Moonshadow Valley, Underworld.
"I never expected that underneath Moonshadow Valley, there’d be a whole other world."
Desdemona, a succubus elder, was still stunned. Two days ago, she’d come here with a group of cave spiders, following Orion’s orders to wait near the arrow tower until someone arrived to escort them. But it had already been two days since she’d arrived, and she hadn’t seen another soul.
All that greeted her was the tall bone tower looming ahead, which gave her a strange sense of familiarity—like the arrow towers on the walls of Blackstone City.
Just then, a disturbance rippled through the boulder-strewn distance. Several massive death spiders came scuttling toward them.
"Hahaha... All that way off, I sensed kinfolk nearby. Looks like our lord sent more of his people underground!"
Desdemona looked up at the incoming cave spiders. Friends traveling with cave spiders meant they were definitely on the same side, and she relaxed a bit.
"I’m Desdemona," she said, moving forward with several Skeletal Knights in tow. She greeted them politely. She could feel that one of the newcomers was an Alpha-level fighter.
"Desdemona... You’re the succubus Desdemona? Surprised to see you down here, too. So you must’ve died in battle as well."
The voice implied the speaker recognized her, though the tone sounded foreign and unfamiliar.
"Desdemona, I’m Grendel. We crossed paths when we were younger."
"In the black forest, I slaughtered a few members of your clan(tribe)."
Desdemona’s eyes widened. "You’re...Grendel? Didn’t you fall in battle along with the former chieftain of the giants?"
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"Yes, we all died once," someone else responded—not Grendel, but Clymene, who stepped forward.
"Desdemona, welcome to our ranks. I’m Clymene Stoneheart."
"Clymene Stoneheart, you’re Orion’s sister?"
"That’s right. And you shouldn’t be so shocked at seeing us like this, right?"
Desdemona suddenly understood. She herself had been resurrected; naturally Orion’s sister could be, too.
"Are you really Clymene? You look even prettier than before, and more refined. I can hardly believe you’d already died once."
"Clymene, it’s me—York!"
"Ah...I’m Hornbrow!"
"..."
The next while turned into a reunion of Skeletal Knights reintroducing themselves and catching up on old times. With Clymene there to receive them, they felt like they had a place to belong. The underworld was no longer some strange domain, but a brand-new home.
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Blackstone City. On the city wall.
Orion, Onyx, and Gort walked in single file, inspecting the nearly completed outer walls.
"Have Delilah bring over the women of the Garland Tribe. Let’s try to get the wall enchantments finished before the dark beast tides hit.
"Prophet, Gort—during this time, build up the main roads in the outer city and put up some key structures. Use whatever leftover material we have from wall construction. With winter coming, if there aren’t sturdy shelters, the elderly and kids are gonna suffer."
Onyx and Gort both agreed. All these tasks were already on their list. As long as it all went step by step, it’d be done in time.
"We’ve fused arrow towers into the western and eastern sections, and for now, there aren’t any obvious weak points in Blackstone City."
Lately, counting the arrow towers from the Godforsaken Land and the ones Orion snagged off the Survivor’s Platform, he’d gathered a total of six. Four were now integrated into the walls, while two were kept in reserve.
Whoosh!
A chilly wind blew in, sending a shiver through them.
"Let’s pick up the pace. If you don’t have enough hands, ask Lorelia for help."
"Got it, my lord!"
Orion descended the stairs from the wall. Halfway back to the Horde Hall, Delilah intercepted him.
"Orion, aren’t you going to check up on my work?"
She called him by his name this time—a little coded hint for something more. Orion hesitated for a second, and Delilah seized the moment to pull him into a nearby stone house.
He barely had time to react before she was kissing him passionately, tugging at his clothes as she went.
"This is your place?" Orion murmured, turning the tables and pulling Delilah in by the hips, returning her kiss just as fervently.
"Sure is, dear Orion!" she answered between hot kisses, her words muffled by quick, shallow breaths.
"How many houses do you have in Blackstone City, anyway?" he teased, running his hands over her breasts and tracing his fingers over her clit. In an instant, Delilah was on fire with lust.
"Plenty...mmph..."
"Baby, I want you inside me. I need your cock!"
…
Time flew by, and another week slipped away.
Inside the Horde Hall, at the council meeting.
"Elders, with this year’s dark beast tides coming soon, as usual, we need everyone working together to get through it."
Seated on the throne, Orion opened their council session with a rallying speech, preparing the Horde for the dark beasts’ arrival.
"Work together and weather the storm!"
"Work together and weather the storm!"
"..."
All at once, the elders cheered in unison. No one could say exactly when, but at some point, dark beast tides stopped being synonymous with death and panic. Many of them now saw the coming tides as a golden chance for certain elders to push themselves to Alpha-level.
Every year for the last few years, someone always managed to ascend to Alpha-level in the aftermath of the dark beast tides. So for them, this wasn’t just a disaster—it was an opportunity.
Sure, it was risky, but with those towering walls and the ridiculous firepower of the arrow towers, the danger didn’t look so dire.
Orion gazed over the elders, feeling a surge of gratitude and pride. He could plainly see the confidence and fervor in their eyes. This was real change.
In the old days, the mention of dark beast tides would send everyone shaking in terror. Now it was practically a party.
This time, Orion didn’t bother assigning battle formations. Everyone had already found their place in the Horde, and aside from Orion himself, the elders were used to organizing their work around the four senior elders and eight council elders.
Plus, with the Hunting Party, the cavalry regiment, the cannon-fodder troops, the Sentinel Corps, and the cave spider armies, Blackstone City was fortified like never before.
Orion didn’t even have to say much—things ran smoothly on their own.