The Abyss, an uncharted tributary.

A dense cloud of Abyssal energy, the dragon's Mist Domain, filled the entire tunnel, pressing steadily forward. Suddenly, it came to a halt, the fog falling still.

From within the mist, the abyssal dragon turned its massive head, its huge, draconic eyes—which now carried a hint of Orion's own gaze—staring at the Deathly Soul-Reaper in confusion.

Orion ignored Xalathar. Instead, he reached into his storage pouch and pulled out an Alpha-level lance. Then, he produced a Stoneheart Horde banner and affixed it to the shaft. The banner unfurled, the faint silhouette of a giant visible upon the dark cloth.

After a moment's thought, Orion took out a Firestone and melted it into a liquid, pouring it over the flag. In an instant, the banner ignited, shrinking by nearly half as it was consumed by magical flames that did not burn out.

Orion mounted the burning banner on his back and signaled for the dragon to continue.

"Master, what are you doing?" Xalathar asked, its voice echoing in his mind.

"Raising our banner. If we are to wage war on the Abyss, we will not march alone."

"ROAR! Master, Xalathar will follow you always!" The dragon and Orion's minds were linked; it could feel the iron will behind its master's intent. It threw back its head and roared, a deep, rumbling cry of excitement and unwavering loyalty.

"Let's go," Orion said. "Perhaps we can begin our recruitment right here in this tributary."

***

The Second Layer of the Abyss, the city of Miseria.

Aaaargh!

A demonic bellow erupted from the deep-set castle in Miseria. It was the signal from the Demon lord Makareth, a summons and a command.

Instantly, from every dark corner of the city, countless figures emerged: demon guards, hellhounds, imps, shadow stalkers, bloodfiends… even some of the ogres Orion was familiar with. All these abyssal races began to converge on the Demon castle.

On the castle's outer walls, Makareth materialized in his colossal Demon true form, complete with curved horns, massive leathery wings, and eyes that burned with hellfire.

"Effective immediately, we launch an invasion of our neighbors, the abyssal sirens!" he roared. "Plunder all the resources from their territory! Capture every last female siren and succubus you can find!"

His final command was sharp and brutal. "And remember, I want them alive!"

The demons gathered outside the castle howled in a collective, frenzied ecstasy.

Makareth's plan was simple. Before Orion broke through to the second layer, he wanted to prepare a welcome gift. He knew Orion had appreciated the Banshee Crystals he'd sent last time. Unfortunately, there were no more Legendary-level Weeping Banshees in his territory. However, the nearby siren territory was filled with beautiful sirens and succubi.

Heroes and beauties—Makareth was certain Orion would appreciate the gesture. And even if he didn't want them for himself, female sirens and succubi were excellent for breeding and increasing a territory's population.

A manic glee washed over Makareth as he imagined all the neighboring lords being swept away, one by one, after Orion arrived.

"All mine… It will all be mine!"

***

The Abyss, an uncharted tributary.

Squelch. Splat. Squish.

The sounds were wet and disgusting, the noise of giant maggots being crushed underfoot. With every step the abyssal dragon Xalathar took, dozens of the demonic worms were trampled into a thick paste.

Demonic maggots. They were one of the lowest forms of life in the Abyss, yet also the origin point for many Demon species. It was a common understanding in the Abyss that maggots were the most malleable of creatures, and thus were farmed in almost every territory. High-quality specimens could evolve into powerful demons.

Of course, most of them had no potential to speak of. Those worthless ones became a primary food source, sustaining the territory's populace. If one could find a maggot Nest and its broodmother, they could even provide a minuscule, yet steady, stream of faith.

"These damned crawlers are blocking my way!" Xalathar grumbled, its voice full of disdain. It was intimately familiar with the creatures. Before it had grown large enough to hunt proper prey, it had survived by digging for these very maggots in the crevices of the Abyss. But ever since it had developed its predatory skills, it had refused to eat them. They were disgusting, with no real meat on them and a completely unsatisfying texture. Besides, having tasted Orion's own lifeblood, Xalathar now looked down on such lowly creatures.

"Xalathar, are those the demonic maggots you're crushing?" Orion asked.

"Yes, master!"

"With so many of them around, could there be a Nest nearby?"

One or two maggots meant nothing to Orion. A Nest, however, was a different story. He had learned a great deal from his conversation with Makareth, from the most infamous abyssal species down to these lowly worms. He knew that in the Abyss, a maggot Nest was synonymous with population and food.

"Don't you worry, master. Finding a maggot Nest is my specialty. I could sniff one out with my eyes closed." Sensing Orion's interest, Xalathar boasted confidently. It had its own methods, otherwise it never would have survived its youth in these tributaries.

The massive dragon lowered its head, sniffing intently at the paste on the ground. After a few moments, it changed course, heading down a branching tunnel to the left.

They continued on, stopping and starting as Xalathar tracked the scent. Orion lost count of how many turns they took. After half a day, the dragon finally stopped before a sheer rock wall.

"Master, the crawlers' Nest is inside. There should be a fat, bloated broodmother in there. Their taste is absolutely awful."

As it spoke, Xalathar began to dig, its sharp claws tearing through the rock. It took a quarter of an hour to excavate a five-yard-deep hole, finally exposing the maggot Nest to Orion's view.

It was a shuttle-shaped, multi-faceted object with a single opening on one side, which served as the maggots' exit. Because of Xalathar's intrusion, all the maggots had retreated inside. Orion could sense them trembling within, huddled around a slightly larger, black broodmother, which was shaking just as much as its offspring.

"Interesting," Orion said.

He reached out a hand, and the Nest flew into his grasp. He could sense that it held tens of thousands of maggots, yet the object itself was less than a cubic meter in size. Clearly, the Nest was a unique item, an artifact with some kind of spatial storage ability.

"Xalathar, we took a lot of turns to get here. You're not lost, are you?"

"Don't worry, master. Nothing escapes my perception within the Mist Domain. I am not lost."

"Good. Let's keep moving."

Orion stopped paying attention to Xalathar, instead turning his focus to the maggot Nest in his hand.

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