The sky wept fire, a molten rain that hammered the once-proud city of Gorn into a ruin of blackened stone and twisted metal. Smoldering debris littered the streets, a macabre tapestry woven from the remnants of homes and lives. Lord Edward Gorn, his face etched with a weariness that transcended age, surveyed the devastation from the shattered balcony of his manor.

  "That vainglorious fool," he murmured, his voice a low rasp against the crackling symphony of destruction. "Why did he push it so far?" A bitter satisfaction mingled with his grief; at least his people were spared the carnage. The timely arrival of the enigmatic merchant, a figure seemingly conjured from thin air, had been a miracle, a lifeline extended in the face of annihilation.

  Suddenly, the already-darkened sky convulsed, a roiling mass of smoke and shadow coalescing into an ominous, impenetrable shroud. A piercing shriek, a sound that clawed at the very foundations of sanity, ripped through the air, a primal cry of unfathomable power.

  Minister Herald, his usually composed features contorted in terror, clung to the crumbling balustrade. "M-My Lord! We must flee! Now!" His voice, once resonant with authority, was a trembling whisper. The stench of fear, sharp and acrid, filled the air.

  Edward, his gaze fixed on the darkening heavens, shook his head. "Too late, Herald. Far too late. Look."

  From the heart of the swirling smoke, a monstrous silhouette emerged. Its form, initially indistinct, solidified into a creature of nightmare: a colossal dragon, its scales the color of obsidian, reflecting the dying embers of the city like a thousand malevolent stars. Its wings, vast and leathery, stretched across the sky, blotting out the last vestiges of daylight. Crimson eyes, burning with ancient malice, fixed upon the manor.

  Herald, his composure shattered, screamed, "Edward! Run, you fool! Run!"

  "Holy gods..." Edward breathed, his own carefully constructed facade of stoicism crumbling. "You're... quite right, Herald."

  But their escape was futile. The dragon descended with terrifying speed, its shadow engulfing the balcony. The impact sent tremors through the manor, throwing the two men to the shattered stone. Herald lay unconscious, his face ashen. Edward, his heart pounding against his ribs, turned to face his doom.

  Before him stood the dragon, its immense form filling his vision. The air crackled with its raw power, the stench of sulfur and burning flesh filling his nostrils. A wave of profound regret washed over him. If only he had remained silent. If only he had not dared to defy the King's monstrous command.

  He had always striven for justice, for compassion. He had been a protector, a shepherd to his people. But the King, consumed by his own dark ambitions, had demanded an unspeakable act, a ritual of forbidden power to be performed on the very borders of Gorn. Edward, his conscience ablaze, had refused.

  And so, the ritual had been twisted, corrupted, and unleashed within the city itself, a plague of darkness born of the King's cruelty. Why? The question echoed in the hollow chambers of his soul.

  The dragon's jaws opened, revealing a furnace of incandescent fire. The air shimmered with the heat, the promise of annihilation. Edward closed his eyes, a silent prayer escaping his lips, a final plea for forgiveness. Then, the inferno erupted, a tidal wave of molten death, consuming him and his loyal minister in a blinding flash.

  Lord Edward and Minister Herald

  The Destruction of Gorn

  For some strange reason, I found Noir inside the Adventurer's Guild. Leaning on his spear, he was looking through the scarce amount of requests on the notice boards with an unhappy expression written across his face.

  Even though he doesn't look impressed, I feel worse for the guild as their main occupation is monster slaying. With the large space they have dedicated to contracts, the wall looks barren. It makes sense though as the guild is still relatively new, that and the forests surrounding us were cleansed ages ago by my Assassins. There are about a dozen pieces of paper pinned up at most and it won't help any aspiring adventurers if Noir's in here cleaning house.

  "Oi, get over here." Instantly recognizing my Voice, Noir turns on his heels like a dog when their master returns home. I called out to him from the door and not wanting to look out of place, took a seat at one of the tables. Noir followed with a large smile on his face.

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  "What are you doing?" I ask, knowing full well what he was about to do. Noir's smile disappears and is replaced by confusion.

  "I was... Erm... " Time seems to have done wonders for Noir as he at least thinks about what he's about to say now before opening his mouth "... Going to hunt the largest monsters I could find for you, Master. Yes! That's what I was going to do."

  That's not to say the answers I receive are ever any better though. Sighing at the Assassin I can't bring myself to tell him off. It's not as though he was going to do anything wrong and at least his heart is in the right place. Instead, I settle for letting him work it out himself.

  "Noir, how are the guild's actual adventurers supposed to level up if you take what little game they have?" I wait patiently for him to come to some type of realisation. Calmly waiting while thinking about monsters and the forest. The forest and Monsters. Or lack of that is.

  As understanding finally dawns on Noir's face, my own is furrowed in thought as I realize that we have a major problem. How is the Adventurers Guild in Varona supposed to do well if there's hardly any monsters for them to hunt?

  Shit.

  I never thought the next problem would be the lack of monsters. How did that happen?

  Oh. Yeah. Assassins.

  I decide to hold a meeting about the relatively-low number of monsters that don't live in the forests surrounding Varona when I remember that Me still needs some type of work to keep him occupied. Being in charge of the monsters that spawn in the woods would be the perfect job for him. It would also put the adventurers back in work and help raise levels in another safe environment.

  That solution couldn't be better if I wanted it to be.

  I'll talk to Me later about his employment roles, but for now I need to ask Noir about something.

  "I've heard that you might know what happened to the refugees from Gorn. The ones that didn't come here."

  Noir's face lights up. Being asked for information he knows by his master is a big deal for the Assassin and he couldn't be happier. Evident by the large grin spread across his face. He really does wear his heart on his sleeve.

  "I only know a little, Master. Just what I have overheard and seen. It's true we received the majority of Gorn's population, some of their citizens had relatives that lived closer though so they opted to stay with them. I've also seen a few people in other cities that look like they may have originally been Gorn citizens. They seem to be living as normally as humans can. Some are in..."

  I put my hand up to stop Noir from continuing. The refugees seem to be doing fine and it doesn't really matter where they are, given that I'm on a world-wide cleansing and acquisition mission. They'll soon fall under the dungeon umbrella as it is and I'll be able to check on them myself. So much for the short sighted plan of inviting more people here.

  But at least I haven't totally wasted my time.

  I managed to find out about the dwindling contracts in the guild and I can get ahead of that before anyone brings it up.

  Coincidentally, I sense Me outside and call him in through our link. Now's as good a time as any to tell him of his new job. He spots me and Noir immediately. I'm too cute not to notice and no one can miss Noir. He carries that bloody spear everywhere!

  I get it, it's nice, but put it away once in a while.

  Not wasting any time, I quickly give Me the short version of what I need him to do and why. He looks at the quest boards on the other side of the room and nods.

  "Fine. I ask that you spare me at least... 5000 points per day to spawn monsters with for now," he requests in a hushed tone, making sure no one overhears him.

  "What? Are you out of your mind? What the hell do you need 5000DP for?" I don't help the situation though as I instantly blurt out my shocked response.

  "If one adventurer can safely dispose of five monsters, then one hundred adventurers will be able to kill five hundred monsters. Five hundred monsters averaging at around ten points each is 5000DP per day. That's even factoring in rotations and shift changes." He whispers his explanation which manages to calm me down as it makes sense.

  "Damn! That's not even that many monsters when you play it against the number of people living in Varona, or even the amount of family members I've got." With the rising population it probably won't be long before he needs more as well.

  I shouldn't grumble though. By filling the forest with Dungeon-approved monsters it should help the adventurers rise further in level. Which in turn equates to more DP which helps us grow further. If anything, I should see Me's budget as an investment for the future.

  "Quite. I shall start right away." Me leaves the guild and I briefly consider following him to see which monsters he will end up choosing, but ultimately decide against it. I tell Noir that he is allowed to accept quests that come from any source that isn't our own and only if our adventurers can't handle them before leaving the guild.

  With the Adventurers Guild being brand-spanking new, hopefully we'll be OK. Me will probably open up some Goblinator equivalents to whatever he decides to summon as well so that will be another bonus. I don't want the adventurers getting bored after all and complaining there's nothing to do.

  With the inevitable problem solved before it started by Abi the Efficient, go me, I skip through town in a positive mood, greeting people on my way. I don't know all their names, hell I barely know any of their names, yet they all seem to know mine. Is it just me, or is that strange?

  It's not as though I go around saying, "Hi, I'm Abi. Nice to meet you."

  I understand I'm pretty memorable, what with my hair colour and all, but there are more than a few of us rocking that beautiful green combo in Varona. Surely there's something else going on somewhere.

  Deciding to try and find the cause of how everyone knows who I am, I'm stopped by the strongest presence I've felt yet entering my territory. My map shows that it's headed in from the North but my overview shows no one coming toward me from that way.

  Taking a look with my actual eyes confirms the new arrival, however, it's not on the floor as I expected it to be. Instead, it's flying through the air at a ridiculously fast pace.

  There, in the sky above Varona, is a Dragon tearing toward my mountain full throttle.

  What the actual fuck!?