The coastal village was small. It had maybe fifteen houses, all made of what looked like hardened clay. They had colorful tiles placed all around the outside of the houses. There was a large building that Levi and the gang assumed it was the Inn. The village folk were all humans, all under six feet tall, pretty skinny, and with olive skin. The group walked into the Inn with a chime from a bell.

"One second," a voice came from the back. Tycen now carried the still-unconscious Anna. A young woman arrived out the back, holding a sheet of paper. She was staring at the sheet of paper when she looked up, startled at Tycen holding Anna. "Is she alive?" she asked.

A chuckle rose from Levi's throat, "yes she is, just passed out." As if on cue, Anna yawned and slowly opened her eyes. She jolted awake when she realized who was holding her.

"You can put me down!" she said, half shocked and embarrassed, clearly in her tone. Tycen did as instructed as Anna began flailing; her face was flushed red. Levi and Piper tried to hide their laughter, but they failed miserably when Anna glared at them. They had a full-blown laughing fit. The innkeeper raised an eyebrow at the two of us.

"Pay them no mind," Anna said to the young woman. "How many rooms do you have available?"

"Gladly," she said. "We have two suites available. Unfortunately, our adventurer's cabin has been booked for awhile."

"We'll take those two suites," Anna said.

"Stop that," Levi replied, wiping a tear from his eye. "We'll take one suite. What time does your kitchen close?"

"Our chef leaves in one hour," the woman said. "So one suite? If you want food included that would be 1 silver a day." Levi nodded.

"Yep sounds, good thanks!" Levi said.

"Very well, while I make sure your room is sorted, you should rush to get food before Nigel leaves."

"One last thing," he said, stopping her in her tracks. A wave of fear washed over her. Levi realized why: " That sounded way more serious than I intended." He waved his hands apologetically. "Do you have a map for sale?" Her face visibly calmed down, and she reached under the front counter.

"That'll be 4 copper," she said. Levi handed her the coins, and she gave him the rolled-up parchment. The team ordered their food and enjoyed a nice, warm meal. Each of them had ordered something different. Levi had gotten a hearty stew. Anna had gotten a salad. Tycen had ordered a meaty sandwich of some kind, and Piper had ordered a fish dish. They all ate in silence, their focus being on the food in front of them.

"How are you feeling?" Levi asked Anna, who was sitting across from him.

"I am fine," she replied. "Thank you for making sure I was okay," she said, looking at Tycen.

"Don't look at me," he said, putting his hands up. "Levi was the one who brought to us after you fainted. Then Anza was carrying you, but we figured showing her in this town would not be a good idea."

"Sensible," she replied. She looked at Levi, "thank you."

"Sure thing," Levi said with a smile. He opened the map and spread it across the table. He peered down at it and then slid it to Piper, the person who knew a bit more about world geography.

"We are just outside Qu'ant. A large nation that spans across the continent. Its northernmost point connects with my kingdom's southern point," Anna explained.

"So we're far as hell?" Levi asked.

"Just so," Anna said. "It would likely take us a month, maybe two, on foot to get back to Arcross."

"Perfect," Levi said.

"Why is that perfect?" Anna asked.

"Cause, we wanted to have some damn adventures. If it's gonna take us that long with the goal to be getting there as fast as possible, by the time we're done doing some adventuring we will be ready to return."

"That is not a bad idea, Anna," Piper said. "A few months away could be great. We can send a letter to our family to let them know we are safe."

"I'm going wherever, y'all are going," Tycen shrugged, eating a root vegetable. Anna paused for a moment.

"Aren't you worried about your time specific task?" Anna asked in a whisper.

"Sure but its simple. I need to get stronger. As I am, I'm not ready to take on no damn final boss, let alone do I have the power to summon a beast stronger than whatever hell he's gonna summon."

"You sound like you have a plan," Piper said, squeezing his leg.

"I do," Levi nodded. "We have four years. Four years to gather as much information as we possibly can, get as many allies as we can, grow to be as strong as possible, and save the world. Simple." he shrugged.

"Oh that is all the plan, four easy steps and poof world saved?" Anna asked seriously, with a hint of humor poking through her otherwise tough demeanor.

"The more intricate stuff you and big guy can work through," Levi said.

"You expect us to-"

"Anna you're gonna look me in the face and tell me you didn't already have those four steps as a main point with additional steps?"

"Okay I did but-"

"It's settle then," Levi said with a chuckle. Anna gave Levi a flat look. He beamed a smile at her. "Uh-oh, looks like Levi knows his friend."

"You are insufferable," Anna rolled her eyes, unable to hold in her smile. Piper smiled at the two of them. It was about damn time they started trusting each other.

"I do my best," Levi said with a wide grin. "Not that I wouldn't love to talk about the deeper details of your plan, but I'm gassed and would love to call it a night."

"Rest sounds good," Tycen agreed. "I assume it will be men sharing together and women sharing?"

"Correct," Anna said immediately. Levi chuckled.

The group made their way back to the suite, following the young woman from before. She led them upstairs and down a hallway. Unlocking the door, she said, "I hope you enjoy your stay." Piper, Anna, and Tycen made their way in. Levi stopped and turned, looking the young woman in the eyes. She had olive skin, was terribly skinny, and had hazel brown eyes. Her black hair was short and straight, falling to her shoulders.

"This is our bad," Levi said. "What's your name?"

"Oh," she said, shocked. "It's um Natalie," she said with a bow.

"Thanks again, Natalie," Levi said. "I'm Levi, and they're… gone. Man, some people's teammates' manners are the worst, right?" Levi said with a big grin. Natalie hid a slight giggle behind her hand. She bowed and then walked off back to her desk.

"What a sweet girl," Levi said. He walked into the room and closed the door. The suite was absolutely massive. There was a large, expansive living room with a deck that had an ocean view. There was a couch, a small wood-burning stove with a kettle, some cabinets, a medium-sized table, and more. Levi couldn't believe how big this room was. To the right was one door that Anna and Piper were in. To the left was the other door that Tycen was in.

Levi walked into the room with Tycen. It was a little bit smaller than the main room, but not that much. Each bedroom had a bathroom attached. Two beds were separated, and there was a decent-sized couch in the room. Levi was indeed impressed. This place seemed like it should have cost way more than one silver a night.

"Alright, gang come on out," he said. The room was packed with all of his familiars. The void nebula, Dameion, went straight for the couch and curled up into a strange nebula ball. Serenity, the aura dragon, was shrunk to be the size of a house cat. She laid herself across Levi's shoulders. Vapor, the steam spirit, simply floated around, looking creepy as all get out. The two wisps - Crystal and Willow were buzzing around the lights around the room. Then Anza, who was in her small size, which was the size of a lioness, walked out to the main room.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Levi smiled at all his familiars. They were a great group; it was fantastic to see them all out and about. He walked out into the main room, walked to the stove, then started boiling water for some tea. He went to the deck and leaned on the rail, looking at the dark ocean and the starry sky. It was breathtaking. He could hear the waves as they slightly crashed on the shore. He took a deep breath; the salty sea air filled his lungs. He breathed out with a large smile. I'm excited to do some damn adventures. He thought. He felt a presence approach. She wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Anna, I know we had a moment but please, Piper could see," Levi joked. Piper snorted a laugh. She kissed him on the cheek and stood beside him. She cuddled up next to him, and the two of them gazed out into the dark scene before them.

"You look a lot better," Piper said. "I was worried about you, when we were in the clouds."

"Why do you say that?" Levi said.

"Cause it's been one fecal storm after another. We've barely had time to rest, first my family, then the dungeon, then that terrifying snake, and then those beings we killed. All while having the pressure of saving the world," Piper said. "That's a lot to handle. It looked like it was going to crush you."

"I wanted it to," Levi admitted. "It would be much easier to give up." He shook his head. "I can't blow this chance at a second life. A chance to be better than how I was before. This is my chance to actually give a damn about something again. I can't give up now." Piper smiled and kissed Levi's cheek again.

"That's good to hear," she said. "I'm with you everystep of the way."

"I know you are," Levi said, placing his forehead on hers. "I'm grateful for that. Alright, I need to shower before I pass out."

"Yes, you do," she said, holding her nose. Levi chuckled, then kissed her goodnight. In the shower, Levi finally let his notifications from the battle come forth.

Enemy Defeated: Tornadian Warrior

Loot: Wind Sword

Loot: 100 gold pieces, 1000 silver pieces, 10000 copper pieces

Enemy Defeated: Tornadian Rouge

Loot: Tornadian blood 100mg

Loot: Tornadian salt 45mg

Loot: Cloud Spellbook

Enemy Defeated: Tornadian Warrior

Loot: Wind Sword

Loot: Cloud Gem

Loot: Clouds 1kg

Enemy Defeated: Tornadian Princess

Loot: Tornadian Bracers

Loot: Tornadian Breastplate

Loot: Tornado in a bottle

Loot: Sword of Tarthesus

Progress Made: Brawler's Dungeon Completed

Reward: Arggan's Spear

Reward: Blade of Veluvius

Reward: Chaotic Summoning Staff

Reward: Spellbook of the Artix

Status: Progress Made

Plus 20 to Strength

Plus 25 to Stamina

Plus 15 to Speed

Plus 26 to Vitality

Plus 40 to Wisdom

New Attribute Totals:1471

Strength 155

Stamina 215

Speed 145

Vitality 261

Wisdom 695

***

Axel Arbor dismissed his summon as he approached the city where he had his appointment. He walked alone, wearing his usual all-white armor. The armor made him look more like Rouge class and not a summoner, which was his intention. Most of the world doesn't know the true power of summoners; they only mock them. Axel was dealing with people who judged heavily on character and class.

As he walked along the cobblestone street just off the main avenue, he made a right turn toward an alley. In the alley, a tall building sat at the end. He approached. He didn't knock. Axel Arbor never knocked. He was never late; he was always on time. The person he was meeting with was never on time. Axel used to get frustrated, but if one was punctual, it made sense that there was one who was tardy; such is the order of the world.

He waited for a few minutes and stood. The door swung open as soon as he stood.

"Master Axel," the man who opened the door said.

"Dravro," Axel replied.

"Come in come in," Dravro ushered the former prince into his home. "I have heard whispers of the item's, you requested, location. Well, that's a lie, that's a lie. I have found it's general location, general location."

"I see," Axel said. "What information can you provide?"

"The piece is located in the depths of the Galunam Sea, in some sunken ship wreckage."

"Aren't there thousands of sunken ships?"

"That there are, that there are!"

Axel rubbed his temples, "that is all the information you were able to provide me?"

"Yes, Yes," he said. "It is unfortunate, but you are looking for an ancient artifact, an ancient artifact. Those haven't been seen in millennia or more."

"Why did you call me Dravro for worthless information? This could have been sent in a letter."

"Because you impatient master, I have more to show you," Dravro said. Axel's eyes flashed in rage. No one dared to talk that way to him, no one except Dravro. Dravro was an eccentric man who was possibly the scariest being in the world. Dravro was no ordinary man, and he held a secret, one that would cause kingdoms to go to war in order to control him. But Dravro was not one to be controlled but partnered with. So it was in Axel's best interest to let the strange man be happy and speak to him in whatever way he pleased, much to his chagrin.

Dravro scooted past the tall, angry human and walked toward the back closet. "As I was searching for your location, I stumbled upon a library with the weirdest thing." He was rummaging through boxes, with papers falling all over the place. "Ahh, here it is," he held out a small parchment that was wrapped and sealed. It is sealed with a seal that can only be unlocked by using chaos magic, which I do not possess. Do not possess."

Dravro handed Axel the scroll. It was a letter; when he saw the seal, his aura flared.

"What's the matter, Master Axel? Do you know the seal?"

"I do," he said, regaining his composure. "I apologize for my unorderly outburst. Return this letter to where you found it. Never speak of this. I fear that if we do not open it, it will simply teleport to a new location."

"As you wish, Master Axel," Dravro said. That is not the only thing; there is one more."

"Do tell," Axel said. Dravro said a word of power, and a chest appeared in his hands. It was no bigger than a jewelry box. Dravro opened the box and presented a signet ring. It was solid gold with a symbol of an X and two curved lines that connected the ends. A symbol of an organization that was once forgotten.

"Where did you find this?" Axel said with reverence.

"I am quite connected, Master Axel," Dravro said. "Does this interest you?"

"It does, if anything it will be a boost to help me find the rest of these difficult ingredients to find for my summoning ritual."

"That is not all it does," Dravro said. "What do you know about the Legion?"

"Nothing more than legends," Axel said. Dravro gestured to a back room, where tea was sitting on a table. Axel nodded, walked over, and took a seat.

"Thank you," he said. Dravro nodded.

After a long sip of his tea, he began to tell a story. "The Legion were a group of specters who left the abyssal realm to make an additional appearance in our realm. They were all apart of a specific guild cohort. They all evolved with the same class, a class that has since been outlawed. The Abyssal Paladin. They were full of death energy and decided that they wanted to become rulers of the world. They took over a small continent, that has since been destroyed. Creepy characters, but extremely powerful. All of them died before reaching 5-star, but not by much."

"So the Legion, they are back in the abyss?"

"They are," Dravro nodded. "Be warned, Master Axel. These specters are not ones to summon. Their death affinity is corrupted. It changes any form of magic into a corrupted form. I understand that they will provide significant power. You must decide if the cost they ask is worth it."

"I understand," Axel said. "Thank you for letting me know and for the warning. I will take your words into consideration. I will gladly take your advice." Axel put the ring into a storage bag that he carried around under his cloak. Dravro gave Axel an assessing look. As Axel left, the Dravro shook his head. He wasn't sure what the troubled man was up to, but he knew it wasn't good. Like Axel, Dravro had a mutual level of respect. It was garnered around; he was not someone to be trifled with. Although Dravro was far superior in power, Axel was wise and a summoner.

Dravro knew one thing: having a summoner as your enemy was bad news. Especially if there wasn't any idea what affinity the summoner had. The natural elements, water, fire, and earth, were not the strongest of affinities, and those summons were generally predictable. The worst affinities to deal with, yep, that's right, Order. Beings of order were typically insanely powerful and would focus on one thing. Continuing to bring order to whatever realm they happened upon. What was essential to recognize was that order magic itself wasn't deadly in general if in the hands of a good person.

Axel Arbors was not a good person. At all. He was born a monster and had always been a monster. For as long as Dravro knew Axel Arbors, he knew that he was a monster. That's why, when it was reported that Axel had an affinity to Order Magic, Dravro was immediately interested in not pissing this person off. Dravro's understanding of order magic was among the best on the entire planet, which made sense considering what Dravro was.

He was an Order Seraph. These were magical beings who were seen as divine messengers of holy ones. Well, most of them were. The issue with Dravro was he didn't like his employer, so he left. Something most seraphs would never dream of. With his affinity and knowledge of order magic, he was able to create a disguise and live peacefully on this planet. He had subtly influenced the world around him in ways that would produce the ultimate harmony. His last biggest influence was ultimately his biggest mistake because he wasn't a god. He couldn't predict anything.

Dravro and Veluvius had one thing in common: They both had a direct connection to the rise of Axel Arbors.