I rode my stallion across the vast plains, its pace bumping up and down as we marched toward Greaton Capital of the Trones Chiefdom.

I looked around at my army marching through the Great Central Plain, once a forest now flat grasslands from deforestation.

To my right the eastern edge of the Eth Forest, where Ethereal's incarnation is said to have descended to pick Ori the first Oracle Humanity.

Much of the eastern edge has still yet to be explored, only three cities of our chiefdom settled there.

Further south behind us past the Southern Eth Forest lays Jungles filled with bestial men, with long bestial ears, tails, some even with antlers curving around their heads like crowns.

The mysterious race of beings both powerful and elusive.

To the west lays the rest of the Eth Forest, most of our chiefdom’s many cities, and the rest of humanity's smaller nations.

Even the few nomadic wandering tribes that still remain roam those lands.

To the North lay Greaton at the foot of a lone mountain, past it a small stretch of forest.

Beyond that lies the Rough Mountains a land of steep cliffs, and hills mostly consisting of mountains, occupied by the Barbaric Warmongering race of short men called Dwarves.

My eyes turn back to Greaton ahead of me.

Just a few weeks ago my home, my inheritance, was taken from me.
By, by… by some Archmage Upstart, who decides to throw a coo and takes my fathers, niegh my family's lives!

All because of some stupid ritual that causes the old fart to go mad!

The, the… the audacity of it.

How dare he take what is rightfully mine, how dare he kill my beloved family and slaughters our vassal’s clans.

I… I was forced to flee… I would have fought, if my brothers hadn't been so young… I would have fought.

I was determined to, but when I saw the fear in my brothers' eyes, heard the sounds of slaughter, and felt that…. Foreign… presence.

I knew we had to flee.

But now I am back, and during these past few weeks, I have gathered every Loyal Clan, every Blood Relative, every Vassal, and have hired every mercenary my gold would allow.

Even flexing my power to draft pheasants into our army as undertrained but highly equipped soldiers.

I had the most powerful mages and all the power I could amass in such a short time.

Now I will take back my home, my inheritance, and the remains of my family.

“Arachnoc will pay tenfold for what he has done.”

Once we were about a mile away from the city, we saw them.

They were like a black wave filled with a vast sea of ominous glowing red eyes.

“Halt, pikemen raise your pikes… Mages, ready your spells… Fire!!!”

Countless mana bolts fire rapidly at the incoming wave of volves, dispersing into the aether as they hit.

Not even slowing the beasts down.

If I don't do something we'll lose this battle.

First Prince Mendes, “Cease Fire! Charge Your Spells! Ready Aim! Hold! Hold! Hold! FIRE!!!”

Thousands of large bright, bluish-white, brilliant mana bolts shoot at the black wave of volves.

Frying thousands of them causing the black wave to collapse in on itself.

Hundreds of volves climb out from the piles of their dead comrades and begin charging towards us.

The distance is too short.

Prince Mendes, “Mages withdraw! Pikemen to the front! Assume defensive positions! Hold! Hold! Thrust!!”

The pikemen thrust their pike but the volves easily avoid them.

Those that are hit barely get scratches, before they all run straight into our lines.

Shit, if this keeps up we'll be thrown into chaos and the enemy will take advantage of it.

We'll lose.

Prince Mendes, “Shit. Pikemen withdraw!

Sword Mages front of the line, shield-bearers behind them give them space!

Mages line up behind the shield bearers give them five yards of space!

Shoot anything that gets past them!

Healers support the shield bearers from behind the mages!”

I'm at the front lines as a volv leaps toward my horse's throat, it sinks its teeth into my horse's throat, while two other volves attack the legs.

I'm thrown from my horse landing on my feet and right hand, my sword in my left hand.

My horse falls, the volves eating it alive as it slowly dies.

I rise to my feet readying my mana in my palm, as the volves turn away from their meal.

They turn towards me blood still dripping from their jaws.

I hear one my vassals yell, right as the volves start racing towards me, “Hurry, to the First Prince! We must protect him, with me!”

I hear the hooves of their approaching horses.

The volves making a mad dash for me.

The mana collecting in my palm I swiping my right hand to the left in front of me causing a streak of bright mana, that quickly forms into three spinning bolts of mana.

The bolts shoot out towards the three volves, exploding into the dirt as two dodges and one gets hit, obliterating into a burnt mangled corpse.

The other two continuing forward I channel more mana into my right hand, balling it into a fist.

The one on my right leaps for my neck, I swing my sword empowering my sword with mana right as it makes contact with its neck, beheading it.

The one to my left immediately makes a sharp turn leaping at my left, I turn my body thrusting my right fist toward it.

Its face inches from hand as I open my fist, releasing a pulse wave of mana at the volv, incinerating it into ashes and embers.

The dirt rising up from the force of residual impact, like smoke.

My vassal and my thanes surrounding me shortly on horseback before dismounting, unsheathing their bronze swords, and forming a circle around me.

They slap their horse's asses causing them to run off so they don’t get in the way.

Royal Vassal Marx, “You shouldn't have insisted on standing at the frontlines, chief. ”

Prince Mendes, “Ha, heh, I'm not chief, yet.

Besides I needed to see this through myself.

To make sure it gets done.

To restore my honor.

To avenge my clan.

I must take back what's rightfully mine. ”

Marx, “Yes, well, we are here your majesty, so do make use of us.”

Princes Mendes, “Well then, spread out and reinforce the line, make up for the cracks.

I will allow two of you to stay by my side and help guard me.

However I excel in combat, so do try to keep up.”

Marx, “We will try your majesty.

Right Men!!!”

“Huah!!!”

Marx, “Alright, Alyx!

You're on point help the others fill in the holes in the line!

Kalos, you're with me and the First Prince Mendes!”

The others spread out as Kalos and Marx stand on my sides, the last of the surviving volves starting to trickle in.

Suddenly I hear horns being sounded.

I look to the front past the pile of deads volves is an army of horsemen on black scaled horses with red glowing eyes.

Men with red glowing eyes and long black armored tails with long black spikes at the end, all dressed in black light-armor, holding large black pikes, sit atop the horses.

Among them, giant black hairless cats with red glowing eyes and lean lanky frames with bodies built for speed stand amongst them.

Finally, the horns stop and the volves run out of the way, as the enemy cavalry charges.

Prince Mendes, “Shit.

We don’t have time to reform our lines, they’re to fast.

Pikemen hand your pikes to the mages!

Mages empower the pikes with mana then launch them with spells at the enemy's cavalry!

Shield bearers assume defensive positions, prepare to shield bash them at the last moment!”

However by the time I finished giving my orders.

They are already upon us.

The Darcets use their claws and teeth to tear through our armor like paper.

The Lesser Daercs use their pikes to skewer so many of us, as they shoot those of us further away with strange red magic

The riders riding Umbraur mounts that bite chunks out every soldier they can get their mouths on.

Just as my forces are almost defeated.

I hear a thunderous roar.

Dragons…..

I see them flying over us in the sky the whole battle almost pausing as I hear them speak.

“ARACHNOC DARK LORD AND ADVENT OF ORCROX!!!!

YOU HAVE BEEN DEEMED GUILTY OF BRINGING A FOREIGN CORRUPTION TO THIS WORLD!!!!

BY ORDER OF THE GREAT ONE, ETHEREAL HIMSELF, YOU ARE TO BE EXECUTED.”

I look forward to this “Dark Lord” flying up into the sky to battle them.

Strange red mana surrounding his hands before my view is blocked out by streams of fire.

The dragons breathe fire onto the dark army ahead of us, incinerating them into ash in the wind.

The sounds of battle resound throughout the area.

………………………………………………………………………………

I watch as my dragons send my message and burn Arachnoc's army to ash.

Arachnoc flies towards the lead dragon a fourth-generation old dragon leading a group of younger old dragons.

They collide Arachnoc running his talons along the old dragon's skin drawing gashes in its flesh, glowing with foreign red energy.

He passes him heading for the dragon behind him.

He latches on to the younger old dragon, digging his talons into its flesh, veins of red energy spreading across its black scales.

The dragon plummets towards the ground.

The red energy spreading to its eyes as its body grows spiky, lustrous, and hard, its now red eyes starting to glow.

The corrupted dragon lashes out at the other dragons surrounding it.

Arachnoc flies at an old dragon to the side, his talons filled with red energy, he beheads it in one slash.

The adjacent dragon bites Arachnoc's side and throws him to the ground, before going in for the kill.

Only for its teeth to be blocked by a dome-shaped red energy barrier.

The other two old dragons pin the Dark Dragon to the ground, each biting its neck, and holding its torso under their claws.

They exhale fire, their teeth still clamped down on its neck.

Its eyes finally grow still.

The other dragon's teeth finally pierce the red barrier, Arachnoc flies north right before the barrier shatters.

Arachnoc flies towards the dwarf mountains.

Dragon's breathe rains down upon

him, causing him to fall to the ground near one of the northern mountains.

The three remaining old dragons fly over to where he lands, a small forest clearing near the mountain, before combining their fire breath and shooting it at him.

They look down seeing his bloodied burnt body, one of them stomping on him for good measure.

Believing him dead they leave.

After they leave I watch as he crawls to the edge of the stone mountain.

His hand pressing upon the stone, a hole opens and he crawls into it.

He lays inside the hole vertically his arms crossed.

The hole closes sealing him in like a coffin, but I can still tell he lives.

I watch as the usually blue ambient mana in the area is slowly died purple from the red energy gifted by Orcrox.

The Aether becomes something I had never intended, Miasma.

……………………………………………………………………

After deciding to change the title of the chief to the king.

King Mendes was crowned as the first human king.

Now he sits at his desk in the castle’s royal study.

The night sky of the dimly glowing star river behind him, through the window.

Three knocks sound in the door in front of him.

Running his fingers through his short black hair he answers, “Come in.”
A young pale woman with white hair and golden eyes in a scholar’s robe walks in.

“You asked to see me, your highness?”

King Mendes, “Yes, Scholar Aera I would like you to study Archmage Grandas’s notes from before he went mad.

I heard he was working on the first step of a summoning circle.”

Aera, “Pardon me your majesty, but isn't that what turned him in The Dark Lord Arachnoc?”

King Mendes, “Yes.

However, there may be something of use in there.”

Aera, “I understand your majesty, I will begin right away.”

After being dismissed she leaves shutting the door behind her.

King Mendes clasps his hands together, reflecting.