Gelbaron: The Forsaken Saga

[Mercinus3]

Link to OoC thread: Here

Setting

In the world of Gelbaron, 6 grand continents filled the landscape of the world. The entire world is slightly larger than the world that we would call home. One of the continents is about 1/3 of the size of Pangaea, being smaller than Asia. Each continent held the extremes of Earth’s harshest terrain, ranging from a place of extreme cold to mountains that would be able to block out the sun to the unbearable heat of an expansive desert. 

The smallest continent, Eoqusse, has many ecosystems within it, ranging from the only fungus forest in the world to the small inland sea that takes up over 1/3 of the continent. Feraena Forest is one of the four forests in the entire world, with it being the only fungus forest in the world. Some of the vegetation in the forest can reach the height of the tallest trees in Garresch Rainforest in Gelbeterron. The next place of interest is the Plains of Irilkon. The vast thunder plains is nothing but stormy, the landscape being filled with metallic stalactites and rusted tors. Surprisingly, even though there is lightning streaks that goes on for miles, there is rarely any rain in the plains. At the heart of the plains is Levia, the capital of Eoqusse, being nicknamed Lightning City because it is where most of the lightning is directed to. In the heart of the inland sea is a mysterious island that is home to the landmark called the Ruined Mansion. No one knows where it came from, but no one has returned from their venture there because of a mysterious 'curse' that the house supposedly have. 

The continent of Galacteo, the second smallest continent, holds the hazards of ice and freezing temperatures. Only the edges of Galacteo hold the urban lands, since the Icy Wastelands were very hostile, and remained uninhabitable since time began. Tales have been heard that the temperatures throughout the land goes below -100 F, leaving those that venture into the heart of the Icy Wastelands freezing in a matter of seconds. The only few that are able to withstand the temperatures of Galacteo are the People of the Ice. They alone are adapted to the harsh blizzards and are reputably called the 'True Humans'. The capital, which is set in the Icy Wastelands is Gelidaro, or the Blue Star of Galacteo to outsiders of the continent. Rumours have it that there is a mysterious creature that lives in the heart of the Icy Wasteland, which was the cause for the majestic Drægar to move away from the waters that split the two landmasses. 

Taelvera is the fiery continent. It is home to the largest volcano in the world, one which is reputable for the many deaths that it possesses during the many descents of the fire pilgrims that mainly reside in the continent. Mortalio Mountain is the highest point in the world, reaching the same height of Mount Everest. The continent's name is derived from the massive caldera that takes up nearly the entire continent, the entire area marked out by the famous Infernus Halo. The only safe passage through the entire Halo, which is nothing but a massive ring of lava, is through the capital city, Flæris, on the east of the ring. Those that come from the port city of Liaut will either try and brave the perilous passage through the Halo, infested by the thousands of burning undead that take a hold on it, or travel several hundreds of miles around to get to the capital city. According to the book of mythos in the libraries of Flæris, there is a mysterious surprise at the heart of Mortalio Mountain that no one has yet to see.

The third largest continent, Aureanus, is the south pole of the world. It has a similar climate to Galacteo, but the temperature is warmer than its sister continent. It is always sunny, though the gentle winds that brush across the landscape makes the warm rays of the sun cold. With the sun constantly shining down, the landscape is constantly bright, making it hard for travelers to see what dangers would approach them. The creatures in Aureanus, notably the elusive White Halergeth (a large, white lizard that is a similar build to a Komodo Dragon), are several times more vicious than anything seen in Galacteo, making the trek more dangerous. The continent is has two ice shelfs, one nearly splitting the continent into two landmasses, are the main features of the continent. Glaciera is, though not as beautifully sculpted as the ice buildings in Gelidaro, a beautiful city to visit.

Out of the two largest continents, the landscape of Celbaron is expansive. The Celbarean Desert alone is the biggest area of nature in the entire world, taking up nearly 2/3 of the area of the continent itself. The desert itself is one of the hottest places on the entire world, second only to the caldera of Taelvera and the Infernus Barbie Horse Adventures. The unbearable rays of the sun and the lack of clouds are certain to leave people traveling the desert wanting to drink constantly. The nights, due to the lack of shelter, gets very cold, though not as cold as the two ice continents. Sandstorms are prevalent towards the heart of the desert and near one of the capitals of the continent, Salizærba. Amaroth Mountains has the second largest volcano in the world, the Volcano of Caern, and the Head of Celbaron is the smallest mountain range in the entire world. Malea is the city on the edge of the Land of the Malou, badlands that have heat extremes that makes the Celbarean look like a cold place. The only thing that stops the lands from being the hottest place is the clouds that frequently come from the mountains.

The final continent of Gelbeterron, its size overshadowing Celbaron by a fair margin, held the mountains, rolling plains and the massive forests. The Gateway to Gelbeterron is the largest mountain range in the world, over 5 times the size of the Head of Celbaron, though it is still smaller than the Celbarean Desert. Roads have been built for a thousand years so the Beacon of Hope and Galbeez are linked. However, during the times when the roads were made, several road builders made roads that led through the mountains, either leading to a longer road to either of the two cities, or to an inevitable death. All around Gelbeterron knows this about these mountains; if you are unprepared, and enter the Gateway, you will never reach the other side of it, leading to the hands of starvation or the hands of the hostile life forms that dwell inside. The other mountains that are in Gelbeterron are the amply named 'Werepyre' Mountains, where fiendish creatures of the night are able to rip a full grown man in their bare hands. Folia Forest and Jaeltreg Forest are forests that are home to deciduous and coniferous trees respectably. Garresch Rainforest is the only rainforest in the entire world, placed in between the Gateway and 'Werepyre' Mountains, where it continuously rains, save for the Beacon of Hope that is Terrubane. Silvæa is the other capital of Gelbeterron, which is at the heart of Jaeltreg Forest.

Gelbeterron, Celbaron and, to some extent, Galacteo and Aureanus is split up by the massive Aranth Ocean. The waters are more tropical than some of the other oceans, which makes the coastlines around it some attractive places for families to go and spend the day. Towards the heart of Aranth, Axehead Islands and Solitude Island is placed. Solitude Island is a place of absolute tranquility, no human ever marring the beauty that the island has, each tree placed in the ground to perfection. Axehead Islands, on the other hand, still has some beauty. The small group of islands are marred with the rumours of pirates inhabiting the islands being something that forces merchant ships to keep their eyes out onto the horizon. However, Axehead Islands and Solitude Island held beauty, both are haunted by the final group of islands, only known as the Unforgiven Islands. Once renowned for being the islands that was home to the famous blacksmith, Calelotte, and some of the finest craftsmanship that the world has seen. On the other hand, they were also the islands that led to his downfall. Once a lush green island, now only black ground and death reside on the island.

The second largest ocean in the world is Daergren Ocean, the ocean that links Galacteo, the north of Gelbeterron and the north of Taelvera. Due to the nature that the ocean being so close to the cold continent, the waters that makes up the ocean is icy cold, able to freeze someone to death within minutes of exposure. Not even the massive amounts of layers to keep a person's body warm is unable to keep that person alive. There is also the danger that there is various icebergs floating in the ocean that makes it too dangerous for sea faring folk to travel in, lest they want to crash into them. Each iceberg is unique in size and shape, decreasing the chance to meet an iceberg of the same size and shape in the ocean to zero. This is also the ocean that a few of the largest Drægars live, being able to survive the monster that lives in the deep. Rumours have it that this beast lives in the waters that run between the two landmasses that make up Galacteo.

The relationship between Kælgreth and Daergren Ocean is the same as the relationship between Galacteo and Aureanus. The only difference between the second largest ocean and the ocean that links Aureanus and the south of Celbaron and Eoqusse is that the temperature is halfway between Aranth Ocean and Daergren Ocean. The waters are crystal blue, able to see to the underwater mountains that are underneath the surface of the water. Rumours have it that there is an ancient city that resides in these mountains, but many explorers have found nothing when they tried various methods of looking at the bottom of those ridges. These include Far-Sight, a spell that is able to see places in far away. There is no visible means of actually going to the bottom of Kælgreth because of the vicious creatures that lurks in the deep, including those that can drain those that use Far-Sight.

Finally, the smallest of all the oceans and seas that links the continents together is Beloth Sea, commonly known as 'Aranth's little sister'. Linking Galacteo, Taelvera and Celbaron, the sea is in the similar temperature range to Kaelgreth Ocean, though it is more towards the warm temperatures of Aranth, since it is close to two of the hottest continents in the world. Despite being near Daergren and Aranth Ocean, there is no Drægars in Beloth. Instead, there is the Derapherons, or the 'three headed shark' as it is rumoured to look like. The creature is rarely seen by sailors and it is even rarer that there are any survivors from the ships that come across one. Various descriptions are used because the experience of meeting one is horrific to those that look upon it.

Plot

The balance between good and evil has always been a difficult one to define. While most scholars believe that it is a broad subject, others believe it is very delicate and that the balance is very easy to tip towards either side. Whatever the balance, the two gods of good and evil, the Dark Ancient and Light Ancient, have sword their duty to make sure that the balance is kept and that the world of Gelbaron doesn't fall into ruin, whichever way the balance went. Everything bad that happened somewhere in the world, the Light Ancient made sure that there is another act somewhere else in the world that was a good act. Likewise, if something good happened in the world, the Dark Ancient made sure that a sinister act had passed his eyes somewhere else in the world. Everything seemed to be in order and everyone was pleased that their world was all together and in unity.

Then... the balance broke.

1500 years ago, a war broke out between two continents, one determined that the rebelling peasants that used to live on the outskirts of the city of Conuence didn't create their own city, who was led by one man called Terranus Ar'ren Bane. Before the two sides waged against war and over a thousand evil acts were committed, the two gods were sent to the world, right in between the two armies. They both went to one of the armies each and said the few words that would strike into the heart of man. “Fight now... you will destroy the world that you live in.” At that point in time, the idea of keeping the balance between the two sides disappeared from the Dark Ancient's mind and started to plan for tipping the balance into evil and make the King of Gods banish the Light Ancient forever into Limbo.

During the times after the prevented war and making sure the balance was kept, the Dark Ancient, with the use of the mighty Dark Aura, crafted 20 orbs of pure evil. Knowing that each of the orbs would make man do the worst of deeds possible, he laughed to himself, knowing that this was the perfect way to banish the Light Ancient forever. Without paying attention to what was around him, he cast all 20 orbs into Gelbaron, making sure that they attract as much attention to their destructive powers that would make any humanoid investigate their cause. 10 of these orbs had disappeared in the south of the desert continent, Celbaron, while the other 10 disappeared throughout the rest of the world. However, just as he finish casting the orbs, the Light Ancient saw the sinister act that had been committed and the effects that the orbs had afterwards. The lands in the deep south of Celbaron changed, transforming from the palm tree forest into a vast wasteland. The Creatures, noticing the change, disappeared from their only home and disappeared to the different continents to find another home. Even the humanoids that lived in Malea into vile creature that are now known as the Maloux.

Knowing that something needs to be done, the Light Ancient turned away from her sworn duties of keeping the balance and thought about the things that needed to be done to make sure that the evil that her brother had done would be countered and make sure that no evil would tip that balance. Instead of creating orbs that would counter the dark orb's effects, she crafted 20 people that would be the ones who would find the orbs and destroy them, sacrificing their lives to maintain the balance. She called the 20 the Disciples of Light, allowing them to use Light Aura to destroy the orbs once and for all. She sent them all over the world, making sure that they are somewhere that the orbs could be. The Dark Ancient saw this and had ordered beings of his dark order to find and destroy these Disciples.

While all of the wars were happening for the next 1200 years, one man, Callelotte, travelled through the Amroth Mountains and discovered something that would somewhat make him famous in future years for something that would make him a risen god. Holding the things that he had discovered, knowing that they were metal ores of unknown origin, he returned to his home on a few, unnamed islands just south west of the Head of Celbaron. Several decades later and the sudden disappearance of the legendary warrior Galreth, the islands that were his home transformed, twisted by evil and turning it into a vast land of darkness, now known as the Unforgiven Islands.

Everything went silent for a few centuries, nothing happening, no one aware of the hidden war that was brewing between the two gods. Then, as if a plague had started, an unknown evil started to spread across the land from the Amroth Mountains and the Volcano of Caern. The unknown evil spread northwards and everything started to fall apart. Berenol and the southern half of Qucndel were the first cities to fall to this evil, with the north of Qucndel almost falling. Over on Gelbeterron, the Werepyres have suddenly turned their hungry eyes away from the chaotic Chaldon and focused their eyes on the capital city in the north, Terrubane. Several sieges occurred around Terrubane, even during the Siege of the Scourge, but the one thing that had been repelling the Werepyres was a band of mercenaries, a group of warriors that have been named Mercenaries to protect anyone from evil that poses a threat on the city. After the Siege of the Scourge, Terrubane became known as the Beacon of Hope, with the many feats that the city had accomplished against the fierce beings of the Werepyre Mountains.

However, the next siege from the Werepyres, led by an unknown man called Lord Sacremento, an unknown lord that is said to be controlling both the forces on Gelbeterron and Celbaron, is amassing onto the city once more, resulting in the near destruction of the city and the near annihilation of the mercenaries. During the dark times, there is still a flicker of hope for all of Gelbaron. Now, a small band of warriors must rise from nothing and must stand between the beings of darkness and the total destruction of Gelbaron.

[Mercinus3]

5 years ago...

Smoke billowed over the smouldering ruins of the city of Terrubane. Those that had lived in the city before the siege occurred had disappeared into Garresch Rainforest and the Gateway to Gelbeterron. The many mercenaries that had sworn their lives to protect the city was either panting very hard or lying on the ground, their lives spent doing their own duty. The mercenaries were scattered in with the massive, battle-worn frames of the Werepyres, led by a leader that neither they nor the mercenaries have seen. While there was a variety of different mercenaries, some being elves and, occasionally, a Drægarian. Most of the bodies that have been lying on the ground from the mercenaries were human, their disadvantage against the other races leading to their demises. However, despite all of this, there was only one more human mercenary left.

In the centre of the battlefield, two figures stood out from the rest of the surviving combatants. One of them, the leader of the this siege's attacking force, Wing of Terror, dominated the massive battlefield in height, standing at 9'11”. His large, bat-like wings from his vampyric heritage was stretched out at a greater distance. His fur, jet black from the smoke that billowed from the nearby building. His dark, blood-red eyes looked onwards towards the other combatant, his left eye being scarred from a previous battle against the mercenaries. Another scar, though this one recent and bloodied from the battle that was taking place. He stood there, his entire body facing the mercenary that was in front of him. “You have lost, mercenary. The Beacon of Hope is destroyed. There is no hope for you now. Each of my brethren would need at least 10 mercenaries to bring them down, which you do not have any more. There is only one choice for you to make. Submit to Lord Sacremento and all of your surviving mercenaries' lives shall be spared from the possible massacre.”

The man in front of him, barely reaching his twenties, chuckled at the prospect. Despite him being very small against the Werepyre, being only 5'11”, there is an aura around him. One that seemed to gave the rest of the mercenaries hope for their bleak future. His semi-long, dark blond hair was a complete mess from the battle, bits of blood caking in it. Despite the massive scar that ran across his face, cutting across his right eye and ending on the left side of his face downwards, his crystal blue eyes were deep and had a sense of unnatural knowledge that hid behind his tough, seemingly thuggish appearance. His battle armour simply commanded everyone around him to give an impression that he is every inch a warrior, the studded jerkin being worn from being worn one too many times. Over the top of that was a breastplate, slightly rusty from what might be improper care in its past. His gauntlets and fauld were the same as well, though the former had spikes on them that were worn and pointless, dealing not a lot of damage when punching enemies. A pair of brown cotton trousers were worn underneath the fauld, slightly torn from snagging on sharp objects. Finally, his boots seem to have a riding appearance, though they probably made it easier for him to run at his opponents and movement in general. On the left side of his hip were two sheaths, one which was used for a dagger and another for a longsword which was in his hand. The right side of his hip had a holder for a flintlock pistol, a new piece of technology that could fire at a much further distance than a bow. In his hand was a sword of fine craftsmanship, the blacksmith being of unknown origin. It had a beautifully crafted handle made of gold, with the guard curling slightly towards the pommel. The pommel was made of a turquoise stone, which the name of it being long forgotten. The blade itself was fairly long, standing at 1.2m in length. Instead of it being made of ordinary steel, which gave it a metallic grey appearance, the steel had been melted and created with a bit of rare Blue Rite. This gives the blade an icy blue colour and allowed it to glow in the same colour. The gold runes that ran along the blade translated to Silver Moon in a language that had been created by a race that existed thousands of years ago. After a minute of chuckling, he looked up at the Werepyre. “Terrubane destroyed? If the people who lived in the city live on, even if we are no more. They will rebuild the city and more mercenaries will carry on with the work that we were doing. This battle is not yours, neither would it be this Lord Sacremento's. I say that you submit to the mercenaries of the world. Submit and your Werepyres will be spared.“

Whether it was a brave thing or rather futile attempt to say that the mercenaries are ready for their last stand, the large brute snapped. “Don't you spew out the same Phrases that I have said, Mercinus Greyback! My Werepyres will rip your mercenaries to shreds. If your ignorance is your answer... Then so be it... Werepyres... DESTROY THEM!” Wing of Terror bellowed the last few words, allowing everyone in Lord Sacremento's small army to hear the order. “BRING THEM TO THE GROUND!” The remaining half werewolf, half vampires knew what to do and charged towards the remaining mercenaries. Wing of Terror turned towards his smaller opponent and charged, his gigantic wings propelling him towards the human.

However, things had changed over the past few days of the siege's tactics. The mercenaries allowed them to charge, striking the beasts when they were last expecting it. Those that were unprepared for the surprise counter-attack died instantly while the semi-prepared were injured in hard ways. After the initial charge, the same sight of battle could be seen. One of the mercenaries had managed to kill one of the Werepyres that were charging towards him. However, the dying Werepyre reached out and tore the arm off the victorious mercenary, blood spraying out of the screaming mercenary's stump. Despite the height and strength advantage that they had, the Werepyres were starting to be beaten back by the small but ferocious mercenaries, the sight of hope now filling every one of them.

Meanwhile, Wing of Terror gained ground towards Mercinus, his claws ready to rip the man to shreds with his claws, no matter if he was wearing armour. Facing many Werepyres that had done the same tactic before, Greyback sidestepped out of the way, Silver Moon poised in his hands above his head. Knowing that the Werepyre was caught by surprise and left defenceless, he whipped the blade down, the icy blue edge biting into the beast's right arm. The flawless blade, the sharpness of it combined with the speed that its owner had struck it with, cleaved through the arm with a bit of difficulty through the bone. Wing of Terror howled in pain, completely shocked at the loss of his arm as he stared at the bleeding stump. “You should have taken the offer, Werepyre,” Mercinus called out, the taunt apparent in his voice. While making his appearance seem like he was grieving for his arm, the beast lashed out at break-neck speed, the other claw reaching out to grab the human in a crushing grip. Taken by surprise by this, the mercenary lifted the longsword up and braced himself. As both flesh met against the flat edge of the weapon, Mercinus was knocked back several feet from the blow, landing on the ground. The Werepyre carried on with his charge, allowing the momentum to aim the claw towards the mercenary's head and crush it like a nut in a nutcracker.

However, during the attack, the Werepyre suddenly realized that the move was its downfall. Mercinus was already planning his counter attack and rolled along the ground, evading the massive claw from driving his head into the ground. Raising the longsword up, he lunged towards the exposed chest and lunged, the blade ripping through flesh and bone. Without any more sound, the Werepyre fell to the ground, his body becoming limp from the attack. While looking pleased with the result, the mercenary sheathed the glowing blade and turned to walk away. Knowing he had the element of surpise, Wing of Terror got himself back up on the stump and lashed out at the mercenary.

Pain seared through Mercinus's back as the claws ripped through metal, leather and flesh, leaving three gashes in his back that went down to the bone. Knowing that there is still a threat, he whipped his body around completely, his left hand reaching towards the handle of the gun, he finished turning around, aimed the gun at the beast's head and fired, the point-blanc range ripping through the Werepyre's head and scattered his brains across the bloodied battlefield. Seeing the remaining Werepyres being routed by the mercenaries, Mercinus collapsed onto his knees, the pain searing through his back and fell, dropping the gun onto the ground. Then, he fell into unconsciousness.

--------------

During his unconsciousness, Mercinus's subconscious appeared in darkness. Realizing that he wasn't going anywhere until his body regained consciousness, he sat down onto the ground, and rested his head on his knuckles. This is useless... I could well be dead because of those Werepyres! he spoke in his subconscious, angry with himself for letting his guard down for Wings of Terror to strike him with a wound that would possibly kill him. That was stupid of me! Why did I turn my back on that damned Werepyre? I should have made sure that he was dead before I left! GRRRR! Having been here before during his teenage years, he picked up a black ball that transformed into a stone in his hand, and threw it. Realizing that nothing was achieved in throwing the black blob, he rested his head on his hands, and sighed.

Suddenly, from the stone, a shining white light pierced the vast darkness. It glared into Mercinus's eyes, forcing him to shield them. After an intense few minutes, the light faded away, and in the stone's place, was a figure. The man was old, from what Mercinus saw, looking like he was in his late 50s, early 60s. However, Mercinus knew that this man was not as old as his appearance looked, having been here during one terrible event during his childhood, now having a constant fear of getting brought down by those that he thought were his friends. The figure had a well built body, but had no hair. The figure's eyes were exactly like Mercinus's, deep blue with the look of wisdom and knowledge in them. He was wearing nothing but a yellow, nearly golden toga, and had a sword strapped across his back. This weapon was not like any normal blade. This blade glimmered in the darkned in a gold radiance, much like the blue radiance that Mercinus's claymore had. It was a single edged blade, with a gun barrel running along the top of the unbladed edge.

The figure stepped forward after a few intense minutes, and finally broke the silence. Hello again, Mercinus Greyback. I haven't seen you since the time when you nearly died from that suicide attempt. You have been doing well since our last encounter... Mercinus, realizing that it was the being that he met a long time ago, jumped up from the floor, and stared in surprise.

Hello again, whoever you are... It seems to be that some Werepyres have destroyed the Beacon of Hope, bringing me here again. First of all, before we talk again... Who are you? How do you know me, since you knew my name before our last conversation? Why does your sword have the same glow my sword has? Answer me these questions first before we talk again... Mercinus spoke to the entity, determined to receive the answers to the age-long questions that had puzzled him.

I knew that this day will come... The entity said, touching the mercenary's shoulder. My name is Master Tolorandez, though my first name is not important to you this time round. Ever since you were born, I have been watching your footsteps, with permission from your parents... Ever since, I have been your... well... your guardian angel, as children in Terrubane calls them...

Before he answered Mercinus' last question, Master Tolorandez created an identical replica of the mercenary's claymore. The entity looked at the weapon, muttering in a language that Mercinus didn't understand. Master Tolorandez raised his head to the mercenary after some time.

You seem to be lucky, Mercinus. I honestly don't know how Damenth required this powerful weapon, since it was lost through the sands of time. This claymore has a name of Silver Moon. The glow comes from the trace component of Blue Rite, a rare ore which allows any weapon created to have magical abilities and radiate a faint aura of the color it has been heated up to. I must say... Callelotte has created a masterpiece before the dreaded Forsaken Weapons. However... this weapon... Tolorandez spoke, raising the gunblade that was strapped to his back. ... This weapon is one of the 16 Forsaken Weapons that the blacksmith had created. However, Kal-de Tolorande is in safe hands. Which is unfortunate, since one of it's brothers, Kolzucho, is being held by an unknown being of devastating power.

Lord Sacremento is not the evil that is running the Werepyres and the evil that roams free through the Calberrean Desert. He is only the high general who commands both the Desert Clan, and the Werepyres. Even I don't know who this being is. However, we do know what his objective is. He wants to obtain every single Forsaken Weapon and bring about the end of this world so that this being can create a new, dark world that he sees. He must not obtain a second weapon that is kept in Conuence by the general of the Conuence General, Maximillian Broadside.

5 years from now, I want you to travel to Conuence, and protect the mace Rhendoflande from Lord Sacremento, at all cost. Do you swear to protect Rhendoflande, and all of the Forsaken Weapons that you come across, and defeat whoever is controlling this Army of the Damned? Will you be the one that we need in our darkest hours? As his answers were given to him, Mercinus was left with more questions that he had wished to answer. However, something shuddered in the subconscious realm and made everything around him disappear.

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His eyes flickered open as he regained his consciousness again. It might have been about 20-25 minutes, but his encounter with the being seemed to last an eternity. He looked around him and saw a familiar figure. Unlike most of the beings that were a part of the mercenaries, the one figure that Mercinus was focusing on wasn't alive at all. Yet, he wasn't dead either. The shiny, sleek framework of metal that made the construct seem humanoid ejected smoke from a port somewhere in its back. On the purple chest plate, with the colour seeming to represent the entire colour scheme of the metal golem, there were three letters, each separated by period marks. S.I.N Even Mercinus knew what the initials stood for, but dreaded to repeat them in his throbbing mind. “Are you alright, Mercinus? Those cuts on your back may get infected if you don't see the medic right away.” Although the voice of the robot was metallic and monotonous, the mercenary could sense there was a show of concern for him.

“I'm... I'm alright, S.I.N. I just... need to talk to a medic... and talk to you about something.” He knew that he needed to tell someone about the entity, Master Tolorandez, and the warning that he had presented to Mercinus while he was unconscious. S.I.N was the only one he could trust with this. He got up, with the help of the steampunk construct, and was brought to the medic, the feeling of happiness filling Greyback up now that the siege was over. First, we need to get Terrubane restored again. Then... and only then... will I need to seek out this Maximillian... he thought as he was carried away on a stretcher to the nearest medical tent...

Present Day...

Despite the entire city being destroyed in that siege, Terrubane was built back. However, instead of everything being peaceful, bright and in unity, everything was dark, turbid and dangerous with the rapid increase of crime in the city. Mercenaries were abundant in the former city, now, there was at least one per fifty thousand. Due to the loss of mercenaries, the crime rate shot up, from bank robbery to serial killings. Even though all of the buildings have been restored to their former glory, the smog made them look sinister and run down.

Down one street, a man was running in terror. Sweat ran down his face, as he continued to run away from something. From around the corner of the street, 20 gang members appeared, with the leader pointing towards the fleeing man. "There he is... Get him!" the leader roared out, the others running towards the man. Hoping to lose them, he turned down an alleyway. Thinking that he was safe, he ran head first into something. The man looked up from the ground and stared at the thing in horror. A dead end! thought the man, as he stared at the 20ft wall in front of him. With the wall at one end, and the gang members on the other, the man curled up and prepared to die.

The leader laughed at the man on the ground, and walked up to him, the spiked ball and chain ready in his hands. "Now, now... You know the price for not paying the gang for the protection of your business. Now, you must die!" The leader raised the crude flail up, and was about to swing the ball upon the man's body.

One member of the gang moved during the time of the leader's preparation to strike, brought out a pistol and fired. The leader saw this, and narrowly dodged the bullet. The leader snarled at the man. "You impudent wrench! How dare you fire upon your leader! For that, you will pay!" The leader charged at the new threat, leaving his original target to stare at the oncoming fight. The leader swung the flail, the spiked ball homing in on the target's head.

However, the man dodged the spike ball, and drew his sword. The pale blue blade radiated through the dark and turbid alleyway. He dodged the ball and swung the blade. The leader's grip on the flail loosened and sent it hurtling towards the wall. A choking sound came from the leader, and blood oozed from the cut mark that was left behind the sword. The leader sank to the floor, and his body convulsed violently. After a few intense minutes, the leader's body went limp.

The other members saw the fall of their leader, and began to walk up to the man, weapons drawn. 'You killed our leader, traitor. Now, you must die in a horrible way." one of them yelped out. The only figure of the group that stayed behind acted shortly after. The figure was a robot, with the metal plates being of a dark purple. The robot raised its arms, and revealed several flintlock gun barrels around his lower arms, pointing towards the group.

The man with the blue sword chuckled at the gang members. "You have been had my the mercenaries Mercinus Greyback and S.I.N." Realizing who they were dealing with, the men ran to the entrance of the alleyway in terror, but only to face the blue and red flashing lights of the police's steampunk wagons. A shootout took place, which ended in a space of 5 minutes. The police arrested the remaining members and placed them inside the crude vehicles. Mercinus thanked the officer who was helping him in the operation, not realizing that the officer was his father, and walked away. “I know that I have said that this was going to happen at the end of the day, but you know that you don't have to come if you don't want to. One of us has to stay behind and look after the city and I am needed out there,“ the mercenary had said, knowing that it was hard for him to break the news to his contructed companion

“Mercinus,” S.I.N had started, the monotonous voice ringing out. “I know that you will have to do this alone, but someone needs to help you along the way. I have seen what happened to you 5 years ago and a similar sort of thing will happen again if you go it alone and no one will be there to bring you back to consciousness. It doesn't matter if you are trying to persuade me, I am coming with you and that is not going to change.”

Knowing that he was defeated, Greyback sighed. “Alright, S.I.N. But first, we'll need to get the remaining supplies that we will need for the journey before we could head towards the Gateway and try to reach the Gelbeterron Port.” Without another word, Mercinus and S.I.N ventured into the city, heading towards the place that they know to get these supplies.