More Food had been ignored during the chaotic times in the fortress, but he had plenty of food so he did not mind one bit.
Silent had shown him into the formation at the top of the astronomy tower. He felt more comfortable in the forest like setting, and with the tower room having no roof he was able to bask in the moonlight every night.
Bud was not a fan of others and kept himself hidden unless Silent or Lucan were around. Being an artificial life form, it was near impossible for others to detect him if he didn't materialize.
In the middle of the night while the moon was full, More Food stood starring at the white orb hanging in the sky with eyes glazed over. The turkey leg the he had previously been eating fell to the ground. Under the power of the full moon's rays, his memory returned to him and he snapped out of his daze.
Channeling his power, he summoned a spirit of the moon. A white elegant figure appeared before him, she stood twice as tall as the goblin and gazed at him with gentle eyes. Her milk white skin shined under the moon-rays.
"The goddess is happy with your progress." The moon spirit said.
"I will always obey goddess Marama's command with absolute loyalty but…"
"Speak freely." The spirit said.
"This humble servant wouldn't dare to direct the goddess, but I believe that the current mission she has sent me on is more harmful to our cause then beneficial." The goblin walked to the window and stared down below. "These people have accomplished much in a short time and have access to a vast number of resources. They are all extremely cunning like their leader, and the more I learn about their Lord, the more I feel he will be able to help the goddess. The current path we are set on will force us to be enemies, I don't believe reconciliation to be possible if we continue forward."
"Do not fret, there is no such things as eternal enemies when profits are involved."
The goblin sighed. "The local people here revere their lord adamantly. He has done much to better their lives, even though he barely pays attention to them. For instance, at this moment when his territory is in danger, many believe he is off gallivanting somewhere else, but those who know him aren't worried. They know he is in a trial to become a champion of the ethereal realm."
"A champion you say." The Spirit said in a thoughtful tone. "I see why his subjects admire him, from what you have reported here and previously, it sounds as if he is always striving forward. After your current mission we will think of a way to make amends with him if he ends up succeeding."
"That won't be possible." The goblin said in a matter-of-fact way.
"Like I said, there are no such things as eternal enemies, there are only eternal profits."
"While that may be true for most. I don't believe it applies to this lord, he may seem to act normally, only operating in the best interest of his people, but that isn't true. I have heard whispers among those who know him, they have another name that they call him behind his back."
"Oh, what might that name be?"
"They call him… The Baron of Insanity. For when he comes under stress he throws away all his rationale and acts purely on impulse. He isn't someone you can hope to reason with after you cross him. At least this is what his people say."
"Hmm, I will inform the goddess. Stick to your current mission until you are told otherwise."
The goblin nodded and the spirit dissipated. A cloud passed over the full moon and his memories disappeared.
"Ah, what happen to food." The goblin said, rushing to the turkey leg on the ground, picking it up and dusting it off. "It no matter. Still tasty." He said taking a bite.
***
Sitting in a lavish guild hall, all eyes were on a warrior decked out in the best gear available. If Lucan saw his face, he would recognize him as Jason Thomas, heir of the Winged Tiger Corporation. In Evolution he was called Bone Crusher.
"I don't care how hard it is to get to the shadow realm. Figure out how our guild can establish a presence there and do it NOW!" Bone Crusher demanded.
"But sir. We are already embroiled in a guild war with Hot Pies. We can't divert too much of our resources or we risk weakening our position. Think of the company."
"Don't question me. Of course I am thinking of the company. Getting Lucan Quilldrake out of the way will be a huge boon for our company in the real world. With no income to fall back on that rat bastard will be forced to back down."
His advisor shook his head and sighed. "We just don't have the manpower to take care of it right now."
"Don't give me that crap, I have already set things in motion with the goddess Marama. If our people can't handle it, send one of our subordinate guilds. Just get it done."
The guild administrators didn't protest anymore. No one ever had a pleasant ending when they went against the young master's opinion, no matter how many rational points they made. The agreed to his demands and left the room.
Only one person remained.
"Have you found the person I asked you to look into?" Bone Crusher asked.
"Yes, we made contact, but…"
"But what?"
"His demands are a little unorthodox. And I don't know if he can be trusted, he is very chaotic and he has turned on his previous employers before."
"I instructed you to make contact through a third party."
"Yes, sir, and I did."
"Good, then regardless of what happens it won't be traced back to us. I received his name from a friend, his reputation may not be the best but I was assured that he did good work. Have our representative go ahead and move forward with the plan. Tell Dunnowhosthis that we will bear the cost, no matter what it is."
"Yes sir."
***
"My Lord, do you think it is wise to lead them yourself. This is your archenemy after all, perhaps he wants nothing more than for you to deliver yourself to his door."
"You said it yourself. He is my archenemy. How can I not face. Do you think of me as a coward?" The Plague Baron said.
"No, of course not. It is just that he is a traveler. Death is nothing but an inconvenience to him. You can't take the risks that he can."
"Hmpf, if you continue to look down on me, today will be your last day of service."
The attendant didn't say anything else as the Plague Lord walked out of his tent and watched as his troops broke down the camp and prepared to move out.
"The drums of war are beating. I wish for nothing more than to destroy that bastard who has foiled my plots time and time again. Besides, I took every precaution available. That arrogant Lucan Quilldrake may know I am coming, but he won't know what hit him. Now quit standing around and go check on the "special" present I have prepared for him. He, he, he, Lucan, I will make sure there is no place left for you in the shadow realm. Enjoy your last few days of peace, for this plague will descend on your lands and destroy everything you hold dear."
***
Lucan was resting in a small cave protected by a formation. He didn't have time to take it easy but he needed to eat and refuel his body so he could continue to press forward. Suddenly he shivered, he didn't know why but it felt like a thousand gallons of hate had all been directed towards him.
"Eh, people are probably jealous of my good looks." He said to Adrestia.
She happily chirped while he gave her a dab of honey. During their travels through the multiple realms she had not been able to claim any souls for the nine hells. Everything they fought was artificial and a creation of the guardian.
Sending souls to the nine hells wasn't as simple as killing someone. Lucan had to either get his victims to sign away their soul in a deal or use some ability to extract their soul. Currently he didn't have the capability to preform the latter. But there was an ability that he had set aside with the hope of purchasing it for Adrestia. It would let her take someone soul.
Right now, that was of little importance. As long as they were in the trial, there were no souls to steal. Lucan didn't mind biding his time, instead he invested all the experience points he banked into raising the shadow drake's level. With their near constant fighting in the trial, he had already raised her level to 89 and it would continue to improve. His level had also been growing.
He felt bad pushing all the work in his territory onto Silent, but he was also happy to have the chance to catch up to her level