FEW WEEKS BEFORE THE CREATION OF HOUSE TITAN BLADE:

The Asha dropped off the two figures in the middle of the dessert, the blistering heat of Gaia burning down on them as one of the figures, a male judging by his heftier build produced a plastic bottle, ice cubes dancing within the liquid inside as he brought it to his mouth, sucking noisily, the other figure, a woman sighing,

“Really?, we just got here” she said,

The man shrugged,

“Need to keep dehydrated” he replied,

She rolled her eyes, her soft hair blowing in the dry humid breeze, of the arid dessert, sighing to herself,

“What was that damned spider thinking?” she murmured,

“Best be careful talking about the boss woman, I’m not about to go partying with some snot nosed nobles’ daughter who takes a fancy to me again” the man replied,

“Jide, you were the one who volunteered for these missions” the woman said again, exasperated,

Jide Ifa's runes, vice leader of the Hexenblades cult grumbled,

“Well, she didn’t have to accept it, what do I know?” he replied,

The woman gave an irritated “tsk” waling ahead as she snapped her hand, a blue orb floating behind her, a tiny thundercloud forming above her head, cooling her from the rays of the sun. Samantha arcane elemental, clan leader of the cult of the Hexenblades and lord of Primordia, the planet of mages and elementals unfurled a scroll that glowed, the seal of house titan blade on it. She glanced at jide, her diamond ranker and second strongest mage in the entire planet, watching as his eyes glowed green.

Flecks of white motes danced within his eyes, arms folded as he seemed to peer into a trance, he snapped out of it a few seconds later, blinking before turning to her, his gaze all serious,

“Well?” Samantha asked,

“they’re besieged already, I’m guessing they’ve been at it for a few days now, the walls look strong though, lord Boyle would be proud of the architecture” he said,

She nodded,

“The attackers?’ she asked again,

“Four distinct clans from what I can see of their flags, mostly Elementalists, the usual you’d find around this area, dust, sand and air” he reported,

“And signs of any greater factions?’ she asked,

“None that I could sense though, highest ascenders in that war front are mid-tier gold rankers with two peak gold rankers” he responded,

“This makes our job easier” she said,

“Head to the armies, sow chaos, I’ll try to get to the supposed king” she finished,

Jide saluted, a green runic circle appearing beneath his feet as he instantly teleported away, Samantha turning to the blue orb,

“Guess it’s me and you and a petulant princess” she said,

The orb bobbed, a soft tinkling sound coming from it as it transformed into a small doll, eyes white and glowing with power, Samantha gave a light laugh, walking into the distance.

**********************

When the Archailect hit, the geography of the planet that was once known as earth changed for good. Gaia as it was called, saw an addition as well as subtraction to its landmass, one of those changes, was the complete amalgamation of all its desserts into one zone, smack dab in the middle of the continent that belonged to the Bharat empire. Few humans were accustomed to the dessert, even fewer wanted to remain there, seeing the boundless adventures that were laid down for them in better climates.

While these factors reduced the population of the dessert area, the remaining ascenders there who managed to advance, saw a monopoly to the dungeon monsters in the area as well as the mutated lifeforms, and as such, large clans began to form. Five clans called the dessert home, each boasting of a city state they ruled over.

These were clan Sunfire who ruled over the city of Solara, clan Sandstalker who ruled the city of Dunesreach, clan Oasisborne who ruled the city: Aquria, clan Dustwraith who ruled the city of Siltshade and clan Zephyrwind who ruled over the city of Tempestreach. They maintained a circle of power, keeping each other in check as well as fighting for resources as well. All was calm and rosy in the dessert domain until house Zephyrwind exploded with power in one week, their city upgraded into a kingdom overnight, expanding in size.

The growth had caught the other four clans by surprise, their spies in the once city state confused as well as to how they did it. One thing was clear though, clan Zephyrwind had come across either a powerful dungeon, or one of their ascenders had broken through to the peak of gold. Either way, the other clans weren’t going to seat back and watch the clan swallow their cities as its kingdom expanded. For the first time in the short history of the dessert domain, four clans came together to lay siege to a clan, blocking them from all sides as they attempted to crush them for good.

Each clan was known for a particular element they held unparalleled dominion over, clan sunfire with the power of elemental fire, clan Oasisborne full of water mages, clan Dustwraith, a predominantly mercenary clan with the of the dessert lands, mostly dust mages, and clan Sandstalker, who became merchants ferrying goods through the treacherous dessert lands, making untold thousands in resources. Each complemented each other in their endeavours, clan sunfire supplying explosive artillery power, clan Oasisborne ensuring the thousands of troops didn’t run out of water for their campaign, clan Sandstalker ensuring the safety of both troops and siege weapons to the kingdom of Tempestreach and clan Dustwraith who were in charge of reconnaissance for the coming war.

All these were known to the woman who was known as the gem of clan Zephyrwind, their reason for catapulting to the top of the dessert food chain, a victory that now seemed threatened by covetous men who wanted to add her to their trophy. She sighed, silky black hair blowing in the wind as she stood atop the tip of a castle, the highest point in the kingdom of Tempestreach. Watching as catapults after catapults of firepower exploded over the wind barrier of the kingdom, she squeezed her knuckled together, rage burning in her light green eyes.

She itched to go down there, to lay waste to the forces, but she was just one peak gold ranker, a power she might be, but against an army of average silver rankers and low to mid-tier gold rankers, it would put the kingdom at risk. The winds whispered to her of a presence appearing behind her, relaxed as she realized the ascender. Clan Zephyrwind as their name implied, were mostly air Elementalists, a clan who delved into the art of air and its uses, carving out a niche for themselves.

She was the one and only daughter of the king of the kingdom, the heir to the throne, and if she wasn’t careful enough, the concubine of the greater faction who had set up the entire thing. The woman knelt behind her even as she turned,

“My princess” the woman said, her soft Arabic tone evident,

“What news do you bring Aisha?’ the princess asked,

“the walls still hold, barely, but with the arrival of the Al-Hakim family, it is certain we can hold for another few days my princess, but please, we implore you-“

“That is enough Aisha, I’ve heard enough from my father, and you blades, I will die before I leave baba at the mercy of those dogs” she replied, cutting off the kneeling silver ranker,

“What of food, provisions?” she asked,

“Running desperately low, our pleas for clemency to the invaders to feed our young have fallen on deaf ears, they say they’d rather slaughter them than waste their resources on soon to be orphans” Aisha reported,

The princes gave a sharp laugh, raising her one hand, the winds heeding her call as they came together, coalescing into a spear that grew in weight and potency, glowing with green power, the silver ranker shouted,

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“My princess, no!, the pact!” she said,

How much she wanted to attack, how much she wanted to bring down those siege engines, and wipe out the majority of their forces. It would be a bleep in their forces, true, but she was confident in taking out the majority of their silver rankers in one shot and maybe even critically injuring one or two gold rankers. A presence manifested behind her,

“Riyahi” an old but gentle voice said as the princess stopped, shaking with rage,

Shame clouded her mind as she fought back the tears in her eyes, ‘Riyahi’ a word that meant my wind in Arabic, a term of endearment,

“My king” Aisha said as the princess felt the silver ranker fade away silently,

“won’t you even look at me my daughter?” the male voice asked,

The princess spoke, her grin lit eyes dimming to a soft glow,

“I’m sorry baba” she said, her voice rich,

“You have nothing to be sorry for Riyahi, you have brought me nothing but pride and joy” he said,

Feeling his hands encircle her, she allowed herself to relax within the arms of her father, king Yakub Zephyrwind, the smell of his rich oil and sandalwood perfume filling the air, reminding her of memories. Her mother had died during the advent of the Archailect, at home while she and her father had gone to the market to secretly get gifts for her mother’s birthday. It had been a source of anguish for her, the last memory of her mother being her soft smile.

King Yakub had gathered his family, all extended and forged a path to greatness for themselves, obtaining the path of the Aeiroillusionist and becoming of the most powerful clans in the whole of the dessert. She felt her father draw her gaze upwards, staring into his warm eyes,

“Layla, you burden yourself with too much” he said softly,

Layla Zephyrwind, eldest daughter, only child and heir to the Zephyrwind clan had been an enigma, pushing the boundaries of what they knew about their path, she had championed the cause for new spells. Dispelling old ones to be recorded into books for the upcoming children of the clan, she was first of all an explorer before a princess, her thirst for knowledge reigning supreme. serving her short tenure as all explorers would at Rimor, the continent state of the explorer society, she had ended her stint as a low ranked gold.

Due to the absence of higher tiered dungeons accessible to her, she had journeyed back home to take her place as the heir to the clan, growing the power of the clan slowly but surely, playing the politics of power as she drew numerous families to her side, becoming a great power even among the clan. Of course, many suitors had come for her hand in marriage, her father maintaining his stance,

“Riyahi decides who she wants to marry, not I” he had said,

In a manner bizarre to their customs, he stood with her, accepting her terms not to marry of the numerous noble families within the clan. Then came the outside suitors, first from the other clans, and then from the greater faction that called this domain theirs, the Bharat empire. Devesh, the diamond ranker and one of the strongest ascenders on the planet had wanted her hand in marriage, it was sure to catapult their clan into the higher echelons of power, and Layla rejected it.

The clan had been in an uproar even as her father had laughed heartily at the news, it was known in hushed voices that Devesh was becoming a tyrant, but even he couldn’t simply forcefully take her from her clan. Not only would he lose the faith of the greater clans in the continent, but Luke Finn, the president of the explorer’s society would move against him for harming a member of the society, despite her rank.

Layla knew he’d come for her, and so she had done her research, delved stronger dungeons with the risk, lost many friends in the process, but at the end, she had done it. She ascended to the rank of peak gold, gathering a hundred rare dungeon cores, and finally growing their city state into a kingdom. It had been the perfect excuse Devesh had been looking for, subtly supplying the clans with ammunitions and funds, he had riled them into a frenzy, each battling to either take her fathers’ head or get her to willingly surrender.

Of course, there was one last option, to plead Devesh’s mercy and make him call the royal troops to break the siege, but she’d rather die than do that. It was why she had been secretly getting the children underground, tele hubs which the clan had paid a hefty sum for, almost bankrupting them in the process, to funnel them to the one place they’d be safe,

Asa,

The continent of the titan blade, where diamond rankers resided like it was a normal thing and no sane faction would try invading, not if they wanted the rumoured master ranked constructs to obliterate them in an instant. She knew they weren’t rumoured, she had seen recordings of them from Luke himself, and so she knew they were safe, if the words of the spiders were to be believed. Her father grabbed her shoulders, a light in his eyes,

“Hope has come at last” he said,

Layla’s heart skipped a beat,

“What clan?, what faction?” she asked,

“it’s better you see yourself” he replied,

Calming her nerves, she sought not to make her expectations too high, probably her father had decided to bend to the wishes of the empire. Even as they floated into the grand palace room, the figure she saw staring at a portrait froze her, Layla staring with wide eyes,

“impossible” she said,

The figure turned, yellow hair floating even without any breeze, her eyes boring into her,

“Lady Layla Zephyrwind I presume?” she asked,

Layla curtsied,

“Lady Samantha” she replied,

“I bring you greetings from clan titan blade” she said,

Layla tightened her fist, anticipation in her mind,

“Mostly from the web weaver herself, but you know” the mage shrugged,

Anyone that was a mage knew of Samantha, the diamond ranked Elementalist of clan titan blade, wielding multiple elements, a number that was up for debate, she felt her knees shaking at the sight of the woman. She felt her father touch her shoulder,

“Riyahi, you’re an Al-Burak first and foremost” he said softly,

Al-Burak, her true surname, her family name, the name of the mythological creature of old that bore the prophets through their sojourn on its back, in Islamic knowledge. Her father was reminding her of he proud heritage, and Layla would live up to it, straightening her shoulders as she marched forward,

“Welcome to our kingdom, although I must wonder how you made your way through the siege” she asked,

“that’s more like it, one of the ten kings of Gaia, I wondered how one who bore that name was under a siege” Samantha said,

Layla felt her cheeks redden,

“I simply cannot attack without thinking of my people” she replied,

“As a true leader would, the titan blad would approve” the diamond Elementalist replied,

Layla chose her words carefully,

“I thank lord titan blade for his timely intervention, are we to expect more troops?, the sentinels perhaps?” she asked,

The clan known for their ascenders versed in force aura, the clans would be sitting ducks if they came, Samantha raised an eyebrow,

“Am I not enough?” she asked,

Samantha bowed,

“Please, pardon my words, I’m simply a princess trying to save her kingdom” she said hurriedly,

It would be stupid for her to antagonize the diamond, if she withdrew, all help would be gone, no one would come for them. She felt a hand on her shoulder,

“I simply jest, come, we must talk” Samantha said,

Snapping her fingers, Layla watched as an illusion unraveled, seeing two men bound up like thieves, eyes wide in terror, one had even pissed his pants. Layla stared in awe, she was a peak gold ranker with the powers of both air and illusions, her entire clan was known for it, and yet, within their most fortified place, the diamond ranker had hidden an illusion from them. Samantha pointed at the prisoners,

“Meet an assassin from one of the clans, Dustwraith I presume and a secret messenger from the Bharat empire” she said,

Layla felt a smile creeping across her mouth, evidence she needed to show that Devesh had been conniving with the clans. She turned to Samantha, kneeling,

“Whatever lord titan blade demands of me, I will comply, even if it’s my hand in marriage” she said,

“Riyahi!” her father exclaimed in shock,

She would do it for her kingdom, he was a powerful man, compassionate but deadly if the rumors were true. Samantha snorted, drawing their attention,

“Please, you would have to pick a number and hopefully not get killed by the Chimera” she said as she gave a light chuckle,

Samantha stared in confusion,

“Then what does he want with me?” she asked,

“Loyalty, swear loyalty, your clan would be protected from the clans, and you’ll spend a few months at bastion, in Ife to be exact” Samantha said,

Layla blinked,

“that’s all?” she asked,

“yes” the diamond ranker answered,

“But if I’m not around, Devesh- “

“Would be stupid to attack you even with you flying our banner, don’t you think?” Samantha said, cutting in,

“Plus, you’d learn under me” the mage said,

“done” Layla said almost immediately,

That had sealed it, she was fine as a gold ranker for now, diamond ranked dungeons were a death sentence for most ascenders anyways, she’d prefer research and knowledge, something Samantha and her elemental society were known for. She glanced at her father who nodded, cheers of jubilation breaking out from the servants and guards around. Samantha nodded, raising one finger and shooting a beam of purple light skywards, it exploded into an insignia of clan titan blade, a mountain with a blade above it.

A green runic circle broke out as a man came through, dragging four ascenders bound together in green aura chains,

“Finally!” he exclaimed,

Layla stared at him, seeing his green eyes as well, his chiseled look and realized who he was,

“Jide?” she said, the second in command to Samantha,

The man paused, glancing at her,

“Oh, hi strange beautiful princess” he said, dumping the men to the ground who groaned,

Layla stared at the leaders of the four clans, battered and bruised, huddled together in terror from the man, Samantha sighed,

“I said abduct them” she said,

“And I did” he replied,

“They look half dead.”

“Not my fault they resisted” the man retorted,

The diamond ranker sighed, running a hand through her hair,

“You do know she isn’t going to like this, right?” she said,

Jide unleashed a bit of his aura, Layla staggering in shock, realizing he was a diamond ranker, the stories of clan titan blade were indeed true. The man froze and then turned to the bundled golds who screamed like little girls,

“Alright team!, what we practiced!” he said grinning at them,

The men nodded hastily, turning to Layla and her father,

“You are, my fire” the first said as Layla stared confused,

“The one desire” the second said,

“Jide, not this again” Samantha groaned,

Layla laughed,

“Backstreet boys” she said laughing,

“See?, someone gets it!’ Jide cried out,

“Chorus let’s go, tell me why!” he shouted,

“ain’t nothing but a heartache!” the four shouted shedding real tears,

“We agree” Layla said to Samantha even as above the kingdom, flying constructs revealed themselves, ascenders of peak gold rank dropping like flies as they bombarded the seiging clans who broke into disarray, running,

“Can I marry him baba?” she asked pointing to jide,

“Please no” Samantha groaned again.