Praise to the gods.

Praise to the gods. Praise to the gods. Praise to the gods. Glory to the gods.

Yovan wasn't particularly religious. He always performed rituals half-heartedly, just to get it over with. His mother would scold him repeatedly when he was young. "Gods don't look kindly on those who are cheap in anything they do.", she would say. If she could've seen him now, she would be very proud. And probably terrified by the two archfiends that were escorting him. It was lucky that he was sleeping in his clothes, because the way they barged in his room, Yovan doubted they would wait for him to get dressed. He was being taken to see the Warlock. And he was probably going to die there. They didn't tell him that. They didn't say a single word in fact. But what else could happen? Warlock's demon was dead and he was making an example of anyone involved.

An old man was waiting for him in front of the palace. One of Warlock's subordinates no doubt. There was no escape now. He should've run away yesterday. It was so obvious. Why is a person of yesterday always so stupid?

"Hello, my name is Neven Kato. I am one of Lord N00bpwn3r's closest advisors. Let's get going, our Lord is not a patient man."

They entered a long hall. Gold, sculptures, armors, and crystals dazzled Yovan. He was immediately reprimanded with a punch to continue walking. Neven was surprisingly agile and he had to make an effort to keep pace with the advisor.

"When we enter prostrate yourself immediately before Lord N00bpwn3r. Do not speak until you are addressed. Always address him as your Highness. And for your sake, never reject his requests."

Giant, ornate doors were already opening as Yovan was still digesting what he heard. An army of monsters and demons greeted him. There were firelords, minotaurs, succubi, leviathans, vampires, and werewolves. In the middle, a stout, pale figure stood ceremoniously. Short and ordinary compared to everything around him, he seemed like an insect in a cloud of bats. He had short, black hair, a strong face, and wore garments covered with precious stones. Neven collapsed in front of him, touching the floor with his forehead. A heavy atmosphere collapsed on Yovan. He instinctively dropped down as rays of staggering gazes fell upon him.

"My lord, may I present you Yovan Barca. Once he found out you requested for him, he came as fast as possible."

"Thank you, Neven. Rise Yovan, I want to take a better look at you."

Yovan forced himself up. Through his twitching brows, he looked to Lord N00bpwn3r, his hands holding themselves.

"As you already know, I am Lord N00bpwn3r. Welcome to my harem. These are my bitches."

Some hellhounds growled at the guest, their mouths salivating. A commotion arose among demons and monsters to better see the newcomer. The Warlock quickly silenced them with his palm.

"You are probably wondering why have I summoned you here."

"Is it about the demon from yesterday? I can assure you, your Highness, I didn't know-"

"While you did catch my attention there, that isn't the reason why you are here. You see, I have a quest for you. First, you will travel to the northwestern mountains of Eretia, where you will find and kill Sonblast the dragon."

Yovan lost all hope. So it was a death sentence after all. No human could stand a chance against a dragon. And Sonblast was among the more powerful ones.

"Your highness, even though I am grateful, I am not nearly strong enough to take on Sonblast. I would only disappoint you. Isn't there someone else that could do this?"

"Ah, don't worry, I am not sending you to your death. I will send with you one of my most powerful demons. He alone should be able to defeat the dragon. Still, I will send with you one of my lieutenants, just to make sure everything goes well. Halia, you will join this expedition. Make sure Yovan returns unharmed."

One of the succubi separated herself from the bunch. She had orange hair, a small, perky nose, gentle face, and walked in slow, deliberate steps that accentuated her hips. Like the rest of the succubi, she had a cow's tail, goat horns, and legs from the knees down.

"Oh, my Lord, you can always count on meee. I will take good care of our friend."

She turned towards Yovan, giving him a wide smile, showcasing her set of sharp teeth. Yovan coughed, giving himself some respite from the sight of his new companion.

"Still, your Highness, I am not sure what my role is in all this, your servants seem much more capable."

"Ah, your role is critical. You see after you defeat the dragon, you will collect its essence. Then you will sneak into the Mentalist's domain and find a mage capable of merging souls. But be careful, no one must find out that you are working for me. You will then ask of him to merge the essence of the dragon into your soul. You will also need to steal the spell so that we can replicate it here."

Yovan gulped.

"What?"

"Was I not clear?"

"You were, I apologize. It's just overwhelming. But why all of this? Merging souls is very dangerous. I could die from it, or worse. And I don't feel comfortable living with the soul of another being."

"No need to worry, Bealuna's mages do this all the time. I need to acquire this procedure, but the relationship between me and Bealuna are… Let's say, they took a downturn. So I need an outsider. And your concern is understandable, but you forget that I am still one of the most powerful mages in the world. While I don't know to merge souls, I do know how to split them. So it would be only temporary. Once you return, I will split the bond, revert your original soul, and reward you handsomely. Doesn't that sound good?"

"But why me of all people?"

"Because Yovan, you are like me."

"I am?"

"Yes. When I saw you running away from that demon, I saw a survivor. Someone who will do anything it takes. And that is the type of man I need."

Panic and anxiety dissipated from Yovan. Not because he was not afraid anymore, but because the situation was hopeless. He will have to try and run the first chance he gets. But where to? In the Mentalist's country, he could get brainwashed. So that was out of the question. There was no news from Necromancer's or Druid's country for months. But it has to be better than here. Yes, druids are all about balance and nature. He should definitely go there.

"And one more thing."

Lord N00bpwn3r approached Yovan and put his hand on Yovan's left shoulder. Scorching pain penetrated deep into Yovan's being, dragging with it every notion of self-control he had. He screamed and tried to push away, but his hands couldn't move. Then he fell. Glowing embers of his skin appeared where Warlock's hand used to be.

"I believe that having a good motivation is the first step to success. You are now affected by the scorching curse. You have two weeks to finish your quest before it consumes you. And yes. Only I can lift it. Do you understand?"

Yovan gathered his strength to just answer silently.

"Yes. I understand."

"Good. Now take this stone. It hosts the anchor of the demon Adramalech. When you find the dragon, use it to summon my demon to fight it. You are somewhat familiar with demon anchors I believe."

"Yes. Yes, I am."

"Good. Now go and rest. You will leave with Halia tomorrow morning."

"I understand."