Altiora, the capital city of the Alliance of Newfen, was strategically positioned at the meeting point of each race's borders. It served as both the Alliance’s headquarters and a symbol of their unity. Its gleaming walls and towering gates spoke of triumph and unity, their craftsmanship a melding of magic and engineering. The city stretched outward in an intricate web of grand avenues and bustling markets, every corner alive with the hum of life.

Altiora’s location allowed it to draw the best from every race’s ingenuity. Towering aqueducts carried shimmering streams of water through the streets, powered by magic. Forges churned out enchanted tools and weapons in the industrial district, their enchanted chimneys trailing purified smoke into the clear blue sky. Marketplaces sprawled across the lower levels, their stalls brimming with goods from every corner of the world. Above it all, airships glided silently, their hulls gleaming in the sunlight as they carried emissaries and goods to distant lands.

Altiora was the city of unity, Victory banners fluttered from every rooftop. Their vibrant colors proclaimed the Alliance's recent triumph over the Council of Hysperia. The war had ended, and Altiora reveled in the newfound peace that enveloped the city. Every street was filled with celebration. Merchants hawked their goods in the crowded bazaars, their voices mixing with the melodies of wandering minstrels. Street performers dazzled crowds with feats of acrobatics and magic, while children darted through the throngs, laughing and playing as their favorite heroes.

At the center of it all was the Grand Plaza, a sprawling space of polished stone surrounded by statues of the Alliance’s heroes. But a singular statue stood out from the rest. It had been covered with flowers and poems just days prior—Teryn’s statue, the fallen hero whose sacrifice had ensured their victory. His likeness was solemn and proud, his name etched into the collective memory of every citizen. To the revelers, his death was a noble end, the epitome of what a hero should be.

Within the Crystal Keep, the heart of Altiora’s governance, the air was calm and relaxed. The representative hero from every race in the Alliance were going to gathered for the diving up the spoils. At the center of the room a massive circular table carved from mythril. Embedded on to the table were 27 crystals of all colors, each with a different hero's name carved onto them, glowing with mana. All but one, Teryn’s crystal was shattered. The crystals acted as a medium to indicate if a hero was dead or alive.

Around the table sat Alden Novebeck, the human hero that wielded light magic. He was dressed casually given the festivities. He was average by all metrics, except for his shining eyes and hands. Seated beside him was Elyndra Liadon, the elven hero she wielded a rapier and wind magic. She wore a form fitted training suit that emphasized her curves while covering her milky white complextion. She was tall, with long ears and flowing auburn hair. On each side of her rosy cheeks, just below her green eyes, she had small beauty marks that made her beauty breathtaking. With her eyes tightly shut, her delicate fingers tapped impatiently on the table.

Bang! The doors to the hall flung open. Jareth Solan, a robust older gentleman wearing barbarian style clothing, entered. Bald and bearing a large blood rune on the top of his head, he was the human hero known for his wild spear techniques. Following him was Kaelor Moorwin, the owl beastkin hero. He had large wings, adorned with white feathers that rested on his back, and jet black eyes that would follow your every movement. Known for his archery and wind magic, Kaelor’s presence was as sharp as his arrows. They took their seats.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

After waiting another ten minutes for a few more heroes to arrive, Sayreen Starfallen, the aasimar hero known for her sword and thunder magic, entered and took her seat. She stood at the average height of a human female but looked as though she had been sculpted by the aether itself. Her flawless earth-toned skin, glowing hazel eyes, and flaming red hair added to her captivating presence. She wore a skin-tight robes that outlined her curvaceous body.

"I'm sorry for being late. The others made me their proxy since they won’t be coming. They said they were still recovering from the war."

"Don’t lie to us, Sayreen. Clearly, they think their time is more valuable than ours. I had to postpone MY practice for this meeting."

"Now, now, calm down, Elyndra. They’re probably just not as strong as you and haven’t fully recovered yet."

Hmph. Elyndra quieted down, leaning her head onto her palm, her expression still annoyed.

"To start this meeting off, let’s state the obvious." "Teryn’s crystal has shattered, so we can all rest easy knowing last night’s operation was a success."

"HAHAHAHA! That little mage got lucky he committed suicide first. Otherwise, my spear would have pierced his heart. HAHAHAHA!"

"Enough, Jareth,." "Just because I agreed to get rid of him doesn’t mean you can look down at his skills. He managed to evade my detection several times, I couldn't even land one arrow on his body. So your spear would never touch him"

"HAHAHAHA! I'm in a great mood so I'll let that go. Let's just laugh that he’s dead now, AHAHAHAHAHA!"

Rubbing his temples, Alden stood up. "EVERYONE, SHUT UP! He was a pariah who deserved what he got, so let’s just forget he ever existed."

"Good point, let’s move on to the main topic. As the proxy for the other heros I have their approval to decide on how we divide up the Council of Hysperia’s land and treasures. As well as Teryn’s treasures."

Hmph. "I couldn’t care less about those disgusting places. I’ll give up my rights to Hysperia’s land and treasures. All I ask is for Teryn’s temporal palace."

"HAHAHAHA! That's a good one little elf. Why don’t you just ask us to make you the queen of the Alliance?"

"I hate to agree, but Jareth has a point. We all agreed to divide his palace evenly among our nine races. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have participated last night."

Alden remained silent, unwilling to entertain Elyndra’s demand.

Shrug "Speaking for the other heroes, they would say the same."

"What a waste of time. I’m leaving," Elyndra stood up, grabbed her belongings, and headed for the door. "None of my elves would ever live in those shitholes, so just pick one at random for me."

"Hold on—" Sayreen began, but Elyndra slammed the door shut before she could finish.

Ugh. "Why does everyone want me to do all the paperwork? This is so unjust,"

"HAHAHAHA! I didn’t know we could do that. Do the same for me, my sweet little Sayreen. HAHAHAHA!"

"Wait—"

Jareth dashed out the hall before Sayreen could finish.

Kaelor stood up and stared at Sayreen. "I appreciate it in advance as well. I have a busy schedule so I leave it to you." Kaelor walked out of the room leaving a stunned Sayreen behind.

"OH, COME ON!" Sayreen's frustration had reached its peak.

Now only Sayreen and Alden remained. Turning to Alden with tear-filled eyes, Sayreen pleaded, "You wouldn’t abandon a maiden in distress, would you?"

"I’ll help you," Alden replied.

"YAY! I knew I could count on—"

"But I want full rights to the demon lord’s portal and all its surrounding cities with mage towers."

"That might be a bit…"

"Take it or leave it."

Closing her eyes and thinking about the mountain of paperwork that needed to be reviewed and signed, Sayreen gritted her teeth. "DEAL."

Alden smirked. "I knew you’d be reasonable."

As Sayreen signed the aether contract, Alden had officially secured control over the portal and the mage tower cities in its vicinity. Watching him, she thought to herself, "Why does he want those broken towers and that non-functional portal? He’s not a spatial mage, so he can’t fix it. And even if he could, he wouldn’t be able to undo what Teryn had done to it."

Brushing aside her thoughts, Sayreen pulled out a mountain of papers from her spatial bag and handed them to Alden. "Let’s get started, shall we?"