“Mmm?” Heziyn sounded as her brows furrowed.

“Why would you want that?” She asked Akili who sat before her in her office, which was a tent a few kilometres north of Kimbilio.

Sitting next to her was Ed who's face was twisted with concern.

“My father made an oath to aid you and my one desire is to ensure that the oath is fulfilled.” Akili said with a deep bow prompting Heziyn to exchange glances with Ed.

“Well… alright but I hope you know that the only promise he made was to aid me. Be it in trivial matters or… otherwise.”

“I accept that duty wholeheartedly!” Akili yelled making Heziyn weakly giggle.

“Alright, alright but enough about all that. How is your mother doing? I know she was down here a few weeks ago but I really hope she’s still doing alright.”

“Mom is fine. She performs her duties diligently and without complaint although sometimes I feel as though the Queen sends her out for no reason at all.” Akili sighed. His hair was bound in a tight bun and his cheeks were covered in acne but such was the curse that befell most adolescents.

“The Queen does so simply because she can.” Heziyn smiled.

Akili weakly nodded before standing up and giving Heziyn and Ed a bow.

“Anyway, I must return to Central Hatua. I may be the standing general but I still have a lot to learn.”

“Go on.” Heziyn waved her goodbye and the boy, accompanied by a detail of Fire Breakers and Blessed Sisters, began his trip back home.

“Poor thing.” Ed sighed.

“Yes but, if he is determined to carry his father’s burdens, who are we to stop him?” Heziyn asked with closed eyes.

“Yeah.” Ed said.

I turned to the north and saw that Shrimp War was nearing its end.

The Shrimp had been reduced to a few thousand and although the Chofumah had lost hundreds of their own, those who remained were either injured or beyond exhausted.

If the Shrimp managed to break through the weakened Chofumah defences, it’d spell disaster for those in the Cavern and if the Chofumah managed to defeat the Shrimp, they would have finally claimed Y’shuah as their new home.

Pazia breathed deeply and heavily as he stood in the Elephantine Forest.

The sun had begun to set and, as if on queue, the last wave made landfall.

The ground trembled and the air was filled with their hisses and screeches.

Pazia glanced at his accompanying magician, a small man named Azar.

He stood behind Pazia wide eyes but they trembled not as dark shadows crept into the forest.

Pazia gave him a nod before turning to the coming wave.

He then raised his spear just in time to stab the nearest shrimp in the head.

Azar disabled the arms of any Shrimp within ten meters and any Life Energy he got, he gave to Pazia whenever he was incurred but he made sure not to pour too much.

I turned to the incineration zone where the Shrimp were being funnelled into and I behold a great fire.

But there was a problem.

The magicians weren’t burning the Shrimp as fast as before.

They were obviously tired and since using Magic requires focus, they were only getting slower.

It got to a point that Shrimp were running over the burning corpses of their kin and charging straight towards the magicians.

Fortunately, the magicians were accompanied by warriors who held the Shrimp back as best as they could but even this changed once a certain Shrimp made its appearance.

It had made its way into the Forest slowly, taking care not to stray to close to the wall and it eventually arrived at the incineration point where it began attacking the warriors and, as expected, it was at least four times stronger than the average Shrimp.

But, what made it even more fearsome, and what shocked me the most, was that it was mimicking what Pazia had done.

By twisting it’s Uyil Belts, it made itself immune to outside interference and so the magicians couldn’t disable its arms.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Any warrior who got too close was blown to bits or impaled.

The state of its Belts also meant that it was in what must have been extreme pain and it took it all out on the Chofumah before it.

Ayit, who had up to this point, overseen the incineration point, ordered a full retreat but at this point, enough Shrimp had broken through the defensive line that they were beginning to force the warriors to the west and away from the Cavern.

Ayit ordered retreat further westward but this meant he’d be leaving those in the wall behind.

He would also be damning those within the cavern to horrific deaths since his were some of the last warriors.

News of the breach reached the Cavern and the few warriors within mobilized by every entrance to defend their home.

I turned to Pazia and he was quick to notice that his group was surrounded and so be ordered that they slowly make their way back to the cavern.

Pazia must have realized that something was wrong after hearing loud explosions coming from the forest deep.

“Something isn’t right! Move to the incineration point!” He yelled while stabbing any Shrimp in his way.

Darkness filled the forest and, by the time Pazia’s group reached the incineration point, night had completely fallen.

What waited them was a pit of corpses, both old and fresh, of Shrimp and humanoids.

Pazia turned to the Mega Shrimp but just as those who followed him raised their spears, Pazia raised his left hand, making them pause.

“We need to kill that thing now!” One of them cried.

“Yeah!” A blood soaked Blessed Sister yelled before creating a fireball and throwing it at the Mega Shrimp but it was far too weak and it barely singed the thing’s shell.

It did, however, get its attention and so it turned to Pazia’s group.

Pazia glanced to his west and watched as warriors fled into the forest, leaving the pathways to the forest unguarded.

“Everyone, protect the Cavern! I’ll handle that big bastard!” He yelled and although those behind him hesitated, they did as they were told and rushed to the Cavern.

The Mega Shrimp charged to intercept them but Pazia picked up a rock and threw it straight at its head, crushing its left eye.

It let out a shriek before turning towards Pazia who raised his spear as he ran towards the Shrimp.

The two met and while the Shrimp sent forward its fists and spears, Pazia took a step backwards just in time to avoid getting caught in the blast of its punches. He also narrowly avoided getting impaled and so he tried stabbing it in the head but the creature dashed backwards as well.

“Oh?” Pazia sounded with furrowed brows.

He then stood upright and spread his arms as if inviting the Shrimp for a hug.

The Shrimp let out another shriek before charging towards Pazia who stood completely still.

There was a delay of about a minute before the Shrimp could reuse their fists otherwise they’d fall apart from the forces they experienced.

Pazia must have anticipated this because just as it raised its spears, he took a single step forward and this motion was just enough to avoid getting his head skewered.

It also got him close enough to thrust his spear towards the Shrimp’s head but, almost as if out of fear for its life, the Shrimp hurriedly jerked its head to the side but this wasn’t before Pazia stabbed it in trivial mouth, tearing half of its face off in the process.

The Shrimp let out another shriek and readying its fists for use.

Pazia, at this point, was far too close to try running away and so he bit his teeth and tried stabbing the creature again but just as the Shrimp’s fist began moving forward, something large struck it’s side, sending it tumbling to the over.

Pazia’s brows furrowed upon seeing Pele only he was clad in purple light.

He glanced at the pathways to the Cavern and saw that several magicians had their hands raised.

Their eyes also glowed purple meaning that it was them who had launched Pele into battle.

Pazia dashed to Pele’s side just as he lost his purple glow and the two raised their spears just as the Shrimp got back onto its feet.

Neither of them said a thing as they dashed towards it and the creature remained quiet as well while raising its spears.

Pazia was the first to act.

He dashed towards the Shrimp while raising his spear and it dashed towards him as well but just as the two reached each other, Pazia dashed to the side just as Pele threw his spear and it struck the Shrimp right in the chest.

Pazia then stabbed the Shrimp in its head while Pele ran up to it and forced the rest of his spear into its chest.

The creature finally fell just as its kin were driven back south by the magicians who hurled balls of fire at them.

“You know…” Pazia breathed as he turned to face Pele who retrieved his spear from the Shrimp’s chest.

“That move would have killed your average warrior.”

“Then it’s a good thing you aren’t an average warrior.” Pele smiled as he walked up to Pazia who stood about thirty centimetres shorter than him.

“Tsk! I had no intentions of stacking up any debts but alas.” Pazia sighed while offering Pele a dirty hand.

“I owe you one.”

Pele accepted Pazia’s hand but shook his head.

“You owe me nothing. And besides, we Fire Breakers ought to look out for one another.” Pele said before tapping Pazia’s shoulder and making his way back to the pathways that led to Cavern.

Pazia turned to the dead Shrimp and nodded once before following Pele up the path.

The two then led the remaining warriors and magicians in pushing the Shrimp back to the ocean.

I turned to the west and saw that Ayit and his group were cautiously making their way back to the Cavern.

I wondered who was going to be put in charge of cleaning up all of the corpses.

It would be a pain but once they were done, they would have free rein of Y’shuah.

I laughed internally upon realizing that at every state of the development of the Humanoids, they had faced adversity from stupidly powerful animals.

Was it unfair of me to support the humanoids and not the animals?

Well, I wanted company and entertainment and, unfortunately, animals weren’t very talkative.

Speaking of, I entered my doll and made my way to my north pole where the dragons now flew to avoid the storm I’d made at my equator.

I landed on the head of my favourite scaly friend, The Red Emperor, and let out a sigh.

I gently tapped the dragon’s head and wondered just what was going on in there.

I peered into its soul and saw that it was obviously large, although it wasn’t anywhere near as large as even one of my Uyil Belts.

Curiously enough, my Uyil Belt, the one which drove my doll, went around those of the dragon.

I wondered what would happen if I made them touch.

And so I gently tugged mine closer to those of the dragon.

It eventually made contact and my eyes widened as I witnessed the dragon’s birth.

It was born from massive pools of Life Energy which were abundant shortly after life came to inhabit my surface.

It seemed as though dragons were Life Magic manifest.

So…

I wondered if they were the perfect life forms

Red Emperor had been around for a few billion years and so I assumed he was immortal.

Mmm… this was big.

I wondered if what I needed was a more draconic form.

Perhaps that was the key.