“Hello,” Rave said quietly, standing with his back to Evan. He was laying out some flasks on the table and scrutinizing each one.

Evan sat down in the leather chair and waited for Rave to finish.

“I have to say I’m surprised. I was sure you wouldn’t wait two weeks, but I didn’t expect you to set out to destroy the Emerald Hand temporary camp right away. I thought you’d prepare or research the area first, maybe buy some gear. But no, you went in there, turning every one of them to dust. I show you my respect, even among the Merciful Death, there are seldom people who would go to such insanity.” Rave said calmly.

As Evan supposed, Rave already knew all about it. He had been flying to the castle for over ten hours, during which time the news should have reached every powerful organization by now. Of course, the light organizations and especially the Emerald Hand were furious. Their allies had been killed, and their reputations degraded. It was a great blow to them.

The dark organizations cheered. Especially Merciful Death. They were major fans of such antics and large-scale destruction and murder. Of course, the Demonic Tree was just as pleased. Each destroyed enemy camp gave them more opportunities to explore the ancient ruins.

The Demonic Tree sometimes conducted similar operations if some light organization occupied important territory for the Demonic Tree. It was like a strategic battle, only not for resources but for the opportunity to find something ancient and forgotten.

“Is it crazy to destroy opponents weaker than you? Would any mage be proud to kill a hundred commoners or wild boars in the woods?” Asked Evan.

Rave smiled, “Of course not, but you didn’t kill boars. You killed a hundred mages. Many of them were weaker than you, judging by their stage, but some were equal to you. Of course, your skills and prowess were at completely different levels. Otherwise, you would have been dead.”

“Evan, I know why you came, but I want to tell you something first. I think you should know this. It’s pretty funny.” Said Rave.

Evan looked at him, puzzled.

“The thing is, I lied to Kilia about this mission, which means you had completely inaccurate information too. Kilia is often involved in some missions and even organizes them, but not all of them. That’s why she didn’t suspect anything when I told her I was organizing a small mission and a detachment to destroy the Emerald Hand base.” Calmly Rave said.

Rave continued his story, “If you had waited two weeks like most people and come to the place you were told, you wouldn’t have found anyone there. And I wouldn’t blame you. It would be perfectly logical and even correct. But, such an action cannot fully show your strength, desire, and willingness to join us as a full member.”

“So this was all a test.” Mumbled Evan.

“Yes, you can say I made up this operation to test you. And frankly, you exceeded my expectations. You acted faster and more aggressively, at least, it seemed that way from the outside. If you were confident in your abilities, it wasn’t a very difficult test for you.”

Evan nodded and said, “I take it Emerald Hand was just unlucky that you decided to target their base for this made-up operation?”

“Yes, when Kilia contacted me, I started improvising. Of all the bases and temporary camps of the light organizations, Emerald Hand was the closest. I had recently been given a report stating that they had occupied one of the villages and turned it into their camp. So I made them the target of this mission. A dead light mage is a good light mage, though.”

“I get it. I take it I passed the best grade test?” Evan asked. A lot depended on Rave’s answer. Evan set out to fight against so many mages so he wouldn’t waste his time doing uninteresting missions. 

“Yes, the news has already reached all the light and powerful organizations and consequently their influential members. Of course, no one but me and some members of the Demonic Tree knows that it was you who destroyed the Emerald Hand temporary camp. I am influential enough to make you a full member of the Demonic Tree once you officially join us. And I will, I have good instincts, and I doubt that you will betray us and switch sides at some point. I think that’s impossible.” Said Rave.

Evan smiled rather contentedly. Killing a hundred members of the Emerald Hand was no easy feat. Only a few could do such a thing at the Two-Pointed Star stage. It was a real achievement, and Evan received an incredible reward for it.

“Evan, are you going to go to one of our bases now? Am I right?” Asked Rave.

“Yes.” Nodded Evan and said, “I want to join the Demonic Tree, explore the ancient ruins with you, and fight against the light organizations. But, I want to finish some of my business first, otherwise I will slow down my progress greatly.”

“I see, then I’ll look forward to hearing the news. By the way, can I take a liter of blood from you now? It turned out to be quite useful.” Pronounced Rave.

“Of course, won’t you share the results? This experiment is extremely interesting.” Said Evan.

Rave nodded, and together they headed to the lab. Evan quickly filled a flask with his blood and handed it to Rave. Then they headed to the room where the others were.

“I created a potion with very simple proportions – a third of your blood, a third of the blood of the girl the vampires use as a blood bag, and a third of the blood of the monster. The monster had to be evolved. I’ve been pouring this potion on a few people for weeks now, and look what I’ve accomplished. Said Rave and clapped his hands.

Just like the last time, two skeletons appeared in the center of the room, one going after the monster and the other going after the man.