"The coffers are running dry my lord, at this rate we will have to raise the taxes again." A lady masked in shadow and hiding under a hood relayed. "How close are the preparations for the war? Once that starts money will be no issue." "We have started the skirmishes along the border sir, but the true war front is still a year away my lord." The king of Nutrilla stared down at the hooded figure from atop his scarred nose with clenched fists around the armrests of his throne. "Well if money is such an issue then we will just have to move up our preparations." "But sir, the troops will not be fully-" "I said to move up the preparations!" The king screamed. "Now spread the word and get out of my sight!" The hooded figure quickly stood up and in a puff of mist disappeared without saying another word. The scarred and stout-looking king stood in his chambers alone and starred across the room to a decoration resembling a bird bath, but with crimson liquid filling the bowl and skulls decorating the sides. "Will your army be ready to assist us in the upcoming war?" The king spoke into the bowl. "Of course as long as you keep up your end of the deal." A deep conniving voice responded with a ripple of the liquid. "I can even send some help for your skirmishes for the small price of a little blood." Without even responding or hesitation the king grabs his dagger of his belt and nicks his palm letting the blood drip into the bowl. As the blood hits the liquid it starts to glow and the room begins to shake. Slowly what seems like a tear in space starts to open and ugly red-skinned fiends begin to spill into the kings' chambers and line up waiting for orders. "Have fun with the extra firepower. Do not forget the price for failing to uphold your end of the deal. The Gloom Mother demands results." The voice says as it slowly drains out of the room. "I will not fail her greatness, for the simple fact that I can't afford to." The king replied while commanding the newly spawned fiends on which battalions to join. "Now it is time to start really putting my plan into progress, we will destroy the outer towns first to make their food stock suffer and put fear into the hearts of the people. Even their precious mage and spellblade forces won't be able to stand up to our power. The Land of Xertia will be mine and then I will truly rule this world." The king thought to himself. As the king continues to monologue to himself he walks out to the balcony to a truly grim sight. Rough tents and broken-down buildings were the only things in sight besides a church that seemed to be doing fine by taking advantage of faith in the trying times for Nutrilla. Plague and poverty swept the streets, but all would be fixed when they took of Xertia. They would finally be in their rightful place above those dreaded northerners. "Xertia will be crushed under our feet and then they will be the ones to struggle, they will be the ones to work for us with nothing in return. We will be back to our true glory as the country with the best mages." While the king continues with his thoughts the sun gets cut off for a brief moment, covered by the moon for just a second. As the light comes back, anyone who could see the king would see an impossibly large, way too toothy smile. The king slams his cane down and with a pulse of mana, a siren starts to blare from the capital. The signal to increase the raids of the outer towns of Xertia. Stomps of small squadrons of fiends and mages mixed together can be heard as they march towards the border towns full of villagers with no idea of what was to come and no way to stop it.

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