Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

In Ancient Times, like before the gods had descended upon the Mortal World, the first generation Dwarves were born into the world, crawling out of the 8,500m tall 'Mother Mountain'. Unlike other races, who had prospered on the surface, the Dwarves had come into existence in a cold and unforgiving environment with few natural resources. Though they had access to the sea, this was a time when aquatic monsters rampaged about freely, capsizing any ship that dared venture out into the murky waters. As a result, the Dwarves had been forced to dig into the earth, both out of necessity and an unrelenting resolve to tame their world.Though it had taken them hundreds of years, the Dwarves had cleared out the surface of their homeland, completely wiping out all monsters in the surroundings. While other surface dwellers were desperately fighting against the waves of monsters that would emerge from the Dungeon, the Dwarves had already reclaimed the surface while also conquering what lay below. They had built massive underground cities and structures, showing a natural understanding of mechanical engineering, stonemasonry, and construction. This, combined with their powerful physical might, had allowed them to create hundreds of kilometers of underground tunnels while, at the very heart of the Iron Hills, there was a massive cavern that spanned more than 50km in diameter, coiling down into the earth nearly 20km.True to the nature of this massive cavern, and the large fortress-like City built into it, the Dwarves had named this sacred land as 'Ironheart', serving as the exact center of their budding culture. The founding family of the City even took the name upon themselves, becoming the first High Dwarven Noble Family, the Ironhearts. Later, similar cities would be built into the subsurface after large mines were stripped away and converted into similarly sized caverns. Now, fast forwarding to the present, there were eight such cities, each presided over by a powerful Dwarven Noble family of their own. After the Ironheart family, who had become the most influential family amongst the Dwarves, these were the Alderfist, Hammerforge, Stoneborne, Firebeard, Goldbrew, Deepsbane, and, nearly rising up to the same position as the Ironhearts, the Stormwright clan.During the time when other races were fighting tooth and nail to survive, the Dwarves had already mastered their lands, expanding outwards into their very own Mother Mountain. Out of respect for the site, it was decreed that the mountain was an inviolable place where mining and resource harvesting was strictly regulated. This was the ancestral lands where most Dwarves were laid to rest, the interior filled with several expansive mausoleums and masterful works of art representing accomplished and heroic men and women from the past. Once you got beyond the mountain, however, things changed rather quickly...On the southern face, the Dwarves once again encountered powerful monsters after a very long period of civil infighting and industrial expansion. They received a harsh reminder that the world outside of the Iron Hills could be cruel and unforgiving, as their probes into these lands had nearly spelled their doom. Using the very same system of tunnels they had developed over centuries, hordes of monsters tried to make the Mother Mountain their home after breaking through the unprepared defensive line. It took decades to once again reclaim the mountain but, once they had, the Dwarves converted the southern face into the largest and most powerful fortress against the monster tides, Blackstone. The Dwarves had pioneered forging technique related to Damascus, making powerful Damascus Steel ramparts that lined the bottom face of the mountain, stretching nearly a thousand kilometers with only massive towers breaking the flow.The construction of Blackstone had been a monstrous effort that cost thousands of Dwarves their lives over the course of 187 years. Even so, they never ceased in their efforts until their homeland was truly secure from the monster hordes. Then, as if it were a matter of pride, the Dwarves didn't rest on their accomplishment and instead began reclaiming the forest and surrounding land from the monsters' control. The valley on the northern side of the Mother Mountain was inhospitable with a large circular air current that brought in heavy volumes of salt from the sea. To the south, however, there were verdant forests and plains, fertile land which the Dwarves had desperately sought out.Unfortunately, these lands had been the Ancestral Forests of the High Elves, who acted decisively to prevent the Dwarves from clearing out their forests to create farmland. From this encounter, the Dwarves learned of the wider world, including the various races that inhabited it. Then, instead of trying to compromise and seek peace, the Dwarves became jaded at the idea that these longears had so many resources available to them. Unlike the stout and hardy Dwarves, the Elves were frail and weak, 'spoiled' by the availability of food and fresh water, unlike the tenacious Dwarves who had struggled for centuries to master their home environment.Unable to communicate with each other, the Dwarves began attacking the Elves in earnest, fully believing they had a greater right to the land than the Elves who had occupied it for millennia. In order to drive back the Elves, they set fire to the forests and, using their technological prowess and mechanical might, the Dwarves quickly cleared away a large section of the forest after a few decisive skirmishes. It was under such circumstances, drunk on the taste of victory, even as their lungs filled with the smoldering ashes of the burnt forests, that the Dwarves were introduced to Magic.Though there were only a few a High Elven lineage that could use the Magic of the Spirits, those that possessed such capabilities held awesome power. Initially, the Elves hadn't shied away from trying to seek dialogue with the Dwarves but every attempt to do so was met with bolts and blades. After that, their primary concern had simply been protected the forest, as the Dwarves were using machines that spoiled the land while indiscriminately cutting down trees that had stood the test of time for centuries. Now that the Dwarves had thrown all decency aside, burning the very forest and resources they sought to claim, the High Elves were forced to take action, even though they had been a very peaceful people that provided aid to the other races.Shortly after the Dwarves had once again started to clear sections of the forest, three High Elves had rallied together, including the then Queen of the Elves, a heavenly beauty named Ariella. The three used powerful nature magic to completely devastate the Dwarven machinery and, to ensure they would not arbitrarily decide to attack again, Ariella made the rare exception to attack the fortress of Blackstone directly. The proud and majestic physical barriers that the Dwarves had spent nearly two hundred years constructing were powerless against the mighty magic spells which, with the help of the Spirits, was far stronger than most modern magic.Being that they were not a violent race, at least at the time, the High Elves pulled back after doing a substantial amount of damage. Then, as the Dwarves began repairing the mighty fortress, the Elves had erected tall wooden towers along the northern border of their forest, both to serve as a reminder to the Dwarves while also acting as a lookout. The Dwarves, however, were undaunted by the presence of the Elves and, just as they had conquered their homeland in the ancient past, they were determined to claim the resources that ought to be theirs. However, they weren't fools who would attack without planning a proper strategy and, just as they had dedicated nearly two hundred years just to build a fortress, the Dwarves began researching countermeasures to magic.As the decades passed, tensions between the Dwarves and the Elves steadily increased until, rather unexpectedly, Ariella had come with several envoys to broker peace and trade with the Dwarven people. This didn't end well, however, as the pride and arrogance of the Dwarves had been cultivated over centuries of internal strife and isolation from other races. Using their newly researched composite alloy, Magisteel, the Dwarves attacked the peaceful envoys, managing to kill Ariella and the majority of her escorts. The few survivors were then captured by the Dwarves, both as a means to study magic and as a 'punishment' for the Elves' audacity to oppose them.Using their ill-gotten victory as a catalyst, the Dwarves began a large invasion into the Elven forests, killing and capturing as many Elves as possible. They didn't believe that the Elves had many people capable of using the powerful magic used by Ariella and her two companions. At the same time, with their powerful equipment to protect them, the Dwarves rapidly cleared out a large section of the forest which would later become one of the layered defensive lines of the Iron Hills. With their invasion successful, and no major response from the Elves, the Dwarves thought themselves victorious and began reclaiming the land on the inside of their perimeter, turning it into thousands of acres of farmland.What the Dwarves did no take into consideration was the longevity and patience of the Elves who, after the death of their Queen, entered a long period of observation as they groomed Ariella's successor. Now that things had reached this point, the Elves believed the Dwarves to be an errant and warmongering species who, unlike the other races struggling to reclaim the surface, turned their weapons against what should be their allies. The fact the Dwarves had attacked a peaceful delegation had wounded the hearts of the High Elves who, at the time, served as the guardians and protectors of the forests while providing aid to almost every other race. Even the Goliaths, who scorned the Elves for their magic, had never slighted them in such a grievous and dishonorable manner...By the time the new Elven Queen had been elected, the Dwarves had spent nearly twenty years cultivating the land they had stolen from the Elves. Now, after discovering other races seeking asylum in the forests, the Dwarves had started capturing groups of refugees en masse. Instead of toiling hard in the mines, they had realized it was much easier to make the 'lesser' species of the surface work in their stead. This was the catalyst for the propagation of slavery within the Iron Hills and the start of the 'wastrel' like lifestyle of the Dwarves.With actual farmland providing for their rather small population, many Dwarves had become rather complacent over a short period of time. Now that they didn't have to toil away in the mines, many Dwarves had a lot of free time on their hands to master the art of forging and craftsmanship, all while other recreational hobbies began emerging. The Goldbrew clan had already become a powerful family after learning how to ferment wheat and hops to produce various types of ales. Now that there was so much agricultural land to work with, the production of alcohol had greatly increased while the variety of alcoholic beverages practically exploded, especially with the various fruit orchards and herbal gardens that now existed. Instead of being a grain supplement that could be enjoyed rarely, drinking became one of the favorite pastimes of the Dwarves in a very short period of time...Overall, things were going exceptionally well for the Dwarves and, confident they could claim even more land, a second invasion into the Elven forests was planned. Before this plan could be implemented, however, the new Elven Queen had made her appearance, this time with a total of ten powerful High Elves at her side. With hundreds of other Elves as support, the new Elven Queen, Valrhona, completely devastated the defensive line of the Dwarves. They used powerful magic to reclaim the ill-gotten land before staging a counteroffensive against Blackstone. After a battle that lasted more than two months, during which time the land stolen by the Dwarves had been completely reclaimed, the Elves finally retreated back into their forests.Though they were incensed, the Dwarves now realized that their efforts needed to be more meticulous and, regardless of how powerful they were, there were some forces that simply couldn't be resisted through normal means. This time, they didn't have the luxury of the Elven Queen coming to them to seek peace and, after a long period of rebuilding their damaged fortress, it was the Elder Council, comprised of the various patriarchs of the High Dwarven Noble Houses who stepped forward. They sent envoys who had studied the Elven language from the slaves that had been captured in the past, entering into a long period of negotiations with the Elves.Using the bartering and trade techniques they had honed against each other over centuries, the Dwarves eventually managed to reclaim their once-seized land by creating various pieces of equipment for the Elves to use. At the same time, a large-scale 'breeding' effort had been underway, both for the Dwarves and their ever-increasing population of slaves. After their failures to break into the outside world, which they knew very little of, the Dwarven policy became more of an isolationist doctrine that focused on defense. The fortifications of their territory gradually increased over the centuries as their population slowly reached a bottleneck. In order to deal with this issue, the Elder Council began sending groups of Dwarves out into the world at large, both as explorers and merchants.Slowly but surely, the Dwarves grew beyond their homeland of the Iron Hills, primarily through their exchanges with other races. It was extremely profitable to sell equipment and defensive weaponry in the world that was still fighting against the monster hordes on a daily basis. They were also able to use their technological prowess and natural talent for construction to earn the 'respect' and admiration of various races. The Dwarves helped to design and construct powerful fortress cities that became the bastions of the surface world, all while increasing the wealth of their own country. As a result, the arrogance of the Dwarves actually continued to rise and, over the course of several millennia, they had slowly become the wealthiest people in the land...With this explosion of wealth, the complacency and wastrel-like behavior of the Dwarves only grew in intensity, to the point that any respect they had earned from other races had morphed into scorn. Dwarven merchants became known for their greed and, with their physical prowess, for lack of a better term, 'dwarfing' almost every other race, their pride went unchecked by all but the Goliath people and the High Elves. Now, in modern times, the Dwarves had become a people known for their propensity to exploit everyone, including each other. Infighting between brothers and sisters was extremely common, especially when it came to business transactions, while many Dwarves spent their days simply forging, crafting, and putting on airs. Because of their mastery in these pursuits, the technology of the Dwarves had reached an extreme, making their lives easy while the slaves that made up the very foundation of their society toiled tirelessly to their deaths...The once proud Dwarves that fought tooth and nail to survive in their inhospitable homeland were now nowhere to be seen. They had been replaced by a group of people who profiteered off the misery of others, sold weapons without any care for how they would be used, and sought every possible advantage they could get out of a situation. Their arrogance and overconfidence had grown to an extreme and, before the Alliance had disrupted their businesses, they had ruled over the markets of almost every country.Now that the Alliance had dominated the market of Orario, the most prosperous City on the continent, in their place, the Dwarves were extremely dissatisfied. However, to most, this was just a mild inconvenience and, fully confident there would be no major repercussions, the Elder Council didn't mind antagonizing the Alliance. Though they did fear the power of Fafnir, to an extent, there were several weapons they had kept concealed for a long period of time. Even with war being declared, they simply had to stay on the defensive and, when Vahn and his dragons appeared near their fortress, they would shoot the tyrannical creatures out of the sky.It was believed that, without his Dragons, Vahn wasn't considered to be terribly dangerous and, even if they were unable to trade within Orario for a few years, it wasn't too difficult to turn a profit in other countries. Eventually, just as it had always been, they would one day be able to develop countermeasures that allowed them to deal with the Alliance, even if it took hundreds of years. This was the general belief of even the common Dwarven citizenry, even when the Alliance sent a message claiming their Mother Mountain would be shattered within three days. They believed this to be simple nonsense and considered it an example of Vahn's hubris, all the way up until the morning of the third day when, long before the sun had risen, a green 'sun' had emerged against the backdrop of the Mother Mountain. When it had vanished, to the horror of every Dwarf that drew in the cold morning air of the Iron Hills, the upper half of their Ancestral Mountain had now vanished in its entirety...then, as they stared on with horror, several hundred million tons of stones and debris began raining down on the surroundings like a meteor shower...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'An inhospitable people from an inhospitable terrain...','Those That Fail to Learn from History are Doomed to Repeat it...','Some lessons are learned harder than others...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Though his original plan had been to blast open the Dwarves' Mother Mountain and create a pathway to the interior valley, Vahn had changed his mind after due consideration. Because the largest population of the Iron Hills consisted of slaves, meaning their were far more innocents that would be hurt by such an attack, Vahn decided to be less 'direct'. Though there would still be a large number of casualties, the number of people that would be liberated after he forced the Elder Council to acquiesce would be far greater than if he chose a more direct method. Since this was an action that needed to have a 'visible' outcome, so that it wouldn't fade within the memory of future generations, Vahn chose to blow off the top of the mountain instead of breaking it apart.There were several reasons why he had chosen this course of action, other than a general concern for the lives of several hundred thousand slaves within the Iron Hills. Because the 'bomb' was wholly comprised of natural energies, there would be no real fallout from the blast, as 'normal' explosives would often have various chemicals that made the affected area inhospitable. After his bomb exploded, the area would become saturated with natural energy, turning the 'valley' that would come into existence after the bomb was detonated into a natural paradise, filled with greenery and rare materials. Vahn wasn't fond of the idea of causing destruction for the sole purpose of 'harming' a target, as the act of destroying the environment to make future life difficult didn't sit well with him...The more important purpose of this bomb, however, was to serve as an important 'lesson', not just for the Dwarves, but for the future generations of all peoples. Vahn was intending to enact strict regulations on the development of technology designed to be used for war in the future, as even the existence of Magic Items like the [Shadow Visor Mk. 1] were already game-changers. If possible, he wanted most issues to be settled in designated arenas and battlefields in the future, where the stakes would be high while the destruction and loss of life would be closely regulated. This was a means to promote individual growth and encourage people to pursue greater heights instead of allowing the trend of relying on technology to wage warfare to become popularized.After uniting the seven regions of Eden, Vahn was expecting 'war' in general to become obsolete, at least in the grand scheme of things. Those it would be impossible to prevent civil strife and small conflicts from breaking out, large-scale wars would be pointless as a single proficient Mage would likely be able to take out tens of thousands with ease. Future battles, where hundreds of thousands would engage each other in fights to the death, would serve no purpose other than 'wasting' lives. Though overpopulation, and other factors, would have to be considered, Vahn was confident that these types of issues could be addressed after he had linked the records. After all, it would be possible for him to create entire records, each containing entire multiverses. Limited resources weren't an issue in the grand scheme of things though, as people tried to ascend the path to godhood, there would certainly be a fair number of conflicts over the especially precious ones...It was with thoughts like this on his mind that Vahn stood high above the Mother Mountain with an 80cm diameter green sphere. He knew that, even if he detonated the Sub-Space orb at the very peak of the mountain, the resultant shockwave would probably collapse several mines and tunnels. The eight Undercities themselves would probably be fine, but the number of casualties amongst the slaves would still be very large. Vahn also suspected landslides and rock showers to occur but, in order to bring an end to future conflicts, he knew a decisive action was required. Thus, after nearly an hour of inspecting the region, Vahn placed the Sub-Space orb into a cavern near the very center of the mountain before fracturing its surface...At the same instant as the orb was fractured, a veritable ocean of Nature Energy poured out from its interior. The inside had been compressed to a 5km space that was highly saturated with Nature energy, to the point that even a High Elf probably would have died from exposure. Even the air inside had a slight emerald hue so, when the orb 'detonated', it created the image of a green sun that instantly consumed the upper half of the mountain. Though he had expected this result, Vahn was still surprised by the sheer power contained within the Sub-Space orb as his own body was immediately reduced to mana particulates that were pushed away with the explosion.When his body had reformed, the mountain now looked more like a volcano, with a spherical mouth, while the surroundings were utterly devastated by the explosion. The curious thing, though Vahn had entirely expected it to happen, was that the once snowy mountain was now completely covered in grass and small plants as a green haze formed a dome around the former peak. Natural energy wasn't the type to disperse very quickly and, unless something siphoned it away, even the high altitude wouldn't be enough to prevent the propagation of vibrant plant life in the area...After overlooking the devastation for a bit, Vahn felt somewhat melancholic but buried the feeling in his heart as he moved to the center of the large impact crater and pulled out one of Yggy's 'hearts'. In the future, this place would become a true paradise while the surrounding landscape would also benefit from the endless infusion of vital energies. As for the crater itself, however, Vahn planned to immortalize the site and prevent the Dwarves, or anyone for that matter, from trying to take advantage of the devastated area for their own purposes. In the future, people would be able to make a pilgrimage to this area, seeing where the once proud mountain once stood and understand the true terror of indiscriminate warfare...Once the 10m tall tree had sprouted, Vahn was greeted by the ever-adorable Yggy as she popped out of the trunk with a slightly mischevious expression on her face. Vahn already knew what she was going to do so he kneeled down and allowed Yggy' to plant a kiss on his cheek, granting him the fourth boost to his [Yggdrasil's Champion]. Each boost had given him about a 2% increase to his Source Energy regeneration rate and, even though it seemed like a small amount, this made it possible for him to replenish his reserves in under twenty minutes. If she granted him all nine, it wouldn't be impossible for him to replenish his entire reserves in under sixteen minutes which, if combined with the Sub Space orb, meant he could be topped off in just 2.5 minutes. In actually, the [Yggdrasil's Champion] buff was slowly turning Vahn into even more of a ridiculous existence than before...After planting an innocent and sloppy kiss on her Papa's cheek, Yggy giggled happily before looking around at her fourth home and saying, "I like this place a lot, it has so much natural energy already~!" Vahn, upon hearing this, showed an affectionate smile while, on the inside, he felt rather awkward hearing Yggy say such a thing. Previously, the dominant energies in this area were Earth, Ice, Water, and a bit of Darkness. It was only by destroying the top of the mountain that it became oversaturated with Nature energy, making it a suitable environment for all types of flora and fauna for the future. Even so, he didn't let the mild incongruity show on his face as he ruffed Yggy's hair and said, "I have to go deal with a few troublesome matters now, Yggy. I'll come by to visit you at the Manor for lunch, okay...?"Yggy, bringing her tiny fists together in excitement, nodded her head with a vibrant smile and said, "Yes~! Don't worry, I'll make sure this area is protected properly, Papa...!" Since she already knew beforehand the purpose behind her heart being planted in this area, Yggy was determined to keep this large crater safe. She would let people enter and walk about freely but, if they tried to take away any of the plants or animals that would come to reside here, she would drive them away very quickly. Terra had already taught her some of the basics of magic and, being extremely quick on the uptake, Yggy could easily defend an area of a few kilometers with ease.After giving Yggy a candy that had, somewhat awkwardly, been made out of a crystallized version of Terra's 'sap', Vahn flew towards the largest structure in the valley, assuming it would put him in touch with someone of authority. The aboveground City, known as the 'City of Gold, Enterprise', was a large port City that served as the consolidation hub for various merchants and businesses. Most of the Dwarves still lived in the Undercities, making the largest population of people present within Enterprise slaves. Vahn was surprised by the sheer number of Beast People present, many wearing nothing more than rags while metallic collars cut into their necks and collarbones.Because of the mountain face exploding, there was a large amount of damage to Enterprise, resulting in tens of thousands of slaves moving about as they rapidly tried to clean the area and repair the damage. It was easy to see they were shaken by the events as even the Dwarves, who would typically beat and berate them at every opportunity, were walking around in low spirits. Their expressions were pale and there were even a few who had been unable to take their eyes off the once majestic mountain, now bereft of its sharp peak. Though it hadn't been the tallest mountain on the Continent, it was still their prided ancestral grounds, now ruined in an instant after an explosion of impossible magnitude...One of these Dwarves was the eldest son of Kanav Mun Ironheart, the current Patriarch of the Ironheart Noble House. He had been in charge of the external businesses of the family for the last thirty years, making a name for himself as the aspiring head of the Ironheart clan. To his fellow merchants, he was known as Sterlaag the 'Mountain', because his expression was always cold and unchangeable. In business, he had been an unshakeable existence, proudly comparing himself to their very Mother Mountain during a few recreational drunken brawls. Now, seeing that very mountain broken, with a large boulder crushing the office where he would normally have been sitting, Sterlaag found himself feeling a series of solemn emotions, unlike anything he had ever experienced before...Vahn had noticed this rather stout figure, appearing to be around his late fifties with dark black hair and an intricately woven beard that extended past his chest. Even the slaves around this man were dressed better than the others, wearing black uniforms with golden accents, so Vahn decided to drop in and make his presence known. Upon dropping down in front of the man, Vahn noticed he hadn't quite processed the reality of the situation as his face warped into one of abject confusion instead of rage. Even so, Vahn increased the pressure on this man and forced him to his knees as he said, "I am Vahn Mason, come to make good on my promise. Go, inform your Elders that this is only the beginning of conflict if they are unwilling to compromise..."Being forced to his knees in an instant, Sterlaag came back to his senses and did his best to resist the pressure weighing him down. His face was filled with indignation and, after hearing Vahn's introduction, an expression of unhinged rage replaced his confusion. However, before he was able to open his mouth and order his slaves and guards to attack, Sterlaag felt the pressure more than double, smashing his body into the ground below as his bones creaked. There was nothing he could do except listen as Vahn's cold tone resounded, "This attack was meant to serve as a warning for what awaits your people if you choose to walk down this errant path. The next attack will be within your Undercities themselves...once again, I will give you three days. If you fail to pass on my message, I will track you down personally and have you watch as your precious cities are destroyed one by one..."After leaving his message, Vahn equipped his [Shadow Visor Mk. 2] and 'vanished' from the area in an instant, though the pressure persisted for several minutes after the fact. He had already identified a large elevator that looked like it shuttled supplies between the surface and the Undercities below. Though he would allow the wealthy merchant to pass on his message, Vahn still wanted to investigate the underground himself to better plan his next course of action. If possible, he wanted to recover Elily's former Master and, depending on the circumstances, free some of the slaves. Vahn knew an absolutely nightmarish scene awaited him when he got to some of the 'slave farms' and, even if it caused some trouble, he would plant to assassinate the staff and plan for the future liberation of the slave population...Vahn fully intended to negotiate terms with the Dwarves but, regardless of how they felt about the matter, there would no longer be slaves within the Iron Hills after he was finished. The Dwarves had mistreated other races for far too long so, even if they had a legitimate claim to some slaves, Vahn didn't care one bit. They had completely lost the right to manage the lives of others and, for the foreseeable future, the Dwarves themselves would be responsible for their own progress. Vahn intended to completely cripple their foundation and force them into a period of reflection and recovery that relied on other countries for their prosperity. There would be no more slaves kept as nothing more than livestock to be worked to their deaths for the sole purpose of greed and sheer laziness.With that thought in mind, Vahn steeled his heart and mind before dropping down the elevator shaft and descending more than five kilometers into the dark depths below. There were several areas where the elevator platform would have stopped but Vahn assumed the 'farms' would be located in the lower levels. He didn't expect the glorious and artistically designed Undercities would be home to a large number of slaves, as their fate had been perpetually toiling away within the mines and endlessly harvesting resources for others to use. At this depth, the air temperature was a steamy 61 degrees Celsius, an extremely uncomfortable temperature for most people. However, here in these dark caverns that seemed completely inhospitable to life, Vahn sensed hundreds of auras moving about, the vast majority of which seemed extremely fatigued while others were on the verge of death...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'League of Legends, anyone...?','June 17th, Zeroth Year of the Emperor, the morning of two suns...','Descent into Hell...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Deep within a cold and dark mine, with the only source of light coming from the Glowstones that were intermittently placed throughout the cavern, there were several groups of Beast People and Pallums clumped together. All around, there were sounds of combat echoing off the hard stone walls, generally followed by blood-curdling screams. As they were very accustomed to hearing these voices shouting, it was possible for some of these ragged individuals to even identify just which of their former 'masters' had just died. Even so, none of them moved, afraid of getting caught up in the chaotic conflict and becoming fodder just to buy time...From a vantage point, high in the sky above the mine, Vahn held his [Khryselakatos] in hand, shooting any fleeing Dwarves in the back while eliminating any messenger birds they tried to send out. This time, instead of dealing with all of the enemies himself, Vahn had left it up to Chloe, Shizune, and a team of twenty 'Shadow Corps' members. Though their average strength was only Level 2, each of the members had been training hard under Chloe for the last two months. This wouldn't give them the necessary strength to deal with some of the more powerful Dwarven warriors but, with powerful equipment, the difference was more than made up as their primary focus was stealth, speed, and precision.Each member of the Shadow Corps either had an Earth, Darkness, or Shadow elemental affinity, which is where they got the name. Most of their members were Cat People but, in order to sneak into small places even easier, there were a number of Pallums in the groups as well. For this particular mission, there were fourteen Cat People, five Pallum, and a single young Chienthrope that had a unique Pure Darkness affinity. He was a peculiar young boy, only fourteen years old, with pitch black hair, pointed ears, a somewhat droopy black tail, and dark orange eyes. Chloe had started training him in much the same way as Shizune, claiming he had a natural inclination towards stealth and assassination...From one of the escape tunnels at the base of the mountain, Vahn saw a group of three Dwarves wearing grey cloaks trying to sneak out and hide amongst the rocky terrain. Since he was trying to prevent information from reaching the Iron Hills, Vahn couldn't let these men escape so easily. He deftly knocked a single arrow that appeared to be wholly made of wood, intricately carved in an ornate and beautiful spiral near the arrowhead.Recently, Yggy had asked if there was anything she could help with and, after understanding the use of her own 'materials', she had started to produce a small grove of 'natural' weapons that had similar qualities. Since the wood she was capable of growing had greater durability than even Damascus Steel, with an incredible affinity for all natural elemental energies, Vahn had produced a few very useful arrows with a variety of different functions...When Vahn loosed this arrow, it traced a pale green blur through the air, though this was something only he could see since it was 'invisible' as a result of his [Call of the Reaper]. It accurately pierced through the back of the closest Dwarf before curving at a sharp angle and piercing the second. The Dwarf that had been leading the group turned to try and parry the arrow but it snaked around his ax in an instant, piercing through his chest without any resistance at all. Then, instead of continuing forward and striking a surface, the arrow zig-zagged through the air once, doubling back, before returning to Vahn's hand.This particular arrow was called a [Wind Chaser], as he could guide the arrow using Wind Elemental manipulation, so long as it was inside of his domain. He didn't even need to use his bow to fire it but, considering the Abilities and benefits from doing so, Vahn still went through the proper motions. It was certainly very 'cool' to be able to manipulate arrows and daggers through his domain, but the power would be drastically reduced. Though it might be a useful ability in the future, it was more important to focus on 'efficiency' at the moment, instead of flair.While waiting for other potential runaways, Vahn kept his focus on the battles taking place within the mines. This particular fortress had been in operation for nearly a century, having kilometers of complex tunnel systems. Fortunately, in order to prevent slaves from sneaking away, a lot of areas were sectioned off and blocked by massive mechanical doors. When the Alliance claimed the mine for themselves in the future, this place would become a powerful stronghold that even had the potential of becoming what the Dwarves referred to as an 'Undercity'. There were no naturally occurring earthquakes on the Continent of Eden so it was relatively safe to build into the ground, instead of just building above it...Within one of the rooms where some of the slaves were hiding away, a Dwarf had just broken into the area after fleeing from the combined attack of two Shadow Corps members. He was Level 3 while the two young men were only Level 2. However, even though they weren't using their [Shadow Visor Mk.1], likely to conserve mana, they weren't losing out in battle. Dwarves typically had lower Agility than most other races, while the two young men were Cat People, possessing remarkable Agility and flexibility. With their A-Rank shortsword, they were steadily pushing the Dwarven warrior back until he had crashed into the room. Upon noticing the slaves hiding away, the man attempted to reach out to use one of them as a shield, only to find a black 'spear' piercing his gut.Fafnir was something of a 'mascot' to the Shadow Corps and, in conjunction with Chloe and Shizune, it had been teaching them the basics on how to use Shadow and Darkness Elemental magic. There weren't any members who could use it just yet, but their affinity with the elements would allow them to become proficient in a year or two. Until then, Fafnir was helping out in the shadows to protect both the slaves and some of the weaker members of the Corps. Since these two were paired together, it was obvious they weren't quite at a level to conduct solo missions just yet. Of course, other than four individuals, the other sixteen members were also paired up, so it wasn't exactly a discredit to their capabilities.As for these four individuals, they were performing their duties in a commendably, almost as if they were ghosts moving through the mines. Among them, there was the Chienthope youth, Kinan, two Cat People, Charle and Bianca, and a rather peculiar Pallum named Skully. She had light pink hair and strange grey eyes that glowed eerily in the dark. With them, Skully was able to see something similar to the 'aura of life', though it wasn't nearly to the extent as Vahn's own ability to see and read auras. Still, while her own presence was very hard to detect, Skully could track people down by locking onto their aura and had become extremely proficient in a very short period of time. There was also the fact that, unlike many of the other Stealth Corps, who used daggers and shortsword, Skully preferred using a crossbow and throwing knives instead.Vahn watched as the auras of the four moved around, quickly dealing with their targets, while Skully would skulk about in the shadows and silently eliminate her foes. There had originally been more than a thousand soldier stationed in this fortress but, after just three hours, their numbers had been reduced to less than a hundred. The fact that none of the Shadow Corps had died, even though Vahn had a hand in that, showed that their skill had developed in an extreme manner over a very short period of time. Though Chloe, Fafnir, and Shizune had taken out most dangerous enemies on their own, before the 'hunt' had begun, it was still promising how quickly they were growing...Remembering how quickly Chloe and Shizune had infiltrated the fortress and eliminated the most powerful warriors in just a few minutes, Vahn couldn't help but think about methods to prevent other capable assassins from infiltrating their own important structures. He had already done a lot to make sure the security of certain areas was almost inviolable but, if there were entities like Fafnir, Chloe, or even Shizune trying to break in, it wasn't impossible for them to do so. Fafnir and Chloe could easily move through the shadows while Shizune...well, she was becoming one of the trump cards of the Alliance.Over the few years she had been training with her [Pactio], Shizune had absorbed the shadows of thousands of monsters. Since she could combine the 'essence' of similar monsters together, even the Goblins and Kobold that Shizune could send out would rival Level 2 Adventurers with ease. The 'scary' part, however, was the fact that, unless you had Magic, or a means to counter the Shadow element in general, it was impossible to kill her summons. Since Shadows could easily move through magic barriers and formations without any resistance whatsoever, Shizune was becoming a monstrous existence with one of the most expansive information networks in the City.This was because, instead of just absorbing monsters' shadows, Shizune was even capable of making shadow summons of animals like worms, beetles, flies, and even ants. These were pests that most people outright ignored, allowing Shizune to have eyes and ears all over the City without any major difficulty. However, these weren't the shadow summons that made her a terrifying enemy to face, as the true terror of Shizune's [Pactio] manifested itself in the form of Humanoid Shadow Beasts and things like Dragons, Trolls, and a swarm of Poison Vermis. Using the latter, Shizune could send a swarm of nigh-unkillable monsters that had the average strength of a Level 2-3 Adventurer, each capable of using poison that could rot flesh from the bone...It was fortunate that Shizune had become a relatively stable and relaxed individual compared to the past, so long as he stopped by to spend time at the Fox Shrine on occasion. She usually spent most of her time, when she wasn't in the Dungeon or the Sub-Space orb, just talking with Loki, Syr, and Chloe. Vahn knew they were using Shizune's network to keep tabs on events transpiring in the City and, even though he felt it was an invasion of privacy, it was undoubtedly very useful. So long as they didn't start exploiting it for nefarious purposes, which was extremely unlikely, Vahn wasn't going to interfere with the steps they took to protect everyone behind the scenes...After another hour, Vahn watched as the Shadow Corps began sweeping the mines to gather up all the slaves while Chloe's voice entered his head, saying, ("We're just about finished up here, Vahn. Did we miss anyone~nya?") Since her 'trainees' had reported the mines to be cleared, Chloe wanted to confirm with Vahn to make sure they weren't already building a habit of making oversights. Vahn, understanding this, cracked a small smile as he responded, ("There were a few that used some secret escape passages, but I managed to deal with them easily. Your Shadow Corps performed very well this time around, Chloe, I'm very impressed...")Since it would be necessary to entrust duties and responsibilities to people he could trust in the future, the entire purpose of this exercise was to give the Corps combat experience while also testing the efficacy of Chloe's training. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that she was a genuine prodigy when it came to the art of assassination and, now that there were numerous proteges training under her, Chloe really was making good on her promise in the past. She was, quite literally, becoming his 'Shadow', especially with the Scouts and Shadow Corps. Now, he just needed to make good on his promise in the future by pulling her into the light and giving her a real family...This was the final fortress subjugation, as Vahn dealt with the other three on his own, and, much like the previous times, he once again extended the same offer to the former slaves. Though some were inspired by the Shadow Corps and sought strength, the majority simply wanted to live free and happy lives. Being able to build a home near the fortress, which would be protected by the Alliance, was something they were more than willing to commit to. Even if Vahn had claimed them as his own slaves, most of them wouldn't have had any problem with the new arrangement, especially with good food and warm clothing. Now that they were 'free', it was possible to see the light of hope reignited in these unfortunate souls once again...In total, it had taken only six days to wipe out all five hidden fortresses operated by the Dwarves. Since they had only used messenger birds and physical missives for communication, it was very likely that the Iron Hills didn't even know their plot had been uncovered. This was made obvious by the fact that, even after the first aerial raid had failed, several others had been launched from the different fortresses. Their original plan was to disorient the forces of the Alliance by attacking from a variety of different trajectories over the course of a two month period. The fact their plot had been broken down in less than a week was something their Commanding Officer likely couldn't even conceive.Now that these fortresses were dealt with, the Dwarves actually had no practical means of attacking any longer. Their closest fortification outside of these five locations was the 'Valley of Iron' located to the south of their Mother Mountain. This was more than 2500km away from the closest base, while being nearly 3500km from Orario itself. It was impossible for them to make a supply line that extended that far, especially with the Elves in a position to easily assault their flank. In other words, the Dwarves of the Iron Hills were stuck turtling in their own territory, forced to stay on the defensive as all their forward operations bases had been completely wiped out.Vahn could already imagine their stone-faced expressions darkening as their complexion paled upon receiving news of these events. However, it was his next course of action that would truly cause them to regret as, for the last six days, Terra and Yggy had been massing a massive amount of natural energy into an unstable Sub-Space orb. The Dwarves seemed very fond of explosives, completely disregarding the victims who would be affected by these malicious inventions, so Vahn wanted to teach them a hard lesson. He would show them an explosion larger than anything they can even imagine...all while feeding enough natural energy into the environment to make it into a prosperous and verdant landscape in the aftermath...(A/N: Guys, today is actually my birthday and I didn't even notice until my Dad called xD... I'm shifting my rest day up to today so there will be the six chapters tomorrow while Sunday will have the standard amount.)(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'So...Ninjas...?','Chloe Lolo, Shadow of the Emperor','Shizune is scary...','Is that what you call just desserts?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/mn5xMbE

Chapter 895: History Teaches Us...