The Five reached the tower which Reality had pointed out earlier and they came upon more soldiers. Atlas said, "A good way to test your newfound power, against the pawns. Let it loose upon them, and see just how much more you could be." Wrecker was the first to do so, Revian and Krium were hesitant to test their new limits. Wrecker dug deep within and gathered his power. He began to slowly rise off of the ground and He exploded with an intense inferno of a deep red fire. He sprouted large fiery wings, much like the wings of his Wyrms long since dead. He drew his sword and it too was the same deep red fire, and the fiery blade spanned nearly fifteen feet long.

  Wrecker charged at the soldiers, they all ran and screamed in terror. Wrecker slashed at them with his blade, he slammed the ground repeatedly sending both rock and flame spewing in every direction. The Four looked on and watched this display of power. As Wrecker unleashed his raw power upon the enemy soldiers all but Atlas stood with an unease. An unease at just what one man could do, one man with immense power. This power that they all had in their own right. Revian and Krium looked at each other both thinking to themselves. What can we do now that we also hold this power?

  Once the soldiers had been obliterated Wrecker reverted back to his normal self and fell down to his knees, exhausted. Atlas walked over to him and asked, "What did it feel like?" Wrecker said back, "I have never felt more alive, I never realized the scope of power we all posess. Now I understand." Atlas said, "You enjoyed it, don't lie. I said earlier we are not so different, and we are not. You liked your first glimpse at you true power just as I had. Revian and Krium will learn to love theirs once they taste it. You decimated the soldiers, none of them could hurt you. I watched one of them drive a spear into your back and it was turned to ash before it even got near you. Now get on your feet, we have more distance to travel."

  The Five of them continued on towards their goal when they reached another courtyard. Reality said, "Now we must make a choice, there are several ways we can go from here that will lead us to our goal." Atlas said, "Which is the fastest?" Reality said, "The middle road is the fastest but the other two are far less likely to have legions of soldiers guarding them." Wrecker said, "How much less likely?" Reality said, "Very likely." Revian jumped in and asked, "How many more soldiers can they have, we have probably killed hundreds of thousands of them already not to mention those two behemoths that were slugging it out earlier." Reality said, "They clone soldiers at a rapid rate, they have an endless supply of them." Krium said, "Against any other enemy it would be enough but for us, at least now anyways, it is no where near enough to stop us."

  Reality said, "You are right Krium, it is not enough. But it will take time to get to our destination. Several hours down the middle and nearly a full day to go around the side roads. None of them are remotely fast." Atlas began to get a thought into his head, one that he knew the others would not like but he went and said it anyway. Atlas said, "I have an idea, but not how to get to where we are going faster." Wrecker asked, "What is this plan?" Atlas said, "Since I took Bel-Roth's power, and a portion of Shunnereth's I am on their level within the Universe. That means I can travel as they did." Revian said, "That means what exactly?" Atlas said, "I can travel to Shunnereth's plane, and I can raise some Hell." Krium asked, "What could that possibly do for us?"

  Atlas said, "It would bring some of them back would it not?" Reality said, "You want to bring more of them here to fight the soldiers. It is a dangerous plan because I know nothing of their plane. I cannot say I agree with this plan." Atlas said, "Why worry, I can very much handle myself and if I see any of them worth bringing back so you can get a little more power then I will." Wrecker said, "Wait you can't be ser...." He was cut off by Atlas teleporting out of the courtyard to a plane unknown to the rest of them. "...ious." Wrecker finished his sentence. He turned to Reality and said, "I guess we are all capable of that are we not? We all have some of Shunnereth's power."

  Reality said, "It may be possible but Atlas has a way with teleportation. He did it extensively." Wrecker said, "I did as well Reality." Reality said, "That may be but it was Atlas who took Bel-Roth's power, that makes Him the strongest of us. We are all even in power except Him. We must trust His judgement for there is no way we beat Him in battle, not now." Wrecker said, "I wish I could trust His judgment but He literally just teleported into another plane of existence to cause an all out war with this one. I feel as though His lust for power is the strongest thing He has. It will bring something bigger than we have seen into the mix, and I fear we will not be able to stop it."

  Revian said, "Atlas seems to know what He's doing. Let us not forget He is a very able fighter, and immensly powerful. We should not forsake Him just yet." They all waited in silence after their conversation. They waited for Atlas to teleport back with an army on His tail. Several hours went by and nothing happened. Reality said, "We cannot delay this any further, we must move on without Atlas. He will be able to find us when He returns." The Four moved towards the middle road, their fastest route to their goal. They began the long trudge down abandoned streets which seemed to howl with a wind that did not exist.

  Reality said when noticing the anxious looks of his companions, "They are the sounds of this realm, they are nothing to be worried about. They too once made me think I was being watched. We never found out why they happened or where they actually come from, it seems they only happen when there has been large amounts of death, I have never heard them so loud." This statement sent a chill down the Four's spines as they tried to ignore the howls but it kept naggin at them like a rock in their boot that they could not get out. After a few hours of travel they came upon another courtyard. Reality said, "This is the final courtyard before the fortress. I don't understand though." Krium asked, "What don't you understand?" Reality said, "There are no soldiers here. Even when not under attack soldiers would fill this courtyard on a day to day basis. No other place save the fortress would you see more soldiers."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Revian said, "Then maybe our journey will be easier without a roadblock in the way." Wrecker said, "Or there is antother threat that they would be fighting that is a bigger problem at the moment." Reality said, "That is most likely what it is, could Atlas have returned?" Wrecker said, "I have a feeling we will know when Atlas returns, it wouldn't be so quiet." Wrecker made a fair point as they all seemed in agreeance on the statement and they continued on in caution. They were walking down a long and winding road when they saw a bend far in the distance. Reality said, "Around that bend lies the fortress, and it's gate is massive but should prove no problem to get through. Prepare yourselves for battle." The Four looked back at the bend and saw a small amount of smoke slowly flowing from around the bend.

  They began to rush forward into battle but when they rounded the bend all they saw was a fiery pile of rubble, and Atlas. Reality asked, "What happened here?" Atlas said, "No one was here, well. Until I brought them here anyway. What took you so long to get here anyhow?" Wrecker asked, "What did you do?" Atlas said, "I did what the plan was, although it may have worked a little too well because the invasion force was massive, like, more than I could even see." Reality said, "Where is it?" Atlas said, "On it's way, I slowed them down but I don't think it will take them long to gather their wits and make the journey over to here."

  Revian asked, "What happened to the fortress Atlas?" Atlas turned around to look at the gigantic pile of rubble and said, "A slight miscalculation on my part but as I said there was no one here. It was completely empty. Its like everyone here just dissapeared. Is there another place like this that the people may have gone to Reality?" Reality said, "There is one place, but that place has been closed for a very long time." Wrecker said, "Then we will go to there instead. We came here for one thing after all." The Four started to walk away but Reality stood motionless. Krium noticed, turned back and asked, "What is it Reality?" Reality said, "They will not be there." Wrecker asked, "Why not?"

  Reality kneeled down and picked up something off of the ground and said, "Something happened here while we were dealing with Kiernan and Korick. There was another like Shunnereth here." Revain asked, "Wait what? Like another one of their champions?" Reality turned around to face the Four and said, "No. The one who did this removed them from existence. Whoever did this, was the one who created them, and me." The Four grew deathly silent, the air seemed to hang in place around them and suddenly the ground began to shake violently.

  The Five rushed away from the destroyed fortress and watched as the city sank into the ground. A spire began to form where the cities center once had been, all of them in awe except Atlas. Atlas said after the spire stopped it's growth, "I've seen that before." Reality asked, "Where have you seen that before?" Atlas said, "It is a troop carrier, it seems my plan worked." As soon as He finished the sentence several hundred more spires rose around the first. Revian said, "Maybe a little too well it would seem." After an hour of watching they could no longer count the spires that formed, and more kept rising even though they could not see them, they could hear and feel them as they shook the ground they stood on.

  They began to think it would never end but just as suddenly as it began it stopped. Atlas was about to say something when a massive portal opened in the sky above the spires, and each of them began to rise off of the ground and enter the portal. Reality said, "I thought those were troop carriers Atlas." Atlas said, "The ones I saw were, don't look at me." Wrecker asked, "Did you see anything else while you were there?" Atlas said, "I saw some pretty awesome shit, almost too much now that I think about it. I saw an endless army, those spires with troops pouring out of them, and some weird looking robed guy just floating around. I left once He saw me."

  Reality took a few steps back. Noticing this Atlas asked, "Do you know who or what that robed thing was Reality?" Reality said, "I do. It is much like the one whom you called Death Atlas. He is our god of the dead, We called him The Forsaken Figure but his true name lies unknown to us." Krium asked, "Why did you call him The Forsaken Figure?" Reality responded, "Anyone caught worshipping Him or having anything related to Him was immediately arrested. He is one which we outlawed the worship of because of His followers rioting and killing because they think He told them to." Atlas said, "So He is a god of death? I've killed gods before Reality, this one shouldn't be any different." Reality said, "This is an enemy far beyond anything you have ever seen before Atlas. He holds the power to literally snuff us away like a lit candle." Atlas said, "Our fire burns too hot for anything to touch. We will destroy him as we have all others that stood in our path. I have Shunnereth's halberd remember, also I thought of a name for it...."

  Atlas fumbled around for a few seconds struggling to get the Halbered off of his back but when he finally did he said, "Behold, the halberd, Blinding Glory..." He looked around the other Four but was met with only looks of sheer dissapointment and annoyance. Revian said, "Blinding Glory, thats what you went with." Atlas asked, "What?" Wrecker said, "We have more pressing matters at hand than you naming some stupid halberd that you looted off of Shunnereth's dematerialized corpse. We have the spires to worry about." Krium said, "Not anymore we don't." They all turned their focus towards the portal and saw a single figure exit it. Atlas said, "Oh hey, it's that robe guy....What was his name, the Forsaken Figure? I prefer That Robed Douche." Reality, ignoring Atlas, turned to the Four and said, "I do not think this is a battle that we can win." Atlas said, "I did say I would bring back something to grow our power did I not. I see a perfect candidate that strolled right down to us." The Four looked at Atlas with more dissapointment and a good deal of anger.

  Atlas just looked back, shrugged, and said, "I am a man of my word." Wrecker shook his head and said, "We will have to fight him all at once if we are to have a chance. Revian, Krium, you will have to unleash your true power on Him. Me and Atlas will also do the same. If we pelt him with enough power and energy I feel we will have a chance. Reality we will need you as well in this fight, everyone counts." The Five began to make their way towards 'That Robed Douche' as Atlas continued to call him, refusing to call him The Forsaken Figure. They walked with a quiet slow pace because they knew the battle that lay ahead would be a difficult one, even Atlas began to grow weary of their chances at winning, but He kept an optimisitic view and kept His mind at ease.