The night was quiet. The wind blew softly, and the moon shined in through the window. A room, made from wood and stone, with a child in bed. Only about eight, he slept there peacefully. His clothes folded in an open drawer, and a chest full of toys was beside it. His hair, short and white. The parents were in the room beside him, sleeping naked beneath the covers, with their clothes tossed carelessly across the room. The candle on the table side beside them had gone out some time ago. A bow and arrow hung above them, and the family name engraved into its grip. The house was small, only having a few rooms. Enough for the family to fit in. Their dog was in the kitchen, sleeping under the table.

All three of them were woken up by a scream. It didn't come from inside the house, or the one next to them. The father sat up and listened closely. The air had turned sour, and smoke could be smelt. He threw the covers off and started getting dressed, only having time to put on pants and a shirt, before grabbing the bow. The woman in his bed sat up and held the blanket covers up over her chest. She looked around, scared and confused. The man explained for her to get the kid and hide somewhere while he investigated. She nodded and quickly tossed on a nightgown she had in the drawer, running to their child's room.

More screams filled the air, and the mar peeked outside his door. The bright red and orange colors of fire and ember shined through the crack. He opened the door wide and looked outside. The houses nearby were burning, the fires reaching high into the sky and leaping from house to house. People ran from their homes as the fire got closer. Quickly, he ran back inside, and grabbed both his wife, and kid, leading them outside and having them run with him. The people of the village where screaming, and running around in a panic. The man looked around, confused as to what was happening, but then he saw it. Down at the far end of the mud-covered street was a ghostly figure. He walked down, carrying a wooden shield in his left arm, and a short sword in his right. His armor was black with gold trimmings on the side and almost seemed transparent. His skin was a mix between the average white color and green. The figure's body was covered in cracks and scars, and from them, a black and green light shined. His eyes were bloodshot red, and his hair, short and black. Behind him was a trail of bodies. Some burned and others cut down. Their blood stained on his steel sword.

The man buried his family and led them down one of the allies between two buildings. Steel could be heard clashing, and final words could be heard spoken. The family was almost to the other end of the ally when a black figure appeared in front of the other end. Robed in complete blackness the figure turned his head to look down the alley, only he had no face. Nothing but a black empty hole. There were no legs to walk on, and instead, it floated. It's steel gauntlets gripped the sword in his hand, as it turned to float down to the family. The father quickly opened the side door to the bar they were next to and pushed his family inside, closing the door behind him. The bar was empty. A few bodies are on the floor, and the stools all knocked over. He spotted the stairway up to the second floor overlooking the first and ordered his family up to it and to hide. They did as told, the mother carrying the child, and putting her hands over his crying eyes. The father then turned to face the door while backing up, having his bow drawn and an arrow at the ready, but nothing came. The door stays shut and there was no hint of movement from the other side.

The man quickly dived behind the bar and searched for anything else he could use. A small dagger was all he could find, so it's what he grabbed. He gripped the handle tight and waited for a sound. Then remembered that the figure didn't walk and would make no sound. He quickly peaked over the bar counter and saw the black figure standing there, looking directly at him. It let out a blood-curdling shriek as it raised its sword and brought it down. The man moved out of the way and crawled out from behind the bar, raising his knife and charging the hooded figure. It once again raised its sword and swung at him. He used the knife to block the blade and slid under it, pulling the knife away and stabbing up into the cloaked figure gut. The fabric of the cloak ripped but nothing happened. There was nothing there to stab. His eyes widened, as he was grabbed by the shirt, and thrown against the wall. He grunted and got up, weakly stumbling to his feet. The figure approached slowly and raised its sword once more, but just before it had its chance to strike it down, the bar doors were kicked open and an arrow flew into the back of the figure. It shrieked and disintegrate into dust before disappearing. The man looked forward and saw another man standing there. He too was hooded, but not like the others. His hair was short and blond, with a green hood and cloak covering him. His arms were bare, and blue mystic tattoos where layering his skin. He wore brown tall boots and rangers attire. He cracked his neck, and the bow he held turned blue and vanished in his hands. The tattoos on his body stopped glowing and he approached the man.

"You alright?"

"Y- Yes... Who are you?"

"Doesn't matter, come on!" He turned to leave, and the man ordered him to wait. He ran up the stairs and found his family, explaining to them that the stranger was trying to help. The four ran out of the bar and onto the burning streets of the village. Fire and ash rained down onto the muddy street, as most of the buildings in the town burned slowly. The ranger motioned for the family to follow him down another ally and they did as he told. Just before they could get to it, however, they where once again cut off by a black hooded figure. The ranger grunted and held his arms out like he was holding a bow. Quickly, his tattoos lit up and a ghostly blue bow formed in his hands, followed by a strung arrow. He released it, and let the arrow fly, hitting the hooded figure and causing it to disappear.

"We need to hurry." He exclaimed, running fast with the family down the alley and out the other side onto another street. They turned the corner and were once again faced with a hooded figure. He lifted his sword into the air, and stuck on the other end was a poor unfortunate woman. She bled down the steel of the blade and went limp as she breathed her last breath. The hooded figure lowered the sword and allowed the woman's body to slide off. The ranger once again formed a weapon in his hands, choosing for a sword to appear instead of a bow. He swung the blade upwards and cut the hooded figure in half. Just as he did, he felt an arrow fly by. He turned and saw the leader of the group standing them.

"Valhalla." He said quietly, turning to face him. Valhalla grinned and tossed his sword towards the ranger, only to purposefully miss and strike the woman beside him. The wide felt the blade sink into her chest and cut straight through her, cutting her in half, partway up the breast. The went limp and fell dropping the child in her disembodied arms. The father screamed as he grabbed his child, only to meet a similar fate. Another blade flew at him, and pinned him to the wall, forcing him to drop the child. He yelled at his kid to run, and the child did, crying. Elias went after the child but was stopped by Valhalla. Another word flew in front of him and finished the man off, cutting through his lower torso, allowing his insides to spill out onto the ground.

The ranger growled and turned to look at Valhalla, forming a two-handed sword into his hands, and running at Valhalla. He stood there and when the ranger got close enough, he too formed a blade in his hands. The two strikes each others weapon, causing a loud crash of steel to ring out above the sound of fire. The ranger swung viciously and Valhalla parried him. The two were locked in a constant state of swinging and blocking. The ranger soon made his weapon disappear and formed a smaller one-handed sword instead, now striking much faster than normal. Valhalla took the opportunity to grip his hand, causing a bright flash of light to blind the ranger and stumble back. The ring on Valhalla's finger began to dim as he struck the ranger. He grunted and fell to the mud, a gash across his back.

Valhalla chuckled and went to finish the range, only to get flashed by a bright light from the ranger. Valhalla stumbled back as well and looked around for the ranger. He had disappeared.

"No matter. He proves no problem." Valhalla mumbled to himself. His black-cloaked servants approached him.

"Was that everyone."

"Almost." Whispered the hooded figure. Their voices long, and drawn out. They echoed in the wind.

"Round the rest of them up and bring them to me."

The ghostly figures nodded and flew off, searching the town for the remaining survivors. Valhalla stood there, staring at the ground where his appointment was once.

"Been a problem in my side for a while now. Stay away ranger." He yelled out, looking for some hint as to where he went. There was a scurry and a door closing quickly nearby. Valhalla turned and saw where the sound came from. A stable, not yet caught aflame. He approached it and pushed the door open, looking around at all the horses neighing in panic and flailing around. Slowly, Valhalla walked down the middle of the stable, looking everywhere for the ranger. He sighed and felt a sharp kick in the back. He stumbled forward and turned to see the ranger jump on horseback, and ride off.

Valhalla ran outside after him and watched as the ranger retreated from the burning village. The other horses ran from the stable and around Valhalla, yet he continued to stand there in anger. Once the horses had gone, he turned and saw his ghostly servants approaching with the remaining townsfolk. An old man, a few women, and the father's child. He turned to look at them, then towards one of his black servants.

"Is that all?"

The servant only let out a ghostly moan and a nod in response. Valhalla nodded and looked out at the remaining townsfolk.

"Is there any word from the spies?" He asked, carefully examining the survivors.

"Yes, my lord. They have informed us, that the ones who interfered with your work, are on their way to Brozegrad. They seek the dwarven relic, and wish to return it to the rightful king." The servant bowed. Valhalla frowned and nodded.

"Let them take it."

"My lord?" It raised its head.

"Let them take it. We will simply attack Brozegrad once they return it." He grinned slightly and looked back at his black servants. "Find some bounty hunters. Bandits, Vampire hunters, anyone. Put a price on their heads."

"I do not wish to disagree, but that would only slow them down." The servant said.

"That's the idea," Valhalla mumbled, bending over to examine a young girl. She had short black hair, and a long knight dress on. He stared at her and examined her appearance and physical build. The black-hooded figure bowed and nodded his head.

"I will send the others in search of those to slow them down then, my lord." With that, the black servant disappeared into a black form of smoke, and flew off, leaving a trail behind. Valhalla nodded and looked up at the other black servants, and the people they had captive.

"Take them all to the island. Put them to work like the others." He ordered. The black servants nodded, and forced all the people to the ground, casting spells on them to paralyze their body's and prevent any attempts to escape. A couple of men, a few women and a child. The black servants grabbed each of them, and turned into smoke once more, carrying the people with them. Valhalla watched as they flew southeast, and turned to look back out to where the ranger ran off. He scoffed and walked back into the village, and through the flaming buildings. The bar's the house's shops. They were all burning bright, by the heat of the fire. The Husband and wife laid side by side, cut in half, their insides poured out onto the grass. Valhalla looked at them and moved on. He sheathed his sword, and turned into a cloud of green and black smoke, and took off after his black servants, towards Avonduff Island.

The sun beat down on the slopes of the Brozengrad mountains, but it did nothing to prevent the cold wind from blowing and freezing over the grass. The ground was frosted in a layer of white snow, and the few trees at the base of the mountain were leafless. They had fallen and rested atop the pure, white dust. The sky was clear, leaving nothing but the red, and orange glow of sunset approaching. The air was cool, and crisp, as winter could be felt approaching. That, with the average temperature of the Brozengrad mountains, made it a rather chilly time of year. Along a single path where seven figures, walking slowly. They had been traveling for a month and a half now, from the desert on the far west side of Ageria, all the way to the furthest mountains to the east. A black-cloaked figure walked along with them. About six and a half feet in height, she towered over the travelers she was with. She had long silver, white hair, and dark, brown skin, which was heavily scarred. An 'X' shaped gash ran across her right cheek, and the upper left-hand side of the scar ran up and over her nose. Another scar went just across her left eye. Scars were running down and across her neck, and arms. There wasn't a part of her body that wasn't touched by the white scars that stood out from her brown skin. Under the cloak, she wore a black jacket, with several knife holsters, and a small hole cut out the back, where two large, black, feathery wing's rested. The jacket only had it's left sleeve intact, the right had been torn off, leaving her skin exposed to the cold elements. Her eye's where mismatched in color, with one being silver, and the other being a dark, stormy grey. A permanent frown seemed etched into her face. The leggings she wore ran down and were tucked into her tall black boots. A sword hung in a sheathe from her hip, along with several mithril knives. A quiver hung from the back of her belt, and an unstrung bow to its side. Girl's ears where pointed, helping others identify her as an elf, though the ones who knew her best would call her a Vampire.

Beside her was a smaller girl, being sixteen years of age. Only about half her height, at about four foot eleven. Her hair was much shorter and only went down to the bottom of her neck. The black hair had several strands of dark red dye in it. Just above both her eyes and partially hidden in her hair, where two white horns that protrude from her skull. They broke the skin and had been growing since. Recently, the horns where dulled and cut, so they were not as sharp and dangerous. The girl needed to hide them under her hood but left it down for now, as they were with people she trusted. The girl had a scar across her right eyebrow, though it was fairly small. Her eyes were a dark blue, and unlike the woman next to her, she had a smile on her face. She wore a dark gothic dress that went down to just before her ankles. Beneath it, she wore black leggings and tall black boots. Each one had a large copper buckle on it. She too wore a black cloak, and she too had black, feathery wings beneath it, just like the woman beside her. The top of her dress had a golden circle that ran around the neck, and hanging from it was a necklace gifted to her by a stranger to most. The belt she had, had a few things hanging from it. A sheath for a small dagger she carried, and on the other side, a holder for a black wand. There were several different colored rings on her fingers, each with a gem embedded into them. The only one that stood out was a ring with a ghostly blue color to it. That ring contained someone who she would call a friend. The girl looked up at the woman and poked her shoulder.

"Alina? Are we there yet?" She asked, in a whining tone of voice. Alina had grown weary of trying to hush the girl and just walked along in tired silence.

"Alina?" asked the young witch.

"No, Emily," Alina responded in a tired voice.

"Will we be there soon?"

"I don't know."

"I hope we are their soon, I just want to take a long rest." Emily smiled.

"So do the rest of us," Alina growled softly. Alina, who took care of Emily, had found her, homeless and alone in the city of Peccatum. Since then, they have traveled together, and there were a few times when Alina regretted it, but it was a rare feeling, and she would often shake it. She loved the girl. Emily smiled and looked forward. In Front of her was her lover, Dalton. A girl who was also a vampire, though, over the last month, many of the group members dismissed hat. Her hair had magically changed to completely blind over their walk, and her wing's had gone from black and grey to completely white. She wore a white, and golden knights armor as she walked. Her wing's hit through two slots in the back, which was helpful for her. A brown witch's hat was on her head, which didn't match with her outfit at all, but she wore it because she technically took it from her lover, even though she didn't use magic. Leading in front of Dalton was Sargon, the leader of the group. He almost always wore black armor with golden outlines around it. He walked more professionally and carried a long Halberd on his back. Sargon was a user of dark magic and used it proudly.

Emily turned her head and saw Karaline. She walked behind them in steel armor, just like Sargon's, only it looked more traditional to a male knights armor. She hid the fact she was a girl, by only wearing a helmet and disguising her voice while in public. Only her friends knew her secret. Emily sighed and looked forward again. Alina walked between Emily and the last two members of the group. Violet, a small necromancer, who wore a grey, ritualistic mask all the time. Her face had never been seen by her allies. She wore a purple cloak, which matched her long purple hair, which went down to her lower back. The girl was rather short, only being four foot, one in height. She wore a black top, and leather pants, with a belt. Her hand's had leather gloves over them, and she carried a wooden staff with her as she walked. A purple gem was wrapped around the sticks roots at the tip of it. Sitting on the Necromancer's head was a half-naked fairy. All she wore was a simple strip of cloth around her breasts and a single pair of panties to cover the more private areas of her body. Her long blond hair ran down to her ankles, meaning some of it was currently on Violet. While she sat on the girl's head, she could not be felt, for she weighed nothing at all. She was as light as a feather. Her skin was covered in bluish nature like tattoos, and the material her skin was made of sparkled in the sunlight. A set of butterfly-shaped wings where on her back, and she looked out in front of her, smiling. The cold breeze did not bother her, as natural elements such as fire, and ice have proven to her allies before that she was immune to them. Violet looked up at the fairy, and pat her bare leg before looking forward again.

"Emily, can you stop whining?"

"Or?" Emily snapped her fingers and a small spark of electricity flew at Violet, hitting her. The girl jumped a bit and looked over at Emily before sighing and continuing as if nothing happened.

"I will stop you." Karaline frowned and crossed her arms.

"How?" She leaned her head back to look at Karaline as she flung another spark at Violet, who ignored it this time but frowned under her mask.

"Take your wand, break your fingers, many things." Karaline threatened. Emily looked back up at Alina and grinned before turning around and flicking the third spark of electricity at Karaline. The knights quickly blocked the spark with her gauntlet and stared down Emily.

"Try me one more time, bitch."

Alina grabbed Emily's wrist and yanked her away from Karaline. Emily was able to fling one more spark at the knights before being pulled away. She stumbled and almost tripped as Alina moved her to walk in front of her.

"Emily!" Alina hissed, "What are you doing?"

"That's it!" Karaline stomped over to try and grab Emily from around Alina, but the vampire blocked Karaline, keeping the child behind her. Emily grinned a bit wider, knowing that when she was with Alina, not much could be done to her. She poked her head around to see Karaline.

"Get that fucking bitch sorted, or I will break both her hands, and leg's over, and over until she gets the point." She muttered at Alina. Emily raised an eyebrow at Karaline, but the grin on her face faded slightly.

"No, you won't," Alina tells her shortly. The other group members stopped and all turned to watch the two. For as sad as it was, arguing with each other like this was more common than most of them wanted.

"Do you want to test me as well? We could take a break so I can give you a close-up demonstration." Karaline growled, "I might even add some blunt clubs into the mix and I know you hate those." She spoke in a serious tone after taking off her self, allowing her brown hair to fall over her shoulders.

"You can break every single bone in my body. But. Do. Not. Threaten. Her. Again." Alina narrowed her eyes at Karaline.

"Yeah, Karaline. Don't threaten me again!" Emily said with a grin on her face. Alina's mouth tightened, clearly unhappy with the girl's comment, but said nothing.

"Alina, stop fighting Emily's battle here. If she is so inclined to harass people, let her deal with the consequences." Dalton added, walking up to Alina's side.

"I'm not going to let any random person with a short temper smash her to pieces because she threw a few tiny sparks at them." Alina looked down at Dalton

"What's the point of a threat when you can't get your point across? Sort her out or else." Just as Karaline finished speaking, Emily let out a loud yelp. Blood ran down her arm, as a small glowing throwing knife had entered the backside of her arm, just short of the bone. Enchanted with holy water, the knife burned Emily's skin. She Let out a scream in pain as she pulled the knife out quickly, burning her hand in the process. She teared up and fell to her knees as she felt the holy water now on her arm, burning her skin. Alina looked down at Emily and her face darkened to a scowl as she saw the weapon on the ground. She growled and started glancing around wildly for the source of the attack. All she could notice that was remotely suspicious was Violet shifting her arms around under her cloak. Emily's screams turned to growls, as her nails started to extend, and two pointed, retractable fangs broke through her gum. Emily didn't care where the knife came from. All she could come up with was that Karaline somehow threw it. She quickly sprung up, blood gushing from her arm. Her wing's opened up and she jumped at Karaline, her claw's extended outwards towards her. Karaline readied herself and grabbed both of Emily's arms when she got close enough. Her eyes were glowing crimson. Usually, she wasn't thinking whenever her eyes changed to that color. She was just fueled by anger.

Alina turned and tried to tackled Karaline away from Emily, but Dalton stopped her,

"Wait a bit first Alina. Emily spends most of her time harassing Violet anyway or someone else. She deserves at least a little bit of payback."

Karaline pulled Emily close and pressed her against her steel breastplate. Emily's skin burned against it, and her cheek and right side of her face began to sting and smoke as Karaline forced Emily against the burning steel of Karaline's armor. She let out loud screeches of pain, as she tried struggling and pushing away from Karaline, but all that did was burn her hands more as she pushed against the steel. Alina completely ignored Dalton and wrapped her arms under Emily's armpits, hissing in pain as her skin made contact with the steel. She extended her wing's and flapped them, kicking off of Karaline and flying a distance away from her. Karaline stumbled back but didn't fall. She stood, looking at Alina without a bit of remorse. Emily screamed and cried in pain while Alina wrapped her arms around her protectively. Her wing's arched around them. The girl breathed heavily as burn marks layered the right side of her face and her hands. The fangs and claws retracted as she cries of anger and pain shifted to sobbing.

Dalton sighed as she watched. As much as she cared about Emily, she deserved this. But if Alina kept stepping in every time something happened, Emily wouldn't learn her lesson about doing things like that for fun. Karaline stared at the two vampires and sighed. She walked over to Violet and whispered a thank you, before suggesting they rest here for the night. Violet turned to face the two, then up at Lunette before nodding. She frowned, not feeling too good about hurting her Allie. Emily clung to Alina until the burns healed. Her skin slowly unwrinkled, and the red color faded back to its normal color. Her eyes were back to normal as several tears ran down her cheeks. Vampires could heal all wounds, but it wasn't always a good thing. While the injury would heal, the pain from that injury would linger on for some time. Alina held Emily close, running her hand through Emily's hair, and whispering for her to calm down, and that it would be alright. The young vampire continued to cry from the burning pain long into the night.

The group woke up early the next morning and continued on their way. The rest of the walk was through the snow on the slopes of the mountain. The wind blew from the tops of the great mountains and caused snow to blow down, and rain onto the base below. None of the members were prepared for the snowy weather, which made them more eager to get into Brozegrad. After a long and tiring walk, they made it to the city's entrance by sunset the next day. The city's gates were built into the steep slopes of a large mountain, with two circular stone watchtowers on both sides. Each watchtower was partially built into the mountain, and where about five stories in height. They were built with tunic leather across the roofing, with wooden sticks holding them up. The gate itself was a sturdy metal contraption. The dwarfs, best known for their ingenuity in technology, had great cities of marvels not seen my most. The gate was structured like most. Long metal bars shooting upwards, and side to side, forming square holes, with two large steel door behind it. Above the gate where two large mechanical crossbows, with metal, robs about twenty-four feet in length. Several of those beams were stuck in the ground around the area.

"Who goes there!" A loud booming shout called from the watchtowers. Dalton looked up, and considered responding before nodding and calling back,

"A humble party, seeking an audience with your Monarch! We come to warn of a dangerous threat, and find assistance stopping it!"

"Bandits!" Emily looked up at the door. Dalton stopped and looked back at Emily.

"You should stop talking if you don't want to be killed."

"Fine, whatever." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"You wish to speak to the king? We have heard of this so-called 'threat' and can assure you we will have no problem taking on such a minuscule problem. If the humans were unsuccessful then out machines of war shall be a hundred times better! We have heard of this same excuse by many groups like you. What makes you differ from them?"

"The fact that we have encountered him before, and lived. I assure you, your machines will do nothing to stop him now. We have ancient information long forgotten about him." Dalton yelled back. The voiced between the two boomed and echoed in the mountains around them.

"Ancient information? What sorts?"

"We know how to slay him. I also have another request, this one more personal! However, getting your assistance in stopping this threat is far more valuable!"

There was a long pause before a loud clunking noise rang out. The metal bars at the gate began lowering and retreating into the ground. The two metal doors began sliding open, inward's. The bottom of the door scraped against the stone ground, forming a clear path for them to enter.

"Very well! The king shall answer your request."

"Thank you! While we visit your great kingdom, might we visit your dwarven forges in our time waiting on an audience with his majesty?"

"You will have an audience with our king now in his feasting hall. His wise words will determine the truth of your statement." The dwarf replied.

"We are all grateful for the opportunity to speak with his Majesty," Dalton said, before walking through the open gate with her allies. The entranceway was constructed of smooth walls, with large stone columns on both sides of the pathway. They took it up and left only one way in and out to go. The second they set foot through the gate, they all felt a gust of warm air. The light that shines through the holes was still unknown but looked a lot less bright now that they were up close. The hallway was long, with several paths going off in diagonal directions on each side. Soon, large golden chandeliers were the main source of light. They were lined across the ceiling down the straight hallway, and each one looked the same as the other. Karaline and Dalton walked beside each other and looked in awe. Emily simply walked behind Alina, not all too interested in the decor.

Large golden tubes were now sticking out of the wall. They released steam into the main pathway and connected to one central area deep in the mountain. Dwarven guards with steel and gold armor lined the wall every few columns. Each one wielded a different weapon. They assisted others as they walked between the halls and around. The main population was dwarves, but there were a few humans, and Merfolk, and very few Elves. The walls started to widen, and soon the group reached a massive cave area. The roof of the cave stretched far up to about fifteen kilometers, with the actual length of the cave being the same, although the city was dome-shaped. Multiple stone pillars and building had been built to serve as support. The flooring had changed from stone to lush dark bluegrass, with purple glowing flowers, blue leafed trees, and light blue water, that ran through a system of pipes around the city. The center of the underground city had a fairly decent sized tower, in which there were four walls around, suggesting it to be the King's castle.

The dwarfs wandered the cave-like one would stroll through a park. The men were large, short, and had stylish beards, braided even more than the women's hair. The women were around Violet's height. Machines made of gold and metal roamed around as well. Some flew like birds while others walked on four legs. They all seemed to be powered by steam and gears in some way, though it was unsure how. The dwarves were talented craftsmen, and it was more evident now than ever. They would be the one to further technology in Ageria. Emily looked around at everything, now interested in the scenery. She spotted the oddly colored trees and approached one to look at it. It didn't take her long to notice most of the population was all about Violet's height. She was in a city full of Violet's. A mischievous grin ran across her face, but Alina grabbed her shoulder and started dragging her along in silence.

Lunette proved to be a problem. Violet had to hold onto her with both hands to prevent her from flying away. She was seeing so many new things for the first time, and just after she believed she had seen everything in Ageria. Her eyes were wide in wonder, and a large smile spread across her face. Her wing's where flapping hard, but Violet was able to keep her anchored. When they got closer to the King's castle, the learned that the city's layout was more or less straightforward. Several signs were nailed to buildings, serving as directions, maps, and advertisements for local businesses. They saw a large tree in the center of what looked like a garden. Many of the dwarves were resting under its long branches that extend out far, and around buildings. In Fact, the tree was about a quarter of the city's size. A silver bridge was the only way into the King's feasting hall, and the decor around it was better. The light blue water flowed under it like a stream, with golden walls surrounding the castle. Sargon had his arms crossed as he looked at what the city had to offer. He was always impressed with the dwarfs and their ability to craft such interesting tools and machines.

"Alina?" Can I go over and see the tree?" Emily asked, pointing towards the massive blue leafed tree."

"Emily, stay with us please?" She hissed, not wanting to leave Emily unattended in a city like this. Violet walked up to Alina and pointed at herself, then at the tree, and Emily. A cloud of smoke appeared above her and her thoughts began to materialize into words that floated above her.

"I could watch over her." Violet thought.

"What?" Emily tilted her head.

"Are you sure Violet?" Alina sighed softly.

"I will be fine, Alina. Thank you for your concern." The words formed before breaking up. Alina looked at Emily and Violet and sighed.

"Alright. Just don't get into trouble." She looked at the young vampire. Alina then hesitantly turned to follow the others while Violet led Emily over to the tree. Many of the dwarfs around it were sitting in pairs of two, one male, and one female. They slept peacefully under the tree, the sounds of gears, and steam hissing around them.

The rest of the group walked across the bridge, and into the tower. They found themselves in a small, cramped cube. Two guards stood outside it and ordered everyone to stay away from the door. Soon a metal cage shot across the open area, and the cube they all stood in began descending, being held up by nothing but chains, and gears.

"What the..." Alina looked around and held her stomach as motion sickness settled in. The others looked around as the box continued to descend, before stopping. Alina was the first to leave the elevator, looking queasy and unhappy. Karaline walked past her, along with Sargon. The new room was shaped like a long hallway. The middle of the room had an extensive rectangular table. The wood was polished and carved together with steel supports. Food laid scattered across the table, each one looking like it took hours to make. The smell of chicken, meat, salted pork, wine, fruits, and lamb, filled the air. The room had a few hallways leading out of it, and dwarfs came and went. At the far end of the table, sat the King of Brozegrad. He wore a crown of jewels decorating the ornament and a golden chest plate to show his wealth. The crown, made form the same material, was structured like a more traditional one. A simple round object with five-pointed ends sticking up. Marking's where engraved into the crown, a message that couldn't be read. The dwarf's beard was long and grey, and he seemed quite agile for his age and appearance.

Dalton looked at the king before bowing on one knee, head turned to the floor.

"Your Excellency, we are honored for the chance to speak with you." She knew dwarfs tended to be rowdier and less formal than some of the other races, at least on the lower levels of society, but she wasn't sure how that held up with the King. So Dalton decided to do her normal, formal style when speaking to royalty. The king stood from his seat, removing the ax from the metal chest plate, making it a simple walking stick.

"What do you need?" He asked in a low booming voice.

"Your excellency, we come seeking your assistance. We know how to slay the threat plaguing our lands, but we cannot do it alone."

"Then do tell me, how do you slay this 'threat'?"

"We need a weapon forged from some... distinct materials, your Excellency. Due to the sheer levels of perfection required, your people are the only ones trusted to follow the designs."

"And what is this weapon made from?" The king asked, unfazed. Alina slid her eye eyes wide ways to Dalton and the others and raised a single eyebrow in question if they should tell him. Karaline and Sargon stayed silent.

"Your Excellency, the important fact is that one of the ingredients is very rare, very valuable, and very hostile. It has enough magic running through it to take out an entire city if handled improperly. Your smiths are the only ones in the land with enough precision to handle it."

"We do not tinker with magic child." He responded stomping his staff slightly as his voice raised in anger.

"Your Excellency, the ingredient is one of a kind. If we were to bring it anywhere else, it would damn the entire world for the rest of Eternity. We know of your distaste for the magical arts, and I assure you, we wouldn't come to you with this if there was anyone else you could do it." Dalton finally looked back up at the king, staying on one knee. The dwarf king paused for a moment, thinking about it.

"Fine. We will attempt to forge this myth. You only have to bring the materials to us and our best blacksmiths will get to work."

"Your excellency, we have the utmost gratitude for this. However, I have more of a personal endeavor here as well, if I may ask a simple question."

"What is it?" The king said simple, his voice lowering with a sigh.

"How long do your people keep the designs and templates of that which you forge?"

"You mean the designs to our home?" The king asked.

"No. Your draft papers, and templates, and blueprints. Specifically for things like say, weapons, and armor?"

"You are welcome to examine the prince to out primal war sets, but I don't see why you would do so?"

"Because... I believe I will find something that belongs to me buried in those designs." She simply responded and then asked. "Can I be lead to your archives?"

The king snapped his fingers, and one of the guards stationed in the room walked over and began escorting Dalton to where the archives where located.

"Are there any more questionable requests?"

Alina stepped forward and looked at the king.

"I am sure you are familiar that the artifacts of Asdros and Arja have been discovered? While we are searching for the materials to the weapon, our goal is also to prevent Valhalla from once more gaining all four artifacts. Would you have any idea where the temple of Moradin lies?"

"We do not possess a temple. We only have a vault. Locked deep into the mountain, far from this stronghold."

"Have you taken precautions against Valhalla taking it?" Sargon asked. The king laughed and nodded.

"We have a large variety of obstacles. I would be impressed if your group could even survive." He responded.

"And yet he is nearly invincible. Deadly traps would likely be ineffective." Alina added.

"My apologies, you must have misunderstood. They are not traps, they are obstacles. Living creatures who guard the relic without any knowledge of doing so."

"And the Shield of Asdros makes him immune to any attack." Alina sighed.

"Any attack? What if a demon were to attack the shield, better yet, what if multiple demons were to crush the humanoid?"

"I highly doubt it would do anything." Alina rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

"Well, we shall see with time. The demons we keep locked up in their will provide all the protection we need." The king said with confidence.

Emily walked alongside Violet through the streets of the city. She had to continuously hold onto Lunette, and the thought of tying her to a rope crossed her mind a few times. They had viewed the tree up close and were following one of the tree's extensive roots that ran around and through several buildings. The two were in the shopping district, as it was something Emily always enjoyed doing. Going from a poor, homeless girl, to a rich immortal vampire in just a few months. They browsed the stalls, but nothing interested the young vampire. She was used to shopping for magical items, but there were hardly any here in the dwarven city. After some time, they started walking back over towards the tower. As they walked, Violet spotted a small food stand. She quickly walked over and purchased a single loaf. Emily watched, and when Violet re-approached, she ripped it in half, giving Emily the bigger half of the bread.

"How do you eat with that thing on?" She asked, taking the bread and biting down into it. She looked up at Emily and then down at the bread before ripping a small bit off and sticking it into the slot of her mask.

"Why don't you just take it off?" Violet formed words above her head using more fog and mist, and Emily started asking the same question Lunette did back on Alnwick Island.

"So there's no way to take it off?" Emily tilted her head.

"Not to my knowledge." The words above Violet's head formed. "I would rather not take it off anyway."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Violet looked down.

"Come on, you can tell me!"

Violet kept her head down and said nothing. Emily rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Alright, let's just head back. See if they are done talking to the 'King'." Emily held her hands up and are quoted in a sarcastic tone.

"Why do you speak in such a strange tone towards the king?"

"I don't know. I guess I don't think someone who lives under the mountain can be a king. They live in castles above ground."

"Different cultures have different home's, Emily."

"So... how do we know this place even has a king, and not a steward or something?"

"Because he is a ruler of hundreds and thousands of dwarves."

Emily sighed and kept walking. It was hard to entertain herself when the dwarven city had little to interest her. Magic was commonly used, and the only thing she could technically do was sightsee. She had an idea in mind. There was something that she was saving for when they all arrived in the city, now all she needed was some time alone. Violet led Emily back to the tower and over the silver bridge. Both the girls and Lunette walked into the descending room, and all three were surprised by it when it started moving.

"This place is so cool," Emily mumbled quietly before the doors opened. She looked out at all the food on the feasting hall table and smiled. She smelt the different kinds of meat and rich foods. Emily stepped out of the elevator and saw her allies talking with the king at the far end of the room. A mischievous grin ran across her face as she slowly started walking over to them. Violet kept a hand around Lunette's ankles to prevent her from flying away while eyeing the food on the table. Some of it was impossible to break up into small enough pieces, meaning she couldn't have it. When Emily got a little closer to the group, she stopped and yelled,

"SKITTLES!"

Alina froze for a moment and groaned as she covered her face with her hands, it's color-changing to a faint red. The other's looked back and saw Emily before turning their attention back to the king.

"How are you?" Emily asked Alina, skipping up behind her.

"I'm... fine... what did I tell you about that name?"

"To always call you by it?" She smiled.

"That's the exact opposite of what I said." She sighed. "We're almost done here. Just be quiet for a little bit. Please."

***

The guard led Dalton down a series of halls on the main floor until they reached the public archives. A large room filled to the brim with scrolls, and books alike. Several dwarven scholars walked around, organizing the shelves, adding new scrolls and taking out old ones. The room's shelves where all held up by chains dangling from the ceiling high above and each chain had a glowing crystal at the top to light up the room. The guard escorted Dalton to a row towards the back of the archives and instructed her where to find the information she sought. The girl thanked him and walked down the pathway. She began looking through the blueprints and design documents, looking for what she wanted, but sadly had no luck. After some time searching, she approached one of the scholars and bowed in greeting.

"Sir, I am looking for old design papers for... should be two or three styles of armor, some weapons, and shields?" She asked, "It's more... angelic." A word that Dalton was saying more often now. Over the trip to the city, Dalton spent a lot of it with Sargon, casting life links between the two. It has taken time, but she was remembering more and more of her past, though most of it was blurs. The more they saw, the more they believed Dalton to be an angel. Her changing appearance supported the theory, yet they could still not understand why she had so many problems remembering them.

The dwarf she spoke to was short and had a finely crafted beard. He wore normal ragged clothes and a dark blue cap of sorts most dwarves in the room appeared to be dressed in.

"Ah, angelic armor. A rare craft. I'm surprised an angel like you would come so far down for something so small." The dwarf examined her appearance the pure white wing's on her back, "Yes, the designs you're looking for are over here." The scholar pointed to a high shelf where an older set of scrolls visibly stood out. The material was older and had deteriorated over the centuries. Dust had formed, as they have not been touched for so long.

"Thank you. The designs belong to your kind, however, I appreciate you keeping them safe. I must ask, though. Have your smiths enough skill and metal to forge one final set of the commander's armor?"

"I don't see why they wouldn't. We simply require the basic trading materials, angelic steel for the armor."

"Are any of the smiths from last time those prints where used, alive still?" Dalton asked, looked back up at the prints.

"I'm sure one or two are still alive from battle. However, I don't believe they will be willing to smith so easily." The scholar replied.

"Perhaps when I speak with them, it might change their minds. Would you take me to them, perhaps?"

I know of one who lives down at the residential district. He's often kept in his home or watering his garden." The scholar replied before turning back to return to his studies.

"Uh, could you guide me there?" Dalton asked, "I'm not familiar with the area."

"I don't see why not, but I have work to attend to. If you meet me at the entrance of the district before sundown, I could most certainly show you." The scholar replied.

"Yes, I can't thank you enough." She said. Dalton flew up to the scrolls and grabbed them, before heading back to see her allies. She made it back to the throne room in time to see her group leaving. Before she followed, she took a moment to breathe in the smell emitted by the table of rich foods. She was tempted to take some but chose not to.

After an hour or so of searching, the group found an inn they could stay in. A rectangular stone building that served as one of the supports holding the cave ceiling up. The outside of it was built by large stone bricks, all of them smoothed out. There were several windows on each floor, and based on how high the windows went, the entire pillar could have been a housing unit. Once checked in, they walked up to the many flights of stairs till they got to the thirty-third floor of the building. Like previous times, Sargon chose to stay in a room alone, like Dalton, while Karaline, Violet, and Lunette stayed in one together, and the two vampires shared a room as well. The inside of each room had a wooden floor and a stone bed with soft wool bedding. A small chandelier was hung in the center of the room, and the crystal inside it lit up the whole room. The floor where high up enough for people to look out at the city from above.

Emily closed the windows to the room and threw her cloak off. It landed on the floor and she walked over it, before hopping onto the bed. The bed was hard, and the wool did nothing other than hide the cold rock the bed was made from. She frowned a bit and debated sleeping on the wooden floor.

"Emily, I need to go talk to Sargon for a moment, stay here," Alina said, leaving her in the room. Emily simply gave her a nod and waited for the door to close before jumping down to the other side of the bed, hiding from view of the doorway. She pulled out the golden key that hung from her belt. She grinned and swung it in front of her. As the key was swung, the tip of it began forming a portal, like Emily was using the key to rip the fabric of reality like paper. The one-sided hole was now open in front of her. Everyone on the team had one, and they used them to help carry anything that they couldn't. In Emily's case, money, and lot's of it. The portal led to a room which seemed like a small cubic room. In the far pile was a mountain of stacked gold coins, and jewels. Around it where various spell books, potion flasks, ingredients, brewing stands, folded clothes, and a large jug of blood. Something a vampire had to drink every day to stay energized. Emily reached into the portal, and the items inside shifted around, so that the item she wanted could fly over to her hand. It was impossible to climb into the portal, and all one had to do, was think of what they wanted and the portal would spit the item out.

The jug of blood shifted over, and behind it where two bottles of alcohol. Emily was technically too young to drink, but age hasn't stopped her from doing things before. She had stolen these two bottles from a bar, back on Alnwick island almost a month and a half ago. She had been waiting for a chance to try it, and now that she was in a room, alone, and in a big city, she had an opportunity. She grinned and pulled one of the bottles out. The portal closed the moment her hand left it. The two fangs in Emily's gum extended outwards, and she used them to bite down on the cork and yank it out. She sat there and looked down at the drink in her hand's. Emily had never drunk alcohol before and saw this as a brief opportunity to try it. Alina had told her during the walk that it was an addicting drink and bad for you, but she didn't really believe it. If it was so bad, why did so many people drink and sell it? Emily brought the bottle closer to her mouth and took a quick sip from it. She swallowed it and coughed as her throat began to burn. It left a bitter taste in her mouth, and she soon spits out what she could. After wiping her mouth, the aftertaste kicked in, and she frowned. Looking back at the bottle, she reached for it again and tried another sip. Again, her throat burned and the liquid tasted sour and bitter, but after a moment the taste changed to something more pleasant.

"This isn't so bad," Emily mumbled quietly as she tried another sip.

***

It was difficult to tell the time of day, with being in a cave and all. The only way to tell was by the several clock towers the dwarves had built. Using gears and machines, they had constructed these machines after measuring the length of each day and recording it. They then put together a system, and their invention was born. The hand on a clock would move every hour, and there were four pictures on each clock. One of a sunrise, sunset, midday sun, and a moon. This way it was easy for the residence to tell what the time of day was. Dalton had already started making her way to the residential district and soon spotted the scholar. She ran over to him, carrying the blueprints in her arms.

"Lead the way, Scholar." She said happily, bowing in greeting. The scholar chuckled and nodded, leading Dalton towards the residential homes. His ginger hair was much more braided and longer than his beard. Dalton followed after him, looking around and observing the area. She hated the maze-like structure of the underground city and desired to be back on the surface. Better yet, to be back home. The residential district had several tall towers, all connected by a winding bridge that ran through multiple floors of each building.

"Um, I would ask that you be patient with him. No one has asked him to smith anything for decades." The scholar said, stopping in front of a building towards the end of the district.

"Many thanks to you, Scholar. I won't take any more of your time."

The scholar nodded and knocked on the door. There was no response. After a brief pause, the scholar knocked on the door again, and this time the door opened. An old grumpy looking man walked out. His face wrinkled and aged with grey hair to complement his looks.

"Oh... you." He said with a grumble.

"H- Hello father..." The scholar replied.

"What the hell do you want?" He demanded.

"This, uh... my... colleague requires your assistance." He said, looking towards Dalton. She bowed on greeting.

"Hello there, smith. I come to make one request of you if you would do me the honor of taking it?"

"I don't work the forge no more. Especially not for your kind." He replied, glaring at her wings.

"I simply request you to forge one final suit of armor," Dalton said, pausing and frowning a bit.

"I said no. I don't work the forge. I'm retired, now leave me alone." He demanded and slammed the door shut. Dalton quickly put her foot in the doorway, the wooden door crushing her foot against the frame. She held in a whimper as a small cracking sound was heard.

"Look, I need your assistance. You know how difficult those plans are to follow."

"To an angel?" He frowned.

"Do you truly think one less skilled dwarves would be able to craft it with the precision that you could? And wouldn't you love for just one more time to work with such a fine, rare martial? To make something one of a kind?"

"No. I take no pride in crafting anything from the forge. And your angelic metals are something I want to never see or touch ever again." He stared at Dalton.

"And why is that? I',m sure near anyone else in this city would be honored to use something so rare."

"If you're so eager to get your Armour made, find someone else to make it." He kicked Dalton's foot out of the door frame and slammed it shut. Dalton was quick to knock on the door again.

"I'm not leaving, you know." She knocked harder but got no response. The scholar sighed and apologized to Dalton.

"I'm sorry miss... my father can be dense at times. I don't blame him though. He's been through a lot."

Dalton said nothing as she continuously knocked on the door. The scholar sighed and walked up to it, unlocking it with a spare house key. Dalton quickly opened the door, and sat in the door frame, not quite inside the house but in the way enough to prevent the door from closing.

"I'll talk to him." He said, walking past Dalton and into the house. For a few minutes, there was silence, and some inaudible talking. A little while later she could hear some physical violence that falls back into silence. Upon hearing this, Dalton decided to let herself in. She slowly moved through the home, following the violent sounds. The house was oddly structured. A staircase was directly next to the door, leading to the top floor, and beside it, a hallway leading to the living room and kitchen. The floor was made from oak wood, and the walls were carved from white stone. The material was odd and rare. Inside the living room, she could see the two dwarves, injured and panting. Dalton looked over and shook her head. The dwarves were intelligent, the best smiths or miners in the land, the best at metalworking and yet their people still act like barbarians at times. The smith stood up from the floor and sighed.

"Very well... my son has convinced me to forge your armor... be happy he came with you." He replied and walked past Dalton, and out the door. The scholar stood up soon after and brushed down his coat. Dalton thanked him and ran out after the smith with the blueprints in hand.

"If fighting you was all which was required, you could have simply said so."

"Sparring matches between different races are different from how we dwarves face one another. If I were to have simply fought you, I would have considered it an act of threatening me. However, it was my son who decided to oppose me. To dwarves, it is how we convince one another to do something." He growled, his voice deep and booming.

"Fair enough." Dalton nodded, ever so slightly intrigued by their violent nature, "Now would you mind telling me why you are so opposed to working with me on this?"

"Don't you think you've peered far enough into my private life?" He frowned, looking at her.

"No, in fact. I feel that this is very relevant to me."

The dwarven smith sighed and frowned, as the two left the residential district and began walking to where the city's biggest forges where.

"I once worked the forge for the angels. Crafted the finest armor and the sharpest of weapons for them. During one of many wars, I hoped they would repay by assisting in our fight, but instead, the did not come. My... wife... perished because of this false hope."

Dalton nodded and frowned a bit.

"I... I'm sorry. You realize most of us are dead now, correct? From what little I recall, the angelic military was mostly wiped out... I think I was there."

"Yes, I figured that out." He grumbled. They soon arrived at the forge. A large platform, chained and placed above a pool of lava. The forge was extremely hot. It was filled with rocky platforms chained and lifted above the lava pool, by steel chains. There were multiple other dwarven structures like this one throughout the city, but the one they were at was the biggest and most known. The sounds of hammers clashing with steel and anvils almost sounded like music, as each dwarf swung down, creating to their own beat.

The old dwarf grabbed an apron off the steel racks towards the entrance and turned to face Dalton.

"I assume you know the basic trade?"

"No, not really," Dalton replied, placing the blueprints down on a table and spreading them out.

"You offer the materials, I create the required design."

"I shall see to it, about finding the materials you require." Dalton nodded, "Where can I find them?"

"The storage hall. It contains old equipment and materials from long past."

"And where would that be?" Dalton asked. The dwarf gave Dalton the directions and a list of materials she would need to bring him. She gave him a nod and turned to leave. Her forehead beaded with sweat as she left the hot forge, and made her way to the storage hall, and began looking around for the material she needed. Holy steel. The storage room itself was a dark and dimly lit series of rooms. Steel rocks lined the walls and minerals, wood, coal, rocks, and other materials were scattered across them. None of the ores looked like the steel Dalton needed, however, a small flint of white and gold could be seen under a stack of shields. Dalton moved them aside and found what she needed. Their where about six bars worth of holy steel, material that she now released couldn't be anywhere near the two vampires of the group. She gulped and forgot about the thought as she began stacking them into a wheelbarrow and started making her way back to the forge. As she walked through, she started spotting broken blades and shields, each made from her required material. She added them to the wheelbarrow, turning around and running through the forge to gather as many shades of the material she could find.

The smith waited patiently and soon saw Dalton return with the wheelbarrow of material. She panted as the heavy metal had slowed her down, and the hot forge only made her sweat more.

"I guess this will all do." The dwarf frowned and began removing the scraps. He took off the gold, wood, and other materials not needed.

"My apologies. This was all I could. I trust there should be enough here to forge a full set of armor and a shield?"

"With the scarps, it'll be enough to craft a full set of armor, but a shield will be a challenge. I may be able to craft a smaller than standard shield with extra material from the armorer. Go back into the storage and search for more scraps if you can. I will work on the armor."

Dalton nodded and ran back to the storage room, looking for absolutely anything made of the rare metal. Despite being named holy steel, it wasn't an alloy. Holy steel was simply a nickname for it, it's a true name being platinum. Not just normal platinum though. Dalton remembered a once-secret place from her memories. Its location is lost in time now, but it was once the source of platinum. The angels enchanted them, which dubbed them the nickname. The steel was rare now, but still powerful and effective, and very expensive. Dalton put more materials into the wheelbarrow. She had gone deeper into storage and was now digging deep under broken shields, swords, and axes. After some time searching, she gave up looking for them and returned with the remaining pieces she was able to find.

"No luck? Hmm. How do you fair with a dagger instead?" The dwarf asked.

"A dagger should suffice as a secondary weapon, should I particularly need to kill something with holy steel."

The dwarf nodded.

"Then it's settled. I can have the armor and dagger ready by dawn." He looked down at the blueprints and instructions on how to make the armor.

"Need you any assistance with the forge?" Dalton asked.

"No, you've done quite enough thank you. You should do to the tavern. They sell wonderful refreshments there."

"Thank you, smith... what is your name?"

"Andre." He replied.

"My name is Dal-... Lux... call me Lux."

"The pleasure is all mine, Lux." He grumbled, removing his coal-dusted glove and shook her hand with a firm grip. Dalton nodded and smiled.

"I will return at dawn, with your payment then, Andre."