With the setting sun came a sky of fire. As red as the sand below it. Dozens upon dozens of dead monsters laid there on the sand, after a day-long battle they were finally at peace. Not many moments ago, these creatures stood in defiance to a man and his... Pet, and now they were one with the dirt that was once below their feet. 

It was a sight to behold. The moment the master released his monstrosity of a pet upon the monsters, it was uncontrolled chaos.

With a swing of its tail, the pet took out tens of monsters. Numerous more of them fell against the pet's sharp claws. Those left behind were consumed by the blue flames of hellfire. Still, to their credit, they didn't back down. Nor do they flinched in the face of death.

All the while the master wasn't even required to lift a finger or say a word to guide his pet. The pet was more than sufficient to take care of those wasteland dwelling monsters on its own. After all, it was no ordinary pet. 

By the time the pet stopped, corpses were scattered all around like they were pieces of a giant puzzle. A puzzle made with blood. Once the job was done, the master allowed his pet to feed on the remains of the monsters. It was the pet's reward for being such a good girl and not giving it's master any trouble. 

The master was glad he didn't have to do much, still, the guns in his arms were twitching to kill someone, something, anything. But there was nothing left to kill. The entire monster lair had been emptied. The pet dragon had done a great job. Not a single living soul was around them. Thus the master had to put his guns away, for now. 

The dragon ate almost everything it could find. Orcs, goblins, direwolves, anything one could find in the wastelands had been feasted upon by the dragon. All the while, her master watched her in awe. The dragon's appetite amazed him.

They had been hunting for an entire day, without any breaks and not once was Arnold required to use any weapons or skills to help Scylla. She was unstoppable. It was rightful to call her the new queen of dragons. Maybe she was the strongest creature on the planet. 

He was glad that Scylla was docile from the beginning, otherwise, it would've been a lot of trouble to get her under control. Especially after he had seen how... wild and vicious the dragon could be. Yet there was a side of her which amused him even more. Her playful side... She was more like an overgrown and overpowered dog than a mighty dragon. 

"You like the dead orc that much?" Arnold shook his head while opening a portal to his domain, "I'll make a ragdoll for you if you'd like, but please stop swinging around the poor headless fellow, will ya? It's quite disturbing."

Scylla looked at her master and quickly gulped down the dead orc in one go, before licking the blood off her face. 

"I didn't think it would be so easy. Anyways, are you done for today, or do you wanna hunt some more?"

Scylla shook her massive head. She already had her fill. Now she felt tired and just wanted to sleep. Arnold understood what Scylla wanted as the next moment she walked into the portal, and to the void. 

"Tired? Yeah, me too." Arnold yawned and walked into the closing portal. After quickly stretching his back. 

Arnold thought he'd rest up inside his domain for a while and then head back towards the base but when he got back. His plans took a turn for better. 

Talos and his company of automatons were eagerly waiting for Arnold's arrival. Arnold immediately knew what it was all about, yet he wanted to hear it from his trusted summon, fellow creationist, loyal advisor, general of his army, and friend: Talos. 

"What is it? Tell me." Arnold asked Talos, his eyes shining brighter than the brightest evening star. 

"It's done." Talos replied, "The aisle of Avalon is ready to once again breathe fire to the creationist's soul held within you. Huh... It doesn't sound as cool as I thought it would. Anyways, the forge awaits your return, forge master."

Arnold couldn't help to laugh. Talos' introduction was a bit... dramatic and cheesy. But, he had done his job sooner than Arnold had expected so it was all worth it in the end. The forge was ready and now nothing could stop him from ascending anymore. Nothing. 

"What are we waiting for then? Lead the way!" Arnold exclaimed. 

****

The room to which Talos lead his master was lit in a lamp-light glow, electric rays spread as petals upon the walls, illuminating the entire forge. It was all the magic of Xenoic energy and Talos' efforts. The new forge was much bigger than the workshop Arnold had in the Alpha base and was better equipped too.

The best thing about the new forge was that Arnold wouldn't need to waste his time trying to take out the materials inside the domain and forge them somewhere else. It simply wasted too much of his precious time. The vault containing the materials was right next to the new forge and thus Arnold wouldn't be required to waste much time on gathering essential materials. 

Another reason why the forge was built inside his domain was the flow of time. Arnold could now forge at a much faster rate than before and had more time to do so. Moreover, it was his personal space so he didn't need to worry about someone destroying it. Just like what Nicole did. It was unintentional, yet it caused him so much trouble. But not anymore. 

He could work for as long as he wanted without anyone disturbing him. All in all, it was the perfect place for him to focus on making a relic and finishing his ascension quest.

After a quick tour of the forge, Arnold turned to have a chat with Talos. Arnold was about to disclose the next phase of his plan to him. 

"Talos, you're in charge of everything for the time I'll be staying in the void." Arnold told him, "You're the only one I can trust completely and have full confidence on. Take care of the zone while I work on creating a relic. I don't know how long it will take but hopefully, it won't take long. Maybe a week or so inside the domain?"

"Don't worry master. I'll take care of the things on the outside for as long as you want." Talos replied. 

"Thank you. And a few more things before you leave. Take as many summons as you'd like, but only focus on defending the base. No aggressive tactics. I don't want to cause unnecessary bloodshed. If someone or something comes close to the base without clearance, then deal with them as you please. But be careful. Try not to overdo it. Also, I've blooded Amanda. She's my servant now, so feel free to ask her for help if you need. Though I highly doubt you'd need her help." Arnold continued, "Call Allen back to base. He needs to train. He's still weak, the battle with the Wolves proved how neglectful I've been regarding his training. And at last but not the least, DO NOT tell anyone about my whereabouts. And I mean, anyone."

"Understood, master. I'll take care of it all." Talos quickly bowed before him and turned around to leave but Arnold stopped him once again. 

"Ah... I'm not done yet." Arnold said and pulled something out of his inventory. 

"I thought you said that was 'the last but not the least' thing, master." 

"Yeah it was but I thought I'd give you a little something," Arnold mumbled and handed something over to Talos. 

Talos curiously looked at what his master had given him. Soon the curiousness on his face was replaced by surprise. Well, technically his expression remained indifferent but let's just say he was confused. After all, it was not everyday Arnold gave his summons his personal weapons, especially the vindicators. 

"Why are you giving me the vindicators, master?" Talos asked.

"Don't worry about it. Just keep them for now." Arnold shrugged his shoulders, "I don't have much use of it in here, do I? I don't want them to gather dust or rust while I'm inside, so keep it and use it. I'll take it back when I'm done down here, or maybe not. Depends on what I end up making while I'm here. I have too many materials and time. I'm sure I'll end up making something new for me. Don't get too attached to it though, I don't want you to cry if I take them back, okay?"

"I'm not capable of making tears, but I'll gladly accept your gift, master." Talos bowed to him once again but this time, he held it for longer. Making sure that his master got to know he appreciated his gesture. 

"Don't get all sentimental on me T." Arnold awkwardly scratched his beard, "Now off you trot, I need to start working."