The weapons weren't allowed in the magic tower and killing Tusk would have adverse consequences. As hard as it was for Wezar to admit, Tusk was well connected. Crippling him however…it'll do pig. Wezar was the first to make a move.

Tusk on the other hand, exhaled and prepared himself mentally for the hit that'll come. He did quick calculations beforehand and knew that Wezar, while maimed, wouldn't cross some lines. It will be a fist attack, no doubt aimed at my chest with enough force to cripple me.

Wezar moved too quickly for Tusk to follow, but just as he expected, the ascendant went with a simple, direct punch to his chest. He pushed the pain he felt from the broken ribs to the back of his mind, stepped forward and met the incoming fist with a fist of his own. Just before the fists made contact, the crystal bracelets on the Tusk's mithril gauntlets lit up.

The two fists collided with a shockwave, raising dust and knocking the nearby chairs down. Tusk's arm broke in multiple places from the collision and Wezar watched with wide eyes as his whole body was briefly swept by the highly concentrated beam of raw mana. The beam faded away a second later, leaving the two figures restricted in place.

"While I'm sure everyone here appreciates a good brawl, this is not the time nor the place." Cornelius said and with a wave of his hand dismissed the field restricting the two. Tusk breathed heavily, clutching his side while Wezar rubbed the knuckle of his fist. His outfit suffered damage but quickly repaired back into pristine condition. Still, the shock from a somewhat equal exchange was evident in his eyes.

"I take it, no one else has issues with me taking over the Aphiton Kingdom?" Wezar turned to the onlookers and asked. His eyes passed over the crowd and after hearing no reply, he glanced at Domino, shared a nod and they both left the meeting hall. Tusk watched them leave and pursed his mouth in a self-satisfying smirk seeing Domino rub his black eye. Afterwards, the meeting went on as one would expect, boring and without further incidents.

Tusk remained until the very end of the meeting and after everyone had already left, took a seat back at the table, right across Cornelius.

*grunts*

"So, what is up?" Tusk started a conversation.

"What is up indeed. You've grown stronger since I've last seen you. Mithril gauntlets?" Cornelius asked with a rather impassive tone. Tusk nodded and said it was something new he was working on.

"Needs more testing though."

"Oh? The clash with Wezar wasn't good enough of a test?" Cornelius said ironically then leaned back into his chair. "I thought the deal we made was pretty clear and yet here you are, drawing unwanted attention to yourself."

Tusk stayed silent and Cornelius briefly glanced at the Siren standing behind him. "I don't particularly care about your dealings in minor kingdoms, Peon, but it'll become a problem if it affects what’s to come. And I can't be having that, understood? I have waited for far too long to enact our plans so I hope you came bringing good news."

"Depends on your definition of good." Tusk uttered, causing Cornelius' eye to twitch.

"I would consider good news if the Chaos Dispenser I gave you is operational and ready for the testing."

Tusk nodded. "Then I bring good news. The Chaos Dispenser Is operational but not yet ready for the field test. We need more time."

"How long?"

"Two years at most."

Cornelius frowned slightly then, after some thinking said that two years was too long. "I want the test concluded within a year."

Seeing as how Tusk remained silent, Cornelius exhaled in annoyance and reminded Tusk that it was because of him that Tusk is where he is now.

"Don't forget who helped you start your empire…"

"How could I forget? - You bring it up everytime we meet. The Chaos Dispenser will be ready for the test within a year. I'll message you about the details." Tusk said as he was getting up. He adjusted the collar of his suit before turning to leave.

"You do that." Cornelius added watching Tusk and Nerissa walking away. After they left, Cornelius stood up and approached the damaged wall and cracked floor in the aftermath of the previous clash. He weakly raised an arm and two rune circles manifested, one on each damaged part. Slowly, time began to rewind. The cracks on the floor retreated and the damaged parts of the wall repaired to how they were before, making everything look as good as new. After he finished, Cornelius looked around the hall one last time. "The defensive formation held on pretty well", and then he vanished, teleporting somewhere unknown.

Outside the meeting hall, Tusk and Nerissa headed toward the teleporter, ready to head back to the Yelsa co. headquarters.

"What got up his ass?" Nerissa asked. She was quiet the whole time, but could sense the Rune Elf was stressed, agitated.

Tusk smirked hearing Nerissa then donned a stern expression. "Like us, Cornelius has zero love for the humans, but more than humans, he despises the undead. I don't know what happened to him in the past, but the undead terrify him."

"Who in the world would He, of all people, be afraid of?"

Tusk glanced her way but didn't have an answer for her. Instead he asked. "Nerissa, do you think you could handle Cornelius in a fight?"

Nerissa stopped walking for a moment, surprised by the sudden question, then without much thought said: "In the sea? Probably. But on the ground…" She shook her head. Tusk nodded, expecting the answer.

Cornelius was a known Runecaster and his signature spell was Teleport. He loved the fame, the attention and that was what got him into a particular kind of encounter with a certain ghoulish presence seventy-four years ago. In the backyard of his mansion in the middle of the city, while taking a casual stroll through the garden, a figure appeared before him. If it was someone breaking in or challenging him to a fight, Cornelius wouldn't think much of it. If anything, he would find it amusing, but what blocked his path left him speechless.

Right in front of him stood one of the undead creatures known as The Reaper, a herald of master entities ruling the Nether Realm. This herald was unlike any other he saw before. It just stood there, silently, observing him with its lifeless eyes. In confusion Cornelius asked the ghoul if it was perhaps lost. Receiving no reply, he saw no reason to let the undead be and decided to take action but before he made a single step forward, the ghoul produced a bizarre sound, a mix of a screech and a bellow, that sent chills down his spine. It made him pause, and then he heard it, a voice as bizarre as the sound earlier. The ghoul spoke.

"Fouuund youuu."

Right after it said those words the ghoul started bloating, its skin cracking and making snapping sounds until its body exploded in blood and gore. Cornelius watched it happen, stupefied. He raised a Mana Shield that blocked the wave of energy that swept the area and saw another entity taking the place of the herald.

The newcomer had a tall frame, was shrouded in darkness and kneeling. Then it slowly unraveled into a slim figure over three meters high. Cornelius' sensitivity to mana allowed him to recognize the immediate danger the creature in front of him posed. His innate and highly developed over time instincts, but above that, common sense screamed at him to Run! - and run he did. The event was burrowed deeply into his mind and haunted him for years. Over time, he managed to put the incident behind him and out of his mind until twenty years later, the tall and slim figure of Vyrus the Plaguemaster appeared again.

Cornelius ignored the call for help that time, leaving the threat for the other ascendants to deal with. The only casualty resulting from the brief clash with an undead was Fluvis Frose, who is dealing with the aftermath of the encounter to this day. That same year, Cornelius urged the council of elders to implement the new system using dungeon breaks that would strengthen the empire long term. He strongly believed the undead would invade in the near future and that the empire needed to prepare for the invasion. With Tusks' arrival Cornelius saw an opportunity. He extended a helping hand, giving financial support and in return, asked to help him realize his goals.

Tusk stopped reminiscing about the events of the past and focused on the two figures further down the corridor, waiting by the teleporter.

"Are they waiting for us? Do you know them?" Nerissa asked, noticing the figures were focused on the two of them.

*grunts*

"A business opportunity." Tusk replied with a smile, his overall mood improving. When they got closer, one of the men stepped forward to meet them.

"Greetings Mr. Tusk."

"King Gladys, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Tusk asked, donning a business-like expression.

King Gladys was not an ascendant, but a king of one of the minor kingdoms Tusk had dealings with before. The man wore the ceremonial attire of his kingdom and seemed mild-mannered, but had a shrewd mind.

"Come now, you know me better than that." The king said mildly amused. "You remember my advisor, Sasha?" Tusk nodded and greeted the man who slightly bowed. With pleasantries done, King Gladys went straight to business.

"That was a magnificent display of power, Tusk, no doubt with the purpose to draw attention. Well, you have mine! Shall we move to a more private place and discuss business?"

Tusk glanced at Nerissa who watched everything occur with interest, then gave the king a nod and gestured to lead the way. The party of four didn't use the teleporter, but turned to the stairways to the side and left the magic tower to discuss the future business opportunities.

In a Quntis Kingdom a few kingdoms away, Bones passed numerous crop fields on his journey and saw many hunters keeping watch, making sure both the fields and the farmers working the fields were safe from whatever danger lurked in the nearby woods. The Quntis Kingdom was blessed with rich soil and flat terrain so most of the kingdom's denizens focused on agriculture.

Bones followed the road north, making frequent stops at every village and town along his way in search for a qualified individual with a profession capable of harvesting the body parts of an Elite Lizardman he has stashed in his inventory.

His query seemed without results at first. The only saving grace was that he wasn't shooed away from entering villages and small towns despite his rather dubious appearance. Most of the townsfolk steered off his way but his inquiry wasn't without merit. In one of the towns previously visited, a local leathersmith directed him to try his luck in one of the larger towns on the map a few days walking distance away. After a two day hike, Bones was standing in front of the signpost that read Melville, five kilometers northeast.

The town was a bit out of my way but I'm finally here! I really hope there will be someone capable of providing the services I need. I'm itching to start working on Skully again after so long.

After stopping momentarily, Bones continued with haste and picked up pace. His destination, The Remore Kingdom, is at least two months of travel away and his journey has only just begun. Bones hadn't made plans where he would go after acquiring a new adventurer ID. He figured he had enough time to decide until then and after finally moving out of Wezar Kingdom, he wanted to take his time and enjoy the journey. He had officially traveled the furthest he had ever been in both of his lives.

There was a lot to explore and room to grow, and with great anticipation, Bones made great strides toward the town of Melville faintly seen in the distance.

End of Book One!