10 Real Opponents

The group of officials headed out of the throne-room to make their preparations. They were extremely lively. The Blood Emperor had a very telling title. Every time this old man headed out, there would be bloodshed. Rivers of blood were the foundation of the Ironhand Empire. This devil was probably rejoicing about the battle that would definitely ensue from the contest for the immortal relic. After all, he was the kind of man to look for the smallest excuse to start a war, let alone acting above board like now. This battle maniac was as big a deterrent as the immortal inheritance of the imperial family. Karl Ironhand was a name that sent shivers down the spine of any superpower. "I wonder who the three foolish Marquises are." one of the officials pondered to his colleague. "You wont wonder for long." his colleague replied. Indeed this was the case. Anyone who dared cross the Blood Emperor had only one end. The empire would soon be short three Marquises. He just happened to require their services at the moment, but their fates were sealed the moment they were exposed. Marquis Prichard knew this far too well himself. He had taken many steps to prevent himself from being discovered the moment the phenomenon appeared in the sky. Even though it was distant, even a fool would know something was up if they had a proper head on their shoulders. If there was anything he was confident in, it was his ability to hide his strength and scheme in the shadows. Thinking up to here he recalled that the spy had said three marquises. Counting himself, there should have been four who made a move. "What a vicious move." Marquis Prichard shook his head. His three colleagues had been discovered but the spy didn't specify which three. The emperor had 'requested' their forces afterwards. If the three forces that reported to the king weren't the three forces known to the king's spies, they would have effectively uprooted dissidents. Marquis Prichard was confident in his own preparations, and resolutely decided not to meet the king's request for troops. He entered into a magnificent carriage and swiftly made a return to his fiefdom.

Past the mountain near the grassland and across a wide sea, there was a large harbour. A magnificent ship was anchored there. Its massive size was testament to the might of the Leiss Empire. The crest of an energetic tiger with wings was emblazoned prominently on the ship's sails and flags. Indeed this empire was like a winged tiger on this continent, controlling the skies and the lands. Even the seas were now not exempt. Just the number of cannons alone was enough to strike fear into any veteran pirate and make them repent and join the church. This beast of high seas was named The Fairy, in stark contrast to it war machine design. Many men were loading barrels of gunpowder and food as well as other supplies. A hunchbacked old man stood at the ramp with a long scroll, keeping record of the loaded goods. Suddenly the temperatures lowered rapidly and it became chilly. As if on queue all the workers stopped what they were doing and bowed on one knee. A pretty youthful girl walked onto the harbour. She had long golden hair and wore a sparkly white dress. A silver tiara was upon her head. The low temperatures emanated from her footsteps, and the floor froze in the shape of her footprints. "Uncle Jack can we go yet?" a childish voice enquired from the hunch backed old man,the only person not on his knees on the whole harbour. "Your highness, preparations will be complete today, we will sail tonight" he replied with a bow. Due to his bad back he couldn't bow too low. The teenage girl pouted unhappily and said "Cant it be a little sooner? I want to get that new toy first. "Immediately her mood worsened the temperatures dropped even lower. "We will rush to leave as early as the evening Your Highness, this is the best I can promise." Jack replied while trying his best not to shiver. "Yay! I knew I could count on you Uncle." she said and gave him a peck on the cheek before turning around with a swing of her dress and hop skipping away. As soon as she left the temperatures regularised. Jack took a deep breath and brushed some snow off his shoulder. "BACK TO WORK! DOUBLE TIME! LASHES IF YOU DON'T FINISH BY SUNSET! BY DECREE OF THE ICE QUEEN LEILA LEISS!" The harbour immediately turned much more rowdy.

In a dark swamp filled with fog. A man sat on a branch of a crooked tree holding a bow. he took out three arrows from a quiver strapped to his back and set them on the bow. It was pulled taut and all three arrows were fired together into the distance. The arrows flew in an arc and as if remotely controlled, split into three directions. Angry hisses came out of the swamp as the arrows landed and released an electric shock. Three large alligators jumped out of the water with arrows stuck in their bodies. One had an arrow in its side one in its neck and the last in its left eye. They also received further damage from the electrocution in the water and were thoroughly enraged. The one with an arrow in its eye especially, shot out rapidly directly for the tree whilst baring its fangs."Haha the [Thunder Arrows] and [Triple Shot] really do the business!" a massive hairy chested man in nothing but a loincloth said while stepping out from behind the tree. He cracked his knuckles loudly before breaking into a run to meet the alligator. As the alligator lunged to take a bite, the man straightforwardly shoulder tackled it onto its back! He then slammed its jaws shut before grappling it in a bear hug. Seeing the tables turned the other alligators moved to save their own when one abruptly stopped. A shadowy figure in a dark cloak appeared on the alligators' back with a dagger plunged into the back of its head. At this point the last alligator wanted to flee back into the depths but it was already too late. A sharp glint was the last thing it saw as a massive two handed great-sword descended on it and dissected it in two. "Stop playing around Orlov." the man wielding the great-sword said. The large barbarian gave a chuckle and abruptly snapped the alligator he was restraining and it went limp. The terrifying Swamp Alligator of Dire Swamp was only childsplay to the Platinum Ranked adventurer team Shadow. An eagle landed on the tree the archer was on at this time, and it had a letter tied to its leg. The archer unfurled the letter and after a quick perusal he smiled. "Lets move out boys, time to play with some real opponents." he said and passed the note to the other three.

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