Evolution: A Warlock’s Rise To Power

Lucan smiled after seeing the worldwide announcement. The drow were coming to the surface and many players would be heading underground, and he just happened to be selling night vision among many other things. It could be a good opportunity to attract new customers.

[The Supreme Leader Raze demands the presence of his six Hands in his palace within an hour. All internal conflicts are to cease immediately.]

Lucan's smile disappeared. Things with the Plague Baron were going exactly how he wanted them too. Barring no surprises, Desolation would last till morning and his fortress would be able to fend off the invaders with the Willow organization's help.

As much as he wanted to continue the fight, this was the first time Raze demanded something of him. He had no desire to test his patron's patience.

Lucan contacted Silent to let her know that there was a temporary ceasefire. He instructed her to keep defending the fortress and only stop if the enemy retreats.

He connected to Little Brown to inform Tyrannical Kyp. When he shared his vision with the small bird, he chanced upon the Quadkong and the vice general staring each other down.

An illusion of Lucan was projected between them.

"By the order of the Supreme leader, all internal conflict will be halted." He said to the both of them. He then turned to Kyp. "Return to the fortress, this battle may not be over. It depends on what Raze has to say."

Kyp stepped back and tore a return scroll, vanishing from the area with Tango.

Little Brown left the city and flew towards the Ghost King.

"It looks like we have to stop for now." Lucan said.

"Aye, the drow are a threat that shouldn't be underestimated."

"I am sorry you were not able to claim as many souls as you hoped."

"Eh, it's alright, I also didn't lose as many ghosts since things stopped so suddenly. I will be returning to the Ethereal realm. Let me know if you need some help, but of course it will cost you next time. With this I owe you nothing else."

The Ghost King called back his forces and opened a portal to the ethereal realm for them to return.

Lucan then contacted Raze.

'What the heck, I am in the middle of a battle.'

'Those things don't matter, come to my palace.'

'I am stuck in the ethereal realm right now, I will send Adrestia.'

'That is fine as well. After we sort through this mess with the drow, I want to hear about the ethereal realm.'

'Hmpf, we will see.' Lucan said, cutting the transmission.

Once Adrestia saw the Plague Baron's forces retreating from the fortress, she flew towards the teleporter and entered Vertshadow.

The shadow elf named Ash was there waiting for her. He led the way to a room deep in the palace.

When Adrestia arrived, five of the seven seats at the table had already been taken. Lucan recognized Hellfire and the Queen of Shadows. The other three were people he had only ever seen in intelligence reports.

He instantly recognized the Plague Baron. A scrawny man with bald patches in his gray hair. His teeth were rotten and yellow while his eyes looked sickly.

Beside him sat the Blind Duchess. A fit woman, who wore a mask over the top half of her face. Two gemstones stood in the place of her eyes. It was said that she lost her sight when she gazed upon an eldritch entity. She lost her vision but gained something else.

At the end of the table, across from the Queen of Shadows sat a blonde-haired boy who looked no older than eight years old. He was called the King of Terror. He was best known for his wrath and torturous practices.

Adrestia flew into the room and perched on the back of a chair next to Hellfire, across the table from the Plague Baron. An illusion of Lucan formed in the chair.

"Ha, are you too afraid to appear in front of me? How pathetic and cowardly." The Plague Baron said to Lucan.

"Why don't you go outside and practice getting beaten up, I will help you out when we are done here."

"You're to afraid to even defend your territory in person. Just keep hiding, I will find you and destroy you over and over until you are nothing but a worthless sack of flesh."

The doors to room pushed open.

"Enough." Raze said as he entered. He walked around the table and sat at the head. "I have called you here because of the recent development with the drow."

"Hmpf, who cares about the drow, let them conquer the material plane for all I care." The Plague Baron said.

"It is not just a problem for the material plane." The King of Terror said.

"That is correct. The shadow realm is a more likely target than any of the other realms besides the material plane, maybe even more so."

The Plague Baron looked confused.

"Just be quite dummy." Lucan said to the Plague Baron. "Dark elves are sensitive to sunlight and can't operate during the day. The sunlight will blind them. But we don't have a normal sun here. Ours gives off a dark light. If the drow come to the shadow realm they would be able to operate whether it was day or night."

"That is correct." Raze said. "And the Mother of Darkness is someone who is a true deity. I can't afford to let you all kill off our soldiers with your in-fighting. Your conflict ends here until the drow have been dealt with."

Four heads at the table nodded. They hadn't gone into battle yet so it was only a matter of turning their troops around and having them go home. Unlike Lucan and the Plague Baron who had already clashed.

"Never. That bastard needs to die, this has to be settled." The Plague Baron said, slamming his fist on the table."

"Agreed." Said Lucan.

Raze frowned. "Fine, you may settle your issues but not with my troops. In one week, you can use the arena, you may bring four others with you. Our forces must remain strong."

"Fine, but when I win, I want his fortress." Said the Plague Baron.

"You can settle the terms among yourselves. The loser will no longer be my Hand."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

"Very well, then let us continue. First things first, I am not forbidding any of you from selling to the drow, but I am saying you are not allowed to assist them in coming to the shadow realm. Second, the Mother of Darkness and I do not have the best relationship, so it is highly unlikely that you will be able to sell to the drow. Third, it is in my interest to explore the underdark. I don't care what the drow do as long as they don't come to the shadow realm. For those of you who send your subordinates to the underdark, I will pay for exotic samples and I may issue a few quests for things I need. It depends on the situation."

The meeting lasted for over an hour. As the others left, Raze asked Lucan to stay behind.

"It seems that you have been very busy lately. I can feel your ethereal energy growing stronger every moment."

"I am currently in the process of evolving into a Champion of the planeshifters, a race of the ethereal realm."

"Fascinating, what is it like there?"

"It is interesting. The realms purpose is to separate the other realms. The natural inhabitants are kind of scary. There is a lot of rogue souls here."

"Hmm, I would very much like to go sometime. I always dreamed of traveling the realms and unlocking their secrets."

"There are a lot out there. Just to become champion I had to survive in fifty different major realms and the ethereal guardian told me there are several smaller pocket realm, some man made, others made by creatures, and a few that are just freak accidents of nature."

"Do you think that the abilities you are gaining will be of use to us against the Drow?"

"Possibly, I am still in the process of changing my race, but I have already gained the ability to see into other realms."

"Good, good, now defeat the Plague Baron and return to my side."

"Ha, are you actually taking my side?"

"You wish, I have told the Plague Baron the same thing, both of you have abilities that I can put to use. Whoever wins doesn't matter to me. I am most looking forward to replacing one of you." Raze said while greedily rubbing his hands together.