Drakase’s Northern Shores
2:25 p.m. 25 th Banem 1092.
29 Days to World’s End.
Drakase, the forgotten island nestled between Merriheim’s ‘claws.’ Heavy ash darkened blotted the skies of this dreary, forever rendering it in a darkened state. A thick fog surrounded the island as if to cut it off from the rest of the world. Silence hung over the region. Neither songs from birds nor chirps from crickets pierced the silence. Even the wind made no sound, almost like time itself had frozen. So it had been for a thousand years.
But, as fate would have it, that serene peace was to be broken on this day. Whurrr... From the ocean came a set of strange sounds, like something cutting through the waves. Dush! As expected, a fleet of massive deathsworn ships tore through the fog and then made their way to the shore.
Grrrru!
The deathsworn fleet groaned as they pulled onto the shore one after the other. Their expertise and timing revealed a well-trained fleet that had performed this maneuver on several occasions.
Several sailors of vastly different races jumped off the ships and then pulled the vessels further onto the shore. When done, they caught giant stakes thrown from the ship, which the sailors drove into the ground, and then tied mooring ropes around to prevent their ships from being carried back out to sea.
Grrruuu... Bang!
Each ship dropped their respective gangplanks following the fleet’s successful mooring. Du! Du! Du! Hundreds of soldiers marched down from the boats in an orderly fashion. They then assumed an orderly formation on the beach. Perhaps because it was not war-time, the soldiers held their helmets under their arms, in turn, revealing their faces.
If Kashi were here, he would have been shocked to notice that the army was only about sixty-percent daeben. The other forty was a combination of many different races. There were even a few centaurs, Foggers, and kobolds ― races that were seen as inferior by the humes.
Even stranger, however, was the fact that these soldiers had clear, determined eyes. These were not the eyes of the coerced or forced, but rather, those who firmly believed in a cause and were willing to lay down their lives to make it a reality.
Ka. Ka. Ka.
The soldiers stood at attention as ten figures in dark robes stepped down from the central ship. Tremendous power oozed off these people. So much so that several soldiers sweated as they struggled to remain on their feet.
“It’s the star!”
A soldier’s sudden shout drew the army’s attention to the sigil glowing at the back of the robed people. It was a giant wheel, with eight arrows stabbing out in equidistant directions from a red eyeball. This symbol represented Razznik, the god of chaos, and it was their organization’s official sigil.
Unfortunately, directives from above ordered that no one could don the symbol outside the Holy Land. The fact that the cardinals now wore these outside could only mean one thing...
“Yes, it is as you have guessed.” A sweet, sultry voice arose from the ship. The voice was not loud, yet it somehow reached everyone’s ears, seeming like it came from right beside them. Clack! Clack! The soldiers quickly dropped to their knees as a young woman emerged from the boat, with a thinly smiling, white-furred kafu a few steps behind her.
Queen Alia Tatjana Thorraid, clad in purple leather armor that emphasized her considerable bust revealed a sultry smile as her red eyes glanced at the army. “The time has come for the Chaos Order to step out of the shadows. Ten years we have prepared for this day. The day we proudly step into the light. Raise your head, soldiers of Chaos, and fly your flags with pride!”
“OOOOH!” The soldiers thumped their chests and cheered with a loud voice. Vwooom! As if spurred on by their zeal, Chaos signets appeared on the warriors’ armors, shining proudly in the darkness.
“If nothing, your motivational speeches have shown marked improvement.”
Alia sported a proud grin as she glanced at Cathek. “I will show you just how much I have grown.”
“I do not doubt it.” Cathek smiled warmly and then pointed at a massive, gloomy mountain far off in the distance that seemed to blot out the sky. “But, for now, guide your troops safely to Oni Hi ―”
Krraaagh!
A shrill cry interrupted Cathek. The kafu frowned and then looked to the edge of the forest. Sure enough, a limping skeleton trudged out of the forest range that surrounded Oni Hill. A pair of faint, blue will-o-wisps burned in the skeleton’s eye sockets +as it craned its head back and forth as if examining the army.
Boom!
The soldiers, despite facing only a single skeleton, took a step forward in unison, their collective aura crushing down on the undead. If it were the usual undead, the skeleton would either charge madly or instantly flee from the blatant provocation.
This skeleton, however, calmly observed the rows of soldiers. The flames in its eyes flickered softly as its rotted jaw opened with a clack. “ Leave! ” VWhoosh! A tremendous aura crushed the army’s and then sent them stumbling back several steps. The skeleton, whose voice echoed for several miles, glared at the stunned army as if daring them to defy its command.
Alia regarded the skeleton with interest. “Uncle, is it me, or does that undead possess intelligence?”
Cathek ignored the skeleton and instead gazed at the mountain. “Do you know why this place is called Drakase?”
Alia groaned, revealing a cute pout. “Another lesson?”
“One can never stop learning, Your Majesty.” Cathek smiled as he turned his gaze to the forest range. “As you know, no creature is as loved by mana as dragons. Conversely, when dragons die, the ‘dead mana’ they expunge is too thick and toxic for most species. As a result, dragons instinctively gathered in this land to die.” Ka. Ka. Cathek walked down the gangplank with Alia by his side as he explained, “Drakase, the name of this land, means ‘Dragons’ Graveyard’ in the common tongue.”
Cathek glanced at the ocean and then commanded, “Rise, Gunder.”
Vrooo!
The sea roiled and churned, eventually parting as a 50 meter long, dirty-golden dragon emerged from its depths. Skyrm, or rather Gunder, walked over to Cathek’s side and then laid down its head.
“After you, Your Majesty.”
“You really know how to travel in style.” Alia grinned as she examined Gunder’s beautiful scales. She ran her hand across the scales, a gentle smile displayed on her lips as she turned to Cathek. “Uncle, are you certain we cannot keep him? It might be tough, but we should be able to strengthen the seal?”
Cathek chuckled but ultimately shook his head. “I am afraid that is impossible, Your Majesty. Skyrm calculated perfectly. We cannot seal his soul any longer without damaging the body.”
Alia sighed, sorrow in her eyes as she patted Gunder’s scales. “What a pity. Such a magnificent creature will cease to exist.”
Cathek’s lips twitched, but in the end, he nodded. “If that is what you wish.”
“It is.” Alia jumped onto Gunder’s back and took a seat on the dragon’s broad back. A harsh light appeared in her eyes. “If we can’t have him, no one else can!” However, her expression instantly softened as she looked up at Cathek, who appeared behind her. “You were saying something about Drakase?”
“Yes.” Pa. Cathek tapped his boot against Gunder’s back. “Walk.” He then continued as Gunder took slow strides toward the skeleton. “Traditionally, dragons are extremely greedy creatures. Even in death, they want their graves to be extravagant and beautiful. As a result, they often came to the island with followers.”
The skeleton jerked its head to look up at Gunder as he approached. Its eyes flickered, the flames burning brighter.
“These followers would bring the dragon’s loot and then protect the cave until they died.” Cathek smiled when Gunder stopped in front of the skeleton. “Unfortunately, even in death, they are not released from duty. Over countless years and cumulative dead mana gathering, the dead once again walked among the living.” Cathek glanced at one of the robed figures. “Your Necromancer uses a similar tactic to power his ghouls.”
The skeleton looked at Gunder for a few more seconds. Clack! It’s jaw shut with a loud clack. Seemingly satisfied, it turned and walked back into the thicket, soon disappearing from view.
Alia looked at the thicket with a raised brow. “Why did it leave? Was it scared off by Skyrm?”
Cathek shook his head. “These kinds of low-level undead do not know fear. Only the mission written in their bones.”
“Mission?”
“Yes. For which, they would even battle against gods, let alone dragons, even one as powerful as Skyrm.”
“What is their mission?”
Cathek smiled and tapped Gunder. “Walk.” He then looked at the soldiers and the robed figures and ordered, “Keep close, or this forest will swallow you.”
One of the robed figures placed their hands on the ground and muttered a low chant. Moments later, a strange beast resembling a stingray rose from a portal below her. The creature was roughly 20 meters wide and about 8 meters long. The robed figures jumped onto the ‘stingray’ as it gently flew behind Gunder.
The soldiers, unfortunately, had to rely on their own legs to traverse the dense forest.
Cathek observed the army’s march. When he was confident they would not fall far behind, he turned his attention to the gloomy mountain in the distance. “The undead of Drakase have only one mission: To protect the graves of the dragons here. They will instinctively attack any living creature that approaches this place, except, of course, other dragons.”
Alia’s brow rose. “Doesn’t that mean that we can just loot them all as long as we come with dragons?”
Drrrr.... gugugugugu!
A gut-wrenching sound akin to a horrifying combination of gurgling and grinding bones rang out through the forest as the ground began to quake.
“Haha, that cannot possibly be the case.” Cathek gaze ahead with a calm expression. “If we get too close to a burial cave or site, the true guardian will make an appearance.”
“True guardian?”
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
“Well, there are multiple kinds, but...” Cathek pointed to his left. “That should provide you with an idea.”
Alia looked to the direction Cathek pointed. “What the F―” She clamped her right hand over her mouth, stifling the curse before it emerged. Her eyes, however, remained wide with shock as she gazed at the 20-meters-tall giant that arose from within the trees. The rotting zombie hoisted a massive club onto its back and glared at the procession.
“Do not fret, Your Majesty. It will not attack as long as we do not impede its territory.” Cathek glanced at the undead giant and then turned his attention back to the mountain. “Contrary to the common folk tales, the undead do not go out killing the living for their brains. Instead, most undead are victims of simple programming. Their task and purpose are determined by the place they were born, and the only thing they need to feed on is dead mana.”
A wry smile curled up Cathek’s lips as he recalled his youth. “Unfortunately, greedy fools from the hume territories sought to claim the treasures buried here and thus labeled this land as evil and heretic. Eventually, they even had Razznik kill the Demon King, the only being that prevented the elite from razing this place to the ground.” His lips parted as his smile morphed to a haunting, toothy grin. “The fools unknowingly created an even greater enemy, as Razznik took it upon himself to protect this land afterward.”
Alia frowned. “Why would Razznik protect the undead? From your stories, he’s not the type to be so magnanimous.”
“Is that how you interpreted the tale of the Cursed Seven?” Cathek grinned. “On the contrary, if you asked me, Razznik is perhaps the most magnanimous man I have ever met. Oh. Of course, he is a god now.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It is only natural that you do not.”
Bwoosh.
Cathek’s eyes shone as Gunder broke out of the forest into a large expanse of rocky terrain. Small rivulets filled with molten lava silently flowed through the landscape. Cathek’s gaze traced the creeks to the base of an enormous mountain range whose peak pierced through the ashy sky as if challenging the rule of the gods. “You will soon see for yourself the kind of man Razznik truly is.” Cathek looked at Alia, a strange fanaticism in his eyes as he whispered, “Welcome to Oni Hill, Your Majesty.”
“Oni Hill. The home of Razznik Y’Terlow...” A lump formed in Alia’s throat as she gazed at the towering mountain range. Terrifying pressure from the silent monolith. She had never felt this intimidated in her entire life. Not even when faced with possible death in the defeat eleven years past. The daeben queen looked at her Uncle, who wore a relaxed smile. It was at times like these that she truly understood how much of a monster this man was. “How... How do we get in?”
Cathek pointed at the base of the mountain. “The Gates of Purgatory.”
”...Gates of Purgatory?”
“You shall see when we get closer.”
Just as Cathek said, sets of gigantic gates hewn into the mountainside came into sight as they neared the mountain’s base. The gates were spaced around a kilometer apart from each other and went around the mountainside. The first thing that popped out was the 100-meter skeleton statues standing by each gate. Terrifying auras oozed off these sculptures, threatening to crush all who neared them.
Gruuu!
One of the skeleton sculptures turned its head to stare at the army once they were within a hundred meters close to a gate. Gruuuu! A bone-crushing pressure suddenly exploded over Alia and her army. The robed figures and Cathek were unfazed by the pressure. Alia, however, sweated as she resisted.
The regular army fared much worse.
Several soldiers crumbled to the ground in a heap of sweat, some bleeding from their noses and ears. Evidently, even these expertly trained warriors were unable to bear the pressure from the statues.
Cathek smiled as he looked at the statues. “Razznik was a proud man. Towards the end of his life, countless fools tried to claim his head for fame, glory, or wealth. While he indeed welcomed battles, Razznik soon grew weary of the everyday riff-raff that came to challenge him. So, he devised an ingenious sorting method... A series of tests, to weed out the weak from the strong, and thus ensure only the best of the best got to challenge him.”
Alia’s blood chilled. She glanced at the red-eyed statue with trepidation. “This is just a test?”
“This?” Cathek chuckled and shook his head. “This is not a test. This is just a preliminary screening to determine those worthy of his test.” Cathek then looked at the severely injured soldiers. “Order your men to retreat to 200 meters. This is their limit.”
Alia nodded and then ordered her soldiers to step back and heal their injuries. The loss of her soldiers did not bother her. This had been the plan, to begin with. The soldiers would hold the line and prevent anyone from approaching the mountain.
Cathek nodded and then tapped Gunder, who approached the gate with steady steps. “There are eight levels in Oni Hill, each corresponding to a ring of Chaos. Usually, we would have to battle fiercely to reach the summit. Fortunately, Razznik ordered easy passage for a few, select individuals.” When Gunder reached the gate, Cathek ordered the robed figures to climb aboard the dragon’s back. He then looked at the mountain and said, “Climb.”
Vwoosh!
With a heavy flap, Gunder bypassed the gate and took to the air, slowly flying up the mountainside.
Alia frowned. “Will the enemy not attempt a similar method?”
In reply, Cathek stretched out his hand. A mandala appeared in the air, from which cold ice poured out. Moments later, an ice sculpture that looked identical to Cathek appeared before them. “Let me show you what will happen if there is such a fool.” The ice sculpture jumped off Gunder’s back.
BOOOM!
The ice clone barely crossed a meter before it suddenly exploded into fine dust. Even among the robed figures, only a few managed to catch what happened. A giant ki bolt shot out of the mountain and then crashed into the ice clone. It was so fast, 99% of the continent’s population would have missed it.
Cathek chuckled at Alia’s horrified expression. “To be fair, you will certainly gain Razznik’s acknowledgment if you can make it up this mountain unscathed.”
Alia gave Cathek a scathing glare. “That’s physically impossible!”
“You never know, Your Majesty,” Cathek countered. “Humes are known for constantly achieving the seemingly impossible.” Vwoosh!
Gunder broke into the ash cloud as Cathek spoke. The dragon’s passengers shielded their nose and eyes from the choking soot until, woosh, Gunder burst out from the clouds.
“Oh.” A single word escaped Alia’s lips. Her eyes widened in awe and amazement as she gazed upon the stunning view beyond the clouds. Seated atop the mountain was the most beautiful garden she had ever seen.
Blooming flowers danced in the light breeze, accentuating a crystal-like pond, from which the occasional fish jumped. Her gaze traveled along a crystal garden path to a glass throne that glistened in the sunlight.
Cathek’s eyes grew hazy as he admired the garden. “A thousand years. One thousand years and this place remains untouched by the hands of time.” The kafu smiled as he ordered Gunder to set down on a patch of grass behind the throne. “It is even more impressive when you realize that this was previously the mouth of a volcano.”
Gunder dropped to the ground with a soft thud, following which, the robed figures, Cathek, and Alia alighted. Alia and the robed figures trembled in shock the moment their feet touched the ground. A dense combination of mana and ki shot up from the earth into their veins and blood.
Alia, sensing the incredible opportunity, shut her eyes and then sunk into a deep meditation. She sent her subconscious to explore her veins. She found that the blood vessels, wherever the energy passed were transformed, and then strengthened.
“This is...” Alia gasped. She understood the importance of this opportunity instantly. She immediately cast all thoughts aside and then sunk into deep concentration. She carefully guided the energy to every inch of her body, making sure not to leave a single place untouched.
Crack! Crack!
The sound of popping bones rang out as Alia broke through several levels. The daeben queen eventually opened her eyes minutes later, bright eyes shining as she felt her increased power. She looked at Cathek, shock in her eyes as she excitedly exclaimed, “I broke through! I’m level 202!”
Cathek grinned as he reached out and fondly patted Alia’s head. “Congratulations on finally becoming a Transcendent.”
“Congratulations, Your Majesty.” The hooded figures surrounded Alia and then bowed. “We are pleased to welcome you among our ranks.” These phrases finally revealed their identities! These ten were the Chaos Order’s Cardinals! One-half of the strongest powers on the continent.
The cardinals never left the holy land. Yet, all ten were present at this time. This, more than anything, proved how essential this operation was to the Order.
“Heh.” Alia issued a proud smirk. Finally! Finally, she had broken through. She had been stuck at level 199 for years. No amount of training could let her breakthrough. Yet, she had broken through just like this? Her lips curled in a sinister grin as she thought of the coming battle. “Heh. I am shaking with anticipation.”
Briefly, the image of a daeben charging into a colossal army flashed in the daeben queen’s mind. Alia gazed out to the sea of clouds, a wistful smile on her face as she whispered, “I wonder... Will you be there?”
Abandoned Island off the Serian South Coast.
2:53 p.m. 23 rd Banem 1092.
29 Days to World’s End.
‘Achoo!’
“Ye alright, kid?” Fang Ling looked at the sniffing daeben with a puzzled expression. “Didn’t think Summoned could catch colds.” The midi had his arms crossed as he observed Kashi, who was seated on the beach.
“Barring extreme conditions or curses, yeah, we are immune.” Kashi groaned as he gazed at the crumpled clump of dirt in his hand. “Damn it. That messed up my concentration. I have to restart from scratch.”
Fang Ling attentively watched Kashi pick up a fresh clump of dirt. The daeben rolled the dirtball until it was about ten centimeters wide and then clasped it within his palms. On the surface, nothing appeared to be happening beyond this moment. But, Fang Ling could tell from Kashi’s tensed, furrowed brows and brewing sweat that the daeben was deep in concentration. Unable to hold back his curiosity any longer, Fang Ling asked, “Is there a point to this?”
Luckily, although Kashi’s task required immense concentration, it was not to the point he could not answer easy questions. “It’s the fastest way to improve my Earth control skill.”
“Earth control, is it?” Fang Ling thought back to the last few spars since Kashi temporarily retired the bow. The midi convincingly won each fight, but they discovered something strange during these bouts. Kashi, even without the bow, was not as offensive as they both assumed he would be.
Even without his bow, Kashi approached battle carefully. Rather than blitz the opponent with overpowering force and ferocity, the daeben seemed to be the type who preferred to hoodwink, trap, or deceive the enemy and then finish them off with swift, critical strikes.
Kashi’s fighting personality was made even more apparent when he began using Earth Control. Rather than attempting to strike Fang Ling, the daeben utilized the earthen structures to limit Fang Ling’s movement range. The intent was obvious. If Fang Ling could not bounce around freely, Kashi could take him out with one well-placed punch.
Unfortunately, Kashi’s earth control was still abysmal. The constructs he could make were very limited in design and complexity. Furthermore, there was often a delay between intent and the structure’s movement. Due to these setbacks, Fang Ling could still easily crush Kashi before the daeben really got into gear.
“Yeah, if ye got that mastered, ye’ll really be a frightening force.” Fang Ling had to agree that, for now, this was possibly Kashi’s greatest room for growth.
Kashi agreed with Fang Ling’s assessment. At the moment, and especially because of time constraints, Nature Control and hand-to-hand combat were the only skills with room for quick improvement.
After facing Razznik and then Fang Ling, Kashi finally began to see where he had gone wrong. The problem was that he was too OP! Too Overpowered! As a result, he rarely ever got a chance to fight people on his level. He was always either battling monsters much stronger than he was or scrubs much weaker than him.
With monsters, Kashi often resorted to [Gilgamesh] and [Asura] . Both skills dealt massive damage and covered vast areas, perfect for battling these giant monstrosities with ginormous HP. Who knew how long it would take with typical fighting styles?
At the other end of the spectrum, Kashi could destroy most scrubs with a sneeze. Okay, slight exaggeration, but the point stood. Either way, neither kinds of battle required Kashi to really explore who he really was as a fighter. This led to his current lopsided build, where he could not pin down a set style and thus was quickly overwhelmed by those on his level.
As such, Kashi had two distinct goals for the next twenty-something days. The first was to hone his battle instincts with Fang Ling. The second was to lay the foundation for building his own battle style. Mastering the elements was merely the first stone to be laid in this process.
“It’s done.” Kashi opened his hand, revealing a mud cuboid. The daeben revealed a wry smile. “I wanted a cube.”
“That’s better than last time.” Fang Ling thought about Kashi’s previous horrible constructs.
Kashi chuckled. “I suppose.” He then took out Rosario’s brush and quickly painted the cuboid black and white.
“Oh? Yer painting them now?”
Kashi shrugged. “Figured I might as well raise my painting skill while I’m at it.”
Fang Ling grinned. “Yer one greedy bastard, ye know that?”
“I know.” Kashi placed the block on the ground, put Rosario’s brush away, and then rose to his feet. He brushed the dust off his backside and then fixed Fang Ling with a challenging glare. “Down for another round?”
“...Yer know it, kid!”