Introduction

Intro: The Gods of Order and Chaos

Skip if you read the first books/Only this first one

Since the dawn of the Sentient, the world of Orion and its inhabitants have been under constant surveillance by two supreme deities. The deities split control of Orion, where one controls the uncharted skies and the other controls the fiery pits of hell. One’s rule could not bar the other’s influence on events that happen and could not take total unanimous control. They control the formation of land, spreading its water to help propagate the growth of fruits that fill Sentient bellies. Together, they decide what species are allowed to have free thought, the ability to develop skills, and allow them a means of establishing themselves through procreation. They also influenced what ailments would plague the world and what conflicts would arise from the horizon, introducing hungry beasts to force the masses to adapt.

The two Omnipotent gods are known as Rama, the Lord of Order, and Boros, the Lady of Chaos. Rama summons rain to irrigate the wild forest to bear fruit and fill its vast rivers, while Boros influences their minds to misuse their valuable resources for gain, helping create delicious wines that cloud rational thought. Rational free thinkers now drown themselves by indulging in once simple pleasures to the point of sinning. All these personal desires make the soul weak, leaving free thinkers vulnerable to no gooders and vulnerable to flesh-eating monsters created from the earth to devour them. One cannot live without the other, for if there were no bloodshed, the vast lands of Orion wouldn’t get the proper nutrients to grow its tasty fruit.

Rama is praised as the undisputed Lord of the Sentient races, the one who you pray for guidance, wisdom, glory, and a good harvest. In the earlier times, the free thinkers questioned the existence of a truly omnipotent being, discarding their skepticism once he sent his soothsayers down from his coven. The soothsayers were born to resemble any of the Sentient races’ women, with the only difference being their eyes. Their eyes were purple, like dulled amethyst jewels, resembling the gaze of the unseeing, yet their vision was not obscured in the slightest.

The soothsayers brought knowledge for many eons, teaching the races about agriculture, construction, and civics. Their knowledge seemed otherworldly; without the help they provided, the races would still be primitive, slinging rocks and succumbing to common diseases. Their mythical powers were nothing to scoff at. They could construct temples graced by their Lord that supplied them with powers similar to the omnipotence of their master. With the blessings of the Lord, a single soothsayer could heal mortal wounds instantaneously and soothe the souls of those who had lost their way.

The world itself didn’t need proof to know that the Lady of Chaos was real; her actions spoke louder than words. In the beginning, the land was populated by species that survived on roots, berries, vegetables, and mushrooms. In that span of time, the land was peaceful but advancement was stagnant; there was no need to dream or create. That’s when the Lady created the Lyconians, a ferocious race of wolf-kin that spawned from her malice. They could only consume meat and often wandered the uncharted forest, starvation causing the devouring of others. It didn’t take long for the strongest of them to come across villages of herbivorous races.

It was a bloodbath; villages were wiped off the map as a means of satiating the large number of Lyconians. With the looming threat of an enemy that grew stronger from their fallen, the races had to adapt, crafting slings and crude bows to manage population control. Now the herbivores knew the conflict of war, which many concluded was the reasoning behind the Lady’s actions. Yet Rama had other plans for the Lyconians. Some of the wolf-kin found that they didn’t enjoy the bloodshed or the constant pleas of those they understood. Slowly but surely, Rama restructured their bodies to be able to handle other forms of sustenance. Their diets were now of the omnivorous variety. To help facilitate the demand for food for Boros’ carnivores, Rama sprawled the land with an abundance of non-sentient animals. The need for bloodshed was still prevalent, but at least there wouldn’t be wars fueled by hunger.

Boros didn’t like that her hounds were converted into docile versions of themselves. A portion of the Lyconian population no longer required a carnivorous diet with the discovery of protein-packed crops, as their hunger was finally curbed. Yet for some, the taste for flesh was too intoxicating to relinquish, but at least the Sentient races could now see Lyconians as neighbors. The Lyconian community was divided; one side spat on the generosity of their Lord, continuing to act upon their savage hunger as they saw fit. It was a form of domestic taming as the docile Lyconians bred, slowly evolving into a new race of hounds: the Infenrials.

The birth of Infenrials was the last straw for the Lady. A majority of her own creations, now tamed by the Lord of Order, served under him and his people. To combat the evolution of the Sentient races, Boros spawned new races to combat those who upheld order; one such race was the Pantheamata, a race consisting of warriors with feline features. With each new arrival came a moment of time when the fighting stopped and new subspecies emerged. Wars and peace were cycles for the gods, with the last bringing about a sentient race known as humans. The elder races feared these humans, for they were the first race to have knowledge akin to that of the soothsayers; many encountered claimed that they came from other worlds.

At the point when humans arrived, the lands were in an ever-teetering scale of chaos and order. Boros’ recent project was the creation of hybrid animals, ones that came without sentient thought and followed only instinct that harbored in their blood. She experimented by creating creatures that were bigger, while also combining feline and avian features in some and using black magic to reanimate the dead to become ravenous husks in others. The soothsayers called Boros’ highly anticipated creations monsters. They couldn’t thrive with anything other than their race, killing for territory and food while having no dreams or aspirations . The two gods’ constant entanglements were the identity of the world of Orion, where peace and war were an everyday occurrence.

======================-----------------

Introduction: The Trial of the Endless Labyrinth

“So, what do you need, boss?” Greed asked Shadowman with his telepathy, while admiring a cold beer at one of Glade’s taverns. A couple of Centalope dancers caught his eye, making him smile.

Shadowman stays in his room of tomes, smiling as he enters Greed’s vision.

“I see that you’re admiring the view.”

“If I can never have the heart of my Venus, then false idols will do.” Greed sips his beer, seeing the Centalope wiggle her hips.

“I don’t think John would let you live if you touched her.”

“Hypocrisy! He gets a hot Centalope wife and all I’m left with is just my hand!” Greed looks at his hand, his palm opening to reveal a small serrated mouth.

“His advances were noble; it is not my fault that Morgaan chose him instead of you.”

“I had noble thoughts.”

“You’re the embodiment of Greed; nobility isn’t in your cards.”

“So just let her off with the Hunter I see—wouldn’t mind devouring her lustful thoughts.”

“Pick. A. side---Lust is already a taken name! She is as hungry as she is beautiful.”

“Don’t think you made this call in the spirit of talking about women.”

“Indeed—Mother and Father believe the Misfits are ready for the Endless Labyrinth.”

“Many adventurers went mad after escaping—most of them were swallowed by the Book-keeper.”

“I advise you not to tell them about the Book-keeper.”

“If they go in blind, then I can’t guarantee the candidates’ survival.”

“Trials are trials. Greed. We are omnipotent, yet we cannot rule.”

“Yeah, yeah—I’ll finish my drink, then head over.”

“Don’t get too funny with the dancers’ chief; Glade is very anti-mixing.”

Greed hears a Centalope getting handsy with a dancer, getting slapped.

“No touching, you pervert!”

“All this lust and desire fills me, gonna need to stay a bit boss.”

“Whatever, figure out how to tell them without raising suspicion.”

“I will do it for my sweet Venus! I want to lick her silky fur!”

“Atta boy, take care.”

===========================-----------------

Introduction:Shadowman and the Endless Labyrinth

Shadowman clicks his tongue multiple times and waves his finger at the reader.

“Naughty, naughty reader; how can you listen in on my conversation?” Shadowman stands up, heading to the random shower curtain. He turns on the water, humming as the water passes through his body.

“Really caught me when my pants were down—oops, dropped the soap.” Shadowman drops twenty bars, coming out of the curtain fully dressed. He skips to his tactical table; brings out his army. He squeaks the Tulee dog toy, places a battery with a rabbit on it, and a sports drink with a gator on it.

“Ah yes, now is the time for the Endless Labyrinth; housing tomes that could unlock hidden potential.” Shadowman pops the sports drink open, drinking the orange liquid.

“God! I can taste the power!!! An salt, never really get dehydrated here.”

Shadowman swirls his hand and zooms into the Glades streets, finding a certain Green Armored Warrior walking his White little bun. Juno grabs Calconus and leads him with a hop.

“So nice that they can walk down the streets without saying, ‘Oh, I’m not worthy,’ or some junk like that.” Shadowman arches his back, putting his head through his vision cloud.

“Kiss!” He yells out as he comes back.

“All Misfit fighters on deck; sadly, Ribly is sitting this one out. Yet the world’s fate can be led by a couple of misfits; let us see your tale.”