Just like how the three Great Races had their own capitals, humans also had their capital. The difference between the two was that humans were so divided that they even fought amongst themselves and didn't try to band together, mainly because they didn't know about the Three Great Races. However, the most capable city was undoubtedly their capital. And over the past few years, this capital had been moving, mobilizing men and women and pulling warriors into their ranks. They swallowed cities and towns that Elementals had infiltrated long before they came along, and tried to pool the humans together. It hadn't reached the level they hoped it would reach by now, but their plans were progressing nicely. This was a city hidden to the ignorant and feared by those who craved power for themselves. This was…
The Citadel!
The Citadel was a large city. It was much larger than Amalgamation and Intersection combined and multiplied by a factor of ten! One could even raise the sum of both to a factor of three and The Citadel will still be larger. It was a grand city, capable of housing several millions comfortably effortlessly. And it did. The walls of the city were thick and strong, and the warriors who manned them powerful. At a glance one would see several Thrashers moving about on the walls, serving as lookouts! Although this paled in comparison to the lookouts of the Three Great Races, one had to keep in mind that The Citadel was much larger and couldn't afford to waste important warriors like Pseudo Nightmares and Nightmares by having them serve as only lookouts. And though it was true that The Citadel's history couldn't be compared to the history of the Three Great Races' cities, explaining why they were weaker, it had a lot of room for growth.
Amalgamation was a city guarded by a Nature Barrier. Intersection had its Defense Barrier as its guardian, and The Citadel had a Cover Barrier. Defense Barriers were built by relying on the bones and blood of powerful warriors who had died – about a thousand in all. By using those as the ingredients, a skill formation specialist is able to build a fortified barrier that would employ the power of the dead to strengthen the defense of the living. Because it was built on corpses, Defense Barriers had the added effect of hallucinations and disorienting the minds of all who entered its range of influence.
Cover Barriers were perhaps the least expensive of the three, with Nature Barriers requiring the most expensive of materials to erect. However, as stated earlier, the lesser the resources required for a barrier, the stronger and more complex it would be. As such, it took a very skilled person to build a Cover Barrier. And that was why Elementals and Barbarians didn't even try to erect one. Cover Barriers required a mix of the materials used to build Defense and Nature Barriers – a couple hundred Elemental Stones of the four basic elements; and a hundred corpses of strong men and women. Compared to Nature Barriers which required a thousand Elementals Stones each of the four basic elements and Defense Barriers slightly less extravagant demands, the Cover Barrier took much less. Yet its strength was superior to the two.
Hallucinations and Disorientations; A Barrier Wall so thick that even a Phenom would struggle; Curse Inflictions; and most importantly, the ability to launch attacks!
These were the basic functions of a Cover Barrier. Yes, they were merely the basic settings. Other than these, every Cover Barrier had its own special skills. Usually, a Cover Barrier had two other special skills, and those were only known to its owners. Another difference between a Cover Barrier, a Defense Barrier and a Nature Barrier was its control. The latter two weren't controlled by anyone. They were more like automated barriers that had to be maintained every few years. Cover Barriers however, also had a manual option. As for who had absolute control of The Citadel's Cover Barrier, it was the man known as the Dragon Lord.
The palace of the Dragon Lord was grand. It was as large as an eighth of Asher City and much more elegant. Its walls were made of precious stones and jewels, and it smelt like wealth and privilege from as far as a kilometer away. The guards of the palace were peak Thrashers, and there were even a handful of Predators walking around; a magnificent lineup for mere watchers. Surely the Dragon Lord himself was protected by stronger warriors.
Currently the man who ruled over the entire city was deep in thought. He wore a long white robe with the image of a black dragon drawn beautifully on its back. He stood in hall several floors above the ground floor, which was the size of several large rooms put together, his eyes focused on the busy streets of his city below. As he gazed through the large window that was made of pure crystals, his eyes lost their focus. It was only when the door to the room opened that his mind returned to his body, and his consciousness was reawakened.
"I knew I would find you here," the man who just came in was handsome and elegant. He also wore robe that had the image of a dragon inscribed onto it, just like the Dragon Lord. However, his robe was pure black, not white. This man was Black Hand! He looked much fuller than he did two years ago, and his rosy complexion suggested that he had been living quite well. His eyes were filled with vigor and tenacity, and his aura was that of a peak Predator!
"What is it nephew?" the Dragon Lord asked without bothering to turn his head. If it was any other person who dared interrupt him when he was deep in thought, he would have lost his mind. Only his wife and the man behind him had such a privilege.
"He is out. Our scouts have seen him – the boy," Black Hand was brief with his words. In front of a ruler like his Uncle, there was no need to start any small talk. Time was valued greatly by both men.
"Oh?" the eyes of the Dragon Lord flashed with interest and he turned around to face Black Hand.
"Are they certain of this?" the Dragon Lord asked as his figure shook before he disappeared. When he reappeared, he was standing right in front of Black Hand. It would have startled anyone – his unreal speed – but Black Hand was still calm and composed. There was even a small smile on his face. He was used to his Uncle's antics, so they didn't impact him greatly anymore.
"They are. He matched the descriptions we gave them – and the sketch as well. Apparently he has shaved his beard, but that is the only thing that was different," Black Hand answered.
"Where did they first see him? And where is he now?" the Dragon Lord asked.
"Next to the village he came from. That was where they first saw him. As for what he went there to do, they do not know. All we know was that he did visit the Enchanted Forest there. However, we do know where he is now. From the traces he left behind and the direction in which he is travelling, he is likely going to Amalgamation."
"Hmm," the Dragon Lord frowned when he heard the last bit of Black Hand's statement. Why would the boy want to go to the land of the Elementals?
"That isn't all," Black Hand interrupted his leader's train of thought once again. And just like before, the Dragon Lord didn't seem to mind.
"What else is there?"
"He is accompanied by another," Black Hand replied. "An Elemental," Black Hand finished, and expression of the Dragon Lord became grim.
Of the Three Great Races, Ancients were probably the ones that could be called the hated enemies of The Citadel. And probably the Ancients felt the same. However, the relationship The Citadel had with the Elementals was complex. They weren't enemies per se. They were more like rivals or business competitors, with both eagerly fighting the other to recruit more humans. Hearing that the boy they were looking for was accompanied by an Elemental was like being told that a rival had developed a new high technology weapon that could threaten the peace of your people.
"If he is in contact with the Elementals, then they have an edge over us," the Dragon Lord sighed before moving towards the only available chair in the room. This was his private space, and since he didn't entertain company here, he accommodated only himself. Black Hand didn't seem to mind. For he approached his master's seat and them plumped himself onto the ground.
"You don't look too concerned," Black Hand noticed. The Dragon Lord should have been grinding his teeth in frustration when he heard his last statement. But he wasn't. Although he looked tired, he was far from hitting that reaction. He seemed too calm for the kind of person he was.
"That is because I am confident that he would come to us," the Dragon Lord gave his reason, and naturally Black Hand probed for a more detailed explanation.
"The Oracle sees again," the Dragon Lord said, and Black Hand's expression grew stern. That phrase could only mean that the Oracle had seen another vision!
"And?" Black Hand enquired. The way he spoke to his Uncle was enough to suggest that their relationship was a very informal one – one without much decorum or restrictions.
"The hour is come, when the King shall be plunged into Darkness. He shall grieve, turning in his sleep which is no sleep, consumed by restlessness that comforteth not. He shall awaken, and shall lead us into an era of humans."
"That is what she said – word for word." The Dragon Lord explained.
"I see that there is no reason to worry then," Black Hand smiled, but his smile quickly turned into a frown when he saw the crease of worry on his Uncle's forehead.
"Why are you still concerned? Do you doubt the Oracle's abilities?" Black Hand wondered.
"Far from that. I trust her dearly. Her visions are our greatest weapons." The Dragon Lord denied his nephew's words without so much as a second thought. How could he doubt the Oracle? She was his wife after all!
"Then what worries you so?" Black Hand could tell that there was something bugging his Uncle; something that was clearly eating away at the man's happiness.
"It's the vision. I feel that it is a lot more complex than we understand. And that there is something big coming." The Dragon Lord explained. It was just a feeling, but he didn't dare dismiss it.
"What is this big thing that is coming?" Black Hand asked. The Dragon Lord sighed in worry and provided but a single word as his reply.
"War"