General Gerhardt Constantine, [Cardinal of the Living Flame], an elevated paladin in service to the holy church of the goddess Demi, stood watch over the carnage playing out before him. Embers of anger smoldered behind a stoic mask as men slaughtered each other, staining the ground with blood, bodies, and limbs. Explosions crashed around him, the enemy mages unable to penetrate the defensive wards surrounding the command center. The aerial mounted division flew overhead, tossing explosives into the throng of enemy soldiers, dodging and weaving through the arrows and spells launched at them. Gerhardt listened to the screams and roars of the battle incensed men in front of him, almost drowning out the orders being shouted out by the commanders under him. The rhythmic tempo of the war drums played by the battle bards behind them built up to a crescendo, increasing the strength and morale of the soldiers once more, fueling their battle fervor and spurring them on to fight harder. A rainbow of faint glowing auras appeared sporadically across the field as both sides healed and buffed their soldiers to fight harder and more fiercely. Gerhardt wished for nothing more than to join them, to fight his way through the line of enemies and utterly destroy their will to fight. He knew his strength could turn the tide and crush their front line, but he knew this action would result in the enemy sending out their own general. Relegated to a command position, he was in charge of this battle and, therefore, could not act on his whims any longer. The impulse was squashed down and he waited. There would be a time to fight, but this wasn't it. Instead, he let out a few waves of his restoration buff and calmed himself as he watched, waiting for the right moment. Before long, a subtle change swept through the enemy forces. A slight decrease in speed and a minor dip in strength, the anticipated moment had arrived. The preparations from the day before had finally produced results. Gerhardt signaled the cavalry hidden within a dense forest a few kilometers to the west. With a silent command, they launched themselves across the clearing, hidden from view by a hill. As soon as the men crested this hill, they let loose a rallying cry and charged directly into the western flank. The sudden surprise attack, coupled with the effects of the poisoned food, snuck into the previous day's caravan, gave his men the advantage they needed to break through the front line. With this, the enemy fell into a more defensive position and split their wards to either side, stretching their attention and resources out. This weakened the wards further in and allowed a unique opportunity for Gerhardt and a pre-selected team to attack the weakened defenses of the enemy command. The mage teleported them directly above the dome of wards and, with the help of the nearby aerial division, shattered the defensive dome with a calculated precision strike. A loud crack echoed across the field and the dome disintegrated. The moment they entered the enemy airspace, Gerhardt activated his [Inferno Shell] to surround him and his team. The enemy responded quickly by firing spells at them but Gerhardt's defensive bubble easily blocked the immediate response and the mage brought them gliding down to the ground. Several warriors of various classes rushed at them and Gerhardt leapt ahead to intercept them while his team easily took them out. In no time, the enemy's general appeared before him with a small contingent of 8 brutal-looking barbarian warriors. Each one as intimidating as the last. Their armor was crafted from the hides of beasts and more than a few had the signature faint shine of enchantments. With a wave of his hand, the general set the warriors loose and they bellowed out a battle cry, eyes glowing red with berserker's [Bloodlust]. The enemy general smiled wickedly as he watched them engage Gerhardt and his team. Not a single shred of doubt entered his mind as they slammed into the paladin's shield, their swords bashing away ferociously in an attempt to get to the people inside. With a nod to the three people around him, Gerhardt burst into gilded flames and rushed out towards the opposing general. The shield dispersed, pushing the barbarian soldiers back with a wave of heat and Gerhardt's third in command took up his position to protect the mage and archer while they let loose. Cover fire rained down from above from several griffon riding aerial units in the area. Ymnil, the enemy general, sneered as he attempted to casually deflect Gerhardt's initial attack with a lazy swipe of his axe. At that moment, a hint of surprise flashed across his face when the two weapons met and he skidded back several meters. While the speed at which Gerhardt moved was almost laughable, what he didn't expect was the sheer amount of power behind the strike. Gerhardt's countenance remained passive as always, not a hint of emotion could break the years of training he'd endured to attain his current position. His initial attack was but a test to determine the strength of this adversary in front of him. With confirmation of the differences in strength, he could let loose. "[Writhing Flame]!" Gerhardt cast his spell and the two-handed sword erupted into a golden blaze. He burst forward, the ground under him cracked and deformed as the tip of his foot pressed into the dried dirt beneath him. In a fraction of a second, he appeared in front of Ymnil and slammed his sword into the head of the axe. A sharp clang rang out, the heat from his blade rolled off in waves, distorting the are around them. Ymnil was pressed into the ground, while easily able to block, his power was far lower than his opponents. He braced his axe with both hands and the jarring vibrations of metal meeting metal rolled through his arms. If not for the enchantments, his axe would be melted right now. Sweating, he pushed off against the sword and retreated back a few steps. Ymnil shook his arms out to alleviate the numb feeling spreading to his shoulders. With a disdainful snarl, he yelled out "[Battering Charge]" to activate one of his class abilities and nearly instantly appeared in front of Gerhardt with a downward strike of his massive axe. Surprised at the swiftness of the attack, Gerhardt could barely get his weapon up to defend himself. The axe bit into his armor, not quite piercing through, and left behind a shallow dent. He pushed back and Ymnil leapt up, borrowing the force of Gerhardt's push to gain extra distance. Not one to lose an opportunity to strike, Gerhardt flashed forward to intercept Ymnil on his descent. Suddenly, a blast of wind emanated out from Ymnil and his momentum changed. Still in the air, he pushed off hardened disks of wind with each step and launched himself back at Gerhardt, a mad glint in his eye. Thinking quickly, Gerhardt called out [Inferno Shell] and tanked the damage from the attack so he could have a chance for a counter-attack. The blast of heat from the bubble caused Ymnil to flinch during his attack and failed to bring his full force against Gerhardt. With the failed attack, Gerhardt was in a much better position for his counter attack. The cooldown for [Writhing Flame] finally ended so he activated it and swung at Ymnil's torso. The air quickly folded around Ymnil and formed itself into a densely layered protective barrier but the oncoming attack was only diverted, rather than fully stopped, and hit his hide armor with the flat side. He felt a crack and a sharp pain shot through his chest as he was batted away like a gnat. "Oof" The air in his lungs was forcefully pushed out and he was sent flying. Ymnil was starting to realize his speed was useless against this particular enemy. A faint manic expression started growing on his face. "Ptwah!" He spat out a glob of blood and wiped away the remaining dribble. "Fuck you! Our god will scorch this land in his conquest of the world! Your little whore of a goddess cannot help you. Nulla will swallow you all heathen swine into the Abyss!" The anger welling up inside Ymnil from being battered around forced its way out through his words. Ymnil charged again, using a one-handed swing of his axe as a diversion while a lightning-fast gesture blurred his other hand for a moment. A small black orb popped out of his storage bracelet, hidden behind his palm. This was a trump card of his. Given to him by his King, this [Void Mote] used the Dark element to bypass any magical defenses and quickly absorb all mana within 5 meters. The energy absorbed would be converted into a massive explosion. Disdain and pity floated up within Gerhardt, hidden behind the passive mask he constantly wore. 'This poor soul, he allowed anger to control his actions and caused him to wantonly charge towards his death.' The thought flashed through his mind. "If death is what you seek, I'll gladly help where I can." his calm demeanor only spurred Ymnil on, a savage smile crept across his face. As Ymnil came closer, Gerhardt readied his defensive stance, [Dragon's Embrace], and waited, a small plan forming in his mind. Eyes on the strike coming towards his shoulder, Gerhardt accepted the blow and grabbed out with both arms in a massive bear hug. A half of a second was all that was needed for the cooldown on [Inferno Shell] to expire. It was a half of a second he didn't even realize he didn't have. Ymnil's left hand, holding the [Void Mote], smacked into Gerhardt's armor to deposit the load. His plan was to use the force of both strikes to rebound off of Gerhardt and quickly make his escape. Never did he think his enemy would grab hold of him and not let go. The smile abruptly left his lips and was replaced with a terrified expression. Both Gerhardt and Ymnil started visibly shaking as the mana abruptly drained out of them. A whistling roar deafened the two of them, terminating in a near-silent whoom that sounded out across the battlefield. The lives of everyone within 50 meters was instantly reaped as the combined magical energy of two A ranked generals detonated. For a mere moment, a massive dome of solid shadow was all that could be seen. When it faded away, the silent survivors could see tens of charred husks in a perfect circle of death and decay. Slowly, the husks, only moments ago full of life and energy, collapsed into ash and rusted grit. Only the silence remained. A full minute passed before everyone realized the impact of this sudden and frightening turn of events. The barbarian's entire command center was destroyed. The army of the Holy Church of Demi may have lost their general, but they still had several commanders left. "Route them all! Leave none of these bastards alive!" Gerhardt's second in command took charge and ordered the assault. Their men roared and charged. With no commanders left to lead them, the remnants of the barbarian army fled. The Holy Church of Demi had won that day, albeit at a heavy blow. ------ Unknown to all but Demi, a small golden crystal remained buried under one pile of ash, shoved into the earth. Aside from Gerhardt himself, only she was aware of the unique ability he had unlocked just 5 months prior. Through [Spark of the Phoenix], his very soul resides in that golden crystal and, given time, he would rise back from the ashes, even if in a much less powerful body. Using the remainder of her power, Demi spread her consciousness into the crystal and brushed against Gerhardt's unconscious soul. With a slight push of her will, she brought his conscious mind to the surface in order to leave him a message. "Gerhardt Constantine, soon you will awaken from your slumber and find yourself a shadow of your former self. Your devotion to me and your compassionate nature has garnered my goodwill. I will leave you with two gifts. The first is the gift of vassalage. From this moment on, you will represent me with your very existence. With every step you take, you facilitate my will." A torrent of power crackled along the tether between Demi and Gerhardt's soul as she passed on her gift to him and continued on. "The second gift is knowledge. You are the key. The world of Arya has stagnated and falls further towards the Abyss with every passing year. One day, you will come across a Locke. When you do, you must make a choice. Whether you decide to open this Locke and bring forth a new age for Arya, or walk away and let the Abyss swallow everything. I may not be able to talk to you right away when you wake up, but your words will always reach me. Have faith in me. We will talk again one day. I assure you, you will help bring great change Arya. Good luck Gerhardt." With that, she retreated back to her own realm. A satisfied smile tugged at her lips as Gerhardt's soul settled back into that unconscious state. A quick flip of her wrist and the battlefield scene was replaced with Quinten and his trek through the long-abandoned Dwarven Workshop.