The recruitment came to a close under the smiles of all the headmasters that thought they had the better harvest this time. It was tradition for one of them to do the closing remarks and this time Rahz step up as the new Headmaster.
"There are a lot of changes happening in the Realm of Elysian and there are many factions that feel entitled to do whatever they want in the name of Justice. I hope that they remember that all Elysians are free to worship whoever they want without discrimination and that we will fight for our rights. I, Rahz of Hellgahvall, promise you in the name of the Temple of the Dreadnought that we will protect your children who are the future of the Demon Race from anybody who wishes them harm".
Every demon stood up and was filled with comradery while listening to the speech, it had been a while since they were moved by something different to personal gain. Contrary to what people were told, Demons were not all bloody savages and they stood together against common foes.
Unbeknown to Rahz his little speech was heard by Barash that smiled from ear to ear and was determined more than ever to end his life. Rahz's death was the spark he needed it to fulfill his benefactor's wishes for a civil war among the allied races.
The crowd went wild at Rahz's heartfelt words and cheered as loud as they could, not only was he an amazing fighter but he also had the best interest of the race at hand. After the speech was finished many of the Level 19's that had chosen other chambers felt like switching to Vengeance so they could learn from such a cool character.
The recruitment came to a close on a very high note and just when everyone was about to leave the sound of massive wings came from up above causing everyone present to look towards the sky.
Very soon, a tiny spec of dust became bigger and bigger and the shape of a huge Owl looking animal with blue feathers and sunken eyes came swooping down landing on top of the arena.
The Bird was 15 ft tall and the blue feathers were actually reflecting the color of the Abyss Moon that had a blue hue at the moment. The species was called a Ghost Talon Owl and his favorite snack was the resentment of the dead and for this reason, they were the mount of choice of Witch Doctors whose baleful aura provided them with a never ending supply of food.
From the back of the beast came a very beautiful woman with dark skin and a skull necklace giving off a very ewry feeling that was a clear contrast to her sexy demeanor that attracted the attention of all the males present.
The moment she dismounted, a shadow came flying at her but before he was able to reach the beauty his face smashed against an invisible screen face first.
"I knew we should have never spend that potion on you Jazz, you haven't changed one bit"
The words were as vile as ever before but the warmth smile on her face conveyed her true feelings towards the friend she had not seen in many years. Midori appeared around her neck and could not stop hissing and rubbing her face against Elunes in reproach for leaving her for so long.
Rahz saw his old friend and disappeared from where he was standing and reappear beside her and before she could react he gave her a big hug that made her face flush a little.
"You are finally back!! When I asked old Thug about where you were, he assured me you had found a good master and were getting stronger everyday and to not disrupt your training. I see it was true you are already Level 30"
"I am sorry Rahz that I wasn't there to help you with your troubles, I was just not allowed to leave until my third evolution. Sigh… What happened to you Rahz, you look just like when you were 10 years old and Gilgamesh tells me he can't sense any of the dragon blood you ingested a long time ago". Said Elune while looking at Rahz's baby face.
"Is a long story, let's go inside and I'll tell you all about it".
The whole group went inside the temple under the gazes of all the spectators while the Owl was taken by a couple of disciples and brought over to the stables.
Inside the Vengeance Chamber, the team sat in a circle with ale in their hands while Rahz took the lead and told Elune what had happened after she was taken away. He told her about how they had been tricked by The Sister of the Moon that wanted Riddick's blood to increase the level of her bloodline, how they had been saved by an alliance High Elf on a whim and how they had arrived to the temple and Igor took Riddick to mount doom.
When the story got to Apocalypse's test Rahz asked elune to construct a sound barrier and then let the spirit of the weapon manifest itself and tell them the actual truth. The ones affected the most were Jazz and Elune that now wielded Avatar items and were past the stages of were something could be done to save them. Rahz was surprised that even when learning about it, their concerned was his safety instead of theirs.
In order to increase their levels past their fourth evolution, contact with their deity through the ritual was a must and at that point everything they learned about Rahz would be exposed.
Rahz felt warmth inside when he saw that they were more concerned for his well being than their own and since there was still time to improve themselves before they had to see the deities for the evolution quest, he was able to relax a little.
"So what is the plan for now Rahz?" said Elune trying to move the conversation forward.
"I believe that we need to form our own faction and I am going to used the Vengeance Chamber as the main hub for its development. The recruitment camp happens every 5 years and if there is no war breaking out in the meantime, I am hoping to develop the new children into Elysian Cultivators and at that point in time we can return to Elune's home and take revenge for her family and friends. I also need to see my mother in the forest of Elphinheim and tell her all about my experience".
There were bright sparks in the eyes of the whole group as their sense of adventure was reignited. The conversation then took a twist to Elune' flying mount that called the attention of everyone and the jealousy of Midori that felt that she had been replaced.
"I think we should do an Expedition of the Abyss and subdue our own mounts we will definitely need them if we want to impress, I heard there was no stronger aphrodisiac than a sweet ride" Said Jazz enthusiastically.
Elune roll her eyes but everybody supported the idea and it would be a nice training session for the team but before the trip could be done Rahz needed to instruct the new recruits on how to use energy the Elysian way and for that Elune was a blessing.
The potion of Ancient Knowledge that was able to assist people entered a state of epiphany that now lasted 24 hours was a blessing and thanks to Elune's advancement in the art of alchemy it could be made readily available for everybody. Apocalypse was truly happy about the initiative taken by Rahz about forming a faction outside the control of the gods and spare no expense in terms of knowledge on the manipulation of energy and even constructed a plan to help the kids achieve results. The classes were all in the morning and they were base on Rahz experience with Reinforcement, Emission, Alteration, and Transmutation while the afternoon session was a self study period where the students could ponder about what they learned under the effects of the potion of Ancient Knowledge.
The set up turned out to be extremely successful and very soon many of the new recruit started to show signs of understanding about the energy of the realm and to show mastery of reinforcement.
Under the very strenuous routine 6 months went by in a flash but the real issue was the lack of news about the forces of the God of Justice or any type of retaliation coming Rahz's way. According to Giant Blade the lost of Sigfrid was a huge blow to them and the rumor going around was that Ivan Pendragon had been reluctant to tell the news to Odos himself for fear of being told to start a war by himself. Despite serving his deity to the best of his ability he was no fool. In fact, he was one of the smartest people in the alliance and everybody knew he was just biding his time.