"I know you may have some doubts still, but just wait until you see this. It's pretty wild, man."
Luther said, a smug look upon his face as he walked down the icy tunnel of the mining complex. The floor, ceiling and even the walls were all made from frozen water, but the reflections of the two men were distorted a good deal as they progressed through the passage, shoes echoing with a residual tapping all around.

Lights had been mounted upon the ceiling, however, in order to provide illumination so far underground. They cast shadows at the edges of the tunnel, which danced around with the two men and their vision in odd ways.
"You said it was an... 'Ice', am I correct?" Asked the haughty sounding voice of Wesley Norman, a wealthy businessman if there ever was one. "I am already seeing plenty of that all around us."
Luther chuckled nervously, still keeping up his thin smile and briefly turning to Norman.
"Oh, no! This is hardly just plain ice, my friend. This is something much different!"
Their voices were amplified by the environment to the degree that one standing on the opposite end of the complex could probably hear muffled words. "Have you, perhaps, heard the legends?"
Norman raised a bushy eyebrow, intrigued.
"Legends, you say?"
"Yes, yes! Before the time of Edmonton, there were stories passed down from generation to generation about the Ice! Creators of the Cambrian language itself!"
Luther's excitement was showing in his tone as the two turned round a bend, which revealed a little more tunnel that led into an enormous, carved out room ahead. The tunnel had grown smaller, to the point where the two had to crouch in order to not bump into the frozen ceiling, but the opening ahead cast a glow at its entrance that seemed almost warm and inviting when compared to the bleak surroundings of the ice passage.
"I will have you know," began Norman as he ducked to avoid hitting a light bulb above him, "I have not been too impressed with what I have seen so far."
"Trust me, that's nothing. Just wait and see what I'm talking about, and you'll be making enough money to swim in."

At last the ceiling became much higher, with the sharp tips of icicles jutting downwards from the top. Fresh water dripped freely from above, falling through the air and striking deep pools with resounding plinks.
The voices of the men echoed within the room more than ever, as the cavern was such a large expanse with crystalline structures covering the walls, ceiling and even parts of the ground ahead. Some shone a magnificent green, while others ghostly white. More industrial lights hung ahead, illuminating the hundreds of odd runes of presumably mystical origin that were painted upon the walls during some unknown era in a crimson shade. Ice crackled from all around them as they entered, disturbing the emptiness of the place.
“An interesting room, I will admit.”
Norman said in a low tone, looking around curiously.
“Trust me…” Luther replied with a faint but almost malicious chuckle, “you haven’t seen anything yet.”

The room, while big, looked to be centered around one massive crystal at the center that was completely translucent in nature. Norman’s eyes caught sight of it, and the man immediately became intrigued.
“What is that?”
“That’s the star of the show, my good friend!” Luther almost skipped over to the crystal, while Norman lagged behind with a raised brow. “Peer into the crystal, and you will see it.”
The gentleman approached the crystal and did as asked. He squinted his eyes in perplexion upon seeing something faintly… Metallic within. Those same eyes widened when he got a closer look at what the thing was.
“Lord and Lady…”
It was a mechanical contraption of a sort, but looked distinctly organic in an unnatural and frightening way. The body was a ghostly pale and outlined by odd runic symbols written in the same red as on the walls, head more like what one could expect to see on a knight’s suit of armor and shaded similarly to the rest of the body. Two lanky arms were sprawled out at its side, each bearing claw-like hands far longer than that of a humans coupled with legs bearing razor sharp talons for feet. It stood at least a full foot taller than either of the men in the room, and they were both of an average size by comparison.

There were occasional gaps in the torso area where one could see a multitude of different gears that were now silent and still but looked as if they were brand new.
“Pretty interesting, isn’t it?”
Luther put his arm against the side of the crystal with his overconfident smile still showing. Norman looked both afraid and extremely curious at the same time.
“What is it? Is it an Ice? This is an Ice?”
Luther nodded and pushed himself off of where he had been leaning smoothly.
“Can’t you just see the headlines?” He spoke, hand motioning the air in a grandiosely exaggerated way. “Land baron discovers new sentient species from ages past! People far and wide wait in hopes to see the spectacle!”
Norman turned his attention back to Luther, feelings of suspicion showing in his eyes.
“So you wish to sell me this… Thing?”
“That is correct.”
Norman sighed, and looked around the room. At a second glance, it was augmented in a very strange way. Mechanical parts stuck out in different places, a giant gear poking out of the side of the wall near a crystal formation while a giant steam valve pierced the icy roof, a shiny brass color.
“Very well, Mr. Luther. Name your pri-.”

The entire room suddenly shook with the violence of an earthquake for a period of about three seconds. Bits of rubble fell down from overhead and both men in the room were jostled about like marionettes as a deafening sound of rumbling overtook both their ears. When the quake subsided, both men now watched in horror as a slight crack in the nearby crystal formed, and began to grow bigger with sporadic crunching noises until it was a giant incision in the side of the crystal itself. Both Luther and Norman began backing away towards the entrance of the room as the crystal split in two, filling the area nearby with a cloud of steam.
“I did not expect this to happen…”
Luther whispered. The two were just near the doorway when a hissing noise, that sounded like escaping vapors echoed through the cavern from the direction of the crystal. The room was in silence for just a moment before a figure emerged from the small cloud of steam, feet hitting the floor with metallic clinks.

The outline of the creature within the crystal was now before them. Two piercing blue eyes ignited from behind its metallic mask, glaring at the two humans malignantly as the gears within its body began turning with a clickity-clack noise. For a time, there was silence as the two humans dared not make a move, while the metallic humanoid watched them intently.

Both Luther and Norman knew there was no escape as it let out an unearthly cry that sounded both artificial and human at once before sprinting towards them at impossible speeds, screaming in a horrific manner all the way.

1624 12:46 P.M Nation 7

By all means it had been a very busy day in the dreary city of Blacke, capital of the Mire. Following the assassination of the previous Emperor, Atlas Blacke, his son was next in line to take the throne just one week later.

It was a city that was always overcast in dark grey clouds, and it tended to rain here at any given moment. Usually, fog covered the cobblestone streets, forcing the blurry golden light of streetlamps to aid the travels of passersby, but today it was gone, leaving only the clouds to carry on the atmosphere the city was constantly in. Past the Victorian style housing and gothic architecture that had been mixed with it was an enormous spire that loomed over the city, a lighthouse that had not been used in centuries created from polished obsidian and wooden furnishings. It was large enough to serve as the Imperial palace as well, a courtyard containing a well kept garden on the outside and the infamous black walls that formed layers of rings throughout the city looming around it that had deterred a great many invasions in the past.

Through the wrought iron gate leading into the palace was a giant room complete with stain glass windows and dark candlesticks on the side. At the very end was a throne, also made from pure obsidian and decorated in brief sentences in the runic Cambrian language that each briefly described the rule of a previous emperor. Dozens marked the side and rear of the thing now, which was larger than the typical throne that one may imagine and standing on top of an elevated platform that overlooked the area from a just barely noticeable incline. A man was seated upon it. Or rather a boy, by the name of Dravis.

His clothing was a murky grey, falling loosely around him in the form of an oversized robe, studded with different gemstones upon the sleeves and neck area. The fringes of the arms nearly reached the hand of the young man, appearing almost comically oversized for someone of his youthful appearance. His feet were marked with simple brown sandals, and as Dravis sat back upon the throne, palm pressed against the bottom of his chin, he observed the room before him through dull, chestnut pupils. A bored expression on his almost ghostly pale face.
“So is that it, then?” He spoke in an equally uninterested tone. “Am I the emperor now?”
A rather tall woman wearing a dark black cloak was first to speak up, face hidden by the shadow of her hood.
“Yes, your majesty.”
She answered, voice sounding middle-aged at the most. Her flowing cream colored hair fell out from underneath the hood a little, gently touching both of her shoulder areas.

The faintest grin overtook Dravis’ face upon hearing this.
“Wonderful.” He removed his chin from his hand and leaned back on the throne casually, adjusting himself to the feel with a few simple movements. “My first order of business as the new emperor of the Mire is to outlaw all forms of alcohol!” The whole room stared at him as his voice reverberated throughout the concrete slabs that formed the walls and floor of the dimply lit room. An awkward silence fell upon the area for a time before the emperor’s smile faded. “It was a joke. That would be bloody stupid.” He sighed with disdain.

“So what of my men?” The gravelly voice of a mountain of a man with battered leather clothing and a shiny bald head questioned. A thin mustache was about his face, and he appeared in his mid forties. “They’ve been pinned down for three s***ting weeks in Jalden and need reinforcements.”
“W-Watch your tone, Mr. Voltek, you are speaking to the emperor of the Mire!”
An elderly man standing beside the throne said with an offended look on his face.
“I don’t give a damn if he’s an emperor or a bloomin’ beggar, I’m getting an answer.”
“Mr. Voltek!”
The old man exclaimed, aghast. Dravis raised a palm, which the wrinkled advisor promptly understood, shrinking back to his original position with a sour look upon his face.
“Enough!” The emperor announced authoritatively. “The war with Restadeen is of secondary concern as of now, Commander. I’m afraid that I cannot dispatch any further forces at the moment.”
“Secondary concern?! Then what the hell’s primary?! Those whoresons are pillaging our ports and sinking civilian ships!”
Voltek spat, outraged, to be met with no physical reaction from Dravis whatsoever.
“Stopping the civil war is primary. Perhaps you were unaware it existed during your adventures at sea.”
“What did you just say?!”

Dravis rolled his eyes, before focusing them back on Voltek’s again with noticeable annoyance.
“My first step is stabilizing the Mire. Anything outside is irrelevant for now.”
Voltek glared at the man with fury in his eyes, standing in place for a moment before scoffing and swinging himself around, stomping towards the exit with jackboots creating a hollow ‘tip tap’ throughout the area. All eyes followed him as he threw open the metal doors like they were made of tissue paper and slammed them behind him with a mighty ‘thoom’. There was silence once again, before a man in rather formal attire spoke up.
“Your majesty…” He spoke in a tone that mixed a dry rasp with the voice of a young man. “Restadeen is a viable force, to say the very least. With all due respect, if you do not send troops there, then I wi-”
“You’ll what?” Dravis snapped back in annoyance. “I don’t quite trust you… You ‘vampire’ people. No such troops will be sent, and as of now I hereby order you to focus on ending the civil war.”
The man’s piercing crimson eyes bore into Dravis with considerable disdain. He stood less than six feet tall, wearing a obsidian colored overcoat covered in a multitude of odd brownish tinted stripes up and down the thing. It would appear quite old, as well, tattered from years of probable use. The rest of his attire included a white suit underneath the coat, as well as dark dress pants and similar colored shoes of a fine quality. The man’s skin was a ghostly pale, hair obsidian, long and serrated in nature. He would appear about the age of twenty five.
“Very well, your majesty.”
He spoke spitefully, also turning to leave. As he made his way past the rest of the seven commanders present, Dravis’ voice called out to him again.
“Please be quick to end it, Cyrus.”

Cyrus Fiendel 

Perhaps you may remember me from another tale my subordinate told you of. Or perhaps you simply know of me as the Commander of Regiment 9.

Regardless, my story is a long and interesting one to say the very least. My history would take even longer for me to explain, so let me just summarize it by saying that I am not a human being. I am also not a Vampire, as many would have you believe. I am a mix between the two. A hybrid, if you will.

My days began sailing the seas with my parents, looking for merchant ships to raid. My mother was a Vampire, and my father a human, which led to some rather awkward exchanges, but the sailing life of a Vampire was easy enough to adjust to. Vampire ships were built for speed and stealth, relying on those aboard in order to commandeer a vessel. We raided a great many ships and relieved them of plenty of supplies, but only killed when necessary, as was the sacred code of house Fiendel.

I had grown up quickly, and from what I remember, was one of the strongest of the Vampire children aboard the Harrietta. I was often called a freak or a halfblood by my fellow children, but I never gave any kind of a reaction to their teasing. Even so, I was more than happy to partake in more than one brawl or duel, so long as it didn’t end in someone’s death. But I’m sure what you all are interested in is the present. And my history is a long one, so I shall skip to the point.

To all those reading from other worlds, I live on a planet named Ares: a planet very closely connected to another one known as ‘Earth’. There is a large island in the center area of this planet referred to as the ‘Mire’. The Mire had a very long history of brutal wars and tyrants all battling for control of the land, until a mysterious noble named Edmonton Blacke gathered a massive army and swept all of his rivals away. From there he split the Mire into nine separate nations, each governed by a Cardinal, and each protected by a Regimental Commander.

This proved to be a very effective means of rule, considering that if one nation was invaded they wouldn’t have to wait for the Emperor’s ruling in order to gather themselves for a defense. All nations reported to the Emperor, of course, but often times his command was only a secondary concern. Edmonton had created one of the strongest empires on Ares, and for over a thousand years it remained about the same, despite going through multiple wars with different nations, particularly with the Vampiric houses. 

And that is a very brief and skimpy history of the Mire itself. So now that you are somewhat familiarized with the continent I live upon, allow me to begin by describing just what a Commander is.

A Regimental Commander is the protector of their nation. Since almost everyone in the Mire has access to a power known as ‘Cambria’, we have been selected as the strongest users of this magical property. Or perhaps just the strongest fighters in our respective nations. Each nation has a Regimental army composed of men who either volunteer or are forced to join by various means, and as a Commander I would be in charge of giving them orders if a war were to occur. Since I come from nation 9, I control Regiment 9. And until someone can prove themselves worthy of taking my position I will remain the Commander.

Yes, yes, I know you might find this ‘boring’, but have patience. This information is still crucially important, I assure you.
Nation 9, the nation I happen to live in, is semi-tropical in nature, and bears a close resemblance to the far off world, Earth. The Mire has incorporated many of Earth’s technologies into itself, from televisions to computers to microwave ovens. But with the lack of gasoline on our planet, we have been forced to use other means of transportation such as trains or simply walking.

The architecture of each nation varies widely, but my home nation in particular was designed to look more oriental in nature. The roofs were sloped with shingles facing downwards that would serve to divert water from the constant rain onto the dirt roads we so frequently traveled upon. Often times one could catch glimpses of the jungle or forest depending on where you lived.

The capital of nation 9, where I live, is known as Scarlen. The streets are made of a polished marble finish, and the houses farther in look far more impressive than the rundown ones you could find on the outskirts, such is the way of economic hierarchy. Towards the northern portion of the city was a set of giant jade colored gates leading to a sprawling courtyard where Regimental soldiers tended to frequent. Further along, one could hope to see what I could only describe as a massive Chinese-style temple, for those of you who have taken a course in Earth studies.

This was where I lived, and the Cardinal lived here as well. Every nation had one of these buildings, and they were known as ‘citadels’. Hundreds of people visited them each day, seeking an audience with the higher-ups for a variety of different reasons, but few came to see me.

Often times I was simply forced to fill out paperwork all day with little else to do, but on one rainy day in august I received a visitor: a woman who would put events in place that would shake the balance of entire worlds.

This is where my story begins.