The Realm of Opeomund

Opeorein - 20

The team entered the realm that was home to the largest mountain and an inactive volcano in the world Opeo, the Peak of Blaze. The entire realm, in fact, was home to large mountains that seemed as though it had reached the sky. Near the edge of the realm was a canyon that led to the Ether Field, a rocky field with almost no living things that had an entrance to an underground city.

Everyone had already put on their flame-resistant gear from an isolated village back in Opeomund. They walked for a while through narrow paths and areas, eventually leading themselves to a cave that seemed to be man-made. There was a sign that was carved by a rock which read "Ether". 

Once they had entered, everyone gazed at their surroundings. Rocky pillars held up the surface from collapsing and houses were forged from rocks as well. There were little areas that had grown grass and was slightly visible to sunlight. The people of the city, Reiners, seemed to be living in peace in the large city. It seemed unbelievable to think the city stretched as wide as Ether Field yet was underground.

"Who are they?" started to spread around in whispers as some people of Ether glanced at the four. Guards of Ether slowly walked up, their hands on their sheathed blades as they glared at the five soldiers wearing heavy armor and blades. Other citizens who were intimidated walked back into their homes as one shouted out, "It's Whitmore's men!"

"It's okay," Axel Drem said with a gulp in his voice, "we're not Draven Whitmore's men. We've heard that Draven Whitmore is here in this realm though, somewhere."

A townsman in an open shop glanced at the team, laid his right hand on a table from his scabbard and adjusted his glasses with his left hand. He then poured two liquids into a cup and sighted the steam and the soothing sizzle sound that came afterward. Dreu Erend noticed and walked up to the 20-year-old man, placing his right hand on the man's left shoulder and looking at the handle of his sheathed blade.

"That handle on your sword has quite the design," Dreu started speaking, "I'm noticing the sharp blades attached to the guard and the world map on the grip. That grip also somehow is emitting particles of light. I-"

"Unfortunately," the man interrupted, adjusting his glasses again, "this blade of mine is not for sale."

"Haha, I'm not here to buy it. In fact," Dreu paused for a bit and unsheathed The Light Greatsword and pointed at Adwin as well. Adwin unsheathed his Greatsword and the two glanced at the man, sitting with a surprised expression. "In fact," he continued, "we are also-"

"Wielders," the man said with a satisfied smile. He then remembered something and turned his smile into an angered expression. "Draven Whitmore's plan of world domination can lead to the start of the Fourth Great War. Considering each realm has an enormous army, soldiers and the people can fight back and bring it back to Opeomund. This wouldn't be good."

The man paused for a bit, mixing another two liquids to form elixirs. "The Fourth Great War?" Axel yelled as people glimpsed at him.

"Yes," the man stated, "The Fourth Great War."

"To freshen my memory," Earl started to ask, walking up to the man, "what were the other three world wars?"

"The First Great War," the man started, "was when the greed of many people over gaining the Light Greatswords after it was found out led to conflicts with almost everyone...putting Merek and the other Wielders in isolation from humanity. The Second Great War followed years later when ideas of how the world should be run turned into battles and split the world into the four great realms. The Third Great War was hundreds of years later--which is one-hundred years ago compared to the present--when the corrupted king of Opeomund, Lyan, planned for the annihilation of all realms, causing the militaries of the three realms to storm the castle and end him."

The Fourth Great War ringed in Adwin's head. He felt anxiety up to his chest and soon drifted into a different thought. He sighted the liquids that the man had mixed and was curious. "Say, I don't believe I've caught your name. Who are you?"

"William Foyre," the man started his answer, standing up and bowing down to the team, "and I, my friend, am an alchemist. I mix liquids to form elixirs. Each elixir may have different capabilities. One may be a regenerative elixir and another one may be to enhance your speed. Oh, and I may even have elixirs of poison and other harmful matter. You see, this second Opeo Ability I possess is the ability to pour in liquids of enhancements or deadliness out of the blue. Truly amazing, is it not?"

Everyone else was starting to introduce themselves to each other until...

A thunderous rumble shook the ground, the pillars of the underground city moving a bit but remaining intact and stabilized. Everyone ran into their homes in terror, their eardrums hurt from the noise of the rumbling ground. Adwin, Maryn, Dreu, Alex, Earl, and William ran to the entrance of Ether, swiftly looking around their surroundings and finally stopping to stare at the Peak of Blaze, a once-vicious volcano that erupted centuries ago, letting lava loose from the pit on the peak and colossal boulders hurtling towards the ground at great speed.

A small bit of a machine in the distance was seen, attached to the mountain and slowly carving into the inside of the inactive volcano.

Two hours later...