When General Zidall sent scouts back to the Aphiton Kingdom, he didn't expect them to return within two days and without being able to enter the capital. In their report they went into great detail on what they've seen and rumors they heard. The capital was closed off, the soldiers were in disorder and the people abandoned their homes and took to the road, heading away from the capital. The situation had turned dire very quickly, which could only mean one thing. The war has come to an end and they were the losing side.

The very next day, the General ordered full retreat from the Wezar Kingdom. The whole army quickly mobilized and disappeared over the night. The sudden retreat left many Wezar soldiers in confusion, but the higher ups had an inkling on what was happening. General Varis ordered his commanding officers to regroup the soldiers and await further orders while he left for the capital to confirm his suspicion.

By evening, the General reached the royal palace and with hurried steps entered the main hall where the prince Tristan sat on the throne and listened to the report given by the Spymaster.

*huff* "General Varis greets the prince."

"General, you're right on time. Stand up."

The general stood up from kneeling position and looked up. The prince had a relieved expression on his face and gestured to the Spymaster to continue with the report.

"Yes prince Tristan. Like I previously said, our scouts have waited for the King's arrival in the city of Egmar in the Kingdom of Halifax. When the King arrived at the port, he asked to be briefed on the current situation."

"Kingdom of Halifax? That is pretty far. What happened? Where is the King now?" Tristan asked and waited for the Spymaster to continue.

"Yes prince. From what little intel we could gather, it seems the King's ship has been targeted by the sirens and was forcefully swerved off course until it sank just before reaching Egmar's harbour. The King hadn't given an explanation, just asked for the current state of affairs. After being briefed, both the King and the ascendant Domino had disappeared without trace. We've been searching high and low for the past two days, but haven't found the faintest clue where they could've gone."

"Prince, if I may?" Varis interjected and Tristan motioned him to speak.

"The Aphitonians have retreated their army overnight. I sent men to scout along the border and they've confirmed, the Aphitonians have fully retreated from the war.

Tristan tensed up, almost jumping up to his feet before slumping down in the throne chair. "Haaah that old man. He finally returned. I want you both to be on the lookout for the King and report to me as soon as…"

The prince stopped, looking at the messenger entering the hall with urgency. "What is it?" Both the Spymaster and the General turned to the messenger.

"A message for you my prince. It's from his majesty the King." The messenger said and Tristan gestured to quickly hand him the letter. He took the letter and saw it was unopened and sealed with the royal seal. He pressed his finger against the royal seal, uttered something and the seal dissipated. Tristan took out the letter, opened it and read through the content while the messenger had left and the other two patiently waited.

"T-the war is over." The prince stood up and said after finishing reading the letter. He looked at the two waiting with eyes wide in surprise.

"Prince, what happened?" The General asked, confounded to see the prince so surprised.

"The King and Domino had entered the capital Hefast yesterday afternoon and assaulted the royal palace. Domino had uh, apparently killed King Hefastos."

Both the Spymaster and the General were at a loss for words. King Hefastos was an ascendant and had two ascendants by his side, Kidllams being the third one and the borrowed power. Killing an ascendant and a King at that, wasn't a simple matter.

"General Varis, the King had asked for two thirds of the army stationed at the border to proceed and join him in the capital Hefast. I want you to lead the army yourself. You will be given further instructions after you reach your destination."

"Yes prince! I will leave at once!" General Varis slightly bowed, turned and left hurriedly the same way he came.

"Prince this…" The Spymaster didn't know what to say, but Tristan saw the man was deep in thought and already calculating next move. He smiled and leaned back on the throne chair. "I know Walter. Things will get a lot more interesting from now on."

There would be consequences for killing an ascendant and people they would need to answer to. They came one week after Domino had killed King Nefastos and after Bones left the Evergreen Woodlands and was currently traveling through the Quntis Kingdom. The King Wezar and ascendant Domino were summoned to a meeting of the Alliance that would be held in two days time. The Alliance is a union of numerous kingdoms and empires, minor and major, formed with the sole purpose of dealing with any power threatening the balance. And as such, any big changes like killing the king of the neighboring kingdom, needed to be addressed as soon as possible.

The kingdoms weren't always in union. The alliances were forged out of necessity and the first necessity recorded in the annals of history was when the member of the Giant's race set off to conquer the world. The most recent one was four hundred years ago when the two major kingdoms waged a full blown war over the resources. The alliance swiftly and without compromise dealt with the threat and for the first time, it was decided that the union formed should continue its function. The unexpected alliance meeting will be held in one of the magic institutes in the Empire of Prusha, and will host ascendants and kings of many different kingdoms.

In the kingdom of Brales in a tower of Yelsa co. situated in a small coastal city close to the capital, Peon Tusk sat in his office chair with an obsidian dagger pressed against his throat. Behind him was a rather small figure shrouded in darkness with a veil over his face.

"Yer dogs have been snooping around too much! Dat was a rude way to ask for the schematics of mass teleportation! King Dhoral would appreciate it if ye put a leash on ye hounds in the future! Understood muppet?"

*grunts*

"I understand. The hounds…will not set foot in Ebasal again. Take this token to King Dhoral as an apology for my rudeness, dwarf." Tusk slowly opened the drawer and took out a shiny piece of ore, no bigger than a finger, and handed it to the dwarf behind him.

"The dwarf narrowed his eyes while looking at the piece still in the orc's hands, then recognized it for what it was. A nifty bit of sleight of hand and the ore was gone, safely hidden.

"Ye a reasonable muppet!" Tusk felt the blade against his throat leave him.

"I'll make sure to convey the message to King Dhoral." The dwarf disappeared, his words still echoing in the office.

Tusk stayed seated, rubbing the back of his head when The Siren appeared next to him.

"Why didn't you let me kill the dwarf?" she asked. Tusk shook his head.

"No good will come out from making Dhoral an enemy."

"And he's not an enemy? What was all this then?" The Siren asked.

"Theatrics. Let's just say I owe him one now. Besides, I know what he wants."

"That shiny ore? I don't understand you earth dwellers…"

Tusk smiled but didn't offer an explanation. He knew The Siren wasn't interested in the politics of it all.

"The meeting is starting soon, can I count on you to accompany me?"

"What meeting?"

"The meeting of the Alliance, held in Prusha."

The Siren took a moment to think it over, then said she didn't know he was invited. Tusk grunted, grinned and said he wasn't officially invited. "I plan to crash the meeting."

The Siren cheerfully replied that she was going then. Tusk stood up and said he needed to make preparations before they left. They both headed out the office and into the manavator that led them down to the research facilities in the basement of the tower. Tusk couldn't help but glance at his companion with the corner of his eye while they slowly descended.

*quiet grunt*

The siren's story is a pitiful one. She was just one of the many hatchlings that spawned in the deep sea ruled by the ascendant Newton Belch, an amphibian humanoid. She struggled to survive and struggled to grow, but her talents distinguished her from the other sirens. When she reached the second tier and evolved, the ruler took notice of her and her great potential.

He groomed her, like he did the other elites he took notice of and when she advanced to third tier, the siren's usual grotesque appearance of a monster changed to be more human-like. The ruler wanted her by his side and she couldn't refuse him. The ruler was a hoarder of wealth, both material and immaterial. He was a tamer and liked to keep what he treasured at his side at all times.

For the next hundred years, the position of third tier siren was that of a slave. Both her abilities and beauty progressed over that time, especially the sirens’ charm and her seductive nature. The ruler, however, was wary, cautious and wouldn't allow himself to be led astray. He would leave himself vulnerable many times, open to attacks on purpose but she didn't bite. The siren bid her time, using her charm to seduce for dozens of years until an ascendant eventually fell in love with her. That's when she took everything from him!

The ruler was a tamer of many sea creatures and ruled the seas with a powerful trident, a mighty weapon and a signature weapon of a ruler made of bones of a Megalodon, a monster that ruled the seas since ancient times. The points of the trident were made of its teeth and would regrow if broken, and the shaft of its spine. The tamed creatures of the sea didn't respond to the ruler's call when he felt the danger looming. The siren was one of them and not an outsider! She played with his mind and ruthlessly backstabbed him. Then, she took his life along with beloved trident. The siren ascended and transformed into an even greater beauty with the ability to transform and walk on land.

The Siren noticed Tusk's gaze and smiled as if reading his thoughts. "You seem nostalgic. Remember when we first met?"

He gave her a toothy smile and said how he could forget. He was born in one of the warrior tribes within the orc clan on a continent across the majestic sea, where monsters and werebeast held dominance and humans and other races were in minority. A proud clan that valued the best of warriors and Peon…he was always smaller and weaker than the rest. Unlike his tribesmen, he was blessed with magic and wasn’t given much choice in class selection. Warrior class eluded him so he opted in becoming a Shaman instead. As he grew older, however, he couldn’t let go of his orcish pride and believed being a sole Shaman was a weakness and shame upon the tribe. The clansmen welcomed his uniqueness but Peon was stubborn. Feeling disgraced, he boarded the ship and left on a voyage to the continent across, vowing to change and bring honor to the clan. The ship was attacked by the sirens mid journey and sank, leaving the orc shaman as sole survivor and a target of interest of the mighty queen that ruled the seas.

"Aah, I vividly remember the look you gave me. The same look you're still giving me. The look of admiration and longing, desire and passion. Do you still feel the same way?" She asked, her large aquamarine eyes mesmerizing.

Tusk looked away for a moment, then embarrassingly replied: "That was forty-six years ago. I’ll always feel that way about you Nerissa. You are my weakness and my strength. The only one that could make me sway from my path."

She grabbed hold of him, physically overpowering him and pushing him against the wall of the manavator, then clinged to him, caressing his rugged cheeks. "I would never do that. You had awakened in me something I thought I lost a long time ago. You are my hope Tusk, my wish and my desire. I'll help you with yours and won't let harm come to you!"

ding

The manavator reached the basement level and the door opened. The siren pushed herself away from Tusk's embrace and stepped out. Tusk remained dazed for a few seconds before he followed her out and headed toward the research facility.

"By the way, what preparations were you talking about?" The Siren asked while they walked down the long corridor.

"Something that will help me out if things get out of hand in the meeting."

"I thought I would be there to help you out?"

"You are accompanying me as my companion, not a bodyguard. I had my chief engineer design gauntlets to compensate for my lack of strength."

"Gauntlets? What kind of gauntlets? Just what kind of trouble are you expecting in the meeting?" The Siren asked expectantly.

Tusk smiled and asked her to be patient. The gauntlets were a surprise. She loved surprises and Tusk was full of them. When they reached their destination, the doors of the lab opened up and a small figure came running, slid on his knees and stopped in front of Tusk, bowing his head down.

"This unworthy servant greets his orcishness!"

"Nesmop, get up! I told You you don't have to be so formal with me and stop with the orcishness! " Tusk replied, a bit overwhelmed by the gnome.

"How could I? I am but a-"

"Yo Greens, it's about time you showed up down here!" A small goblin approached and casually greeted. He had dark olive skin with rough textures, long pointy ears and disheveled dark hair. What separated the goblin from his ferocious kind in the forest is the intelligence evident behind his eyes and the ability to speak.

"Prazz, it's been a while." Tusk greeted back, not minding the lack of decorum. The gnome on the other hand, jumped up to his feet, turned and pounced on the goblin. It took for Tusk himself to take action and intervene to separate the two and calm the infuriated gnome down. They were both geniuses in his employment but their personalities were like fire and water. Nesmop was a brilliant researcher and had extended knowledge of lost technologies and Prazz was an innovative engineer. Once they both calmed down and Tusk fixed the sleeves of his suit, he turned his attention to Nesmop first.