Three ghost messengers appeared before Maras as he looked at them with disdain.

“The Dark council knows of your reckless actions, they wish to inform you that the Angels and the Demons have made an accord. As have we. Dina has signed a treaty with the Demons.”

“An accord?” Maras echoed indignantly, “what do you mean an accord?”

If his skeletal face could make expressions it would have, because every fibre of his soul was shocked. The Ghosts simply stared at him, hoping for the Spectre Lord to calm down.

“Why are Dina so passive? Explain to me what’s going on?” Maras growled at them.

“Dina wanted to kill the Warlock, but the Demons have emphatically said they will do so. Cahov noted your skirmish and if you don’t stop fighting them, you will be unaffiliated.”

Maras looked at them again with shock. One carried a communication crystal that lit up with the face of a Dina general, a Lich Lord.

“We have made deals with the Demons child. Unless you feel like leaving the fold of Dina Necromancers, do what is wisest.” The threat delivered in a most cold demanding manner.

The Spectre Lord clutched his skeletal nose bridge and chuckled.

These cowardly pricks.

Ildrid had commanded his skeletons to battle the Bacteria in the background, slowly he grew his forces while he observed the situation.

“I will do as you do Maras.”

Maras had a dilemma, he could follow the Dark Council of Dina and sit on the sidelines while momentous things happened, or he could act. Clutching his skeletal face, squeezing his skeletal hands, until he finally announced his decision.

“Ildrid!” He screamed, “how does the life of an outlaw feel?”

“So be it,” the ghost messengers said, “Dina will hunt you like a dog.”

“Rather that, then live like one…” Maras snarled.

The ghosts promptly left, seemingly not willing to talk with the rebel Undead any longer, leaving Ildrid and Maras alone.

“And I shall bark at my own discretion!” Maras said, clasping his cloak, turning to Ildrid “never have we been more alone, I became Undead to enact true justice, not be some dog. Now Ildrid, here. We will need these to better coordinate our forces.”

Maras gave a communication crystal, white see through crystal, this one in particular even had the option of a primitive hologram to see the face of the person talking to you. Ildrid nodded. They both began a ferocious attack on the Bacteria, now more than ever they needed to gather resources in order to fight. Maras got his Ghouls together and put them to collect death mana, they flayed and tore the Bacteria in front of them to pieces, which would allow Maras to grow his Undead army. Ildrid produced phalanxes of spearmen, axemen and archer skeletons which soon disappeared into a din of battle. Maras summoned five more Spectres.

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“Ildrid gather your forces, you can survive against these bastard Bacteria right?”

“Most probably,” the skeleton said.

“Then do so, I will go after the Demons. Stay away from the coast, Dina will likely try send units to hunt us down,” his voice had the ominous tone of a Spectre and the kindness of a comrade.

“Sounds like a plan,” Ildrid said.

The ghosts had left likely to give news to Dina about the intransigence of Maras. A bodyguard unit of Wraiths chucked knives at fantastic rates, while ravenous Ghouls bludgeoned and behaved like animals. Maras moved forward, he saw Demons 50 kilometres away from him. He slaughtered and slaughtered, 100 Reapers twirled their blades forward, Bane worked as mobile healing stations. Ildrid crept deeper into the landscape of the continent, there he fought pitched battles all by himself. The din of battle was all that could be heard, as blades hacked, and stabbed, arrows constantly flew overhead; battle raged and Ildrid’s endless spear walls protected him from endless hordes of self replicating Bacteria. He gathered the death mana and raised more forces, the perfect battleground for his Undead army.

Meanwhile a continent away, Uther had established a military port for the Cahov. There were umpteen different kinds of ships. Thousands of Cahov soldiers in orderly ranks, and monstrously large Demons armed with long glowing blades and axes, and of course imps armed with pikes and spears. Supplies had been teleported in, but their future plans were to use the western continen: ‘Bacterium,’ for resources. The port had metal buildings, otherworldly wood that was darker and more menacing. The smell of Demon sweat, Demon food, Demon fornication and Demon shit.

“The most important element in controlling this world, is having lots of places to station our troops. The western continent is rich and we can use this land to send our troops for resources and to eliminate our rivals,” Uther said ominously, “the Demon Lord could fall over or something.”

Cahov soldiers and officials stared at Uther’s obviously seditious words. Spies lurked behind, noting down what was being said, taking stock of the obvious factions forming, but not necessarily reporting anything; the spies eyes glanced from underneath cloaks, their faces glinted in grins, or kept completely expressionless.

“Uther, your designs in Cahov politics are foolish, but loudly proclaiming them is even more foolish,” a Demon officer said, “wagging your tongue like this has to be some special kind of stupid.” The officer seethed so much that magma hot spittle flew out his mouth, "I am not part of your moronic plots. Even if I were, I don’t know if you remember-” the officer was suddenly interrupted by an admiral.

“Uther, many of our ships were destroyed, unfortunately we can’t portal ships into this world. We need to avoid these kind of naval battles where we get destroyed, the officer is correct.”

“Yes concentrate on what you can control you big fucking moron,” the officer said.

Uther stared at the officer, and eventually the officer lifted his arms and walked away.

“Correct admiral, but the most important thing is that we eliminate the Warlocks, if they are around they can hold our invasion at bay,” Uther mused, “we need utter elimination of them, and subjugation of the continent.” Only then can my other plans take shape.

Shipwrights hammered wooden planks into place, others put sails up, others carried barrels, crates of food, hemp turned into sinews of rope. What was transpiring both east and west was familiar yet unknown.