At the same time that Gabriel was receiving his Noble title, a meeting was about to take place that will effect him greatly. In the skies above the Imperium Empire stood a very odd city. The opulent and grand buildings that decorated the small city, stood atop the very clouds.

The structures were all designed in distinct ways. Some were built entirely of bare wood, as though cut from a single massive tree. Others appeared to be totally made of gold or marble. Some structures reached high into the sky, while others resembled a mud house.

One thing the structures had in common was each building held a large door, with doorknobs the size of a full-grown Northman. Near the top of the doors stood intricately carved runic symbols. Some held a single object, like a flower or heart. Another door held a mosaic of beautifully carved humanoids in battle.

There was only a small population that mulled around outside the structures, talking to each other or asking for entry into another's building. Most occupants of the city stayed within their own structures.

People conversing or chanting together could be heard from within a handful of the buildings. Some of the buildings were filled with laughing, while others were filled with cries of rage that rocked the structure and kicked up dust. The entire place was filled with a cacophony of noise.

One of the few places where there was silence was in a space between two buildings. A gigantic gnarled hand appeared to puncture the ground's very clouds. Followed shortly by another. The two hands gripped the small hole on either side and appeared to be pushing them further apart. Making the gap widen. The hands that gripped the clouds leaked a miasma of black ooze. The ooze flowed off the hands and onto the clouds, staining the soft white.

The hands stopped pushing after a few moments and gripped the sides palms down. With a heave, an old figure in a tattered cloak leapt from the hole. Landing with a ‘click, clack’ sound upon the clouds. The figures features were hard to make out in its large moth-eaten cloak. A pair of hairy legs that ended in hooves came out the bottom. The hair upon the legs was stuck together by mottled clumps of tar.

Coming out of the collar of the cloak was a bald slightly brown head. With a pair of curved and cracked antlers on either side of the head. The antlers looked like dried pieces of drift wood. The face held a certain masculinity, with a Billy goat like jawline. Even down to the curly thin beard. A pair of dark yellow eyes glanced around, as the horned figure took a deep breath.

“Well, I’ll be. [Pluto] that pouncy prick, actually kept to his side of the deal. That baaaastard is never honest. I bet he has a plan for me when I try to return from here. Fat chance of me going back down there though. My sweet little [Baaaaaroness Mengrel] should be done with the ceremony soon.” The Horned figure talked to himself as he scoped out his surroundings.

With a ‘click clack’ he made his way towards the street; his walk held a little skip in it due to his back jointed knees. The tar like ooze fell off in droplets from his legs, with every skip staining a trail behind him. As he passed the buildings, many of the occupants inside went quiet. A few silhouettes of heads darkened windows, peering at the figure as it skipped down the street.

Reaching a building that was shaped in the style of a grand coliseum. A boisterous laugher seemed to reverberate from inside, causing the neighbor buildings to shake from the sound. A large figure covered in bronze Armour seemed to leap into the sky from inside, easily clearing the coliseum walls.

With an oddly gentle landing compared to the speed of his descent. A large red bearded man towered over the slightly bent horned figure. He held a bronze rounded shield slung on his back with a spear strapped to it.

“What the fu*k are you doing here Horny one!? [Pluto] has to be mad to have let you leave the Underworld. If Dad sees you he will set you aflame like the very sun itself.” The Red-Bearded man said. His normal tone of voice sounded like a shout.

“It’s [Horned One]! Now piss off [Mars]. Go play with your mortals, make them butcher themselves in some wars or something. You always liked that kind of foreplay as I recall. I have business with [Jupiter].” The [Horned One] retorted, still skipping his way along the road.

“Ah true, true. There hasn’t been a good war since the Sarragos Kingdom attempted to steal the lands of those effeminate High Elves. I just wish our Imperium believers did some battling too. Those Dark Elves aren't far away and I hear they can be mighty brutal. Nothing like a good blood-soaked battlefield to get your heart racing.” [Mars] said, as he followed along.

[Mars] looked like he enjoyed talking about war so much, he didn’t care if the person next to him was listening as well. With a soundtrack of prattle about war stories of old. The [Horned One] arrived at a building that was on a slight rise above all the others.

The structure resembled the Temple of Artemis, it was built out of multiple large marble pillars, with a golden symbol of the sun atop the triangular roof. The Golden Sun appeared to be giving off flames of its own. The [Horned One] started to drip globs of sweat just being close to it. The tar leaking from his body, started to sizzle and burn. Giving off a foul stench that filled the air.

The building held no walls and was open to the view of the sky. The [Horned One] accompanied by [Mars] made his way through the pillars. They arrived at the start a large hall after a short walk. A red carpet with runic symbols adorned the middle of the hall’s floor, leading up to a raised dais.

A man with sharp features and a muscular physique sat upon the throne. Next to his gilded seat was a throne of similar size. A beautiful lady that every action was filled with grace sat upon the other throne. With her Auburn hair cascading down her shoulders, she looked like a painting of beauty come to life. With a slight glance in the direction of the two new guests. Her gaze only briefly scanned their figures before she returned to lightly strumming a lute that was in her hands.

The man atop the dais stared at the approaching duo. His brow furrowed in suppressed anger. With every ‘click clack’ the [Horned One] made as he approached seemed to thin his already weary patience. The man atop the throne stroked his curly short cropped beard and gripped his golden staff tighter. The miniature sun that adorned the top of the staff, began slowly rotate.

Before [Mars] and the [Horned One] could approach the dais any closer. The man upon the throne rose from his seat making the pair stop in their steps. With a slam of his staff on the ground, a tidal wave of flames shot out. The wave barreled towards the duo, the heat they gave off burning the pair’s hairs. However, the two didn’t seem phased and stood their unflinching in the site of the wave of flames.

As the fiery wall of death was about to envelope them, another loud bang from the staff wrung out and the flames disappeared. The man atop the dais marched towards the duo, with every step his very height seemed to increase. Until he was towering over the two.

“You Horny Fuc*ing Goat! How dare you dirty my carpet with your filth! You were banished to the Underworld. Why in Gaia’s name did he release you!?” The now Giant of a man roared.

“Your most powerful eminence, [Jupiter]. Oh how the sun shines ever brighter at your appearance. You make the very air shine, in shiny shineness.” The [Horned One] said with a sh*t eating grin and a mocking bow.

[Mars] broke out into laughter and was rewarded by a back hand from [Jupiter]. The force from the smack sent him flying into a pillar with a resounding boom. [Jupiter] shook his head like a disappointed parent at [Mars].

“Gaia damn it [Mars]! Why are you even here? If you say it was ‘Because there is no war’. I will personally set your bullocks to burn for the next 100 years!” [Jupiter] said with a glare as he saw [Mars] mouth the word ‘war’.

“Now on to you, the [Horned One], speak! I don’t want any games from you. If you don’t give me the truth, I will make a deal with [Hades] and send you to his Underworld. I hear [Pluto]’s is paradise in comparison.” [Jupiter] threatened looking at the [Horned One].

The [Horned One] tried to keep his mocking smile but it slipped for a second at the thought of [Hades] Underworld.

“Fine. I was just trying to have a joke. Ever since you baaaanished me. I had noone to keep me company besides that boring baaaastard [Pluto]. You might not have realized it but my banishment is over! Obviously unlike you, I have been keeping count of the days. I am finally free.” The [Horned One] gloated, with a grin wide enough to split his face.

“Tsk... well what will be, will be. That doesn’t explain why you’re here though. With how long you have been in the Underworld. You wouldn’t have enough power to come up here, unless [Pluto] helped. Tell me. What are you and my brother scheming?” [Jupiter] said with narrowed eyes, as he inspected the [Horned One] from top to bottom.

“That’s none of your baaaausiness. However, I have come to make a deal with you. [Pluto] has promised to release your Eagle. IF! You make a pact on Gaia’s name that you and your Pantheon, will not interfere in the mortal world for three days. Starting tomorrow. Pretty easy right? What say you old sunny [Jupiter]?” The [Horned One] proposed, with a sleazy car salesman grin.

[Jupiter] appeared agitated at the very idea of his beloved [Eagle] being free. He was no fool though, to be the leader of the Roman Pantheon of Gods required not just strength but intelligence too and he had both. Or so [Jupiter] thought he did.

“I won’t ask the pointless question on what you plan to do for those three days. However, I will make two conditions. [Pluto] is not allowed to interfere either and you cannot touch the city of Roma or its inhabitants within the walls.” [Jupiter] retorted.

“Deal! The Roman Pantheon under your rule and [Pluto] and the gods under his rule, will not interfere in the mortal world for the next three days. By Gaia’s name I swear it.” The [Horned One] vowed, feeling a heavy presence settle on his shoulders from the oath.

[Jupiter] repeated the vow.

The [Horned One] said no more and took out a gnarled, half-rotten staff beneath his cloak. With a sinister chuckle that echoed across the halls, he summoned a pit of tar that swallowed his body whole.

“Umm Father. Do you think that was wise? The travelers who just entered our world have had little interaction with Gods yet. Seeing the [Horned One] and his smile. He is obviously up to something, no?” [Mars] questioned, looking at his father.

“Do not worry your beard about it. That stupid goat doesn’t have enough power to do much and no Travellers are strong enough to receive our stronger blessings. Let alone become a God’s champion. Also, that Horny cretin has forgotten that he is a part of my Pantheon too and can’t do sh*t either.” [Jupiter] said with a gloating laugh. His real personality as an egotistical moron coming to the front.

“Ummmm Father. You banished the [Horned One] though. Doesn’t that mean he is not part of any Pantheon?” [Mars] asked. Causing a long silence to fill the hall.

“Well Shit...” [Jupiter] mumbled.

The beautiful auburn-haired woman shook her head and sighed at the pair. Before closing her eyes and continuing her song on the harp.