Atreus opened his eyes with a sharp gasp as bitter stinging cold awakened him. He shot up, yelling partly in pain and partly in anger, snow flying off his face and armor as he slashed his sword into the air at nothing. Exhausted, he dropped to his knee and used his sword as something to keep himself from falling. Catching his breath, he scanned his surroundings as the wind howled. There was nothing for miles around him except snow and ice. He tried to recollect his memories as to what happened before he entered here. All he could last remember was fighting a large creature that emerged from nowhere and tried to attack Elara. The creature! Another of Mordekai’s tricks. It must have teleported him out of Dagon. Atreus knew he must head back to Dagon for it is vulnerable but he must also keep calm because he also knew that Elara and his generals are already making plans of defense and he trusts them with his life. It didn’t take too long for him to get much of a better view of his surroundings. He witnessed an icy headless statue in the distance and he realized now where he was; Aurora’s Fall. He remembered the tales told back in the earlier days, long before ancient wizards fused their magic with technology that made Dagon how it looks today.

Centuries ago, The Demon of Schalon wreaked chaos and havoc where it roamed, destroying villages, devouring children, and drain life from the lands. Then one day, a roaming warrior arose, known as Aurora the Fearless. She met with the Demon at was then known as Lake Ephil and it was there they commenced battle. Fatally wounded, Aurora delivered the final blow to the demon, piercing its heart and ending its rampage. Upon the demon’s fall, the sky turned dark and snow fell. Aurora closed her eyes to enter the eternal slumber. Then a swarm of Will o’ The Wisps arrived, unaffected by the cold, and formed an icy statue in honor of the valiant fallen hero before they flew to the sky.

Then centuries later, the now frozen lake was met with another battle; A young Atreus and the Dragon of Cyx. During their fight, the head of Aurora was slashed off by the dragon’s claws as the dragon attempted to strike Atreus. When Atreus destroyed the dragon, its remains dissolved into the ice and disappeared except for a glowing diamond that he took with him to prove he slain the Dragon itself. 

As the temperature grew colder, Atreus ceased his memories and began walking through the snow, holding his sword tightly for he knew not what foul things would live in such a frozen hell. But Atreus held no fear for this landscape. He remembered the path he took to return to Dagon. It may take him days to return like before but he didn’t care. Dagon is in danger and he must return.

As night began to fall, Atreus could see the horizons clearer than before as the winds died down. Unfortunately, the temperature was dropping lower and lower. He cared not for the cold, for he had been used to it for some time. He kept watch of his surroundings for any signs of life or possible ambush. Then he stopped so sudden. A series of lights began to appear in the distance, followed by distant thundering sounds. Was this Mordekai’s troops? He couldn’t tell. As the lights drew closer, Atreus raised his sword and held it at the ready. 

A chariot, surrounded by large pale blue horses and illuminated lanterns, approached the king of Dagon and stopped beside him. There was no rope nor anything attached to the chariot to give it pull, astounding Atreus. The horses parted ways, inviting him to climb aboard. Lowering his sword, Atreus approached with caution. Each horse he passed knelt before him. When he climbed aboard, the horses rose and returned to their surrounding formation. They, along with the chariot, began to turn and depart from Aurora’s Fall. 

Meanwhile, in Dagon, every hand was at work. Ballistas were being moved to positions assigned by Qara as blacksmiths throughout the city banged away on the anvils, forging new swords, new arrows, shields and armor to replace those too broken to fix, while others fixed cracked ones. Elara, dressed in blue and silver armor with illuminating streaks of green running along the arms and legs, was going over the Grid Map with officers that were going with her to face off against Mordekai and his legions. As she dragged her finger along the map, a single line illuminated into view behind. "We're going to set up ambush areas here, here, and over here by the Firefly Pond. When they cross over the borderline, we will hit them from the thick brush, the trees, and the water. They will be a bit late to respond, as stealth isn't their strong suit. There's also a flammable methane patch just a little bit over the road near Firefly pond. Mordekai's troops have some flammable containers attatched to their armor so if we can drive enough of them to the patch and set it off with a well placed laser arrow, we should set off a chain reaction and be able to slow them down."

One of the officers, Captain BiB, looked closely at the map. "I can take a squad of crossbow men and flank around to hit some of their catapult ordinances and buy us even more time. Elara gave a nod. "Pick out some of your best for such a task, for you'll only get one shot."

Another of the officers, Lieutenant Cyrax, chimed in. "And what if The Dark Sorceror is with them?"

Elara shook her head. "Doubtful. He divides his legions and sends them on different routes to Dagon while he leads the main force himself. However, if we are dealing with the main force and Mordekai himself, then we stick to the plan but we'll have to work much faster and leave sooner before he uses his powers."

After they finished discussing tactics, Elara rolled up the map. "Now are there any other questions?" she asked. When no one responded, she continued. "Then let's get to it." As everyone departed, Elara took a mild stroll down the streets. On any other day, this would've been a regular walk for her but not today. Today, she had a task at hand. She soon came to a stop before a small shop and entered. Inside were a series of illuminated items, from everyday houseware to decor. As the door closed, a voice called out from the back, "be right there."

An elf with half of a cybernetic helmet with a single lens came out of the room. He turned the light off and raised the lens. "Ahh, Elara," he said, "How pleasant of you to pay a visit." "Thank you, Safarin. Unfortunately, I'm not here for a simple chat. I need a favor from you." "Of course," Safarin said with a bow, "how may I be of service?" Elara reached into her small pouch and took out the vial. "Can you examine this?" Safarin took the vial and dropped the lens over his eye as he scrutinized the liquid inside. "This is dark magic. I can't quite identify what substances are used for this. Why do you ask?"

"I wanted to know if it had anything volatile in it and if so, could you not only weaponize it but make copies of it?"

Safarin laughed. "You question my abilities? You know I can turn anything into a weapon." He stretched his arms out. "This may may be my every day thing, but I'm always willing to go back to my old hobby, for both you and the king." He then tossed the vial to his other hand. "How many copies do you need, m'lady?" he asked excitedly.

"About 30," Elara said. Safarin scoffed. "Only 30? I need a better challenge than that." Elara shook her head. "Not for out there. I need just 30 for the ambush teams. If you wish to make any more, you may after this, for the rest would be for the wall defenses." Safarin grinned. "So you're giving old Mordekai a fight. I understand." He put the vial in his pouch. "You shall have 30 copies in 30 minutes," he exclaimed. "Thank you," Elara said before leaving.