Hah," Mercer exhaled out as he took a pause, trying to collect himself. He gave a quick glance around, his main target was where Deus and Droh had previously been moments ago.Stolen story; please report.


    "What!" He shouted out, to his own surprise. Rol''an began to frown as his skeletal form started to radiate pressure. "I don''t like to be delayed¡­ human. Don''t you dare think of hustling me¡­"


    "Ah, never!" Mercer cried out as he threw caution to the wind. "They were here only a second ago!"


    Rol''an glared as he slowly approached toward Mercer. Elias, who continued to kneel behind him, seemed to chuckle under his breath as he believed Mercer had made some drastic mistake. ''Serves you right'', he most likely thought.


    "No, please! I''m not lying!" Mercer coughed out in a rough panic, "They were right over there when you arrived! I don''t know what happened, but it''s likely they just ran!" He pointed toward where Deus and Droh had been previously, his entire hand shook violently as he feared for his life.


    Mercer wasn''t a brave person, inherently. He relied upon the Orion clan to suppress his debt collectors and used power to grow more influential throughout Direfell''s lower tier. In fact, he had made quite the name for himself throughout Direfell''s outer city walls, where the slums resided.


    He was the sort of person to be cold and ruthless to those beneath him, but he''d prostrate himself onto his knees the moment someone with even a hint of power appeared, grabbing at whatever scraps they left behind.


    He was a snake, but he did have his uses.


    "Oh, is that how it is?" Rol''an replied back, his voice low and muttered. His head tilted to one side as a horrible ooze seemed to wisp around him as if it were some thick fog. He truly wasn''t human.


    Without saying another word, one of Rol''an''s royal guardsmen rushed over toward where Mercer had attentively pointed at. With but a few brief glances, he turned back around and shrugged, shaking his thin head in the process.


    "Keke¡­" Rol''an chortled out as Mercer''s expression plummeted. He fell to his knees, groveling in front of the demon before him. "Please, g-great master¡­ I''m not lying! Please believe me!"


    Rol''an brought a single hand toward the sky, his razored fingers like talons as he stretched them out. It seemed he was willing to kill Mercer, even for such a slight mistake.


    "N-no! Oh please no¡­" Mercer begged as tears fell down his cheeks. He would''ve tried to run by now, but some unseen force seemed to weigh him down, holding him in place as he lacked the strength to stand.


    As Rol''an brought his hand down, striking forward with deadly intent, a quiet voice spoke out, it was oddly audible to everyone present and yet was no more than a hushed whisper. Everyone paused upon hearing such a sudden taunt.


    "You really are a disgusting bug, aren''t you?"


    Rol''an''s fingers froze a mere inch in front of Mercer''s face, causing the terrified soldier to spit out whatever was in his stomach onto the ground. No one knew where the source of the voice came from, but Rol''an''s royal guard seemed to pull together, enclosing around their master.


    The sudden voice was sharp yet patient as if each word had been slightly emphasized. There seemed to be no gender behind it, almost sounding monotone and robotic.


    Only Rol''an turned his attention toward the source, as only he knew where the source even was.


    A horrifying grin revealed itself on his face as he had already completely disregarded Mercer, the person whom he was but a mere moment away from killing before.


    "Yes, come this way you dumb insect. I don''t think we''ve personally met before, but I know that you know of me. You could say, it''s mutual."


    Elias, Mercer, the clansmen, even Rol''an''s royal guard, they all showed a shocked expression on their faces as their gazes finally arrived upon the source of the voice. Elias''s eyes widened, while Rol''an seemed to slowly approach, his razored fingers remained sharpened and extended.


    "You¡­ yes, you must be that rat I''ve heard so much about¡­" Rol''an replied, his voice dark and sinister. "But how? I was under the interpretation that you were no longer a threat, tossed aside by your own allies."


    "A threat? You don''t qualify to be my threat, so you''re partially correct."


    Elias recognized this person, to his own shock. So did Mercer, and Atra, even Nirox, and the other clansmen had seen this man before. He departed from Direfell with all of them, after all.


    "Thaddeus¡­" Elias murmured out under his breath, unable to come to terms with what was happening. "No¡­ something feels different, that''s absolutely not Thaddeus."


    Elias was partially right.


    "So, Rol''an. Or, should I call you Roland? I can never remember," the man who appeared to be Thaddeus spoke out as if he was intent on continuously provoking the Orion clan master before him, he had even emphasized the end of the latter name, as if to mock it''s ridiculousness and how generically human it seemed.


    "Hmph," Rol''an laughed in a dark tone, coldly stating, "Fools without knowledge call me Roland¡­ are you a fool?"


    "So, Rol''an it is."


    The two of them continued to stand off as they both tried to evaluate the other''s strengths. Their brief standoff ended abruptly as Thaddeus spoke up in a mocking tone, "You were after that little Faun, right? Oh don''t you worry, he''s safe with me. I don''t know exactly why you want him, but I have learned a thing or two, I''ll get him to talk once I''m through with you."


    "Oh?" Rol''an replied with a shrug, "If that''s the case, then I''ll just need to rip out your heart and take him back by force."

 [Vol 1, Chapter 39] Awoken With Only More Unanswered Questions

    <div>


    Elsewhere, Deus turned his body as he looked around, shock apparent across his face as he found himself in an entirely new location, alongside the young Droh. One moment he was staring at Rol''an, the monster of the Orion clan, and the next he found himself in what appeared to be an interior.


    How had any of this happened was beyond him.


    "Droh, you awake?" Deus nudged the Faun awake as he continued to scan his head around the room. ''This is all beyond my understanding¡­ did I lose time, or was this all in an instant?'' He wondered, unsure which answer he''d prefer.


    Droh slowly rose his head as he wiped his eyes, almost as if he had been woken from a long nap. "Deus? What''s going on?" He murmured out, slowly exhaling as his sight became clearer.


    "I don''t know, we gotta get moving, anyway," Deus proclaimed, trying to rouse his companion onto his feet.


    Deus continued, "You heard that voice, right? The one that told us to sit back and wait?"


    Droh nodded as Deus started to speculate. "Is that so? Then maybe this was caused by whoever that was? I don''t know¡­ that voice¡­ I''m sure I''ve heard it before, somewhere."


    He knocked his brain for not remembering where he had heard the voice from originally, only for Droh to tilt his head in confusion. "That was that Thaddeus guy, right? I''m shocked you didn''t recognize his voice¡­ I did instantly."


    "What?" Deus replied in question, "Thaddeus? That bastard?"


    "Bastard?" Droh mimicked him as he had been caught off-guard by the sudden name calling.


    The two stared at each other for a moment, forcing Deus to let out a long-drawn sigh. "Right, Thaddeus¡­ I had caught that bastard acting sneakily, even talking to someone in one of the rooms that Elias marked."


    "Wait, what? When was this? Why didn''t you tell me about it?" Droh jumped back with a flurry of questions.


    "Hey, it''s not like you asked!" Deus tried to reason, "I didn''t think it was relevant at the time¡­ I only had a tiny bit to go off of, so I decided to just quietly keep my eye on him myself."


    Deus brought his hand to his chin as he thought, letting out an abbreviated sigh, "I suppose I should stop keeping secrets¡­ I''ll tell you next time, I promise."


    Droh could only accept his reasoning and move on. "Fine, fine. So, where are we anyway?"


    "I''m not too sure, truth be told. After we heard that voice¡­ what happened?" Deus thought for a moment as he recalled everything he remembered. "First was that sudden voice¡­ then it was Roland arriving along with those guards of his. Oh! Can we talk for a moment about Roland? What the absolute fuck is he?"


    Deus emphasized himself as he asked, leaving Droh in bewilderment. "W-what do you mean? He''s the clan master¡­"


    "I mean the¡­ you know¡­ monstrous body? How do you not find that terrifying?"


    Droh blinked once as he started to understand everything. "Oh, right. I didn''t warn you ahead of time¡­ but I figured you''d already suspected it... Ah, I keep forgetting just how weird you are. You didn''t know what a Faun was, you didn''t know about the Lords or those worms¡­ you didn''t even know where Direfell was or how to scavenge."


    Deus was at a lost for words.


    "You''re weird. Weird, weird, weird. You''re lucky you have me looking out for you, else you''d probably be dead in the desert by now." Even though Droh had intended it as a joke, it held some truth within it.


    Deus knew fully well just how unprepared for this world he was. He had been thrust into this position by forces beyond, placed in a world of death and darkness, where even walking around causes his body to ache and cry out. Monsters were the norm within Midnight, and even though he''d come to understand this, he hadn''t fully grasped what it meant yet.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ''He''s right¡­ I hate to admit it, but I''ve only been here for what¡­ a week? Less? I don''t even know how time flows here since there doesn''t even seem to be a day and night cycle¡­''


    "So Droh, I''ve screwed up our plans enough as is, I''ll let you lead the way for once." Deus smirked as he looked toward the Faun, asking, "So where are we headed?"


    The young little Faun was surprised by this sudden outcome but quickly gathered himself as he wandered the room, feeling the walls for any secret corridors or passages. "I don''t feel any air or wind coming from this wall, perhaps it''s solid? Ugh, I hate this¡­ where are we? Why did we just wake up here?"


    "Yeah¡­" Deus shared Droh''s concerns, and he understood them all too well. ''Were we drugged? Passed out? Shit, are we dead? Is this hell¡­''


    A faint clicking sound could be heard as a portion of one of the walls folded in, making way for a passage. Before either two could hurry toward it, two silhouetted figures appeared in the doorway, blocking their path. A bright light was illuminated behind these two forms.


    One spoke in a youthful voice, "Here they are, now are you happy?"


    In response, the other figure seemed to nod his head which sat atop a relatively thick neck. "Thank you so much, please tell your master that I''ll cooperate."


    "Very good," the youthful figure stepped away, leaving only Deus, Droh, and the heavier-built person behind. Deus squinted his eyes, finally realizing who it was that stood in their path. His jaw practically slammed to the floor as he approached him, all the while Droh kept his distance, still unsure of everything.


    Deus called out, relying on a hunch.


    "Mister Rufus¡­ right?"


    The man opposite him turned to face him, stepping out of the bright light''s trajectory and revealing himself to both of them. "Mister Deus, I''m so happy to hear that you survived that awful crash. When we were hit, I was terribly frightened. Not of my own fate, but of the fates of those below deck."


    Rufus went on to explain, "You see, I had been attempting to salvage the Nijaden before we finally crashed. I hadn''t long, though¡­ only a few brief moments. After we hit the ground, I felt a terrible eruption as the sand kicked itself up around me. After a bit of wandering through the debris field, I was spotted by that mister Thaddeus, who seemed to be lurking about."


    "Thaddeus again?" Deus asked, murmuring mostly to himself as he noticed how everything seemed to involve that sly individual. ''Who is Thaddeus? A soldier of Direfell, perhaps?''


    "So what happened after you met? I didn''t hear anything about you throughout this whole situation¡­ truth be told, I think everyone believed you to be dead."


    Deus was rather blunt, which sent a mental blow to Rufus as he tried to calm himself.


    "Dead? Oh heavens no, I''m very much alive... You see after I found Thaddeus, he practically dragged me to this place," Rufus seemed to chuckle to himself as he recalled everything, "I had no choice. He was a vanguard while I was only a pilot¡­ in that circumstance, he had the command. So I followed him¡­ but it was definitely a shock when he led me into a hidden bunker next to that huge tower."


    "A bunker?" Droh stepped forward and repeated, his interest had obviously peaked.


    "Yessir," Rufus grunted out as his mustache shuffled and bounced to his speech. "That''s where we are, truth be told. This bunker is controlled by the people who man that tower, and it''s even got a single pathway connecting the two¡­ turns out Thaddeus has a few more connections than we thought."


    "A few?" Deus chortled out, taken aback by the casualness of everything. One minute he was being bombarded by the soldiers of Direfell, the next he was coughing up his own stomach as he watched Roland arrive, and now he''s comfortably relaxing beneath the earth, in some secretive bunker owned by the very people he was fighting mere moments ago.


    "What the hell is going on around here¡­ this entire world isn''t normal¡­" He grumbled out as his head fell into his hands, rubbing his temples.


    "Are we free to leave?" Droh asked innocently, awkwardly shuffling around as he had been unsure if they were even prisoners or not.


    "Free to leave? I''m not entirely sure about that¡­ but I know for a fact that you''re not prisoners or captives." Rufus reasoned.


    Countering him, however, Deus replied, "How are you so certain we''re not captives? W attacked them, which resulted in not only a death toll to their troops but even the destruction of a centipede. I don''t know much about this place, but I do know how dangerous it is to leave potential rivals and dangerous people alive."


    "A rival?" A new voice spoke in a rough accent, surprising everyone except for the old pilot, Rufus. He arrived next to everyone as the glaring light''s slowly faded from his face, revealing his features. He was large and well-formed as his skin was brown, like brickwork. He stood nearly two meters tall as everyone had to raise their heads to match his determined and harsh eyes.


    "Sir," Rufus simply chuckled and lowered his head, respectably greeting this new visitor.


    The man slowly waved his hand around dismissively as his attention fell upon Deus, repeating his previous comment so as to reemphasize it. "Do you consider yourself a rival? Or perhaps you believe yourself to be dangerous. If that''s the case, I''d be happy to eliminate you here and now, so we can avoid any sort of bravado."

 [Vol 1, Chapter 40] Pawns

    <div>


    Rufus coughed out in shock at what he had just heard. He clenched his hands together and bowed, clearly attempting to beg this beastly man to spare Deus from any such fate. "This young lad didn''t mean anything by it, please forgive him! If you do, I''ll definitely provide many benefits to your master¡­"


    "Hmph," the other man simply grunted out as if he hadn''t even heard him. "It doesn''t matter, just remember your place boy." His gaze matched Deus''s for a moment as he threatened.


    Just as soon as he arrived, he turned back around and walked away, seemingly satisfied with how everything had occurred.


    After a few moments, Droh spat out, "What was that about?! Deus, have you ever seen him before? He seemed to full-on hate you."


    "Heh," Deus sighed as he shook his head, "I''ve never seen him before in my life¡­ seems like he has his own opinion about me, already. Well, nothing I can do about that. Rufus, who was that?"


    "Oh, right¡­" Rufus replied, shaking himself out of a stammer. "That really caught me off-guard, you know? That guy was scary from the get-go¡­ but he never really challenged me when I first got here. Something about you, Deus, that he just didn''t like. You''re sure you don''t know him?"


    "I''m sure," Deus answered quickly, defending himself. "Maybe he understands how ridiculous all of this is, and just wants me dead since I had shot some of their soldiers?"


    "Shooting men in war cannot be avoided, and I doubt it''s that since the Direfell soldiers they have placed atop that tower are generic and boring¡­ but practically everyone I''ve run into within this bunker has been weirdly impressive."


    Changing the subject, Rufus went on, "So, allow me to explain some stuff since I imagine you''re both incredibly confused. This might take some time, and may even seem a bit too farfetched, but please, stay with me."


    Deus and Droh seemed appreciative as they listened.


    "You see, I was born within the city of Mythgarde, climbing through the ranks slowly and having acquired quite the impressive list of accolades and allies. I specialized in intelligence and management regarding their secretive autonomous soldiers. That''s one of the reasons I sought out the Orion clan, truth be told¡­ I figured I could sell them my information and live handsomely for the rest of my days."


    "Wait, Mythgarde? Is that what this is all about?" Droh asked in a rush as if some sort of puzzle piece had finally come crashing down into place. "From what I can remember, Roland used to speak about some sort of arrangement he had involving that place¡­ but I never bothered asking about it."


    Hearing everything, Deus lifted his hand into the air as if he were some young school child with a question. "Excuse me, both of you¡­ what in the hell is Mythgarde, and how is this relevant?"


    "What is Mythgarde?" Droh repeated, sighing under his breath, "Do you not listen to anything? Do you remember when we first got to Direfell? One of my old buddies got us into the city, yes? Do you remember that? He even specially mentioned all of this to you¡­"


    Droh was mentally exhausted as he could only sigh and rub his temple. "Mythgarde is a powerful city-state of similar power to Direfell. These two sides have been opposing forces for some time, over some unknown feud between each Lord."Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Rufus cut in with a positive beat, "Indeed! I grew up being warned to keep a fair distance away from Direfell, as it was a place where only the vile wretches of darkness gathered. I, however, had only been more interested in this place upon learning that. A place such as that had to have some stories, right?"


    "You came to Direfell for stories?" Deus asked.


    "Mhm," Rufus could only muffle out as he seemed almost embarrassed at his previous childlike wonder. "Of course, things didn''t go exactly as intended when I first arrived. I had almost immediately been roped in by some clans or another, one of which was the Orion faction. For my freedom and a handsome reward, I promised Master Elias to connect him and the rest of the Orion with some of my previous friends and allies from Mythgarde."


    Droh looked doubtful for a moment as he asked, "Hold on, what would Roland want with Mythgarde? He''s not strong enough to fight against Direfell''s leadership, but even with another city involving itself, it''s not like he could hope to gain anything of value."


    Rufus answered, "I highly doubt he wanted to simply seek future allies¡­ he most likely wished to obtain something far more sinister¡­ you see, Mythgarde''s leadership is known for their¡­ experimental abilities. I won''t deny it. It''s likely that was what the Orion was after by using my connections."


    The three of them stood around as they each evaluated this. Unfortunately, all they could do was speculate, as without Rol''an himself, they''d never know the full truth.


    "Things didn''t go exactly as planned, though, as it seems that Direfell''s leadership also knew about my existence and Roland''s intentions, and so they grabbed me away before I could meet with anyone. That''s why I''m here, you see, to meet with someone high ranked and sell my information. That''s also why I was even working with you all because I needed Master Elias to trust me and set up a meeting."


    ''That makes sense, I suppose¡­'' Deus pondered, his mind dazed and confused as everything seemed to be happening too quickly. "Hold on, so what does any of this have to do with what is happening right now? It seems your answers leave me with only more questions."


    "Hah," the heavyweight Rufus bellowed out laughter as he nodded his head, "I can only imagine that to be the case, hah hah! Allow me to explain, as I''ve been brought up to speed on most things once I arrived."


    He exhaled as he drew closer to the two, ensuring their attention was on him. "This base-site isn''t what it appears, and the Orion clan''s leadership¡ªRoland in specific¡ªknew about this somehow. It seems that Direfell had a traitor amongst their upper-echelon, and so the military captain plotted with a few other powerful forces to lure Orion into a trap¡­"


    "A trap?" Droh repeated in shock, "Wait, so everything up to this point was all within expectation? Us arriving, the worm dying, and even having our ship shot down? Everything was a trap just to lure out Roland and catch his clan red-handed?"


    "Unfortunately so, it would seem. I don''t know everything, but from what I''ve gathered¡­ it seems that our crew member Thaddeus wasn''t what he appeared. It was odd, as the first time I met him he seemed more hurried, but on the day of our departure his attitude was more lax and confident."


    At that moment, Deus remembered how Thaddeus had arrived late on the day of their departure, and how he began acting more sneakily and even confrontational the further along they got. He had directly challenged many of Elias''s plots, even going as far as to call many of them games and such. ''The signs were there, I just didn''t notice them thoroughly¡­''


    "Be warned, I''m not sure who he is now but he''s absolutely not the same man we met in that club, Nova¡­ I believe the plot goes deep, to the point of being willing to sacrifice even a valuable midnight centipede, and even revealing the existence of this location."


    Rufus warned them, only stopping once he was satisfied that both of them had fully grasped the situation. They weren''t the targets of this plot, but they had somehow ended up involved nonetheless.


    A plot to upheave a mighty clan like the Orion wasn''t something that could be understood with a mere glance, especially by those who didn''t think like how the truly powerful thought. Huge sacrifices could be excused as being merely collateral damage. Such a mindset was dangerous and overwhelming.


    Deus practically jumped as he went to ask, "Hold on, does that mean my sending of the message to Roland was within expectation and even an end-goal? Do these people even know about me and what I had thought up?"


    The idea frightened him, but he couldn''t ignore it. Even Droh showed an ugly expression as he understood what Deus was hinting at.


    "Surely not¡­ right?" Droh asked in a hesitant and shaky voice.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 41] Shocked and Rattled

    <div>


    It must be understood, to upheave and remove an entire clan such as Orion from within a city was a major operation and would need to be commanded by someone of immense power and influence. Clans commanded a sizable force, as they were considered the second greatest powers besides the Territorial Lords themselves.


    Most clans existed alongside cities, ensuring security and protection of a certain Lord''s faction. The stronger the Lord was, the sturdier the clan''s foundations were.


    This wasn''t always the case, however, as some clans tended to move further away from their Lord''s influence, all in an attempt to break the mold and grow stronger.


    There had been many plots throughout the past where a Lord would fall, being replaced by a clan leader who had manipulated things from behind the scenes. This, however, could typically only be done with the aid of another Lord applying severe pressure all the while.


    "No, it''s certainly impossible for anyone to predict everything up to this point with such pinpoint accuracy¡­ it''s much more likely that they simply adapted as things went on, using my actions to their advantage." Deus attempted to reason with himself, doing everything within his power to come to terms with what he had learned.


    The forces of Direfell had intended to lure Rol''an to this exact location, using several thoroughly confusing methods and plots. Deus feared the other side''s mental abilities if his own insignificant plot had been used for their benefit without him knowing.


    Noticing the awkward silence, Rufus braced himself as he went to interrupt everyone''s thoughts, "Don''t worry too much about it, I''m sure all of it can easily be explained once everything outside calms down."


    "Everything outside?" Deus asked, remembering what had been happening before his sudden arrival there. "Oh, right! Whatever happened to Roland, Elias, and everyone else?"


    "They''re still outside," a female voice sounded from outside Deus''s peripheral vision. To his shock, a youthful woman approached him, dressed in a fine linen outfit that seemed to be entirely out of place within not only this interior bunker but Midnight in general.


    "Who are you?" asked Droh as he clenched his little fists.


    "It''s a pleasure to meet you both, truly. My name is Evelien Walhof, I am one of the many servant protectors of Direfell and it''s informational sectors, which is also known as the ''Many-Eyed Crow'' by the great Lord. If you wait a moment, I''m sure I can bring you up to the top so you can watch the Orion clan''s final stand."


    They both froze as her words pierced their very souls. The final stand of a clan? Many-Eyed Crow? Deus bit down, clenching his teeth together as he practically shouted out, "How can I trust anything you say? Answer me this¡­ if you want me to believe in anything you say!" His emotions had gotten the better of him, but it was understandable. Everything up to this point had been far too sudden for him to comprehend it all.


    "How did Droh and I get here in the first place? We both heard a sudden voice, only for us to appear here¡­ were we drugged? Kidnapped? Teleported? Explain yourself!"


    Evelien smirked as her gaze met his own, she noticed Deus''s restraint and concern.


    "Don''t worry, we didn''t drug you¡­ we wouldn''t have had to, so there''s no point in that."


    "No point?"


    "Indeed," Evelien slowly stepped closer towards him, "You were brought here by the grace of my master, the overseer of us crows¡­"If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Deus still didn''t understand what she meant, but he was glad to hear that he hadn''t been drugged without his knowledge. Who knows what he could''ve divulged with the wrong drug in his system.


    "So, how exactly were we brought here, if not through drugging us?"


    Evelien sighed, "You''re quite worried, aren''t you? Afraid that we''re simply playing around with you? How about this¡­ I''ll take you three above ground, to the top of the tower, from there we''ll have a wonderful vantage point to watch everything down below. Many of your answers should be resolved once you see for yourself."


    As she finished speaking¡ªto everyone''s shock¡ªshe turned back around and shouted out into the hallway where she had originally come from.


    "Hey Reinout, get over here so we can head to the top!"


    ''Reinout?'' The name wasn''t familiar to Deus, but that didn''t mean anything. As he suspected, soon after Evelien called out for someone, the beastly soldier from before slowly appeared. His eyes immediately fell upon Deus as a harsh glare formed. "Hmph, these kids causing you trouble Evelien?"


    "Trouble? No, no trouble¡­ not really. Besides that, what if they were? Did you think I''d just let you kill them, even if they were?"


    "Eh," Reinout could only mutter out as the giant seemed to instantly turn into a simple oaf, scratching at his chin awkwardly.


    "Don''t forget Reinout, we''ve fought many times before¡­ who always won?"


    "You did¡­" He abashedly shot out, lowering his head as he became quite shy. Seeing this, Deus couldn''t help but swallow his own tongue, coughing out.


    Evelien only laughed at seeing this reaction, which caused the giant Reinout to once again break out into a harsh glare. Murderous intent spread throughout his body as he physically towered over the two strangers in the room.


    "Don''t mind him, he''s a big idiot at times¡­ he''s reliable, though," Evelien explained, "He works as a sort of enforcer for us crows, allowing us to move in and out of the shadows with ease. I strike within the darkness, while this big guy dominates the light, attracting all the attention while he''s at it."


    "So that''s how it is¡­" Deus whispered out. "So what exactly are the ''Many-Eyed Crow'', and what do you do within Direfell?"


    That question lingered on his mind for some time, growing until he couldn''t help but ask. In truth, he had remembered hearing about crows before, back when he was enjoying a simple meal of mushroom soup with Droh.


    "The Many-Eyed Crow, or otherwise known simply as the crows¡­ we''re a special reconnaissance force for the upper-echelon of Direfell. Information regarding Mythgarde? That came from us. Private intelligence into Orion''s plans? Us, again."


    ''Impressive¡­ so their recon and stealth abilities must be top notch, especially to gather invasive and deep knowledge even on Roland and his clan.'' Deus was mentally jarred, both impressed and terrified. From the sounds of it, the crows were capable of all sorts of things. It was likely that if they wanted you dead, you wouldn''t even be able to know how you died in the afterlife.


    "I know this might sound a bit¡­ sensitive¡­ but from the sounds of things, the crows had some sort of falling out with Direfell''s leadership, right?" Even though Deus asked this, he still wasn''t sure if it was the right call to bring up something like that out of nowhere.


    Droh was sent back upon hearing this, finally remembering what Deus had remembered.


    "Right! Those soldiers had been purging the city street by street, wiping out what they called ''crows''. How are you able to remain functional even after all that?"


    Evelien was clearly shocked as she listened to their explanations, only beginning to laugh out loud as they finished. "You''re too easy to fool, it seems. In truth many are! Yes indeed, the crows were purged from Direfell, and our great master was personally banished."


    She continued, "Or was that all but a simple illusion, cast throughout the city so as to lay an intricate and terrifying trap!"


    "T-trap¡­" Deus mumbled, his teeth rattled as he spoke. "Everything? It was all a lie?"


    "Perhaps¡­ after all, even if we sacrificed some nameless bunch for appearances, so what? Those so called purges were but shows being put on..." Evelien was clearly teasing them. "Enough of that for now, we''ve got to hurry if we want to watch before the outcome is decided."


    It was Droh this time who spoke up, clearly taken aback by everything that had been said. "I know Roland¡­ there''s no way he would fall for such simple tricks¡­ he''s plotting something, even without your knowledge!"


    "There is nothing that is beyond our realm of knowledge," Evelien chimed in as Reinout stood behind her, slowly nodding his head in agreement. Even Rufus could do nothing but silently listen, absorbing every bit of information he had heard while trying not to let it overwhelm him.


    "What a truly terrifying world¡­" Deus sighed with a whisper, his voice no louder than an exhale of breath.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 42] Violent Burst

    <div>


    In truth, Evelien was indeed very arrogant of her own power and influence, but that''s what happens when you''re able to remain in control for many years. Her rule had been cemented in not only her own heart but the hearts of those who served her and the Many-Eyed Crows.


    "Come, follow me outside, I can guarantee your safety but only if you stick close," she claimed, "Do remember, though. Those soldiers atop the tower don''t really know what''s happening, so if word gets out that you''re one of the enemies who shot at them, I''m not entirely sure what would happen. Well, I can promise you won''t be harmed, but you''d best be on your best behavior, just in case."


    Droh nodded, showing his understanding. "Hey Deus, does this sound like a good idea to you?"


    "Hah," Deus thought for a moment, finally coming to a decision after considering his options. "I don''t think we have much of a choice, that is if we want to stay alive and safe. Evelien¡­ ma''am¡­ please, lead the way."


    Upon hearing this, Evelien grinned. "It would be my pleasure, now come along and don''t stray too far. Reinout, keep them safe and don''t let them slack behind."


    "Hmph," Reinout puffed out with a heavy exhale.


    They followed her through the winding tunnels. Their group continued to feel uneasy as they went on, Deus and Droh were practically walking on eggshells and they knew it. Rufus had a calmer expression as he had fully come to terms with his situation. All he had to do was loyally answer all of their questions and provide the crows with his contacts, and he''d be safe.


    After walking for what seemed to be many minutes, they finally arrived at what was a sprawling opening, a current of wind seemed to carry itself throughout as the interiors bellowed and growled. They had arrived within the center of the tower, which had surprisingly been entirely hollow.


    Below them, there was a large pit that sunk much further into the desert earth. The sand had been excavated and moved into giant crates as numerous powerful and well-trained soldiers walked the perimeter, ensuring safety and privacy for what sat beneath this tower.


    Deus knew better than to ask, and even if he did ask he doubted he''d receive a proper response. ''They''re hiding something tremendous down there, aren''t they? Whatever it is, it was enough to bring Orion''s attention to it and risk falling out with their host city.''


    "Come along, we''re almost there," Evelien said, waving them over toward her as a lift slowly lowered itself from above. It was strapped with many heavy wires that climbed to the top of the tower, which held this single lift.


    The simplest term for this contraption would be ''elevator'', but it was far too archaic, as it swayed and wobbled as they climbed into it.


    "Is this entirely safe?" Droh asked with a nervously shaken voice. In response, Reinout only chortled out as he slapped the Faun heavily on the back as if teasing.


    "We''re safe, don''t you worry. Even if the wires snap, myself and Reinout easily possess the strength to catch you all and prevent injury. Just relax while we ascend, we''ll only be here for a minute or so." Evelien explained, finding Droh''s expression much calmer once she did.


    Truthfully, Deus still couldn''t relax while they ascended. It wasn''t the cables or the lift that caused his heart to sink, it was what he''d find once they arrived at the top.


    Evelien was very eager to show them, which was only more disheartening. He understood immediately that both Reinout and Evelien held a relatively weak opinion of him and Droh, only cooperating with them because of the orders they''ve received.


    ''What could they possibly want to show me? A fight between their leader and Roland, perhaps?'' The idea of such a fight caused him to shiver internally. ''According to what Droh''s told me, that monster Roland should be quite the ravenous beast¡­ I''m curious¡ªif not a little worried¡ªto find out who is going to stand in his way.''Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Deus had briefly come face to face with Roland, being able to gaze upon his infamy and glory. The aura he radiated had been enough for him to cough up whatever little food he had in his stomach.


    Comparably, neither Reinout nor Evelien caused him to feel that same sense of overwhelmingness.


    That didn''t mean they were weak, though. It simply meant that Roland had been much stronger. After all, the difference between a thousand pounds versus ten-thousand pounds was vast, but no one could say either was light. They were both heavy, it was simply that the latter was much more so, to the point of being ridiculous.


    The lift finally tugged and rocked as it slowly locked into place. Many soldiers from the tower quickly approached them as they pulled the lift closer, restraining the cables behind a locking mechanism meant to keep the large lift from swaying violently.


    "Alright, everyone off," Evelien ordered as she was the first to dismount from the lift platform. Rufus quickly followed second. With each person, the lift slowly rocked, as if a pressure had been removed from the strained wires.


    Reinout and Deus were the last to dismount, the two kept close to each other as they both knew that the young man would be the prime target for the anger and dissatisfaction of the other troops. After all, it had been Deus who had openly shot at them, even injuring and killing several of them. Droh, on the other hand, had kept his distance and merely shot in their general direction.


    Rufus hadn''t even partaken in the battle and had merely piloted the ship. The animosity against him was lax and wasn''t worth worrying over.


    ''Heh, it seems they''ve already noticed me¡­ I can feel quite a few glares behind me¡­'' Deus murmured to himself, the pressure from the soldiers around him caused him to awkwardly quiver. He knew these soldiers wouldn''t openly oppose him with Reinout and Evelien here, but that didn''t stop them from finding his appearance disgusting.


    "Worried, little lad?" Reinout asked as he lowered his head, letting out a whisper next to Deus. "You best behave, or I''ll have no choice but to accidentally turn a blind eye to everyone for a moment¡­ you''d hate to be stranded here without a lifeline, right?"


    Deus shrugged at Reinout''s threats, having already come to expect them. Thankfully without Deus purposely acting against him, Reinout could do nothing beyond empty threats. ''I should thank whoever their master is¡­ seems he or she possesses adequate command over them.''


    If the master of the crows'' strength had been any less, Deus would''ve been more worried, but now, after learning a bit more about his situation, he felt he could safely assume that his survival was of importance. Because of this, neither Reinout nor Evelien could openly allow anything to happen to him. That was an absolute rule, one only possible by the truly powerful, like Roland.


    ''Seems I absolutely can''t underestimate this shadow manipulator¡­ nor can I offend them.''


    Droh had a gleeful expression on his face as he ran over to the edge of the tower, letting the violent winds burst past his ears and hair. It seemed he enjoyed this, and even savored the moment of calmness.


    Only, his mood had changed instantly upon glancing downward. To his shock, what he saw was beyond his expectations.


    Evelien walked up beside him as she chortled, "Ah, it seems the master has already progressed to the final stage. We''re all in luck, we get to witness the fall of a clan firsthand."


    As she spoke, a violent gust of wind kicked up, throwing metal and sand into the air without a care. Deus dashed to Droh''s side as his attention dropped onto what was happening below. Even the other soldiers from atop the tower dropped what they were doing and ran over to the edge.


    Deus was shocked to discover something, ''Hold on¡­ that''s¡­ Thaddeus. It really is him, isn''t it? Rufus said that this Thaddeus absolutely wasn''t the same as the original, so perhaps this is an impersonator?''


    A voice boomed out from below, causing Droh''s ears to once more flatten atop his little head.


    "You dare challenge me? Do you dare think of killing me? I shall show you the true meaning of pain and suffering, you pathetic fool!" At that moment, the form of Rol''an erupted into black flames, as if his very flesh no longer mattered.


    A powerful undulation rocked the tower, causing even the thick metal to creak, leaving numerous slashes and scars.


    "What the hell sort of power is that?!" Deus shouted out, facing Evelien as he awaited some sort of explanation. In response, she could only tilt her head to the side as she let out a soft chuckle.


    "This power is archaic, but it absolutely possesses some form of Mir¡­ fascinating¡­ it seems that Rol''an will be a bit more dangerous than we expected, but I don''t doubt that master can handle things from here."


    Evelien turned to face Reinout, "In any case, send word to the capital¡­ request sire Roch''s appearance, just in case. Also, alert the remaining crows throughout the region¡ªOrion has moved against Direfell and has such been sentenced to death. Eliminate them, remove their filthy influence and bring back the peace that our master favors."

 [Vol 1, Chapter 43] First Blow Between Masters

    <div>


    This had been what the crows were waiting for. They needed a direct reason to disrupt the Orion clan''s influence and severe it''s connection to Direfell, and so they forced their clan master to personally attack a member of Direfell''s upper-echelon.


    Simply put, the Thaddeus down there had used himself as bait to get everything done. In doing so, he showed not only complete confidence in himself but also in the plan that he had laid out.


    "There you are, now I can finally see the strength you acquired after being beaten senseless by Roch!" The person disguised as Thaddeus shouted out, a joyous smirk spread across his lips, causing the violent and cruel Rol''an to break out into a fury.


    "I may have lost before, but I''ve gained power since then¡­ even that man would die to my hands, let alone a foolish little rat like you!" Rol''an appeared confident as his body burned, engulfed entirely by a terrifying black flame. The sand beneath his feet simmering as waves of heat radiated upward.


    "I''ve acquired this power from countless sacrifices¡­ it may not be complete, but it''s more than enough to destroy you and declare my independence from those old fellows."


    "Kekeke¡ª" the form of Thaddeus started to melt away, his skin transforming into this grey liquid as it bled across his entire body. "If that''s what you think, then I''ll absolutely stick around to entertain you¡­ I hope you can keep up, otherwise, I''ll become bored."


    Deus''s eyes practically burst as he stared down at them, shocked at the energy he felt from the once Thaddeus.


    Now, his body had completely changed without even a slight trace of the previous Thaddeus. Even his soul undulations were different as if this new person had suddenly taken his place without anyone noticing.


    The grey liquid faded away, blending into his body almost as quickly as it had first appeared, leaving no trace.


    "Ah¡ª" he exhaled out. Two clear eyes observed their surroundings from their large sockets. A pair of snake-like nostrils rested below, but it was the wide mouth underneath them that took all the attention. A sardonic smile revealed two eerie canines and a thin tongue. Thin squared ears sat on each side of its long, round head, which itself was smooth and featureless.


    His long thinly-built body stood straight, entirely grey just as that previous liquid had been. Two thin arms folded together across his chest as he stared mockingly, lack of emotion and interest shot out from within his eyes.


    Seeing this, Evelien shivered. "Ah, there the master is¡­ now it seems that foolish Rol''an is in for a challenge."


    ''That''s him?'' Deus thought as he watched, ''What is he? So he really wasn''t Thaddeus after all.''


    Unlike everyone else, Droh hadn''t fully comprehended what had happened, or what it meant. With his head tilted to the side, he questioned, "Wait, so who is he if he isn''t Thaddeus? I''ve never seen him before¡­"


    "Of course you haven''t," Evelien explained, "Our master lurks within the shadows, which is where he is most proficient. That doesn''t mean he isn''t capable of a frontal battle, however, it simply means that Rol''an will have more of a chance to struggle, being as they''re face to face without any potent illusions or tricks."


    After a moment of thought, she continued, "Our master commands the crows, as he was vital to the construction of not only our Many-Eyed Crows group but also many other aspects of Direfell''s command system. In truth, you both know his name, you simply can''t put the name to the face."


    "We know his name?" Deus repeated in a light murmur.


    "Our master stands as an equal to the great military captain and commands the intelligence corps while sire Roch commands the military and guard force. They''re both valued throughout the city, and without either of them the city''s infrastructure could collapse."


    Hearing this, Droh asked another question, "How do we know who he is, though? I''ve never seen him before in my life¡­ and my memory is one of my better features."


    ''Don''t admit that¡­'' Deus didn''t know if he should laugh or cry at Droh''s admission. "I think I''m starting to understand what''s happening... tell me if I''m anywhere near the right answer, alright?"


    "Very well, have at it."


    With Evelien''s approval, Deus began to mentally kick himself in his best attempt to connect as many of the pieces he could.


    "Alright so, everything that has happened was in order to lure out Roland¡­ and have his clan removed from Direfell''s central powers. I''m guessing a clan can''t be forcibly removed unless they either directly act against Direfell''s interest or if the Lord specifically acts?"The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Evelien gave a pleased grin, "So far so good¡­ keep going."


    "Right," he was pleased to hear that he had guessed right. "So in order to do that, you needed proof of their hostility. You manufactured a weakness in your own forces, knowing Roland wouldn''t be able to resist at least sending in members of his clan, even if he didn''t go himself."


    "After that, you used the death of a centipede to entice his followers, and once they had started something, you shot them¡­ us¡­ down. You stranded us, forcing us to rely on reinforcements or die. I imagine my own plan was quite annoying for you, but somehow you managed to take advantage of me and put me against a wall, leaving me with no other alternative. I either call for Roland, or I end up dead."


    Even Reinout at this point had a shocked face on as he listened. He typically left the plotting to his betters, which would be Evelien and his master, in this situation.


    Deus went on as he had a mental light bulb ignite above his head, "Ah¡­ not only was my being here used to your advantage, you even planned for me to find Thaddeus sneakily plotting aboard the Nijaden. Right, that way I would be far less trusting of those around me, and would rely more on what I could directly trust rather than a distant hope like mister Roch."


    "Hmph," Evelien coughed out, "You catch on very quickly. Indeed, most of that was planned, even if slightly improvised as we went on further. After you sent your little message, we knew all that needed to be done then was wait. We couldn''t let our bait be killed, so after some time we ordered those cannon fodder to stop attacking."


    "I understand, but there is still one thing I''m not sure about," Deus claimed, scratching at his chin as he asked, "You said I already know who your master is, and yet I don''t even recognize him by appearance¡­ how could I know him?"


    "Well, that''s a simple one," Evelien said, a gleam glowing in her eyes, "You''ve heard our master''s name once before when you had first entered our wonderful little city. Even that action, with the uproar it had caused, was simply a part of the plan to uproot the Orion from Direfell, casting out their influence permanently."


    "When I first arrived at Direfell? How is that possible¡­ nothing like that happened¡­" Deus thought for a moment, doing everything in his power to recall the past.


    He struggled to comprehend everything, that was, until a single memory erupted out, causing him to connect the dots together.


    "My god¡­ everything, and I mean everything¡­ it was all for this moment, wasn''t it? But how could that be possible¡ª" Before he could finish asking, a low-toned growl suddenly blasted out into a full-fledged roar, shaking the air and scratching the tower''s metallic side.


    "Androma, so this is your true form? I had heard that there was a rat amongst Direfell''s members who possessed the power of transformation, but to think it had been to such a degree where even I would be blinded¡­ even if only for a moment," Rol''an roared and shouted, his superiority had obviously been challenged and insulted as Thaddeus melted away, revealing the master of the Many-Eyed Crows¡ªAndroma.


    "You act surprised at your own failings, and yet it''s only natural¡­" Androma taunted with a deadpan expression, which only seemed to irritate Rol''an even more.


    A brief and overwhelming sensation of domination broke out from beneath Androma''s feet as if prepared to kick off against the desert. Energy slowly spread out, equaling the might that Rol''an had already released, perhaps even surpassing it.


    "You''re strong, but that''s the limits to it. You will never possess true power," Androma had clearly grown bored with his enemy as he started to spread out his own strength. Without even taking a step, Rol''an had already undergone a terrifying attack that struck at his very soul.


    The level of battle they had wasn''t something a weakling like Deus could intervene in. He believed that, under their suppressive powers, he''d be crushed the moment he showed himself.


    Suddenly, as if to break the slow-pace of their combat, Rol''an jumped out into the air, charging directly toward Androma as a sword dripping in what appeared to be scalding blood suddenly appeared in his grip. The sword that Rol''an wielded caused even Evelien to shudder, forcing her into taking a mental note to avoid receiving a blow from it at all cost.


    "Allow me to take your precious little head, Androma! I''ll treasure it as I mount it atop my monolith!"


    Rol''an had already appeared before Androma, passing the several tens of meters in a single second. With his blood sword outstretched, he brought it crashing down toward his opponent''s head, hoping to end everything in a single strike.


    Was this arrogance or confidence that made Rol''an think he could kill Androma in one hit?


    Unfortunately for him, his opponent wasn''t an enemy he could underestimate, as Androma seemed to have daringly avoided the strike, missing the blade''s tip by mere inches.


    To the typical eye, it would''ve appeared that Rol''an had simple missed, but to Evelien and Reinout, the truth had already revealed itself.


    Androma had sidestepped the strike, moving his entire body faster than Rol''an could move his outstretched arm and sword.


    "Are you quite done with the jokes, little insect?" Androma continued to act relaxed and unconcerned as he taunted his enemy. His eyes locked onto his opponent, he knew Rol''an did not possess the strength to strike at him without him knowing.


    "As long as I don''t let you get anywhere behind me, you won''t have the ability to strike me down," Androma confidently claimed as his body continued to pour out a frightening grey aura.


    "The understanding of Mir that you possess is quaint and archaic, but I suppose that''s the best a mere clan leader can accomplish with the entire Midnight world working against you."


    Rol''an bit down as fury spread throughout his body. Seeing this, Droh couldn''t help but shiver uncontrollably, even from atop the tower. "Are you sure it''s safe here?" The little Faun asked.


    Evelien, Reinout, and even Deus turned to look at him, feeling both pity and shame that he had always become so broken when faced against Rol''an.


    "Droh, don''t worry, I''ll stick around here with you, so just leave everything to me and don''t worry about it," Deus said with confidence, hoping he could do something to alleviate his worry. In truth, he was absolutely not confident in his abilities to even survive in a battle like that, let alone protect anything.


    It was better than nothing, he figured.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 44] Casting Mist

    ¡°Did you think I¡¯d halt my progress just because a few old fellows who lurk within those cities ordered me to?¡± Rol¡¯an inquired with a sinister grin, the desert ground beneath him lazily being engulfed by black cascading flames.


    ¡°I suppose not, but don¡¯t try to pretend like their suppression was little¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh of course not, because of them I could hardly breathe without feeling like I was choking,¡± Rol¡¯an extended out his reach, his bloody sword in hand. ¡°However¡­ things are different now. I¡¯m no longer bound by their rules and have even acquired several bits of powerful inheritance.¡±


    ¡°Inheritance? Is that what you thought those were?¡± Androma chortled out as he paused to explain through mocking laughs, ¡°Those so-called ¡®inheritance¡¯ were merely the leftover scraps that a past Lord tossed aside, not fearing the repercussions. After all, why would they? There are set rules that us wielders of Mir must abide, but the amount you¡¯ve gained is minuscule¡­¡±


    ¡°You lie!¡± The demonic Borun shouted, his voice shaking through the air. ¡°You¡¯ll come to fear this power that I¡¯ve adapted together with my own bloodlust, forging an extremely terrifying strength. You¡¯ll be the first to die, followed by that other weakling!¡±


    ¡°Weakling?¡± This had caught Androma off-guard as he let out a low-toned sigh, ¡°You don¡¯t know what you¡¯re stepping into¡­ you see yourself becoming more powerful? Wrong, instead you¡¯ll merely be bound by even more terrifying foes and even those primal demons who lurk out of sight.¡±


    Unafraid, Rol¡¯an dashed forward once again with his sword and struck down toward Androma, slamming the blade against his grey-fleshed arm.


    A rupturing crash sounded as the sword collided with his arm, which, unusually, hadn¡¯t shattered or broken off upon impact.


    Androma fixed his expression onto his enemy as he shoved his arm out, pushing Rol¡¯an away with great strength. As the blood sword flew through the air, the sight of a massive scar could be seen carved down his arm, even approaching his wrist. Yet, however, there hadn¡¯t even been a single drop of blood.


    ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s what your sword does¡­¡± Androma murmured out as he clenched his arm, forcing his own grey aura into the wound in an attempt to speed up the healing process. ¡°It¡¯s a shame I don¡¯t have any remedies on me.¡±


    ¡°How was that? Did you enjoy that slash? It seems my blade found your blood delicious, if not a bit strangely colored,¡± Rol¡¯an boomed out as he extended his sword outward, pointing it straight at Androma.


    The tip of the blade glimmered and bubbled as a scalding hot crimson liquid dripped off of it, sizzling upon impact as the drops hit the ground.


    ¡°This sword was explicitly created to strengthen me while weakening my enemy¡­ to devour their blood and turn it into my own power¡­¡° Rol¡¯an lowered the blade to his side as he continued, ¡°You¡¯re right about one thing¡­ my power may be archaic now, but that will soon change once this weapon feasts upon you. I shall turn your own blood into energy, acquiring your Mir with it. Can you imagine it? Becoming a part of me, your own vigor being used to regenerate my vitality.¡±


    ¡°You plan to take my Mir?¡± Androma repeated, obviously surprised at this news. He let go of his arm as the wound seemed to have been healed, leaving no trace of it even being injured in the first place.


    ¡°This is good¡­ I was beginning to get bored, especially after seeing how slow you moved¡­¡±


    Androma¡¯s arm stretched out as that grey liquid formed and expanded quickly, jumping from the edges of his fingertips onto the ground. It bubbled again, manifesting power as a single fine-pointed polearm rose into the air.


    ¡°That¡¯s the Pendulum, isn¡¯t it?¡± Clearly having recognized his weapon, Rol¡¯an inquired, hoping to receive confirmation before approaching.


    The Pendulum had been a legendary weapon wielded by the master of crows, an infamous individual. Wielding the Pendulum, he had been able to silently slash apart an entire army, rendering an enemies¡¯ plot mute.


    The polearm formed from a single piece of grey and black metal, casting upward an array of neutral colors and undulations. It was as if this weapon balanced perfectly within the middle of light and darkness, allowing it¡¯s master the power to harness both at will.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Using the strength of darkness, the Pendulum would melt into its surroundings as the powerful undulations hid, removing all presence and allowing the wielder to approach even the most vigilant foes without notice.


    However, harnessing the might of it¡¯s lighter side allowed the Pendulum to ignite, unleashing a terrifying storm of murderous intent as the weapon didn¡¯t restrain anything, as it had no need to.


    It was the perfect embodiment of the balance of the sun and moon. In one stage, the world would be cast in light, scaring away even the most heinous of darknesses, however, the opposite was also true.


    Androma smirked as the Pendulum swung easily in his grasp, ¡°I forged this Pendulum with the aid of a true friend. It holds not only her intent but mine as well. To walk within the light when needed, while being willing to embrace the darkness as well. Your blood-dipped sword may be strong, but even that is lacking¡­¡±


    ¡°How dare you!¡± Rol¡¯an erupted, squeezing the grip of his blade firmly. ¡°You, who relies upon old legends and long-past power to fight, I shall show you what sort of a fool you have become.¡±


    Saying that Rol¡¯an stepped forward, the ground beneath him slowly breaking away as his body burned of black violent flames, erupting out from all around him. His very soul was raging out. The blood-craving sword he wielded slowly bubbled as he braced the hilt.


    He dashed forward again, moving to strike at Androma¡¯s chest, causing his pale-skinned opponent to dash backward, lifting his own polearm into the air to block.


    A heavy collision rang as the two weapons smacked together, Rol¡¯an¡¯s back leg dug deep into the ground as he continued weighing his own weapon down against the polearm.


    ¡°You think you can defeat me with mere brute strength?¡± Rol¡¯an chuckled as Androma¡¯s grip slowly faded, the two weapons closing in on his body. In response, Androma made the sacrifice and twisted his weapon down, hoping to disarm both himself and Rol¡¯an in a single moment.


    ¡°Ugh!¡± Androma grunted as his arm heaved down, striking the point of his polearm firmly against the ground. As he did this, his body dashed backward, now unarmed as his and Rol¡¯an¡¯s weapon sat engraved into the desert, slowly being overtaken by the black sand.


    ¡°Allow me to show you the true power of Mir, not that archaic half-attempt that you possess!¡± Androma¡¯s expression finally changed as his uninterested smirk turned into a grin, his teeth showed, revealing a maniacal king beneath. ¡°Let all energy return to nothing, absorbed into the vast empty space and becoming one with the grey universe!¡±


    The heavy energy that flowed around him quickly changed as his arms swung to the side, forming what appeared to be two massive wings made of that grey liquid behind him. The liquid slowly morphed as Rol¡¯an jumped several spaces backward, obviously on guard. That didn¡¯t stop him from eagerly watching, however, as anything that related to Mir fascinated him to an almost obsessive level.


    ¡°Darkness forms with light, becoming absolute calm!¡± His liquid wings dissipated into mist almost as soon as they appeared. A devastating grey mist spread in the air, encompassing the desert and even parts of the tower.


    Under the pressure of this mist, the front of the tower slowly decayed and dissolved, leaving a vulnerable point in the side. The desert sand itself wasn¡¯t fairing much better, as the battlefield slowly became a large crater, lowering further and further into the ground as only Androma and Rol¡¯an remained within.


    ¡°This power¡­ w-what is this?¡± Deus murmured to himself as he watched, he had fortunately been high enough where the mist didn¡¯t pierce, perhaps that was intentional.


    Evelien shrugged in response as if seeing this was an odd norm for her. ¡°This is the true power that Rol¡¯an sought, only now he¡¯s being forced to survive under its absolute weight. Perhaps I should rethink my opinion of him, as not only did he manage to push the master to this point, but he even has survived up until this point¡­¡±


    Glancing down, she had been surprised to say the least as she watched Rol¡¯an, he had been pushed down by the power of the mist, slowly having chunks of his own flesh fizzle apart, dissolving his very body.


    ¡°I had thought I would¡¯ve been enough to kill him¡­ which was why I had been so troubled at the fact that the master was intervening himself¡­ but I suppose it makes sense now. I wouldn¡¯t have lasted as long as he has, so I doubt I could''ve defeated him with all of that stamina he''s built up.¡±


    Deus had been shocked at the calmness in her voice as if this sight was normal.


    He had seen and even fought against a midnight centipede, so he understood just how dangerous they were. Which was why he was so confused when he heard there were people who could single-handedly kill them. He thought that fact to be impossible, simply overstated for effect.


    Now, however, he finally understood why these people were so legendary. This fight would¡¯ve ended with him dying a hundred times over, but for them, it was as if they were only playing around.


    Even Rol¡¯an losing chunks of his flesh at a time seemed to only cause a slight discomfort as he persevered through the mist, standing there calmly with his bloody sword returned to his grasp. Even Androma seemed surprised at this fact, as he believed the mist would¡¯ve dealt with him already.


    The world before them both had turned completely greyscale, vanquishing even the ever-present crimson sky that typically burned overhead. It was quite clear to Deus at that moment that this power was the one power to rule everything, the power of a king.


    ¡®No wonder those Territory Lords are unstoppable¡­ if even their followers possess this level, I¡¯d be terrified to face anyone stronger¡­¡¯

 [Vol 1, Chapter 45] To Sharpen Ones Soul

    ¡°How peculiar¡­¡± Androma murmured to himself as he stood overhead, his body practically hovered as a vague line of grey liquid acted as a platform for him to stand on. He was shocked and astonished upon seeing that Rol¡¯an had not only survived against the mist but even seemed to maintain his form even under its immense pressure. ¡°To think he¡¯s reached this level of attainment. Heh, maybe he¡¯s not a lost cause, after all.¡±


    He extended out his grasp, allowing the Pendulum to float out of the desert, landing heavily against his hand, striking out a loud reverberation as he caught it without issue.


    Rol¡¯an stood still, his head down as his bloodthirsty sword struck into the ground directly in front of him, it¡¯s hilt unmoving as it awaited his grasp.


    Androma spoke out for all to hear, drawing Rol¡¯an¡¯s ire as his head slowly lifted up, ¡°So this is the level you¡¯ve attained? You can survive within the mist, but you can¡¯t even move or fight? You¡¯re struggling to keep your own body from being shattered¡­ how pitiful.¡±


    He did so mockingly, knowing exactly what to say in order to anger his opponent. Rol¡¯an was the type of enemy who was more dangerous the more furious they were, so perhaps Androma¡¯s desire was to lure out the true strength of his opponent by force before it could be used to strike at him first.


    The plan was dangerous, but it didn¡¯t come without some sense. If he could force Rol¡¯an to use his last resorts, he¡¯d have no more surprises to throw around.


    It would be like clipping the talons of a predatory hawk before it could begin its hunt. It was common sense to dismantle an enemies greatest strength as quickly as possible, especially during a situation that benefited oneself like the field of mist.


    ¡°I may have suffered some damage at first, but don¡¯t think that this means you¡¯ve defeated me¡­¡± Rol¡¯an hissed out, his voice quiet yet as sharp as ever. Even the tinge of destruction loomed with every word.


    ¡°Not only have I begun to grasp this mist, but my body has slowly regained its strength. You should¡¯ve attacked me with everything you had when you first launched this area of effect power¡­ unfortunately for you, there is no longer an opening to do so.¡±


    His eyes suddenly burst open, a red fiery intent hidden within. His head rose, meeting Androma¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°So this is the power of the master of illusions, the keeper of crows¡­ I hadn¡¯t expected you to wield Mir to this degree, but that¡¯s fine. My power was created to cut off that captain¡¯s head, so you will be good practice.¡±


    Androma let out a faint whistle at Rol¡¯an¡¯s bravado. Was it an empty threat, or was there something more at play? Truth be told, neither mattered as long as he handled the next few moments correctly.


    Rol¡¯an grinned as his flesh reformed, the mist casually being pushed further and further away from him. The black flames that had slowly been seeping out from beneath his feet suddenly burst forth, unleashing a crazed amount of pressure and strength.


    ¡°Overthrow the grey mist, cast it aside until only true destruction awaits! Let true strength rise, intoxicating the very world under the horrifying blaze¡­¡± The black flames built up, climbing higher and higher as the greyscale mist dissipated, to the shock of everyone present.


    Not only was Androma caught off-guard, but even his followers atop the tower seemed dazed as the impossible had happened.


    Flames rose into the air as Rol¡¯an stood in the center, acting as the epicenter to the destructive force that had burst forward. Androma was pushed back, his mist colliding against the flames as the two sides rejected the other.


    Androma brought the Pendulum up toward his face, coating it in the grey liquid that radiated out from his very being. A flash of strength overtook the polearm, transforming the grey energy into a pure white light that soaked into everything.


    A light had overtaken the Pendulum, bringing out a great amount of white fog, formed out of the purest of Mir energy.


    ¡°Light overtakes all darkness, and is the perfect counter for such destructive flames,¡± Androma stated matter-of-factly, the polearm scorching like wildfire.


    Opposing him, Rol¡¯an brought his own bloody sword up as well, letting it slowly devour flame petal after flame petal, taking in its power and strengthening itself to the extreme. This weapon, forged to devour great power and use it as a catastrophic weapon, was the perfect tool for harnessing this uncontrollable black conflagration of power.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    It was as if their truest intent had been stashed within each other¡¯s respected weapons, prepared to hand out the majority of the damage the moment they collide. This was a fight that not even Evelien could¡¯ve lasted long in, as a single strike would deliver her to death¡¯s door.


    Rol¡¯an stepped off, dashing out of the crater that had formed from the terrifying mist. With a firm landing, he arrived off to the side, where Androma had also lowered himself only a mere ten meters away. The grey liquid dissolving back into his flesh and forming a rougher outer skin, turning it almost to steel.


    Androma wielded the Pendulum polearm, the blazing light burning out of it, blinding anyone who looked upon it.


    Rol¡¯an, however, held his mysterious bloodthirsty sword. Its history was relatively new compared to the Pendulum, but surprisingly it¡¯s strength may not lose out as a destructive and sinister aura of shadow and darkness seeped out of its edge, creating the illusion of slashing the very desert in two.


    ¡°The power of Mir isn¡¯t an all-powerful thing, there¡¯s a limit to how far it can be used or how it can be harnessed. My strength was built upon using the Pendulum in tandem, but your power clearly is being improvised.¡± Androma stated mockingly as he watched Rol¡¯an struggle to even call forth those black flames.


    ¡°You should stop this now before you¡¯re devoured by those malicious flames. I can see something within them, as if some primordial devil lurks behind you, acting the role of puppet-master.¡± Androma went on after a heavy sigh, ¡°You could¡¯ve become someone of stature, but instead you went this route¡­ even accepting the aid of darkness, going against the will of our neutral world.¡±


    ¡°Neutral? Midnight is anything but neutral, you old fool,¡± Rol¡¯an snapped out, his black flames slowly falling under his control with each passing moment. As if the pressure of the grey mist had somehow aided him in suppressing their destructive tendencies. ¡°More than anything, I should thank you for helping me bring this flame under my grasp. Even with all of my efforts I had still failed to accomplish this feat alone.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Androma pondered, surprised that his enemy had made some sort of benefit even in a situation such as this.


    They may have been calmly discussing between themselves, but to the outside world, a whirlpool torrent of fatal force burst forth, swallowing the desert sand, even scarring the side of the tower.


    Their very bodies were acting as catalysts to this power. Like two miniature nuclear reactors on the verge of collapse, the very space around them shook violently under their absolute pressure.


    The power of Mir was ever present throughout many Ethereal worlds, even Midnight, a desolate place of death and decay possessed those who could wield this energy.


    Most of these people, however, could only wield Mir under the aid of a higher authority, such as the Grandmaster or even a Territorial Lord, who receives both benefits and authority depending on their stature.


    Androma was a direct subordinate to a powerful Lord, and would thus be granted both information and use over the Mir, allowing him the use of a powerful weapon to harness this near-magical power. Rol¡¯an, on the other hand, was not an inheritor of this authority, nor had any powerful backing that allowed him direct authority.


    He had to scavenge for information, finding one piece of information after another until he could slowly begin to form together a complete understanding.


    Anyone could use Mir, but only the powerful and chosen could freely use it without suppression. This was an unspoken rule, a sort of well-known secret.


    There was nothing that could be done, after all, the Mir, when used correctly, was overwhelmingly strong, even able to destroy battlefields without the user having to raise a finger. It was unfair and had been used cruelly in many wars in the past.


    Mir, however, was but a name given to this power by a powerful being. It wasn¡¯t all-powerful and had required a tremendous amount of effort to harness, even by those selected to wield a portion of authority. Androma¡¯s control was no exception, as even he could only push his power to this point by fusing it together with the Pendulum, a polearm weapon designed specifically to match his own soul undulations.


    The basic form of Mir could not create something from absolute nothingness, and it was absolutely not infinite in its use. One could only use it without restraint if they personally possessed both the power and understanding, unfortunately, or even fortunately, such things were incredibly difficult to come by.


    Androma, a man who stood atop thousands and had made a name for himself as being a master illusionist and infiltrator, still only relied on the use of Mir as a last resort. He usually never had to use anything beyond his greyscale mist, as well, so pushing himself further was a new, dangerous experience, even for him.


    A normal sword could be fused with Mir, turning it into a legendary tool of destruction. This, however, didn¡¯t make the sword special, nor did it mean that it could be used to carve through everything. It simply meant that the one who wielded the Mir was mighty, not the Mir itself.


    Many warriors forget this, becoming lost in the secrets of Mir and forgetting that to strengthen the Mir, one must first strengthen themselves from within.


    The Mir was but another form of power, like a sword. How sharp the blade was would entirely depend on both the strength, understanding, and even accomplishments of the wielder. Even a monarch could unsheathe a rusty sword, being forsaken and forgotten.


    It was up to each individual to continuously sharpen their power, or else it may slowly rotten and decay into nothing.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 46] Land of the Forgotten

    Deus turned grim as he watched everything unfold. He had been protected by the tower¡¯s vastness, allowing him to remain out of harm''s way even with the torrent of energy whistling around below.


    ¡°This is the Mir? The power that Roland was looking for¡­ the power you were looking for?¡± Deus turned to face the little faun at his side, unsure of how he should react. Droh had been working as Rol¡¯an¡¯s guide for quite some time, so most of the borun¡¯s power could easily be traced back to those past times.


    Even Droh recalled this, his expression plummeting upon his recollection. ¡°All those things we found¡­ this was what it was all for? This dark destructive power?¡±


    As the two of them pondered everything, a voice sounded from behind them. One of the soldiers had approached them, calling out to Evelien and Reinout. ¡°Lady Evelien, we¡¯ve brought them for you, where would you like them?¡±


    ¡°Ah, wonderful. I was afraid with that mist it would be too late, but fortunately for us it seems that the master noticed my intentions and allowed you safe passage,¡± Evelien spoke, a clear sense of both pride and self-assurance rang out with her words as she turned around to face the sorry-looking group of people who had been chained and dragged before her.


    Deus turned as well, curious what she meant. Immediately, shock spread throughout both Droh and himself as they laid eyes upon this group.


    Stood in front was a heavy-formed soldier with a rough scar slashed down his eye, landing at the bottom of his cheek. His hair as grey as the mist from before. Behind him were several other soldiers, each of them carrying¡ªor perhaps dragging¡ªa pair of heavy metal chains that looped around their captives.


    These captives made for a sorry lot, as they were covered in odd blemishes and bloody scabs.


    ¡°Elias? Mercer?¡± Deus recalled these people¡¯s names as he stuttered out. It hadn¡¯t just been those two, either, but instead, it was everyone who had accompanied them, even the Krex warrior stood with them, his head hung as he understood his own defeat.


    ¡°You captured them all, even with everything going on?¡± Droh asked, capturing Evelien¡¯s attention as she smirked in response.


    ¡°Of course. We¡¯re the mighty crows, servants of shadow and darkness. If we aren¡¯t able to take advantage of a chaotic situation like this for our own benefit, then what good are we?¡±


    Reinout grunted out in agreement as Evelien proudly exclaimed.


    ¡°My lady,¡± the old soldier from earlier called out, his tone humble and hushed, ¡°Unfortunately we were unable to capture them all, as those personal guards of his seemed to have already made their escape, planting themselves further away. They still have loyalty, though, as they¡¯re only waiting and haven¡¯t fully abandoned their leader yet.¡±


    Reinout turned back around, looking out across the previous battlefield. His gaze flew past Androma and Rol¡¯an, who had been locked in a sort of standstill as neither side was willing to make the first move, which meant sacrificing their advantage.


    Very quickly Reinout locked his sights on a small ridge nearby, he squinted as he made out the appearance of those violet-robed guardsmen. ¡°So those people are handpicked to fight alongside someone who is able to fight relatively evenly with our master?¡± Reinout exhaled out, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind having a go at them myself, test the waters.¡±


    ¡°You may get the chance soon enough, you big oaf. Don¡¯t burn yourself out yet, though, we¡¯ve got plenty of work that still needs to get done.¡±


    Evelien turned to face one of the soldiers who stood nearby, ¡°I¡¯m assuming everything is going as planned?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes ma¡¯am!¡± The soldier shuffled around as his back straightened and he went to salute. ¡°We¡¯ve received a response from the spire. We¡¯re good to go, we¡¯re just waiting on them now.¡±


    ¡°Very good,¡± Evelien nodded as a pleased grin spread across her lips, ¡°Keep me informed, now go on.¡±


    The soldier hurried off as she turned to face Reinout, instructing him with a stern tone, ¡°Go get ready, we¡¯ve got visitors coming, we¡¯ve got to make sure we look our best.¡±


    ¡°Pardon me, but what exactly is going on?¡± Deus asked, interjecting himself into the conversation as he steps closer toward her, trying to physically involve himself.


    ¡°Nothing you have to worry about,¡± Evelien explained, ¡°As always, just sit back and relax¡­ you¡¯ll find out everything soon enough, I promise. Once that happens, we¡¯ll know for certain if it was worth it to spare you or not.¡±


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already called dibs on throwing you off the tower if it turns out you are dispensable¡­¡± Reinout exclaimed with an eager, almost giddy smile. He looked entirely innocent, but that grin only made Deus more anxious as if he were staring into the eyes of a demon.


    Deus wasn¡¯t a fool, however. He began to put different pieces together. In an attempt to solve one unanswered question, he directly asked, ¡°Is that particular captain Roch coming?¡±


    Hearing him, Droh, Evelien, and even Reinout turned to face him, a perplexed expression glued onto their faces. Evelien spoke up first, ¡°Ah, you¡¯re a clever one¡­ perhaps the clues I gave you were indeed too easy. The answer to your question is a resounding yes, but from what I¡¯ve been informed, that may not be all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not all?¡±


    ¡°Mhm. Something seems to be happening, something that may go beyond even the removal of the Orion clan that was originally intended. From the radio chatter I¡¯ve heard from before we pulled you into this tower, it seems some old monster started moving within Direfell again.¡±


    Deus didn¡¯t know what she meant by ¡®old monster¡¯, but it couldn¡¯t be anything good. ¡°What do you mean by that? Are we still safe?¡±


    ¡°Safe? Oh, honey, no one is safe. This is Midnight, after all. The land of murder, death, and betrayal. The land of the forgotten.¡±


    ¡®Land of the forgotten?¡¯ That name stuck to Deus more so than the others, perhaps because the others were generic while the latter was almost a true label.


    Evelien beckoned closer to him, drawing Deus in as she began to whisper, ¡°You¡¯ve been on the sidelines for far too long, don¡¯t you think? I believe this may have something further to do with you, after all, saving you wasn¡¯t an order we received solely from master Androma, but instead a direct command from the spire itself.¡±


    ¡°The spire ordered you to save me?¡±


    The two continued to whisper to each other as Droh and Reinout could only haphazardly attempt to eavesdrop.


    ¡°Exactly so, the spire ordered your capture, emphasizing peaceful methods and non-physical extremes,¡± Evelien explained, ¡°Otherwise nothing could¡¯ve stopped ol'' Reinout here from simply breaking your legs and dragging you here. Instead, our master personally pulled not only you out, but your little faun friend too.¡±


    A wicked grin spread on her face as she asked tauntingly, ¡°You haven¡¯t done anything extremely naughty, have you? Because it seems you¡¯ve gotten quite a lot of attention on you¡­¡±


    ¡®Done anything? No, I couldn¡¯t have¡­ could I?¡¯ Deus thought to himself, his mind racing through different moments as he recalled his last few days, step by step. ¡®Things went smoothly¡­ I met Droh and arrived at Direfell. I then met Mercer who lured me and Droh into a meeting with Elias¡­ nothing should¡¯ve drawn anyone''s attention¡­¡¯


    He went through each moment, not exactly sure what could''ve gotten him the attention he¡¯s getting. He wasn¡¯t particularly powerful, he had no name recognition or history, and he wasn¡¯t even well informed.


    There was nothing that he could recall that would warrant placing him into the scopes of an ¡®old monster¡¯, as Evelien refers to it as.


    ¡°Oh no¡­¡± Deus murmured to himself, so quietly it might as well have been a mere thought.


    A single memory was stuck in his head as he recalled every second in gruesome detail. The sudden and intense feeling of pain that struck everywhere throughout his body, and the trembling sound of electricity that practically popped in his ears as that split second occurred.


    ¡®In the alleyway¡­ by that thug with the knife¡­¡¯ Deus had gone ghostly pale as he remembered what had happened, or more specifically, how he felt when it happened. His memory of it had gone blank in the middle, rendering his vision impaired and leaving only the physical stress behind.


    ¡®That pain I felt¡­ and the bloody mess that I left behind¡­¡¯


    ¡°Evelien, ma¡¯am¡­¡± Deus slurred out, ¡°What exactly do you mean by ¡®land of the forgotten¡¯? What exactly is Midnight, and¡­ I¡¯m not sure how to ask this.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Evelien glanced at him with a curious smirk, waiting for his next words.


    ¡°Is it possible¡­ purely hypothetical¡­ to accidentally use this Mir¡­ and what would that entail?¡±

 [Vol 1, Chapter 47] A Lords Authority

    Evelien wasn''t sure how to respond as she simply stood there for a moment, weighing through everything. Even she had to admit that everything that was happening had been a bit beyond her scope, and if¡ªby some odd miracle¡ªDeus could use Mir without actually meaning to, or even knowing what it was, that would change the scope of many conflicts in the future.


    Perhaps in the not so distant future, Deus would be her superior, if he was able to harness the Mir to such an extent where even he couldn''t control it.


    Typically the problem people face with using the power of Mir is that they can''t gather enough within their bodies and souls to manifest, resulting in a problem that many have where they may understand Mir, but they can''t wield it like a sharp weapon.


    For Deus¡ªor anyone for that matter, to be able to wield the Mir without restraint, as if there were no authority limitations, that could incite something massive.


    "Before I answer your question, allow me to levy my own question in return¡­" Evelien exhaled as she spoke, trying to clear her throat and return to her normal calmness. Whatever he meant, for him to ask in a hypothetical fashion clearly meant that he had more questions than answers.


    "First, there are no true hypotheticals. They don''t exist. Everything is born from experience, some way or another. So, my question is this; if you were able to use Mir, even unconsciously, how are you still alive?"


    Deus froze upon hearing her response, knowing that his vague and shallow excuse of hypotheticals had been completely seen through. In truth, he had expected it, but he hadn''t expected her to simply shrug it off and not play along.


    "Ah¡­" Deus murmured out, "I think you''ve misunderstood¡­ hah¡­ this is a purely random question¡­"


    "No, I very much doubt it is." Evelien retorted, "I didn''t lie when I said that the radio chatter has gotten me a bit nervous¡­ something even our master takes seriously has woken up and drawn its wrath down upon us. You will tell me why, and I won''t let you hide anything from us crows."


    "Enough." A resounding voice sounded from behind her, causing her and Reinout to both twist around in a hurry. They were surprised to see the man stood behind them as if he had manifested out of nowhere.


    "C-captain Roch¡­ sir¡­" Evelien stuttered in an attempt to catch her breath. "When did you arrive¡­?"


    "Just a few moments ago. My ship will be arriving shortly, but I figured I should hurry on over, so I ran the rest of the way." Roch explained as he paced slowly to her side, glancing down toward the rough battlefield. The moment his head peered over the edge, a resounding clash of thunder sounded from all around as both Androma and Rol''an took notice of him.


    Androma''s expression shifted to a long-drawn grin, while Rol''an''s had plummeted into full-blown hatred, seething at his teeth.


    "Roch!" Rol''an roared out, jumping into the sky, no longer worried about his defenses. The ground beneath him shuddered, kicking him up dozens of meters into the air, bringing him to Roch''s height in a matter of moments.


    Even the young Droh who stood to Roch''s side was only a mere background character to Rol''an as he glared at his self-proclaimed nemesis.


    The black flames enveloped him as it pulled him closer, arriving at the boundary of the tower in a moment, causing even Androma to let out a rough sigh in exhaustion. It was quite obvious by Androma''s face that he found Rol''an overwhelming and unpredictable, making him one of his more difficult opponents. His complete opposite.


    Androma prided himself in striking down proud warriors, those who wouldn''t hesitate to charge straight forward without thinking things through, simply because they believed without hesitation that their own power would pull them through.


    An enemy like that was perfect for the mysterious and elusive Androma. On the contrary, however, Rol''an was the sort of enemy who was both proud yet strategic, with an almost monstrous sense of self-worth, making him a dangerous foe to face.


    Rol''an waited for his body to grow accustomed to the mist before attacking, something that the typical proud warrior wouldn''t do. They''d have faith in themselves, pushing their own bodies beyond the limit.


    A smart and tricky enemy was dangerous, more so than a powerful yet straightforward enemy.


    Between Androma and Roch, it was the latter who had propelled himself throughout the region as being one of the most dangerous warriors of them all, forcing even Rol''an into defeat once before.


    "Ah, hello my little demon," Roch genuinely greeted Rol''an, lowering his head and tucking his arm in across his chest. It was a noble action, which only caused his nemesis to feel exacerbated even more.


    "Roch¡­ our battle won''t be the same as it was before. You may have gotten the better of me before, but I''ve changed since then. No, I''ve evolved."


    "Evolved? How so?" Roch asked as he clambered his way up atop one of the many battlements that sat around the tower walls, putting himself higher than everyone else around him.


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    His black cloak shook and swayed in the gust of wind, yet not even a single speck of dust landed anywhere near him. Like some sort of field surrounded him, preventing even the most minute particle from coming close.


    "From where I''m standing, it seems you''ve only grown more ugly and ruthless, but that doesn''t inherently equate to power," he said mockingly, yet within his voice, there was a hint of truth. "One who has to exclaim their strength with words has nothing but false strength. Use action to prove your power, nothing more, nothing less."


    Androma and Rol''an both remained silent as he spoke. The former lowered his head with a slight nod, satisfied that Roch had taken it upon himself to step in. The latter, however, could only growl out from between his clenched teeth, where no words could even form.


    Rol''an lashed out toward him, his blood-dyed sword already fused with his absolute fury as it practically hummed in his grasp, awaiting the feast that would come.


    "Androma," Roch whispered out for only his fellow kin to hear, "Go to the tower and await my ship. The one who will arrive will bring you absolute salvation, but could also lead to the downfall of countless lives. Consider his word to be that of our Lords."


    With that, Roch extended out his arm as the world itself seemed to open up, drawing out a translucent spear from the ground, the sky flashed with extraordinary lights.


    "Come to me, my Dauntless heart shall bring true silence back to this world."


    A beautiful explosive burst of light formed from this spear, an absolute quiet took over, silencing even the bloodlust that had previously erupted out from Rol''an.


    "How is this possible?!" Rol''an shouted as his voice became lost in the quiet as if his darkness was dissolved into light, leaving no shadows around him.


    "Androma has always been a powerful student, but beyond his illusions¡­ I''m afraid to say, he''s long away from being my equal." Roch slowly floated into the air, his body both weightless and transparent, leaving only a faint blur of light around him.


    "Rol''an, my little demon. You''ve come far, much farther than I would''ve expected¡­ but unfortunately, you''re not the main character of this story. This time, an absolute power has come, but not for you. Because of this, I''ll let you live, consider this a gift as I can respect your growth."


    The Roch that spoke was different from the one that Rol''an had previously experienced. He was all-knowing as if nothing could be hidden from him. His very body seemed almost formed of Mir, the world around him just barely containing his exquisite being.


    "This power¡­" Rol''an hissed out as he wrapped his lanky arms around his face, cowering from the light, "You''ve received more authority than I''ve ever seen¡­ at this very moment¡­ you''re at the center of everything."


    "Begone, now."


    The world twisted as the crimson sky ran, erupting out a brilliant white that seemed like all of the heavens descended. The spear he held shimmered, a hushed sound rang from it as half of it was transparent, almost as if it could slip between being physical and being mere spiritual.


    "NO!" The Borun shouted as the light broke around him, rendering his own sword a shaky fragment, leaving heavy cracks throughout the blade. "I will not be destroyed! I will not die like this! AAAHHH!"


    Rol''an extended out his arm, only for it to melt away, dissolving into the light that reached everywhere.


    All of Direfell and the region around it had been bent by Roch''s power, his authority. Even as the one who wielded this absolute power, his face was strained as he struggled to contain it all. The overwhelming power that only a true Lord could ever harness without restraint, he had unleashed it.


    Even if only one attack, it was enough to push his very body to the limits.


    The white light faded, allowing the world to reveal its dark and elusive shadows once again. The previous bright light, which had overwhelmed the eye had gradually faded, lasting anywhere from a few seconds to even many minutes. Time seemed almost to stop, only returning once the world once more became crimson and black.


    Roch heaved over as his body lowered, the Dauntless spear he previously held once more faded into the earth. His body lowered down as he landed softly against the crumbling battlement of the tower.


    "So it''s done?" A voice asked from behind him. Roch turned to look, his face both pale and exhausted. "As the Lord wished, his lasting peace has been returned. Unfortunately, that demon has yet to die, but he will not reveal himself until he fully recovers, which should last us quite some time."


    Roch spoke to Androma, who had already arrived atop the tower and now stood side by side with Evelien and Reinout, who held both reverence and fear in their eyes as they watched on.


    They were strong, but in the face of either of these two, they wouldn''t last even a moment.


    "Ah yes, it seems my ship has finally arrived. It''s time to go greet him." Roch declared, stepping down off the battlement as he adjusted his poster, allowing the color to once more appear on his cheeks.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 48] If You Lie, You Lose

    ¡°Very well,¡± Androma nodded as he followed beside Roch, the two of them traveling unimpeded toward the docking pad atop the tower, where a small yet intricately designed ship slowly lowered down, landing softly.


    Roch walked past everyone with an uncaring expression glued onto his face, only slowing down once he crossed paths with Deus and Droh. He turned his head toward them as he exclaimed, ¡°Hello again, child. Last time we met, I seemed to have mistaken you for Androma here¡­ forgive me for that, you see Androma has perfected the transmogrification technique, allowing him to even replicate someone down to the soul.¡±


    Androma let out a chuckle, ¡°It¡¯s not all powerful like you make it out to be¡­ it¡¯s got quite the weakness to it since the energy I can replicate is just that¡­ a replication. An illusion, basically.¡±


    ¡°Indeed so,¡± Roch returned his glance toward Deus as he went on, ¡°When I first saw you, I felt a familiar power¡­ and only the trusted leaders of Direfell or a clan master should¡¯ve possessed that power, even fragmented such as your own.¡±


    Deus could only barely follow along as he listened to his reasoning. He remembered firmly that moment when Roch first saw him, drawing him in and even offering him a place amongst his subordinates. It was odd and unpredicted, that was for sure. All this time he didn¡¯t know why, though, but now it started to make sense.


    Roch had mistaken him for Androma, and once he determined he wasn¡¯t, that only drew his interest even more so, as he possessed some sort of connection to the Mir.


    ¡°The offer still stands, just so you know¡­¡± Roch chortled out, ¡°Well if you survive this next bit, that is.¡±


    ¡°Next bit?¡± Deus repeated in question as he had been caught off guard.


    ¡°Indeed. I wasn¡¯t the only one to come here aboard my ship, I was simply the first to arrive. Speaking of, Androma, go and greet our guest, inform him that Orion has been dealt with and that the child he had been asking about is safely within my grasp.¡±


    Androma bowed as he paced off, showing respect toward Roch, a man who was both his mentor and his friend. Evelien and Reinout followed behind him, as they were afraid to be left alone with the military captain for too long. They felt like he¡¯d be able to draw out every little dark secret they held, even more so than their master.


    ¡°Deus¡­ and the little faun Droh, is it? You¡¯ll come with me as I debrief you. Especially you, Droh.¡± Roch¡¯s glance turned hostile as he glared down upon the young faun, causing the confused Droh to shiver and shake, even more so than he had with Rol¡¯an.


    ¡°You won¡¯t hurt him.¡± A surprising voice stuttered out, almost as if it was afraid of even speaking. The source being Deus, as he stepped in between Roch and Droh, knowing he was just as vulnerable as the little faun, but acting regardless.


    ¡°Oh? I won¡¯t?¡± The captain snickered as his head tilted to the side to match Deus¡¯s glare. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him, I have no interest in a broken toy. I just need to know what he knows, and if he simply tells me, that¡¯ll be the end of it.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Deus exhaled as the tension sank away. He turned to face Droh as he explained, ¡°Droh, go with him and tell him what you told me¡­ about you and Roland. If you¡¯re honest, you¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll be waiting for you to come back to me, so I won¡¯t let them leave without you.¡±


    ¡°Ri-right¡­¡± Droh choked out as he put his faith in Deus.


    It was fitting that he named Deus as such, as that name represents the strongest source of power that exists. A foundation for Droh to stand on, to be lifted up and protected. A guardian, one which his own father had previously endeavored to find, to no avail.


    ¡°You,¡± Roch pointed toward a group of soldiers who stood off to the side, ¡°Take him to an interrogation room but don¡¯t mistreat him. I¡¯ll be joining him soon. I have several questions for him, but he¡¯s not a prisoner.¡±


    Roch looked at Deus with a curled smile, ¡°There, see? Is that enough for you, killer?¡±


    All Deus could do was cautiously comply, as he knew he held no real power in this discussion. Roch had given him a favor, but if he pushed too far it wouldn¡¯t end well for anyone involved.


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    ¡°Droh, go.¡± Deus beckoned him away as he chanced a glance at the military captain who watched everything unfold. The soldiers led Droh away and down through one of the hallways, leaving everyone¡¯s line of sight.


    ¡°Now it¡¯s our turn,¡± Roch stated suddenly as he twisted his head to face the landed ship. In a hushed tone, he advised, ¡°I¡¯m warning you now, kid. You may be able to fool around with me, but don¡¯t even think of negotiating with that person.¡±


    ¡°That person?¡± Deus murmured out as he waited for Roch to continue.


    ¡°The person who accompanied me aboard my ship¡­ the old monster who woke up from some damp laboratory to come here. Be warned, he¡¯s come for one person. You.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Deus stammered out, ¡°Why me? I¡­ I haven¡¯t done anything to attract that sort of attention.¡±


    ¡°Did you seriously just lie to me, and so wildly and carelessly? I stood behind you when that woman Evelien pushed you into talking¡­ I heard you talking about your little ¡®hypothetical¡¯ from before, and I¡¯ve seen the reports. A burst of Mir was unleashed within Direfell a few days prior, and all my men found was a contorted corpse¡­ barely even human anymore.¡±


    Hearing this, Deus could only hold his breath as a terrifying chill clouded his everything, causing him to shiver. ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t talk¡­ he can hear you. I¡¯m simply warning you¡­ don¡¯t lie to him, unless you want to simply stop existing. He¡¯s such an old beast that even my Lord refers to him respectfully, allowing him free rein of this operation.¡±


    Roch exhaled as he turned toward Deus, lightly punching at his chest to shake him up. ¡°Alright, look. You¡¯re not as completely screwed as you think¡­ truth be told, I fully believe you will benefit from all of this, just don¡¯t lie. He¡¯s going to take you to a separate room, like that Droh fellow from before, and question you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what he¡¯ll ask, but I can assure you¡­ he knows more than you think. He probably already knows the answer, he¡¯s just waiting for you to confirm everything. If you lie, you lose.¡±


    Roch twitched as his eyes sat closed, seemingly meditating.


    Almost an entire minute past before his eyes burst open again, his face stern and collected. ¡°Well kid, it seems he¡¯ll see you now. Follow me.¡±


    Roch led him down a hallway as they both entered a different interrogation room from Droh. The room was plain and simple, with only a single metal table and two rustic steel chairs, one at each side.


    The walls were smooth and barren, and only a single heavy door was available for an exit.


    The only thing of concern that sat in the room was a single cloaked figure, having already taken one of the chairs as a seat. The back of his black robe was all that Deus could see as his appearance was hidden from view.


    The man was relatively small, much more so than Deus had been expecting. Standing, he¡¯d most likely only make it up to five and a half feet in height, yet even Roch lowered his head as he guided Deus to his own seat.


    A chilled voice spoke out, ¡°Thank you, mister military captain, for your cooperation. This won¡¯t take long, so please, enjoy yourself while you wait.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Roch replied, ¡°I have a faun to question next door, so I¡¯ll be busy with gathering intel. Remember what I told you, Deus.¡± That was the last thing Roch said to him as he left, slowly pulling the heavy metal door shut, leaving only those two remaining within the small dark room.


    Several seconds past in silence as Deus could hear his own heart beating. Suddenly, a voice spoke out, shattering the silence.


    ¡°What did it feel like to kill someone using your Mir? Explain it to me.¡± This voice was ragged and cold, barely any more than a whisper. However, it was the most terrifying question Deus had ever heard, as he fully understood how overwhelmed and outclassed he was. Every little secret, he felt this cloaked elder had seen through it all.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 49] Recalling Past Memories

    ¡°Pain¡­ excruciating pain shot through my body as if I had been bathed in scorching hot magma¡­¡± Deus explained in a hushed tone, his voice ragged and shaky. ¡®I can¡¯t lie¡­ I can¡¯t lie¡­¡¯ Those words echoed through his mind as he spoke, taking the warning he received from Roch to heart.


    The cloaked elder simply sat there, occasionally nodding along as Deus stuttered out.


    ¡°It was like I was no longer in control¡­ the only thought flashing through my mind at the time was that I was going to die, that he was going to stab me... ¡°


    ¡°The thought of dying brought out a source of dread from within you?¡± The elder asked in a hurry, his tone becoming more excited as time passed. He was clearly quite fascinated by the whole experience, wanting to know about each individual emotion and moment.


    Originally, Deus believed that he was being questioned and targeted for his killing of someone while within Direfell, but only now had he begun to understand the true reason behind the questions.


    Him killing that thug wasn¡¯t the problem, instead, it was simply an unfortunate outcome of a much larger situation. The use of Mir, especially without intending for it.


    A power that even a demon such as Rol¡¯an could only struggle to obtain, taking many years to slowly accumulate the knowledge and resources required to wield it. Yet, Deus had simply accidentally tapped into it upon sensing a threat to his life. No prior information, no understanding, not even a hint of authority.


    That was the main problem.


    ¡°So tell me, from your experience¡ªyour viewpoint, how did that man die, exactly?¡± The elder questioned firmly, his voice cold and absolute.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Deus paused as if to recall the event. It had all occurred far too quickly, so it took him some time to place the memory back into place. ¡°I went down the wrong path and ended up in an alley, only to be targeted by a mugger with a blade. He wanted my money, he wanted whatever I had on me¡­¡±


    ¡°Skip that part,¡± the estranged elder ordered as if the actual incident itself meant nothing. ¡°Tell me what happened when he charged at you... when you killed him.¡±


    ¡°Ri-right, alright. He seemed to almost run at me, his knife in hand. Everything happened so quickly, and yet I could almost see him moving in slow motion¡­ like he was barely at a crawl.¡±


    ¡°Time slowed?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Deus nodded as he continued, ¡°I saw everything, from his hand placement to even the individual steps he took. Even though I could see it all, I couldn¡¯t do anything about it though¡­ as there was a difference between seeing in slow motion and moving in slow motion.¡±


    ¡°So it felt as if you were stuck, being held captive and unable to prevent your own stabbing?¡± The elder asked, not being too far off from the truth.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Deus grumbled, ¡°One moment I was watching him, unable to stop him from closing the distance with his knife¡­ the next¡­¡±


    At this point, the aged elder had slowly leaned closer in, as if hanging onto each and every word he spoke. Even though Deus couldn¡¯t see beneath his black-shrouded cloak, he still didn¡¯t seem to be an all-powerful being like what he¡¯d expected after what Roch had warned him about.


    ¡°A terrible pain spread through my body¡­ it was so horrible that I even believed without a doubt that he had stabbed me. I remember looking down and expecting to see my stomach cut open,¡± Deus explained with a brutal stare, recalling the shocking scene that had occurred that day.


    He had been drawn back to that moment and had once again relived the fear of what happened.


    When it happened, he moved past it quickly, knowing he couldn¡¯t afford to sit still in this new, terrifying world. Now that he¡¯s had time to slowly adjust, however, he finally was forced to come face to face with what happened.


    He didn¡¯t have many memories from before his Transfer, but he was relatively certain that he¡¯d never taken a life before that moment. If he had, he didn¡¯t remember.


    ¡°That pain grew quickly, going from a sudden gust to a full-on tidal wave. I don¡¯t remember really seeing anything while it happened, it was sort of like how my vision blurred away. It had all happened so quickly, too. I remember feeling horribly ill like I was going to violently cough up my stomach at any moment.¡±


    Deus wavered for a moment as he explained, ¡°Ah... forgive me¡­ it seems that all of these events have finally caught up to me. Seems I¡¯ve been coasting along, not stopping for too long in any one place, so I didn¡¯t really take in everything that¡¯s happened¡­¡±


    ¡°Take your time, I¡¯m willing to wait a while if it means you¡¯ll explain everything that happened in key detail.¡±


    ¡°Right, right¡­ after my stomach calmed down, I could finally reopen my eyes, the pain no longer as excruciating as it had been. However, all that I saw when my eyes opened was a horribly bloody scene. I¡¯m being honest, I don¡¯t remember what happened when my eyes were closed, but something occurred to smash that mugger into the wall.¡±


    ¡°Into the wall? Ah, yes¡­ I remember hearing about that wall that Roch¡¯s patrol located. From what I heard it was quite the gruesome scene, something that caused even those veteran soldiers to feel sick to their stomach about.¡±


    ¡°The wall was bathed in blood. Like, more blood than you¡¯d think. Just imagine it, an entire wall just soaked deep in blood, the horrible red liquid even dyed into the stonework.¡±


    The robed elder titled his head from beneath his hood, a sinister grin exposed itself from beneath his cowl as he spoke, ¡°You have quite the sickening imagination¡­ don¡¯t you? Perhaps even that is an outcome of circumstance. A child lost within Midnight, a strange new world. Forced to wield a cursed power you should never have had control over.¡±


    ¡°Right, I¡¯m a lost child¡ª¡± Deus was halfway through speaking before he stopped abruptly, matching the haunting stare of the elder who sat opposite him. ¡°What did you mean by ¡®strange new world¡¯?¡±


    A moment passed in silence as the room became awkwardly quiet. ¡°Heh,¡± the robed elder let out a soft chuckle as he broke the silence. ¡°Since you¡¯ve answered many of my questions, allow me to return the favor.¡±


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    ¡°What?¡± Deus questioned almost immediately, seemingly on instinct as his entire body had tensed up.


    ¡°You and I will be seeing each other quite often in the future, so I believe introductions are in order,¡± the elder lifted himself up from his seat as he stood across from Deus, his eye level barely changing even as he went from a seated position to a fully upright stance.


    ¡°My name is Cyoc Scoporus. I¡¯m one of the Akeran seers, a bastard offspring of the Impish Ifrit bloodline.¡± The robed elder, Cyoc, said with a bow. His cowl lowered to reveal an intricately aged face. His expression seemed human, for the most part.


    Cyoc was fashioned, however, with two miniature horns that sat atop his forehead, protruding out a mere two inches each. The horns were formed with etchings carved into the bones themselves, shaped in the form of ancient sigils.


    His skin was plain and wrinkled, like an elder of an old forgotten clan. His smile was small but visible as he stared at Deus with two pitch black eyes. His gaze weighed heavily, as if his eyes were a gateway to some shadowed, darkened world. No light, no reflection, not even an iris.


    ¡°To answer your question from before, regarding my mention of you being in a strange new world...¡± Cyoc paused deliberately, his venomous black eyes staring continuously, ¡°I¡¯m an ancient seer, one who has served many masters, including even the previous Lord of Direfell from before.¡±


    ¡°You served the previous Lord?¡± Deus asked cautiously, interested in a direct answer yet also fully aware that he had to keep his line of questioning aimed at Cyoc''s pace. ¡°Hold on, what does that have to do with¡ª¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± he interrupted, ¡°I served loyally, as I do now... perhaps even more so back then,¡± Cyoc reflected as he went on, ¡°That¡¯s not to say I¡¯m not hardworking now, but my attitude as a team player has absolutely lessened as time has gone on. I was very much like those other two from before, back in my day.¡±


    ¡°Other two? Pardon me, but do you mean sir Roch and Androma?¡± Deus and Cyoc both slowly changed the topic, to the displeasure of the former.


    ¡°Exactly so, right.¡± Cyoc nodded, ¡°That young one Androma is still just a child, barely out of his pubescent stage. Roch, however, has finally become an adult, even if he still has much to learn, especially from an old freak like me. Tell me, Deus¡­ you were able to watch as Roch unleashed that blinding light from before, yes? The one used to defeat that Orion boy.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Deus exhaled out as he nodded.


    ¡°Well then, with all of that power he wielded, did you notice one thing in particular?¡±


    ¡°One thing? Was it that the very air turned stale and froze, or was it the pressure?¡±


    ¡°Neither,¡± Cyoc exclaimed with a giddy expression. The cloaked elder persona from before had melted away, leaving behind instead a fierce and quick-witted beast, one that carried with it many horrifying secrets. ¡°What you should¡¯ve noticed was how that Roch fellow was pushed, how he shrugged over and heaved under the weight.¡±


    ¡°A single attack, that was all his physical body at this time could maintain. That isn¡¯t to say he is weak, nor it is to say he can only ever land one attack¡­ it simply means wielding the Lord¡¯s power, channeling it through himself, only allowed him one strike before he found himself drained and exhausted.¡±


    ¡°That¡­¡± Deus murmured out as he couldn¡¯t finish his thought. ¡°So that attack that blinded everyone, that was an attack on the level of a Lord¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°Exactly so¡­ well, except a Lord wouldn¡¯t stop at one, nor would they restrain the destructive force in fear of killing anyone. It seems that Roch was being emotional when he decided to spare that ugly demon.¡±


    ¡°Wait, mister Roch purposefully spared Roland?¡±


    ¡°Heh,¡± Cyoc chortled out through a grin, his old features seemed like a mere illusion as his black eyes shone with a terrifying intellect. ¡°Perhaps he has some unknown intention, or perhaps he was simply being nostalgic. Also, before I forget, you should know that the demon¡¯s name was and always has been; Rol¡¯an.¡±


    ¡°Rol¡¯an¡­¡± Deus sounded it out carefully, feeling an almost frightening pressure weigh down onto him as he spoke the name. ¡°Why was he known as Roland, though?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps to deceive others and lure in the uninformed? It sounds odd and foolish, but the method works, doesn¡¯t it? After all, you fell for it.¡±


    Deus didn¡¯t know what to say as he simply sat there. Today had been too intense for him, from the incident with the Nijaden being shot down to the demon Rol¡¯an appearing, even the sudden arrival of Androma and Roch.


    He¡¯d seen such incredible power unleash itself in battle, destroying a vast amount of land as it swallowed up everything in its path.


    After everything was said and done, however, even more frightening and new discoveries just kept coming. From meeting Cyoc, the Akeran seer, to the puzzle that had been weighed on him without receiving any explanations.


    Before Deus knew it, his meeting with the mysterious Cyoc Scoporus ended. He was quickly brought back out onto the top of the tower, where he met with the young faun Droh who walked him through everything that had occurred to him while being questioned by the military captain.


    There was one thing Deus wasn¡¯t satisfied with, and that was uncovering the truth about what Cyoc knew about him.


    Even from the very beginning, Cyoc had hinted at a deeper level of knowledge than even Deus possessed, grasping at information that could alter his understanding in regards to both Mir and even the method known as Transfer.


    He thought back to that previous time, upon the moment where he had gathered the mental fortitude to speak up against Cyoc.


    ¡°Please, tell me what you know about me, why did you say that I¡¯m a lost child stranded in a strange new world? Answer me!¡± Even with all of Deus¡¯s pushing, however, Cyoc had simply grinned and left, leaving him with more questions than answers.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 50] A Beating Heart

    The next day, a shrouded Cyoc wandered through a dark pathway, the walls rumbled around him as he slowly descended further down the path. To his side walked the military captain overseeing many operations throughout the city of Direfell and the regions around it. Roch¡¯s expression was one of concern and caution, his face mostly hidden behind his own cloak.


    ¡°You¡¯re curious about it, aren¡¯t you?¡± The elder Cyoc asked, a slight grin revealing itself, ¡°I heard from Reimar that you¡¯re quite interested in what we¡¯ve got buried beneath this place¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh heavens, never,¡± Roch said with a sigh, ¡°I know my limits, and I¡¯m not interested in looking too much at something I¡¯m not allowed to see.¡±


    ¡°A wise decision,¡± Cyoc replied, ¡°Be that as it may, Reimar and I believe it best to bring you up to date so that you can be prepared for the coming war.¡±


    ¡°War? I knew we had some issues, but a war that even you would be preparing for?¡± Roch grunted as he spoke, ¡°I would¡¯ve thought we¡¯d be ready for anything, even a full-scale war. Who are our enemies?¡±


    ¡°Mythgarde¡¯s noble factions, for starters,¡± Cyoc answered with a straight to the point approach. ¡°However be careful, I¡¯ve foreseen a more unpredictable enemy lurking within the shadows. What is happening now has been foretold for many years, a sort of prophecy.¡±


    ¡°Prophecy?¡± Roch seemed shocked at this as he froze in place. ¡°It¡¯s true that we¡¯ve had more issues as of late, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m seeing the bigger picture.¡±


    The elder Cyoc stopped next to Roch, turning his gaze toward him. ¡°Nothing is without reason. The removal of the Orion clan¡¯s influence throughout our city was but one part of the plan, but that is nowhere close to being the main event.¡±


    Cyoc lifted his hand up to his nose, tapping it, ¡°Think about it, what else has happened since we¡¯ve gotten here? This tower itself is valuable, but is that all?¡±


    ¡°What else?¡± Roch pondered for a moment before his expression turned grim. ¡°You¡¯re not saying that the kid is somehow important, are you? He¡¯s an amateur¡­ a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°Is he?¡± Cyoc challenged, ¡°Widen your thinking, my student. I helped you achieve your power, but power wasn¡¯t the only thing I¡¯ve given you, is it?¡±


    Roch did as he was instructed and thought through everything, trying to piece together something viable from the pile of useless information he already had. ¡°Well if our reports are to be believed, it seems that the kid Deus was able to use Mir¡­ but so what? Is that so revolutionary?¡±


    Cyoc could only give a light chortle as he listened, remaining silent.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I still don¡¯t fully understand¡­¡± Roch lowered his head as he pondered over everything. ¡°So everything is related? Deus, Orion, Mythgarde¡­ even this tower?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Cyoc simply nodded his head in response. He quickly returned to his original pace as he made his way down the long corridor, Roch followed behind him.


    They continued walking in silence for some time, minutes passed by quickly as there seemed to be no end to their journey.


    The corridor was dark and twisting, with no real end in sight. The air was still and quiet, with the occasional rumbling that seemed to shake the walls being the only exception. With each upset, small grains of sand poured out through the walls, forming small piles of rough sand on the ground.


    Cyoc lowered his hood as his head lifted upward to face a large wall, a dead end.


    ¡°Tell me, Roch, have you ever been down here before?¡±


    Roch shook his head, ¡°No, I¡¯ve been to the tower but I never had a reason to come down this far.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. I¡¯m pleased to know that I¡¯m going to be the first one to show this to you¡­ a weapon that we¡¯ve been stashing, hiding it away from the rest of the world.¡±


    ¡°So this is the weapon you¡¯ve always spoken of?¡± Roch looked forward, his sight falling onto the rough wall of stone and sand in front of him. He wasn¡¯t convinced, he knew that it was some sort of illusion or trick put in place to protect whatever secrets lied beyond.


    Cyoc whispered as his arm stretched out. Strange etchings formed across his limb, burning of an odd light, ¡°Pavar sixil caarth.¡±


    A low-toned whistle sounded from all around them as the sand and dust began to kick up, forming a light breeze that echoed throughout the tunnel. The stone wall that lied before them slowly began to pull apart, as if forming into liquid and simply falling away.


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    ¡°This ability¡­¡± Roch murmured out as he watched. He knew that Mir had many uses, and had even utilized many of said uses, but without a doubt, he also knew that there was still much to learn.


    ¡°When I use the Mir¡­ I use it more as if it¡¯s some form of a prayer¡­ but that seemed to be a complete incantation,¡± Roch spoke out, hoping to receive some sort of guidance from his elder.


    Cyoc simply laughed, ¡°Indeed, the use of incantations provides the user many more abilities, including more passive powers. You don¡¯t need to give a prayer just to open a door, but you do need to wield the ancient words to prove yourself.¡±


    They entered further in, past the opened passage.


    Roch lifted his head as he walked in, his breath frozen in shock as he looked around the room, his attention falling immediately upon the massive monolith that sat, chained, in the middle.


    A blood red beating heart, heavy chains formed out of it, carving themselves deep into the earth around them from all corners. It was massive, approximately forty meters high and over half that wide, and yet it continued to beat and pump blood, with no vessel in sight.


    ¡°Wh-what in the heavens is that¡­¡± Roch stuttered out, even he was frightened to the core.


    ¡°This is Midnight¡¯s last hope. The last surviving God.¡± Cyoc Scoporus grinned from ear to ear as he turned to face Roch. A vile expression blended together with his eagerness as if he had tapped into true madness.


    ¡°This is what caused the fall of Enshil, my friend. This is what caused the end of everything. It will also bring us back to our glory,¡± Cyoc patted Roch¡¯s shoulder, ¡°We have the heart, now all we need is the vessel capable of sustaining it, and then we¡¯ll use it to strike down the empire.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been buried in the past, lost in history. The empire destroyed us, wiped our entire world of almost all life and left us a husk of ourselves. Enshil sought to return to before, but they were discovered too early and were destroyed.¡±


    ¡°How did you get¡­¡± Roch asked, unable to fully get his question off his tongue.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t important now, what is important is grooming the vessel, protecting it, and ensuring it will be ready by the time the heart is fully restored.¡±


    ¡°Vessel? What vessel? What in the hell are you talking about?¡± Roch had practically gone mad, his tone shifting from violent to insane seemingly within the same breathe.


    ¡°What vessel? The vessel. I told you, everything fits together, one mighty prophecy predicted by the heavens, by the masters who seek to return to the ancient age.¡±


    The captain seemed to have a light flash in his mind as he realized what Cyoc had meant.


    ¡°You intend to put that thing...¡± he pointed with a shaken finger at the beating heart, ¡°Into that kid, Deus? Are you completely and absolutely mad? I¡¯ve seen my fair share of wild and crazed tales, but this¡­¡±


    ¡°You speak as if it¡¯s impossible¡ªas if it¡¯ll never work¡­ but it has been guaranteed by my betters. Even Reimar has to simply follow along, playing the role he¡¯s been given. This is beyond you, my old friend.¡±


    With a deep and pronounced rumble, Cyoc spoke out, ¡°You¡¯re either with us, or you¡¯re against us. I cannot permit any mishaps, not even if it¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°Does it have to be so black and white?¡± Roch questioned as he took a solid step backward.


    ¡°Oh my dear friend, I¡¯m afraid it does,¡± Cyoc turned away, facing the heart as if listening to each palpitation, the tremors seemingly calming him. ¡°The Mir itself bends and breaks under it, leaving nothing left. Authority means nothing, but not just anyone can wield this power.¡±


    ¡°Ages ago, many years before you or even I were born, a group of old, ancient demons sought to overthrow the current regime, to cast out the empire that now holds our world of Midnight hostage. They plotted everything, from obtaining this grand weapon to even the birth of a vessel capable of serving as our God.¡±


    Roch straightened his back as he questioned, ¡°What makes you so certain that he¡¯s your God, though? I truly hope it¡¯s not just because of his name, because from what I¡¯ve heard that name was chosen at random by some faun.¡±


    ¡°Of course not, that was more of an ironic coincidence than anything. I¡¯m certain because my masters created him, forged him from a burned world and sent him to us,¡± Cyoc lifted his own arm into the air in front of him as he said, ¡°I know he¡¯s the one because we share a similar scar. A familiar rune.¡±

 [Vol 1, Chapter 51] Play the Role

    ¡°So what exactly do you want from me? Why tell me any of this?¡± Roch asked, sweat dripping down his pale forehead as Cyoc¡¯s back faced toward him. The cloak around his mentor practically shimmered in the darkness, taking in the rancid bloodlust that poured out of the massive beating heart that hung by chains in the center of the room.


    ¡°What an interesting question. I¡¯m glad to know you¡¯re open to this,¡± Cyoc turned his gaze to Roch as he continued, ¡°So open to the prospect of being used. Not many would willingly partake, to join in on our little feast of fools.¡±


    ¡°Feast of fools?¡± Roch questioned as Cyoc chortled in response. ¡°The feast is what I call this, to split the main course into many meals. Whoever gets the biggest piece wins, right? I¡¯m going to make sure that¡¯s me and my benefactors and no one else. If there are any scraps left over, I may be inclined to toss them away for the others.¡±


    ¡°So your big plot, your prophecy¡­ it¡¯s as much of a competition as anything else, even more so. You¡¯re not all working together, but instead toward your own goals and endgames.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Cyoc stated with a cold tone, ¡°This is a battle to decide the fate of not only our world but the fate of the entire Ether. Why wouldn¡¯t such an environment give rise to both ruthless and vile conflict? I have a very clear advantage, I was put in charge of the experimentation and transplantation of the heart and vessel, but beyond that my uses are few and far between.¡±


    ¡°So even you are nothing but a peon?¡± Roch almost seemed to laugh at this prospect, that the man who trained and mentored him for many years was instead only another grunt, another tool to be used and discarded by someone better.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a peon¡­ but I have more value than anyone else, you could say. I¡¯m quite close to climbing the metaphorical ladder of power and joining the ranks of leadership, and you will help me ascend.¡±


    Cyoc was cold and concise with his beliefs. ¡°I hold a valuable position that can¡¯t be filled by anyone else, not anymore, that is.¡± A twisted grin began to take shape on his lips, shaping into a wide and ferocious smile as his teeth showed from underneath. ¡°With Enshil¡¯s fall came my rise, and now only I know how to perfectly transplant the heart into the selected vessel.¡±


    Cyoc extended his arms outward, embracing the shadows around him as if he were some sort of demonic king, the shape of grand wings formed from his skewed arm span.


    ¡°I now hold all the pieces, and so even those old monsters have to come and seek me out in order to further their own wicked agendas. You could say, I¡¯m the true master of Direfell now. Reimar is both mighty and frightening, even having received his authority from the Grandmaster of Midnight, but authority means nothing in the face of true power.¡±


    ¡°I need you, Roch, for a very specific task,¡± Cyoc explained in a cold and desolate tone. As if he were speaking out into the air, or to a complete stranger.


    ¡°You can provide the vessel with something I cannot, and that is why I¡¯ve sought you out and brought you to this place,¡± with each word, Roch¡¯s expression turned grimmer. ¡°I can prepare the vessel¡¯s body, and more so than that I can prepare the God¡¯s heart¡­ but you must prepare the vessel¡¯s mind. You must train the vessel and make him a mighty warrior, someone who can withstand the rush of power that will occur upon transplantation.¡±


    ¡°You brought me here to train him?¡± Roch asked in shock. ¡°Why me? You trained me, why can¡¯t you train him?¡±


    ¡°That is not the path I shall be taking, I¡¯m not meant to be his mentor¡­ you are.¡± Cyoc kept his gaze tracked on Roch as he explained, ¡°I have another task to handle while you do that, something of equal importance. The vessel must be ready by the time that the heart is fully recovered, otherwise Direfell runs the risk of facing the same fate that befell Enshil so many centuries ago.¡±


    ¡°Enshil fell because the city lord stepped out of the shadows too many times, stepping out of bounds and moving his intentions out into the light,¡± Cyoc continued on, ¡°Truth be told, I believe that the Grandmaster would¡¯ve been more than happy to leave him be, but he had drawn the ire of too many, and so there was no other choice.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Roch asked with a concerned look, ¡°Enshil fell because they plotted to use this sort of dark power to wage some sort of great war, right? The Grandmaster would¡¯ve destroyed them either way, eventually.¡±


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    ¡°Would he?¡± The robed elder chuckled to himself, ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re right. Perhaps the Grandmaster would¡¯ve acted regardless, and Enshil was destined to fail from the beginning. Or perhaps nothing in this world of ours is as it seems, perhaps the wars we face are only as they appear on the surface.¡±


    Cyoc stepped further away from Roch as he spoke, arriving closer and closer to the heart that he could practically touch as blood was pumped through it.


    ¡°You will train him and prepare him both physically and mentally. The vessel, the God will become one with his own powers. His destiny predetermined, forged through bloodshed and war beyond anything we¡¯ve seen on Midnight before. A war that spans countless battlefields.¡±


    As Cyoc spoke, a warmth spread out from around him. His body was wrapped in a thinly veiled layer of energy, burning away as if countless puny flames.


    He extended out his arm, bringing it up in front of his chest as his eyes fell on the numerous etched markings carved onto him. ¡°I have but one stipulation. Do not do anything that could damage his markings. He¡¯s been specifically manufactured, so any alteration could hinder our plan significantly. Beyond that, you¡¯re free to strengthen and train him however you see fit.¡±


    Roch spoke out with a cough, ¡°So what? You say that as if I¡¯ve already agreed to take him on, to recruit some stranger that I haven¡¯t even gotten to know¡­¡±


    ¡°Indeed, this isn¡¯t up for debate I¡¯m afraid,¡± Cyoc stated matter of factly, ¡°I¡¯m afraid this is beyond you, and I cannot afford to have you slow down or interfere with anything. You will train him just as I trained you. Bring in that fellow Androma to assist you if you believe that would help, but you will obey.¡±


    Cyoc paused for a moment to emphasize himself, ending the discussion with a resounding command.


    ¡°You will train the vessel.¡±


    Roch could only lower his head and obey, listening to the words of his elder, a man who had not only trained him but who also held many more secrets than he could possibly imagine. Roch was feared and renowned throughout the region nearest Direfell as being a strict tyrant, but even he had to give ground to this man.


    If he declined Cyoc¡¯s orders, he doubted if he could even make it out of the chamber they both found themselves in. It was a sort of fight or flight moment, and Roch had chosen the latter option as he opted to obey.


    ¡°So where should I even begin?¡± Roch asked, moving the conversation from one point to the next, ¡°Should we go to Direfell and rely on the sturdy walls of the city to protect and hide him, mentoring him from within?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a horrible suggestion,¡± Cyoc replied with a finger pressed firmly against his chin, ¡°The main issue is avoiding any prying eyes¡­ that is why I selected you for this task, after all. Perhaps you can recruit him under a false pretense, make him one of your special little soldiers and use that as an excuse to further his strength.¡±


    ¡°Regardless of what you do,¡± he said as he turned his gaze to face Roch, ¡°You must ensure not only his survival but his growth. If you fail, not even I can guarantee your survival from those demons who wait within the shadows. They¡¯ve put in an extraordinary amount of effort into creating the perfect warrior, the perfect God. If you fail to repay their efforts, you¡¯ll face their combined wrath.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what a pleasant thought,¡± Roch mockingly said with an awkward sigh. ¡°So you want me to take him on as a fake potential recruit, using that excuse as a cover to train him further? Question; should he be informed of any of this? I¡¯m sure that once he becomes strong enough to fight for you, he¡¯ll also be strong enough to think for himself.¡±


    ¡°What is your point?¡± Cyoc inquired with a deadpan expression.


    ¡°Seriously? You don¡¯t see the flaw in lying and deceiving the very man you¡¯re trying to turn into a God? You want your future God to ignore you, knowing that you¡¯ve lied to him countless times, keeping him in the dark for most of his life?¡±


    ¡°What he thinks of me is irrelevant. I shall take all of his hatred once this is all over and direct it at our enemies. After all, Gods only have power for as long as people believe in them. He has to follow the rules and play the role, regardless of his own selfish intent. Midnight isn¡¯t a place where betrayal sticks¡­ it¡¯s a shallow thing and will soon be forgotten once the next issue arises.¡±

 [Vol 1, Chapter 52] A Plot in Motion

    Cyoc turned to face Roch as his expression stiffened, turning grim, ¡°So do you understand what you must do?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Roch replied, his head lowered as he obeyed his new orders. ¡°I will take the boy to Direfell and train him under the false claim that he will be one of my soldiers. I¡¯ll keep him safe within the city until he is stronger. I¡¯ll have him prepared for whatever fate you have for him.¡±


    ¡°Good, very good,¡± Cyoc chortled out, ¡°Ah, and take that little faun creature with him, it seems we can take advantage of that relationship to get what we want.¡±


    ¡°The faun?¡± Roch thought back to Droh for a moment, ¡°Are you sure he won¡¯t be a liability? He¡¯s untrained and unpredictable¡­¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re unable to predict the actions of a sniveling creature like that? To be concerned over the actions of a mouse does not fit your role as a giant. Step down without worry, as even the largest of waves from that creature would only reach your feet.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ suppose so,¡± Roch sighed.


    ¡°Oh and remember¡­ never speak of what is beneath this tower, nor of what his fate holds for him in the future. We will mold him into the weapon he was designed for, but his mind is still fragile and weak. Overwhelm him, and we may find him broken beyond repair.¡±


    ¡°What if he has questions¡­ perhaps not about fate, but about this world you claim he comes from?¡±


    ¡°Figure it out. I assume I can trust you to at least not break him, right? Oh yes, and the device he used to contact that disgusting little clan leader¡­ have a fresh charge prepared for it. He needs something familiar, something he believes he can trust.¡±


    Roch still wasn¡¯t fully convinced, but he knew better than to voice his concerns openly in a situation like this. ¡°Very well, mentor.¡± He lowered his head and tightened his arm down across his chest, lowering himself at nearly a ninety-degree angle from the hip. ¡°Your will shall be done. I will take the boy and that faun creature back to Direfell and have his skills refined.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful,¡± Cyoc finally showed a warm expression as he no longer questioned the loyalty of his companion. He knew that Roch wouldn¡¯t openly act against him, but he had always been concerned over his true intentions. With this, he believed that he could at least reliably leave things in his hands for the time being.


    It didn¡¯t hurt that Reimar remained within Direfell, and would help oversee everything in case of Roch¡¯s betrayal.


    Things were turning out well, and his plot was continuing as planned without any delay. That was truly something to admire, especially within a world as hectic and crazed as Midnight.


    ? ? ?


    ¡°Twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one,¡± Deus slowly counted up with each exhale as he found himself with nothing to do inside this small damp room. The sound of rattling could be heard from outside, accompanied by the occasional stomping of boots.


    He had already forgotten how many times he¡¯s restarted his count, but it had surely been quite a few times so far.


    ¡°Hah,¡± he sighed, ¡°I wonder what¡¯s going to happen to me¡­ what¡¯s going to happen to Droh¡­¡±


    The door to his room slowly creaked open as only a moment ago the sound of old metallic keys could be heard scraping against the outside. An old shaky man peered his head through the opening as his eyes fell upon Deus.


    With a slow exhale the man worded, ¡°I¡¯ve been told to retrieve you, please follow me and bring your things.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Deus was giddy to move again. He lifted himself up, tossing away all his previous thoughts as he grabbed for his bag of supplies that he had prepared before everything had begun.


    Deus took one final glance around the room he had waited in. The walls were dark and rustic, with the occasional spot of old brown rust of the metal patched throughout the walls and ceiling.


    It wasn¡¯t a pleasant room, and yet Deus almost felt pity at the thought of leaving it. Inside that room he could be alone, he could think, he could take a moment to truly ponder what had happened.


    Now, however, he knew he was being whisked away to another place, and would find the idea of peace and quiet to be a shallow and distant thing.


    The old guard slowly muttered out as he led Deus through the corridor, ¡°Keep close to me, otherwise, you may find yourself lost without a guide. I¡¯ve been instructed to bring you to the top, seems you¡¯ll be leaving us soon.¡±


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    ¡°Leaving? You mean the tower?¡±


    ¡°Exactly so,¡± the man nodded, ¡°Seems you¡¯re being taken along with the higher-ups. Any more than that and I¡¯d only be guessing.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ well, I suppose I couldn¡¯t just sit around here without expecting anything to happen.¡± Deus took a moment to ready himself as he gave a quick thanks to the old guard for helping keep him in the know.


    They very quickly arrived atop the tower once more, the open air of Midnight invading their senses as the crimson sky sat, looming overhead.


    It was ever-present and almost malevolent, as if some ancient demon lurked within the darkness of the world, watching each and every step of all its inhabitants.


    Even the rays of light that cascaded down from the single lone black star that sat above the sky seemed heavy, burning at the flesh.


    While everything was happening, Deus had hardly noticed it, but now that he had a moment of peace and quiet he once more came to the realization that the world of Midnight was a horrifying place. One created simply for slaughter, or even worse, from slaughter.


    ¡°Droh!¡± Deus shouted out as he eyed the small faun who had accompanied him throughout his entire journey thus far. Droh had been brought alongside him, to his satisfaction. It seemed that wherever Deus was going, Droh would follow him.


    Was this a mere token of good faith, or something else?


    ¡°Deus!¡± Droh rushed over to his friends'' side, jumping up and falling into Deus¡¯ arms as he gave his companion a tight squeeze. Because of Droh¡¯s small size and stature, it was rather easy for Deus to hold him up and put him back down.


    Worryingly, Droh said, ¡°I thought you had already left this place, I thought I was left behind.¡±


    ¡°Of course not, I told you, we¡¯re friends¡­¡± Deus reassured him, ¡°I¡¯d put up a fight if they tried to separate us, you can count on that.¡±


    Droh collected himself as he looked around, only now did he realize that quite a few soldiers had surrounded them.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    Deus twisted around to look, ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I think we¡¯re leaving this tower¡­ seems that was the reason why we were brought here, that is.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Droh whimpered out, ¡°Headed where I wonder¡­¡±


    ¡°Long time no see,¡± a voice cut in from behind them. A woman and a man approached them, parting through the soldiers and stepping forward toward them. ¡°Have you gathered all of your things? We¡¯re heading back to Direfell for the time being, seems we¡¯ve got new orders.¡±


    ¡°Lady Evelien,¡± Deus called out toward her, ¡°So it¡¯s you.¡±


    Stood to Evelien¡¯s side was the familiar looking Reinout, quite the beast of a man. He grunted out between his heavy breath, ¡°It seems you¡¯re both allowed to live a little while longer, congratulations. Such a shame, though, as I¡¯d been looking forward to snapping you both into two.¡±


    ¡°Enough of that,¡± a third voice ordered from behind them, masked by a heavy black cloak.


    ¡°Captain, sir¡­¡± Evelien and Reinout both lowered themselves to a ninety-degree angle as they saluted, their heads aimed downward so as to show subservience.


    ¡°Get aboard the ship, we¡¯re leaving now,¡± Roch instructed the two of them, only to turn his attention toward Deus and Droh afterward.


    ¡°You two as well, we¡¯re heading back, and you both will be accompanying me. Get aboard my ship and behave yourselves, we¡¯ve got quite the journey ahead of us.¡±


    Roch turned his gaze upward, facing both the crimson sky and the black star that loomed overhead. His voice wandered, slowly trailing off as he thought silently to himself.


    At his command, the array of soldiers quickly began moving, causing a sort of hustle and bustle atop the tower as heavy crates and machinery were loaded onto the ship and moved throughout the platforms that sat around.


    Roch stood alone as everyone else had already begun acting. Deus and Droh were escorted onto his ship by Evelien and Reinout, while their master Androma already found himself comfortable within his own quarters.


    He sighed to himself, whispering silently so only he himself could hear.


    ¡°Here marks the beginning of a new journey. A long journey, one that will most likely reforge both Midnight and even the Ether as a whole. I¡¯m not sure what is to become of me, but I won¡¯t simply roll over and obey so cowardly. I think it¡¯s time for me to start involving myself in these affairs, to stop being such a bystander.¡±


    He slowly exhaled his breath, blowing out into the sky.


    ¡°You want a God? I¡¯ll give you a God.¡±

 [Vol 1, Chapter 53] A Place to Call Home

    Soaring through the open air was a massive dreadnought forged from heavy steel, forming together to create an enormous vessel. A flying ship, sailing through the sky as multiple large engines rumbled in the background, pushing a terribly hot tornado of flame out, gliding the ship forward. The city of Direfell was quickly coming into view as the ship passed many landmarks at a breakneck pace.


    The cities¡¯ ancient and towering walls lumbered ahead, pushing away the dark desert sand and making way for civilization.


    Nothing of significance had changed since this vessel had been here last. The citizens continued to hustle from one place to the next, while the commerce was relatively unphased by the events that had transpired during the casting out of an entire clan.


    Orion had been a powerful and influential beast throughout many portions of Direfell, but even their control was quite limited when in comparison to the entire cities¡¯ ecosystem.


    ¡°Radio tower communications channel seven, reporting in,¡± a static voice spoke out from the console, ¡°Permission for landing approved, welcome back flagship.¡±


    The computers that crowded the ship let out numerous low-toned beeps as several mechanisms unlatched across the console board, turning green. One of the men sitting within the ship¡¯s command bridge ordered back, ¡°Confirmed, landing on platform E2. Send word that we need a labor crew ready for our arrival, don¡¯t be late.¡±


    ¡°Roger that,¡± the static voice replied, ¡°I¡¯ll send word to the workshop to be ready. Welcome back to Direfell.¡±


    The pilot turned in his chair as his attention fell upon the consoles in front of him. He pulled on multiple axis controls, twisting and turning them as the ship mimicked their movement. He called out across from him toward another man who sat to his opposite, ¡°Bring us down slowly, we¡¯ve been approved for platform E2.¡±


    ¡°Aye sir,¡± the other man nodded his head as he ripped up toward several switches above him, flicking them into an on position.


    The heavily armored vessel they were piloting was the flagship cruiser of Direfell¡¯s illustrious military captain, sir Roch Cresswell. The outer armor was slick and black, with numerous closed compartments where heavy armaments could be unlatched in mere moments.


    The city below had a nostalgic air to it, one that had caused the numerous soldiers and pilots within Roch¡¯s ship to let out an exhale of breath upon returning to. Many of these men considered Direfell to be their home, and so had found refuge and comfort in such a place.


    One of the pilots within the command bridge turned to face another man as he ordered out, ¡°Take us down and prepare the landing gear.¡±


    Their ship slowly descended toward the ground, as it did so an enormous amount of both dirt and sand kicked up into the air, tossing about recklessly. ¡°We have landed, I repeat, the DV Aurora has landed.¡± The man seemed almost self-congratulatory about the whole affair as he clambered out of his seat and released the hatch locks.


    Somewhere within the DV Aurora, a group of passengers readied themselves to disembark.


    Evelien led their group as Reinout, Droh, and Deus all followed closely behind her. She seemed rather accustomed to everything, moving comfortably through the cabin and down toward the exit.


    Deus let out a heavy yawn as he stretched his arms behind his head, twisting himself this way and that. ¡°Ah, it feels so good to move around again.¡±


    Droh chuckled in response, ¡°Right, you tend to lose track of time when you¡¯re flying¡­ I did my fair share of flying when I was in Orion, but since then it¡¯s definitely been awhile.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can ever get used to it¡­ these flying ships have always seemed so out of place here¡­ like they don¡¯t match their environment or tech.¡±


    ¡°Heh,¡± Droh simply let out a loose sigh in response, dropping his shoulders and loosening his joints after their long journey.


    To travel from the tower hidden within the emptiness of the desert back to the iron city of Direfell, several days were spent. It had been a long and boring journey but had allowed Deus and Droh to re-familiarize themselves with their next move and recalling past experiences.


    After all, one needed to remember the past so as to grow in the future. If Deus simply shrugged off past experiences, he¡¯d never advance to a point where he could reliably fight on the same level as what he had witnessed previously.


    The strength that was shown by individuals such as Androma, Rol¡¯an, even Roch¡­ they were beyond his expectations, and he knew that a fight like theirs wasn¡¯t the last he¡¯d see.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Evelien approached them as she wrapped herself from her neck to her shoulders with this beautifully crafted shroud, almost acting as some type of cloak to hide her skin.


    ¡°You two will be staying within quarters that we¡¯ll prepare for you, but before that, you¡¯ll come with us to report back into the Spire.¡±


    Droh gulped as he listened, ¡°The Spire¡­¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t take too long, we simply have a few tasks that need to be completed before we can send you both on your way. Oh, and also, it seems that the military captain has reason to speak with you, Deus, once everything is said and done.¡±


    ¡°Does he?¡± Deus asked quickly, jumping at what she said.


    ¡°Indeed. I¡¯m not sure why, but you shouldn¡¯t keep him waiting for long.¡± Evelien stretched her arm out as she beckoned for her companion, Reinout, to join her. ¡°I¡¯ll have him guide you through the Spire, as our master¡¯s quarters are different from sir Roch¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Androma¡­¡± Deus recalled their master as he murmured out his name without thinking.


    Evelien lifted her eyebrow as he did so, smirking and continuing on with the conversation, ¡°Whatever is needed of you, I imagine it won¡¯t be anything too stressful¡­ after all, there is nothing much that could be expected of you that our current operatives cannot do in your stead.¡±


    ¡°Enough of that, come along¡­ we¡¯ve got quite a few things to do, we can¡¯t waste time idling here.¡± Reinout spoke out with a heavy exhale, stepping into the middle of their group and bounding away from the DV Aurora¡¯s landing platform, into a separate structure.


    Deus, Droh, and Evelien all followed behind Reinout as he guided them, moving crowds of soldiers and citizens out of their way as he pushed through everyone. Reinout was a large and widely known warrior of Direfell, the sort of man whom not only has the backing of the Many-Eyed Crows faction but has been said to be as powerful as many of Roch¡¯s direct subordinates.


    A man like that now pushed through the crowd, so it was of absolutely no wonder why he was allowed to do this without being confronted.


    Even Evelien knew better than to challenge her companion over something as trivial as that, and so she simply followed behind him, occasionally nodding to the passersby who found themselves disoriented.


    All she could do was humbly nod to them, showing empathy at their situation and moving on. It wasn¡¯t as if she hadn¡¯t taken advantage of Reinout¡¯s reputation or character, however, as she would be hard pressed to surrender such an efficient method of wandering through a heavy crowd.


    They kept on, walking for what felt like several minutes as they left the landing platform, making their way through a side structure and out onto the main city streets.


    Direfell had always been an odd city, one born of both mystery and shadow, while also possessing a wide variety of species along with an active bustle that kept everything refreshing.


    It was as if everyone had their own journey, their own story.


    Deus had spotted what appeared to be a short humanoid amphibian as his group strolled through the street. This creature was clad in a leather-strapped armor while possessing a single short sword across it¡¯s back, a grey cloth covering its neck and half of the face.


    That amphibian warrior hadn¡¯t been the only unique oddity he had spotted, however, as he took notice of countless other humanoid beings, all of them varying in some way or another. Ranging from demonic and evil to simply odd and fascinating.


    Arachnid men shrouded in black cloaks, hiding their large mouth fangs beneath their hoods. Along with them, there were also many largely-built and wide shouldered goat-men, each with but a single strap of leather across their chest, and a massive battleaxe in their grasp.


    They were all unique in their own way. Different scars, different markings, different stories.


    ¡°Droh, look, I finally see another faun,¡± Deus claimed as he shrugged his head toward a shortly built faun, much older and greyer than Droh.


    ¡°Well yeah, it would be odd if you didn¡¯t find any other fauns in such a place¡­¡± Droh sighed as he explained. ¡°It would be like being shocked upon seeing another human.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Deus murmured out in embarrassment. ¡°My apologies, I didn¡¯t mean¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine¡ª¡± Droh chortled out as he waved his hand around in the air, releasing his friend from any awkwardness.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 54] Three Houses of Iron

    An enormous tower of black metal formed out from the earth, casting forth a frightening pressure that seemed to beckon forth destruction. Along the sides of this monolith were numerous cannons protruding outward, sat idle and inactive, dust and sand slowly collecting as it was caked on by age.


    The Spire sat in the very center of the city, alongside an even larger monolith of steel. Deus turned a glance toward it, curiosity had clearly gotten the better of him.


    ¡°That tower¡ªthat fortress belongs to the Ironmaster, and is a separate entity from our Black Spire,¡± Evelien explained as she and Reinout led the way.


    Deus and Droh walked side by side, closely behind their two guides. They quickly approached the entrance to the black spire, numerous soldiers peppered the path as a heavy air loomed overhead. They could feel dozens of eyes staring down at them, each and every gaze seemingly taunting them to act aggressively.


    ¡°The Spire serves as a command headquarters for two of the three houses ruling Direfell, the Sword and Spear of Direfell. Sire Roch commands the former, while our master Androma leads the ladder.¡±


    ¡°So the Many-Eyed Crows are a part of the Spear?¡± Deus asked.


    ¡°Exactly so, as the name suggests, we¡¯re the spearhead of the city and are seen as the elite eyes and ears of Direfell. Our reports typically end up swaying entire wars, while those spies below us can only hope to influence a few sparring battles.¡±


    Evelien seemed to take great pleasure in explaining this, perhaps to the point of exaggerating a few key points.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not as if we¡¯re the best of the best¡­ that position would probably go to the Sword and Shield, meaning the military under sire Roch, and the royal faction which acts as the true masters of Direfell. They serve directly under Lord Reimar, and are seen as the sturdiest walls we¡¯ve got.¡±


    ¡°So wait, do these three houses function separately? If each of them holds a similar yet different position of power, why is it that a member of the royal faction has such overwhelming control over the city? This¡­ Lord Reimar¡­¡±


    Deus asked astutely, unafraid of speaking any names or asking any questions. Perhaps this sort of thought process was dangerous, but all Evelien could do was smirk as she went to explain.


    ¡°Lord Reimar controls all three houses, he simply doesn¡¯t stretch his influence too far, unless absolutely necessary. You could say he is the true master of Direfell, yet he allows his closest disciples and followers to command in his stead.¡±


    ¡°Ah, so the Shield of Direfell holds the most power, simply because that¡¯s the house that the Lord remains in¡­¡±


    ¡°Exactly so,¡± Evelien nodded in confirmation, ¡°The Shield is mighty, sturdy, and ageless. They¡¯ve ruled this city for millennia, never ceasing control or weakening for any reason. They¡¯ve stood proudly through every war, holding the line and managing the important things.¡±


    ¡°Typically it¡¯s the Spear that manages the day to day, as we¡¯re not only the most informed about external issues, but we¡¯re also the most accustomed to clans and other factions who¡¯ve taken a liking to our city.¡±


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.Deus started to understand, ¡°So these three houses each have their own reasoning for existing, but you also work together in times of either crisis or importance?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Evelien stated as Reinout spoke up, ¡°Like to remove a powerful and annoying clan such as Orion, the Sword and Spear joined forces temporarily to thoroughly cast them out. The Sword dealt with their leadership while the Spear removed them from within the city. Two operations took place at once.¡±


    Droh and Deus nodded their heads in understanding. It seemed complicated, but they could definitely see the benefit in handling things in such a manner.


    As they walked together, the entrance to the Black Spire arrived before them. Numerous guards stood at the ready, they held heavy weapons ranging from spears to long rifles, depending on their positioning.


    Evelien and Reinout led the way through, preventing any of the soldiers from harassing their youngers. Droh looked around, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. The entrance to the Spire was large and vast, a heavy gate opened and revealed an entire ecosystem inside.


    Several floors formed into one large room as the center of the tower was hollow, making room for countless rings that continued to ascend further and further upward.


    It resembled a lighthouse as countless stairs and paths led up, leading the way further as a massive tree formed from clear crystals sat in the center, its branches climbed at least three stories upward before reaching the peak.


    Hundreds of workers moved in and out of small side corridors, main rooms, and even hidden pathways.


    This place was the center of Direfell, where all information ended up. The apex of their technology and knowledge.


    Deus and Droh simply stared, bewildered. Like two country folk who had finally arrived within a grand metropolis, all they could do was silently take everything in.


    ¡®How come this world can be so terrifying, and yet have such magnificence too¡­¡¯ Deus pondered silently to himself as he was taken in by the inner sanctums of the Spire.


    ¡°Come along, I know it¡¯s impressive, but we¡¯ve been keeping the captain waiting long enough,¡± Evelien exclaimed, pulling the two forward and further in.


    They ascended up several floors, taking a shortcut hidden through one of the back corridors. A similar elevator lift, only sturdier and more permanent in design. It did not sway when moving, something that could not be said for the lifts used in the tower from before.


    Arriving at their destination, they departed the lift and hurried through another side room, hidden behind multiple corridors. Evelien led everyone through as Deus and Droh twisted and turned, taking in everything around them. Each corridor they journeyed through revealed majestic etchings across the wall, with separate side rooms with mysterious events occurring within.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind any of them,¡± Evelien explained as Deus found himself staring off into one of the hidden rooms, ¡°Everyone within the Spire is acting in accordance to the city, and have been assigned some sort of mysterious and secretive task. An entire city lies outside, and yet only here, within this tower, are we free to experiment and study to our heart''s content.¡±

 [Vol 1, Chapter 55] To Forge a Sword

    After a long journey through the back passageways of the tower, the three of them stopped as they finally arrived before a single black door, one hidden behind countless confusing twists and turns. This area was truly hard to find, as only through passing countless rooms and floors, interwoven together so as to create the illusion of being lost.


    Reinout stood with the two of them, Deus and Droh, as he acted as their guide in place of Evelien as she departed in order to send in her reports.


    "This is as far as I go," he stated coldly, "Beyond this point is where you''ll find the military captain, or at least that''s what I was told by Evelien."


    "So even you don''t truly know?" Deus asked, secretly quite shocked. Even a powerful and high ranking intelligence officer knew so little? Was this admiration for Roch''s privacy, or terror for his ability to hide the truth right in front of everyone?


    "I''ve never personally come to this place, nor did I even know that such a place actually existed¡­" Reinout sighed as he continued, "Whenever I sent in my reports, it was always through our own channels. I never had to personally seek out the private quarters of such a frightening figure."


    ''Ah, so he doesn''t even try to hide it,'' Deus thought to himself.


    "Now go, I still have things to do today, can''t be wasting my time, standing around with you lot," frustrated, Reinout let out his stresses on the two in front of him. He pulled them toward him as he approached the door, practically dragging them with him.


    "Ah, in you go," with a shove, he pushed the two of them into the metal of the door, slowly revealing what was hidden behind as they were forced inside. The light from outside faded away as they were swallowed up into the dark of the room.


    With a loud and exaggerated thud, the door came slamming back as it closed firmly behind them.


    The two glanced toward each other. "Well, I suppose we had to come eventually," Deus reasoned with his little faun friend. Droh, however, remained in a position of confusion and fear.


    If not for Deus, this little faun would''ve never received permission to enter the private chambers of Direfell''s most illustrious and terrifying military asset, the captain of the guard and commander of the army. Droh was a small figure, both physically and otherwise, he never would''ve been high enough in rank or value to come here.


    Even Rol''an, with all of his power and information as a master of a strong clan, knew nothing of what existed beyond a certain point.


    "Enter!" a voice boomed past them like the wind, a deep thunderous order shook them and caused their bodies to unconsciously step forward, further into the room.


    Only now did they take a true look around, taking in everything. The room was dark, as one would expect, but what came as a surprise were the multitude of books and novels that sat in disorder around the corners of the room, stacked atop one another in disarray.


    The walls above the mountain of books were covered in a number of things, from old bronze swords to heavy strapped rifles. Further down the wall, one could even spot a collection of skulls piled atop a rough and crooked shelf, the bone so dry and cracked, one could only imagine how much time had past.


    "Oh don''t worry about those old knick-knacks, they belonged to a distant youth who, at the time, still held onto useless emotions such as wrath and vengeance¡­" a voice spoke up from in front of the two of them, causing them both to jump in panic.


    "M-master Roch," Deus and Droh both did their best to bow their heads, unsure of what else they should''ve done.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    All they heard in response was a light chuckle from the figure who remained in front of them. "Enough, we''re alone, you don''t have to do such useless things."


    "Ah," Deus lifted his head, taking in the appearance of the man before him. This was, without a doubt, the illustrious military captain whom he had met previously. He wore a simple black tunic, finely stitched and fitted perfectly for himself.


    Only, Deus finally realized something so important that he had continued to miss before.


    This captain Roch¡­ was nearly an entire foot shorter than himself!


    Roch had always been short for size, but because of his overwhelming powerful stature, rank, and physical power, Deus never realized this. It didn''t help that Roch had typically placed himself above him, whether it be him stood atop the tower''s wall, or be it forcing Deus to sit down so as to talk.


    On all occasions, Roch had positioned himself into a place of power and size, perhaps without even realizing it for himself.


    "As you two probably already know, from now on, you both shall be placed under my control and jurisdiction," Roch explained as his words shook Deus out of his daze. "Why this is happening, you don''t need to know. I won''t hear any questions regarding this."


    "Y-yes, sir," Deus and Droh both replied in unison as they listened.


    "I''ll train you both and mentor you, in exchange, you''ll both be placed into my Sword house, and will be given adequate responsibilities and tasks for you to complete. You probably won''t see any true combat for some time, but in the meantime, you''ll have to report daily to the tower and complete all the tasks laid out before you."


    Roch continued with an exaggerated exhale, "I will forge you both into worthwhile weapons, something which Direfell can proudly parade around and not feel shame for keeping hold of."


    "Right," Deus simply nodded in response.


    "I received the main report from your most recent combat experience¡­ Deus, you were placed in a vanguard position¡­ not bad." He turned to glance toward Droh, "You, you were posted as a support asset, yes?"


    "Y-yes¡­ sir¡­" Droh coughed out as he was suddenly called upon. "I used a rifle to provide covering fire¡­"


    "From what I heard, neither of you had much opportunity to actually participate in a fight," Roch went on as he slowly paced over toward one side of the room. "Deus, you took out a few of our soldiers, but you relied entirely on distance shooting and stealth¡­"


    "Ah¡­" Deus exhaled out.


    "Don''t worry about them, they are replaceable and understand their position and value," the captain simply shrugged and nodded, "You won''t be held guilty of murder if that''s what you''re worried about. Things happen. One moment you''re an enemy, the next you''re an ally. This isn''t anything particularly new."


    Both Deus and Droh were both shocked and relieved that this was the position Direfell was intending to take regarding everything. Truly, Midnight must''ve been a hellish place for these cities to act as they did, without care or value for life.


    "What interests me far more than that would be something entirely different," Roch paused for a moment as his eyes fell upon Deus, "What happened within the city prior to your departure to that tower."


    "So tell me, you''re able to wield the powers of Mir without having acquired even a smidgen of authority... what are you, some sort of monster?" Even though Roch already knew a fair bit from Cyoc, he still wouldn''t turn down the chance to ascertain information, especially if it meant that it wasn''t clouded by Cyoc''s obvious shroud of shadow that covered practically everything he was involved with.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 56] A Hunded Thousand Years

    ¡°Monster?¡± Deus murmured out, hesitating slightly. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think¡­¡±


    All Roch could do was calmly exhale as a faint smile formed from his lips. ¡°Whatever you are, I don¡¯t think it really matters much, do you? Our world of Midnight holds such a vast collection of fellow freaks, you and I are but a drop of sand within a desert.¡±


    Roch turned his attention elsewhere for a moment as he slowly paced toward a collection of old booklets and tomes that sat to one side of the darkened room. Shuffling through the many novels, opening one page after the other, he finally spoke in a soft tone, ¡°The powers of Mir originate from an ancient power that descended countless years ago, during the war to end all wars¡­ well, that seemed to have been the plan, at least.¡±


    Deus and Droh listened as they wiped away the surprise from their faces. ¡®I didn¡¯t imagine he¡¯d immediately start reading off from those books¡­ an ancient war to end all wars?¡¯


    ¡°There were two major factions participating in that ancient war, according to these stories, that is.¡± Roch lifted up an old book as he carried it over toward the other two, the page still sat open. He slowly began to paraphrase from the text, ¡°This war involved some old primordial power that had planted it¡¯s seeds of domination throughout multiple worlds, and an invading force, commanded by some old ancient conqueror.¡±


    Roch sighed, ¡°Seems even these old stories don¡¯t have anything beyond such a basic explanation¡­¡±


    ¡°How long ago did this all occur, exactly?¡± Deus suddenly asked as the curiosity had unfortunately gotten the best of him.


    ¡°Hm? There are no exact dates, but according to what these stories have stated¡­ I¡¯d estimate this all occurred over a hundred thousand years prior to today.¡±


    ¡°A hundred¡­ th-thousand¡­¡± Deus and Droh could only stutter out such a number in between choked pauses.


    ¡°What is so peculiar about the passage of a hundred thousand years?¡± Roch asked in a curious manner, his expression showing an almost teasing glance as his brows rose. ¡°Indeed that is truly a long period of time, but it¡¯s not as if such a passage of time would be impossible.¡±


    He exhaled, shrugging he continued, ¡°I myself am thousands of years old, you do know? I¡¯ve lived for what felt like countless years, and yet here I am, still, just some prehistoric fool who has no choice but to read through old novels and tales in order to simply know what happened back then, and even after everything I¡¯m still merely guessing.¡±


    ¡°Sir Roch,¡± Deus murmured out as he found speaking difficult under such immense pressure, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being so presumptuous¡­ but, you see, I¡¯ve been referred to as a monster¡­ some sort of abnormality¡­ what does any of this mean? Why am I here, with you?¡±


    ¡°Hmph,¡± Roch stopped in place for a moment as he listened, pondering the question himself. ¡°You are¡­¡± He didn¡¯t know what to say or how to continue. He spoke with his elder, Cyoc, prior to this, but he was aware there were things he was unable to say.


    ¡°You are utterly unique.¡±


    That was all he could say, for it was all he truly knew. A boy, probably at the latest being in his early twenties, chosen for the fate of becoming a God.


    He was, absolutely, unique.


    ¡°Unique? What does that mean? What do you know about me that I¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡± Deus choked out as his emotions began to get the best of him. ¡°Fo-forgive me, Sir¡­¡±


    Perhaps he had grown exhausted of being seen through, being told how odd and different he was without any further explanations. How had all of these people discovered anything about him, and what did they know that he himself did not.


    Roch, the short-sized military captain, simply stood his ground and listened, his silence spoke volumes.


    ¡°Enough, you¡¯ve been through quite a bit, and have still yet managed to recover from everything. Go, take that little faun with you and follow Joren back to your quarters, he¡¯ll guide you. I¡¯ll seek you out once I have a need for you.¡±


    ¡°Joren?¡± Deus repeated instantly, confused.


    ¡°I called him here before you arrived, he¡¯s one of my men. You know, like Androma has those two little crows. I have my own people, too. You¡¯ll find him waiting for you on your way out.¡±


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    With that, Roch turned back around and shrugged over, lifting up a small pile of books that sat on the ground.


    As Deus opened the door to leave, he heard a single faint exclamation from behind them. There seemed to be no desire to continue any sort of discussion, nor any intention of involving Droh who stood to his side. More so as if it were a simple whisper, meant for only his ears alone. A lasting word of warning for the coming times, perhaps. ¡°Be watchful of those who try to grow near to you, the walls have eyes.¡±


    The door slowly closed behind them as Deus and Droh came to spot a new figure approach them from across the hall. ¡°Greetings, I¡¯ve been ordered to act as your guide and get you situated. My name is¡ª¡±


    ¡°Joren,¡± Deus interrupted, nodding his head and smiling, ¡°Thanks for this, I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on but having you here to help will be of great use.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes of course¡­¡± Joren simply shrugged and continued, ¡°It seems you know a little bit, which is good. As I said, I¡¯ve been told to have you both situated, which means you¡¯ll need to be registered and added to our Sword¡¯s database. I imagine this won¡¯t be of any issue.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t think so,¡± Droh shook his head in response, to which Deus could only mimic his behavior. ¡°If this is the will of the military captain, how could we possibly decline?¡±


    The three of them walked on, moving through one hallway to the next until the arrived before a large double-sized door, towering a near eight meters in height alone. A simple sigil was engraved on the surface of the metallic door, a single sword etched downward. ¡°Beyond this point is where I imagine you¡¯ll be reporting for action and receiving orders from,¡± Joren continued, ¡°Many from outside believe that the tower is hectic and violent¡­ but in truth, everything functions rather efficiently and painlessly. The Sword is commanded from behind these doors.¡±


    ¡°So this is the Sword?¡± Deus scanned the door as his eyes fell back toward Joren, "So do the other two orders have their own rooms, similar to this one?"


    "Mhm," he nodded in response, "You''ll only need to know where this place is, for now. I imagine that you''ll become more accustomed as time goes on. I should warn you, you''ve become quite the center of discussion amongst the other candidates."


    "Candidates?" Deus and Droh both repeated simultaneously, to which Joren simply chortled and nodded, continuing, "Candidates for recruitment, to join the inner groups of the Sword, to serve directly under the great military captain. I''m one of those chosen, I''ve passed all of my tests and have been recruited. You''re familiar with that woman, Evelien, yes? I''m what you¡¯d consider her equivalent within the Sword. Our positions are fairly similar, and we on occasion assist one another."


    "I see," Deus nodded in acknowledgment, "What does any of this have to do with me, though? I never went through any sort of recruitment phase..."


    "Exactly."


    "Forgive me, allow me to explain," Joren took notice of himself as he spoke, "Usually you''d need to undergo thorough training to simply be selected for the recruitment process, after all, anyone can join the guardsmen... but to join the inner sanctums of the Sword? Rare and elite, that is how people describe those chosen."


    "You, however," Joren nodded toward Deus, "Have had your recruitment bypassed, and can be considered an official asset to the Sword, even without undergoing training or anything. You technically circumvented the entire recruitment process, and have even met and spoken with Master Roch one on one, already."


    Deus began to understand what he meant. "So because I was a special case, some people have come to show a distaste for me? Just like that?"


    "Just like that," Joren sighed, "I don''t hold anything against you, because I''m already approved, but I imagine if I were in their case, I''d hate you too. There are limited spaces, and you just skipped them. We''re not any type of team... each and every individual selected for this process are trained killers, specialized in destroying our targets."

 [Vol 1, Chapter 57] Licking Their Wounds

    Joren turned to face Deus as he continued, ¡°As I see things, why shouldn¡¯t those trained killers hate you? You¡¯re someone who jumped ahead of everyone else, and to them, there is no excuse or reason for it. You¡¯re just some nobody.¡±


    ¡°Nobody?¡± Droh snapped back, ¡°Deus isn¡¯t some nobody! He¡¯s probably seen more combat than¡ª¡±


    ¡°Droh,¡± Deus spoke up, interrupting his companion. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that, I much prefer being some nobody, truth be told.¡±


    ¡°Hmph.¡±


    Joren looked between the two of them as a grin began to form, ¡°You two are quite peculiar. Well, don¡¯t worry about it, I know better than them. I¡¯ve been informed a bit about your case. Seems you¡¯re definitely different, but it¡¯s not like you¡¯re the one who chose this fate.¡±


    ¡°How about this,¡± Joren said, ¡°Come to me if you need anything, I¡¯ve been instructed to help oversee your training within the Sword while master Roch is busy.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it,¡± Deus thanked him.


    Joren turned back around to face the sprawling door that sat closed before them. Searching through his gear, he lifted out a small bronze key, raising it into the air in front of him.


    The key began to glow as an excruciatingly bright light spread throughout the emblem engraved into the door. With a heavy creak, the door began to slide open, revealing a massive chamber beyond. The air shifted as they slowly entered, the pressure seemingly becoming tighter and more severe.


    ¡®This pressure....¡¯ Deus thought to himself as he felt a shiver jolt down his spine, ¡®It¡¯s just like that red sky outside¡­ it feels so heavy as to be painful even moving.¡¯


    Joren continued to walk forward as he twisted his head slightly to the side, to face them, ¡°Welcome to the Sword, I suppose.¡±


    From all around them, Deus could feel numerous pairs of eyes watching their every move, and yet as he glanced around, there was no one to be seen. The room was more of a hallway than anything, as the walls on both sides were littered in darkness, with several enormous pillars paced cleverly around on both sides.


    Joren continued to walk forward as he nonchalantly carried himself, his arms wrapped behind his head as if he didn¡¯t have a care in the world. Deus and Droh, on the other hand, seemed tense and nervous, as they could feel a wicked bloodlust lick across their flesh.


    ¡°Deus¡­ it almost feels like being with Roland again¡­¡± Droh exclaimed as he pulled closer to his friend. His ears tucked down over his head while his tail wrapped close to his leg. He seemed to be unconsciously making himself as small as possible, perhaps in an attempt to appear as non-threatening as he could.


    Seeing this, Joren couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh. ¡°I¡¯m still not entirely sure why your faun was recruited too, but that isn¡¯t for me to decide. Just know that you both will draw the ire of your fellow soldiers¡­ I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not too late for you to quit¡­¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Deus replied firmly, ¡°I was dragged into this, so I doubt I can quit or leave even if I wanted to. Plus, I can handle a few people harboring hatred for me¡­ after all, it¡¯ll still be safer here than outside, where that Orion clan can get to us.¡±


    Droh nodded his head, ¡°Right, we can¡¯t quit now¡­ not with those people after us. We¡¯ll just have to push onwards and survive.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Joren said with a tight breathe, ¡°I warned you, but it seems you know what you¡¯re doing. Alright, follow me, I¡¯ll lead you to your quarters and we¡¯ll get you situated. Thanks to Master Roch, you¡¯ve already been registered, so we can skip that process for now. Follow me, I¡¯ll lead the way.¡±


    Joren had the two of them move closer to him as he led the way through the darkened hallway. They pushed further on into the shadows, vanishing from view as a faint bloodlust scurried away.


    Buzzed static echoed off the cavern walls, bouncing around throughout the darkened chasm. ¡°Frequency request Ferno, report in. What is happening at Alpha location?¡±


    Yet there was no reply, only more faint static.


    ¡°Dammit!¡± The shrouded man, in his anger, chucked the radio against the wall as he paced over toward the other side of the den. There, sat others wearing identical violet cloaks as him. They too had wicked expressions buried beneath their shrouded hoods, each of them giving off a disturbing pressure.


    ¡°So is that it? Have we lost so greatly so as it be dead? Are we supposed to simply roll over and face defeat?¡± One of them erupted out under heavy breathe.


    ¡°Roll over and face defeat? Are you an idiot?¡± Another snickered in response, ¡°We must wait for the Lord''s recovery, once that is done, we¡¯ll make our move¡­ we¡¯ll force those fools to acknowledge their own idiocy.¡±


    ¡°How long will that take, though?¡± The first man replied, shaking his gnarled fist into the air, smashing it down against a slab of stone, shattering it into particles. ¡°You saw that attack¡­ any of us would¡¯ve been dead the moment we were hit by it. Master survived, but just barely.¡±


    ¡°We must have faith and be patient, only then will our revenge be sweetest¡­¡±


    A snide woman¡¯s voice spoke up, interrupting the rest, ¡°Enough of this, you¡¯re all just wasting time and whining. What we must do is wait, but we shouldn¡¯t sit around with our hands tied behind our backs.¡±


    She turned to face one of her fellow companions as she ordered, ¡°Send word to the monolith, our Alpha location seems to have fallen¡­ Direfell is no longer safe for our operations, any surviving assets¡­ return to headquarters, return to the monolith.¡±


    The cloaked person nodded in response to her instructions as she turned her attention toward another, ¡°You should worry about contacting our outside support¡­ reach out to Mythgarde, see if they can help us recover¡­ it was their fault we were caught out in the open without any assurances, at least they can fix things and get us out of this place.¡±


    Everyone in the cave understood that amongst everyone here, the person with the highest power had been her, and her alone. Only Rol''an was mighty enough to suppress her power and declare himself her superior. However, as only their master, Rol''an, could match her, not one of them had any confidence in fighting her, the eldest and most mysterious of their group.


    ¡°Master will recover, so we need to get moving and take action before we find ourselves buried beneath the sand, lost within this dark world.¡±


    ¡°Regent,¡± one of the cloaked men spoke up in response as he shrugged over to one side of the cave, ¡°What should we do with¡ª¡±


    Interrupting him, a loud buzzing tone sounded from the radio device that had previously been tossed wildly against the wall. This noise surprised everyone present, after all, they had received no incoming broadcasts for days. What had changed, they wondered.


    ¡°Go, check it!¡± She ordered as the man who previously threw it rushed over to recover the device. He wiped it slightly, removing any loose sand that had fallen over it.


    ¡°Repeat transmission,¡± he ordered into the device.


    ¡°Bzzz..¡± a few moments passed, ¡°Ferno frequency, reporting activity from outside channels, please respond Lord.¡±


    The Regent slowly paced over to the man holding the device as she extended out her grasp, opening her palm so as to accept the radio device. She lifted it toward her lips as she voiced, ¡°This is Anita Herran, active Regent of Orion until the Lord has completed his recovery.¡±


    ¡°Salute, Lord Regent,¡± the stern voice replied over the radio. ¡°Communications have been connected between Orion¡¯s monolith and the territory of Mythgarde. This has reached the commander of Orion''s intelligence operations, but without a standing Lord or Lord Regent, we were unable to act upon any information. Please, Lord Regent, instruct us.¡±


    Anita slowly revealed a crooked smile that seemingly stretched across her face. ¡°Very well. First, dispatch a unit to this radio¡¯s location, ping it for our specific coordinates. We¡¯re going to need transport, and prepare a medical wing and operators¡­ the Lord is going to need a place to recover.¡±


    ¡°Affirmative, units have been dispatched, Lord Regent.¡±


    ¡°Next, repeat the message from Mythgarde, be precise¡­¡±


    ¡°As you command,¡± the operator replied as he began repeating long lines of dialogue, most of the information seemingly lost on him, as he spoke in a monotone and relaxed voice.

 [Vol 1, Chapter 58] A Guest in the Tower

    An enormous tower stood firmly as the outside world continued to erode around it, shaking fragments of metal from the walls, bringing them smashing down into the sea of sand and ash below. The sky sat above everything, ominous and vile as ever as if the crimson sky gazed into every little crevice atop Midnight¡¯s surface.


    Further within the tower, hidden from the world¡¯s sight, existed a massive chamber. Dim lights flickered from the ceiling as the shadows of soldiers could be seen silhouetted against the walls as they marched through the halls. A silent hush spread throughout as not even a faint cough or whisper could be heard.


    A single black door sat alone along the wall, with no marked destination for it anywhere to be seen. This door, in particular, was one the soldiers never ventured into, nor even looked at for too long.


    Whenever someone had to patrol alongside it, they would unconsciously fasten their pace, hurrying along out of both fear and concern, as if something was lurking within the shadows behind them. These were trained soldiers, well-regarded killers, and yet they jumped at the shadows cast by this single black door.


    Further inside, through the black passageway and down a long and jagged path, arrived another smaller chamber, hidden out of sight. The sounds of electricity occasionally ruptured through the air as an almost low-toned growl followed.


    The faint scribbling and scratching sounded from all around as if something was scraping lowly against the metallic walls. It created an almost ghostly aura as if one could expect a phantom¡¯s wail to whisper out from the dark.


    ¡°No, no¡­ that¡¯s not right, another¡ª¡± a voice spoke out from the darkness, originating from a small shrouded form that stood nearest a table. ¡°After all these years, and yet to accomplish so little¡­ I must have the heart prepared for the vessel... I must have results to show them¡­¡±


    A face formed from behind his hood, revealing the little Impish man, Cyoc. His long nails protruded out as he scribbled down onto a small journal formed of thick pages. His marks scarred and scraped against the pages, which seemed crafted from some old and wrinkled flesh.


    ¡°The binding seals which I¡¯ve forged have proven to be effective, but for how long? If I¡¯m not careful, I could accidentally create a vessel that ruptures after only possessing the heart for a day¡­¡±


    He turned his grim face down to look across his own arms, noting down the markings which he had forged onto his own flesh countless years ago. ¡°Something is missing¡­ something important, something which completes my formation.¡±


    With a firm sigh, he continued, ¡°I must have more samples, more experiments¡­ I¡¯ll have those fools from up top send down more prisoners¡ªAh, they did recently capture some pawns from an annoying little clan, yes? That should be adequate.¡±


    Cyoc murmured to himself as he found his attention lost to his research and experimentations. It was to such a degree that the Impish man hadn¡¯t even noticed the pale aura take hold throughout the room, nor the footsteps that grew thicker with every passing moment.


    Suddenly, shocking Cyoc out of his hold, a cold and shallow voice called out.


    ¡°Professor.¡±


    Cyoc twisted, raising his head and turning his attention toward the source of the voice. ¡°Who¡ªhow in the hell did you get down here?¡± He looked, not recognizing the face of the man.


    The man wore the armor of the soldiers up top, but something was wrong. His eyes were pale, white even, while the color from his face had completely drifted away into shadow and darkness. His voice cold, like a corpse. He called out again, ¡°Professor, you¡¯ve kept us waiting long enough.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Cyoc thought for a moment as he moved from his seat, covering his research.


    ¡°Little one, don¡¯t think for a moment you can hide your findings from us. We see everything, we know everything. Ah¡ªspecifically, you¡¯ve sent the vessel we forged to your little city.¡±


    Only now did Cyoc come to understand to whom he was speaking with, to which he quickly scurried away from his research and lowered his head, in an almost exaggerated bow.


    ¡°It is an honor for you to come yourself, to whom do I owe the pleasure?¡±


    ¡°Enough, all you must know is that we have come to see with our own eyes what you¡¯ve accomplished.¡± As always, the man¡¯s voice was cold and slow, merely being whispered out through dead lips.


    His eyes had become nothing but white fog as grey lines formed throughout the veins in his forehead.


    ¡°How monotonous. We¡¯ve given you everything, we¡¯ve ensured your survival and even moved the heart to this place as you begged. We took great steps to ensure your survival during the destruction of Enshil and even avoided the enemy¡¯s detection¡­ for what? For you to waste our time and act slowly and carefully...¡±


    A pained frown formed across the man¡¯s lips. ¡°The time of carefully moving is over. We must speed up the process, to avoid falling into slumber. We¡¯ve waited to see the sky with our own eyes for thousands of years¡­ we¡¯re done waiting. Your time is nearly through.¡±


    ¡°Please, I can provide you with results¡­ I just need more time¡ª¡± Cyoc tried to reason, to which the man ignored and continued speaking. ¡°Time? You¡¯ve had thousands of years, countless lifetimes¡­ and nearly an unlimited supply of sacrifices to complete your research.¡±


    He paused, speaking slowly and calmly as his faded eyes showed a more human expression. ¡°Truthfully, if it wasn¡¯t for us, you would already be dead. The others within our order have already outgrown their long-expired patience and were slowed in their plans only through our own efforts. If not for us, those older ones may have erupted out and cast this region back into the ancient war.¡±


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    ¡°Cyoc, as you know, we cannot afford discovery, not yet. We¡¯ve buried ourselves deep beneath this dead world, preserving our might and corrupting the mortal inhabitants. Through your research, we will move one step closer to our return.¡±


    Cyoc gestured, ¡°Of course, of course. I don¡¯t plan on taking too long to complete my research... only, it¡¯s not an easy task to create a living vessel capable of containing, even harnessing this power...¡±


    ¡°Humph,¡± the man coughed out, his lungs sounding hollow and thin. ¡°If we could contain that heart within our own true body, we would, but unfortunately we¡¯ve already devolved to such a pitiable state.¡±


    Turning his sight outward, the man looked toward Cyoc¡¯s vast collection of research notes, reading through every scribbling. ¡°These formations¡­ are nostalgic.¡±


    ¡°Nostalgic?¡± Cyoc repeated in shock, as his eyes lit up and a grin formed on his lips. ¡°Ah¡ªperhaps you¡¯re familiar with this technique of soul convergence! To rip out of a fragmented soul and placing it into a container¡­¡±


    Rushing over toward his notes, Cyoc asked out toward him, ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re even familiar with the magic of creating a high-class phylactery! The art of transmuting your soul into a physical object, allowing your body to live forever, as long as your soul exists outside!¡±


    There was a brief pause as the mysterious man closed his eyes and inhaled, breathing deeply, creating a faintly hollow sound as if air was passing through a punctured lung, it was rather unsettling for Cyoc, as he could only wait for a reply.


    His white eyes opened again as he spoke in a whisper, ¡°We are familiar, yes. Truthfully, many years before, we once attempted this technique to great effect. As we recall, it¡¯s referred to by many as the art of a necromancer, the power of a demon. We warn you now, however, Cyoc¡­ little one¡­ using this method has a high volatility rate, and the others won¡¯t allow that sort of risk to the vessel.¡±


    ¡°Oh please, if you could convince them¡­¡± As Cyoc begged, the corpse-like man stared at him with his cold white eyes, creating the illusion of clustering white fog around where his iris should¡¯ve been.


    ¡°They won¡¯t accept it. No, we also won¡¯t accept it. You know what we¡¯ve lost to create him, our vessel¡­ our warrior.¡±


    The small Impish man nodded, showing a grim expression as if recalling a rather absurd and horrifying tale that he had told him long before. ¡°However, those days are only distant memories now¡­ if you could convince them, I could have your vessel and even the heart ready by new years¡ª¡±


    ¡°Cyoc!¡± The man shouted out, interrupting him. As he spoke, the room seemed to fall into despair. The lights flickered and burned out, the walls caved away, and even the piercing sound of an absolute silence bled through, causing an immensely loud ringing in Cyoc¡¯s ears as his mind underwent immense stress. ¡°Do not overstep your bounds, little imp. We are the ones who¡¯ve raised you from damnation, your scars are proof of this. Do not think for a moment we aren¡¯t willing to toss you away once again.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Cyoc exhaled out as he felt powerless. All of his strength and control lost in an instant. The world was strange and alien as he seemed to have fallen out of the tower and passed through the desert itself.


    ¡°Your mind is especially fragile,¡± the man whispered as his eyes shone. ¡°Prepare the vessel for the heart and never overstep your bounds. Remember, we are always watching, the Noctis lives on, even now, within the shadows of this dead world.¡±


    ¡°Yes, oh yes¡­¡± Cyoc murmured out as the world seemed to be slowly forming back into place around him. The illusion had been overwhelming, maddening even.


    A faint voice ordered, ¡°Lastly, prepare those mortals in that city of yours¡­ there must be a war, for blood must be paid with blood.¡±


    After a moment of pause, the voice continued speaking in a fragile whisper, "You will know who you must fight, for they will deliver death upon you and your forces.¡±


    ¡°...War?¡± Confused, Cyoc asked in a pained voice. His head had still felt split from what had happened a moment ago.


    ¡°Yes, a war within your little region. What do you call it¡­ Direfell.¡± The voice echoed, ¡°Your Direfell is but one of the many regions in which we possess power and in order to prolong our life, and the lives of the others¡­ blood must be paid. A simple slaughter would attract unwanted attention, you see¡­¡±


    ¡°You need Direfell to wage war¡­ for your survival?¡±


    A shrill voice chortled out in a grim wave of emotion. ¡°Actually, you may find it valuable to know that Ogmonog, that volatile demon, wasn¡®t completely dissuaded by our explanation years ago and has taken upon resurrecting himself. So you see, whether you wish for war or not, it will come for you.¡±


    ¡°We care little for your mortal wars, we simply warned you so as to preserve the survival and sanctity of the heart. Ogmonog should know better than to attack where the heart lies, but regardless¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worried about the vessel¡­¡±


    The voice was silent for a moment. ¡°Yes. Ogmonog was never fully aware of our efforts, but this may also provide an invaluable opportunity, as well, if handled correctly. Use this chance to strengthen the vessel, but shall he die¡­¡±


    As the voice finished, the disorienting world of shadows slowly faded away. From the once invading darkness, all that was left within the small chamber was Cyoc, whose face was covered in sweat, and the cold corpse of a soldier, sprawled across the floor gruesomely as his blood only now began to flow.


    ¡°Seems I''ve got a mess to clean up¡­¡± Cyoc murmured out, stating that both literally and otherwise.

 [Vol 2, Chapter 1] First Assignment

    The crimson world of Midnight, formed from the ashen remains of a now-dead world. Since the dawn of civilization as it was known, the ever-expansive desert stretched onward beyond sight. A lone black star hung overhead, gazing upon humanity with an apathetic uninterest.


    Many cities were founded over the years, a unification of manpower by the weak to rise and become strong. Since before most could remember, these cities ruled as the one remaining beacon of joy and civilization. For even within these walls where most cannot afford a single meal, it was still a luxury.


    Within Midnight, nothing ever came in, and nothing ever left¡ªwith one exception¡ªstorms. An event that was known by most to cast out not only scrap but also heavy steel and metal. The widespread theory was that the storms spat out everything unwanted, everything tossed aside by the other worlds.


    Midnight truly was the one place left for undesirables.


    All sorts of unknowns had appeared from within these storms over the millennia, cast through with wild uncertainty. Only to arrive at the same place as always, crashing down into the desert surface.


    They had a method of dealing with these storms.


    Upon their arrival, a cities'' administrative command would send out a select ensemble from all of the major clans that held any form of influence. This influence gathered through all sorts of means, whether it be bribing, threatening, or plotting.


    The weaker clans would have their scavengers selected as a means of weakening them, forcing them to risk their lives and damage their standing. Stronger clans were prepared for this, however, and rarely lost their scavengers through such methods. They would work alongside the midnight centipedes and other official operations that were ruled by the Territorial Lords'' representatives.


    Each storm was welcomed by a swarm of attention, as no one, not even the Lords themselves knew exactly what sort of valuable loot would be uncovered.


    Sometimes they''d find nothing of value, ranging from plates of metal to scrap. These sorts of things would be left for lower clans to bargain and war over. True treasures were more so weapons, technology, and Mir-enchanted trinkets. Whenever any of those things popped up, you could be certain a Lord would notice.


    Within one such city, where a new batch of potential treasures had been detected¡ªDirefell.


    "Get a move on, we''re heading out soon!" A lowly peon shouted out, smashing his iron bar down onto the table that sat before him. The man''s face covered in both dirt and sweat as his beet-red eyes glared around the work field.


    He stood higher than anyone else in the area, as he wore the symbol of Direfell''s selective committee. As he watched with impatience as the many clan scavengers rushed around. He turned back around and began going back over his previous orders once more.


    "Remember, I know you''re all new to this so I''ll remind you once more¡ªI''m in charge." His eyes shot between each of them. We''re going to go clean up a storm that was reported yesterday, we''ll be leading these good for nothing scavvies out. Your job isn''t to keep them alive nor is it to help yourselves to the loot. It''s to keep the peace, nothing else."


    The soldiers he faced all nodded their heads, obviously tired of this man reminding them how to do their jobs.


    "Also remember, we''ve got some guests with us so you all be on your best behavior. They might be recruits where they''re from, but there''s a world of difference between you and them."


    As he spoke, the soldiers'' attention all drew away from their superior officer and toward the three figures that stood to the side, out of range. These figures seemed beyond their reach. A special operations unit hand-selected by the Black Spire itself.


    To those three, everyone else must''ve looked like mere insects. At least, that was what those soldiers'' all assumed.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡­


    "Droh, you''ve made sure to remember your things, right?" A voice asked, to the annoyance of the smallest figure.


    "Yes, I''ve got everything." He gestured towards a small pack of supplies that sat slightly behind him, untouched since he placed it down. "What''s gotten you so worried Deus, think something is going to go wrong?"


    "Nothing," Deus replied, his face showing more dirt than normal as his expression carried with it an air of concern. "This is our first major assignment since our recruitment¡­ I''ve had a few small lessons but nothing like this. The last time I left the city¡­ well¡­ you know what happened."


    "You two, you ready?" A third voice called out toward them, drawing their attention.


    "Yeah, we''ve got everything we need. When are we heading out?" Droh replied with a question.


    "Soon, once the last clan scavenger is ready and onboard. We should head over now too before we''re left behind."


    Deus nodded in agreement as he gestured toward the other two, "Come on, Droh grab your things. Natan, you got everything you need?"


    In response, the third man, Natan, answered. "It''s all right here." He gestured toward his pack. "I''m still a bit nervous, too. This is our first assignment since our training. I''ve heard good things about you Deus, but I''ve still got to prove myself to the higher-ups."


    Natan paused for a moment as the younger man pondered aloud, "It''s wrong to ask for something exciting to happen, isn''t it? If we''re attacked, I can show off my shooting skills and bring home some credit for my clan."


    "I''d rather have everything go smooth, personally." Deus chided back.


    "Of course you would. You don''t need to get anyone''s attention, you''re already receiving private lessons from some of the highest-ranking commanders we''ve got. I heard you even spoke with Captain Roch¡­"


    "Well¡­" Deus murmured out quietly, not sure where to take the conversation. It had been approximately four months since Deus and Droh had originally been recruited. Spending most of their days within the inner Spire, learning from a select group hand-chosen by Roch.


    Most of Deus'' fellow recruits didn''t know of his arrangement, believing him to be a mere offspring of some higher up or an anonymously selected member of an unseen clan.


    Either way, Deus and Droh used this to their advantage and did everything they could to blend in and earn their place. It had been four months before Deus could even manage to convince his mentors to send him on this assignment, and it was only approved due to it''s low-concern for danger.


    They''d never admit it, for fear of painting a target on Deus''s back, but they held him in high regard. Not because of his feats, mind you, but because of the interest drawn on him by both Master Androma and Captain Roch. Anyone worthy of their attention was someone the Spire also held in high attention.


    "See, you''re fine! You don''t need to prove yourself, you already have all the attention you need. I still need to prove myself, though. My clan invested a fortune in my recruitment¡­ if I fail, well¡­ I can''t fail."


    As they spoke, a thunderous horn sounded, signaling the last warning before the Ararat''s departure. As the horn roared, countless clan members and scavengers began making way toward the boarding section. Deus and crew as well.


    The Ararat was one of Direfell''s selected ships used for scavenging. It had few guns, but a large section of open room to store everyone''s findings.


    The rules were simple; Direfell officials had the first selection over the overall resources and treasures found and unearthed. If any clan attempted to hide something, they would find themselves expunged of any future rights and their scavengers would be instantly executed on the spot.


    This rule seemed wicked but was fairer than most. Direfell paid handsomely for anything of value and tended to pass on most things that couldn''t pose a threat to them in the future. This allowed the clans to bargain with each other, allowing the prices to inflate over the years.


    Even though metal was commonplace within the inner city, outside the city walls out in the wild desert, metal was as valuable as gold.


    Metal represented safety and structure, as it was the only major material that could be used for construction that wasn''t instantly swallowed by the sand. Without an abundance of metal, any structures built would only last a few months at the latest, forcing anyone without these supplies to keep on the move.


    Those low on their luck had even resorted to theft and murder, when necessary. All over a few plates of metal. That was the sort of thugs to which this horrific world of Midnight had lowered its inhabitants into becoming.


    As everyone boarded the Ararat, a final horn sounded throughout the city walls, signaling the departure of the scavenger vessel.


    With one solid push, the ship began its acceleration as it slowly rose above the desert sand, sailing atop.


    Like the Nijaden, the Ararat was a sailing vessel. It was designed alongside utilizing both its gas engine and a robust set of wind sails, used to roam over top of the sand as if pushing through some unseen ocean.


    The design was fascinatingly built, especially since Midnight had no major bodies of water anywhere to be seen across its surface. How the idea for a sailboat-like design had ever been constructed was beyond most.


    Deus never took much consideration into this sort of affair, leaving most fascinations to the smaller, more energetic Droh to ponder about. Droh had never seen a large body of water, but that never stopped him from drawing a clear and crisp image in his mind.

 [Vol 2, Chapter 2] Returning to Basics

    Deus and Droh shuffled through the tight corridors aboard the Ararat, leaving Natan to his business as they went on ahead. Finding their quarters, Droh plopped down onto the cot as Deus lowered his supply pack, digging through it with earnest intent.


    ¡°It¡¯s in here somewhere¡­¡± he grunted out, pushing things aside as his hand was buried deep into his bag.


    ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Droh questioned, his faun ears jolting from left to right in interest.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Deus replied quickly, paying little attention to his companion. ¡°Aha, here it is!¡± With a heavy pull, he ripped his arm out of his pack, holding a familiar item in his grasp.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡± Deus interrupted as he paced over toward his cot, taking a firm seat. ¡°Mister Androma had it repaired for me, even giving it a newly charged battery.¡±


    Deus was fiddling with the piece of technology in his hand, rubbing his thumb over the front of it as if to wipe it clean. In his hand was the very same electronic Archive that he had since the moment he arrived. Ever since the Orion clan had been cast out, Deus had very little time to experiment with this old familiar Archive.


    ¡°Hey, turn it on!¡± Droh lamented as he clambered over toward Deus.


    With a firm press of his thumb, the Archive began to activate. The device showed signs of returning to life as an energy surge sparked inside the battery pack.


    Bzzzz.


    A continuous humming tone sounded from the device he held. A familiar, almost relaxing sound that reminded Deus of his pod.


    ¡°Initializing.¡±


    A faint but monotone voice spoke from the Archive.


    ¡°Energy conduits detected, battery recharged. Systems reenabling.¡±


    Droh tilted his youthful-looking face as he listened, ¡°I had forgotten how weird this thing was¡­¡±


    ¡°Archive systems registered and active. Scanning options registered and authorized. The databased registry also reporting functional.¡± After a final low-toned buzz, the device finished its reactivation sequence.


    ¡°Archive activated. Welcome back, Experiment X-Z-001.¡±


    ¡®It¡¯s still going on about that Experiment nonsense.¡¯ Deus thought, recalling everything he had learned from the previous scan he had undergone. ''But hey, last time the scanning options it gave me were limited¡­ did something change?¡¯


    Deus looked over the archive device, checking for any damage or alterations that seemed different from memory.


    ¡®If my memory is right I showed signs of my original genetic tissue having major changes. No, not just changes¡­ it was like I was an entirely different person. Only some of my genetic tissue was even my own according to those records. Whatever happened during Transfer, I still haven¡¯t found anything out about it.''


    Pausing for a moment to think, one could see the stress building on his face. He had already spent several months learning from some of the most powerful and intelligent minds within the Spire, and yet even with all of his advantages, he had come up with nothing regarding the Transfer.


    Either information regarding such an event was kept confidential beyond his level, or there was truly very little known about it.


    In all actuality, it wasn¡¯t particularly true to claim that he had learned nothing regarding the Transfer, it was simply that he was working off mere speculation at this point.


    From his past research and studies, alongside his embarrassingly obvious attempts at prying information out of his fellow officers, Deus had learned more about the happenings of Midnight. This included the storms, which were capable of spitting out any number of rare and dangerous things.


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    ¡°Archive, commence with basic scan. I want to reconfirm everything we¡¯ve learned so far,¡± Deus ordered out, lifting the device toward the air as his arm extended out, providing the archive with an overall view of him.


    ¡°Confirmed. Initializing scan, targeting major genetic tissue and bone marrow. Remain still momentarily.¡± As the device ordered out, a faint blue light shot out from the front it, scanning over him multiple times before fading back.


    ¡°Battery usage registered and logged. Results returned for the low-tier scan.¡±


    Deus once more brought the device closer to his chest as he spoke, ¡°Show me the results of the scan in comparison to the previous ones. Show any alterations.¡±


    ¡°Searching database, one moment.¡± A faint clicking sound could be heard as the archive device quickly inspected its internal logs. ¡°Results found, listed in systematic order. Memory scan, physical scan, cognitive scan.¡±


    ¡°Three scans are available, huh?¡± Deus thought aloud before ordering out, ¡°Show me the results and alterations for all of them, just overlap them together and organize them into sections. You should now have three entries for each, right? Before the Transfer, after it, and now.¡±


    Beep.


    The archive device sounded in response, pulling out an abundance of data as it projected it across one of the walls of the room. Seeing this, Droh¡¯s attention was immediately drawn over as well.


    There were three unique sections, each labeled numerically from one to three. The first section showed a brain scan with numerous red lines forming outward from the source-center, resembling an image of a brain and body. This represented what was most likely confusion, pain, or something of a similar degree.


    The second scan result showed a similar image, only this time the lines were more organized, and varied in color rather than the usual red. Different colors represented entirely separate thoughts, emotions, and memories. With the first scan showing mostly chaotic results, this one could be said to be far more advanced and organized.


    The third, however, could only be described as strange.


    It showed signs of a much darker red, while the other colors also grew in extremes as well. Perhaps this resembled the overall change that Midnight and its environment had on Deus. The evolution that a place like this had on him was very clearly portrayed for him, but even then he couldn¡¯t believe it.


    He felt normal, so why did these results resemble the first scan more so than the second?


    ¡°Archive, are you sure these scans are accurate? According to these results¡­ I¡¯ve deteriorated mentally¡­ seems only physically have I even grown at all.¡±


    What Deus didn¡¯t know, though, was the efforts and changes caused by Midnight and the markings that etched themselves comfortably across his back and arms.


    Something was changing him, altering him down to the very core, and he never even noticed it.


    ¡°Results are accurate, Experiment X-Z-001. According to the localized database, the results are within the expected limits. Code-named Ascension Project prepared speculative data before commencing the experiment, showing similar expected results.¡±