Rodrick paces back and forth across the wall in front of the twenty men gathered in front of him. They all have a look of determination on their face. A look of survival. A look of someone who's stared death in the face and won...

"I am Rodrick! You have been hand selected by your own people for one thing... your bravery. You are strong both in the body and the mind, and that is important where we are going..." 

He jumps down from the wall and starts walking amongst them, touching their hands and meeting their gaze with a reasurring smile or a nod. 

"I am going to train you to be an elite fighting unit. Something this world has never seen! Something the enemy will see and dread... I am going to train you to be Salamanders!" 

Keeping time and pace as he talks, he makes sure he is standing back in front of the group as he says the last word.

"I'm sure some of you have heard the old stories of Salamanders... ancient beasts or fire and brimstone, capable of melting flesh and bone, scorching rock, and burning forests to nothing but ash... and while the salamanders of old are now extinct... we are going to capitalize on their name... their reputation... the fear they bring..." 

He lifts his own flamethrower, lighting the pilot light. "You will all be trained to use one of these. They are an absolutely devastating weapon, and must be treated with respect..." he launches a gout of flame into the air, showing the weapon's power.

"Now... the part that is daunting is where training will take place. Time isn't on our side, here... we have a week or less before Kotowari and his troops are at the front gate... but I know a place where time moves differently... you may have thought your village elders were crazy for saying such stories... but magic... is real... and I plan on training you in a place known as the shadow realm..." 

With that, he sets his flamethrower down next to him, and closes his eyes, holding his hands out to either side of him. Concentrating hard, sweat dripping down his brow, he begins pulling shadow toward him, forming and shaping them into a pair of short swords.

"You see... I am the son of The Night Stalker... The Soul Thief... The God of Shadows... Nerezza... and if you are willing, he will take all of us to a safe place within his realm, so that we can train. Any questions?"

Recruit 1: "Uuuuuh...question..." He fidgets, shifting his feet from one foot to the other. "Can I just say that I'd rather not go to this place? It sounds...creepy."

Recruit 2:
"Do we actually have to go to a place where there's...there's...m-m-magic?"

Recruit 12:
"Eugh! Did he just say 'Soul Thief?' I don't want my soul thefted!"

Recruit 23:
"How do we know this place is 'safe'?"

Recruit 36:
"I don't think I wanna go...especially if there's...if there's...m-m-magic..."

Recruit 40:
"Is there a restroom in this 'Shadow Realm?'"

"Any of you who are having doubts in yourself or would rather not venture to the shadow realm, you aren't going to be forced. You can join the rest of the troops training with Hikaru or repairing the castle... but before you go, ask yourself this one question. 'Why were you nominated by your friends, family, or village to come to me? Why are YOU standing here instead of someone else?"

Rodrick climbs back up on top of the wall. "Anyone worried about Nerezza needn't be. He won't actually steal your soul. At most, he might steal your lunch and move it from one side of you to the other... he's a prankster. The shadow realm isn't safe, but neither is anywhere, as long as people like Kotowari are around... I have a warehouse that will offer shelter in the evenings and a place to eat. I won't lie to you, the week we will be gone will feel like a month... but if you trust me... if you come with me... you will be part of an elite unit that no one else will be able to claim they are part of..."

Recruit 1:
"If you're sure, fine. I don't like the idea though..."

Recruit 2:
"Just don't use any magic on m-m-me..."

Recruit 12:
"How can the Soul Thief be that nice that he's only a trickster? Sheesh, fine, I'll go."

Recruit 23:
"If you say so. I hope we come out alive from this..."

Recruit 36:
*dead silent*

Recruit 40:
"I need to pee."

Rodrick nods silently, giving them time to think. After what feels like an eternity, he speaks. "Go and tell your family your decision. Tell them not where we are going, just that we will be gone for a week. Anybody who wishes to not come, don't feel ashamed or guilty. You aren't a coward. You aren't weak. You're brave enough to stand up for your beliefs and virtues, and if they go against what I'm talking about doing then don't push them..." 

Rodrick again jumps down from the wall. "All of you who are coming with me, meet back here in two hours. The rest of you, we'll see you when we get back." He walks off in the direction of the castle.

Recruit 1: "I'll go tell my folks then."

Recruit 2: *mutters under his breath* "Wish it didn't have to be magic..."

Recruit 12: "Whatever you say, boss."

Recruit 23: "Hope everything's gonna be alright...Tarj have mercy on me."

Recruit 36: *walks off*

Recruit 40: *finds a nearby tree to do his business...*

Rodrick returns to the wall an hour later, inside Firelord. He climbs out of the mech and up the wall, sitting on the edge and hangs his feet over the side, waiting for his troops, if any, to show up. He reaches into his satchel and pulls out a sandwich and a flask of juice, eating his lunch.v

One by one, slowly but surely, each one of the recruits returns. They slowly, arduously form up ranks beneath Rodrick's feet as he sits on the wall. One of the recruits, # 1, calls up to Rodrick. "We're done. And we're back."

Rodrick tosses the last few bites of his sandwich over his shoulder, stands up and brushes the crumbs off his shirt. He looks around and his recruits and can't help but smile. "Well then let's be off... Now, Nerezza. It's time..."

The shadows in the surrounding clearing slowly begin to coalesce and writhe. They convulse and jitter as the clouds overhead begin to darken, but not from any storm. The shadows on the ground slither and writhe exceedingly, coalescing to a single point. Two golden pinpoints of light radiate from the center of the shadow void, and a dark figure steps through. "Hello, son. Things going well?" Nerezza steps from the writhing shadows of the portal to the Shadow Realm, his grand wings on full display.

"Better than I expected, honestly." Rodrick hops off the wall and into Firelord, the hatch hissing shut and the viewing ports flickering to life. A deep, mechanical voice booms from the mech. "Everyone, this is Nerezza. He is going to take us through the portal to our training grounds. Thank you again, Father."

"It's not a problem, really, although I must warn you..." he grins a mischievous grin, "the 'cats' are out in force today! Should be fun, though--a good first day of training for your recruits."

With that, Nerezza falls back into the portal, disappearing before the eyes of the recruits.

Firelord walks toward the portal, motioning for the trainees to follow. "Don't worry, the location he is dropping us off at is safe. It's inside a compound." Firelord steps through into the dark abyss of the shadow realm, the little creature inside holding his breath and watching, waiting, hoping that the recruits don't lose their resolve now...

The recruit Salamanders stand at the threshold of the portal, unnerved by what they have seen, and by what they MIGHT see. 

None if them speak, or utter aloud their thoughts. Slowly, but surely, each young man steels himself and heads into the portal. As soon as they step through, they have a heavy sensation of glaring and falling at the same time. Several of the recruits utter cries of disbelief and dismay. The portal closes behind them.

Rodrick climbs down from Firelord and opens a warehouse door. "Welcome to your training facility." 

He reaches inside and throws a switch, turning on the thermo-kinetic generator and the lights so everyone can see. "Inside you'll find a barracks. Go put your bed rolls down on a cot and then come back here. I'll have your gear waiting for you."

Upon their return, Rodrick has a set of armor, a cloak, and a flamethrower for each trainee. He engraves their name on the inside of the cloak clasp before he gives it to them. "We'll start off with basics. This is thermal shielding armor. It will help you withstand the heat of the flamethrower."

The recruits don their armor and cloaks, and ready their flamethrowers. One recruit speaks up, his face and brow serious, glasses over his eyes with jet-black hair, probably Wuxian in descent. "Sir! What if we run into a problem where we cannot light the pilot light in time to a charging horde of enemies? Is there some sort of failsafe in place on these model of flamethrower?"

Rodrick laughs, nearly falling over. "Yes, there is. Trigger by your offhand will extend a bayonet, but also pressurize the fuel system. You stab something, it's going to ignite it from the inside... makes a helluva mess."

"Thank you, sir," says the young man in a very consequential tone. He seems to be taking this very seriously. He practices the maneuver very carefully, extending the weapon's bayonet, and minding the fuel pressure in the system.

"Everyone familiarize yourself with your flamethrower. It's not just a weapon, by the time we are done it is going to be an extension of you. You may even name it! Don't worry, they are currently filled with water. It will give you all the same feeling of the fuel but without the hazards of accidents."

Rodrick begun training up his elite force of flamethrower-wielding infantry. He taught them combat maneuvers with the weapon, how to properly care for, store, and maintain the weapon, and how to utilize the weapon for purposes of guerrilla warfare tactics. 

One day, Nerezza approaches the group, eyeing Rodrick as he is busily training the recruits on tactical drills. His golden eyes glow intensely, and his expression is deeply concerned and distracted.

Rodrick motions for the Salamanders to continue their drills as he walks over to Nerezza. "Something troubling you?"

"Yes actually. There's....Something wrong. I can't say what at the moment, but I need you to come with me. It's...a fairly urgent." Nerezza looks over at the trainees. "They alright on their own fire a little bit?"

Rodrick holds up his hand, gesturing for a moment of time. He quickly runs back to his trainees and gestures to the warehouse, telling them to take a break and grab something to eat and that he will be back in a bit. Running back to Nerezza, he nods. "They'll be okay. What's going on?"

"Follow me. You're going to need to see this."

With that, Nerezza turns and begins walking in the general direction of the vast shadow ocean. "You..." He stops and looks over his shoulder at Rodrick, "You may not like what you see." With that, he gestures for Rodrick to follow.

"That's not unusual for this place..." Rodrick chuckles to himself as he follows.

Nerezza and Rodrick make their way across forests of acid dripping trees and lakes of inky blackness. The going us fairly slow, despite Nerezza's apparent urgency. It seems he wants to take his time getting places, and while his steps are purposeful, his pace is even. When any one of the many dark beasts who roam the Shadow Realm seem to be in close proximity, or attempt to approach the two, Nerezza dismisses them with a sharp gesture. 

"Trust me on this one, my boy, THIS is unusual for this place."

The two travelers crest over an embankment filled with ichor spilling trees...

And then both see it.

A rip, like a massive fissure across the sky burns and groans like a wounded beast. It appears to be at least 40 miles it to sea, but is so huge and massive that it's distance belies its sheer immensity. It spans the horizon. It is a tear in the very fabric of reality, and it's blackened core makes even the darkest shades of the Shadow Realm seem colorful and bright. Flecks of sickly green flash and writhe throughout the blackness of the fissure.

Rodrick's eyes grow wide as he pales at the sight of it. "That's... no... it can't be... how? How can his essence be leaking into here? Into your realm?!"

"It couldn't have started but a year ago in the timespan of the material plane," Nerezza muses, his face as stone and iron. "I had a feeling this would happen at some time or another. Since Gideon's energy has fed off of the entirety of The Weave, and gorged itself on the paths between planes, it's now going for the nearest occurrence of magical energy it can find. What better place than here? It's feeding off of the essence of the Shadow Realm."

"Well then I think we need to get rid of him... once and for all... like you used to say." Rodrick's fists are clenched and he looks calculated and upset. "We may not always see eye to eye... but let's kill this bastard..."

"All in good time, my son. The thing is...Gideon the World Razer himself is dead. Saar saw to that with the Heaven's Blade, deep in the core of the earth. The problem is...Gideon was personified chaos to the very core of his being. As a failsafe, at his impending destruction, his energy and essence was released into the cosmos to wreak it's havoc across the planes. There's only one way to fully kill the bastard, and his residual energy."