Taking Advantage of the Chaos

Five people, three opinions. For the moment, none could convince the others.

That was the trouble with an alliance of several powers: their fundamental interests did not align. Before, they had shared a goal—opening the Space-Time Gate and leaving the barren Mist World—so they had worked together without friction. Now that they had achieved that goal, disagreements were almost inevitable. Whether the alliance held together depended on the five representatives settling them. Otherwise, its collapse was only a matter of time.

Before they could reach a decision, a thunderous crash and a violent surge of Psychic Energy came from outside the tent.

"What's going on?" Havana, the Cyclops, demanded. He was hot-tempered and already frustrated. He rose at once, ready to see who was courting death.

Before he could step outside, a human swordsman stumbled into the tent. "L-Lord, something's wrong. That Red Dragon..."

"Calm down! What about the Red Dragon?" Legendary Mage Murray snapped, his brow furrowed. A dreadful premonition stirred in him.

From the moment Alshfaro, the Shadow Red Dragon, had brought gifts to visit the Elder White Dragon and offered to join their campaign against the Main World, Murray had felt that something was wrong. He simply could not say what. Alshfaro was powerful, and the Elder White Dragon had already accepted his offer, so Murray had not objected. Now he realized he had been careless.

Murray's shout carried a touch of the Calming Spell. The swordsman steadied himself and spoke clearly. "My lord, that Red Dragon's gone mad! He's trying to destroy the Space-Time Gate!"

"What?" the Gnoll Shaman cried. The others were just as shocked and furious, and all five rushed out of the tent.

They had brought nearly all their forces to invade the Main World. The Gnoll Tribe especially, as the instigator and