Present time, in a private tent set up in a camp of Wezar Kingdom's army by the border, a figure could be seen sitting behind the desk, writing in a small notebook in front of him.

It's been two months since I, Guntar, have been forced to flee the capital. My trusted companion and partner, Trevak, broke me out of my imprisonment from the dungeons beneath the Adventurer Guild and we headed east. His connection was supposed to lead us out of the Wezar Kingdom and through the Aphiton kingdom. Because of the situation at the border of the two kingdoms, all routes toward the east were blocked. We were forced to settle in a safehouse in the nearest town close to the border until we could find a safe passage towards our destination, the Slesian Kingdom further east. Our plans have been put on hold as the tensions were rising on the battlefront with each day and skirmishes occurred more frequently. We stayed and waited for an opportunity to leave.

About one month ago, the news reached us of adventurers enlisting in the royal army. It was an opportunity we were waiting for! No one would look for wanted men in the midst of battle so we took the chance and bribed our way into the army. The man recruiting didn't care enough to check our backgrounds and recruited us the moment he saw our levels and received his payment. I'm beginning to think the payment was unnecessary. I even shaved after a decade! Trevak looked appalled, watching me with gawking eyes.

Guntar and Trevak have been exploiting the frontlines for a month now, gaining experience and leveling up while waiting for the right moment to slip out and continue their journey. Two months had passed since the prince had a contract issued recruiting adventurers to "reclaim his stolen goods". The Aphitonians launched a coordinated attack and took over the fortress. The next target they set to occupy were the nearest mines, just seven kilometers away from the border. The army set up camp close to the mines and were fighting to keep the Aphitonians from taking them over. A fight they were losing.

A day later, Trevak burst into the tent shouting. "Oh. My. GOD!" He grabbed Guntar and started dragging him by the hand. "What-"

"You need to see this!" Trevak interrupted, not letting him finish the sentence and leading him out of the tent. What Guntar saw outside, left him speechless. Prince Tristan joined the battlefield, brandishing his greatsword and leaving flashes of light with every swing of his sword, cleaving the terrain and leaving corpses behind.

"They told us to stay away from the battlefield." Trevak warned to which Guntar responded with a snort. "No shit!"

Three hours later, something even more incredible happened. The Aphitonians responded in kind. An ascendant has joined the fight!

A day before prince Tristan, his troops and adventurers that had taken the contract marched outside the city's gates and headed southeast toward the border with the Aphiton Kingdom. With Aphitonians gaining more ground and taking over the fortress, the prince was forced to join the frontlines earlier than expected and reclaim the lost territory. He was advised not to leave the throne but the prince wasn't worried about an empty throne. Who would be stupid enough to try and take the throne when the king was bound to come back?

The battle was raging with increased intensity as the prince pushed the opposing army forces further from the mines, but was stopped at the fortress. The news of the prince joining the battlefield reached the enemy capital fast and the Aphitonians responded by sending one of the few ascendants they had to stop the prince. The prince wasn't surprised they would send an ascendant to stop him. What surprised him was how fast their response was. Almost like they were waiting for him to join the frontlines.

Most people on the battlefield were low level soldiers below silver rank and adventurers ranging from first tier bronze to second tier silver rank. After the prince clashed with an ascendant, the battlefield was divided into multiple fronts. The lower levels were pushed to the side toward the swampy area south and away from the main front where gold and silver rankers dominated the battle for the fortress.

After days of constant fighting, the prince was forced to retreat and was recuperating from the numerous wounds inflicted by the ascendant. The general was with him in the tent and they discussed what their next course of action should be.

"Kidllams, that bastard…he's clearly here to stop me from retaking the fortress!" The prince seethed in vexation.

"Yes, that seems to be the case…They must've known that having an ascendant involved would break the treaty." The general spoke with worry. "Tristan…"

"I know Varis. That's what worries me as well. They intended to break the treaty and they don't seem to be overly worried about the consequences. What gives them confidence? There is something else going on…something we overlooked!" The prince said the last part looking at the general. General Varis nodded his head and said he will look further into the Aphitonians’ actions in the past and see if they overlooked something.

The general left the tent and the prince addressed the shadow in the tent. "Shadow one?" A figure rose up from the prince's shadow. The prince flinched a bit, every time he saw it rising up. The shadows weren't humans, they were made by Domino to follow and protect the prince from the shadows. The prince didn't know what skill the ascendant used nor could he get rid of them. What he did know was that they were around gold rank and listened to his commands within the realm of possibility, apart from leaving him alone.

"Send word to the spymaster to send a message to the guild leader Asim of Forsaken Garde and ask him to keep an eye out for any surprise attacks on the royal palace.” Forsaken Garde was the third major guild in the kingdom and their guild leader Asim was one of King Wezar’s most trusted and loyal friends. For all the prince knew, the Aphotinians could really be planning to take over the throne. No matter how absurd that sounded.

The Aphitonians weren't worried about the consequences of their actions or the involvement of the ascendant as they had the major power backing them. Unbeknownst to others, Peon Tusk at the helm of Yelsa co. has been pushing for an open war with the Wezar kingdom. The reason? The control over the mana stone market! Peon Tusk loved power, but more than power, he urged for control!

The Wezar Kingdom's greatest export were mana stones and by taking out their transport routes, Tusk was restricting their business. His next aim was to either take over or destroy the kingdom's mines, reducing the overall value of the mana stones they were exporting.

Yelsa co. was a major power on the continent and while Tusk wouldn't directly operate against the major kingdoms, he controlled and influenced minor kingdoms behind the scenes. The orc was patient and liked to play it safe. He would send bronze and silver rankers to run small operations within the kingdom so as not to draw the attention a gold ranker would and have them make connections with the local organisations to gather intelligence and finally sow disorder.

Peon Tusk has been supporting the king of the Aphiton Kingdom economically and financially. The king was enticed as Tusk had given him an ascendant, Kidllams to join his ranks, raising the overall strength of the king's army and giving him a false sense of power. He even sent the Defiant Hounds to operate within the Wezar Kingdom and lay mayhem as much as they could. What the Aphiton king didn't know was that Hounds operated in both kingdoms. Peon Tusk was playing both sides.

The reason why Tusk would do all that when Yelsa is already one of the most powerful institutions/organisations on the continent, was known only to the orc himself.

And speaking of the orc…

In the office on the top floor of his tower, Tusk was sitting behind the desk, going over the documents in his hands. A woman with pale skin, long ears and runes visible on her face, patiently waited by his side.

*knock knock*

Tusk grunted, without taking eyes off the document in front of him. After a few seconds, a large door of the office opened and a meekish looking gnome waddled forward. The gnome was about to speak when the orc extended his hand and held his index finger pointing up, gesturing for the gnome to wait.

The gnome closed his mouth and nervously looked around the office, as if looking for something. The witch isn't here? He thought and turned his focus back to the orc behind the desk with a twinkle in his eyes. His orchishness is busy! Every day, so busy!

My name is Nesmop Bafflewadle and I am the leading researcher in the Lost Technologies department of Yelsa co. I wasn't always the leading researcher. No…

While waiting, the gnome reminisced about the time he came to know Mr. Tusk.

I was a young and very promising researcher specialising in the technology of our ancestors, lost to time. After graduating from the prestigious academy, I've started working as a lecturer in a Magic Institute located in the most grand of all the empires. The Empire of Prusha. It was no wonder that my greatness drew the attention of many influential people! And amongst the many, I drew the attention of one of the most influential persons on the continent! Peon Tusk…

After one of my lectures on my research about the possibilities and applications of mass teleportation, I was approached by Mr. Tusk, who showed me the incomplete schematics of the mass teleportation portal and offered to fund my research. I felt elated! I wanted to snatch the schematics out of his hands right then and there!...but I couldn't accept his offer right away! I had to play it cool!

Mr. Tusk invited me to dinner to discuss our future relationship and I must admit, I may have agreed to his proposal too soon as I accepted his offer before we even sat down. Mr. Tusk looked very pleased which he signified by grunting. I’ve come to learn he does that often! We talked and shared our goals and visions of using the lost technology to shape the world for a better future!

We have traveled to the Brales Kingdom where the headquarters of Yelsa co. was situated and I was shown a towering building that would be my future home for the next twenty-seven years.

The next few years felt like a dream. Mr. Tusk was constantly handing me new projects to work on and I knew I hadn't made a mistake in coming here! The projects varied from teleportation research to tubular pipes powered by mana stone with the purpose to discharge mana! There were many projects and artifacts of the past I wasn't introduced to yet, but looked forward to!

The year I was introduced to one of the said artifacts, everything changed. Mr. Tusk led me into a research hall I have never been to before and introduced me to a tall, a few tones heavy, black pillar. There were runes inscribed all over and around the pillar in a strange, crossing pattern. Mr. Tusk told me, without even glancing my way, that I was to decipher the runes and find out why the obelisk isn't activating. I wish I didn't ask what its purpose was but I did. I thought I misheard Mr. Tusk but he repeated his answer with an indifferent expression on his face. The obelisk was a remnant of when the Demon race invaded our world thousands of years ago. Its purpose was to disperse corrupted mana and terraform the surroundings. I knew right there and then, that Tusk wasn't the orc I thought he was. Chaos dispensers were destroyed long ago and with good reason. For whatever purpose Tusk wanted it functional couldn't be good.

Over the years, his demeanor changed or maybe he just wasn't hiding behind a facade anymore? I had come to learn more about the orc I once thought so highly of. The projects kept piling and I was forced to do research on different kinds of weapons. I wasn't a happy gnome anymore. There was no satisfaction in my work nor that drive to unfold the mysteries of the past. Tusk noticed and I was called into his office. That was it, I was done for…

His office was dimly lit, the only source of light illuminating his visage as he was standing by the window. He turned to me as I approached and for the first time, I noticed he wasn't alone. Two eyes, aqua blue in color, flashed beside him. A silhouette of a woman appeared clinging to him. She smiled and I froze for a second, mesmerized.

"Come, take a seat." Tusk said and ushered for me to sit in the chair across.

The sound of his voice snapped me out of it and I sat across from him. He handed me a document. I took the document and saw that it was a contract. Tusk noticed my puzzled expression and explained it was time to renew my contract. I read through the contract while he waited patiently leaning against the chair, his eyes closed. I looked up and around, but couldn't find the woman anywhere.

At first, the contract was unassuming…perfect even! Giving me everything one could ask for in employment, but between the lines? My keen eyes and sharp wits told me it was anything but! Tusk knew everything about me in detail, my family and how they would be taken care of as we were all one big family in Yelsa co. The contract was just to assume control over me and I had no choice but to accept and proceed with the research.

I had a gloomy disposition about my future and watched as people went in and out of that building unaware of who they were truly working for! I've seen Tusk's projects and ambition grow over the years! He accomplished very many big things and before I noticed, I began to share his ambition and even respect him.

In the last few years, his orchishness became more direct in seeking power. He always seemed calculative and cautious, but now?…it must've been that witch, The Siren! She was beautiful. The most beautiful thing I laid my gnomish eyes on, but I wouldn't be enticed like his orchishness was!

Little did he know that her eyes already worked their magic on him. All it took was one look, many years ago…

"-mop?"

*grunts*

"NESMOP!"

???

"Stop daydreaming and give me the report already!" Tusk yelled, finally drawing the gnome's attention. He had been absent-minded a lot lately.

"Ah! Yes, your orchishness!" The gnome approached enthusiastically and handed the report to the orc. Tusk grunted again and started listing throughout the report before closing it and asking his leading researcher directly.

"How's the project going? Any progress made?"

"Which one? There's no new progress on mass teleportation I'm afraid. We need a complete schematic but we did make progress with the chaos dispenser! Theoretically…" Nesmop weakly said the last part.

"Theoretically?" *sigh* Tusk deflated a bit. The progress has been halted for years now. "Can you tell me if we made any progress whatsoever?"

"Yes!" The gnome exclaimed and continued. "We modified the point-and-shoot so we can now use mana crystals instead of mana stones! Output isn't as great but we-"

"Point-and-shoot?" Tusk interrupted and questioned. Nesmop nodded and explained they didn't have the name for the weapon yet so they tagged it with the temporary name. The two discussed the possibility of mass production when The Siren appeared, clinging behind Tusk as she always did, and looking over his shoulder at the spooked gnome.

Nesmop's heart rate sped up and he excused himself before running out of the office.

"Mmmnn I could just eat him up." The Siren whispered in Tusk's ear.

"Hands off my researcher! What's the news?"

"Just a little bite? A nimble?" She pleaded.

Tusk grunted in annoyance.

"Your involvement in the two kingdoms will have to be cut short." She stated, having been ignored.

"He's on his way back?"

"My little birdies tell me he is on his way as we speak."

"Can't you stall him?"

"I can, but not for long. He is not alone. Domino is with him."

Tusk grunted in acknowledgement.

"Convey my message to codename Alpha: the Hounds are to return to the Den after the festival and await further orders!"

"Yesss siiir." A creepy voice said from somewhere in the room.

"I luv it when you're serious…"

*grunts* "I'm always serious!"