Froy was having a terrible week. A genuinely awful week. First, the losses incurred in kidnapping the damned daeben, Kashi, had been far beyond estimations. Sure, thanks to numerous wars, the Chaos Order had accumulated many corpses over the centuries, but the success rate of turning a corpse to a ghoul was one in ten.

And even then, the processes and materials required were neither easily accessible nor small. Losing over three hundred in one go was something he never anticipated. Since the ghouls’ creation, no one had taken advantage of their self-destruct function. To have done that so adeptly; what the hell was that daeben!? Was he even a hume?

The loss of so many ghouls severely weakened Froy’s army. Unlike most of the other bases, Second Under's primary force was comprised of ghouls. There were a few dozen humes, but their main job was to supervise the ghouls.

That was bad enough, but then the very person Froy incurred all those losses to capture eventually escaped. Even worse, that annoying bastard Ruse had chosen now of all times to show up unannounced. Froy knew very well he could not stall for much longer. Sooner or later, he would have to break the news of Kashi's escape. When that happened, Ruse would not waste the opportunity to strip him of his rank, or worse yet, have Froy executed like he did Froy's brother.

Froy's creased brows softened somewhat as he gazed, almost lustfully, at the power crystal in front of him. Despite the bleakness of the last two weeks, this crystal was more than enough to cover his losses. Froy extended his arm and placed it on the crystal. He'd had Ruse escorted to the amphitheater to watch the captive, Lunette's performance. He would soon join them, but first, he must complete this particular piece of business, as an insurance against the future.

Froy glanced at two mages at the entrance and nodded.

The mages politely bowed their heads then exited the chamber, jamming the door shut behind them. A concealment barrier activated, blocking all sounds and magical undulations from getting exposed to the outside.

Froy closed his eyes and began a low chant. Powerful ripples cascaded off the crystal accompanied by an otherworldly pressure that would have crushed Froy had he not been 'connected' to the crystal. Froy's chants rose ferociously as the crystal released wild undulations, each fighting back against Froy's desire.

If one looked very closely, they would have been shocked to find the crystal decrease by a small percentage with each ripple it sent out.

An Hour Later

Froy, accompanied by a few soldiers and mages, stopped at a magnificent door that looked oddly out of place in this underground world of stone and lava. It was constructed entirely of metal, with extravagantly bright colors, and a man-sized engraving of 'The Destroyer' that split down the middle.

Froy walked through as a pair of ghouls opened the doors. The doors opened to a large hall with a magnificent stage at the opposite end. Rows of luxurious benches marked the scene, but most were empty on account of the lack of guests available.

The hall was initially built by the daeben when they took up bases in Merriheim (Daebens loved art. Performances by singers and orchestras were a known favorite of the daebens), but 'The Destroyer' engraving on the door was added when the Chaos Order took over.

Though the hall was rarely, if ever used, the chairs were kept in pristine condition. Now and then, Froy would, on a whim, decide to put on a show. There were several artists and musicians locked away in their dungeons for these whims.

Who would have guessed Froy’s little hobby would catch the attention of several of his peers and higher-ups? After all, an amphitheater built by the daebens could never be compared with the normal ones set up even in the largest cities. The acoustics in the hall was on an entirely different level to anything found elsewhere on the continent, which made listening to orchestral and singing performances almost divine.

Froy would host a show for his brothers in arms whenever they came to visit. It was a significant advantage over his peers as he got to rub shoulders with many primates and one scarce occasion, two cardinals.

If not for this Kashi fiasco, Froy would have been on the fast track for promotion. HQ newly appointed Ruse over Merriheim in the past year. As a result, Ruse was yet to be won over by the amphitheatre.

Froy noticed Zafree standing off to the side and beckoned him over. The halben nodded and walked over with steady steps. Froy's eyebrows creased a bit at this. He sensed something off, but he could not place a finger on what it was. Shrugging it off as over-stimulated suspicion due to his nerves, he asked, "Is she ready?"

Zafree allowed himself a proud smile. "Yes, my Lord." His eyes gleamed as he pointed toward the stage which a young woman had stepped upon. Her hands and feet were bound by shackles with slightly longer chains between them to allow her some restricted movement. Her magic, however, was not sealed. Behind her followed three humans. "My lord, this is the finest musician we have ever caught. My lord, your foresight in ordering her capture is to be praised."

Froy looked toward the stage where the four captives had taken their places behind some instruments laid out in advance for them. He allowed himself a self-satisfied smile as his eyes danced across Lunette's frame, but that soon turned to a scowl. "Those three behind her. Who are they? I have never seen them before."

"Ah, a new batch, my lord," Zafree hastily replied. His voice considerably lowered as he leaned in and whispered, "We've been so busy in the search for that daeben I forgot to introduce you to them."

Froy's frown deepened. "How goes the search. Any signs?"

Zafree hesitated, his brows knitted together in a nervous frown.

"Well!?"

Zafree swallowed hard. "N-No news, my lord." Zafree could almost feel the rage pouring out of Froy's pores. He hastily added, "However, between our men and Nadir, we have almost covered all the tunnels. I also personally confirmed that no one has accessed any of the exits."

Froy's brows relaxed. The reports he received about the daeben did make him out to be a resourceful strategist. It would be strange if they caught him so quickly. If it was not for the stark hatred, dwarfs had for daebens—wait!

Froy's eyes burned as he realized he had made a significant oversight. That daeben had somehow reconciled the drakul and humes in Rosendun (No one knew about the transfer of ownership between Kashi and Xeim (Drakul King)). Who was to say he had not attempted something similar here in Second Under? What's worse, he may even have succeeded!

When Froy thought of the possibility that Kashi had been laughing from the shadows while he proudly toured the dwarven settlements, his intestines felt like they were tied in a knot. Controlling his raging emotions as best he could, Froy ordered, "Expand the search to the dwarfs! Chances are they are hiding him. It would explain why our efforts to find him have been futile."

Without waiting for Zafree's reply, Froy angrily made his way to the front row, where Ruse sat, his full attention on Lunette, who had started a slow number. Even as angry as Froy was, he could not help but feel his rage slowly washed away by Lunette's soothing voice. Froy took out a green pill from a small pouch and popped it into his mouth. This was the Calm Heart pill. He had found a bottle of it in an abandoned dungeon some years past. It had a unique ability to keep its user's heart steady for an hour. Within that hour, be it, god or man, no one would be able to frighten its user or differentiate between lies and truth.

It was from studying this pill that Froy had created the [ Calm Heart ] spell he used when he spoke to Ruse. But he did not dare use the spell in Ruse's presence. For one, Ruse was exceptionally talented at spotting magic ripples within a person's body. It was not so easy when he was speaking through a medium, but if he were next to the person, no matter how well he hid it, Ruse would spot the activation of or the ripples of magic in use. Because of this, Froy needed to use the pill even though he only had four left.

Froy smiled as he felt his heartbeat settle, and the new wave of confidence that washed over him. Ah, right now, even if Aethir herself were to show up, Froy felt like he would not be scared. The High Priest took a seat next to Ruse, not perturbed in the least by how Ruse all but ignored his presence.

"She is a beauty, isn't she?" Froy commented with a smile.

"Hmm? Ah, yes, yes, she is," Ruse muttered distractedly. His eyes simply could not leave the songstress, whose delicate fingers danced across the piano. He did not even care about the three humans behind her, who accompanied her in the song. All his attention was drawn to the woman. He made his decision. "I want her."

Froy's eyes darkened. This was not a request—it was a command! ‘ This son of a bitch! I did not lose so many ghouls so that you can reap the rewards!’ However, thanks to the pill, his heart quickly settled. "Exulted Prime, I lost a lot of manpower acquiring this woman. She belongs to the Maggots. You can imagine how hard it was to get her."

Ruse frowned, annoyed by Froy's disturbance. He wanted to appreciate the woman in front of him without distractions. "We'll talk later."

Froy instinctively fingered the crystal hanging on his ear. ‘ Sure, we'll talk!’

Zafree quietly left the hall to execute his lord's orders. As he made his way to the dwarven settlements, a rather sinister grin marred his face. His body slightly flickered as he entered an abandoned tunnel. Surprisingly, on the other side, Syèl was the one who walked out of the tunnels. "Haha, who would've thought he would see this far."

That's right, Kashi had asked Lunette to glean as much information from the original Zafree as she could. Once that was done, they discreetly killed him and the soldiers that followed. After this, Syèl assumed Zafree's identity and led Lunette to the amphitheatre. He gave the shackles’ keys to Lunette and the triplets to use at their discretion.

Zafree was then to remind Froy about his search for Kashi. If Froy did not put the dots together himself, it was Zafree's job to push him in the direction of the dwarven settlements subtly. Luckily, Froy thought of that possibility on his own, which reduced the risks of Zafree saying something that might give away his true identity.

Syèl was not entirely sure why Kashi was voluntarily blowing his hiding spot, but the daeben refused to tell him the whole plot, just in case he got caught. Syèl shrugged as he waited for the cooldown on his illusion spell to wear off. Whatever, the more secretive, the better the surprise.

While Froy and Ruse attended Lunette's performance, unbeknownst to them, a matter of enormous significance was taking place in the Dwarven council.

Kashi stood at the head of the council with about thirty-three ghouls behind him. "I introduce you to my friends." At Kashi's signal, the ghouls ripped off their bandage robes to reveal the chetah and her squad, Hektor and Jade.

Paaie Nilsen frowned. "These are your reinforcements?"

Kashi cast an apologetic glance Asha's way to prevent her from lashing out in anger. To his surprise, she was as composed as ever. Okay, it seemed there was more to this woman than rage and anger. At least it seemed she knew when to fight and when to stand down. Turning his gaze back to Nilsen, he asked with a smile, "If a fight were to break out in this hall between all of you and I, how many do you think would die before I am finally killed?"

Nilsen frowned. Kashi’s words were, in a sense, provocation, but she still answered somewhat reluctantly, "Probably all of us. And I do not have the confidence we will be able to kill you in the end." They had all witnessed the explosive power towards the end of his fight in the coliseum. None had the confidence to take on that thing.

Kashi smiled. "I apologize if I was too direct, but I was trying to make a point. Sometimes, it's more a matter of quality than quantity. For example, I can guarantee these two," he gestured at Jade and Asha, "are just as strong as I am. These three," he gestured at Hektor, Diatte, and Kaga, "are only slightly weaker, and the rest should have similar strength as you guys. Also, they all have accumulated fighting experience for a long time, whereas you guys have not even had minor conflicts in ten years. Hell, I have a feeling they don't even let you tussle among yourselves."

Breixo guffawed at that, "HAHAHAHA! Exactly! We can't even fart without those Order bastards ordering an exorcism! Schcuck , if these young'uns are as strong as you say they are, then they're worth more than fifty of these old bones HAHAHAHA!"

Anton, on the other hand, was not as enthusiastic, "You are investing a lot of personnel into this. What happens when the Order sends its entire army to wipe us out. You should know this is not their Headquarters in Merriheim. Ruse is in charge of that, and only he knows its location."

Kashi nodded. "I have a safe bet it's on the other side of the 'claw.' Even if they come by sea, they will still require a week at the very least. I’ve already made preparations for that. A company of soldiers is marching from Rosendun as we speak. They should make it here before the Order."

Anton brows furrowed. This daeben, how far ahead does he plan? Wouldn't it be far wiser to have someone like this as an ally? Everyone knew, after all, that there was no such thing as true neutrality in war. Anton decided he would speak of this matter with the council later. "That is good then. We accept, and thank you for your aid in our time of need, Kashi-dono, Asha-dono."

Kashi smiled as Yngvar Kernode stood up from his seat and walked over to them. He gave them all a once over, then snorted. "Your weapons and gear have all seen better days. Come, we'll see if we do not have anything for you."

Asha gave her approval, and her men followed Yngvar to find the armory. Hektor remained behind because, to him, only weapons created by Kashi were worth using, while Jade did not need any weapons. Asha never wore armor to start with, and her swords had been with her since she began the quest to save her people. Their value was immeasurable. She would not change them until they were either stolen or broken.

Kashi watched all this with a satisfied expression. At that moment, a call came in. When Kashi saw Syèl's name, he quickly answered. "How'd it go?"

"Perfect," Syèl reported as he narrated his conversation with Froy.

"Good," Kashi said. "Guess I should get into position then. If all goes well, this should come to an end tonight."

"Night, day, can't tell the difference down here," Syèl mocked. "Anyway, I'll be returning to my 'post'. Wouldn't want our dear lord Froy to be kept waiting after all. One last thing. Froy seems to have a lot of confidence in this Nadir guy. Whatever you're planning, be careful."

Kashi expressed his thanks then cut the line. He turned to Hektor, Jade, and Asha. "I'm off. You guys know what to do."

Kashi gave each person their orders once more. It was quite simple, really: Destroy everything when they get the signal.

Kashi exchanged a few words with each of the chiefs then made his way to the exit. His feet paused on the threshold when a sleepy voice called out to him. He turned to see Kira walking over with a yawning Zuri on her back.

"Kash-Kash, are you leaving?"

"Mm," Kashi nodded, a warm smile on his face. "I have to take care of something."

Zuri hesitated. Small fingers nervously clutched Kira's fur as she asked, "Can Zuri come?"

Kashi thought for a bit. "Do you want to come with me?" Zuri nodded so fast and vigorously, Kashi was afraid her head would fall off. "Kira's not coming through."

Zuri hesitated. She liked riding on Kira. Her fur was so soft. "Kira can't come?"

Kashi shook his head. He almost burst out laughing when he saw Kira close her eyes and bow her head as if in prayer.

Zuri deliberated for all of ten seconds before she reluctantly slid off Kashi's back. The elated direwolf almost screamed and jumped with joy. She, however, retained her solemn exterior when Zuri appeared in front of her with teary eyes. "Zuri'll come back, okay? Don't miss Zuri too much, okay?" Zuri stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around Kira's neck.

As proud as Kira was, she did not have a heart of stone. Kira sighed and nuzzled down to the little girl. She then wriggled free and blew against Zuri's face, causing the little girl to giggle as the breeze blew away her tears. Kira cast Kashi a meaningful look then jogged off to the side before the little monster changed her mind.

Kashi ruffled Zuri's hair with a snarky smirk. "Think you can keep up?"

"Yeah!" Zuri proclaimed with a confident smile of her own.

"Come on then," Kashi beckoned as he sped out of the council and into the tunnels, followed closely by Zuri.

Thirty Minutes Later,

Ruse rose to his feet with thunderous applause as Lunette finished her last song. In all his years, he had never heard a voice as heavenly. When added to the beautiful youth, it was enough to make any man crave a taste. "Magnificent! Totally Magnificent! Haha, Froy, you found a rare treasure! By Razznik, who would have ever thought such a gem could exist among those uncouth Summoned. Ah, I do not know when she will decide to abandon this body. I must convince her!"

Ruse’s voice was loud, obnoxious, and did not permit anyone to object his desire. It was clear he had already made up his mind, and anyone who tried to get in his way would suffer for it. He noticed Froy's frown and smiled, "Ah, don't worry Froy, I will certainly compensate you double the losses you incurred getting this gem. Soon, a position for a new primate will be opening up. That old couth Rendall finally kicked the bucket. One extra recommendation wouldn't hurt, right?"

Froy started as a huge grin took the place of his frown. What? All this for the girl? Then why did he invest so much in war preparations, going as far as to prime the Power Crystal in case he needed to fight Ruse in a one-on-one battle? Truth be told, he had decided to kill Ruse here, then blame it on Kashi.

Afterall, when HQ found out that Kashi had escaped, then Ruse would have him executed him—no!

Froy realized his way of thinking was flawed from the start. Ruse's fascination over this girl was even more dangerous for him. After all, if Ruse had him executed, then Ruse would collect the girl for free without anyone to dispute his claims. Froy gritted his teeth. No, as long as Kashi remained captured, he would have to fight it out with Ruse. Either he succeeded and lived, or failed and died. Shit, why did this fool have to become so infatuated with the girl? It had made any chance of possible negotiation null and void.

How was Froy to know that the only reason he was not affected by Lunette's charm was that he had used the Calm Heart pill? That legendary pill prevented all external influences from affecting the heart. That was the only reason he had not fallen to Lunette's charm. The thought never crossed his mind as he had only used it to block fear and tell lies. To him, those were the only uses, but how could a pill of the legend rank be so limited?

The pill was still in effect, so Froy could easily manage his temper. He was all smiles as he relented with a seemingly dejected sigh, "Fine, she is yours. I cannot refute such a generous offer. Come, let us meet the daeben. How about we have her accompany us?" Without waiting for a reply, he beckoned Lunette over. "Feel free to hum or sing. Just keep us company while we go see your friend."

Ruse sensed no abnormalities in Froy's tone, so he was overjoyed. Who would have thought he would gain such a treasure from this quest. ‘ Froy, this sly dog, if I had not arrived without warning, he would have found someone else to entertain me. Haha!’ "Lead the way," Ruse motioned enthusiastically, though he hung back to chat with Lunette and bask in her glorious voice.

Neither of the two men noticed one of the escorting ghouls squeeze its fist so tightly that a splotch of dark red appeared on the dirty bandages.

Froy fingered the crystal earring as he made his way to the Perdition Pit. He planned to end things there. Even Ruse, with all of his magic, would be rendered human if he fell into that pit. His initial plan was to go all out and use the crystal's power to force Ruse into the hole, but in Ruse's current state, Froy was confident he would not need to activate the crystal.

The crystal was his one-use trump card. It would not do to waste it.

Ruse was oblivious to Froy's nefarious plan. All he cared about was the goddess beside him. Despite being a captive, Lunette was neither overbearing nor servile. She never initiated any conversation, but she politely responded whenever she was spoken to, even encouraging further discussion. When they didn't talk, he was content to listen to her hum a strange tune he had never heard before.

Eventually, they reached the perdition pit.

Froy was surprised to find only one guard at the entrance. But when he asked, he was relieved to hear that Zafree was the one who brought the rest away to search the dwarven settlements for the daebens.

Reassured, Froy led the party down a flight of steps to the dark underground where the pit lay. Froy pointed at the hole. "He's down there." He turned to a ghoul beside the pit. "Light it up."

The ghoul stepped over to a wall and pushed in a section of the wall. With a loud groan, a section of the ceiling slid away to reveal a fluorescent crystal whose light flooded the entire chamber, even reaching into the depths of the pit.

Any other day and Ruse might have told Froy to check first, but he was so infatuated with Lunette, he had long since forgotten caution. Or maybe he wanted to show off his prowess, who knows?

Whatever the reason, Ruse swaggered over to the edge of the pit and then glanced down. A slight frown appeared on his face. Froy had already begun sneaking up to his back when Ruse suddenly whirled around and stared at Froy. "You didn't tell me you had two daebens."

Froy's face had initially lost color because he had thought he'd been caught, but Ruse's next words made him blanch even further. ‘What!?’ Froy rushed over to the edge of the pit and peered inside. Sure enough, two daebens were peering up at him with amused expressions. ‘ H-how!? When did they get back!? Who caught them!? What's going on here!?’

Oblivious to Froy's panicked state, Ruse had already returned his attention to the daebens in the pit. "Kashi, is it? It is a pleasure to meet you in person. I have a lot of questions for you."

Kashi grinned at the Primate. "Ah, and you must be Ruse. Remember the promise I made you a week ago?"

Ruse frowned. "Wha—" Shove! Ruse was shocked to find himself in the air. He turned to stare at Lunette with a searching gaze filled with pain. "Why?" He never got his reply as she began to disappear from his sight, replaced by rock with numerous markings and sigils engraved onto them. He tried to ignite his flames, but they refused to work.

That was right. No magic could function in this pit.

Ruse's descent suddenly came to a halt, and fear gripped Ruse's heart as a mass of black filled his vision.

Kashi's grinned as he gripped Ruse by the throat. "The order might be wrong, but I still get to kill you."

Ruse's fear gave way to maniacal laughter. "Fool, Idiot! This is only a flame clone! I'll be coming for you! All of y—" Blurksh! Tissue and bone exploded in every direction as Zuri jumped and clapped his head between her hands.

Zuri stuck out her tongue in a disgusted expression as she spat out some brain matter that had inadvertently entered her mouth. Zuri looked up at Kashi's incredulous expression and innocently justified herself with a cutely scrunched nose. "He was too loud..."