Year of the Metal Dragon
Month of the Dragon
It was a busy day for Bishop Marc Schneider. As the successor of High Priestess Crystal, it was his duty to lead the Sanctuary. Ever since the former head of the Sanctuary perished from that incident, the sanctuary council members, together with Lord Tristan III and his ministers, appointed him as the new headmaster of the Sanctuary.
It was sad for the entire clerics of the Sanctuary that Crystal died during that awful incident. She was still young, serving the sanctuary for three years. The high priestess died at a young age of twenty-eight. She served the entire citizens of Midgard without doubt and with all her heart. In return, the people treated her kindly. Whenever she goes, everyone pay great respect to the high priestess.
But that incident that took the lives of an entire platoon had devastated denizens of Midgard. She was supposed to visit Rachel to talk to the newly-appointed pope. The platoon was composed of experienced soldiers who had fought skirmishes throughout the entire continent.
At the site of the battle, the reconnaissance team reported that they found no bodies—humans or animals. They only found a large crater and a severely damaged katana.
Three days later, the nightmare began. Demons swarmed small villages in the woods and devoured all humans they could see. Cities closed their gates and fortified their defenses. Soldiers from each city were deployed to hunt down the demons.
But upon closer investigation, they found something disturbing. Evidences pointed out that it was him—the one responsible for the annihilation of the platoon and the demons as well.
He was a talented priest and wizards from the Arcane City considered him a genius. His creativeness made him the best priest in the sanctuary. He had exorcised several demons with one spell alone. His magic was well-known in the sanctuary, as every cleric watched him create swords out of his own holy energy.
When the bishop told the public of the crimes he committed, everyone was enrage. Bounty hunters started to hunt him down for the gold. Guild masters had posted the wanted picture of the cleric and told every guild member to kill him. The public wanted him dead. If it wasn't for him, then Midgard would be a peaceful place.
He must die, everyone said. Lord Odin must punish the heavenly cleric.
Elias must die.
And the bishop couldn't agree more.
It was already sunset when Schneider signed the last paper for the paladins. Captain Ruis requested the bishop to borrow supplies from the sanctuary. His team received orders from his superiors to march to Morroc to aid the sultan and his people.
He got up, slid his glasses inside his breast pocket and left his office.
"Bishop Schneider!" A priestess said, followed by her underlings.
"Good…"He looked through the window. "Afternoon everyone."
The priestess and her underlings reverently bowed their heads. Smiling, Marc blessed them with a touch of his finger.
"Are you going home already bishop?" One of the acolytes asked.
"Yes. I have important matters to attend at home."
"Take care of yourself, your Excellency." The priestess said and left with her underlings.
"Go to hell..." He muttered.
She turned around. "Did you say something?"
Marc waved a hand. "Oh nothing. Just talking to myself."
The Pronteran South Cemetery was a place where the corpses of the brave soldiers of Prontera were laid to rest. A statue of a horseman stood sentinel for the dead. Made out of bronze, the horseman was a symbol of bravery in Prontera.
It was quiet, with the gate closed and no one around. Bishop Schneider strolled towards the center of the cemetery.
Making sure that he was alone, the bishop scanned the area. He could only see the tombstones of the dead and the grass. A cold breeze rushed past him. He held on his coat and drew a blue gemstone.
As it landed on the grass, a pillar of light appeared. Marc smiled maliciously and threw a red gemstone in the portal.
It instantly changed into a menacing red portal.
He turned around. Seeing that he was being too cautious to be followed by snoopers, Schneider jumped in the portal.
"Late as ever, Five."
Schneider smiled and went to his podium.
"Do forgive me, Two. If you and Three didn't make me the head of sanctuary, then I wouldn't be late." He said.
"Enough!" Four yelled. The dark room was filled with an eerie silence.
"May I begin?" One asked.
"As you wish."
"It seems that the ritual to call the Dark Lord has failed. I was able to conclude that we lack human sacrifice to open the portal to the Demon world."
"As a result…" One continued. "The Dark Lord was randomly warped to the site and killed the 26th platoon, together with the high priestess."
"Sad, but at least we got rid of her. Her…principles and strength is a hindrance to our goals. Is it not, Five?" Two asked.
"Yes," Schneider replied with a sinister smile. "Although I was hoping to use her till the end. But nevertheless, she's out of picture. With me in her shoes, the kingdom can be easily manipulated. Tristan is a dumb ox who didn't see this coming."
"I have to agree with you Five. He is an old man." Four said.
"We will summon Him again. This time, we will not make the same mistake. One, start the preparations." Two barked.
"It will take us seven years to complete the necessary materials for the ritual. I will also need test subjects for this experiment."
"Just do it." Two said and faced the others. "Three, supply him with the guinea pigs."
"As you wish." He said.
"How about that guild mistress?" Surely she knows too much of our activity." The Bishop said seriously.
"The sharks should have eaten her dead body by now." Three replied.
"And the guild?"
"She managed to disband the entire guild, so tracing the guild members seems impossible right now; nevertheless, I can assume that girl didn't say anything to them, concerning our goals."
"But how will you tell that she is dead. She is, after all an important figure in Geffen." Two said, looking intensely at Three.
From his cloak, Three pulled out a silver pendant.
"I see…" Five said.
"Now then, how about that man?" Three asked, glaring at his companions. "He will be a nuisance to our plans."
"The cleric?" One asked.
"Yes, the one who summoned the powers of the Soul Arts." Five said. "Have you located him?"
"No, it seems he has gone into hiding or perhaps—"
"Impossible!" Four shouted. "I can still smell his scent across the continent. He is still alive, I know it."
"Enough of your petty talks!" Two yelled angrily. "We will focus our resources in completing the ritual. Once the preparations are 80 complete, we can hunt the cleric down."
They all nodded.
"Five, I want you to formulate a plan to kill the Soulrender."
"I already have one, my liege." He replied with great reverence. "We will use her, the one who knows the Soulrender more than anyone."
"The crusader?" Four inquired.
"Yes, she will be the one to kill him. Not to mention that everyone wanted him dead. I only need to twist her brain and change something in the sacred laws of the sanctuary."
"Good." Two said and they removed their hood. "Execute the plan. In seven years, we will achieve our destinies!"
