As Stamrad approached the Dungeon once again, metal legs creaking beneath his weight, he breathed a sigh of relief- all had gone according to plan. The pile of bodies was impressive, certainly enough to fuel the machine of war that was his master. There had been minimal casualties, only one minotaur had been lost. Yes, things had been looking up for Stamrad ever since he got rid of that little gray pest of an imp, always stealing his glory and well deserved praise. However, as they trudged across the cold hard tundra, he caught sight of some movement out of the corner of his eye. As he looked up, he saw a glowing object streaking towards the dungeon, shuddering in it's fiery descent. The foreign object rocketed with terrifying speed, smaller shards falling off as it sped towards it's target, drinking in the magic that emanated from the dungeon. Stamrad only barely managed to leap to the side to avoid a sharp shard of the red stone implanting itself in the ground where he stood moments ago. Fear filled his eyes as more of the shards rocketed down, destroying the very ground beneath him. The minotaurs carrying the bodies were scared just as much, and ran off in a frenzy. As they sped away, driven by animal instinct, the cart tipped and tilted wildly behind them, leaving a bread crumb trail of bodies and blood. A deep look of sadness was on Stamrads face as he realized that he would have to clean that up, and began picking up the bloodied bodies. ------------ Viktor looked down with pride at his creation, finished but moments ago. Skin and flesh carefully molded to create a beautifully sleek creature, seemingly days spent perfecting the monster. The creature was amazing, surpassing anything that he would ever be able to mould again. Out from the gaping maw of the creature spurted a gout a flame, hot enough to mar the hard stone it rested upon. Upon gaining it's bearings, it flapped it's wings, creating a gust of wind enough to knock a soldier to his knees. Yes, these terrifyingly powerful creatures would make a wonderful addition to his army. In truth, there was little short of a god that could stop these creatures- their speed and strength unmatched by anything on this world. Viktor gently reached out a claw to grab the creature, move it somewhere safe to preserve this perfect blueprint. The creature slapped the hand away with it's poisonous claw. [i]'Master. I am surely capable of keeping myself safe.'[/i] The creature spoke, in a soothingly smooth voice. Viktor had nearly forgotten, the great intellect and mind reading capabilities that the creature had been imbued with. Yes, this could not be a more perfect soldier, nearly unkillable. A great rumble filled the air, causing both Viktor and the new creature to look up. Bricks shattered down upon the two, the glowing meteor eating through the very stone as it landed on the new creature. Crushing a large percent of it's mass. A pathetic screech managed to escape the teeth of the creature, as it struggled to claw it's way out from beneath the destructive force, it's very skin flaking off as it was ripped apart. Viktor quickly reached out his metal appendages, tearing it out from beneath the massive stone, having to sever much of the creatures body to save the important parts. As he hastily threw aside the mangled beast, once the image of perfection, he turned his attention to the trespassing object. He was intrigued by the runes scrawled across it's surface- He prided himself on his knowledge, and was surprised to find that he didn't even know where to start reading these. He raised a chisel in one mechanical arm, and began prodding at it, clearly the master of the scientific method. The chisel began rusting away as soon as it entered the crackling red aura that surrounded it. [i]"Listen to me, Master of Machines. The war you wage on this world is weak. The mighty force of Altearx will stomp on your frail army like naught more than a pathetic insect. I can help you. Make your forces strong enough to defeat- no... destroy all who stand in your way."[/i] Viktor stared at the runes, deep in thought, considering the offer. A deep metallic chuckle filled the air. [b]"That's quite the proposition. Though you have peaked my curiosity, I believe that my answer is going to have to be 'no'. My army is, and will be more than powerful enough, and I don't need any strangers meddling in my business, no matter how... interesting an offer they pose. However, this vessel of yours shall prove itself useful. I would prefer you not attempt to communicate with us further."[/b] ------------ The small gray creature continued its trek through the tundra, seeing the massive stone castle he was headed to. As he approached, he was met with a small chunk of glowing red gem, inscribed with a strange rune. [i]"I can help you. Get revenge. Destroy the ones who betrayed you..."[/i] It spoke in a low voice, luring the creature closer. Once a very quick-talking beastie, the creature responded in a slow, calculated voice. "I'm listening." [hider=Status] [b]Nothing in progress[/b] [b]Location:[/b] His Dungeon, North-West of Altearx [b]Dungeon:[/b] A small stone castle, armed with a summoning room, barracks, Heart, and prison. [b]Minions:[/b] 2 Imps, 9 Humanoid husks, 31 Ogres, 76 Skeletons, 101 Minotaurs, 5 Walking Ballistae, 1 Broken Beast, Stamrad, and The Patchwork Man [b]Resources:[/b] Seemingly endless supply of stone, large amounts of steel. The village was equipped with a couple of farms which feed the army. He has a pile of assorted organs, bones, and other various body parts, as well as exactly 76 skulls. [b]Compendium Update:[/b] Broken Beasts- Once the perfect soldier, armed to the teeth, the blueprint was corrupted, leaving them grotesquely deformed. Seemingly just a mass of flesh, charred and burnt with skin calloused and scarred into a stone hard shield. Many bony limbs protrude out, capable of little more locomotion than flailing about angrily. They do keep many remnants of their previous selves in the new marred form. They are very flammable, though unable to control this. Their most noteworthy power is the venom that exudes from their claws and mouths. Imbued with the power from The Rippers meteor, this venom eats through most material, which allows the creatures to burrow through the ground unhindered. They fight by embedding themselves below their enemies feet, before jumping out in the midst of their ranks, flailing poisoned limbs about and causing chaos. Though they are not extremely intelligent by any standards, they are possibly the smartest of Viktors army, able to strategically lay themselves in the perfect position to ruin the enemies formation. [/hider]