Scott’s gaze shifted between the newly arrived Calamities and his companions trapped within the massive tubes clutched by the dragon’s claws. The bloodcurdling screams from the chaos between the worms and Rashka’s subordinates echoed all around him, but he paid them no mind.
“Orion,” Scott called out via a private channel, “do you think this is some kind of trap?”
Scott knew those were truly his companions—no illusion could deceive him. Yet, despite the Calamity of Envy’s reasoning, a lingering sense of doubt gnawed at him.
“I don’t think so,” Orion replied, a soft chuckle threading through his words. “Entertain their demands. Let’s see what they’re proposing.”
Focusing on the Calamity of Envy, Scott spoke aloud, his voice steady and unyielding. “What sort of deal are you proposing?”
The lithe figure’s ever-shifting face brightened with a smile, her otherworldly charm radiating like a seductive haze. “An exchange,” she began, her voice light and melodic. She gestured toward the tubes in the dragon’s claws. “You’ll get your companions back... but only in exchange for the soul of the—”
“Not happening,” Scott interjected flatly, cutting her off before she could finish.
The Calamity’s smile faltered, replaced by a faint scowl. Scott continued, his tone colder than the biting wind. “I’ll make you a better proposal. Hand them over, and I’ll let you keep your lives.”
The scowl deepened; her transcendent beauty now marred by fury. Behind her, the massive dragon remained eerily silent, its glowing eyes trained on Scott. Thunder rolled violently across the sky, the lightning strikes intensifying as the mythical creature’s presence stirred the raging elements.
“Do you consider yourself invincible? There’s nothing stopping me from ending their lives right now!” The Calamity of Envy spat after a long pause.
Scott’s gaze remained steady, his voice as cutting as his words. “No. But if you harm them, you’d best prepare for what’s to come. And don’t mistake this for a threat—I don’t make threats.”
The dragon’s deep, guttural voice boomed like an avalanche, shattering the fragile pause. “Such insolence!” it roared, shaking the ground beneath their feet. Chaos thundered through the heavens, the winds screaming as if in agreement with the creature’s rage.
The dragon’s glowing gaze bore into Scott. “Do you genuinely believe you can best us?”
Scott, unflinching, replied with unnerving calm. “You’ll find out soon enough.” Then, shifting his focus back to the Calamity of Envy, he asked, “What will your decision be?”
The Calamity of Envy remained silent; her scowl replaced by a contemplative expression. Beside her, the dragon hovered motionless, its rumbling growls reverberating in the storm.
Meanwhile, Rashka—the territorial lord—stood in quiet torment. It had made numerous attempts to stop the senseless slaughter among its subordinates and the worms, but every effort had failed. Forced to watch its forces annihilate each other, it could do nothing but glare at Scott and the Calamities, its hatred burning visibly in its fiery eyes.
Minutes ticked by, the tension thickening like the storm. Neither Scott nor the Calamities moved, their gazes locked, their postures rigid. Around them, the mountain was littered with the mangled corpses of the fallen, the ground stained crimson beneath the accumulating snow.
Finally, the Calamity of Envy broke the silence, exhaling a long, resigned sigh. “Fine. Have it your way,” she said at last, her tone sharp with frustration.
She turned to the dragon, gesturing with a dismissive wave. “Let them go. They weren’t part of the mission to begin with.”
The dragon unclenched its claws without a word, releasing the massive tubes. They plummeted toward the ground, but before they could land, nihilistic portals formed in midair, swallowing all four tubes before vanishing.
The Calamity of Envy’s gaze returned to Scott, her tone shifting to one of warning. “Well?”
Scott’s voice was colder than ever. “Your ruse might fool others, but not me. Don’t pretend you came here in your own bodies. There won’t be a next time—remember that.”
His words cut through the storm, resonating in the minds of all present. The Calamities stared at him with unreadable expressions, their eyes glinting with a strange, unknowable light.
Before the tension could dissipate, Rashka spoke up, its guttural voice raw with desperation. “What about me?”
All eyes turned toward the territorial lord. It glared at the Calamities, its form blazing with anger and confusion. “You promised to reward me if I helped you. You can’t renege on your promise now!”
The Calamity of Envy’s alluring smile returned, dripping with condescension. “Deals off,” she said casually, her tone dismissive. “Farewell.”
Before Rashka could reply, she and the dragon vanished into thin air, their forms dissipating like smoke carried off by the howling winds.
Rashka’s towering form trembled, its flaming crown pouring down torrents of crimson fire as its simmering rage reached its peak. The territorial lord’s grip tightened around its eight icy specters. It had been used and discarded—a realization that fanned the flames of its fury.
Turning its blazing gaze back to Scott, it rumbled, “Will you spare me?”
“I have run out of mercy,” Scott replied without hesitation, his tone cold and final.
“So be it,” Rashka growled, raising its scepters high. “I shall fight you until my undying—”
Before it could finish, the floating alien head, the one Rashka had banished moments ago, materialized from thin air. Its massive form loomed behind the territorial lord, brimming with unbridled rage.
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Rashka froze in place. The alien head’s teeth parted ominously, though no sound escaped. A fraction of a second later, half of Rashka’s towering body simply ceased to exist—erased as though it had never been.
The territorial lord remained still, frozen in disbelief. It had obeyed the unspoken rules when confronting the floating head, yet the creature had unleashed its invincible might against it anyway.
Unwilling to fall without a fight, Rashka raised its four surviving arms high, suppressing all signs of malice and rage. But as the icy specters took form, they shattered inexplicably, disintegrating into nothingness.
Rashka’s legs followed next, dissolving into empty space, then its midsection.
“Curse—”
The territorial lord’s final word was cut short as its head exploded in a burst of flaming embers. Simultaneously, its subordinates—still embroiled in a mindless slaughter—suffered the same fate. The battlefield fell eerily silent, the storm seemingly pausing to bear witness to the aftermath.
For the first time in what felt like ages, a perfect, empty silence enveloped the territory.
Congratulations! You have slain a Territorial Lord!
By virtue of your victory, you now possess the right to claim The Steel Armor Territory! Do you wish to add The Steel Armor Territory under the banner of the 18th Order of the Mad Throne? By virtue of your victory, you now possess the right to claim Rashka Territory! Do you wish to add Rashka Territory under the banner of the 18th Order of the Mad Throne? Yes! No!
Congratulations! Your ranking has improved! Current Rank: 1600th
Scott’s brows furrowed as he studied the cascading notifications. I’ve climbed quite a bit, he thought, his fingers lingering over the confirmation option. With these two territories, I’ll control four. But four isn’t nearly enough...
His thoughts wandered to his earlier conversation with Toi. While the examiner hadn’t given an exact number of territories he needed to conquer, it was clear four wouldn’t suffice.
With renewed resolve, Scott selected [Yes!], and a new notification materialized.
Congratulations! Two more territories have been added to the 18th Order of the Mad Throne!
Congratulations! Your ranking has improved! Current Rank: 1200th
Congratulations! You have attained the right to remotely adapt your territories! Do you wish to commence transformation? Yes! No!
Scott’s gaze lingered on his new rank. Isn’t that a little too much of an improvement? he pondered, momentarily ignoring the prompt.
His attention shifted to the floating head, which had reverted to its original form, teeth still bound by the flaming chains. The alien creature swirled erratically in the air, twisting and turning as if searching for something—or someone.
Scott diverted his gaze toward Orion, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips. The mage, utterly unfazed by the carnage around him, was diligently collecting samples from the mutilated corpses scattered across the battlefield.
To say Scott was surprised would be a lie. Orion had proven time and time again that gathering data and knowledge was his highest priority.
“Orion,” Scott called out, his voice echoing across the mountain path. The mage glanced up; his curiosity piqued. Scott flicked his wrist, summoning four nihilistic portals beside him. From within them, the massive tubes containing his companions were spat out before the portals vanished with a soft hiss.
“Oh?” Orion chuckled softly, his gaze shifting to the tubes. “You want me to check on their condition, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Scott confirmed. “I know they’re alive, but I can’t be sure if those Calamities did something to them—physically or mentally. I need you to find out. Can you handle it?”
Orion chuckled again; this time more amused. “Are you seriously asking me that?” he teased, his eyes gleaming with excitement. “Of course, I can. Though from the way you’re talking, I assume you’ve got other plans?”
“You’re not wrong,” Scott replied, offering no further explanation.
Orion nodded slowly, still smiling. “I see. Understood.” He gestured toward one of the tubes. “And what about this one? What should I do with her?”
Scott’s gaze flicked to the figure suspended in the greenish liquid. Her ash-gray skin was stunningly smooth, and she possessed fox-like ears, and a long, fluffy tail curled protectively around her well-toned body. Even suspended in stasis, her form towered over both Scott and Orion, her muscular physique visible through her ripped clothing.
“Could she be a friend of theirs?” Orion suggested, tilting his head as he studied her.
Scott’s gaze shifted toward the mage. Orion smiled faintly, one hand absently tracing the line of his jaw, his expression equal parts curious and calculating. The subtle crease on Scott’s brow deepened as he studied his companion.
Left to me, I’d have taken only Zara, Slim, and Plume, Scott thought. But who knows? Maybe she’s someone they befriended in the years we’ve been absent. His gaze flicked back to the figure in the fourth tube, her tall, toned form suspended in the greenish liquid.
Shaking the thought away, Scott turned his attention back to his companions. Despite the injuries they’d suffered and their clothing, they were still largely unchanged. Time, it seemed, hadn’t been as cruel to them as he’d feared. Yet, while their physical forms seemed familiar, Scott couldn’t begin to predict how much their psyche might have changed in his absence.
After a long pause, he spoke. “Check on our members first.”
At his command, a nihilistic portal reopened behind the fourth tube, swallowing it into the void once more. “If they ask about her, we’ll deal with it then. If not, she doesn’t exist to us.”
Orion chuckled softly, shaking his head with an amused grin. “In that case,” he said, his tone almost playful, “hand her over to me. She’d make an excellent specimen for my research. Of course, she’d need to be alive,” he added, his grin widening.
Scott didn’t dignify the proposal with a response. “I’ll be back soon,” he said instead, his voice flat. “Let me know when they wake up.”
“Aye, aye, captain,” Orion replied with a chuckle, pulling several strange, arcane items from his inventory.
As Scott turned toward a newly formed portal, preparing to step through, Orion called out again. “Oh, and say hello to that monkey for me, would you? If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like a few samples as well.”
Scott paused mid-step, turning back to stare at the mage. His brows furrowed slightly, genuine surprise flickering in his usually impassive expression. For a moment, he simply regarded Orion in silence.
Without a word, Scott leapt into the portal. It snapped shut behind him, leaving Orion alone with his research—and his grin.