In the depths of the Evernight Forest, the dwarves under the command of their king and prince commander were sent with the stated intent of discovering the advance of the enemy. It was difficult enough to imagine anyone wanting to make their way through before, but the idea that the elves were possibly free and prepared to ambush them left them all anxious about what was waiting for them further in the woods. If it was not the fey folk they attempted to enslave long ago, the forces of the overlord were just as likely making their way to them.

One of the dwarf soldiers knew this was at stake as he asked, "How soon is it before we're the first casualties you think?"

His captain turned to demand, "Stand firm you lot! We only die at the hands of the overlord if we allow it to be so!"

Before the gathering could debate further on the possibility, a sound caught their attention. Not one of any animal but of a being that was capable of some form of speech. They could tell this was the case from the sound of laughter in the distance.

One of the soldiers took hold of his axe asking, "What is that out there? Fairies?"

Another next to him shook while asking in return, "Not any that I would know of. They may try to trick us but they wouldn't be so out about it would they?"

Their leader interrupted the exchange "If it is just fairies, then we have nothing to concern ourselves with. Just step out there and crunch the little buggers why don't we?"

Realizing they would not get to go against the order given to them, the gathering of dwarven soldiers marched behind their respective leaders towards the source of the laughter. They kept hold of their weapons as they searched for the first chance they could to find their potential enemies. As soon as they came to the nearest clearing however, they found their preparation would not have them ready for what they saw next.

"That was as easy as you said." Misato said as soon as the dwarves found them.

"Dwarves are so excitable." Phanton confirmed.

Many of the dwarves were taken aback as soon as they found out what was waiting for them. Two strikingly gorgeous women lay waiting for them to be discovered while concealing their bodies with black wings. While they seemed to be on their own, their height compared to other succubi was noticeable as soon as they confirmed what they were facing.

Before either queen could comment further, one of the dwarf captains ordered, "It's the enemy! Get them!"

The other raised his axe before ordering his men, "Take their heads!"

The two divisions of dwarves charged towards the queens before Phanton signaled, "Now!"

Misato prepared herself as he wings twitches with anticipation, "Right!"

Both Phanton and Misato swept their wings open as they stood up in front of the charging dwarves before chanting in unison, "Do you wish servitude?"

Despite the earlier conviction they had to slay their enemies, both leaders of the dwarven companies stopped before answering in unison, "My queen... I do!"

Both of them and a selection of soldiers took hold of their axes and turned around to find the company of soldiers that tried to assist them. Both Misato and Phanton had taken hold of five dwarves each. Most importantly they had taken hold of those who were supposed to be the strongest among them.

This act of betrayal begun as soon as the leaders swung their axes to the head of the nearest soldier that tried to advance. A brawl broke out among the divided dwarves now that a select few of them were afflicted with the charm that subjected them to the will of their new queens. Having the two leaders subjected to such a state left the incoming divisions unable to advance towards what should have been their targets.

Bloodshed and turmoil ran over the field as many dwarven soldiers tried to manage the situation. Such chaos would have been more difficult to accomplish with a larger army but the current soldiers were enough to keep the two queens from actually fighting. Every now and again several of the soldiers under their command would be killed only to allow their enchanting power to take hold of another one.

A little time passed before ten dwarves remained standing. All of them as servants to the two succubus queens. A victory with much gained.

Both of the captains knelt announcing in unison, "We are yours to command my queen!"

Misato looked at the gathering before asking, "So five is all we get? Honestly I would have liked more."

Phanton agreed with the disappointment admitting, "I'm sure many would. Consider this, our lesser kind are only capable of taking one."

Shinji made his way to the clearing while Mayumi, Ayanami, and Yersia followed. Looking across the area, he saw fighting did occur but was pleased to see the results of what Misato and Phanton were capable of. He could only imagine what a greater army of succubi at hand could accomplish.

Looking to discover who had joined them, Shinji announced, "I command these two. Please introduce yourselves to me."

The first dwarf stood up answering, "Snarhur Giantview. I will only lay my life down for my queen."

The second one added, "Dutoum Largebrow. I have my own to answer to so do not harm her!"

Yersia looked at the enchanted soldiers asking, "So these ones at least won't try to kill us, right?"

Phanton confirmed the hold they had, "Only if we command them to. I have no doubt that all of you would be capable of handling them with just a flick of your wrists."

Seeing what kind of soldiers she could take under her command made Misato determine, "I would think if we could get anyone stronger then we would be able to take hold of the remaining heroes and save ourselves the trouble of fighting them."

Such an observation earned Phanton's approval as she told her, "That would certainly undo the need for fighting them. At least now we have a chance to fulfill Mayumi's plan."

Shinji agreed with the suggestion by making his way up to the two dwarves asking, "Will you both tell me where you came from?"

Snarhur turned his attention to Shinji answering, "We come from the Temple of the Mother Goddess. Both the mighty Kahn and Jewel are on their way to meet with our numbers."

Dutoum added, "King Goldo ordered us to find you to lure you to them. That way he would be able to launch a surprise attack as soon as you finished them off."

Snarhur gave a final word of praise for Shinji's gathering as he gestured to Misato and Phanton, "Clearly he did not anticipate you having those you have brought with you. We can only imagine that he will be bound to fail now."

Phanton saw the opportunity behind what Dutoum revealed remembering, "He wanted two of the heroes slain. So, there is some air of distrust among them like the rumors say."

This reveal made Yersia look around the area before asking, "You say you just met with them. Are they somewhere close?"

Dutoum looked behind while Snarhur answered, "We have not seen them. They may have lingered behind for reasons we do not understand."

This uncertainty became an opportunity for Dutoum to suggest, "I believe that Jewel has her own greed that she wished to have sated. Especially if the statue was there for the taking."

Seeking a refresher on who was out here, Shinji asked Mayumi, "Kahn and Jewel are the warrior and the theif right?"

Thinking back to her earlier descriptions in the strategy room, Mayumi added, "And the rulers of the Ruborian Desert. If our new friends are correct it sounds as though there is something valuable they wanted from the temple."

Snarhur cleared his throat revealing, "The statue of the Mother Goddess. Said to be sculpted from the beginning of time as a testament to the being who birthed life in this world."

Yersia added to the account, "A sacred object to all my people. Taken and sculpted from one of her very own golden tears. Made to deny all sorrow from existence that would leave mortals afraid to live. No doubt coveted by Goldo for entirely different reasons."

Having all these facts in mind made Shinji discover a greater picture of what kind of turmoil was brewing among the factions of this world. The heroes might have all been united at one point but were left to fend for themselves and their own desires. Each one taking on an entirely different personification.

Despite Jewel being the thief among the group, all the information available made Shinji determine, "It sounds as though Goldo is the one driven by greed.

Ayanami voiced her hope for the observation asking, "Do you plan to use that against him in some way?"

He knew it was a difficult premise to sell. Shinji was not even sure if he believed the possibility himself. Any chance he could find to avoid falling into whatever trap Goldo had prepared for him was what he wanted to make sure of. If neither of the current heroes were planning to claim the statue for themselves, it was possible for him to predict what would be the best way to respond.

He used this reasoning to decide, "I might be able to. At least if the other two heroes aren't trying to take it for themselves."

Mayumi was not sure where Shinji was going with his decision but tried to temper any expectations she suspected he might have by warning, "I don't think trying to negotiate with them is going to get us very far."

Yersia agreed, "His desire for all things gold will keep us from ever being able to reason with him."

He could see why Mayumi would assume that of him but Shinji tried to reassert his commitment to an upcoming battle by adding, "We probably aren't even going to have that chance. We can still keep from falling into Goldo's hands though if we go the right way."

Ayanami suggested, "The runners are out there making sure his men don't come into contact with us. I will see if they are still out there."

As he thought about his numbers and everyone that would be able to fight alongside him, Shinji could determine everything that was laid out for him. Two of the heroes were here to steal the statue of the Mother Goddess but the third one wanted it for himself. This made Goldo the only one he could use the weakness of greed against. He did not want either of the heroes headed their way to the temple to come out alive or he at least wanted to make sure the statue would be his alone for the taking.

Having the situation set up this way was a perfect opportunity for him to turn the tables against the incoming dwarves. He only needed to make sure the others would be able to handle the remaining heroes. Afterwards he would be able to use whatever strategy with the statue he could muster to his advantage.

Content he had a surefire way to handle Goldo's plan, Shinji approved Ayanami's decision, "Just be sure to handle yourself out there. We don't know how many of them are headed our way."

Ayanami acknowledged the danger at hand assuring, "No one will take on more than they can handle. Information on their advance will be more important to determine."

Accepting that she had her way of giving them the advantage, Shinji told her, "As long as we can hear from you later, that will help us." He turned to the others determining, "The two heroes at the temple might be bait but also our best chance weaken his advantage. If we take them down first, then we can solidify our position out there and then surprise him. He'll want that statue more than anything. We should just make it the last thing he tries to steal."

With the plans settled, Mayumi prepared everyone for their advance, "All we need now is to head to the temple. Yersia, if you would lead the way please?"

Realizing it was time to begin the next stage of the conflict, Yersia looked to the distance prepared to lead the others confirming, "Of course."

The inevitable conflict between Goldo and Shinji would continue to reach a boiling point within the depths of the Evernight Forest. Things were developing differently in what was once a sacred place for the elven people. A temple that was supposed to have an object that was covered by kings. Such a prize was not to be easily won.

One individual who would discover this the hard way was one of the old heroes of the world. The legendary thief by the name of Jewel. Her tanned skin was adorned with a pair of desert clothes that left little to imagine what her naked slim form was. Her B-cup breasts kept her from being one of the shapeliest women in the world, but her toned body gave her a sense of sexiness most women could stop envy. Both the heat of the desert she came from and the dexterity of her capabilities were factors for her appearance and earned very few protests from onlookers.

She expected her arrival at the temple to be met with resistance while using such a distraction to her advantage. A brief look around the area only revealed a handful of elves who had recently been freed from their persistent dreaming state she had to kill on her way to the temple grounds. The work she was assigned by her employer was proven not to be as easy as she thought as soon as she made her way to the center of the altar.

Where there was supposed to be a vast golden statue for worshipers to revere was instead a pedestal completely unoccupied. There was a greater defense of the object under Oberon's persistent nightmare that made Jewel believe the statue would be easy to claim as soon as she arrived. She was not the one who allowed her greed to overtake her way of thinking but she did not allow herself to be oblivious to the implications of reporting a failure.

Jewel slammed her fist on the altar before voicing her disappointment at the sight, "It's gone! The statue's gone! I told you lot to hurry up! Fools!"

She turned to see the other two thieves who were accompanying her as she continued, "We're meant to be the thieves! And look, those rock huggers got here first!"

Both men looked to one another trying to determine how they could answer for what had happened. Being expected to talk back to their leader was not a moment any of them were hoping for. Without a sight of where the statue might have been taken, there seemed to be no way for them to redeem themselves either.

This sort of loyalty was double-sided for Jewel. On one hand she had servants who would not challenge her but it seemed to come at the cost of them having any sort of capacity to provide a new perspective. It might not have been fair to call them stupid but it was hard to make the argument they were anywhere near her level.

Forced to accept she would have to report her failure, Jewel turned to one of her thieves ordering, "Let's get out of here. You, call the Overseer!"

This was a command the thief ordered to carry out knew he could follow. He gave a brief chant into a rune that Jewel entrusted him with before raising it up and summoning a purple squid creature not too different from a beholder. Before Jewel could make any commands she saw it muster a mighty blue light that beamed beneath its bottom.

From the light came a bulking giant of a man who towered above everyone else present. Despite his height he managed to be covered in armor with the exception of his head and carried a mighty flail over his shoulder with a ball the size of a boulder. He was indeed prepared for battle but the sight of the area around him made it clear he would not be demonstrating his strength today. It was also the furthest thing from his mind at the moment as he stood across from Jewel.

The warrior hero known as Kahn revealed his presence declaring, "Honey! Love muffin! I've found you! You mustn't use the Overseers, snuggle bottom, the old man don't like it!"

The sight of Kahn standing across from her made Jewel sneer at the sight of him before shooting back at him, "Clearly I didn't hit you hard enough!"

What fire was once between the two heroes had been extinguished on her side. So many years had passed that she could not even remember what it was that she saw in the lumbering warrior in front of her. For all she could tell she might have tolerated his existence for the same reasons she allowed him anywhere near her now. He provided so much brawn and muscle that he would be too valuable of a resource to simply dismiss.

Much to her disappointment, Kahn still had that same devotion to her that he established long ago. Every now and again he would reveal more of the past that brought them together but could not seem to make heads or tails of what Jewel's perspective in all of it was. It even seemed like he did not have much to him anymore besides two personality traits. His desire for her and his intention to destroy everything that made him angry. Such was the bearing of the sin of wrath though probably more than she could have expected him to hold.

It was clear that one such trait was making itself known as Kahn told her, "Jewel I don't like you beaming off like that my little thieving sugar plum."

Irritation took hold of Jewel before she demanded, "Just stop talking!"

It was an unfortunate mistake that Jewel found herself regretting. As soon as Kahn raised his flail over his shoulder, he began to swing it in the air with little effort. What came next was a stark reminder of what his unchecked strength could accomplish.

"It makes Kahn angry!"

The massive flail swung through the air at a great speed before sweeping across the air in front of Kahn. The overseer that summoned him disappeared but the thieves under Jewel's service were not so lucky. Both of them were swung against the might of the flail and swung to the side of a nearby stone pillar as the weight of the stroke broke their backs. If she was not the object of Kahn's desire, Jewel could only imagine how much more dangerous of a force he would be.

The sight of the exchange was a perfect opportunity for anyone plotting to use this exchange as a distraction. Or for the more daring and powerful, a chance to surprise attack them. It also presented at best a very small window to determine the best plot of action. With this in mind, the attackers has their weapons at the ready as they changed towards the two as they had prepared earlier.

Yersia took this opening to rush towards him and shoot an arrow to the side of his head. The arrow landed right in the side of Kahn's head but only caused him to stagger before regaining his balance. Despite being the only area that was not exposed, the arrow was still handled as a leaf had blown in his face.

Turning his attention to his attacker, Kahn proclaimed, "You dare attack Kahn? That makes me very angry!"

Swinging the flail high above his head, Kahn stomped towards Yersia prepared to give way to a brief encounter. The duel between the two quickly became a demonstration of dexterity versus strength as Kahn slammed the flail into the ground while Yersia leapt into the air to prepare a other shot. Her attack was interrupted as Kahn jerked the flail up from the ground to Yersia's underside. Yersia kicked her right foot into the flail as she flipped backwards and readjusted her bow and arrow to make another shot.

Seeing Kahn's attention grabbed earned a sigh of relief to Jewel. He had to deal with a single elf that so far proved to be more of a nuisance than anything. She was not free from the conflict however as she turned around to see a gathering appearing from behind a nearby gathering of trees.

She could tell these were not elves she was dealing with. Not one she ever saw before had blue hair and that was just one small difference compared to how built they were. Whatever the case was, it was apparent she would have to stand her ground against another army.

What was supposed to be a battle on two fronts was interrupted as soon as Kahn called to her, "Love honey! More are headed this way! Stay behind me!"

Turning around to see what was happening, Jewel saw what Kahn was referring to. More of the blue haired woman were making their way to him and attacking with their weapons. It was only another second before she saw who was leading them to this area. A reveal that made her realize she would face the full force of the overlord himself.

Kahn threw his flail over his head again but found himself taken by surprise as he looked up. Four succubi had taken hold of the mighty ball and kept it from slamming to the ground while their dwarven servants made their way to Kahn's shins to attack him. The sight of this advance made Kahn slam his free hand to the ground as a fist to crush one of the dwarves under his blow. It was not enough to sway the others away from him however as they climbed their way into his body to reach for the head.

This caused Kahn to stomp around the area in a desperate attempt to shake the crawling dwarves off his body. The smaller creatures remained undaunted by the attempt as they made their way up to his neck. It became the first opportunity Kahn had to free himself as he took hold of one of the dwarves and dangled it by the legs.

Pleased to see another victim in his hands, Kahn gloated, "You never make Kahn angry!"

Before he could tear the dwarf in half, Kahn took a blow to the back of his head and fumbled forward to search for who attacked him. Turning around he saw there were even more attackers than he counted before. Shinji had thrown his spear to the back of his head but had three other women at his side prepared to assist him before seeing the two succubus queens leap into the air towards him.

Misato and Phanton flew towards Kahn's face with their claws making a mighty pair of scratches. Neither one managed to hit his eyes but he could feel the rush of bleeding that came from the attack. He let out grumble that was meant to intimidate his enemies but saw none of them back away. Seeing everyone remain in place made Kahn reach down for his flail as he began to twirl it in the air again to make his next advance.

The ball of the flail came falling down on the area Shinji stood but Mayumi summoned a pillar of Earth from the ground to meet with the descending ball. Kahn tried to pull the ball back but saw Misato and Phanton blow the chain out of his hand and left him open. This vulnerability was exploited by Shinji as he rushed towards him and threw a fireball to his head.

Kahn blocked the spell with his arm but found the armor on his sleeve melting. He swung his arm around while yelling in pain from the scolding heat. While he was able to keep himself from losing his arm, he was open to another series of attacks entirely.

A few dwarves chopped away at his arm but made himself give a mighty thrust to force them off. Most of them fell off before Yersia leapt up and made a mighty slash upwards with her short sword. Kahn let out another yell of pain as he bled from the attack before letting out another bellow of frustration. Being able to kill a few small creatures was progress but being unable to hurt the major attackers provided little sense of victory in the moment.

He made this anger known as he bellowed, "All squash before Kahn!"

No longer holding back anything, Kahn stomped across the temple grounds in a rampage. He could tell that he managed to crush at least a few of the enemy soldiers in his way but refused to let himself be stopped in his continued attacks. What little achievement he was able to achieve was not held for long as he was suddenly tripped in his rampage.

Shinji swung his hammer to regain his posture having struck a blow to Kahn's ankle. He was about to make another blow but found himself hitting the dirt as Kahn rolled away from Shinji. It saved him from one blow of damage but left himself open to another that was arguably just as unfavorable.

Yersia shot an arrow into Kahn's left eye and struck such pain in him that he leapt up from the attack. What pain he had in his ankle was ignored as he stomped around simply hoping to take hold of his flail to continue his attack. He took hold of his weapon as he prepared to give way to another display of carnage across the field.

He threw the ball of his flail to one area after another to create a series of craters on the ground. His intent to give a display of unopposed strength was realized but he could not manage to land a decisive blow. All of the damage he was forced to endure continued to be a motivator that made him fight. It was also the only way that he could make sure he was able to keep himself from showing any signs of fear.

Turning around to see the army that was dealing one volley of damage after another upon him made Kahn announce, "This is making Kahn even more angry! I want everything here crushed to pebbles!"

Kahn charged towards the temple as he continued to swing his flail. There was nothing holding him back by now as he used his weapon to leave a rapid number of craters in his wake. He could not even keep track of any casualties he was achieving he allowed his anger to take such good of him. This anger caused him to swing his flail towards one of the nearby pillars but felt the handle slip out of his hands as he felt a mighty slice dig its way through his exposed hand.

Kahn took hold of his hand as he found his hand bleeding from the attack. Realizing where his weapon was lost made him stagger forward in his attempt to recover his weapon. He refused to let himself be intimidated in the midst of battle but the wounds he was forced to endure made him realize just how close he was to losing even with the veil of wrath clouding his judgment.

He continues to stagger forward as he hoped to find some help by calling out, "Lovey dove! Kahn wants to protect you! Please help me find the little bugs!"

His initial devotion to protecting Jewel made it clear to Kahn what he should have been doing. He thought he would have been strong enough to handle such a challenge just like in fights he fought long ago. Even after such a series of victories he was forced to remember he could not easily win all of them. This one was about to become the summary of his legacy.

Shinji took the blind spot as a chance to change towards Kahn. With his hammer in hand he leapt into the air and struck under his chin. The blow was so mighty that it sent him staggering backwards.

Misato and Phanton took the opportunity to pin Kahn to the ground as they took hold of his ears. Both the force of Shinji's attack and their push sent him falling into his back. Yersia ran across his body before making a mighty slice across his neck with her short sword while Mayumi leapt down from the air to plunger into Kahn's forehead with her spear.

The two blows caused spurts of blood to pulse out of Kahn as he realized what sort of damage he had taken. He had taken two mortal blows at the same time and found himself struggling to hold on to his final moments. All hopes he had of making the final attack was undone as soon as he realized he made his ultimate failure. A defeat that led to his demise.

Mayumi yanked the spear out of Kahn's head as she looked down at his fallen form observing, "Well good news he's finally dead."

Shinji drew his hammer agreeing, "That was a tough one. I guess he was the muscle of the group for a reason."

Yersia looked around to review the field before asking, "And what about the other one? Is she not supposed to be around here as well?"

Misato recognized what they were missing as she evaluated, "We did lose a few out here but I'm pretty sure they kept this big guy from getting any kind of help."

Before there was any speculation, Aoi made her way up to Phanton to announce, "My queen, we have her pinned down right now. We can use her however you desire."

Shinji prepared himself for the interrogation accepting, "It looks like we have a better victory to look forward to than we thought."