Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

At the peak of Mount Aetherous sat a simple stone house. Unlike the artistic and beautiful designs of the buildings below, this small building was more akin to the simple constructs one would find in a small village or hunting camp. Enjoy more content from empire

However, despite its minuscule size and sheer lack of magnificence, the person who called this place home was Lady Tenia din Aedrider. From here she overlooked her domain and watched over the legendary beasts across the continent. Thanks to the connection this peak had with the monster below, she could keep a watchful eye over everything.

Everything except for Haedda. Well over two centuries ago, the other elf nation began to isolate itself and shortly after, its borders became enshrouded in the same mystical fog that kept those calling the continent home from venturing to the Far Shores beyond.

When this mist fully settled, Tenia's sight over that entire domain was blocked and her connection to the beast presiding over Haedda was severed.

Even the mighty Aetherous was at a loss for what occurred. With his help, she spoke with Leviathan, who holds mastery over the seas. Unfortunately, even it was unsure of what had happened. Other than the denizens of the Far Shores, Leviathan was the only creature who could pass through the mist.

Since then, peace had persisted for two centuries, but now things appeared to be moving…

"Tenia…"

The moment she thought she had a moment to herself after spending so much time around others again, a voice echoed through the stone. It reached out for a response from Tenia and waited silently for her to oblige.

"Aetherous, so was I right?" Tenia's lone voice bounced along the stone before expanding into the abyss of clouds below her. Though the elven palace often sat above the clouds, the peak of the mountain was higher still and was almost always shrouded from the eyes of those below.

"Yes…" the ground rumbled below her. Though there was no audible sound coming through the air, the voice carried itself through the stone and into Tenia's ears thanks to the stone on which she stood.

"The world is once again experiencing change. The old guard continues to fade into the background… right as the battle begins once more."

Tenia scoffed at the creature's words. "Battle? I see no battle. All I saw was a one-sided victory. If a battle were occurring, I don't know from what eyes you saw it you dumb pile of rocks."

The mountain shifted slightly below her feet as a laugh entered her ears that sounded more like the grinding of boulders. "Do not count a loss before the fight is finished. Many twists and turns are still possible; many cards left un-played"

"So you say, but…"

"You are eons too young to ignore my opinion. I was birthed before the First walked among the stone…"

"Stop playing the age card, you over-grown boulder…" Tenia growled. "You're just mad 'cus I lied and made you out to be a monster when you're just a softie at heart."

The lack of response from the mountain told her that she had made her point. However, she had one more question before her old friend slumbered once more. "What happens when the battle is truly over?"

"The chains that bind will break and the Gate will be thrown open once more."

*****

Corva pulled Kalliope away from Yue and Jade once they arrived at her manor. Kalliope was slightly grateful to the elf who was single-minded in her desire to outfit the wolf-girl with an enchanted weapon. However, the terrifying gazes of Yue and Jade remained on her back, and they continued their devious whispering.

The most terrifying part was when they disappeared up the stairs leading to the second floor, while Kalliope was dragged into a basement of sorts. Desmond followed along with her. Lucius seemed mildly curious about the basement which smelled of soot. Before he could cross the threshold a voice from the second floor called him away.

Kalliope tried to reach out for him to join her, but he only smiled and stepped away to answer the call of their friend and the strange-new rabbit girl.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he will be fine. Yue is sweet, but she's not into men like Lucius." Corva said.

Unfortunately, that was not the part that scared Kalliope. Desmond seemed to be aware of that and stifled a chuckle at the situation. Even though she could easily kick his ass up Mount Aetherous and back, he was unperturbed by Kalliope's glare.

As they approached what seemed to be the bottom of the stairs, everyone noticed the marked increase in temperature. The smell alone indicated that this place was a forge, but entering the room itself showed how impressive of a place it truly was.

The walls were made of smooth stone, and strange, glowing crystals were set at equal spaces around them. It was unclear what the crystals did, but they glowed with a healthy amount of mana. Lining the walls was a series of different kinds of equipment that neither of the non-elves had ever seen before.

There were several different forges of varying sizes with some using different kinds of fuel to fire them. A few of them were even powered with what could only be described as coals that never seemed to dim. Corva explained them to be special mana crystals imbued with Magma Magic runes. They were not naturally occurring objects, but they were created with the idea of mithril smithing in mind.

Since mithril was a delicate material to work with, temperature control was extremely important. Though Corva said she preferred the more traditional method for her favorite creations, these crystals helped her forge an experimental piece quickly and efficiently for testing purposes.

She also showed off some sort of magically powered hammer. It was made of metal and lined with dozens of mana crystals. Corva turned it on, and a large metal rod that hung over the top of a small anvil began to thrust down before being pulled back up and then repeated the process endlessly until Corva released the foot lever that activated it.

"That's a Mana Hammer. Good for quick stuff. But again, I prefer the good 'ol fashion touch." Corva explained. "Alright, Desmond probably wants a spear. What would you like, Kalliope? Sword, shield, dagger?"n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Still a little awestruck at the different equipment around her, including the dozens that Corva did not explain, Kalliope barely managed to answer, "Sword."

The enchanter nodded and began to take measurements for both Kalliope and Desmond. Since she was making custom items for them, she wanted to ensure they were the proper weight and length for the users' bodies. Sure, she could go with basic lengths and weights based on the type of weapons, but if Corva was going to make them something special, why not go all out?

Rather, that's what the elf explained. Kalliope was unsure about it because she had never had a custom weapon made for her. It was her assumption that all the personalization was in the enchantment requests or style requests if it was a showpiece for a fat noble.

Both she and Desmond also provided their compatibilities so that Corva could come up with enchantments for their weapons that would best suit each of them.

"Don't we get to have a say in our new weapons?" Desmond asked carefully.

His words were met with a dangerous glare from Corva. "If I'm making you a custom weapon, I am customizing it."

"If it's for us…"

"Shush!" Corva interrupted, "I'm the master blacksmith and enchanter here. You are just a numbskull with muscles for brains. I've got your measurements and your Compatibilities, now shoo! I have work to do!"

Desmond hung his head and slowly left the workshop with Corva's angry glare still trained on his back. Kalliope stood stark still for a moment, trying to gather the courage to ask a question. Though she was much stronger than the woman in front of her, the chance at losing a powerful weapon was too great to earn her ire.

"What do you want?"

"Before we leave… I have a favor to ask. Not about my sword."

Corva raised her eyebrow before sizing Kalliope up and down for a moment. Though Kalliope had no idea why, she simply let it happen if it would appease the woman. After several moments, Corva stepped back and gestured for Kalliope to continue.

She quickly went on to explain what she wanted to be made and hoped that Corva would pull it off quickly and before she started to work on the weapons.

"Alright, you've piqued my interest… sure, give me a few. Now scram!"

Kalliope quickly rushed up the stairs to exit the forge. As she stepped out into the main hall, she was able to gather a fresh breath of air that did not smell of metal, oil, or ash. Once again, elven technology astounded her as there seemed to be some air purification qualities imbued into the doors leading to the house.

"Oh, Kalliope…"

A shudder ran through her body as she heard a terrifying call from the woman named Jade, who she once called a friend. Before she could react, Yue and Jade clamped onto either side of her arms and dragged her up to the stairs and to the baths.