Guissepo hadn’t moved an inch since yesterday.

The circular gap before him which continued to spill out a resplendent light, had brought forth something astoundingly formidable, and that same something had kept him in entertained and gaping for hours without end.

“To think you creatures were granted powers like this but hardly know what to use them for…” a loud, feminine voice that seemed to sound from the very world itself spoke with a pitying tone, came.

Guissepo shuddered a little.

He craned his neck up for the umpteenth time to look at the massive, dark figure seated to his left, occupying a huge chunk of the space around the interdimensional gap before them.

It looked to be made of black stone – still roughly 20 meters tall even now – having a shapely figure and perfect face that spotted dazzling red eyes like jewels. It had its legs crossed, while its left hand wound around a large and long lance that was planted into the solid ground.

Before it was a terrified man who was bathed in the massive figure’s shadow, having to endure its overbearing gaze from above. He looked to be seconds away from dying of a heart attack, as quite honestly, none of his kind had quite seen or felt something like the Herald.

It was magnificent yet dreadful at the same time, and all that were like him – sitting quietly behind Guissepo – shared the same feeling.

“Uh, dear Herald, oh extravagant Herald,” Guissepo said with a respectful tone that barely hid his excitement. “You see, this lot has been ostracised in this nation, like I said before. No one – at least in Pelian – has made any attempts at uncovering what sort of extravagant powers lies in the Summoner class. The extravagantly foolish King has always been wary of where the summoned creatures come from. I’m not entirely certain many people know. Or any for that matter.”

The massive figure turned from the quivering man before it, and to Guissepo who welcomed the powerful, suffocating gaze.

“How stubborn: both whoever this King is, and this kind who continue to choose a power they know nothing about,” the Herald said, an eternally placid expression on its gorgeous face. “It seems those bold Traitors created several avenues for our Lord to see past his prison at least, before his release, but were thwarted by a fool on a throne.”

Guissepo reeled back.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

The Herald didn’t answer immediately. Instead it turned back to the shivering man, and commanded:

“Do it.”

The man instantly made a faltering attempt at holding himself together, and shot his hands before him.

While adopting a thoroughly serious face, so much so that it looked grumpy with the excessive grooves of a frown, the man conjured a portal in front of him, a whirl of silver around its wobbly, oval shape.

From it, a beast that looked like an odd cross between a pig and a rhinoceros emerged, sky blue scales all over its chunky mass.

The man looked at the Herald for approval, his face turned pallid, however the Herald was not interested in the beast. Rather, it stared at the portal.

Summoners, unlike Tamers, could send their consciousness to a different space – one they did not understand – and make contracts with a seemingly unending number of different beasts.

This was why the King had ordered for Summoners to be killed on sight, passing the decree with an unnerving degree of aggression.

“This…” said the Herald, “…is empowerment of astounding proportions. The ability to create gateways outside Aigas given to the undeserving.”

“Outside Aigas?” Guissepo said, stunned. “These gateways lead outside Aigas?”

The Herald turned to him.

“They could. Unfortunately, the portals can only be more… diverse, when their wielder is stronger and firmer than this coward, otherwise the portal will only support a specific place; one where I assume his kind summons these strange creatures.”

The man standing before the Herald shuddered at being called a coward before appreciating everything else the Herald had said.

Guissepo drew closer to the Herald.

“Then… where do these extravagant beasts summoned from these portals come from?” he asked with deep curiosity.

Before the question could be answered, however, the arrival of a certain something… someone rather, interrupted.

Guissepo was a bit taken aback by the creature’s appearance: its twisted horns; rugged skin; spiked armour and the excessive hints of red on its mouth. It looked like it belonged to the Herald’s breed, but while also being completely different.

However, it too could not compare to the Herald’s massive size, though it did try to prevent having to look up at the majestic being by simply flying.

It looked curiously below, at the glowing gap for a moment and then stared the Herald in the eye.

“Ashema,” the Herald said with its mighty voice.

The odd creature being addressed looked to have been about to say something in response, and with a rather snarky tone, but glancing down at the humans presented, it desisted.

“The wait is too long and our forces are quickly being pushed back. Can’t we just summon more of our kind through this gateway instead of resorting to our old temples as transport? There’s probably not that many left,” Ashema said.

“More of us? What will that accomplish? The only reason I allowed the few of us that have risen so far is to sow discord and stall for our Lord’s emergence. He will bring everyone else, if he sees fit. If those that I have granted the honour of rising fall to the enemies here, that is their own fault,” the Herald said tartly.

Ashema looked more annoyed than reassured.

“Really? Wouldn’t you alone be enough to ‘sow discord’, if that’s the case?”

“I am the vessel for our Lord. I must keep myself in the perfect condition. I would have thought you would enjoy having more of the chaos-driving to yourself.”

“I would, but I want to explore this world while I’m at it. I can’t stand being restricted to this as those bastards you put in charge are ordering us to!”

“It’s only for a little while,” the Herald said.

Ashema scoffed.

“Well, how long is ‘a little while’? I spotted several vehicles travelling across the sea while I was scouting for that dark storm earlier. They are headed to some place east. Don’t you think I should investigate? What if they are going to bring allies to fight against us? With our current numbers, the last thing we need is to be blasted by an army of these pink skins before Lord Boron rises,” he said.

The Herald looked to consider.

“Allies, you say?”

“Yes.”

An exasperated grunt left the Herald’s mouth.

Ashema would just not let the matter go.

“Very well. Go and investigate.”

At once, a creepy grin, like a lengthy crescent was drawn on Ashema’s face.

Finally.