Chương 76: B1 Epilogue 2 - The Alliance

The Alliance was on the move. Human soldiers stumbled through bustling border towns and villages, setting up camps and completing the final preparations for the Campaign into Devil's Lair. For most humans the forest, Devil's Lair, was less a place and more a nightmare whispered from one generation to the next. Few ever crossed its borders, and those who had returned spoke little of what lurked beneath its endless canopy.

No one liked the dark forest crawling with the realm's most terrifying creatures, yet the Alliance prepared to step inside and conquer it. How could they not after the most renowned Magi and Arcane Scholars informed the nobility about the rapid spike in the Devil Lair's essence signature? The essence signature had skyrocketed over the last few weeks, and it was predicted to rise even further, creating the perfect environment to grow invaluable treasures.

Treasures found in dungeons that were only waiting to be plundered and used to train the Alliance's greatest forces. The common soldiers feared the coming expedition openly. They sat restlessly around their camps, sharpening their blades with trembling hands and forcing laughter into conversations that always died too quickly. Veterans checked their armor twice, then a third and fourth time, unable to rid themselves of the feeling that simmered beneath rigid discipline.

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings. To many Knights the terrors laying in hiding in the Devil's Lair, represented glory in its purest form. To them, Devil's Lair was a place where legends were born and names carved into the Alliance's history. The dark forest and its dungeons were their ticket to greatness. As for the Magi, they glanced upon the dark forest differently.

There was fear, certainly, but excitement flashed in their eyes whenever discussions turned toward all that was hidden within the Devil's Lair. Exotic creatures, plants that were long believed to be extinct, ancient dungeons containing treasures of unfathomable worth. Entire Academies buzzed with barely restrained obsession at the thought of studying a land sealed away from mankind for so long. The Blood Pact would end soon, and once it did, the Alliance would tread the Devil's Lair once more.

And if those savage brutes were still alive after all those years that passed, the Alliance would show them a second time what happened to rabid dogs. This time, however, they had learned from their past mistakes. The Oracle and the Gods had prophesied dark times, but the Alliance was prepared. Nobody would be spared this time. [End of Volume 1]