1. Royal Meeting

The royal meeting was about to commence. All the five strongest mages were gathering at the royal palace. First came the mage from the south, Karen Noel, daughter of the duke Albert Noel. It was very fortunate that she would be the first to arrive knowing how well mannered she was and how she loved to keep up with time. She arrived at the royal palace in her silver chariot coated with spiral blue lines and coral beads. The horses that moved the chariot were also silver. At first glance, one could have thought that the horses were sprayed silver with paint but that was not the case. The horses were made of stainless steel and it moved without a charioteer.

It was without a doubt that Karen was the most pretty lady in the kingdom. This to an extent filled her with pride. She slowly came down from the chariot trying to avoid making eye contact with the peasants who were so in love with her. She had not yet entered through the royal palace doors when the second mage arrived. Harry Caswell, a peasant who rose to become one of the strongest mages in the * kingdom. He arrived in a less fashionable way; in his feet. Having a good long stroll was what Harry classified to be fun and fight strong guys too. Unlike other mages, he loved to associate with peasants since he was once one.

"Hey, wait up! Shining princess!" Harry said trying to draw Karen's attention.

Karen gave no heed to his words and continued walking. Of course as the daughter of a duke, she was taught never to associate with peasants and to her no matter how strong Harry was, he still remained a peasant. She walked faster to avoid Harry.

"Here we go again." Harry sighed. He followed Karen into the palace.

The third mage was no other than everyone's favourite, Argent DiSilva, a normal man from the average family. His talent superseded his pairs which made him one of the strongest mages. His presence caused an uproar as his handsome smile made some girls faint. He slowly waved his fans with a big smile on his face as he walked in through the palace door.

Not long after, the most scary mage arrived, Magret. Her surname was unknown since she grew up in the forest far away from the kingdom. When she returned, her magic power was so much that she became one of the strongest mages within a year. She was feared because she had no manners and all she lived to do was to destroy, devour, and consume. Her body was well built. She did not only depend on her magic, but had the physical body to back it up.

"What are you looking at?" She frightened the onlookers as she walked into the palace.

Finally, the last mage arrived of whom's identity was unknown to the citizens. He had always stayed hidden as a spy and his name was not known. He grinned at the people who stood looking at him in confusion.

The five strongest mages had now gathered. It was time for the royal meeting to begin.

Alongside with the king, the mages sat around a round table to discuss. Standing beside the king was his adviser Lionel Rotella.

"Good day everyone. I must apologize for the inconvenience by summoning you so suddenly, but there is an emergency at hand." King Derek the third began. "I'll make this brief and clear. We received a message a few days back from one of our trusted spies who reported enemy invasion. Unlucky he died but before that, he sent us a coded message which when we translated showed us the name of the enemy, the Gunters."

All the mages froze in fear as their eyes opened widely. Gunters were the most dangerous cult group with only a few members. These individuals have terrorized and pulled down many kingdoms and they were marked as international threats.

"Impossible!" Karen said at once. "The Gunters do not attack a kingdom without any specified reason. There's no way they would come to us unless..."

"We are not sure of their plans yet or if it is really them we are dealing with. For that reason, I want to investigate but sending younger mages would not turn out well." King Derek said.

"So you want us to go out on your behalf as the five strongest mages in the kingdom." Argent said.

"Precisely the point." King Derek said.

"Ha, it's been a long time since I last had a good fight, they better be the real deal." Magret said as she cracked her fingers.

"But sending all five of us would mean leaving the kingdom unprotected." The last mage without a name said. He was usually called Kai by the king and the mages who knew him since he didn't have a real name.

"You're right. We've made preparations for that to cover the kingdom with a barrier until your return." The king replied.

"Since everyone is going to be safe, there's no reason for me to panic. So when do we move bro." Harry said.

"You insolent brat! How dare you call the king such a casual name!" Lionel steamed angrily.

"It's okay Lionel." King Derek said.

"Sorry, my bad." Harry chuckled.

"We've detected the enemies next location which is the Crescent dungeon. We've arranged your departure at dawn." The king said and then stood up. "Remember, these Gunters are very strong. One of their members is as strong as a peak mage. So be careful."

King Derek left them. Karen could notice the sad look on Argent's face. Something was wrong. Karen could sense that. When she was close to Argent, she would always feel this warmth and completeness. Maybe it was love; she had not brought herself to believe that. She was the daughter of a duke which meant her marrying either a prince or a duke. Someone like Argent was not fit but yet the feeling still lingered.

"Don't worry, it will be fine. We'll save your brother." Karen assured.

She knew why Argent was sad. His brother who he once considered his mentor had now joined the Gunters. Argent was going to fight against his beloved brother.

"Thank you. You may look cold but you still have a warm heart." Argent said. Then he tried to hide his sad feelings.

Karen blushed a little but quickly turned aside like she didn't care. Her heart was beating fast. Maybe she had to confess her feelings to him, after they've definitely defeated the Gunters.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your rooms are this way." Lionel said.

****

The Gunters arrived at the dungeon that night. Their black cloak and white mask made it obvious that they were some kind of cult. One of the members stepped forward handing the lamp he was holding to another.

"It's here. I can sense it." He said.