A man walked down the narrow stairs of a plain stone building that lead underground.
He wore a hooded cloak to mask his identity and even though the stairway was dark as there was no visible light source nearby, the man had no problem seeing in the dark as he proceeded to his destination.
The long set of stairs ended at a small metal door which was as unremarkably plain as the walls that surround it. The man didn't need to move his hands as the door glowed with a soft white light before opening up automatically.
Walking into the empty room, the man proceeded to bring out his right hand from underneath the cloak, there was an intricately adorned ring made from a gold like material with streaks of blue going through it and a black gem set in it that seemed to swirl with foggy clouds.
An inter spatial ring.
While normally very expensive, the one on the man's hand seemed far more extravagant than usual. It was like the man was eager to show off his apparently immense wealth.
With a wave of his hand, he brought out two boxes made from a material like white silver and placed it on the floor.
He pushed down a small switch at the sides of both boxes and watched as they glowed with mana before two beams of light extended from each box to form what seemed to be a hologram of two similarly cloaked figures.
His exposed lips formed a smile as a smooth clear voice came out of his lips.
"It is good to see you are all doing well"
Out of the two holograms, one of them snorted while the other one kept quite at his words.
"I can't believe we had to use these things, they are too expensive to maintain. This better be necessary." The person who snorted turned out to be a female. Her voice was high pitched but there was also the commanding tone of someone who was used to giving orders.
"What is it this time?" the other voice spoke. It was also a woman but unlike the first one, her voice was calm and soothing to the ears.
"You might have heard but the operations in Laron seemed to have met an untimely end. As it was exposed so easily considering who the higher ups sent there, I felt it necessary to inform you." The man spoke with a seemingly relaxed voice which didn't match the gravity of the situation he was talking about.
"Have you captured the summoned that were involved in the events?" the calm woman nodded before asking him asked him.
"No, they had split into groups and the last I heard was that the group headed by the human monk we had previously hired was searching for the cloud temple in the eastern mountains. As for the muan and the little girl accompanying him, we had left that to the summoned."
"The summoned!? You incompetent fool! You are leaving something important to us to those bunch of idiots?!" the woman with the high pitched voice screamed out hysterically.
The man's lips seemed to twitch into a frown but he swallowed down the words that were about to leave his mouth.
The calm woman seemed to notice this and chose to interject.
"Calm yourself" she spoke to the lady with the high pitched voice
"He may be many things but he definitely isn't incompetent and neither is he a fool"
She then turned to the man. "Why leave the capture of the muan to the summoned?"
The man seemed grateful for her question. "It seemed that the muan although weak seemed to possess a significant power by his side."
Before the woman could ask further, he quickly gave her the reason. "He was seen with a golem"
"Ehn?" the high pitched woman showed her surprise. Even the calm woman seemed to be interested in this information.
"The other summoned seem greatly interested in this power and are willing to get it through any means. Some of them say it might be one of their so called 'special classes'." The man explained further.
"It is true that golem making is a lost art. Except for those particular reclusive group of elves who hide in their forest, no one knows much about it." The calm woman slowly analyzed.
"You! listen to me, get that muan and retrieve that golem. I want it! And make sure you figure out where he got it from, if we can get more then.... Kyi! Kyi!! Kyi!!!" The high pitched woman laughed ominously.
The calm woman didn't seem to disagree with this as she nodded her head in consent.
"You will retrieve the muan and his golem from the summoned once they capture him no questions asked. It is good to spare manpower considering what is about to happen in Aysver especially with the blood moon upon us." She gave him her orders with a strict voice.
"Yes, your ladyship" the man bowed.
"As for the old man and the girl…." The man was about to say more when he was suddenly interrupted by the high pitched woman.
"Fool! Don't go after those ones unless you want to lose men for nothing!" she berated him harshly.
'Wait what?' the man's surprised reaction seemed to show even from under his hood.
"Just do as she says and ignore them. We will naturally have people on the matter. Is there more to report?" the calm woman asked.
The man quickly calmed down as he promptly answered her. "The preparations are going well and we have contracted three of the largest summoned guilds in Gorm to move their forces with us across the kingdom, they will serve as good cannon fodder for the battle and spare us from sacrificing our men."
The woman showed her agreement with a nod which the man took as a signal to continue.
"There have also been movements from the elven queendom, rumors have surfaced that the mad queen has come out of her seclusion."
The countenance of the two women in the projections seemed to turn solemn at this report. The calm woman was quick to ask. "Have you confirmed these rumors?"
"Well…. Your ladyship I think calling them rumors at this point would be a bit untrue as we received direct confirmation that the mad queen is truly active." The man's previously smooth voice also turned rather stiff as he gave this report.
"The kingdom of Gorm bordering Aysver to the north and Dragon empire which sits just across the Epilus canyons. We both received what although sounded like a warning, seems more of a threat from the queendom's messengers who reported that it came directly from the queen herself." The two women seemed greatly unsettled by this revelation.
The mad queen had threatened not just Gorm but the empire too?
"Damn it! What did that crazy bitch say?!" the high pitched woman anxiously demanded.
The calm woman's lips also seemed to be pursed grimly as she waited for the message that was sent by the wood elf know to the world as the mad queen.
The man opened his mouth to relay the ominous message. "Those who touch Aysver will definitely erupt in undying flames and there would surely be no rebirth nor reincarnation for those poor cursed souls"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In the treacherous region known as the Epilus canyons, a group of bandits were currently gathered around one of the numerous lift systems that bordered its steep edges. It was already late at night, the perfect time for them to commit to their work.
Although it is known for its treacherous terrain not to talk of the numerous dangerous magic beasts that roam the canyons. It was still very attractive for people as it boasted rich mines full of precious metals and even gems.
Some people enter just to hunt the magic beasts living there for their precious body parts which could be used in alchemy or weapon crafting.
The Epilus canyons was such a place where danger and reward go hand in hand so people all around the continent flocked there in massive droves as the length of the canyon actually cut through the entire continent on which it was situated!
This also meant that it would be a breeding ground for despicable people who couldn't put in an honest day's work or were too cowardly to brave the canyons on their own.
These people would then proceed to ambush the people coming up the lifts who wish to return to relative safety after going around the canyons and loot them of their gains.
This such group of four was headed by a particularly burly man who wielded a large battle axe which he leaned on blade down with his crew in front of him.
His group was composed of two beastmen and another human male and they all sported different kinds of menacing weapons.
"Hik! Hik! Boss! The kid is almost up! I'm telling you boss, he has a really nice sword on him. I saw him fighting off some red jackals earlier on from a distance!" the human male who wielded a long bow in addition to a short sword spoke out excitedly with a rough voice.
He seemed to have exceptional eyesight as even under the circumstances where there was little light and the lift was still far down, he was able to spot their supposed target. In respects to his bow, it was clear that he served as their archer in the rare cases where their prey tried to escape.
"Heh….. that sword should be mine then. This one has started getting a little rusty for chopping off heads" one of the beastmen who resembled a bull grunted as he pulled out a long saber which seemed to be chipped off at numerous places.
This beastman looked far more rugged than the rest as he wore clothes made from beast skin and had rings and piercings all over his body.
"Hey! Who gave you the right to choose pin cushion!" the other beastman who resembled a large grey wolf and was wielding a bastard sword roughly cut in.
"Do you think I won't chop your head off!?" the pierced out bull raised his saber as his nose flared in anger.
"You two idiots better keep your mouths shut before you lose them!" the leader of the group who stood at the back suddenly interrupted.
The group fell silent instantly. They all watched as the metal cables that pulled up the lift slowly creaked as they brought up their prey.
"Here he is boss! Hik! Hik! Heee!! I'm pretty sure he's loaded. We'll get to take some good quality booze tonight!" the archer rubbed his hands in delight as the lift finally reached the top.
They all smiled with anticipation as they finally took a good look at their prey.
It was human male that looked about 5'10 with soft brown hair that was cut short and had traces of white at the fringes.
He wore a rough looking brown cloak and a piece of cloth covered up his mouth and nose. Just beneath the cloak, they cold vaguely see the brown leather armor he wore and the hilt of a sword bulged through the front.
His pale yellow eyes that glared at them looked sharp and seemed to be emitting a frosty aura that sent chills down the spines of the bandits.
The archer in front even took a step back as the unknown man suddenly removed his left hand from underneath his cloak and place it on his sword hilt.
The two sides stood there for a moment as nobody moved. The leader of the bandits was able to accurately determine the man's intentions.
If they made a move, he will fight back!
He weighed his options as his hands slowly rubbed his axe handle that stood blade down in front of him. They had already robbed a few people today, it would be a shame if one of them got mortally injured just for a few extra loot right?
He wasn't a fool. Any bandit who operated around the canyons knew that it was a place filled with dangerous characters. So he knew when to pull back or else he wouldn't have survived long enough to lead his own band.
Coming to a decision, he was just about to open his mouth to tell his men to step back when he suddenly saw the pierced out beastman walking forward with his saber drawn.
"Hey you! You really expect us to tell you what to do next? Drop your sword and take out all your valuables before I decide to chop your head off!" he glared down at the man menacingly from his taller height.
The man just looked up at the beastman as his gaze narrowed. Before the leader could call out to the bull to stand back, they heard an ominous screech of metal ring out through the night.
SCREEE!!!
SWISH!!
THUD!
The remaining bandits stared in horror as they saw the head of the bull beastman topple off his body without any resistance before his body slowly dropped to the cold dusty floor.
Their eyes were glued to his body before they simultaneously looked up at the human whose left hand was still casually on his sword like the attack had nothing to do with him.
A cold night breeze drifted by which blew through his cloak and his gaze suddenly focused on the two closer to him who were still stunned by the sudden kill.
His white fringed hair suddenly swayed as he took a step forward.
SCREEE!!!
SWISH! SWISH!!
THUD! THUD!!
Two more heads dropped to the floor without much fanfare. By this time, the leader at the back was now terrified as he abandoned his axe and started to run for his life!
He had seen a lot of strong figures in his life but he had never seen someone so strong that they could swiftly behead someone of his crew's strength so easily.
The cloaked figure looked at his retreating figure before taking one more step forward.
SCREEE!!!
SWISH!
He suddenly appeared right in front of the escaping man as the sound echoed out.
The bandit leader suddenly stopped as he looked at the back of the cloaked figure in terror. Who was this man?
He would never know the answer as he felt his view turning upside down before he suddenly saw himself staring at the star dotted sky.
'Eh?'
THUD!
The cloaked man turned and slowly walked towards the bandit leader's body and looked down at it. His hand left his blade as he pulled down his face mask which showed his straight nose, thin lips and a small stubble growing under his chin.
"Ah, he was actually level 28? And so weak... well he never tried to fight anyway so I guess I'll never know" his cold voice echoed out as he patted down the man and came out with a big pouch that seemed to be filled with money and even some gems.
He also proceeded to rob the other bodies of their valuables before he promptly stood up. With a wave of his hand, all the pouches disappeared into thin air.
"These people can't even take good care of their weapons, how unsightly." He looked at the worn down weapons the bandit's had used before his sight fell on the bandit leader's battle axe.
"Ah, that would do nicely" he hoisted it up and looked at it closely before nodding and having it vanish from his hand.
Putting the mask back on his face, he looked east into the distance before walking forward again with a calm gait.
"I should arrive at Kurn in 3 days. That useless piece of shit better be there by then"
His figure was quickly swallowed by the night leaving only three cold corpses behind.