Winter was coming, and the monsters arrived early.

All civilizations north of the Sunsea feared the winter season, the most dangerous of them all. Navigation slowed down to a crawl during that period. Winter storms were as dangerous as their autumnal counterparts, and cloudy skies made it difficult to use the stars or sun for navigation. Mists and fogs obscured reefs and dangerous straits. Very few maritime routes remained relatively safe to travel, and only the bravest of sailors dared to sail during that period. With fewer ships to bring grain home, many northern towns faced food shortages.

Kairos of Travia, pirate king of Histria and captain of the Foresight, had lost family members to one such disaster.

However, his glittering [Golden Fleece] cloak had enhanced the autumn harvests, guaranteeing that his colony and the Travian towns it supported would remain well-fed. But unfortunately, civilized species weren’t the only ones starving.

Monsters were no different than most animals. Some adapted their tactics to the new season, trading colored pelts for white fur. Some slept beneath the earth during winter, waking up hungry and ravenous in the spring.

And others migrated south to escape the chilling cold.

Riding on the back of his crimson griffin Rook and escorted by a small group of bronze-beaked Stymphalian birds, Kairos observed the Mint Woods from high above. Named as such due to the overwhelming amount of mint plants growing there, this forest cut his dominion in half. A magical barrier prevented one from moving north, to the island’s mountain and hidden dungeon. In spite of their best efforts, Kairos’ mages hadn’t managed to break past it yet.

Some local monsters could cross the frontier just fine though.

Multiple herds of wild pegasi had crossed the forest by flight, some herds numbering more than twenty. Great white mares grazed the grass south of the forest, alongside colts and fillies. The stallions patrolled the skies above the group by running circles, some eyeing the griffin rider warily.

“They have never met humans,” the Stymphalian flock’s leader Horace warned. “And adult griffins love the taste of flying horse flesh.”

“They do look delicious,” Rook said, though he had been well-fed before the trip. “We could share, Kairos. I take the legs and you keep the wings?”

“I would be more interested in recruiting a herd or two than hunting them,” his rider replied with an amused smile. Powerful nations like the city-state of Thessala and Lyce fielded brigades of pegasus cavaliers, and Kairos wished to have his own too.

His griffin looked up at him in outrage. “Kairos, you aren’t dumping me for a dumb horse? They eat grass, like cows!”

“Don’t worry, your place is secure,” Kairos reassured his [Animal Companion] and most trusted friend while petting him behind the head. The griffin wagged his serpentine tail in happiness. “I put your head on our coins.”

Explorers had found rich silver deposits on the island’s eastern side, enough that the colony’s council decided on the creation of a mining settlement to exploit them. [Crafters] had started minting coins using the ore, with one side representing Kairos’ face, and the other Rook’s.

Though the pirate king had originally named the whole colony Histria, the creation of a second town had complicated matters for mapmakers. In the end, he renamed the island ‘Chronia’ after his father Chron, and kept Histria as the main port’s name in honor of his late sister. Following the theme, Kairos decided to call the mining settlement Taulas after his deceased brother.

The pirate king wondered if his people would name a third city after him, if he ever perished. “Cass would certainly look great on a pegasus’ back though,” Kairos mused.

“I hope her own hunt will go well,” Rook said, as he made another circle in the skies.

So did Kairos. With the incoming winter, sea monsters like the dreaded Cetae migrated south to warmer waters and attacked ships or ports on the way. His second-in-command Cassandra had taken her new whaling galley, the Rhadamanthe, to hunt a monster approaching dangerously close to their colony.

Kairos didn’t worry about it. Cass was a [Hero] like him now, with a magical weapon to match her rank. Two months had passed since their adventures on the amazon island of Achlys, and she used that time wisely. She would return victorious.

“Perhaps you could approach them for us, Horace?” Kairos asked his bird ally. The Travian’s [Monster Lure] Legendary Skill should make it easier for him to befriend the pegasi, but they clearly distrusted his group. “Tell them I wish to offer them food and shelter for the winter?”

“I could,” the creature replied, before glancing at the forest. The trees shook one after another, insects and birds flying away. “But we’ve got a bigger problem on our wings, twoleg.”

Something enormous moved through the woods from the north.

Refusing to take any chance, Kairos had Rook fly as high as possible. The [Hero] activated his [Invisibility] Skill, he and his mount vanishing from sight while the Stymphalian birds hid within the clouds. The Travian’s silver [Anemoi Spear] vibrated with the cold wind, as if thirsting for battle.

The pegasus herds sensed the danger too, the stallions letting out a warning screech. The animals panicked, adults taking flight and mares desperately trying to get their young to follow. Some succeeded, but a few took too long to escape.

The Nemean Lion emerged from the forest with a rumbling sound.

The beast was so large that he tossed trees out of his path as he charged, snapping trunks in half. Kairos estimated his size as around ten meters in length, and four in height. His fur glittered in the sunlight, making him look like a statue of solid gold. Only the beast’s crimson eyes revealed his true nature as a bloodthirsty predator.

The creature moved so swiftly that he became a shining blur, quickly closing the gap with the closest herd. A mare and a foal hadn’t taken flight yet, and the lion fell on them like an executioner’s axe. His silvery claws cut the adult mare in half, and his sharp fangs closed on her child with a sickening noise. The grass turned red with blood.

The other pegasi didn’t even try to fight back. They dispersed by flight in a mad panic, while the lion swallowed the foal in one bite. The predator then let out a mighty roar that shook the woods like booming thunder.

[Terror] negated by [Leadership 3]!

Most would have fled in fear, but Kairos and his companions had faced worse foes. Still, they remained hidden in the clouds as other monsters emerged from the woods.

A winged sphinx followed in the lion’s trail. The hybrid had black eagle wings and a lioness's body, except for the head and torso. The creature had a human woman’s face of incredible beauty, with long brown hair arranged in a ceremonial headdress including golden circlets and jewels. Her lined eyes looked like emeralds, while magical amulets covered her breasts. Kairos’ [Magical Knack] Skill mostly identified them as protections against ailments such as [Charm] and [Berserk]. Though nowhere near the Nemean Lion in size, the sphinx’s length reached three meters.

A dozen beasts escorted her. Wingless manticores, ferocious felines with scorpion stingers; and chimeras, large lionesses with rams heads sprouting from their back and a red serpent for a tail. All clearly females, and the Nemean Lion’s pride.

The sphinx spoke words of power in ancient Greek while raising a paw at an escaping stallion. A fiery ray came out of her claw and cut off the pegasus’ left wing, causing the animal to crash to the ground. A chimera grabbed the helpless beast and breathed searing flames from her goat head. By the time the herd managed to escape, the sphinx had slain four pegasi.

Kairos watched the slaughter from above, as the lesser beasts pulled their bounty towards the Nemean Lion. Much like a normal lion’s pride, the giant beast ate first and the others waited their turn.

“If you didn’t feed us, Kairos, we would be following them south,” Horace said while trailing the fleeing pegasi with his gaze. “When the northern beasts become hungry enough, they will hunt anything.”

“That’s a big kitten,” Rook said anxiously, as he watched the Nemean Lion devour a mare within a minute. “A very big kitten.”

Kairos’ friend Nessus had guessed that the island housed a Nemean Lion of colossal size alongside his sphinx mate, and this brutal display confirmed his worst fears.

The Travian used [Observer 3] on the pride. The chimeras and manticores were nothing to write home about, but the lion and the sphinx...

Thunderclaw, Murderous Lion

Legend: King of Lions (Hero).

Race: Nemean Lion (Mythic)

Class: Monster (Divine Beast, Dungeon Guardian, Behemoth, Maneater).

Level: 60.

Aglaonice, the Second Riddle

Legend: Moonbringer (Hero)

Race: Sphinx (Gynosphinx)

Class: Spellcaster (Astrologer, Priest, Oracle, Riddler)

Level: 60.

Kairos considered using his [Warg] Skill to try and possess one of them, but wisely decided against it. He would need to get close first with no guarantee of success, and considering their classes, the monsters probably had protections against mind-control magic.

The sphinx lounged on the ground, before raising her human head at the clouds. A chill went down Kairos’ skin as he realized that the creature could see him and Rook perfectly fine. Aglaonice blew them a kiss with an amused look.

“Let’s retreat,” Kairos decided, Rook and the stymphalian birds hastily flying away. The sphinx watched them go with curiosity, but took no step to stop them. “Horace, I want your flock to shadow this pride’s movements.”

“We won’t approach them closely,” the bird replied. “Sorry twoleg, but food isn’t worth throwing my life away over. I have chicks at home.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to take a risk,” Kairos replied, knowing Horace’s greedy heart. “All I ask is that you watch them from afar.”

“Will we hunt them, Kairos?” Rook asked. “Or befriend them?”

“It’s too early to say yet.” Kairos had built his success on recruiting monsters, but he wanted to access the island’s Necromanteion dungeon. The Nemean Lion clearly acted as its guardian, and the colonists would need to slay the beast to bypass the Mint Woods. Kairos wasn’t sure how the monster’s pride might react to his demise, and though he would rather recruit new allies, he had the duty to protect his subjects first.

More than fifteen thousand people now called his colony their home, and more kept coming, attracted by the promise of work, food, and wealth. Other cities and islands had joined Kairos’ pirate federation, and the fanged crown on his head felt heavy to bear.

Monsters followed the winds of winter, but his war would begin with spring.

Thales the Promethean observed his device with great interest.

A metal needle was suspended over a bronze circle, always pointing in the same direction however the scientist held it. He had tested his theory a dozen times, using his four hands to make measures and double-check, and the device always indicated the north.

Lord Kairos had asked him to examine the island’s soils, to find silver, gold, gemstones, copper, and other metals that their colony could exploit. Thales found traces of all of them, but it was this strange new metal that caught his interest. The automaton obsessed over the invisible forces that influenced the physical world, such as magic or souls. By measuring and studying them, he grew each day closer to his dream.

In time, the automaton would surpass his maker and create life in his image.

“Fascinating,” Thales said, scribbling notes on a papyrus. Dreadful notes and cacophony shook his usually silent study, but the automaton’s task occupied his full attention. “The metal always points north, probably towards the Eye of Typhon. The trapped titan likely exerts an invisible pressure on it. Must investigate possible connections with seastorms.”

He would need to travel south, to check if his compass device always pointed in the same direction no matter the location. Besides the obvious benefits for navigation when combined with an astrolabe, the metal could help measure magical force—

A terrible screech drew Thales out of his thoughts.

Thales’ sanctum was one of the largest houses in Histria, but mostly consisted of a single central facility with smaller rooms serving as specialized laboratories or store rooms. Thales had no need for bedrooms or a kitchen, for he was a creature of wood, glass, and metal. A magical stone in his heart gave him life, while a crystal eye allowed him to see, hear, and vocalize words through vibrations. Knowledge was his food, study his sleep.

The automaton alchemist hadn’t yet transferred all his belongings from his old lab in Travia, so his current lab was in shambles. Shelves of papyrus scrolls lined the walls next to wax tablet repositories, while half-empty chests contained the measurement instruments Thales didn’t have the time to sort out. Four stone tables housed maps, notes, and the plans for the automaton son that the scientist hoped to raise one day.

Two ‘guests’ sat around one of the tables: a crimson bearded satyr with a glass left eye, and a black minotaur playing a silver lyre. His music sounded worse than a tortured cat’s screams.

“I am sorry, but could you be a little less loud?” the animated machine asked his guests softly.

“Don’t worry, we’re almost there,” Nessus the satyr mused, his ram hooves on the table and his hands behind his head. “Agron is close to making a good note!”

“Agron does not flee from battle!” The minotaur pinched one of the strings with his enormous fingers, to Thales’ immense distress. “Any battle!”

Almost all the island’s officers and major captains were level 40 [Elites], with the exception of young Tiberius, who had barely reached level 21. Agron needed a [Legend] and the [Hero] Rank to gain more levels, and he thought mastering the [Lyre of Orpheus] artifact would help him with it.

Unfortunately, no matter his efforts, the minotaur had a long way to go before becoming even a passable musician.

Thales had offered to help him practice, only for his latest discovery to distract him. The automaton had a hard time focusing on a given subject for long; his curiosity was a wild beast impossible to satisfy.

He needed to discipline his thoughts. Lady Julia had given him a highly important mission, and he was loath to disappoint her. Chronia’s queen was not only his favorite Board & Conquest adversary, but also his main patron. Her coins had funded Thales’ lab, and many of his books came from her own library. By now, Thales almost considered her a friend, though he remained mindful of his place.

“We could make your music a new interrogation method,” Nessus japed. “Nobody will resist it.”

Agron sent him a baleful glare, before clearing his throat. “Ah me, thou son of wise-hearted Tydeus, what a thing hast thou said!” He quoted the eighth book of the Iliad, his voice deep and strong. “For though Hector shall call thee coward and weakling, yet will not the Trojans or the Dardanians hearken to him, nor the wives of the great-souled Trojans, bearers of the shield, they whose lusty husbands thou hast hurled in the dust.”

This made Nessus raise his right eyebrow. “You know the Iliad?”

“I can recite Homer’s works by heart, alongside those of Sappho of Lesbos.” The minotaur snorted at the gazes his fellow officers sent him. “A mind must be sharpened like an ax.”

Truth be told, Thales had a hard time imagining the brutal, pyromaniacal minotaur as a poetry lover, but the automaton guessed one couldn’t make war all the time. “In that case, you should practice war songs to receive the [Skald] Fighter Specialization,” Thales suggested to the minotaur. “You should have the [Charisma] and the poetic knowledge needed to unlock it.”

“The [Skald] Class Skills will help you play with that lyre,” Nessus said, “though I think your music is already devastating as it is.”

“There won’t be a war until spring or summer,” Agron pointed out. “Maybe no war at all, if Queen Teuta submits.”

“Any fight will do, so long as you inspire warriors,” Thales explained. [Skald] was a relatively common Class Specialization in his adopted country of Travia, owing to their violent culture. “A monster hunt can work too.”

“We’ll find you some beast to hunt, my bullheaded friend,” Nessus said, before glancing at Thales’ compass. “How are you faring, oh brave seeker of knowledge?”

“My Skills identified this metal as ‘lodestone,’” Thales replied. Since he was no [Hero], the automaton couldn’t sacrifice Skill Points to raise his stats. So he had instead invested in a vast array of abilities, such as [Metallurgy], [Ceramic Engineering], or [Geology]. They provided the automaton with a wealth of knowledge, though incomplete. If only he could gain a [Legend] and improve his Skills further… “It always points to the Eye of Typhon.”

“Good, if we want to get eaten by a titan, we will always find the way.”

“You won’t need to go that far to face danger, I’m afraid.” The group turned towards the facility’s entrance, as Lord Kairos walked in. His [Golden Fleece] glittered to the light of wax candles, in stark contrast with his blackened hair and gaze. Drops of rainwater fell from his leather armor. With his crown of hydra fangs, he looked every inch the monster king.

“How was your scouting, sir?” Thales asked courteously. Though he was closer to the pirate king’s wife, the alchemist admired him a great deal. He was a visionary, who supported Thales’ unconventional ideas.

“Worrying,” Lord Kairos replied, before glancing at Nessus. “You were correct, unfortunately. The Nemean Lion crossed the Mint Woods, followed by his sphinx mate and a pride of lesser monsters.”

“Finally,” Agron said with relief. Music was new to the minotaur, but he understood battles well enough. “Do they have [Legends] for us to claim?”

“The lion and the sphinx do, and they’re both capped [Heroes],” Lord Kairos answered, making Thales anxious. While Agron relished the chance of rising through the ranks and Nessus remained calm, the automaton feared these creatures. The scientist was a [Crafter], unsuited for direct battle. “They are following a pegasus herd southwest, but their prey will soon flee the island. At which point the pride will probably wander near our settlements.”

“Maybe they will turn away,” Thales said with optimism. “Histria alone is home to thousands of warriors.” The builders and stonemasons struggled to keep up with the influx of people.

“Monsters so powerful hunt men and women like any other animal,” Nessus replied with a shrug. “They don’t fear us.”

“I asked Horace to shadow the pride’s movements, but they could reach Histria within days or weeks,” the pirate king of Histria said as he sat at the table. “Thales, how are our defenses?”

“Good, sir,” he answered as he joined his allies around the table. As a [Trap Master], defensive fortifications were one of the automaton’s areas of expertise. “The second row of walls is almost finished, alongside the mounted ballistae, ditches, and the harbor chain.”

His superior didn’t show much enthusiasm. “Nemean Lions have an invulnerable skin, and claws almost as sharp as adamantine. They are dangerous by nature, but that one is four times the normal size. He’s a living siege engine. Neither walls nor ditches will stop him, and the sphinx flies.”

“Then we strike first,” Agron suggested. “We don’t let them come to us. We hit them when they don’t expect danger.”

“Fighting that giant Nemean Lion in a direct confrontation will be suicide, oh my bull,” Nessus said. “We need to trap the beast.”

The three men glanced at Thales, whose fingers fidgeted in embarrassment. “I’m…” the automaton looked down at the map. “I do not believe I am the most qualified party.”

Agron let out a snort. “Are you a [Trap Master] or not?”

Yes, but his [Trap-Making 2] Skill only allowed him to craft Rank 1 and 2 traps, including caltrops, foothold claw traps, grease traps, fire traps, or powders inducing light ailments like [Sleep], [Confusion], or [Paralysis]. They might prove effective against lesser beasts, but not against [Hero]-Ranked horrors.

“Lord Kairos—” Thales began, only for the Travian [Hero] to wince. “Sir?”

“You don’t have to call me lord in a private meeting, Thales,” the Travian [Hero] replied. “You come to play board games with my wife every two days. You are a friend, not a lackey.”

“Besides, it should be Your Grace or Your Majesty now,” Nessus mused.

“Sir, Captain Kairos,” Thales said, trying to find the right courtesy, “you have a Skill allowing you to wound invulnerable opponents. You could defeat the beast in battle.”

“If it was a normal Nemean Lion, I would be inclined to agree, but that beast is more than ten meters in length, blindingly fast and powerful.” Thales flinched at these words. “I will need support to prevail. And while the Nemean Lion behaved no differently than any animal, the sphinx has [Spellcaster] subclasses and showed tactical intelligence.”

“Brains and brawn,” Nessus mused.

Lord Kairos smiled. “Something like that.”

“Sphinxes are cunning but arrogant, oh my captain,” the satyr continued. “They never got over their ancestor’s defeat at the hands of Oedipus, and have a crippling need to prove their intellectual superiority. I’m sure you will find a way to exploit that, [Rogue] that you are.”

The Foresight’s captain crossed his arms. “What about Cass? Did she come back from her hunt?”

“Not yet,” Agron replied curtly. “One of her whaler fleet’s smaller vessels returned. Cassandra is hauling the Cetus’ corpse to port for your ship to consume.”

Lord Kairos’ Foresight ship could grow by consuming monster parts. It could already walk on land, and Thales wondered what devouring another sea monster would do to it. The automaton hoped to gain insight into the creation of life through this process.

“In which case, Nessus, you will go to General Petra and increase patrols to protect the hinterlands’ farmers,” Kairos ordered, to the satyr’s happiness. The lusty Nessus delighted in working with the amazons among them. “Agron, you will gather your men and join up with Horace. Pride members hunt over a large radius, and with luck, you can ambush the lesser beasts following the Nemean Lion. Manticores and chimeras shouldn’t prove troublesome.”

“They won’t,” Agron replied confidently. “What about the lion and the sphinx?”

“Avoid them for now, until we are better prepared.”

The minotaur didn’t like this part, but he knew better than to disobey a direct order. “Fine.”

“Thales, we will overview the city’s defenses and prepare traps for the Nemean Lion. Considering its power, we must prepare the ambush’s location with care.”

Realizing they had been dismissed, Nessus and Agron left the laboratory, leaving Thales alone with his superior. If anything, it made him even more anxious.

Thales was a scientist first and foremost, and though he could operate ballistae in battle, he didn’t have a warrior’s heart. He would rather spend his days studying at home than supervising a city’s defenses. “Sir, have you thought of simply talking it out?” the alchemist asked. “You made many enemies into friends, even monsters.”

“Perhaps we can reach an agreement with the sphinx, but we will probably need to slay the Lion to access the Necromanteion dungeon since it has the [Dungeon Guardian] subclass,” Lord Kairos replied. “Access to the dungeon will prove more profitable than a single monster.”

Thales could read between the lines. Lord Kairos’ lover Andromache had been cursed, and though the System provided a Quest to cure her, they would need to petition the god of magic Orgonos for help. The deity would only grant audience to visitors bringing magical artifacts worth his attention. Items likely waiting inside the Necromanteion.

Speaking of Orognos… “Sir, if I may…”

“You can.”

“Lady Julia asked me to map out new potential trade routes, and I believe I found one,” Thales explained as he pulled out the map and traced a route. “The Vali-Alexandria-Argo triangle is relatively safe to travel in winter, and according to my investigations, a warm water current flows south of the island. We could take it, travel to Vali and Alexandria in search for rare magical items, and then bring it to Orgonos on Argo.”

Lord Kairos examined the route with a frown. “The current goes through the open sea though.”

“Under your command, the Foresight could easily sail even in winter. Your [Seamanship 3] Skill will warn you of storms and naval dangers early.”

“Other ships will be at a risk,” Kairos pointed out, “and the open sea is under the control of the mermaid kingdom of Orichalcos. They don’t let ships pass without tributes, especially when Cetae activity increases.”

“I…” Thales’ four hands fidgeted in shame. “I didn’t consider that, sir. I am sorry.”

“No, no, you have done a great job so far, we will just refine your idea further.” Lord Kairos smiled at his engineer. “Thales, I don’t only want you to work on these traps because I believe in you, but because I want you to fulfill your dream.”

“My... dream?”

“How far are you from creating life?”

The alchemist looked down in shame. “Far.”

It was the dream of many automatons to create new members of their kind, but their maker Talos forbade it. Thales had fled his native country of Thessala for Travia to practice his craft in peace, but although his knowledge had grown, he hadn’t succeeded yet. He could create a body, but not a soul.

“I believe you will not achieve your dream unless you progress to [Hero] and raise the necessary Skills,” Lord Kairos said. “You need a [Legend] to achieve extraordinary feats.”

Thales instantly caught on. “Sir, you wish me to slay the Lion and steal his [Legend] for my own?”

“I believe you can, if one of your traps does the deed.” The Travian warlord shrugged. “We have many powerful warriors, Thales, but we need more than swords and axes. We need knowledge, buildings, infrastructure… a [Hero]-Ranked [Crafter] would help Histria far more than another [Fighter], and you could achieve your dream.”

It… it could work. Thales had received his own Quest to gain a [Legend], but if he could gain one through another method… he would gain powerful Legendary Skills, and the Quest’s reward would change to make him a [Hero]. It would make him closer to his goal.

But how could he defeat such a powerful monster in battle?

No, no, he had to think of it like a puzzle, a problem. Heracles had slain the first Nemean Lion by strangling it. Though Thales was not Heracles, he could learn from his example. Though few to no weapons could pierce a Nemean Lion’s skin, they still needed to breathe.

“I may have an idea, sir,” Thales said with renewed confidence. “If we can lure the lion to the right location.”

The Time Has Come

Kairos' first volume is finally available for purchase on Kindle Unlimited and Audible!

Now, reviews are super duper important for a successful launch on the platform; as such I would be very thankful to anyone willing to leave one! For every review given, Rook gets a shiny!

No seriously, it's my first KU release and I would be glad if you could spread the word. Help get that series out there into the wild!