A cackle interrupted the Domnius mage’s corpse retrieval. They sighed, slowly getting up from the body of the fallen Darlien. 
[color=8882be]
“Just let me have my spoils, will you?”[/color] They began. [color=8882be]“I really don’t want to deal with any more annoy-”[/color]

Their words were cut off by a bone chilling voice.

"Hello, Dominus.” The voice said, sending shivers down their spine. “You've impressed me, but it is not you who I am here for."

[color=8882be][i]How the hell does everyone know who I am? It’s not like we have matching uniforms.[/i][/color]

The Dominus mage looked up to see another hooded figure. Their beard managed to poke out slightly from underneath, but their face was obscured. Their hands were covered in a white misty glow. 
[color=8882be]
[i]Another mage?[/i] [/color]The Dominus’ hands began to spark in response. [color=8882be][i]What would they want with this body?[/i][/color]

"Now, I'll spare you the pleasantries and simply skip to the demands.” The voice was eerie before, but now it borderlined sadistic. "The body, the mage's body, the one you just killed for me. I will be taking it now, and if that's a problem, then I assure you that we can work something..."

Before the Dominus mage could respond, the misty glow seeped from the man’s hand and covered the village almost instantly, obscuring the Dominus mage’s vision.

[i]”Give it to me.”[/i]

The command was faint on the Dominus mage’s ear, but firm.

[i]”Give it to me.”[/i]

This one was pained, and followed by a chorus of a hundred more.

[i]”Give it, mage.”[/i]

The Dominus was on the verge of panicking, but kept their composure calm for now. This magic was extremely powerful, rivaling even some of the heads of the House of Dominus. It was far beyond their ability, and they would be damned to try and fight back. Options raced through their head.

[color=8882be][i]He is dead.[/i][/color] The Dominus mage looked at the burnt corpse that was Darlien. [color=8882be][i]That should be enough. However...[/i][/color]

The Dominus took a deep breath, and grabbed the sword from Darlien’s charred hand. As quickly as they retrieved it, they swung down on his neck, severing the head from the body.

[color=8882be]“Sorry,”[/color] Their voice quivered a little bit as they spoke. The weren’t as confident to fight this mage as they were Darlien, were they to attack them  [color=8882be]“I had to relieve some anger. If you saw us fight, he was quite the proverbial asshole. Hope that didn’t ruin anything.”
[/color]
[hr]

(Carver Pentaghast & Claudius Ker’Rak, Outside Fort Gloria, Outskirts of Praelium)
[color=0054a6]
“You sure they want peace?”[/color] Claudius asked the captain of the guard through his helmet. He wore a fine scale helmet and shield, as the metal would cause him to overheat in this rough desert climate. His spear maintained it’s meta tip, however. The guard nodded back in reassurance.

“They wrote it on a ballista. Only came with three, so they were definitely risking something by coming here.”

[color=0054a6]"You reassigned the previous operator, correct?”[/color]

“He’s kitchen duty now.”

[color=00aeef]“Well, if their intentions are true, this will be a momentous opportunity for Praelium.”[/color] Carver said, containing his glee. [color=00aeef]“An ally to the north! Finally, some good news.”[/color]

Carver’s enchanted breastplate shined in the sun. The enchantment was merely to keep him from overheating, but it was useful nonetheless. The rest of his armor was enchanted to, courtesy of the House of Dominus. They created such magical weapons for each Tyrannus. However, Carver’s usual face shield was removed, as he wanted the Orcs to see his face when they made a deal with him.

Carver stood in front of thrice as many guards as there were the other day, with plenty more within the barracks of the Fort, ready to strike at any moment. Twice as many ballistas and archers were there than usually, ready to let loose a missile or an arrow (respectively) were the potential allies to turn hostile.

“They should show up anytime now, Tyrannus.” The guard said.

[color=00aeef]“Excellent,”[/color] Carver grinned, sword sheathed and shield strapped. [color=00aeef]“Let’s meet this Red Claw tribe then, shall we?”[/color]