Beside the flame stood a throne made from some strange material that glowed with an eerie orange and blue light.
The glow pulsed like something alive.
A figure sat on the throne.
He was taller and more muscular than the other Nephirid, but his eyes were the same molten color.
A black crown rested on his head.
It was dark as charcoal, completely plain, without a single gem or decoration.
His gaze, full of disinterest, moved over the one trying to be reborn in the fire.
"So much festivity, for nothing," he muttered.
"I'm sorry, my king, but we need this to keep morale high," said the figure standing beside the throne.
"You think I don't know that?" The Ashking's voice carried a slow, simmering heat. "I wouldn't be here otherwise.
If only we could do as we pleased.
Those damned bastards, they think they can order us Nephirid around as they wish."
"About that, my king," the advisor said.
He hesitated, then continued, "one of them contacted us.
They claim they will lift the restrictions on us, if we get them something they want."
The Ashking's molten gaze flickered. "What do you mean?
Explain."
"They are searching for a traveler.
They say there is one in our depths.
If we capture it alive before their magus arrives…"
"Will they really keep their word?" The Ashking let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "I don't believe them.
Have you already forgotten what they did to us?"
"Of course not, my king."
Ben and Elvira knew none of this.
They had fallen all the way down, past the known depths, into Layer 12.
It was an uncharted domain where the Nephirid ruled.
Yet even here, the Nephirid were far from their former glory.
In truth, they were at their weakest, all because of the faction the Ashking so bitterly called "bastards".
The Ashking glanced at the back of his hand.
A white sigil lay there.
Its glow was faint, dimmed almost to nothing.
He scoffed.
"If that is all they offer, then we have no reason to obey.
The seal will be removed soon anyway.
But that does not mean we do nothing." His gaze turned sharp. "Send a squadron.
Kill the magus.
Capture them alive if possible."
The advisor gave a deep bow. "And the traveler?"
The Ashking's eyes moved to the figure inside the flame.
A slow smirk spread across his face.
"Use him for the Trial of the Warrior."
The advisor sucked in a sharp breath.
To become a full Ashborn, one had to pass two rituals.
The first was the Baptism of Fire.
In that ritual, the body was reforged in primordial flame.
It granted immunity to fire and created one's molten core.
The second and final step was the Trial of the Warrior.
In that trial, the initiate had to hunt a powerful enemy and feed them to their molten core, which then birthed a living weapon.
"My king, are you certain?" the advisor asked.
He hesitated. "I thought you would at least capture him.
Feeding a traveler's artifact to the molten core will not necessarily pass on its…" He trailed off when the Ashking's burning gaze turned on him, searing with quiet fury.
"Count yourself lucky," the Ashking said.
His voice was like embers under the wind. "The kingdom has too few skilled people left.
If this were the past, I would have cut your neck already." His molten fingers curled into a fist. "You think I do not know something so basic?
This is the last time I will explain myself.
Taming a traveler is nearly impossible.
Cooperating with one is even more dangerous in our situation.
It is better to crush them early.
Though, I do wonder how he got past the barrier at Layer 10." The Ashking's molten eyes flickered again. "Not that it matters.
The risk is not worth it.
The vassal already keep making up noise.
If they have a chance, I am sure they will attack."
The advisor clenched his jaw.
He still wanted to object.
If the traveler had really broken through the barrier with brute force, then the newborn Ashborn would have no chance.
But he knew better than to push further.
'I am sorry… you are on your own, Draeven,' he thought.
Meanwhile, the platform Ben had made had completely changed.
It had grown into a 10 by 15 block area, now covered with a smooth floor.
Tall walls rose from the edges, forming an 8 by 8 enclosed space inside, and he placed the final block to seal the ceiling.
The structure was basic, just a plain square building with no decorations yet.
But for now, it was more than enough.
He could always add details later when he had the time.
The building had two entrances for now.
One was a trapdoor in the ceiling.
The other was a normal doorway.
He planned to expand the structure later and add an entrance to an underground area.
Besides the trapdoor, the ceiling also had several openings for Eldergleam crystals.
It was a simple system.
Elvira only needed to drop a crystal through one of the openings, and it would fall straight into a crate Ben had set up below.
Inside the building, several strange devices had been installed.
The first one was two blocks wide and three blocks tall.
It was a simple mechanism that took crystals from storage on one side and ground them using gears inside.
Right now, the gears had to be turned by hand.
That meant Ben would need to assign a few workers to help Elvira with her work.
She could use magic to operate the machine, but that would not be efficient.
Her mana was better used elsewhere, like finishing the products or handling tasks that could not be replaced yet, such as igniting flames hot enough to melt Eldergleam dust.
Another machine functioned like a furnace.
It was designed to make it easier for Elvira to concentrate her flames and raise the heat by a large amount.
The last machine was not finished yet.
It was a simple logistics device.
Once done, it would let Elvira send finished traps directly to the storage area.
That way, workers would not need to keep coming in and out of her lab.
Ben still needed to build the storage building itself.
There were also several desks and simple pieces of furniture inside.
They gave Elvira a place to rest or do research.
"Alright," Ben muttered, stretching his arms. "Next, I will need to create the worker."