Chapter 169 - Elite Guards

The screen displayed in detail an array of information. Most were inconsequential apart from the last entry. It felt vague and unfinished. Nevertheless, her location was discovered for it said that the mission would be in Kreston.

"Uncle," Axius called out.

"What is it?" he turned around.

"Did you find mother yet?" the boy rushed over to the desk.

"I think so, it will take some time before I can fully track her down," with a smile – they left the house and headed back to the shop. The time now was around two, the sun continued to shine without care.

A few minutes later, "what are you guys doing?" Staxius asked seeing as the adventuring party returned.

"Diane has asked for you," Undrar replied. They came back to deliver a message and gather up on supplies. The few unsold potions were taken out.

"Did it seem urgent?" he didn't want to head to the guild – not now anyways.

"I don't think so, it's probably linked to the masked murderer who became active a few days ago," leaving him and the nephew alone – the rest walked out the front door.

'How impressive can people be,' he watched with pride as the members left to conquer a quest. "Avon," he called out.

"How may I be of service," the eyes sparkled, the voice mischievous, nothing changed.

"I'll need you and Auic to take care of Axius for a few hours." There wasn't a need to explain his actions, the duo agreed and he vanished in a blue mist.

Stood on a balcony with Arda's capital laid out in front, he breathed in the always fresh air. 'Good to be back,' a smile was seen. 'Guess it's time to go to work,' sat with no one around, the left eye closed. "Adete, I'll need help," to which the girl flew into action. She rested on the right shoulder; the face looked peaceful – both went into a trance. It became familiar and less difficult to control, the days of practicing and forcefully looking outside the reach of the eyes – it made mastery a little faster. The goal now was to scout out Kreston and look for Claudia; with a picture of her as a kid, tis was the only evidence.

"Your majesty," stood near the throne, the sage called.

"Yes, I feel it," her face changed, "-it's him," her eyes grew less tense. They were in the middle of a congress amidst the other leaders. Each race had rushed over, the monster problem had grown out of hand. The royal guards alone could not handle said situation. Goblins made nests outside, their population grew rapidly. Elves and dark-elves went through a fight. Their disparities and blatant disrespect towards one another had brought about this talk. Tis was a pointless quarrel about the correct way to deal with the pests. Dark-elves were pro-magic, they were adamant that spells were the most efficient way to fight. Elves, on the contrary, didn't oppose the idea but suggested that bows and other weapons might be as effective.  

"Do watch your tone," a deep voice rattled the ambiance. The spat between the elves had grown out of hands. "Have you forgotten that each one of you sits in the presence of her majesty the queen – can you be a little more tactful and leave the pointless arguments for another time," the eyes raged, the tone serious and intent murderous, general Niroz was truly frightening.

"I've heard enough," Shanna spoke, "-seeing we don't have an efficient means of fighting off the invaders. I propose that rather than the royal guards fighting alone; we create a band of fighters. Ones that will exclusively deal with monsters for the time being. Five of the best fighters from each race, I care not about disparities; tis my will that all are to work together. I know full well that Arda is a very vast kingdom with each race having a territory to rule. This time, it's a do or dies situation, I only request five fighters from each race. I'll personally send my elite guards in hopes of helping."

The Night Wings, it sent shivers down the leaders' spine. Her elite guards were not normal beings, but fighters and mages who had reached the realm of impossible. Individuals who remained in the shadows – their power was rumored on par with champions of old. A fairy who ascended into an angel had the authority to control people with far more power than the average.

From being initially made of vampires alone, Xula decided it best to release some members and stick with five. The fewer people, the faster information could travel and the less hassle to maintain. Their identities were unknown: there were stories about a man that could split a mountain in half. A girl who held absolute authority over fire and lightning, not only the elements but the spirits as well. A man so quiet and silent that he turned invisible. An elf who could shoot in any given position, angle, distance, and always hit her target. Lastly, a vampire, a direct descendant from Zachaeus Balthazar.

Those were the rumors that spread throughout the castle.

"Your majesty," Ruslan spoke, "-are you sure it's wise to bring them out at such an early stage?" he knew about the guard unit.

"They have trained and stayed in the shadows for too long – it's time to prove their worth. Niroz, you're in charge of guiding and forming platoons as deemed necessary. If by chance a race isn't able to send out the required amount, do contact Ruslan and arrange for only one. Strength in union," she smiled, her authority was fearsome. None could ever dream of betraying much less trying to lead a revolt.

The congress ended; a temporary solution was found. One by one, portals were summoned and each leader headed back to their territory. "It's finally over," she breathed a sigh of relief, the talk had gone on for three hours.

"You best get going," the sage disappeared. The queen was left alone to rest, more importantly, she wanted to see Staxius. *Snap,*

Laid on the balcony, he bled, the right eye worked tirelessly. The strain put on the mind was slightly lessened by Adete. Despite this, the pain grew numb, he felt nothing. Dark-arts kicked in to help soothe said agony. The search went on and on, Xula sat and laid beside him. The attention was solely fixated on finding Claudia. The surrounding grew to be oblivious, a small bubble of emptiness and silence.

Dusk claimed it's rightful place, the sun headed to sleep. Nighttime strolled in, it had been five hours, stars came out to play. The town lit of a thousand lights, people moved about, it felt more alive than daytime. *Cough,* blood sprayed out, the trance broke. "Huff, puff,* the breathing erratic, he awoke.

"Did you find it?" Adete came to life. "I think so," he replied, the mind slowly returned to reality. An unusual warmth came from the right, the smell of rose and vegetations. He turned to see green hair; a sound asleep Xula. Her hands wrapped around as if a prison, one warm and gentle. A smile later, he scurried inside, grabbed a blanket, came out, and covered the sleeping queen.  

'It sure is nice to have someone precious,' the body leaned on the bal.u.s.trade and faced Shanna. The starry night stood behind; the eyes could not but watch intently, her beauty could not be described. The trip to the imperial capital, coming in contact with people of fame and beauty, neither one could compare. 'I do wonder about the whole angel conduit thing. It's still rough, there haven't been any changes to my body, unlike the vampire blood. I was sure that it would have at least made me grow a pair of wings or a halo,' he chuckled, the mind felt relaxed.

*Snap,* not wanting to wake the lady, he teleported inside the garage. The body fatigued from the stress of using the All-seeing eyes, he stumbled a little before returning to normal. As expected, the stuff was untouched, the supplies of potions, scrolls, and samples for God's Ale.

'Interesting,' hidden by a white blanket with the engineering crest embroidered – Staxius unveiled a masterpiece. 'I can't believe it,' the apparatuses brought in were altered. It had been made ten-times better; at first glance, one could use mana to directly influence the brewing process. A white table with every possible equipment built-in, it looked as clean and tidy as the stuff made in Iqeavea. 'You can always count on them to get the job done, from Tharis to now this.'– Staxius's respect for the scholars sky-rocketed. It looked good and all, but there remained a slight problem; the table was as big as Void if not longer. In no way was it going to fit inside the shop's room.

At that moment, an idea came to mind. The wall in Dorchester proved to be the inspiration. Excited, he ran out of the garage and searched all over the castle for the sage. He went from the throne room to the kitchen and even the portal room.

"King Staxius," the portal room felt tense, "-the sage is currently in a tavern enjoying the weekly special meals," her tone felt scared.

"Is there any way to contact dwarves or master builders?" the tone formal. It might not have looked apparent, but the lady behind the desk had information about almost everything.

"Your majesty, if tis the dwarves you seek then may I advise looking for Skokdrag. He should be down in the mines for the nightly check," a portal materialized.

"Thanks for the help," he stepped through.

Magma ran down below; a circular platform went around the vicinity. In the middle of said circle, a smelter that used the power of the liquid below for the crafting of weapons and armor. Sweat instantly dripped, the heat felt suffocating. Around the edges of the platform, various tunnels headed deeper into the ground.

"What ya doing 'ere?" a rather short but buffed out man spoke. A white-beard, a pick-ax on the back with a helmet.

"I apologize for the inconvenience, but I'd like to speak to Skokdrag, is there any way I can find him?"

"Ya looking right at him," the accent felt harsh but fascinating.

"I require someone to help me in renovating and constructing a building," the voice formal and polite.

"Don't think I can 'elp ya lad, orders are orders," lighting wasn't great, he walked away.

"Would it help if I said I was Staxius Haggard?" the dwarf stopped.

"Ha-ha, nice joke lad, but you ain't no king of Arda," he replied with a fake laugh.

"Care to see?" *Snap,* the void flame conjured and helped visibility.

He turned, *cough,* the accent changed, "I'm sorry for being rough on ya," it grew more audible and refined.  

"There isn't a need to be frightened friend, tis but a favor I require. Of course, there's gold involved."

"Gold ya say, but majesty, us dwarves don't care about such thing," the face stern, money wasn't going to change the situation.

"What about a favor for a favor?" the proposition piqued the dwarf's interest.

"Hhmmm," he took a few seconds; faintly in the background, a growl could be heard. Overshadowed by the clanging of blacksmiths working, the noise could have gone unnoticed. "How about this," the voice felt a little hesitant, "-defeat whatever is making dat noise and consider that building built."

'Here I thought it would be some troublesome favor. Turns out it's probably a monster, what better way to save time.'

The dwarf looked scared, the noise rattled others, the blacksmiths stopped working. "Consider the job done, Skokdrag," without another word said; *Death Element: shadow-step,* he dashed into the tunnel from whence the noise hailed.  

'This is why they stopped working,' a clearing in the path leading down reeked of blood and iron. A beast feasted on the corpse of the previous workers. The body of a lion paired with a snake on it's back. Each bite it took, the creature grew in size. Both eyes closed to check on the aura; a raging fireball. The extent of its power, blood red and growing with each passing second. 'This is going to be fun,' long had it been since a fight with a monster; an unknown foe – the thrill of combat filled his mind, the eyes opened; blank.