Aygorzi, Merriheim.

9:34 p.m. 19th Banem 1092.

Kashi and Jade decided to shelve the matter of the mana boosters to a later date, having made more than sufficient progress on their current projects. After discussing a number of formalities with the daeben women she'd been working with, Jade followed Kashi and the Maggots to Aygorzi's underground Royal Palace.

The guards at the palace recognized both Kashi and Otto Knutsen, and thus allowed the party through after informing the daeben that the dwarven king had been expecting them.

Kashi nodded his thanks and then walked through a large doorway fit for giants into the opulent throne room. "It's the same," Kashi mused inwardly as he admired the beautiful walls and varnished pillars. The daeben had his first meeting with the council of six in this hall. "Ah, no. Something's changed," said the daeben as he gazed at the new golden throne, upon which sat the new dwarven king, Anton Xafier, listening to the counsel of a minister.

Several dwarven ministers stood in front of the King in neat rows, waiting their turn to offer counsel, or debate some topic or another. Kashi spotted Yngvar Kernode, Paaie Nilsen and Ulla Tav among the first row, signifying their prestige among the dwarven council.

"Hold, Dyron," King Xafier prompted the moment he spotted Kashi's party. "A guest of great import has come to visit." King Xafier laughed as he rose from his throne and walked down the steps, much to the mortification of the ministers. The King, however, ignored the minsters' silent protests and approached the daeben with a wide grin.

"Kashi-dono, words cannot convey how glad I am to see you," King Xafier expressed as he held out his right hand. The sharp-eyed dwarf would have gone for a hug, but from what he'd seen of Kashi, the daeben did not appear to be the hugging type.

"The pleasure is mine, Your Majesty," Kashi humbly greeted with a smile and nodded. "Unfortunately, I am afraid this is not a social visit. I come to you with grave matters that require urgent attention."

Behind Kahsi, Syèl leaned over to Shadow and whispered. "Does he always talk like that?"

"You get used to it," Shadow replied with a shrug. Having accompanied Kashi longer than almost any other Maggot, the assassin had seen Kashi switch to this archaic formal speech whenever he spoke with someone the daeben felt deserved respect.

King Xafier, meanwhile, furrowed his brows upon hearing Kashi's news. "I had hoped to prepare a celebratory feast as congratulations for the successful skyboat and train productions, but it appears your matter is much more urgent." Pointing at the raised podium, he proposed, "How about you address us from up there? It should convey the gravity of the situation better."

"As you wish," Kashi agreed, but then he caught Leila's cautioning gaze, and understanding the hidden meaning, added, "But only if you sit on the throne. No matter what, I must not appear to be above or hold power over you or the throne."

King Xafier nodded, acknowledging the dangers. "Yes, perceived weakness could lead to instability, especially for a newly chosen king such as myself." The king let out a wry chuckle as he lamented, "I have scoured hundreds of books and tomes on the etiquettes of a King, but it seems I have yet to ingrain the lessons within my soul. I keep forgetting."

"Even the greatest king was a clueless child once," Kashi soothed with a chuckle. "Time and wisdom make a great ruler, not the crown. You already have the wisdom. Now, all you need is time."

"Hooo..." King Xafier's eyes flashed in surprise as he regarded the daeben with shock and awe. "I did not think you were capable of such sophistry. I stand corrected."

Kashi shrugged as he admitted, "I am only stealing lines others have already coined."

"The only thing that cannot be stolen in this world is knowledge."

Kashi looked at the king with shock, but Xafier only smiled and made his way back to the throne, while the daeben waited to be summoned.

King Xafier looked from Kashi to the dwarfs and then announced, "Our friend, Kashi of the Hopeful Maggots has come a long way with urgent news. As we all know, the dwarven race owes this guild a momentous debt, so I urge that you listen with open hearts and minds to his news before passing judgment." The King then beckoned Kashi forward, "Kashi, please come and address us."

The King's proclamation caused the ministers to murmur among themselves. Some were positive, others were negative, but the majority were hesitant. The dwarfs had just tasted freedom, and many were reluctant to accept orders from a daeben—even if that daeben was Kashi. Such was the deep-rooted hatred and mistrust towards that race.

Kashi walked to the front of the ministers and stood on the stairs, three steps below the podium. The daeben glanced around at the dwarfs, weathering the intensely hostile and cautious glares. Only a few among the dwarfs looked upon him favorable, of which the council of six made up the majority.

Kashi nodded at the familiar faces and then said with a grave expression, "Dwarven Ministers, I am not well-versed in court decorum, so I shall spare both ourselves the embarrassment and get straight to the point." Warning flashed in the daeben's eyes as he continued, "There is a battle coming. One which will decide the fate of the continent. If, at this time, we do not stand united, I fear everything we have built thus far will be akin to dust in the wind."

"What is this battle you speak of?" A minister asked.

Kashi glanced at the dwarf and answered, "A battle to prevent the return of the greatest evil this world has ever known."

King Xafier's shot up from his chair, his pallor pale with fright, "You can't mean?"

"Yes, I do," Kashi replied. "The return of Razznik Y'Terlow, otherwise known as The Destroyer."

"What!?"

"The Destroyer!?"

"Impossible!"

"Isn't that just a myth?"

The court erupted in an uproar over the daeben's news, half in disbelief, and others in fright, both sides unwilling to believe Kashi's words.

Kashi however, poured cold water on any hopes they had by stating, "I know you all received the prophecy four months ago. The prophecy that foretold the coming of The Destroyer. I can assure you, that was no prank. Unless you truly believe someone would pull a prank on the entire continent?" Kashi saw the battle raging within the dwarfs' minds and thus went for the kill. The daeben opened his quest log for the first time in forever and made his menu 'visible'. "You should know that we Summoned gain strength through completing quests outlined in our quest log. The quest log can omit truth, but it never lies."

Kashi pointed to the hovering window as he stated, "Look here, at the wording: the world's destruction might not seem relevant at first, but when paired with the shaman's prophecy...

"Madness Without Equal, Destroyer Beyond Measure,

An Army of Death Shields the Light of the Sixth Moon.

Thunder Deafens the World, Yet no Light Breaks the Darkness,

The Earth Bleeds Where Chaos Reigns,

The Destroyer Returns."

Kashi finished reciting the memorized prophecy and then said, "At the time we Summoned received this quest, we got a time limit of six months, but when paired with the prophecy's Sixth moon, the purpose is clear."

Xafier's eyes narrowed. "What's that?"

"From the moment Skyrm was freed, no one has known where he is or what he is doing. It's like he has vanished off the face of the earth. Yet, we Summoned received a quest with a time limit attached." Kashi smiled as he explained. "The 'gods' do not give out impossible tasks. The time limit was the true message within the quest. In six month's time, Skyrm would do something irreversible that would greatly damage the world we live in, but at the exact same time, a prophecy is sent out to the world, warning of Razznik's return around a 'sixth' moon. It does not take a genius to put two and two together."

Kashi's expression once again turned grave as he declared, "In five weeks, Skyrm will somehow summon The Destroyer back to this world. It is up to us to prevent that worst-case scenario from happening."

Yngvar Kermode stepped forward, eyes sharp as he questioned, "Even your words ring true, how do you propose we find Skyrm if no one has seen hide nor tail of him since."

"Yes, we do not know where he is or has been," Kashi revealed with a grin. "But we do know where he will be and when exactly he will be there."

King Xafier, quick on the uptake, murmured, "...The sixth moon."

"Yes, Skyrm will be present at the summoning of Razznik," Kashi explained. "As for the where, I ask that you draw your attention to the last three lines of the prophecy, "Thunder Deafens the World, but no Light Breaks the Darkness. The Earth Bleeds Where Chaos Reigns. The Destroyer Returns. This location has three distinct characteristics. First, the clouds are such that neither light from the sun nor lightning can shine through; Second, it's a location where the earth somehow bleeds, and finally, a place of untold chaos."

Kashi folded his arms as he said, "In all of Destia, only one place fits all three descriptions..." Without waiting for the dwarfs to question him, Kashi answered, "Drakase. There is a dark cloud surrounding the island that renders it forever night. Secondly, the largest mountain there is a dormant volcano. It stands to reason that the summoning might cause it to activate, but last and perhaps most important of all..."

Kashi suddenly paused to the annoyance of his audience. However, the daeben's frown revealed that for some reason, this last tidbit of information was slightly harder to get out that the rest. Luckily, the daeben regained his strength after a moment, looked into all the dwarfs present and then said, "Drakase was Razznik Y'Terlow's only home in this world. If he truly makes a return I cannot think of any other place he would be called."

"What!? Drakase is The Destroyer's home?"

"We live so close to such a place? Is that possible?"

"Focus!" King Xafier shouted, quickly bringing the squabbling, panicking dwarfs to order. Drakase was at the center of Merriheim's claws. If something terrible happened there, the dwarfs would be the first to suffer the consequences. This was no time for fear. They needed to find a solution fast. King Xafier looked at Kashi, "I presume you have a plan?"

"Yes," Kashi stated. "I am of the firm belief that Skyrm has the Chaos Order behind him. We will have to fight their forces if we wish to stop the summoning. However, this is not something the Maggots can handle on their own. As you saw, this was tagged 'World Quest.' This means that the difficulty is on the scale of a world-level threat. A single team will not be enough. Thus, I hope to form the first formal coalition forces between Rosendun, Merriheim, and Serisis to aid the Maggots in preventing this catastrophe."

"Of course, the risk does not come without its rewards," Kashi added and then explained, "Razznik stored countless amounts of treasures in his home. Our riches will be imaginable if we can skim just 1% off the top."

King Xafier shook his head as he walked up to the daeben and said with a smile, "Even without the rewards, we would have done whatever we could to help prevent this catastrophe."
"I do not doubt that one bit," Kashi replied and then added with a teasing grin, "But the riches to help with the decision, don't they?"

King Xafier laughed as he admitted, "At the very least, it'll be easy to hire mercenaries to compliment our forces." He then paused, and questioned, "So, how do you plan on forming this coalition? I have neither met Rosendun nor Serisis' rulers."

"With a meeting between the three leaders," Kashi revealed with a grin.

"Didn't you say we only have five weeks?"

"I can get us to Serisis in a day," Kashi boasted, causing Xafier to hesitate as he stared at the daeben in shock.

"A day? How?"

Kashi grinned and then said with a wicked glint in his eyes, "How do you feel about portals?"