The sun had risen high into the sky, it's light shining through the dense covering of trees.

 

Walking through the forest was a beautiful woman in black plate armor. In her hand was the hoof of a deer which had it's legs broken along with it's jaw. It let out terrified yelps, scaring away some nearby chirping sparrows.

 

Charlotte reflected on the last conversation she had with Nero as she dragged the deer along the ground.

 

"Tsk....he was so cryptic, end of all things? Is it some kind of entity from the beyond?" Charlotte muttered.

 

"He seems to revere it, this great silence.." Charlotte's brows furrowed in thought. "Perhaps it has something to do with the price he mentioned?"

 

Shaking her head. "Better to ignore it for now. I have a feeling that something terrible will happen when I find out the cost of my vengeance but... it's worth it, for my vengeance.. anything is acceptable!"

 

She felt her stomach rumble, causing her a small grimace. She looked at the deer behind her and licked her lips, her pearly white teeth briefly showing which were pointy and sharp like a carnivores.

 

"To be catching my own food, something only the commoner demons would do...is that what I am now? A pathetic lowly peasant?" Charlotte gripped the deer's hoof tightly causing it to crack.

 

The deer yelped once again in agony.

 

A flash of anger shone in Charlotte's eyes. "No! With Nero's help, house Monad and the royal family will be exterminated!"

 

She chuckled darkly. "And then I will reign as Empress of the demons, any noble house that doesn't kneel will meet the same fate.."

 

Charlotte could already imagine herself as a mighty Empress adorned in the finest of silks and jewels, living in the greatest palaces, the endless demon hordes at her service and the world at her mercy. Just the thought of it made her cold heart flutter.

 

But these were just dreams at the moment, ethereal and out of reach. For now, she had to help this dungeon grow at all costs. She sighed at the future workload before her and continued on.

 

After several minutes of uneventful walking, Charlotte reached the cave entrance of Nero's dungeon.

 

Sitting just inside of the entrance, just enough for the sunlight to reach was Nero. He seemed to be deep in thought, a frown covering his face.

 

Charlotte walked past him and laid the deer on the cave floor. Her gaze returned to Nero. "Can I kill it here?"

 

"Yes." Nero replied with an absent expression. He reached forward to the edge of the cave but as soon as his hand neared the exit, it was halted by an invisible force.

 

He took back his hand, giving it a brief look before muttering. "Troublesome.."

 

"You want to leave? Hehe, forget about it." Charlotte chuckled as she snapped the deer's neck like a twig.

 

"Why can't I leave?" Nero asked curiously.

 

Charlotte gave him a look before saying. "You exist only within the domain of your dungeon as it is your anchor to this world. Without it, you would return to the beyond from whence you came."

 

She took out a dagger from her pouch and began to skin the deer. "That is the price for your power, to be shackled to the area you control. An exception to that is the creatures that spawn from your dungeon, they are free to leave and cause chaos."

 

"I see.." Nero mused.

 

This answered some of Nero's doubts. He thought it may have been some kind of unknown power that was preventing him from leaving the dungeon, but with Charlotte's rather logical answer, his heart felt at ease.

 

In fact, Nero could increase the surface domain of his dungeon as he had found the relevant passage in his dungeon manager, or what he called it, grimoire.

 

The problem was how expensive it cost with the first upgrade costing 15000 soul points, a monumental amount considering he only had 120 soul points currently.

 

He started with 50 soul points before buying two zombies which left him with 20 soul points, after that, the deaths of the 3 bandits provided him with 90 soul points and with the death of the deer Charlotte brought back, he gained an extra 10 soul points.

 

Currently, Nero had his eye on one upgrade in particular. It was called, "Control" and it allowed him to take control of any of his undead for an unlimited period of time.

 

This would allow him to set in motion a few of his plans, specifically, acquiring a steady stream of corpses without drawing too much attention.

 

"Ah, they're here." Nero's gaze fixed on the nearby tree line, the thicket of bushes rustling as a few figures emerged.

 

It was the two zombies, they shambled towards the cave slowly, letting out groans on the way. The male zombie still had an arrow stuck firmly in it's head, while the female zombie gained a new infestation of maggots in her recent sword wounds.

 

"Eugh! I can already smell them from here." Charlotte covered her nose. 

 

"They didn't catch anything." Nero remarked with clear disappointment.

 

"Of course they didn't. They're slower than a cripple and the smell...any animal with half a nose would catch their scent from a mile away." Charlotte mocked.

 

"No need to be pessimistic Charlotte, it's unbecoming." Nero stood up and adjusted his leather armor, a few flakes of dried blood falling away.

 

Charlotte responded with a snort before continuing to skin the freshly killed deer.

 

"A fresh round of recruiting is in order then." Nero rubbed his hands.

 

"Hopefully something fast..." Charlotte thought.

 

Instantly, 50 soul points vanished from Nero's current pool. They quickly transformed into swathes of light, entering the palms of his hand.

 

Nero focused as a pale light appeared between his fingers. "First my faithful subordinate."

 

The light left his hand and floated in front of him, growing larger by the second. Eventually it formed a transparent female figure, clothed in a prison guard uniform.

 

She looked young, that of a woman in her early twenties. Her face was round, her features soft. It gave a rather cheerful feeling, like a combination of naivety and innocence.

 

Her eyes slowly opened with a flutter, her see through eyes coming into focus. At first, there was confusion, but then an immense joy the moment she saw Nero.

 

She opened her mouth to speak but no words came, she tried once again but met failure. She couldn't speak, frustration and sadness clear in her limpid eyes.

 

"It's alright, I understand what you want to say all too well....I'm happy you're here." Nero smiled gently.

 

The spirit nodded her head eagerly, her lips curving slightly.

 

"You know her?" Charlotte's brow raised.

 

"Yes, a faithful child who followed me for many years. Her name is Marion." Nero attempted to stroke the spirit's cheek, but his hand slipped through her transparent face. He sighed as he muttered. "To give up the embrace of silence to follow me, I couldn't ask for anyone better to be by my side."

 

Marion smiled with a pleased expression, putting her hands on her hips, as if saying; "What would you do without me?"

 

Nero grinned as he said. "Cheeky."

 

"How is she going to help us capture prey though? Can she lift a deer?" Charlotte questioned, her eyes dancing with curiosity.

 

Marion smirked and disappeared. Charlotte looked around, but found nothing.

 

"Where did she-" Suddenly, Charlotte felt a weakness in her body. There was also spine tingling cold as if she were walking bare during the winter.

 

The weakness she was feeling was manageable, but to her horror, it was growing stronger ever so slightly. She felt, that if this was to continue for a week, she would be bed bound.

 

"That's enough Marion, stop playing around. She is our benefactor after all." Nero chuckled.

 

Marion reappeared beside Nero with a smug expression.

 

"You-you little.." Charlotte took a deep breath, there was a bit of fright in her eyes. "If it were a human, how long would they last? An hour? Just the weakness itself would be fatal in a dangerous dungeon."

 

"Not bad." Charlotte sighed.

 

"Now for some more...able hands." Nero waved his hand, a bright flash of pale light filled the cavern before disappearing. A resonant clanking could be heard as four figures appeared.

Charlotte who had briefly closed her eyes due to the flash, let out a gasp. "Skeletons?"

 

Standing in front of Nero was 4 skeletons. Their bones were yellowed and creaked noisily with any movement.

 

Their hollow eyes giving off a chilling sensation, like the feeling of being watched.

 

"Marion, they'll be under your supervision. Go and round up some prey and don't bother with anything smaller than a wolf." Nero stroked his chin and added. "Oh and before you go, take the weapons our previous guests left behind. They should prove useful."

 

Marion nodded seriously. She directed the skeletons, who quickly grabbed the sword, dagger, hammer and bow in the depths of the dungeon after which she floated off into the forest with the newly equipped skeletons in tow.

 

"With Marion on the task I can be assured. When I have accumulated enough soul points, I'll begin some renovations." Nero's eyes sparkled.

 

He was quite eager to begin properly crafting the first few floors of his dungeon.

 

                                                                                           ********

 

Southern valley was a large bandit camp located next to the demonic lands border. It was built more like a town with high walls made from logs and 4 meter tall guard towers. Many buildings built upon shoddy foundations lined the sides of the dirt roads and stalls selling forbidden wares could be found densely packed on the crude walkways.

 

This was not only a home uncouth and the outcasts of society, but also one of the secret trade centers that dealt with demonic goods. With a population of over 900, many unsavoury characters could be seen strolling the filthy streets. Apart from the common bandit, there were assassins, black market dealers, slavers, prostitutes and even demons.

 

In the center of the bandit town was a rather large 4 story stone building. Guards wearing black masks patrolled the premises.

 

At the very top floor, inside a room that resembled an office, a man wearing a robe sat on a comfy green couch next to a roaring fireplace which had a large falchion sword mounted above it.

 

He had a rather defined appearance, that of a middle aged man. Though the large scar that traveled from his cheek to his jaw gave him a menacing feeling, along with his sharp and narrow eyes.

 

The man was currently flicking through a few pages with a frown on his face. Taking a sip from the jeweled cup in his hand, he put the papers down on the nearby low table. He picked up the nearby bell and shook it causing a loud ringing.

 

Only a few moments later, a man wearing  heavy armor walked in, his steps knocking loudly against the stone floor.

 

"Yes Reaver?" The armored man said with a deep voice.

 

"Is Grog back yet?" Reaver asked calmly.

 

"No. We haven't heard from him." The armored man replied.

 

"Send some men after him, whether he met trouble or he fled.. kill him. If he's already dead, just as well." Reaver took another sip from his cup. "Retrieve the artifact."

 

"Where is it?" The armored man asked.

 

Reaver reached into his robe and pulled out a necklace which carried a palm sized amulet, the center of which was missing.

 

Holding it in the center of his palm, the amulet began to glow a faint blue before returning to normal. "43 miles east, the artifact hasn't moved for over a day."

 

The armored man nodded and turned around to leave.

 

"Wait."

 

Stopping, the armored man turned his head slightly. "Yes?"

 

"Remember, I don't like to be kept waiting." A peculiar glint flashed in Reaver's eyes.

 

"I understand. I'll send some of my best men." The armored man replied.