The three men returned in the morning to their base. It consisted of a small town to the south of Ashburg, Brimville. It was a country side town surrounded by great sound muffling walls, preventing the villagers to be affected by the traffic noises. This wall almost completely surrounded the town, the few openings were built into large gates. Roads coming from all directions lead into the town, guarded at the gates, built within the week by the men of a certain gang.

Black leather jackets, dirty trousers and roughed up faces were the common sight in this area. All belonging to the gang of one person, who stood above them. Claude, a middle aged man with short red hair and the stubbly beard were his initials. However, he changed a little, instead of wearing a leather jacket, he wore a fancier black jacket, reaching down to the ground. On the right of his hip he held onto a sword sheath, attached to a belt on his grey trousers.

He was also the man who restructured the entire town. A once lovely idyllic town was swiftly reorganized into a military base. Green tents, crates, scaffolding and concrete flooring was all built up by the gang, consisting of over forty men. Houses and buildings were emptied and refitted as barracks and storage facilities. Farms were stretched for efficiency and chicken were raised for a simple food source.

Nothing was left unchanged, everything was reinforced and walkways were added onto the walls, creating a lookout wall.

One of the buildings, the town hall, was made into Claude's private home, his castle. On the highest floor was his throne room, filled with riches which he collected, standing inside were the three men while he sat in his throne. It was an old rustic chair, red cushions and golden chains raised its prestigious feeling.

"I am sorry Claude, we failed to bring you anything," Andre explained, bowing down to the man in the throne.

"I see," he stood up. "You misused my hopes and turned out to have wasted my time completely. What a shame."

"I am sorry, we tried to steal from a young man and a child but were completely defeated," he tried to defend himself.

"So you say you can't even beat up a kid? Really Andre, I thought better of you. You really let me down," Claude stepped towards Andre, who sat further forward than his two grunts. He drew his sword and positioned it onto the bowing man's shoulder.

"Please forgive me Claude--"

The man flinched, screaming, as the sword, a rapier with a golden hilt, pierced his shoulder. A deep stab, continuing to twist and turn the blade.

"Three times, three times you chose to make a fool of me now. I am the king, king and nobody else, you are to refer to me as such!"

"Claude stop it please," he continued to flinch.

The blade lifted out of the wound before being stabbed right back into it.

"You don't learn do you? Say it, apologize to me, to your king!"

"Clau... King, I am sorry my king. I failed your request," his voice cracking due to the pain.

"There we go," he pulled out the sword, swiping the blood onto the floor. "You see, I really did like you. You were one of the old guys who stuck with me, sadly you are useless to me now," he thrusted the rapier into his chest, blood spilling from the tip of the blade which pierced through his back.

Choking on blood, "Why?"

"Simply put, I don't need people who can't even steal from some weak kids," he pulled out the sword quickly enough to cause blood to spill out from the man's chest.

"That man wasn't normal thought king, he had some weird sword," they attempted to explain themselves.

"I don't care about your petty excuses," he said, casually balancing the blade on his shoulder.

Suddenly the two men stood up, pulling out their guns and pointing them at him, aiming for his head.

"Drop your sword! Right now!" they shouted, legs shaking like as if a storm was passing by.

"Drop my sword? Alright then, you asked for it," he smirks.

"Together with your sheath!" one of the grunts adds.

"Very well then."

He carefully slid the sword back into the black leather sheath, decorated in gold, before he untied the belt and threw it in front of their feet. With a light push of his hand, it flew in a small curve toward them. As it touched the marble floor, emitting an echoing sound, they shot.

Accompanied by the noise of the gunshots was the sound of flowing liquid and slashing.

"How is this possible?"

The grunts lied on the floor, cut through their chests, the sword resting in Claude's right hand, surrounded by shadow and darkness.

"Fools, you honestly thought you could kill me? How adorable of you. Oh well, I think for that effort I will let you live," he slid the sword back into the sheath again, holding it in both his hands.

"However you need to be punished somehow right? How about a trip to hell? Does that sound good to you?"

The sheath was stomped against the floor twice, the surrounding shadow moved towards the three men, small hands and arms, made of darkness held onto their bodies. The shadow beneath them was like a lake, waves like water shaped as they were slowly dragged below.

"The hell are you Claude?" Andre asked with only a few more breaths to take.

"I am the king. Now farewell old friend," he says, waving his hand.

"One day... you will join us, until then enjoy your stay..."

Dragged below the liquid shadow, it disappeared, vanishing, leaving behind not even the slightest stain of blood. Proudly he walked towards the balcony, connected to his throne room, stepping outside, leaning onto the railing. A shadow emerged from behind him, like white smoke with gleaming red eyes.

"Thank you for your kind gift, I am sure my minions will enjoy the meal," a sinister voice behind him said.

"I am glad, at least the scum is good for something."

"What are your plans now, mortal?" the sinister voice asked, its shadow moving around the man.

"Dumb question, I will do what I want to do, the reason you aid me. I will not rest before the entire world is within my grasp, bowing before me, their king!"

He laughed maniacally, holding his hands before him, wide open, as if wanting to catch something large.

"Indeed, you shall take over the world, become its king, possess everything and anyone, rule over all. You are the one who I believe will conquer the entire world."

"Fitting is it not, Conquest?"