Five years before Alviona’s creation.

A humanoid dressed in exotic robes walked towards a large tent that was located in the middle of the fortified zone. Despite the man being comparably smaller in height to the on-duty guards, nobody appeared to check for his identification. Instead, he was allowed to enter without further delay.

“Ailus oush’ tazar,” said the man upon entering the tent, not forgetting to bow before the creature that sat in front of him.

“Ah. Human. It is rather amusing how you came to know of our language and culture formalities. I can not get used to this despite our partnership for nearly a year now. Yes. Greetings to you too, friend,” said the minotaur that had his right horn shattered and his left had some form of toxin or corruption visibly spreading through it. Looking at the bull’s eye sockets, one could come to a conclusion that the creature was blind in his right eye.

“I would highly appreciate that you do not refer to me as one of the puny, disgraceful, and weak atrocities that inhabit this world,” replied the man coldly.

“Forgive me then. Now, what brings you here today? Are you here on behalf of…”

“Correct. I am,” replied the man, gesturing to the minotaur to stop talking and instead listen. “Warchief of the Tazal tribe, listen to me carefully,” he continued. However, unexpected guests barged into the tent and interrupted the man’s speech. He was followed by a small group of minotaurs that were armed with different weapons.

“What Is it? Who allowed you to enter?” Asked the war chief calmly.

“It is irrelevant,” replied the one who wielded a two-handed hammer. “We are dissatisfied with the results of the war that you wage. We believe that you are outdated as a commander and out of touch with the reality. Our food rations have dwindled. Our battle spirits are shattered, and you have a gull to make deals with humans such as that one over there?! Where has your honor gone, Grimorion?” He scoffed.

Gimorion looked at his guest and apologized. He then slowly got up from his throne and before anyone could blink the creature was already holding the rebel by his throat, slowly and steadily choking him. The rest of them attempted to encircle and swing their weapons down at him; however, this did not come to pass. A mighty roar rang through the vicinity that caused the assailants to cover their ears as the intensity of the sound was deafening, so much that many fell into a state of shock and fear.

“Pathetic,” said the war chief, as the dead body dropped on the ground. “You are all pathetic. I am ashamed to think of you as brothers in arms. Guards! Take these men and get them executed immediately. I have no tolerance towards deserters and cowards. Let their blood wash away their names.”

The summoned men did as told.

“Hm. It appears that some of your troops are beginning to doubt you,” said the human that observed the situation. Despite the brutality he had just witnessed, the man did not appear to be shaken in any way. His speech was ridden of any emotions. Instead, the eyes that were barely visible through the wooden mask were fixed on the war chief.

“Ungrateful pigs,” scoffed Gimorion. “They always forget who is in charge and how to speak to their elders. I apologize for this sight. However, it was necessary. Now then, please, continue your speech.”

“Very well. We have observed you for quite some time now, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that your crusade for taking over the kingdom of Ateilla is not going so well. Am I correct?”

The minotaur clenched his fists in anger but nodded.

“In that case, our organization is willing to lend you a hand. I can provide you with a one time use magical artifact that can cause an earthquake at the desired location. It will bypass any defenses and can level the fortification that is currently holding your advance to the ground. How about it?”

“And what is the price for such service, tazar?”

“Right now, nothing. We only demand that when the time is right, you will kneel in front of our master and become his subordinate. An eye for an eye, as the humans say it.”

The war chief nodded because he had already come to terms with this much. The creature was willing to sell his soul if it meant defeating the humans of this kingdom. It would bring unimaginable dominance to his tribe over the others. Within two hours the contract was signed. Soon afterward, the mysterious man disappeared.

 After one year of ferocious battle, the minotaurs emerged as victors, and in the process, Ateilla was wiped off the face of Dedrillon.

                                                                                                                 ***

                                                                                             Four years before Alviona’s creation

Inside a dungeon in an unknown place, a tall demonic creature stood proudly in front of his subjects. His body was emitting a constant stream of fire. Various beasts and humanoids were presented before him.

“Lord of Fire, we are pleased to inform you that the invaders have been vanquished. They appeared in front of us over a couple of months now. The report states that their prominent features include wooden masks, exotic robes, and an Epic gear to say the least. We have yet to figure out who these men and women are. However, they do have one thing in common. Upon death, their bodies turn into ash.”

“I am aware of it Minerva. Thank you for your report. However, this is not what I wanted to hear. My question still remains unanswered. Why do they keep coming to my lair? What do they want?” Asked the Demon Lord whose body emitted twice as much heat and under whose feet the earth began shaking.

“I apologize, master. But I do not have an answer to that. Every time we attempt to take one captive, they commit suicide. We can not torture them, we can not approach them. It is all unknown to us,” replied Minerva who was trembling with fear.

“Is that so? And if you were to guess?”

“I would state that they appear to be from the dungeon as well. However, how this is possible remains a mystery. We, creatures, are not allowed to go out of our place of inhabitance if birthed inside this prison. Perhaps they are using some kind of trickery to defile the laws set by gods? In that case, we need to document, analyze, and learn from them.”

“That is something that I can agree on. If the world is evolving, so must we. And yet, I am uneasy about all of this. According to our records, my dungeon has never been defeated before. No hero has ever escaped, and nobody from the surface has ever correctly invaded us. Humans are weaklings, so are the rest of the races. If our shackles were not binding us, I would gladly order our troops to move out and begin our feast,” replied the Lord of Fire with an amused tone.

“Your lordship, perhaps the reason other creatures might be able to escape the dungeon is due to  the world balance?”

Minerva’s words caught his attention. “Continue and elaborate,” he said.

“Yes. What I am trying to say is that you are the most powerful being in this world, on this planet. All of our records confirm this. There exists nothing above you. Not even gods can defeat you one on one. So then the only reason we are trapped here is due to the collaboration between many gods. They are supplying an intense amount of mana to keep our shackles on at all times. So perhaps it is possible that their power began dwindling? In that case, would it not explain how other monsters are able to get out of dungeons now? I think that over time, our opportunity will also arise. And then, by your decree, we will show the world who is at the top of the food chain,” said Minerva, causing the Lord of Fire to ponder for a moment until he smashed his fist into the nearby rock that shattered upon impact.

“Excellent conclusion. I could not have expected anything less from you, Minerva.”

The female creature blushed, fell down on her knees, and pledged her uttermost loyalty to the lord in front of her. After all, this was Lord of Fire, the one being in existence that could cause pure chaos.

“Please, do not praise or value me this highly. I am but a mere servant.”

“Despite it being as you say, the fact remains as is. Unless proven otherwise, you are the only one worthy of becoming my general. Perhaps, even my wife.”

Minerva swallowed her tongue and did not respond. Yes! She exclaimed in her mind. I have been working very hard for over one thousand years for this moment! Finally, he is seeing me as something other than his subordinate. I love him too much. O demon lord of fire, I hope that I can give you anything that you desire in this world and that you will make me your spouse. I promise that I will birth your children that will be as potent as yourself.

“However, we must get rid of our shackles first. Remember Minerva and my loyal subjects. We are strong, but it does not mean we should be reckless. Information gathering is a priority. We are to not act until we are sure of our victory. Remember that overconfidence will lead to an early demise.”

With his last words, every subordinate bowed and pledged their loyalty in front of him.

                                                                                       Two years before Alviona’s creation

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                                                                                                                   ***

Inside the capital city of the Kingdom of Vaalmer, two men that did not stand out in any specific way walked down the street. They appeared to be slightly in a rush.

“Brother, are all preparations complete? Are you certain that the new emperor will uphold our standards?”

“Yes. Never doubt the words that our master says or the orders he gives. Do not, ever, question his logic and you might find the life that all of us dream of. Do you not want to change the world for the better?”

“Why, yes, of course!”

“Splendid. Now then, let us make haste. We need to meet Basra.”

The two individuals soon found themselves in a shady alley near the brewery. Looking around and ensuring that nobody was spying on them, the senior of the two cast an advanced form of [Tracking] ability. It was customized and allowed him to see anyone that was actively attempting to pursue them. The skill also revealed anyone that was trying  to utilize concealment ability, be it potions, invisibility, or equipment. Satisfied that nobody watched them and they were operating in secrecy, the two approached the brewery and knocked three times. After a minute delay, they repeated the action two more times in intervals of fifteen seconds.

“Zar’Hakal?” Came a voice from behind the door.

“Zar’Hakal!” Replied the senior member.

“Welcome,” said the woman who invited the two of them into the brewery. “I assume that nobody followed you?”

“Negative, Basra. Are the preparations for assassination complete?”

“You bet,” replied the woman who took out a report and showed it to the senior.

“Excellent. Now then, you understand what our plan is, right?” Asked the man to the junior member who in turn nodded.

“We are to kill the emperor that is heavily protected day and night. You have found a way to achieve this by kidnapping one of his servant and a concubine. After, we will use transformation potions and approach the emperor. We will perform the regular duties and then when opportune time comes, we will dispose of him silently to allow our pet to usurp the throne. And then, the war between the two Kingdoms should occur. Am I correct…” asked the man in a low voice. He observed the two personae in front of him and did not understand why they were grinning in such an evil manner. “Did I say something wrong?” He asked confused,

“No, no. Not at all,” replied the senior member who patted the man on the shoulders. “You have a bright future, my boy. A bright future,” he continued.

 A slight jolt of pain pulsated through the junior’s neck. There were many mosquitos and flies flying around, so he did not pay much attention to it. After all, this was a brewery and insects were common here.

“However, there is one problem. You did not understand it properly,” said Basra who moved behind the junior member and licked his neck. “You see, we don’t recruit new members like you thought we did. Nor are we planning to abduct a servant. Instead, it is you. Or did you think that we do not know why you sought us out?”

The man’s face went pale.

Shit! They figured it out? How?! We had planned everything inside out. There is no way that their intelligence network is this deep. Who are these people? I need to get out. I need to escape. I should definitely use my smoke bomb and… what? Fuck! Bitch! What did she do to me? I can not move my hands. I can not… speak. What? Huh? Why is she undressing me? No, leave me alone! Stop stroking my genital! W-what? Why is she… I can not hear anything at all. Her lips are moving, but I can not read them. My eyes are blurring out. What is she doing? Why is she rubbing the middle of my chest area? Huh, blood?! What, how… Eeek! Wait… I can still feel the pleasure though, but there is no pain. While good, I do not want any of this! Leave me alone. Please, stop. Just kill me! End my misery and stop humiliating me! Screamed the man in his mind as his chest was split open and the woman removed his heart. The man beside Basra appeared to be chanting something, but he could not hear it. Instead, his mind was torn between the pleasure that Basra provided and the severity of the situation he found himself in. He was going to die, he knew it. The question was when and how. It could be any moment now, or it could be in an hour. Perhaps they would keep him as a slave?

The answer was different from what he had expected.

“Basra, my spell is complete. I can change the body now,” said the senior member who bit his thumbs and began to bleed. As he touched the heart that the woman provided, his physical body scattered into ash and entered it.

Basra moved the organ back into its position and cast [Major Regeneration]. As a result, the body was fully healed, and the blood vessels were reconnected without any problems. Furthermore, the ash that was inside the heart now made it into the blood-stream and finally into the victim’s brain. After three minutes of screaming, the man finally stopped and grinned.

“It is done,” said the Junior member.

“Excellent,” replied Basra. “Now, only the concubine is left. You can use that body to draw her out. The Emperor trusts that vessel, and as such, you should not have any problems entering her chamber. She is his most beloved toy,” continued the woman with a grin.

“Correct. Basra, you did an excellent job. Because of you, breaking this person and killing him was more natural than usual. You truly are something. Our master was brilliant for assigning you this mission. If not for you, perhaps the entire plan in this kingdom would be jeopardized,” the man paused and bit his lips. “However, was it essential to humiliate him that much?”

“I am not happy about doing it either. What am I, a whore? I had no sexual interest in him whatsoever and would have avoided humiliating him. However, you have to understand that it was the best I could do for him. The drugs can negate the pain, but there was a chance he would die from shock. In that case, his brain would be dead, and that body would be wasted. Win, win for you and him I suppose. Besides, count it as a gift. He died while experiencing the pleasure that everyone desires. Would that not be the most painless way to perish?” Asked Basra sternly.

“Well, I suppose you are right. Truly, for a monster, you are too gentle of a creature.”

“Oh, my… T-thank you,” replied the woman with a blush.

“All right. Do you have any questions for me?”

“Just one. I do not doubt our master, and I support his goals. However, what of the other members of Zar’Hakal? Not everyone is of the same opinion so would it not be better to get rid of them? We have made no progress with the Lord of Fire whatsoever. It is crucial that we get him on our side as an ally, no?”

“Correct on that. If we get that monster under our wing, the world will end, and our new order will rise. The problem is that the Lord of Fire understands that. He is not a fool. From what little we gathered, every servant of his is potent and extremely dangerous. It will take a long time to get him on our side. But it is going to happen eventually. If not, then we will have to make up for it elsewhere. And yet, he is a valuable asset. Anything else?”

“Yes. Are you confident that everything will go according to our plan? Will we honestly be able to gather the undead and the wicked ones from the east?”

“No. That is impossible. The Lich King currently ruling them is far too potent, talented, and smart. He has declared an alliance with the entire zone, and it will be impossible to talk to him. Remember that we are immortal, but it does not equate to invincibility. If we stay exposed more than necessary, our weaknesses will show, and we will perish. Secrecy is what keeps us alive and afloat to carry out our mission. Do not forget this Basra,” said the man coldly.

“I understand,” replied the woman, kneeling down and asking for forgiveness.

“Excellent. Now, let us complete the stage two of our plan.”

“Oh, before I forget. This time, I want you to do the same to the woman to make my life easier, please.”

“Well, if you behave then all right. But please, do not expect me to use this man and humiliate his corpse even more.”

“No, no such thing. I am not asking you to go all out on in on that concubine. However, I do want you to tease her like I did with this man. I do not want people to die and not experience one last pleasure.”

“Even if they are no better than us? You do realize that the person we are about to abduct is just as much a monster as us? She has ordered the execution of over five hundred civilians, including children because they failed to adequately show her respect and did not deliver taxes on time to the Emperor. A manipulative one that feels no remorse whatsoever. You know, sometimes I question myself who the real monster is. One that hunts to satisfy the basic needs, or one that enjoys killing for the sake of it?”

“I do not think that we will ever get to know of this,” replied Basra with a grin.

“I suppose we will not.”

After a month of preparations, the Emperor was pronounced dead. The blame was shifted towards the undead that has been massed around the border at the eastern side of the Vaalmer Kingdom. Everyone knew of the crude Lich that had a dream of taking over the entire island. An evil that needed to be purged. The citizens were not too mournful over the death of a tyrant.

Furthermore, the next emperor that climbed the throne became popular all too quick. He immediately jumped into action and began large-scale military mobilization.

Meanwhile, the culprits that staged all of this were promoted in rank inside the Kingdom as per the directive of the Emperor. The concubine officially became an Empress while the servant was moved to the strategic department. Despite many being disgruntled over this, the man proved to have a sharp mind. This act ensured that the Emperor was in a right spot and that his rule would be extended.

“Just to make sure that we understand each other, what is your condition again?” Asked the Emperor to the two people who were secretly meeting him inside his hidden chamber.

“Simple. When the time is right, you are to answer the summons of our master. We are looking forward to an alliance with you. To further strengthen the bond between us, me and Basra over there will be under your wing. We officially serve you. But be warned, if the loyalty between you and our ruler is shaken, our organization will swallow you whole. Do you understand?” Asked the man with an evil grin.

“Yes,” replied the Emperor with a sour face. He was not entirely pleased that an ultimatum was being issued for him. However, he understood the potency that this organization provided. After all, they had arranged all of this. So what that he had to become a temporary puppet? In return, he had a good life now.

“Excellent. I am pleased that we have a mutual understanding,” said Basra with a grin. “Just a warning though. I am your Empress by status. But don’t even think about doing anything to me, or else, I will cut you like a pig and instead, let Tarmaiel over here take over your body. Do we understand each other? My love has not blossomed yet, and I am still waiting that perhaps in a century or two, a special someone will take me away. So no, you are not allowed to defile my body in any way. Are we clear?”

The man nodded. Despite it being true that the concubine in front of him was beautiful, he had many other toys at his disposal. This was not that big of a deal for him. Besides, he had no willingness to actually make love to a monster.

“Wonderful. Now, if you excuse me, I have a political errand to attend to. Have a good night, your highness,” said Basra as she stood up and left the chamber.

“Hm. There is one thing that I forgot to ask. What is the name of your organization again?” Asked the Emperor to Tarmaiel who remained.

The man chuckled and grinned.

“That is a secret.”

“Even if I am an ally?”

“Yes. You must understand something. We will tell you what we want you to know when it is necessary and when we want to. Never earlier or later than that.”

The emperor was not pleased with his response, but there was not much he could do. Instead, he took a glass of wine and quickly drank it.

“I understand. I hope that you will notify me on time then.”

“Absolutely. Do not doubt this,” said the man as he shook his hand with the Emperor and left the chamber. Basra waited for him outside.

“Ah, so you lied?” He asked the woman in front of him.

“Correct. I want to ask you a crucial question. Do you believe that this pig will remain loyal?”

“No, which is why we are here.”

“Good, I am glad that you are of the same opinion. Now. What is our next move, Tarmaiel?” Asked Basra, excitement flooding her body.

“Well, military wise, we have to utilize the wyverns that spawn inside the dungeon in this Kingdom. It is an invaluable resource, and I believe that they are not getting treated well. Politically, we should look to establish trade routes with the neighboring Kingdom of Damas.”

Basra looked confused. “Listen, Tarmaiel. Why are we not going after every country? Why pick ones that are so small?”

“Because controlling creatures under one banner is easier than races like dwarves, humans, elves of all kinds, and demons. The smaller the nation, the easier to penetrate it and spread the roots. Those species do not like being dominated and are blessed by the gods. No matter how hard the truth hits, it is a fact. They are sentient beings and do not elect leaders based solely on raw power. As such, numerically superior and intelligent, they can easily find out our schemes. Just the man whose body I currently have is a great example of this. He figured us out, although failed to comprehend how deep our research on them was. Is it not fascinating? Now imagine how many more people like them are there, unlike us who are in hundreds or thousands in numbers. This is why we must act cautiously and be secretive about everything we do. Do not forget this, Basra.”

The girl nodded.

“So if Damas refuses your trade offer plan, what then?”

Tarmaiel chuckled and grinned, slowly patting the woman’s head in front of him. “Silly Basra. We will trample them,” replied the man nonchalantly.

In the end, both ended up laughing before separating and going on to pursue their duties. A lot needed to be done and their plans were slowly coming together. Only, little did either of them know how different the reality would prove to be ten years into the future. But as was right now, everything went according to plan.