Heaven or Hell

by Scarabeye3000

An Overlord of Death, and a Fallen Angel leads Nazarick into the New World. OC.

14. The Dwarven City

Disclaimer: Seriously, I would have owned Overlord if I'm a gazilllionaire, sadly I am not. So, tough then.

Title: Heaven or Hell

Chapter 14 - The Dwarven City

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Azerlisia Mountain

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Gondo Firebeard panted as he ran through the old passageways that was connected to the ancient city of Feo Berkana. He could not understand it, why were the Quagoa out in force today? For some reason, they seemed to have been riled up by something. It couldn't have been him of course, why would they waste time on an old dwarf miner like him.

It didn't bloody make sense!

He made another turn and froze in his tracks, there was a pack of Quagoa at the end of the passageway. They were standing in front of a collapsed section as they tried vainly to penetrate the hard rock.

"I am telling you now," a blue furred Quagoa said to another red furred one, "We have tried to claw our way through, but this stone only crumbles in large boulder like chunks. It is too heavy to lift so easily and too hard for us to bite on. It is impossible to go faster, we have to haul out the chunks first and then go back for more."

"Have you tried going around and digging for a parallel shaft?"

"We did," another blue haired one replied, "We encountered the same metal/stone that is too concentrated for us to dig through. Where do you think are the rest of our team? They've been resting due to stomachache as they tried to eat their eay through, and those that forced to dig had to regrow their claws and is out of commission. Those iron-men have not only poisoned the stones, but made it impossible for us to burrow in it"

The red furred one made an impatient noise but relented, "Very well, I shall report your progress to our Clan Lord."

The Quagoa turned around and headed to where Gondo stood. Panicked, the dwarf quickly dove for cover between two large stone pillars. He dared not look as the stomping of the creatures made its way past him. He waited for a few minutes more until finally even the group of the blue furred Quagoa marched out grumbling with themselves at the difficulty of their situation. Gondo Firebeard sat still, unmoving, and almost non-breathing to ensure he would not reveal himself. Finally, after a few tense minutes he gathered the courage to stand up and go to the collapsed passageway.

He stood in front of the mounds of stone and rock and saw it was dense with iron. No wonder the Quagoa had difficulties penetrating it. This was no simple rock and stone, this was concrete and it is simply too hard for just sharpened claws.

It would take forever to go through this without iron tools. Unless you are not familiar with this place, thankfully, he was a miner and there were telltale signs of a parallel tunnel from those who first carved this passageway on the ancient city.

"Should be around here," Gondo pushed down on a group of stalagmites and a hole appeared near him, it was a collapsible trapdoor hidden under a boulder. Carefully, he lowered himself to the dwarf sized space and began crawling on all fours. This secret tunnel was actually not a secret since it was made to probe the viability for a larger passageway. Dwarven engineers also found it prudent to make access ways in case there were cave-ins.

He crawled through the dark until he reached the first exit. Grasping for the switch to open the door, he poked his head and found it was darkened by a cave-in. Once more he ducked back to the access tunnel and crawled towards the next exit point. Most people would have been claustrophobic within such a small space, the darkness, and the press of the stone on your body, but then again he was a dwarf and they were all born to work with stone. Until finally, on the 2nd to the last exit he was able to breach light. Dusting himself off as he pulled out of the access hole, he closed the exit again and headed through the open passage.

The light at the end of the tunnel signaled that this passageway led outside, he followed it to the end and found a curious metal object. It was circular, like a large metal bowl, with a rod and cylindrical object suspended on top of the dish. Aimed at the sky and set upon a stable tripod, he approached cautiously and found blinking lights on a side panel. Curiosity gripped him hard since he had never seen this kind of equipment and for what purpose does it serve. Unbeknownst to him, two sets of eyes looked at him from afar, their cross hairs zooming in at his small frame as they whispered on vox receivers.

"Is that a dwarf?"

"It could be," he tapped on his wrist panel and dialed the dormant Magos, "Magos Vestigo M4314, possible visual on 'special contact' assignment."

A few muffled beeps and clicks returned, then a scratchy voice said, "Repeat transmission."

"Possible visual on 'special contact' does not look to be armed. Orders?"

Another set of clicks and beeps as reply, then the sniper rifle was retracted and the two Legionnaires finally broke cover.

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Gondo touched the mysterious object and felt the smoothness of the forged metal. He also took note that the bonds of metal on metal is unlike what forge works that they know of. It is of such high quality that its insane, perfection at the most mundane objects.

'No dwarf could have made this fine material and at such fine thinness that it should be brittle, but its actually not.'

"Who could have made this? Its so smooth and round..." he gushed as he looked down at the relay beacon, "Its almost perfectly curved."

"They were made and designed by the Supreme Beings."

"GAHHHhhh!" the dwarf screeched at the top of his lungs as the two hooded legionnaires appeared behind him. He backed away so fast he tripped on a piece of rock and rolled over to a boulder. His vision swam as he sat on the cold stone floor, he could hear boots approaching him as he tried to refocus his senses.

"Ugh!" he shook his head to remove the cobwebs, but a set of glowing eyes appeared in front of him, "Please do not hurt me."

"Fear not," the legionnaire knelt in front of him and puts a hand on his shoulder, "For we are not here to hurt you. We are actually seeking out your city."

"Old man's beard," he sat up straighter as he saw two more legionnaires join them, "Why are you seeking our city?"

"Our leader will discuss this further with you-" the legionnaire stopped speaking and quickly stood up. From the exit, more legionnaires came running out as sounds like cracking branches came with them. Finally, a tall lithe man with red hooded robes came striding out, he made a beeline towards him and the dwarf almost backed away again.

"Greetings, I am Magos Vestigo M4314."

"I am Gondo- Gondo Firebeard, welcome to the dwarven realm Magos...?"

"You may call me Vestigo for short."

"Right, so, what are your people doing here in the first place?"

"We are seeking out your city-"

"-he said that," he pointed to the legionnaire standing guard near them, "I mean what is your purpose in seeking out our city?"

"Runesmithing."

"Best of luck with that," Gondo chuckled as he stood up and brushed himself off, "Only the old masters of the forge know about rune smithing, probably numbered about less than a baker's dozen if you include me at least."

Magos Vestigo's brain almost went haywire at that, his augmented mind screamed 'OBJECTIVE!' at him, "You are a Runesmith?"

"I consider myself to be, my father was part of the Royal Family's Runesmith cadre, I was under his apprenticeship when they-"

He stopped talking as the Magos nods his head to the Legionnaire, they could hear the roar of the Quagoa from the tunnel where he came out, "Did you perhaps open any passages to go through here?"

"Yes?"

"That should explain it," the Magos led him away as the crack of the weapons resounded near them, "The vicious beast are attacking en masse, we need to move and get you back to the Dwarven City."

Then his senses finally caught up and he could hear the loud roaring of those vicious creatures that laid waste to their ancient kingdom. From the mouth of the cave, a firing line of Skitarii Legionnaires fired and shot any enemy that peered on the side of the wall. The whip cracks he was hearing were the magical rod these hooded soldiers carried into battle. With every crack a long thin line of fire would extend and strike anyone or anything it was aimed at. It was fascinating how it worked and with every shot fired a Quagoa goes down. But the sheer number of the amassing creatures was beginning to spill over, while those at the back pushed their clan members and snarled 'FORWARD!' those at the front who faced the weapons of the Skitarii cried 'BACK!' as they met a quick end with their enemy's mysterious weapons.

The Magos saw and began calculations on his mind, for every creature that fell, 2 more replaces them in battle. He nods at one of the Skitariis and the soldier quickly began to gather round metal objects from each and every one of his surviving comrades. He puts it in a satchel bag and stuffs it further with a brick of gray clay, he took out a trigger mechanism, inserts it at the quite surprisingly soft but firm gray clay brick and dexterously throws it at the gathering horde on the passageway.

Magos Vestigo watched as the satchel sailed through the air and land in the middle of the rampaging horde about to spill out of the passageway, as the satchel smacked a charging Quagoa in the face an audible beep could be heard coming from the Magos, "Fire in the hole."

Gondo ducked and rolled on the stone floor as he felt and heard an enormous explosion. The blast collapsed the whole passageway, destroyed all the Quagoa caught in it, and threw all the Skitarii soldiers manning the exit into the ground. The passageway exit was now a smoldering ruin, the dwarf couldn't believe his eyes. For years, long before they lost the ancient city, they were unprepared against the coming of these creatures from the darkness. Oh sure, dwarves are mighty warriors and stable on their feet, but against such numbers it was simply difficult to win. A fully armed and armored dwarven soldier can probably kill 1 or 2 Quagoa at the same time, but these creatures attack as a horde and are quite fast and good at tunneling their way through ground and stone. That is why it was difficult to fight them, but these soldiers and their weapons are something else. By fighting in a distance, they have eliminated the need to close in and increased their chance of surviving.

"Gondo Firebeard," the Magos returned to his field of vision as the dust settled down, "Can you escort us to your city? We wish to discuss commerce with your Elders."

"Very well, but I cannot guarantee that my countrymen would be so welcoming."

"That is for our ambassadors to rectify," the leader then turned to his men and issued clicks and beeps, they all moved as one and began packing up their things including the relay beacon that the dwarf saw earlier, "I must ask though, what seems to be the reason you are wandering in such a dangerous part of your realm? You are not a soldier, nor a scout, then you told us you were a runesmith correct?"

"First and foremost, I am a miner," he sighed as sadness seemed to grip his eyes, " and I was also the son of the great Master Runesmith."

"And what is the state of your craft today?"

"Its not the trend anymore ever since the invention of the Tiered magic. It was considered obsolete since you can easily enchant your weapon with just the right spell," he took out a small knife and began gesturing to the knife as if trying to describe what he meant, "Its basically putting runes of power in a sword, thereby making it able to be wreathe in fire, or gush forth water or whatever effects you wish. But a runed weapon is rarer than a vein of adamantium the size of a mountain these days, in fact, I haven't seen one in quite a while."

"You mean like this?" the Magos took out his power sword and Gondo's eyes widened, it was a broadsword with 10 runes on it, stamped with 5 on each side. Vestigo then activated his power sword and it thrummed with power, arcs of energy travelling from the pommel to the tip and a bluish hue seemed to envelope the sword. Curiously though, there are no stamps on who made the weapon, "My power sword is a standard issue by the Artificer Magos on the Stellarum Nex Manufactorum."

"This is impossible! How can this be!?"

"It is not my function to understand such artificer works since my specialty lie elsewhere, however if your comrades could commence in trade with our nation, I am sure it would not be hard to give such information to you and your brethren."

"In that case, follow me," Gondo spoke softly as he led the unknown soldiers and the Magos towards the remaining Dwarven City of Feo Jera, a frontier city that was planned to handle all the commerce coming from the outside world, but after the attack of the Quagoa and the Frost Dragons, all administrative and the seat of the government was transferred there. Unbeknownst to him, the Magos spoke in binary and ordered one of the remaining Skitarii's to activate his beacon so their reinforcement could follow them.

Unfortunately though, because of the constant snow storms it was quite difficult to pinpoint their location using the forces under Baraqiel. But make no mistake, he would do everything in his abilities and would relay their position so that the Warmaster may have his prize.

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Re-Estize Kingdom

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On a grand mansion overlooking a large section of the Royal Capital, a few stoic looking men gathered outside on the terrace. The ground floor held more men and the surrounding walls and gates were also manned with guards armed with swords and spears. They were guarding the mansion of a well-known prostitute, her name was Hilma Cygnaeus, and she was one of the arms of Eight Fingers and head of the Drug Trade within the Kingdom. She has poppy plantations on both the Baharuth Empire, the Kingdom and some remote parts of the Theocracy. Indeed her reach in the drug trade is quite far and no competitor is able to push her out of business. For her drug trade was incorporated in her whore house and brothels that catered on the upper crust and the middle class of society.

Basically, anyone that can pay would get a taste of both heaven or hell, depending on your fetish of course.

And so, her other associates, the other 'executives' of Eight Fingers gathered around a large round table deep within her mansion.

"So? What about our operations within the 'City of the Dead'?"

"Quite impossible to say," an old man stroked his long beard and shrugged his shoulders, "With it being occupied, I am pretty sure the Empire would abstain from this year's annual war. I am not sure about the Kingdom, though it seems they have given up their claim of E-Rantel. For now at least."

"Any news on our remaining agents?"

Hilma took a long drag on her pipe and shrugged her shoulders, "The masters of that city allowed the brothels to continue thus, I have instructed my girls to go back. Though business is slow and there seemed to be not much customers within since the nobles have all but been driven away or escaped back to the neighboring cities."

"Its such a drag," Cocco Doll, leader of the Slave Trade shook his head, "With the Re-Estize Kingdom cutting back on the Slave Trade, I was thinking of relocating my headquarters at the Empire or the Theocracy!"

"You would risk entry into the Theocracy?"

"At least they know the value of a good demi-human slave, either labor, pleasure, or just plain zealotry. Who cares?" he shrugged his shoulders and slouched on his seat, "As long as gold still flows, there's not going to be any problem right?"

The Executive Leader nods his head, "How about our black market? Any particulars that we need to take note of?"

"There is a new merchant in the Baharuth Empire that seems to be churning out goods that are of high quality."

"And?"

"And the volume trade limit, high tariffs, and poor roads towards the Empire generally makes for a very lucrative transfer of goods," the head of the Smuggling Division smiled underneath his hood, "Quite recently, our agents acquired a whole lot of high quality art works."

He took out a statue of the 'naked David' and even the Executive Leader grinned under his own hood, "As you can see, this is only an example of one of the art works. If we can secure a line through this merchant and they would be, shall we say, susceptible to our 'arrangements' then it would be very lucrative for all of us."

"What if he isn't?"

"We can always force a deal," Zero said under his hood.

"We can't always force a deal," Hilma interjected, "This is a merchant we are talking about, a powerful one if I may say so since they make high quality items. If we can learn a bit more about him, perhaps we can integrate within his inner circle."

"Excellent idea," the Executive leader nods his head, "The Baharuth Empire still deals in slavery, maybe we can entice him to deal in our slaves. Consecutively, can you send some of your best girls on that city Hilma and of course supported by Cocco Doll?"

"Its because you requested it, then we will make it so," Cocco Doll inclined his head slightly and took a sip of his tea, "I do hope our colleagues in the Six Arms would help us in case we do attain a contact?"

Zero grinned, "You betcha."

The Executive Leader nods his head satisfactorily, "Now that is done, let us move on to other issues. How about the sudden influx of nobles in the Royal Capital?"

"I am throwing a party for the newly arrived nobles, males mostly of course," it was Hilma again who interjected, "We can use this party to introduce our drugs to these far-flung nobles and thus they would be easily under our sway."

"Excellent."

The meeting continued with more matters concerning the encroachment of smaller crime lords, the taxes from associated crime gangs, the flow of revenues from all Fingers and divisions, their reaction to the numerous policies they would take in regards to the laws of the Baharuth, Re-Estize, and the Theocracy. And of course, a more detailed approach in regards to the Sorcerer Kingdom. Unbeknownst to them a shadow hid under the base of the 'Statue of David' as they pushed it towards the side within the shadows, with more room to maneuver the Shadow Demon made its way out of the room and into the open.

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Baharuth Empire - Arwintar

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A girl with short blonde hair stood ramrod straight in front of his large desk, on her left and right stood 2 smaller girls that looked exactly alike. Twins that looked nervously at their elder sister, then back at the scary man, then back at their sister as she held her two siblings hand tightly. The eldest of the 3 bit her lips in annoyance and anger, her father sat on a chair on the side as their new 'master' looked at them inquisitively.

"State your name child."

Tsk! Her annoyance and defiance reflected on her face as she spat out, "I am Arche Eeib Rile Furt."

"She doesn't seem happy at all isn't she?"

"Oh please, please, she just had a bad day, but I assure you her skills are more than enough to compensate."

"Hmm? Well, I suppose if my own father sold me, I would also feel the same."

'Stupid father!' she screamed within as she grits her teeth at his father's stupidity. The moment he brought in that painting she knew it would bring their family more ruin than she could handle. He actually had the gall and stupidity to sell even the twins, to drag them into this mess, she couldn't believe the surreal feeling of it all. Their father, who professed his love for all of them, who should be protecting them and guiding them in their life, actually SOLD THEM. Sold them to this merchant because of a loan he could not pay and a loan he shouldn't have gotten in the first place. But she could only grit her teeth at their misfortune, since she is still under their household and had not been declared separate, thus her father is still the one who decides on their fate.

But this just sucks!

"I hope this would satisfy my debt to you?"

"We shall see."

Arche looked at his father, never had he shown such reverence towards another person. Except those that are above and beyond what riches they used to possess. She only saw her father be this affected when he met those of the higher nobility or someone above him in peerage. Like a Count or Earl, Marquis or even a Duke, but this merchant shook his father like she had never witnessed before and this made her pause and evaluate the merchant even more. This merchant didn't seem different at all from the wealthy individuals that hired them at the past. Her 'talent' also showed him to be not possessing of anything remotely of any magic.

Their father gave them one last look and then turned back to the merchant and bowed, "Well then, Master Samuel. I bid you farewell now."

Arche and the twins looked on as their father abandoned them, there was an irritating pang on her heart as they were left in the care of a stranger. Nay, less in a care, and more like a property sold since all three of them were technically slaves. Though their father assured them that he would buy them back, it was never mentioned how he would do so such a claim. Their new master looked at them from where he stood, his eyes boring into hers as if waiting for her reaction, but before she could speak his words disarmed her at once.

"Do not be afraid~"

Trust is never easily earned, but she suddenly felt relaxed and at ease as he spoke those 4 words to them.

"Come, I wish to speak with you three."

As if a spell was broken, Arche protectively puts the two girls behind her as Samuel sat down on his chair, "What are you doing girl? I am your Master am I not? Come, let them speak to me."

Hesitantly, she released their hands and the two stepped in front of their elder sister. They looked at the sitting man in front of them and stared at him with their wide doe eyes, unsure of their new benefactor and what will be their life now under his care.

"Come children~"

Something triggered within Arche as she looked on at her twin sisters approaching the mysterious merchant with absolute confidence. She blinked rapidly and returned to her senses, was that a charm spell? But she didn't felt any magic from him. So, if he didn't use magic, then why are the twins, who are usually shy about strangers now stood in front of the man looking at him expectantly.

"What are your names then~?"

The young girl did a small curtsy and gave him a small bow before answering, "My name is Ureireka-"

"-and my name is Kuudereika," the other one also gave a curtsy as they both stood straight at the same time.

"Well, my name is Samuel~" the merchant gave his name and smiled, his golden eyes, long black hair and almost glowing skin disarmed them all. But it was his voice that actually made them all stop and think that, maybe he is not so bad. "Never fear children, you are safe with me~"

There was that feeling again, why would she feel like this every single time he would speak. Realization dawned on her as she guessed on his abilities.

'Perhaps- he has a passive ability?'

Samuel smiled down at the 2 children and asked, "Well, are you two hungry~? Join me for a bite of breakfast then~"

Clapping loudly, the double doors opened and brown robed servitors filed inside carrying trays laden with breakfast. Bacon, eggs, sausages, mashed potatoes, soft white bread, oatmeal and assorted fruits. The twins hadn't had breakfast like this in a while, nor does Arche ever since their fall from the grace of nobility. A table was set near one of the windows and they sat on their respective chairs. The twins were looking at the food hungrily, but dared not touch them.

"Go ahead children~ Eat now and fill yourselves~"

Ure and Kuu looked at Arche for approval and she hesitantly nods her head, feeling the hunger pangs her sisters herself. She then looked at their new Master Samuel and she also began taking portions for her breakfast.

Samuel also took food and began eating, "You must be wondering why I bought you and your sister right?"

"S-somewhat... am I to join you in-" she hesitated and blushed profusely, "-in bed?"

The Fallen Angel stopped eating and looked at her with a neutral face, then he gave a small laugh. Which blew up into a full blown laughter that made the twins stop eating and look up at him with confused smiles on their little faces.

Arche on her behalf looked miffed at their new Master's attitude towards her. He actually laughed at her- "Why are you laughing?!"

"Oh- oh damn it! Forgive me-" he shuddered as he stop his giggling fit, "Its just that... was that the first thing on your mind? Who would have thought that you would have such vile thoughts already?"

The eldest sibling of the Furts blushed redder as Samuel teased her, "It can't be helped- most men buy women slaves for their pleasure-"

"I assure you child, that is something I would not wish to visit on you~" their Master resumed eating, "No, I require a native of the Baharuth Empire to look after the store, my store in case one or more of my direct assistants are indisposed. Currently, I have four that I would have you meet later. Since you can use magic then I will send you with the caravans to find any viable products to sell. From wine, household items, weapons, potions, whatever we might need and sell for a profit. Thus that is the reason why I need you, additionally, you have established contacts within the Empire and beyond with your outside works, so you are just perfect for the job."

"Why me though?"

"Why not? You were a former student at the Empire's Magic Academy and was held in high regard by Fluder himself. It would be a waste for you to serve as a line worker or a mere soldier perhaps," Samuel took the platter of fruit then offered it to the twins, "Additionally, you are a magic caster. These caravans carry valuable items in stock, you may need to defend yourself more than once in a while."

Arche seemed satisfied as she nods in understanding, "What about the twins?"

Samuel sighed as he looked at the identical girls in front of her, "I once had children you know, there were two of them. Twins to be exact."

"W-what happened?"

His eyes conveyed all the answer Arche needed, "They are far from me now."

"I- I see," the girl nods and continued eating. The implied meaning already understood.

"Additionally, your sisters need education and it is imperative that children know their letters and numbers," Samuel continued eating while the twins seemed oblivious to the two of them talking, "Of course, they are too young for school. So, I shall assign them tutors. When they grow older and already knowledgeable enough then I can assign them to my planned expansion to the Re-Estize Kingdom, or maybe the Holy Kingdom. Time will tell, but they must be set right if they would ever make their mark in this world."

Arche couldn't believe it, their Master was implying that he has basically adopted the twins.

"But why?"

"What do you mean why?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I want to," Samuel sighed as he took a mouthful of apple, "Don't think too much about it, just make sure not to defy me and be faithful and we would be good to go."

"What about my status as an adventurer of the Baharuth Empire?"

Samuel chuckled at that, "You're not really an adventurer right? You're a 'Worker'."

"H-how did you know that?" the girl paled as her Master revealed that information.

"Child," Sammael said it with a deadpan voice, "I pay much gold to be well-informed of any city that I go into. If a daughter from a disgraced noble family suddenly becomes an illegal adventurer then I would certainly hear of it."

She had underestimated her new Master, who would have thought that he would have probably knew everything about her. Then how about-

"If your thinking about the teammates that you have, the dual wielding swordsman, the non-committal priest and the half-elf woman, I can assure you that as long as they don't interfere with my business we are all good to go," Samuel shrugged his shoulders and sighed as he finished eating and poured the twins hot chocolate from a fresh pot, "You may pursue your business with your Worker friends I will not hinder you, but when I call, I expect you to answer at once. Is that understood Arche~?"

Such power behind his words, it stumped her as Arche was compelled to bow respectfully, her forehead almost touching the table. She couldn't believe his words, such freedom for a slave from a new Master.

"Yes, my Lord."

The Fallen smiled at her, "Very good," then turned back to the twins to dote on them. She visibly began to relax as she felt that their new Master genuinely means what he just said. Additionally, she would find no need to doubt his words yet. Still, she would need to be cautious of his movements, in the off chance that everything should change, then she and her twin sisters should be able to live away from here. Unbeknownst to her, their new Master's power was beyond reckoning and she would felt its embrace much sooner than she expected.

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Azerlisia Mountain

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Gondo Firebeard gulped a lungful of air as he stood on the sealed gate of the garrison of Feo Jera. They arrived without no further incident to the fortified gate that is the strongest line of defense of the dwarves against the Quagoa and their large numbers. Fortunately, these creatures have not made any ingenious crafts that would be considered siege works, so the whole gate was protected by a wall and on its back lie the only bridge from the inner of the Azerlisia Mountains towards the last frontier city of Feo Jera. A very deep chasm separates the side where the fortification is towards the fortified inner gate of the last dwarven city. In case of a siege with the forces coming from Feo Berkana, then if the garrison would not hold then they would collapse the bridge and cut off any means of attack from within. Their enemies would be forced on a roundabout way to the side of the mountain risking the wrath of the Frost Giants. As such, the dwarves maintained this static defense and defended it from each and every threat that came knocking from the abyss. Imagine their surprise when they saw one of their kin, with strangers that looked human coming in from the direction of the old capital looking harried and exhausted.

From above an irate looking soldier dwarf shouted on the top of his lungs, "I cannot let you in with strangers in tow!" the senior soldier shouted back, "Additionally, what the hell are you doing in the prohibited areas anyway!?"

"The same way we all need to live, MINING! Now let us in!"

"I cannot! You know the rules! Turn back and go the other way around!"

"You would have us go outside to the mountain cliffs? What about the Giants!?"

"I cannot open the gate, scouts report that something has riled the Quagoa into moving and the Elders ordered this gate to be sealed shut without any exemption!"

"Who the hell do you think the Quagoa were pursuing anyway that just came from the old Capital!?"

Realization slowly dawned on the commanding dwarf as he finally shouted, "Open the Gates!"

Gears turned and creaked as the massive mithril gates of Feo Jera began to open, its old hinges puffing out dust clouds as they sat undisturbed for years. Their joints and moving parts dry from almost a decade of disuse is slowly, but continuously being opened. Gondo and Magos Vestigo stood side by side as the doors fully opened and they were welcomed by a veritable wall of spears. From a side entrance, the commander of the garrison turned at the formed dwarven soldiers and shouted with much authority.

"Yanad Durinul! Baruk karas!"

Immediately, the armored dwarves parted to allow the group of red hooded men and a dwarf to pass. As soon as they were clear of the door, the dwarven soldiers formed again to create a wall of spear as the massive doors began to shut itself together again. As soon as Gondo reaches the garrison commander, they immediately got into a heated argument.

"You did not answer me, why are you in Feo Berkana a restricted area for our people?"

"I was supposed to go to Feo Raizo-"

"-that is also a restricted area-"

"-which nobody follows anyway," Gondo insisted, "Show me a dwarf that actually listened once on what can one and cannot do, I was driven back by the patrolling Quagoa and certain circumstances made me take a detour on one of the passageways near the old Capital. I found that there were signs of battle and I decided to investigate-"

"-so, your a warrior too now? Do you fancy yourself a hero?"

"Would you let me finish?" the miner said exasperatedly, "As I was saying, I followed the access tunnel and saw it was blocked off by the Quagoa. I found an access shaft parallel to it so I moved from there, and at the overlook of the tunnel I found them."

The garrison commander's brow was still furrowed and scratched his bearded chin in thought, "And who are these people?"

It was the Magos' cue, "Greetings, I am Magos Vestigo 4314, I was sent as an envoy by the Sorcerer Kingdom to establish trade and commerce with your great city."

"We hadn't had trade ever since the Baharuth Empire stopped using rune items centuries ago," the commander rubbed his bear in thought, "What Kingdom you said you came from again?"

"The Sorcerer Kingdom, our capital city is nestled in between the borders of the Baharuth Empire, the Great Forest of Tob, the Slane Theocracy and the Re-Estize Kingdom," Magos Vestigo removed his mask and it showed a pale face untouched by the sun for decades, "We wish to speak to your Ruling Council or Elders as we can certainly help you with anything you may require."

"Well, that is for the Council to decide-" he turned to two sentries and called to them, "Kharn, Eitri, escort them through the bridge and take them to the Council. This is out of our hands now."

The 2 dwarven soldiers marched up to them and led them through the inner gate, marching up and across to the bridge spanning the great chasm, they reached the other side and were allowed entry immediately into the gates. Once inside of the main city, they quickly headed towards the largest building in the city. This was the seat of power on the last stronghold of the dwarven realm, its aesthetics closely followed the pattern of the block buildings of the Kingdom of Men as this city was initially planned to be the main trading point for those that wished to open commerce with the dwarves. But with the numerous misfortune that they have endured, with the loss of their Capital, another city decimated, the extinction of the Royal Family and the abandonment of another city, their glory days are far from them. Still, they held on to this last bastion of the Dwarven folk.

"Only you and the Magos are allowed to go in," Eitri pointed with his warhammer, "The rest of your men can stay at the tavern, they accept any currency as long as the metal has value."

"We understand," Vestigo turned to one of the Legionnaires and said, "EL 25, at ease."

The Skitarii banged on his breastplate and turned back to his comrades to relay the message, the 2 dwarven soldiers then turned back to Gondo and Vestigo and motioned for them to follow. They walked up the stairs and were led inside, the stone halls were made fairly well and they were maintained as much as they can. The Magos could see that the whole place was decorated with dwarven imagery, trinkets and walls are sculpted with stone murals depicting great scenes and pieces of history. They walked quickly and were brought in front of 8 aging dwarves, each one representing a vital part of dwarven society, luckily they were currently convened due to the disturbance recently made by the Quagoa.

"What is this now?"

"My Lords," it was Kharn, a bald yet heavily bearded dwarf who spoke as he removed his helm, "They claim they are from the Sorcerer Kingdom, a Kingdom that is currently in-between the borders of the Baharuth Empire, Re-Estize Kingdom and the Forest of Tob. They are also the reason for the recent activities with the Quagoa, the garrison commander sends his regards."

With that, both soldiers bowed and marched out, leaving Gondo and the Magos with him in the care of the Regency Council.

"Who did you say you represent again?"

The Magos stood up straight and declared, "I am Magos Vestigo M4314 and I represent the Expeditionary Forces of the Sorcerer Kingdom."

"Why have you come to our realm Magos?"

"We came here for this," he drew his runesword and it glowed with an inner light as all 8 members of the Regency Council gasped in surprise, "We wish to establish commerce and trade with you, iron, stone, precious metals and jewels. And of course, the wonders and ways of runesmithing."

Magos Vestigo gave his sword to the nearest Council member and they all passed it around, touching and inspecting, testing the weight and the heft of the blade, its balance and runes, its feel on the hand, and more importantly any kind of identifier who made of such a blade. They found none as the Forgemaster turned the blade in his hand once more, he slid back his seat and carried the blade with him, he stood in front of a breastplate hanging on a wall. He raised the sword and brought it down swiftly at the armor, the downward motion of the swing electrified the blade and struck the armor. As the blade contacted the armor, the metal on the breastplate warped and tore apart like shredded leather.

The Council gasped as they saw the power of the weapon in front of them, that armor was made of mithril, forged by the Forgemaster himself. They watched him as he walked back to the Magos, presented him with his blade and returned to his seat.

"We deny your wish."

"May we know why?" the Magos almost blew a fuse at that, failure to the Supreme Beings is not an option. He may need to send a request for an occupation force on the dwarven realm.

"Simple, we dwarves believe in trading of equal value. As I can see, your runesmithing is superior to ours," it was the Forgemaster who spoke, "Additionally, the metal on your sword is unlike something I have seen before. Even after the lightning spell coursed through the whole blade, it still felt cold to the touch and did not affect the blade in anyway. We do not have anything of equal measure to trade."

"I see, my superiors wishes to speak with you further," the Magos beseech them, "Would you allow it?"

The members of the Council's eyes met and nods knowingly in agreement.

"Very well."

The Magos then took out a small metal rectangular box. He sets it on the ground and a flash of light later, a towering giant in yellowish plate armor appeared in front of them. They were stunned, being dwarves and highly suspicious, they were surprised when a being in such a flashy armor appeared in front of them. The figure raised his hand in pacification and clearly said.

"Please do not be alarmed, I am General Baraqiel, of the 7th Legion of the Sorcerer Kingdom's army. I assure you of our peaceful intentions.~"

Such power emanated from one being and such a benevolent voice came from it that the Regency Council's alarm quickly vanished. They found that they are at least willing to listen to such a man.

"Lords of the Dwarves, I beseech you. My Lord Master wishes to have the knowledge of your runesmithing so that it may continue to flourish and not be forgotten~"

"As I have said, we do not have anything of equal measure-"

"-the skills of your artisans and craftsman are worth more to my Masters. Forgotten knowledge is what is first and foremost on their mind, perhaps there is something that you need that we can assist you with~?"

Baraqiel looked around the hall and said, "If you would like, we would provide you military aid. We will root out the Quagoa until your old cities of Feo Raizo and Feo Berkana is in your hands once more~"

"As such you would need extra hands to mine minerals, precious stones and metals. Our Lords can give you on loan undead miners that can tirelessly work day and night. That is if you wish it~"

The Forgemaster looked at the Army Commander and nods his head. He then turned to Baraqiel and said, "We will need a day to deliberate on this, please rest for a while and stay in the city. We will need to discuss this further between ourselves and we would not wish to inconvenience you with our talks."

"I thank you then for your time~," Baraqiel turned around with a slight bow on his head, "We shall return tomorrow~."

.

The guests left the Council room with their dwarf guide, as soon as the doors closed shut. The Army Commander blurted out, "Such words from a soldier, do you think they would honor what they said."

"Do you think they have the capacity to launch an attack of such magnitude?"

All of the members of the Regency Council thought and planned for such an undertaking before, but with such a small frontier city and no hope of expansion except on the outside of the mountain then it would be such a futile undertaking. Not only would it take more than ten thousand men to liberate Feo Raizo, most of their estimates does not even consider the presence of the Frost Dragons on the old Capital. I suppose they could drive the Quagoa out of Feo Raizo, but in Feo Berkana, then it would next to impossible.

"If we would ally with them, can you tell me for how long will we rely on the Sorcerer Kingdom on their military strength?"

The Commander in Chief of the Army shrugged his shoulders, "Our current population according to the census is around a 100,000 citizens. Our current city is only half the size of Feo Teiwaz and only a quarter of the size of Feo Raizo, not to mention a pin drop compared to the size of Feo Berkana. If we can rely on the Sorcerer Kingdom and their military, then perhaps within a decade or 2, we can be more than self-sufficient and respectfully ask them to vacate our cities."

"Will they honor that though?"

"We can only tell with the passing of time," the Master of the Caves and Mines, "Though with the liberation of Feo Raizo, we can obtain more ores since it was initially planned as a mining city. With undead or automatons working non-stop, day and night, unless the vein is a dud then our revenues would be enormous."

"And what would they like in exchange?" it was the Cabinet Secretary who asked, "They wanted a portion of the ore and all the rune smiths that we have?"

The Forgemaster nods his head, "They wanted the rune smiths and all I can say is to hell with that. How can we give away our heritage? A piece of our people? We are dwarves and anything born out of the earth and molded by the forge was passed down to us by our ancestors. We cannot simply accept all of what they offer so easily."

"How can you say that?" the Commander in Chief shook his head, "Our civilization tethers on the brink of existence, do you think the Dwarven Army can defend this last city of our people? Well, let me say it now, a force of 10,000 cannot defend this nor even offer any offensive against the Quagoa who numbers at close to 100 thousand strong-"

"Are you saying we are weak?"

"No!" the Commander countered, "I am saying the truth, it may hurt since there is no lie to cover it, but the truth of the matter is that we do not have the number to effectively defend our race. With the assistance they are offering, we can make changes that would definitely be to our advantage."

The Cabinet Secretary jots down on a piece of scroll, "For one thing, we can ask them to return the Runesmiths after learning as much as they can at the Sorcerer Kingdom's territory. Also, we can lessen the revenue that we can give them from the mining operation to as low as 10% of the Net, we can also stipulate certain control to the army that they would allow us to borrow in the time being."

"Those seemed pretty stiff conditions," the Commander shrugged his shoulders, "Would they agree to those?"

"We will know tomorrow," the Forgemaster looked up to the ceiling and sighed deeply. The weapon of the Magos weighing heavily on his mind, such fine features of the weapon. What manner of technique did they use to produce such a fine blade. The rune works was one thing, but the forgework was something else he didn't thought possible. For a blade to not be affected and was able to resist the heat transfer from the lightning spell that coursed through it is a lost work belonging to the work of the Gods.

"Share me your thoughts Forgemaster," it was the Commander of the Army, "Still thinking about the Magos and his weapon?"

"Indeed, we need all the help we can get," he sighed once more as the other Council members looked at him, "For them to approach us at our most vulnerable time, don't any of you think that it is too convenient?"

It was the Merchant master who replied, "What do you mean? That there are forces greater than us that are orchestrating our demise? Have you even looked around? Our trade with the Empire has almost dried up, we have no surplus, word outside is that there are no dwarven cities anymore. In the eyes of the neighboring kingdoms we are extinct, so how can you tell me than that you lot are still seriously considering in dismissing the Sorcerer Kingdom's help? We would all be foolish to even think it!"

"I am one with the Merchant Master," the Head of the Food Production also stood up, "Our farmlands are very small, it needs to rest to be able to support more crops. As you know, our crops grow leaner and lesser every year, we cannot use at least 18% of it due to it being dried up and turning into sand. We need their help to further expand our territory and secure more of our former farmlands."

"Can you explain further? Our farmlands are turning to sand?" it was the Commander of the Army, "How can it be so?"

The Head of the Food Production cleared his throat and explained, "Fertile land is compact, dark in color, full of moisture, nutrients, and natural chemicals that help plants grow. However, continued use of this land drains all these things from the soil. If it is ignored, the soil becomes too loose and dry, such dry soil cannot be tilled and watered as this will only result in erosion and thus it turns to dust and sand. The only process that mitigates this is by land rotation, by using farm land for 3 years straight and then letting it rest for a year then we can give the soil a chance to rest and replenish the things it gave to the plants to grow. Like us beings of this world, the earth can only give as much. It must rest, but it cannot rest because there are no alternative to the farmlands we currently have."

The Brewmaster also stood up, "I agree with you, the hops and underground barley we have harvested is at an all-time low. Due to this, I cannot assure you that we can sustain beer production in excess of 10 years."

"Very well, since we are not united in this decision then let us put it into vote then," thr Army Commander pointed out, "Shall we accept the help provided by the Sorcerer Kingdom? Those in favor?"

7 hands came up, unsurprisingly it was the Forgemaster who did not agree.

"Forgemaster, what is this?" it was the Merchant Master who looked at him crossly, "Should we explain it further to you our current situation."

"I understand our predicament, but there must be another way than surrendering our men."

"What if they leave on their own volition? Will we prevent them?"

"Then let us say to the Sorcerer Kingdom that they can only bring those runesmith that wishes to come," the Cabinet Secretary said, "Additionally, we would be given a certain control of the garrison that they would be sending. Also, we will give them 10% of the ore deposits mined in exchange for the undead workers up to a maximum of 45%-"

"40!"

"-35!"

"-30!"

"-25% then!" the Secretary quickly writes down the figures on a piece of scroll and drips a dollop of wax on it, he pressed his signet ring on the wax and it hardened with his official insignia embossed on it.

The scroll made the rounds and each Council member signed their names on it, until once more it lingered on the hands of the Forgemaster.

The Army Commander then looked at him with one of his eyebrows raised, "Well?"

"I am still not convinced-"

"-think of the future, after 10 years we should be on our feet then," the Commander assured him, "We won't be here forever, but our children might suffer due to our indecision-"

"-or due to our rash decision," the Forgemaster sighed deeply and finally signed his name, "Remember what you said, our army must bear witness to their deeds."

The Army Commander grinned, "Did you think I'm just going to sit here and twiddle my thumbs, I'll be going too you know."

.

The next day

.

Baraqiel sat across the Regency Council as they read off their terms of the 'mutual trade agreement' in the words of Lord Ainz himself. Transmitting the details to E-Rantel and to the Stellarum Nex. The Council was impressed that such machineries was now possible to transmit images and sound through great distances, but it also revealed the fearsome truth about the Sorcerer Kingdom.

The Dwarf Lords could not believe it at first, that the leader of the Sorcerer Kingdom is an undead lich that is sympathetic to life and shares power with an Angel of equal power. But seeing their living servants convinced them otherwise, and so they were assured at least that the agreement would be fulfilled to the letter. The Cabinet Secretary finished the declaration and seated himself soon thereafter.

It was the Army Commander who stood now and asked, "We have stated our terms, do you agree to these terms?"

From E-Rantel, an almost imperceptible nod came from the Undead Overlord and the deep voice of the King came through, "I will send my undead legion to safeguard your reconquered cities and then undead workers once it is all clear. Sammael?"

The Angel's majestic form also nods slightly and said in the same sonorous voice, "I am allowing the 7th Legion to reclaim your realm. I name General Baraqiel as overall commander of the Legion. And should he ask, the 3rd Legion would answer as support."

Baraqiel bowed to the images of the 2 Lords as they faded out of existence.

"So, General Baraqiel," the Army Commander stood up and walked up to him and offered his hand to shake, "I would have shook your Majesties hand, but you as proxy would suffice to seal the deal."

Both hands grasped each other and shook once. They both let go and the Cabinet Secretary and the Brewmaster began doling out beer, "By the way, when will the reclamation start? I may need time to mobilize my own army."

"Oh? We were under the impression that we would undertake this mission alone," Baraqiel took a sip of his beer and tried not to wince. How can Lord Sammael and Ainz drink this bitter concoction anyway? "Regardless, we would begin our conquest by midday."

The Dwarven Commander almost dropped histankard of beer, "So fast!"

"Time is always of the essence-"

The sound of a horn blow made them all walk over to the terrace, from above they could see the plaza where the rest of the expeditionary force that brought them Magos Vestigo to their doorstep. They were formed 6 abreast with the Magos in the middle, 2 portals opened in between them as figures began marching out of the void.

"What are those?"

"Please do not be alarmed," Baraqiel assured them, "It is only a part of the legion of the Sorcerer King, a pin drop of soldiers to protect your about to be liberated city of Feo Raizo."

Out of one of the portals came large hulking figures, great horned helms, spiked plate armor, broad tower shields, curved long swords, tattered capes and red orbs of the undead for eyes. Death Knights marched out of the abyss, there were no fanfare or music from the marching army to announce their coming, they towered over the dwarves and those nearest could feel their teeth chattering from the sudden cold. They kept in perfect line as they numbered a total of 500, marching past outside and manning the perimeter walls. The flag of Ainz Ooal Gown, of the Sorcerer King flew from two flag staff held by a pair of Death Knights.

The Army Commander kept silent as the army marched out, for he knew that 1 Death Knight could potentially destroy a small city on its own or kill a mithril adventurer group without even trying. There were reports about the Baharuth Empire once fighting off a Death Knight that spawned on the Katze Plains, it was mentioned in the report that after almost wiping out 3 battalions of knights the Tri-Arts Magic Caster Fluder Paradyne managed to subdue it by raining down fireballs upon it. It was said that with one wide swing it can slice three men in half and in full plate armor no less.

Fearsome indeed.

The second portal then swirled and expanded more as the first one blinked out of existence, the 7th Legion then began marching out into the dwarven plaza. Men in crimson robes and dark green cuirass armor, the personal Legion of General Baraqiel, they marched out of the darkness of the [Gate] spell in perfect parade form as the citizens of the last dwarven city looked on. The Legion that marched was armed with an assortment of weapons, shields and swords, shields and spears, long bows, and their magical cylinder weapon that shoots out fire lances that kill their enemies with one shot. The rest of the Regency Council also lined the veranda as they watched the military parade marching past them, they could see all of the weapons were of high-quality or magically enchanted, there was nothing that looked common upon them, the Forgemaster's eyes wanted to take a closer look, but kept himself in check.

They were still admiring the passing army when there was a sudden gap on the formation and out stepped the special troops of the Legion, they carried long swords on their waist, multiple cylindrical weapons under their arms, their cloaks were a shimmering 7 color combination and their armor was a complete plate set under a dark green hood. Fearsome is an understatement.

"What are they General Baraqiel?"

He turned to the Dwarven Army Commander and grinned, "They are members of the 1st Company, the Effrita Infiltrators, the deadliest of my soldiers. I usually use them to sow discord and confusion in the back lines, gather intel, destabilize strong points or obliterate them completely."

Suddenly, the General spreads his wings to the surprise of the Council and said, "I bid you farewell for now, we would be pushing against the enemy horde within the day and I must take command."

"Wait!" the Army Commander finally recovered from being stupefied, it was one thing that they knew that their city of Feo Raizo would be reclaimed today and a legion of Death Knights would ensure the safety of their city. But it was a whole different thing for them to see a whole legion of soldiers march out of their main plaza and into the darkness of the caverns, "Are you serious in attacking right now? Without so much as a plan General?"

"Commander, I am the General of this legion. I was MADE for this purpose," the Angel swooped down to his forming army leaving the gathered Regency Council, just in time as a line of Effrita Infiltrators with stylized hussar wings on their shoulders stepped out of the portal and stopped marching to welcome his approach. His armored boots thudded to the ground as the two commanding officers bowed down to their overall commander.

"My Lord General," the Infiltrator banged his chest plate, "Captain Ingo Pech at your service and Captain Mathias Herzog."

The General walked beside the Captain and began discussing battle plans, "What is our current load out Captain?"

"The First Company is prepared to do deep infiltration to pinpoint enemy locations and strong points, including their weak points as dictated by our battle doctrine."

"Their supply lines? Their home base? Dwellings?"

"Indeed all of them sir, the other Companies also report readiness," the 2nd Captain that welcomed him walked on his other side, "We are having uncertainties on our armored division though, since we would be deploying underground the Magos of the Armament has advised against using tracked vehicles and instead rely on walkers."

General Baraqiel nods his head, "The Magos of Armament is correct, the tight tunnels are sometimes connected with small corridors made of reinforced stone, we would lose speed if we enlarge it as we advance, it will take time, material, security and as already mentioned, the loss of our speed where we can thrust our spearhead."

The 2nd Captain nods his head in acknowledgement, "It is as you say, as such there are no limits on the requisition of heavy weapons. Heavy Bolters, Autocannons, rocket launchers and Lascannons to say the least of our handheld artillery."

"Very good, we have a week to secure the whole mountain," Baraqiel took out his weapon, the Scepter of Ten Thousand Moons and it changed into a magic glaive, "We will show these savages the might of our armies and of the Supreme Beings."

As they joined their marching column, the Regency Council still did not move from the veranda where they observed the gathered throng below them. It was the Army Commander who puts a hand on the shoulder of the Forgemaster and said, "Our future is marching now ahead of us. Still think it is a bad idea?"

"Not yet."

He gave a small laugh then drained the rest of his beer, he began to walk away when the Cabinet Secretary called out to him, "Where are you going?"

"I will not let our allies fight alone, I will go with them," he tightened his belt and took a metal shield and his warhammer, "As an adviser at least, I can give them our passageways and secret tunnels which would indubitably make their assault easier."

"You're wasting your time," it was the Forgemaster, he didn't turn and kept his gaze only at the marching army.

"It's better than gnashing my teeth and waiting in here-" he stopped as he heard rhythmic drums, horns and the sound of men singing. Mystified, he approached the veranda again and saw that the Alpha Legion was singing a war song.

'Vstavay, strana ogromnaya,'
'Vstavay na smertny boy,'
'S fashistskoy siloy tyomnoyu,'
'S proklyatoyu ordoy,'

"Is that the language of the Sorcerer Kingdom?"

The song uplifted those who heard it and emboldened them. The dwarves felt such strong patriotism and drive to fight well deep within their hearts. Every deep singing voice they heard, even though they could not understand the words, transcended as the music spoke to them. Urging them as a race, as a people to rise up and do everything in their power to take back what is theirs, to give their dying breathe for this one chance, just one chance to take back everything they have lost.

For themselves, their ancestor's memories, their families, their children's faces, their future.

'Pust' yaros' blagorodnya,'
'Vskipayet, kak volna!'
'Idyot voyna narodnaya,'
'Svyashchennaya voyna,"

The Army Commander looked on in amazement as those dwarves that heard the singing soldiers unconsciously picked up their sword, axes, and hammers. Even the Forgemaster, who was quite doubtful at first, couldn't believe the sweeping patriotism on his countrymen. Their people followed the marching army up to the gates of the city until the presence of the Death Knights barred their way. They could not believe it, for this army to leave such an effect on their psyche, it was truly mind-boggling.

'Dadim otpor dushitelyam,'
'Vsekh plammenykh idey,'
'Nasil'nikam, grabitelyam,'
'Muchitelyam Iyudey.'

'Pust' yaros' blagorodnya,'
'Vskipayet, kak volna!'
'Idyot voyna narodnaya,'
'Svyashchennaya voyna,"

And so the Alpha Legion marches to war.

.

.

To be continued... preview for next Chapter.

.

Cardinal Dominic looked out of his office veranda and sighed, the meeting with the fallen Captain shook him to the core. Never had he felt such vivid illusions, the heat of the fire as the Holy City of the Theocracy burned, he felt the shock wave coming from their weapons, the sound of his people being slaughtered left and right. The phantom sound of misery, suffering and defeat is both deafening and terrifying. He looked back at his empty office and then at his formerly neat desk, this revelation has affected his capacity to work, though he had hidden his feelings behind a veneer of exhaustion and old age weariness, it is of a different weariness now that he bears.

'How can one escape such an obvious prison?' he had given his word at that time since it meant survival, for he felt the bloodlust coming from the diminutive maid. Such hatred and negative feelings from such a diminutive person. Can one person actually feel those emotions? Not even demi-humans they dealt with before was capable of such feelings it was culpable during that already tense time. He cannot vent these emotions to someone for fear of reprisal, he cannot write it down for fear of being discovered, nor can he speak it out loud for fear of being discovered by the beings he now knows to be watching him tirelessly.

It was quite unfortunate though for his old secretary.

How can he forget such a grisly scene? It was during the times he forced himself to work beyond his hours to numb the feeling of dread and anxiety that began to plague him ever since. The decision to betray one's country is not an easy thing, but harboring secrets that he has is simply beyond treason. And so, he try to find solace in his old journal. He was writing down all the things he had experienced within the house of Nigun and clearly stated that heresy runs rampant within. Tired and weary beyond measure, he carelessly took a short nap on his study chair and left his journal open on his desk. When he opened his eyes again there was such a terrifying sight in front of him that it robbed him of all manner of speech. His assistant stood in front of him, his body shaking from head to foot, his journal gripped in one hand, he bleeding all over as the top layer of his skin was cleanly eaten away. A black shadowy creature was writhing all around his assistant's body, making him stand straight amidst all the pain he felt, his cries of suffering and wordless pleads muffled by the power of the creature. Even he, a Cardinal could not digest what his eyes are seeing in front of him, the eyes of his assistant shook and convulsed, tears streaming uncontrollably as blood gushed forth from his mouth.

He watched as the creature consumed his assistant, skin, fat, muscle, tendons, joints, ligaments, and finally the inner offal. All the while the scream was frozen on his throat, the dread making him unable to move nor look away. As his assistant's eyes was finally consumed and he could finally tear his eyes away, he rushed to the veranda and emptied his bowels, retching and hacking uncontrollably, his body going into shock at the most gruesome spectacle he had seen all his life. After almost a minute of emptying himself, he turned back to the room with dread and found no trace of his assistant, nor the dark creature. But a soft whisper made his hairs stood on end and once more be terrified beyond all reason for the 3rd time in his life.

"This is your last warning, carelessness is not tolerated, especially among you who have not proven themselves worthy. Next time Cardinal, I'll know the taste of old man-flesh!"

Cardinal Dominic returned to the present and looked up the ceiling, he then took a quill and paper and began composing a letter. He was sweeping his office for any movement and found none, he finished the letter and folded it neatly. Sealing it within an envelope he laid the letter on the desk and said to no one in particular.

"Please take this to Nigun," he paused and took an audible gulp, "I wish to speak with him regarding you-know-what."

He waited in silence as no movement came from any direction, then as he was about to stand up he noticed his shadow did not move. Curiously, before his very eyes it solidified and took hold of the letter, it was then engulfed in shadow as the creature then slipped back into the dark corners of the room and his shadow was his own again.

Dominic sighed in relief, but he remembered one thing, "Wait! Out of curiosity, how many are you here?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, everywhere his office that there was a dark corner, underneath his books, under tables, above the fireplace, even the shadows cast by the low light vibrated and shook violently. Suddenly, eyes looked back at him everywhere there is darkness and fear gripped the old Cardinal once more. Voices in the hundreds vibrated through the walls as he got his answer.

"We are LEGIONNN!"

.

.

(A/N: And... here I GO AGAIN!)

Chapter 4 has been re-written.

The song is titled 'The Sacred War' by the Red Army Choir.

'Vstavay, strana ogromnaya,'- Arise, great country,
'Vstavay na smertny boy,'- Get up to fight to the death
'S fashistskoy siloy tyomnoyu,' - With the dark fascist force,
'S proklyatoyu ordoy,' - With a cursed horde.

'Pust' yaros' blagorodnya,' - Let our noble wrath
'Vskipayet, kak volna!' - Boil, as a wave -
'Idyot voyna narodnaya,' - The national war,
'Svyashchennaya voyna,' - The Sacred War!

Credit to where it is due: Random-Fan-2017 for his idea about Clementine, to be honest I toyed with the idea of the Black Scripture working with her, but it was too complicated since it would dampen one of the story line I was planning for the Theocracy. Additionally, Clementine is already cybernetically enhanced and is based on the Callidus assassins of the Imperium of Man in WH40K, hence her callsign of 'Callidus-chan'.

To be honest, I really hated the Novel for killing off the Furt children. Though I understand that the authors are going for realism, but death of others I could take. Like the death of the Queen of the Holy Kingdom, basically, becoming a bludgeoning weapon for a demon. Even the death of Ninya by Clementine to a certain degree. But please, no children... Gott en himmel!

Cheers,

Scarabeye3000