They exited the large room and proceeded down a hall to their left. A doorway at the end of the hall led to yet another large room that appeared to be filled with nests and eggs from the creatures held within the citadel. Athar could hardly make out what he was seeing, given the dim lighting of the room.

His master noticed his strenuous attempt to see all that was before him, and infused his eyes with a bit of mana, allowing him to see more clearly in the dark, which widened with surprise at the sight before him.

The nests not only hit the ceiling, but they extended to the end of a hall that turned out to be nearly as large as a small farm. “By the gods both light and dark, what is this?” Athar asked. He could barely speak the words, as his thoughts began to run rampant. “This, Athar, is a breeding ground,” the Masked One said. “A what, my lord?” Athar raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“The Undergod, and I have been working in tandem for many a century now, and he has given me new ways of bringing hordes of beasts into this realm,” he explained. “So you mean to breed hordes of the beasts and unleash them on the countries?” Athar asked. “Precisely. This would throw those idiots in their castles for a loop when they realize the portals aren’t the only way these creatures emerge,” the Masked One said mockingly.

They ventured deeper into the hall, and Athar soon found himself wandering around, observing all the different kinds of nests and eggs that were present. Eventually, he stumbled upon one of the eggs that had fallen to the floor beside one of the larger nests.

What are you doing down here, little one? It looks rather… helpless, he reached for it in an almost dreamlike state.

“Step back,” the Masked One commanded Athar who instinctively did just that. His eyes glowed once more as he outstretched his left hand. Mana could be seen gathering in the palm of his hand as he said a few words. Slowly and carefully, he encased the egg in mana, putting it back where it belonged.

Suddenly, the egg burst with mana-flame, blinding Athar, and scorched the nest in which it lay. Out of the smoke and burst of heat, they heard a grunt and a snort. Athar uncovered his now stinging eyes to see a small fire golem, covered in ash and flame staring up into their eyes.

“Magnificent creatures, aren’t they?” the Masked One asked. “Once they are old enough, they have been known to breathe fire, although only a few recorded cases exist,” he said with some disappointment. “I thought only wyrms were capable of that, my lord,” Athar said while staring at the golem’s features.

Its eyes were pure amber, and its body was a mixture of volcanic stone and flame. Within its mouth, burned a white flame hot enough to melt anything the golem would bite into.

Athar couldn’t tear his eyes from it.

“Wyrms are the most common creatures to have that talent, but there are other beasts which just so happen to have that same gift,” the Masked One explained. The golem lay down in its nest of ash and stone, and fell asleep during his explanation.

Aw, it’s actually kind of cute when it’s not trying to burn a hole into my eyes, Athar smiled awkwardly as he observed the sleeping creature.

“Come, we must let him grow to at least half his size before he is ready for battle,” the mage said, leading him over to the next oversized nests across the way. He cast once more, only this time, a frigid wind flowed from the center, nearly freezing Athar’s boots solid.

Within the thatch, there lay a small ice golem. White and light blue crystals formed its general complexion, while its eyes were as black as night. Athar looked at each golem with awe, since he had never seen one before, much less two different types in the same day.

“They will hold their own, and spawn new ones of their own ilk every eight weeks, for they do not need sustenance other than mana,” the Masked One explained as Athar looked at the two, shaking his head to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

Huh, I guess I’m not after all, he felt a smile tug at the corner of his mouth.

After feeding the pair of golems some of his own mana, the Masked One turned toward his servant. “The time has come at last,” he said ominously, interrupting Athar’s focus on the pair of small creatures. His confused expression gave him away.

“We must speak with him,” the Masked One said. “Him?” Athar asked, stepping away from the pair. “The Undergod,” his master replied with an air of severity, causing Athar’s stomach to somersault.

Well, that can’t be good, he thought, following behind his master.