"The truth is, I don't know much about the Dread Lord," William said. "I only know he exists. As to what he plans to do here in the Deadlands, I have no idea what it is."
All the leaders frowned after hearing William's explanation. They thought that the Half-Elf would tell them more about the Dread Lord, but the information he had was limited.
"So, aside from his existence, you don't know anything else?" Wade inquired.
William nodded.
"Then what is the use of this information?" Lindir clicked his tongue in irritation."So what if a Dread Lord is pulling the strings from behind. What can we do about it? Are you telling us that we should raid the Black Tower?"
"Actually, that is an excellent idea." William smiled. "Why shouldn't we?"
"Hah? Are you nuts?!" Wade glared at the Half-Elf who had a carefree smile on his face. "You want us to raid the stronghold of the Undead Army? That's just suicide!"
William shook his head. "Regardless of whether you want to raid it or not, the fact remains that the Hauntings will still continue whether you like it or not. With each cycle, more of your subordinates will die. A time will come when the Shelters will no longer have the strength to attack the Black Tower. By then, all of you will just be waiting for your death."
William stopped to allow his words to sink into everyone's heads. All of them were smart people, and they also understood that the Half-Elf's words were right. Unfortunately, after being in the Deadlands for a very long time, they had experienced the might of the Undead Army.
They were afraid that if they attacked the Black Tower, they would just be poking a hornet's nest and it would spell everyone's doom.
While everyone was deep in thought, a gruff voice broke the silence.
"How about we negotiate with the Dread Lord?" Eldon asked. "Maybe we can come to a compromise."
All the leaders stirred after hearing Eldon words. They had never thought of this angle, and some of them thought that this idea might indeed be possible.
"How about it, William?" Eldon stared at the Half-Elf who had his arms crossed over his chest. "This is not a bad idea, right?"
William smiled. "Might as well."
"Oh. You think that compromising with the Dread Lord is possible, too?"
"At the very least, I want to see the face of the person that wants us all killed."
Eldon laughed after hearing Williiam's reply. "Not bad. You sure have guts. I like it! Unfortunately, my daughter is back in my homeworld. If it's you, I don't mind you becoming my son-in-law."
The smile on William's face stiffened. He had no idea on how to reply to Eldon casual statement, so he just gave the Dwarf a brief nod before continuing the meeting.
"When do we go to the Black Tower?" William inquired. "The Haunting just ended, so I think we should do it before the next cycle begins."
Avril nodded in agreement. "I don't know about the others, but I plan to go to the Black Tower tomorrow at first light. The battle has just ended, and we need to repair our weapons, equipment, and the defenses that were destroyed during the Haunting. It will also give us more time to prepare ourselves for what is to come."
Lindir, Eldon, Wade, and the other Leaders thought that Avril's words were on point, so they decided to accompany her to the Black Tower tomorrow.
Naturally, Raizel also voiced her agreement.
After finalizing the time and place where they would all meet, the leaders left the Glory Shelter and returned to the Mimameidr Shelter, dragging Swiper, who had been beaten black and blue by Xenovia who had a grudge with him, out with them.
Raizel watched them all leave from the entrance of the Stadium and sighed in relief.
'With this the first step has been completed,' Raizel thought. She then stared at William and Lilith, who were discussing something a few meters away from her.
A mischievous smile appeared on the young beauty's leaps as she formulated a plan in her head.
'It will take some effort, but this is the only way,' Raizel's eyes became determined as she looked at the two people who held the key to victory. 'I just hope that things will turn out well.'
—-
"I hate that Half-Elf!" Swiper smashed a table after returning to the Demonic Shelter. His injuries had been partially cured by one of the Elves that specialized in Life Magic. Given his strong body and innate regeneration, it would only take him two days to have a full recovery.
Even so, he still hated the fact that the other Leaders had seen his shameful appearance after the meeting ended.
"That b*tch Xenovia!" Swiper roared. "Even in death she still defies me!"
Swiper picked up the nearby chair and smashed it on the floor until it broke into pieces.
The Boarkin panted for breath as he forcefully controlled his anger. He had been informed of the Alliance's plan to go to the Black Tower the next day in order to negotiate with the Dread Lord that was responsible for the Hauntings.
'I need to inform Lord Morax about their plan,' Swiper thought. Deep down he was feeling anxious as well.
More than a year ago, he had been surrounded by several High-Tier Undead, while scavenging for food along the outskirts of the city.
Left with no choice, Swiper went down on his knees and begged for mercy. Surprisingly, the Undead had spared him. However, they took him back to the Black Tower. It was there that he met Morax.
The Dread Lord that had crossed space and time in order to bring the Deadlands under his control.
Although the Dread Lord was powerful, his forceful entry to the Deadlands had repercussions. One of which was that he was bound to the Black Tower. Most of his powers were also sealed, so he had no choice but to slowly, but surely, hijack the Tower and bring it under his control.
After several years, the Dread Lord managed to take 30% control of the Black Tower's functions. The Haunting was indeed one of the roles that the Black Tower had played in the Deadlands.
It was a way to take the souls of the living into the Black Tower in order to be purified. This way, they would be able to enter the Cycle of Reincarnation as a soul without any baggage.
The Dread Lord managed to influence this function and take over the scale of each Haunting. At first, he merely familiarized himself with how to increase the number and quality of the Undead.
After getting the hang of everything, Morax then started to consume the souls of the people that were trapped inside the tower. This allowed him to weaken the restraints that bound him over time, and gain more control of the Tower's functions.
Unfortunately, after reaching the 30% threshold, his progress stopped.
The Black Tower was important to Morax, and it was the main reason why he crossed the worlds in order to enter the Deadlands.
If he could take the Black Tower back into his own world, then his plan to reach Godhood was assured.
This was why he decided to look for collaborators in the Deadlands. Swiper had served him for a long time, and the Dread Lord had promised the Boarkin great rewards, once his conquest of the Deadlands became a reality.
What Swiper was afraid of was that Morax would toss him aside. Once the leaders and the Dread Lord found a compromise then he would no longer be of use.
Swiper didn't want this to happen, but there was nothing he could do. If he tried to create friction at this point in time, the Leaders would become annoyed with him. Also, he was sure that the Half-Elf would beat the crap out of him again if he interfered.
Since he was left with no other choice, he decided to just be the good dog that he was and notify his Master about their recent plans. Perhaps, out of his loyalty to Morax's cause, the latter would keep him within hand's reach, and keep the promise that Morax had given him back then.
"You bastard Half-Elf.." Swiper gnashed his teeth in frustration. 'If you hadn't appeared in this place, I would have already been the King of the Deadlands! Damn you! I'll kill you even if it's the last thing I do!'
